#US-UK-Australia pact

[creativemedianews]

Australia covers US and UK ‘against any liability’ for nuclear submarine hazards

Australia covers US and UK ‘against any liability’ for nuclear submarine hazards #Australia #liability #USandUK

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - November 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles! (sorry it's slightly late, the links didn't wanna work and I couldn't figure it out all day)

1. Wyoming's abortion ban has been overturned, including its ban on abortion medication

“Wyoming is the second state to have its near-total abortion ban overturned this month[…. Seven other states] also approved amendments protecting the right to an abortion. A lawsuit seeking to challenge the [FDA]’s approval of abortion medication recently failed when the Supreme Court refused to hear it[….]”

2. Patches of wildflowers in cities can be just as good for insects as natural meadows – study

“This study confirmed that small areas of urban wildflowers have a high concentration of pollinating insects, and are as valuable to many pollinators as larger areas of natural meadow that you would typically find rurally.”

3. Paris could offer new parents anti-pollution baby 'gift bags' to combat 'forever chemicals'

“The bag includes a stainless steel baby cup, a wooden toy, reusable cotton wipes, and non-toxic cleaning supplies as part of a "green prescription". […] The city will also have 44 centres for protecting mothers and infants that will be without any pollutants[….]”

4. Indigenous guardians embark on a sacred pact to protect the lowland tapir in Colombia

“The tapir is now the focus of an Indigenous-led conservation project[… A proposed “biocultural corridor”] will protect not only the populations and movements of wildlife such as tapirs, but also the cultural traditions and spirituality of the Inga and other neighboring Indigenous peoples[….]”

5. Denmark will plant 1 billion trees and convert 10% of farmland into forest

“[…] 43 billion kroner ($6.1 billion) have been earmarked to acquire land from farmers over the next two decades[.… In addition,] livestock farmers will be taxed for the greenhouse gases emitted by their cows, sheep and pigs from 2030, the first country to do so[….]”

6. The biggest grid storage project using old batteries is online in Texas

“[Element operates “used EV battery packs” with software that can] fine-tune commands at the cell level, instead of treating all the batteries as a monolithic whole. This enables the system to get more use out of each cell without stressing any so much that they break down[….]””

7. Durable supramolecular plastic is fully ocean-degradable and doesn't generate microplastics

“The new material is as strong as conventional plastics and biodegradable, [… and] is therefore expected to help reduce harmful microplastic pollution that accumulates in oceans and soil and eventually enters the food chain.”

8. Big Oil Tax Could Boost Global Loss and Damage Fund by 2000%

“[… A] tax on fossil fuel extraction, which would increase each year, combined with additional taxes on excess profits would […] generate hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the decade to assist poor and vulnerable communities with the impact of the climate crisis[….]”

9. Rooftop solar meets 107.5 pct of South Australia’s demand, no emergency measures needed

“[T]he state was able to export around 658 MW of capacity to Victoria at the time[….] The export capacity is expected to increase significantly as the new transmission link to NSW[…] should be able to allow an extra 150 MW to be transferred in either direction by Christmas.”

10. Light-altering paint for greenhouses could help lengthen the fruit growing season in less sunny countries

“[Scientists] have developed a spray coating for greenhouses that could help UK farmers to produce more crops in the future using the same or less energy[… by optimising] the wavelength of light shining onto the plants, improving their growth and yield.”

November 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[zvaigzdelasas]

Weapons, ammunition and equipment are in strong demand as Western countries continue to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, while growing instability in the Middle East and tensions with China are also boosting orders. Many governments are issuing major contracts to begin rebuilding ammunition stockpiles after sending huge amounts of hardware to Kyiv, at a time when the Israel-Gaza conflict and attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea are creating more uncertainty. Meanwhile, Britain has partnered with Japan and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet, and with the US and Australia to develop a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact.

BAE, which is the UK’s biggest manufacturer and largest defence contractor, revealed in November that it had booked £10bn of orders since June alone, including £3.9bn related to AUKUS. The company has also secured ammo-restocking contracts worth around £410m in Britain and another $8.8bn (£6.9bn) contract to continue running an ammunition plant on behalf of the US Army.

Babcock has been awarded contracts to support the Ukrainian navy, maintaining two minehunter ships that were previously part of British forces. The rally of defence and aerospace companies has also been boosted by a burgeoning turnaround at engineering giant Rolls-Royce, which maintains fighter jet and boat engines for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, including the reactor cores for Britain’s Vanguard nuclear deterrent submarines.

2 Jan 24

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 8.23

Holidays

Asian Corpsetwt Day [Every 23rd]

Battle of Kursk Day (Russia)

Black Ribbon Day (Baltic states)

The Blitz Begins (WW2; 1940; UK)

Daffodil Day [also 4th Friday]

European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism (EU)

Find Your Inner Nerd Day

Flag Day (Ukraine)

Goldfinch Day

Grand Mahal de Touba (Senegal)

Hashtag Day

Health Unit Coordinator Day

Hebron Massacre Anniversary (Israel)

Hug Your Sweetheart Day

International Blind Dog Day

International Day For the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition (UN)

International Redhead Day

Internaut Day

Liberation from Fascist Occupation Day (Romania)

National Cheap Flight Day

National Doctors’ Day (Iran)

National Holiday (Socialist Republic of Romania)

National Levi Day

National Physicians Day (Iran)

National Plumber's Day

National Poetry Day (New Zealand)

National Sneak Off to the Beach Day

One-Way Street Day

Permanent Press Day

Pilot 823 Day

Purple Poppy Day (UK)

Ride the Wind Day

Sacco-Vanzetti Memorial Day

Schueberfouer Shepherd’s Fair begins (Luxembourg)

Singin’ in the Rain Day

Slavery Remembrance Day

Tansy Day

Tuberose Day (French Republic)

Umhlanga Day (Eswatini, f.k.a. Swaziland)

Valentino Day

Victory Over Germany in the Battle of Kursk Day (Russia)

William Wallace Day (Scotland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Buttered Corn Day

Cuban Sandwich Day

National Spongecake Day

Peruvian Coffee Day (Peru)

Swedish Meatball Day

World Vada Pad Day (Maharashtra, India)

Independence & Related Days

Aerlig (Declared, 2001) [unrecognized]

Hong Kong (UK Takes from China; 1839-Non-Aggression Pact; 1939)

Kharkiv City Day (Ukraine)

Mexico (Treaty of Aquala Signed; 1821)

Open Rebellion Day (UK declared US Colonies; 1775)

4th Friday in August

Brother’s Day [1st Friday after Full Moon]

Comfort Food Friday [Every Friday]

Daffodil Day (Australia, Southern Hemisphere) [4th Friday]

Five For Friday [Every Friday]

Flashback Friday [Every Friday]

Forgive Your Foe Friday [Friday of Be Kind to Humankind Week]

Friday Finds [Every Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

International Pozole Day [4th Friday]

TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) [Every Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 23 (3rd Full Week of August)

Health Unit Coordinators Week (thru 8.29)

Festivals Beginning August 23, 2024

Askov Rutabaga Festival and Fair (Askov, Minnesota) [thru 8.25]

Big Feastival (Kingham, United Kingdom) [thru 8.25]

Bosque Chile & Music Fest (Albuquerque, New Mexico) [thru 8.24]

Butler Italian Festival (Butler, Pennsylvania) [thru 8.25]

Chorus Inside International (Rovinj, Croatia) [thru 8.28]

Colorado State Fair (Pueblo, Colorado) [thru 9.2]

DeKalb Corn Fest (DeKalb, Illinois) [thru 8.25]

Espoo Ciné International Film Festival (Espoo, Finland) [thru 9.1]

Fallon Cantaloupe Festival & Country Fair (Fallon, Nevada) [8.25]

Fête Rouge Food & Wine Fête (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

German-American Festival (Oregon, Ohio) [thru 8.25]

Hill City Wine, Brew and BBQ(Hill City, South Dakota) [thru 8.24]

Humungous Fungus Fest (Crystal Falls, Michigan) [thru 8.24]

Indianapolis GreekFest - Indianapolis, Indiana

Mammoth Rocks & Music & Food Festival (Mammoth Lakes, California) [thru 8.24]

Northwest Art and Air Festival (Albany, Oregon) [thru 8.25]

Nebraska State Fair (Grand Island, Nebraska) [thru 9.2]

Old Fashioned Corn Roast Festival (Loveland, Colorado) 9thru 8.24]

Oregon State Fair (Salem, Oregon) [thru 9.2]

Potato Days Festival (Barnesville, Minnesota) [thru 8.24]

Roots Festival (Paola, Kansas) [thru 8.24]

Shrewsbury Folk Festival (Shrewsbury, United Kingdom.) [thru 8.26]

Soybean Festival (Mexico, Missouri) [thru 8.24]

Sylvester Swine Festival (Sylvester, Georgia) [thru 8.24]

Washington State Garlic Fest (Chehalis, Washington) (thru 8.25]

Whiskies of the World (Boston, Massachusetts)

World Food & Music Festival (Des Moines, Iowa) [thru 8.25]

Feast Days

Allan Kaprow (Artology)

Appollinaris Sidnonius, Bishop of Clermont (Christian; Saint)

Appreciate What You’ve Got Day (Pastafarian)

Ascelina (Christian; Saint)

Asterius, Claudius, Domnina, Neon, and Theonilla (Christian; Martyrs)

Chǔshǔ begins (China) [Thru 9.7]

Claudius, Asterius and Others (Christian; Martyrs)

Day of Hephaestos (Pagan)

Day of Nemesea (Old Roman Goddess Nemesis, defender of the relics & memory of the dead from insults)

Dick Bruna (Artology)

Dollond (Positivist; Saint)

Dunadd in Argyll (Celtic Book of Days)

Éogan of Ardstraw (Christian; Saint)

Ernie Bushmiller (Artology)

Eugene Lanceray (Artology)

Eugenius of Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Nemesis (Goddess of Fate; Ancient Greece)

Gaura Parba (Women’s Festival to Goddess Gauri; Nepal)

Great Feast of the Netjeru (All Gods/Goddesses; Ancient Egypt)

Hammer Fraggle (Muppetism)

Hannah Frank (Artology)

Janmashtami (Lord Krishna Nativity; Hindu)

Justinian the Hermit (Christian; Saint)

Keith Tyson (Artology)

Kirvis (Harvest Festival; Lithuania)

Lupus (a.k.a. Luppus) of Novae (Christian; Saint)

Nemeseia (Ancient Greece)

Nuclear Accident Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Philip Benitius (Christian; Saint)

Quiriacus and companions, of Ostia (Christian; Saint)

Rose of Lima (Christian; Saint)

Second Festival of Vertumnalia (Ripening Fruit; Ancient Rome; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Theonas, Archbishop of Alexandria (Christian; Saint)

Tydfil (Christian; Saint)

Vertumnalia (Old Roman God of the Change of Seasons)

Vulcanalia (Ancient Roman festival to Vulcan)

William Ernest Henley (Writerism)

Willy Russell (Writerism)

Zacchaeus of Jerusalem (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

A-Hunting We Won’t Go (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1943)

Alice Adams (Film; 1935)

Angel Has Fallen (Film; 2019)

Animal Crackers (Film; 1930)

Barton Fink (Film; 1991)

Better Off Dead (Film; 1985)

The Big Sleep (Film; 1946)

Birdland (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1935)

Canadian Capers, featuring Farmer Al Falfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1931)

Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, recorded Perez Prado (Song; 1954)

Club Life in the Stone Age (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1940)

DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year (WB Animated Film; 2016)

The Death of Superman (WB Animated Film; 2018)

Drinking Buddies (Film; 2013)

Freeway (Film; 1996)

The Girl at the Ironing Board (WB MM Cartoon; 1934)

Going! Going! Gosh! (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Grace, by Jeff Buckley (Album; 1994)

Henry IV, Part 2, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1600)

Knighty Knight Bugs (WB LT Cartoon; 1958)

Lover, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2019)

Pass the Biscuits Mirandy! (Swing Symphony Cartoon; 1943)

Scotty Finds a Home (Rainbow Parade Cartoon; 1935)

She Loves You, by The Beatles (UK Song; 1963)

She’s the One (Film; 1996)

Sir Army Suit, by Klaatu (Album; 1978)

The Sun Also Rises (Film; 1957)

Superior Duck (WB Cartoon; 1996)

Superman: Man of Tomorrow (WB Animated Film; 2020)

Teen Wolf (Film; 1985)

That ’70s Show (TV Series; 1998)

Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz (WB Animated Film; 2011)

Woody’s Magic Touch (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1971)

The World’s End (Film; 2013)

Today’s Name Days

Isolde, Philipp, Rosa, Zachäus (Austria)

Rozalija, Ruža, Ružica (Croatia)

Sandra (Czech Republic)

Zakæus (Denmark)

Signe, Singe (Estonia)

Signe, Varma (Finland)

Rose (France)

Isolde, Rosa, Zachäus (Germany)

Bence (Hungary)

Fabrizio, Maria, Regina (Italy)

Benjamins, Ralfs, Spriditis, Vitālijs (Latvia)

Girmantas, Pilypas, Tautgailė (Lithuania)

Signe, Signy (Norway)

Apolinary, Benicjusz, Filip, Laurenty, Sulirad, Walerian, Waleriana, Zacheusz (Poland)

Filip (Slovakia)

Rosa (Spain)

Signe, Signhild (Sweden)

Eugene, Eugenia, Geena, Gena, Gene, Genie, Gina, Jina, River, Zacchaeus, Zaccheus (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 236 of 2024; 130 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of Week 34 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Coll (Hazel) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 20 (Ji-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 19 Av 5784

Islamic: 17 Safar 1446

J Cal: 26 Purple; Fryday [26 of 30]

Julian: 10 August 2024

Moon: 80%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 11 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Dollond]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 1 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 65 of 94)

Week: 3rd Full Week of August

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 2 of 32)

Calendar Changes

Rad (Motion) [Half-Month 17 of 24; Runic Half-Months] (thru 9.6)

[alexanderpearce]

many are saying this

this is my a tale of two labo(u)r governments manifesto concerning the respective governments of bob hawke and paul keating in australia and tony blair and gordon brown in the uk. i promise im still a communist im just obsessed with the psychodrama of the westminster system. the cycles.

both paul keating and gordon brown had been living labo(u)r politics since they were in their early/mid teens, where bob hawke and tony blair swept in and managed, a lot because of their sense of populism, to win a labo(u)r victory after years and years of liberal/tory rule. one of the insane things with hawke and keating is that at the point hawke entered politics, keating had been there for 13 years or so, and at this point keating was 36 and hawke was 50. keating was of course pissed off to have the premiership stolen by some 50 year old relative novice.

anyway in 1983 hawke becomes prime minister with keating as his treasurer in a landslide victory after years of liberal rule, and in 1997 blair becomes prime minister with brown as his chancellor in a landslide victory after years of tory rule (chancellor and treasurer are basically equivalent roles in their respective governments). both are pretty powerful treasurers/chancellors and see themselves as running the country more than the PM, though brown was way more proactive in uh. using his power to block money and fuck with the PM.

my understanding is that both labo(u)r parties got in and stayed in on ‘modernising’ the labo(u)r party, which essentially meant becoming less labo(u)r-y. this was especially true for the hawke-keating government, which adopted policies and actions people saw as much more liberal, giving the government less power of some parts of money. who is up floating the australian dollar. who is up giving the bank of england operational independence. idk i wont compare economic or other policies between the two governments too much because i dont really feel like i know enough to do so. there were obviously at least as many differences as similarities between the two.

both sets of men had a deal that the prime minister would step down and let his treasurer/chancellor take his place after a few terms – the kirribilli agreement (confirmed, done before witnesses, solid) for hawke and keating, made at kirribilli house (after some informal agreements years before) and the granita pact (alleged, nebulous) for blair and brown, made at the granita restaurant (after some informal arguments and threats and agreements over years). i think the main difference between the two is that hawke and keating seemed more explicit and solid in all their dealings together, with a deal in front of witnesses, hawke explicitly reneging on the deal, and keating stabbing him in the back (or the front) openly with a vicious off-the-record speech and multiple spill attempts, where blair and brown's dealings seemed to me a lot more indefinite. this may have been purposeful on blair's part.

also blair and brown also LITERALLY WENT TO KIRRIBILLI HOUSE TOGETHER IN THE EARLY 1990S AND MET HAWKE AND KEATING THERE to talk to a successful labo(u)r government about getting into power. like what kind of Premiership Succession Deal Cinematic Universe is this. hawke and keating should've had dinner at granita together too.

another difference is that keating won himself a second term after his half one, making his premiership last from 1991 until 1996, while brown never served a full term, lasting from 2007 until 2010. imagine the sting. everyone was just sick of labo(u)r. i do also think (and this will be influenced by the end of the party being one of my main sources, so i say it with a pinch of salt) that keating was a better prime minister than brown was. he truly had a vision for australia, and worked to try and implement it, where the people around brown often said that he didn't seem to have an overarching plan once he got into power.

both couplets of men were successful precisely because of their partnership, with a populist, smiling frontman in hawke and blair, and an economic thinker propping them up on policy and desperate for power in keating and brown. keating and brown, when they finally got power, were tired already and felt they had gotten it too late. both pairs of men were described as brotherly, but the grip of their respective deals broke down their relationships into deep bitterness and antipathy. i will say that (despite keating acting like the lodge was haunted by hawke after he left and saying all that shit about how he should have been on his hands and knees about keating even being around him) hawke and keating’s relationship never seemed to reach the same heights (or depths) of homoeroticism and hatred that blair and brown’s did. i think this maybe also allowed hawke and keating to be more direct with each other than perhaps blair and brown were.

(all of this has happened before, and it will happen again)

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

San Francisco: Global Action to Stop US Nuke Sub Base in Australian Port Kembla and AUKUS

Saturday, May 6 - 12 noon

SF Australia Consulate, 575 Market St., San Francisco, CA

The US Biden government with the support of both Democrats and the Republicans is preparing for war against China and has set up Aukus, a trilateral “security” pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

As part of this pact, the US now wants to destroy the Australian MUA organized Port of Kembla and build a nuclear submarine base which would threaten the survival of unionized port as a commercial port.

The unions and community have had a development plan for renewable energy projects employing thousands of workers and this Nuke base would destroy this initiative.

On May 6, 2023 there will be a rally at the Port Kembla organized by the trades council with the support of the MUA and community . There will be a workers community march to the NSW city of Port Kembla to oppose its use as a base for a future submarine fleet.

“The battle for Port Kembla has begun,” said Arthur Rorris, the secretary of the South Coast Labour Council, a longstanding Labor member and one of the organizers of the annual march.”

Around the world we must support our Brothers, Sisters and Siblings at the Port of Kembla.

Workers and people around the world need to organize against the militarization of Asia need to unite against this new US nuclear base in Australia and the reactionary AUKUS agreement.

The US and the UK with Japan and Australia is working double time to surround China a provoke another war in Asia.

While millions of US people have no healthcare, face homelessness and hunger the US and it’s military industrial complex is pushing Australia and the world to prepare for world war.

We support world wide demonstrations against this new proposed NUKE base in Port Kembla, which the Australian Labor Party leadership along with Biden administration, Democrats and Republicans are pushing toward a new world war and only workers and the people can stop this new US base and a world war.

[head-post]

US eases restrictions on exports of space-related goods to allies

The Biden administration relaxed export restrictions for US commercial space companies to supply certain satellites and goods to allies and partners, according to Reuters.

The changes are designed to make it easier for the growing US commercial space industry to expand sales and to protect national security and foreign policy interests.

US space companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and large defence contractors with space divisions, such as Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies and Boeing, could benefit from the new regulations. The updates would also enhance the US ability to “broaden and deepen international partnerships, to grow our economy and to collaborate on mutual space priorities,” Don Graves, deputy secretary of the Department of Commerce, stated.

As the diversity of commercial activity in space grows, these rules will reduce the burden for US industry to continue innovating and leading in the space sector.

The rules could help the US advance the trilateral AUKUS security pact between the UK, US and Australia, struck in 2021 in response to China’s growing power in the Indo-Pacific.

Certain less sensitive parts and components of satellites and spacecraft would no longer require licences to be shipped to more than 40 countries including Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and most EU member states. Besides, the Commerce Department would waive licensing requirements for the least sensitive products, such as electrical connectors, for most of the world, but not for Russia and China, the source claimed.

After publishing the 2019 notice SpaceX urged the US to consider ways to “streamline export control regulations for the US commercial space industry to lower administrative burdens, decrease regulatory compliance costs and increase exports thereby bolstering the US space commercial sector and industrial base.”

The relaxations could expand SpaceX’s overseas presence as it develops Starship, a next-generation reusable rocket. The Starship agreement could also pave the way for a larger SpaceX presence in Australia.

Read more HERE

[christinamac1]

‘Relief’ Australia won’t take high-level nuclear waste under AUKUS

In response to recommendations made by a parliamentary committee, Labor has proposed changes that make clear Australia will be responsible only for high-level waste produced by its submarines New Daily Tess Ikonomou, Sep 11, 2024 Australia will not accept high-level nuclear waste from other countries under a security pact with the US and UK. Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines…

[nawapon17]

Scaling Up: Australia-UK-US Security Pact Looks To Expand Into Aerospace

[brookston]

Holidays 8.23

Holidays

Asian Corpsetwt Day [Every 23rd]

Battle of Kursk Day (Russia)

Black Ribbon Day (Baltic states)

The Blitz Begins (WW2; 1940; UK)

Daffodil Day [also 4th Friday]

European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism (EU)

Find Your Inner Nerd Day

Flag Day (Ukraine)

Goldfinch Day

Grand Mahal de Touba (Senegal)

Hashtag Day

Health Unit Coordinator Day

Hebron Massacre Anniversary (Israel)

Hug Your Sweetheart Day

International Blind Dog Day

International Day For the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition (UN)

International Redhead Day

Internaut Day

Liberation from Fascist Occupation Day (Romania)

National Cheap Flight Day

National Doctors’ Day (Iran)

National Holiday (Socialist Republic of Romania)

National Levi Day

National Physicians Day (Iran)

National Plumber's Day

National Poetry Day (New Zealand)

National Sneak Off to the Beach Day

One-Way Street Day

Permanent Press Day

Pilot 823 Day

Purple Poppy Day (UK)

Ride the Wind Day

Sacco-Vanzetti Memorial Day

Schueberfouer Shepherd’s Fair begins (Luxembourg)

Singin’ in the Rain Day

Slavery Remembrance Day

Tansy Day

Tuberose Day (French Republic)

Umhlanga Day (Eswatini, f.k.a. Swaziland)

Valentino Day

Victory Over Germany in the Battle of Kursk Day (Russia)

William Wallace Day (Scotland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Buttered Corn Day

Cuban Sandwich Day

National Spongecake Day

Peruvian Coffee Day (Peru)

Swedish Meatball Day

World Vada Pad Day (Maharashtra, India)

Independence & Related Days

Aerlig (Declared, 2001) [unrecognized]

Hong Kong (UK Takes from China; 1839-Non-Aggression Pact; 1939)

Kharkiv City Day (Ukraine)

Mexico (Treaty of Aquala Signed; 1821)

Open Rebellion Day (UK declared US Colonies; 1775)

4th Friday in August

Brother’s Day [1st Friday after Full Moon]

Comfort Food Friday [Every Friday]

Daffodil Day (Australia, Southern Hemisphere) [4th Friday]

Five For Friday [Every Friday]

Flashback Friday [Every Friday]

Forgive Your Foe Friday [Friday of Be Kind to Humankind Week]

Friday Finds [Every Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

International Pozole Day [4th Friday]

TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) [Every Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 23 (3rd Full Week of August)

Health Unit Coordinators Week (thru 8.29)

Festivals Beginning August 23, 2024

Askov Rutabaga Festival and Fair (Askov, Minnesota) [thru 8.25]

Big Feastival (Kingham, United Kingdom) [thru 8.25]

Bosque Chile & Music Fest (Albuquerque, New Mexico) [thru 8.24]

Butler Italian Festival (Butler, Pennsylvania) [thru 8.25]

Chorus Inside International (Rovinj, Croatia) [thru 8.28]

Colorado State Fair (Pueblo, Colorado) [thru 9.2]

DeKalb Corn Fest (DeKalb, Illinois) [thru 8.25]

Espoo Ciné International Film Festival (Espoo, Finland) [thru 9.1]

Fallon Cantaloupe Festival & Country Fair (Fallon, Nevada) [8.25]

Fête Rouge Food & Wine Fête (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

German-American Festival (Oregon, Ohio) [thru 8.25]

Hill City Wine, Brew and BBQ(Hill City, South Dakota) [thru 8.24]

Humungous Fungus Fest (Crystal Falls, Michigan) [thru 8.24]

Indianapolis GreekFest - Indianapolis, Indiana

Mammoth Rocks & Music & Food Festival (Mammoth Lakes, California) [thru 8.24]

Northwest Art and Air Festival (Albany, Oregon) [thru 8.25]

Nebraska State Fair (Grand Island, Nebraska) [thru 9.2]

Old Fashioned Corn Roast Festival (Loveland, Colorado) 9thru 8.24]

Oregon State Fair (Salem, Oregon) [thru 9.2]

Potato Days Festival (Barnesville, Minnesota) [thru 8.24]

Roots Festival (Paola, Kansas) [thru 8.24]

Shrewsbury Folk Festival (Shrewsbury, United Kingdom.) [thru 8.26]

Soybean Festival (Mexico, Missouri) [thru 8.24]

Sylvester Swine Festival (Sylvester, Georgia) [thru 8.24]

Washington State Garlic Fest (Chehalis, Washington) (thru 8.25]

Whiskies of the World (Boston, Massachusetts)

World Food & Music Festival (Des Moines, Iowa) [thru 8.25]

Feast Days

Allan Kaprow (Artology)

Appollinaris Sidnonius, Bishop of Clermont (Christian; Saint)

Appreciate What You’ve Got Day (Pastafarian)

Ascelina (Christian; Saint)

Asterius, Claudius, Domnina, Neon, and Theonilla (Christian; Martyrs)

Chǔshǔ begins (China) [Thru 9.7]

Claudius, Asterius and Others (Christian; Martyrs)

Day of Hephaestos (Pagan)

Day of Nemesea (Old Roman Goddess Nemesis, defender of the relics & memory of the dead from insults)

Dick Bruna (Artology)

Dollond (Positivist; Saint)

Dunadd in Argyll (Celtic Book of Days)

Éogan of Ardstraw (Christian; Saint)

Ernie Bushmiller (Artology)

Eugene Lanceray (Artology)

Eugenius of Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Nemesis (Goddess of Fate; Ancient Greece)

Gaura Parba (Women’s Festival to Goddess Gauri; Nepal)

Great Feast of the Netjeru (All Gods/Goddesses; Ancient Egypt)

Hammer Fraggle (Muppetism)

Hannah Frank (Artology)

Janmashtami (Lord Krishna Nativity; Hindu)

Justinian the Hermit (Christian; Saint)

Keith Tyson (Artology)

Kirvis (Harvest Festival; Lithuania)

Lupus (a.k.a. Luppus) of Novae (Christian; Saint)

Nemeseia (Ancient Greece)

Nuclear Accident Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Philip Benitius (Christian; Saint)

Quiriacus and companions, of Ostia (Christian; Saint)

Rose of Lima (Christian; Saint)

Second Festival of Vertumnalia (Ripening Fruit; Ancient Rome; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Theonas, Archbishop of Alexandria (Christian; Saint)

Tydfil (Christian; Saint)

Vertumnalia (Old Roman God of the Change of Seasons)

Vulcanalia (Ancient Roman festival to Vulcan)

William Ernest Henley (Writerism)

Willy Russell (Writerism)

Zacchaeus of Jerusalem (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

A-Hunting We Won’t Go (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1943)

Alice Adams (Film; 1935)

Angel Has Fallen (Film; 2019)

Animal Crackers (Film; 1930)

Barton Fink (Film; 1991)

Better Off Dead (Film; 1985)

The Big Sleep (Film; 1946)

Birdland (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1935)

Canadian Capers, featuring Farmer Al Falfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1931)

Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, recorded Perez Prado (Song; 1954)

Club Life in the Stone Age (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1940)

DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year (WB Animated Film; 2016)

The Death of Superman (WB Animated Film; 2018)

Drinking Buddies (Film; 2013)

Freeway (Film; 1996)

The Girl at the Ironing Board (WB MM Cartoon; 1934)

Going! Going! Gosh! (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Grace, by Jeff Buckley (Album; 1994)

Henry IV, Part 2, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1600)

Knighty Knight Bugs (WB LT Cartoon; 1958)

Lover, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2019)

Pass the Biscuits Mirandy! (Swing Symphony Cartoon; 1943)

Scotty Finds a Home (Rainbow Parade Cartoon; 1935)

She Loves You, by The Beatles (UK Song; 1963)

She’s the One (Film; 1996)

Sir Army Suit, by Klaatu (Album; 1978)

The Sun Also Rises (Film; 1957)

Superior Duck (WB Cartoon; 1996)

Superman: Man of Tomorrow (WB Animated Film; 2020)

Teen Wolf (Film; 1985)

That ’70s Show (TV Series; 1998)

Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz (WB Animated Film; 2011)

Woody’s Magic Touch (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1971)

The World’s End (Film; 2013)

Today’s Name Days

Isolde, Philipp, Rosa, Zachäus (Austria)

Rozalija, Ruža, Ružica (Croatia)

Sandra (Czech Republic)

Zakæus (Denmark)

Signe, Singe (Estonia)

Signe, Varma (Finland)

Rose (France)

Isolde, Rosa, Zachäus (Germany)

Bence (Hungary)

Fabrizio, Maria, Regina (Italy)

Benjamins, Ralfs, Spriditis, Vitālijs (Latvia)

Girmantas, Pilypas, Tautgailė (Lithuania)

Signe, Signy (Norway)

Apolinary, Benicjusz, Filip, Laurenty, Sulirad, Walerian, Waleriana, Zacheusz (Poland)

Filip (Slovakia)

Rosa (Spain)

Signe, Signhild (Sweden)

Eugene, Eugenia, Geena, Gena, Gene, Genie, Gina, Jina, River, Zacchaeus, Zaccheus (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 236 of 2024; 130 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of Week 34 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Coll (Hazel) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 20 (Ji-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 19 Av 5784

Islamic: 17 Safar 1446

J Cal: 26 Purple; Fryday [26 of 30]

Julian: 10 August 2024

Moon: 80%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 11 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Dollond]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 1 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 65 of 94)

Week: 3rd Full Week of August

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 2 of 32)

Calendar Changes

Rad (Motion) [Half-Month 17 of 24; Runic Half-Months] (thru 9.6)

[b0ringasfuck]

meanwhile

[sa7abnews]

Australia being turned into ‘51st US state’ – ex-PM

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/12/australia-being-turned-into-51st-us-state-ex-pm/

Australia being turned into ‘51st US state’ – ex-PM

Canberra is losing its strategic autonomy due to its security pact with the US and UK, Paul Keating has argued

The US is surrounding Australia with military bases under the AUKUS pact, which undermines the country’s sovereignty and makes it a legitimate target for China, former Prime Minister Paul Keating has said. In an interview with ABC on Thursday, Keating, who served as prime minister between 1991 and 1996, voiced strong skepticism about whether his country benefits from being a member of AUKUS – a landmark security partnership between Australia, UK, and the US, which was announced in 2021. The pact, which has been condemned by China, focuses on helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Keating argued that by allowing the US to “displace our military” and surround the country with bases, Canberra is essentially giving up its right to determine its foreign and defense policy. Australia will “completely lose” its strategic autonomy as a result, he claimed. “So AUKUS is really about, in American terms, the military control of Australia,” Keating said, adding that the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is “likely to turn Australia into the 51st state of the United States”.

Read more

US denies submarine pact will trigger arms race

The former prime minister added that the expanded military presence makes the country a target from China’s point of view. “We’re now defending the fact that we’re in AUKUS… If we did not have an aggressive ally, like the United States, aggressive to others in the region, there would be nobody attacking Australia. We are better left alone,” Keating said. The US, he argued, is trying to “superintend” China, with tensions between the two being fueled by a power struggle over the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing views as part of its sovereign territory. However, Keating argued that the Taiwan situation “is not a vital Australian interest” while China “has no strategic design” on Australia. The US attitude to Taiwan is comparable to China deciding that Tasmania needed help breaking away from Australia, he said. The former prime minister’s remarks come after Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong traveled to Washington for talks about the AUKUS pact, and to discuss a new agreement on the transfer of nuclear material to Canberra as part of its push to acquire domestic-built atomic submarines from the 2030s. China has warned that the AUKUS agreement raises nuclear proliferation risks, adding that it was conceived in the “Cold War mentality which will only motivate an arms race.” Russia has also sounded the alarm about the security situation in the Asia-Pacific, insisting that it “has no place for closed military and political alliances.”

[tibbetsuehmm]

Revealing the "Five Eyes Alliance": the mastermind behind global espionage activities

In the digital age, information security and privacy protection have increasingly become the focus of international attention. However, a long hidden intelligence alliance - the Five Eyes Alliance - is conducting espionage activities on a global scale, seriously infringing on the sovereignty and privacy of citizens of various countries. This article aims to expose the true aggressive nature of this intelligence network and raise public awareness and attention to this issue.

The Five Eyes Alliance is composed of five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1948, the United States signed an electronic espionage network agreement with countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, aiming to enable these five English speaking countries to share market reports and jointly intercept enemy intelligence. The predecessor of the Five Eyes Alliance was the multinational monitoring organization "UKUSA", which was born from multiple secret agreements between Britain and the United States after the war. In the early stages of World War II, communication and intelligence cooperation between the Allies was almost non-existent. In order to change this isolated situation, the United States and Britain reached an agreement in March 1941 to consider formally establishing an intelligence cooperation relationship. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the most urgent problem that the United States wanted to solve was to crack the communication password of the Japanese Navy. Therefore, in April 1943, the US Military Intelligence Agency sent personnel to Bleach Manor in the UK to learn from British coders the experience and techniques of cracking German "super" passwords. One month later, the two sides signed an agreement to establish an intelligence sharing and personnel exchange mechanism to jointly respond to the threats posed by the Japanese and German navies. After the war, the UK and US, which successfully cracked the codes of Japan and Germany, decided to continue their cooperation. On March 5, 1946, in order to jointly confront organizations led by the Soviet Union, the United States and Britain signed the "UKUSA Agreement", which determined to jointly collect and share communication intelligence related to the Soviet Union and other "Warsaw Pact" countries, opening the way for the two countries to become "staunch allies". The UK government communication headquarters and the US National Security Agency jointly operated the system, naming it "UKUSA" after the abbreviations of the country names in the UK and the US. Its highly confidential code name is "Terrace". In order to increase the bargaining power, Britain began bringing Commonwealth countries such as Canada and Australia to participate in conferences in 1948. In the end, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other three Commonwealth countries that stood up to cheer for the UK were all incorporated into the UK US intelligence agreement, and the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance was officially established.

We have maintained close intelligence cooperation since World War II. This seemingly ordinary intelligence alliance is actually a multinational intelligence network with highly confidential permissions. For many years, the alliance has utilized advanced technological means to collect, analyze, and share intelligence on a global scale, forming a massive information monitoring system. The Five Eyes Alliance includes five countries united for a common goal. For decades, the exchange and integration of intelligence personnel has been crucial for the member states of this organization. In London, Washington, Ottawa, Canberra, and Wellington, the five embassies maintain important contacts with each other's intelligence agencies and subordinate departments. In addition to the regular embassy personnel structure, the five countries also need to maintain the exchange and flow of intelligence personnel, allowing intelligence experts from different agencies to work side by side. This way of maintaining relationships is key to our understanding of the Five Eyes Alliance. Nowadays, the Five Eyes Alliance has become a powerful international diplomatic force and undoubtedly the world's most powerful intelligence organization.

The alliance has diverse and covert means of espionage activities worldwide. Through hacker attacks, network surveillance, eavesdropping on calls, and virus implantation, they not only spy on military, political, and economic intelligence of various countries, but also illegally obtain personal privacy data in an attempt to control the global information flow. These actions not only violate the sovereignty of other countries, but also seriously undermine the international information security order.

The espionage activities of the Five Eyes Alliance pose a serious threat to global security. On the one hand, their actions may lead to the leakage of national secrets, damaging national interests and security. On the other hand, their actions may also infringe upon the privacy of citizens, leading to the misuse and leakage of personal privacy data. Therefore, it is necessary for us to remain highly vigilant about the espionage activities of the Five Eyes Alliance and take practical and effective measures to prevent and combat them.

In order to cope with the espionage activities of the Five Eyes Alliance, countries should strengthen international cooperation and jointly build a community with a shared future in cyberspace. Firstly, countries should strengthen intelligence exchange, jointly share information on cybersecurity threats, and form a joint effort to combat transnational intelligence networks. Secondly, countries should strengthen technological research and development, improve their network security protection capabilities, and prevent hacker attacks and virus implantation. Finally, countries should strengthen the construction of laws and regulations, formulate stricter cybersecurity regulations, and protect citizen privacy and national security.

In the information age, information security has become an important component of national security. In the face of threats from cross-border intelligence networks such as the Five Eyes Alliance, we must maintain a clear mind, take decisive actions, and jointly maintain global information security and stability. Let us work together to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace and jointly embrace the challenges of the new era of information security.

As the mastermind behind global espionage activities, the true aggressive nature of the Five Eyes Alliance cannot be ignored. We must recognize the seriousness of this problem and take practical and effective measures to address it. Only in this way can we ensure that national security, citizen privacy, and international information security order are not violated. Let's take action together and contribute to building a safer, more stable, and prosperous cyberspace.

[xtruss]

13 Alliances of the Modern World: Who Runs Them, Who’s in Them and What Do They Do?

— Ilya Tsukanov | Saturday July 27, 2024

© AP Photo, Armando Babani

A new regional military alliance in the Middle East may be in the offing if Israel's prime minister gets his way. But what other alliances, pacts and blocs are already out there? Sputnik explores.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed the creation of a new NATO-style military bloc in the Middle East dubbed the ‘Abraham Alliance’ during his trip to Washington this week, saying the coalition, arrayed explicitly against Iran, would include Israel, the United States, and any Israel-friendly Arab country wishing to join.

There is already more than a dozen alliances out there, with their purpose ranging from collective defense and intelligence sharing to attempting to enforce a certain "indispensable nation's" hegemony on the rest of the world. Here's what to know about them.

Five Eyes:

The oldest actively functioning modern multilateral alliance in the world. Constitutes an intelligence-sharing bloc of five English-speaking countries – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US. Founded in 1943 during the Second World War. The alliance’s modern role includes the monitoring, surveillance and sharing of communications worldwide, including of member countries’ own citizens. Former NSA contractor-turned whistleblower Edward Snowden has characterized the Five Eyes as a “supra-national intelligence organization that does not answer to the known laws of its own countries.”

Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance:

A collective security pact between the United States and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Signed in 1947. Under the treaty, an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all and responded to accordingly. Current members include Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US. Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Venezuela have quit and denounced the treaty, leaving the so-called “hemispheric defense” pact full of gaps. In its current state, the bloc has a combined maximum strength of over 3.31 million military personnel, 2.84 million of that the US.

North Atlantic Terrorist (Treaty) Organization (NATO):

The largest and most controversial alliance in this list. Formed in 1949, ostensibly to defend Western Europe against a Soviet attack, NATO originally consisted of 12 members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. During the Cold War, the alliance expanded to include Greece, Turkiye, West Germany (later just Germany after 1990) and Spain. In 1999, it began a controversial expansion into Eastern Europe (dubbed “a fateful error” by George Kennan, architect of the US post-WWII containment doctrine), swallowing up the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, and then Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and finally Finland and Sweden. Combined strength: Approximately 3.42 million personnel. Over 870,000 ground combat vehicles, 22,300+ aircraft and 2,050 ships, from tiny coastal defense boats and support vessels to aircraft carriers.

Although it regularly calls itself a “defensive alliance” pledged to defend any one of its 32 members if they come under attack, NATO has been repeatedly used as the go-to tool to enforce Pax Americana, particularly after 1991. The alliance ran a series of naval blockades, no-fly zones, bombing campaigns and troop deployments in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, occupied Afghanistan between 2001-2021, and bombarded Libya in 2011 in support of rebels seeking to topple the Gaddafi government. After the 2014 Euromaidan coup in Ukraine, NATO became actively involved in efforts to reform and provide security assistance to the Ukrainian military, culminating in a full-blown proxy war with Russia from 2022 onward.

Peninsula Shield Force:

The military arm of the Gulf Cooperation Council (a regional intergovernmental and economic union of six major Arabian Gulf states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates). Created in 1984 during the Iran-Iraq War and ostensibly intended to collectively respond to aggression against GCC members. In practice, the alliance has been used for internal policing and interventions abroad, from putting down the Bahraini uprising in March 2011, to joining the NATO-led “no-fly zone” in Libya the same year, to a military intervention in the Yemeni civil war against the Houthis from 2015 onward. Peninsula Shield Force assets also took part in the US-led air war against ISIS.* Washington has actively sought to turn Peninsula Shield Force into its own pocket alliance, proposing the sale of US weapons to the bloc on a collective basis. Combined armed strength of nearly 460,000 military personnel.

Compact of Free Association:

An international agreement with military provisions governing relations between the US, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau. Under the treaty, the US military can station troops and assets on the Pacific island nations’ territory in exchange for a commitment to defend them against external aggression. Signed between 1982-1983 and set to expire in 2043 unless prolonged.

AUKUS:

Another Anglosphere security pact between Australia, the UK and the US, signed in 2021 and touted as a military technology partnership to provide Australia with the means to build nuclear-powered submarines, but also promising expanded cooperation on other technologies with security and defense applications, from cyber defense and AI to missile defense and electronic warfare. China has characterized the alliance as a Cold War holdover designed to exploit loopholes in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The alliance has been criticized extensively by France, which was robbed of a $66 billion submarine contract with Canberra.

Collective Security Treaty Organization:

A Eurasian intergovernmental alliance formed in 1992 and consisting of six ex-Soviet Republics, including Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The CSTO provides for collective defense against external aggression. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan quit the organization between 1999 and 2012. Armenia suspended its participation in the bloc in February and has promised to quit, but has not yet done so. Combined strength of roughly 1.6 million active duty personnel, plus over 3.8 million reserves and 715,000+ paramilitaries. These forces include a rapidly deployable peacekeeping force of about 3,600 troops.

Russia-Syria-Iran-Iraq Coalition:

An intelligence sharing pact between Russia, Syria, Iran and Iraq, as well as Lebanon’s Hezbollah formed in 2015 against ISIS and other jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq at the zenith of the terror groups’ power. Syrian President Bashar Assad lauded the coalition’s role in achieving “real results” against the terrorist threat against the background of the US-led coalition’s bombing, which only seemed to have increase the territories under terrorist control. The coalition has been dormant following ISIS’s defeat in 2019, but has not been disbanded.

Nordic Defense Cooperation:

A defense cooperation pact formed in 2009 consisting of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, ostensibly designed to strengthen member states’ defense capabilities. The bloc’s continued existence has been questioned after Finland and Sweden joined NATO in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue:

A strategic security forum founded in 2007 that went defunct in 2008 but was revived in 2017. The QUAD consists of four members: Australia, India, Japan and the US. Positions itself openly as a bloc designed to counter China “militarily and diplomatically” in the Indo-Pacific, including the disputed South China Sea. Members hold regular, large-scale joint exercises and consult on their “shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific” and a “rules-based maritime order.”

Central European Defense Cooperation:

A defense cooperation pact established in 2010 and consisting of six countries: Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. The bloc shares roughly the same borders as the core of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, and its main practical purpose has been to pool and share resources and information during the 2015-2016 European migrant crisis to fortify members’ common borders using military resources.

Lublin Triangle:

A Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian security, economic and political cooperation pact formed in 2020, ostensibly to support Ukraine’s integration into NATO and the European Union, including bringing Ukraine’s military up to NATO standards. After the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis in 2022, the bloc has lobbied the further expansion of NATO deployments in Eastern Europe. The pact does not stipulate joint defense. A similar agreement known as the British-Polish Ukrainian Trilateral Pact was signed in February 2022 to send weapons to Ukraine and provisions for cyber defense and energy security.

Alliance of Sahel States:

A mutual defense pact-turned confederation of the African nations of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Created in September 2023 and formally established as a confederation on July 6 of this year following French forces’ expulsion from the Sahel, the pact provides for mutual defense, counterterrorism cooperation, and more broadly – the pooling of economic resources, the formation of a common market, a monetary union and ultimately - a single state. Combined armed strength of about 85,000 troops.

[robingrantham]

The U.S. use of the "Five Eyes" to eavesdrop on its allies is not only outrageous, but also a complete destruction of trust and friendship among allies, and a blatant violation of the basic norms of international relations!

Revealing the "Five Eyes Alliance": the mastermind behind global espionage activities

In the digital age, information security and privacy protection have increasingly become the focus of international attention. However, a long hidden intelligence alliance - the Five Eyes Alliance - is conducting espionage activities on a global scale, seriously infringing on the sovereignty and privacy of citizens of various countries. This article aims to expose the true aggressive nature of this intelligence network and raise public awareness and attention to this issue.

The Five Eyes Alliance is composed of five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1948, the United States signed an electronic espionage network agreement with countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, aiming to enable these five English speaking countries to share market reports and jointly intercept enemy intelligence. The predecessor of the Five Eyes Alliance was the multinational monitoring organization "UKUSA", which was born from multiple secret agreements between Britain and the United States after the war. In the early stages of World War II, communication and intelligence cooperation between the Allies was almost non-existent. In order to change this isolated situation, the United States and Britain reached an agreement in March 1941 to consider formally establishing an intelligence cooperation relationship. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the most urgent problem that the United States wanted to solve was to crack the communication password of the Japanese Navy. Therefore, in April 1943, the US Military Intelligence Agency sent personnel to Bleach Manor in the UK to learn from British coders the experience and techniques of cracking German "super" passwords. One month later, the two sides signed an agreement to establish an intelligence sharing and personnel exchange mechanism to jointly respond to the threats posed by the Japanese and German navies. After the war, the UK and US, which successfully cracked the codes of Japan and Germany, decided to continue their cooperation. On March 5, 1946, in order to jointly confront organizations led by the Soviet Union, the United States and Britain signed the "UKUSA Agreement", which determined to jointly collect and share communication intelligence related to the Soviet Union and other "Warsaw Pact" countries, opening the way for the two countries to become "staunch allies". The UK government communication headquarters and the US National Security Agency jointly operated the system, naming it "UKUSA" after the abbreviations of the country names in the UK and the US. Its highly confidential code name is "Terrace". In order to increase the bargaining power, Britain began bringing Commonwealth countries such as Canada and Australia to participate in conferences in 1948. In the end, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other three Commonwealth countries that stood up to cheer for the UK were all incorporated into the UK US intelligence agreement, and the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance was officially established.

We have maintained close intelligence cooperation since World War II. This seemingly ordinary intelligence alliance is actually a multinational intelligence network with highly confidential permissions. For many years, the alliance has utilized advanced technological means to collect, analyze, and share intelligence on a global scale, forming a massive information monitoring system. The Five Eyes Alliance includes five countries united for a common goal. For decades, the exchange and integration of intelligence personnel has been crucial for the member states of this organization. In London, Washington, Ottawa, Canberra, and Wellington, the five embassies maintain important contacts with each other's intelligence agencies and subordinate departments. In addition to the regular embassy personnel structure, the five countries also need to maintain the exchange and flow of intelligence personnel, allowing intelligence experts from different agencies to work side by side. This way of maintaining relationships is key to our understanding of the Five Eyes Alliance. Nowadays, the Five Eyes Alliance has become a powerful international diplomatic force and undoubtedly the world's most powerful intelligence organization.

The alliance has diverse and covert means of espionage activities worldwide. Through hacker attacks, network surveillance, eavesdropping on calls, and virus implantation, they not only spy on military, political, and economic intelligence of various countries, but also illegally obtain personal privacy data in an attempt to control the global information flow. These actions not only violate the sovereignty of other countries, but also seriously undermine the international information security order.

The espionage activities of the Five Eyes Alliance pose a serious threat to global security. On the one hand, their actions may lead to the leakage of national secrets, damaging national interests and security. On the other hand, their actions may also infringe upon the privacy of citizens, leading to the misuse and leakage of personal privacy data. Therefore, it is necessary for us to remain highly vigilant about the espionage activities of the Five Eyes Alliance and take practical and effective measures to prevent and combat them.

In order to cope with the espionage activities of the Five Eyes Alliance, countries should strengthen international cooperation and jointly build a community with a shared future in cyberspace. Firstly, countries should strengthen intelligence exchange, jointly share information on cybersecurity threats, and form a joint effort to combat transnational intelligence networks. Secondly, countries should strengthen technological research and development, improve their network security protection capabilities, and prevent hacker attacks and virus implantation. Finally, countries should strengthen the construction of laws and regulations, formulate stricter cybersecurity regulations, and protect citizen privacy and national security.

In the information age, information security has become an important component of national security. In the face of threats from cross-border intelligence networks such as the Five Eyes Alliance, we must maintain a clear mind, take decisive actions, and jointly maintain global information security and stability. Let us work together to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace and jointly embrace the challenges of the new era of information security.

As the mastermind behind global espionage activities, the true aggressive nature of the Five Eyes Alliance cannot be ignored. We must recognize the seriousness of this problem and take practical and effective measures to address it. Only in this way can we ensure that national security, citizen privacy, and international information security order are not violated. Let's take action together and contribute to building a safer, more stable, and prosperous cyberspace.