#uk defence intelligence

[tomorrowusa]

Russian troops getting drunk is not exactly news. But UK military intelligence has identified it as a major detriment to combat effectiveness.

Sunday’s Intelligence Update.

That last sentence says a lot about discipline in the Russian armed forces. Drinking during combat operations? 🤣

Ukraine should use drones to parachute bottles of vodka behind Russian lines. On the bottles there should be instructions on how to distill alcohol by using materials and ingredients easily available to Russian troops.

[international-writing]

Intelligence agencies 101: MI6

Dashing spies and deadly agents, from James Bond to Alex Rider and George Smiley. We have all heard of British Intelligence, but just how much do you know about MI6?

1.- It is the oldest secret service in the world.

If we want to get technical, spies have been working for the British crown since 1569, thanks to Queen Elizabeth I and her Secretary of State, Sir Francis Walsingham. But for now, we'll focus on the contemporary Secret Service.

Hear me out, back in 1909 in the midst of what we call the "armed peace", things were getting anything but peaceful. Countries developed and accumulated weapons like it was a sport, and most of them were unsatisfied with the territories they owned. Germany was going all Queen and screaming "I Want It All", which made the rest of the European countries slightly concerned by its imperialistic ambitions.

Britain was the first to grow paranoid and so Prime Minister Asquith decided to have the Committee of Imperial Defence, create a Secret Service Bureau.

However, it is worth mentioning that the existence of the agency wasn't formally acknowledged until 1994, under the Intelligence Services Act, and even though everyone had known about it for ages.

2.- They have very... diverse tasks

Officially, MI6 is tasked with the collection, analysis, and adequate distribution of foreign intelligence (it is a common misconception that MI6 also handles national affairs, that's what its counterpart MI5 is for).

Now, note that I said "officially", and that is because unofficially (it is kind of very illegal), MI6 has been known to carry out espionage activity overseas. But you already knew that, didn't you? Otherwise, why would you be here?

3.- Roles

As described by the SIS itself, there are several roles within the organisation:

Intelligence officers: Must be UK nationals of at least 18, with no drug use and pass a very intrusive security clearance. The jobs are divided into the following subcategories:

Operational Managers: planning and managing intelligence collection operations.

Targeters: turning information (data) into human intelligence operations.

Officers: link to Whitehall (government) as well as validating and testing intelligence.

Case Officers: managing and building relationships with agents.

Operational Data Analysts: Must be UK nationals of at least 18, with no drug use and pass a very intrusive security clearance. Tech abilities are a must. Training course lasts 2 years.

Tech Network Area: Must be UK nationals of at least 18, with no drug use and pass a very intrusive security clearance. Skills in: GoLang, gRPC, Protobuf, Kubernetes & Docker Python, Java, C#, C, C++, and React (+Redux).

Language Specialists: Must be UK nationals of at least 18, with no drug use and pass a very intrusive security clearance. Russian, Arabic and Mandarin linguists are the most solicited, followed by translators.

4.- Their alphabet is a bit jumbled up

Anyone that has ever seen or read any 007 material knows that M is the head of MI6, whether that be Judy Dench, Bernard Lee or Ralph Fiennes.

But what if I told you that the head of MI6 is actually a certain C?

Back when the Secret Service Bureau was created, a 50-year-old Royal Navy officer called Mansfield Cumming (and dubbed "C") was chosen to head the Foreign Section.

5.- MI6 or SIS?

Officially, the agency's current name (adopted in 1920) is Secret Intelligence Service, hence the acronym SIS, but it wasn't always that. We've established that it started its days as the Secret Service Bureau, and during WWI, the agency joined forces with Military Intelligence, even going as far as to adopt the cover name "MI1(c)".

The agency continued to acquire several names throughout the years, such as "Foreign Intelligence Service", "Secret Service", "Special Intelligence Service" and even "C's organisation". It wasn't until WWII started, that the name MI6 was adopted, in reference to the agency being "section six" of Military Intelligence.

And I truly do hate to be the bearer of bad news but... the name MI6, as cool as it sounds, is no longer in use. Writers and journalists still use that name, but those within the organisation just call it SIS nowadays.

6.- They are fond of their traditions

Remember our dear Commander Mansfield? Well, turns out he started a thing. The man used to sign his letters in green ink and always with the letter "C" a tradition that proved to be sticky enough to be passed down to every single Chief afterwards. Another tradition worth mentioning, is that of calling intelligence reports "CX reports", which... you guessed it, is still done to this day.

7.- Special friends

On 1949, the SIS began a formal collaboration with the CIA, even though the agency had already helped to train their predecessor's personnel, the U.S. Office of Strategic Services.

Even the CIA has admitted that the MI6 has provided them with some of the most valuable information of all time, including information that helped during the Cuban Missile Crisis and key elements to the capture of Osama Bin Laden.

I hope this will be of some use to your future writings and do feel free to submit an ask if you happen to have a specific question regarding British intelligence, or any other International Relations subject!

Yours truly,

–The Internationalist

[brooklynbadboys]

A History of Girlsies

After a rise popularity of the 'girlsies' after Newises UK introduced Brooklyn as an all-female group of Newises, I decided to look deeper into the history of newsgirls at the time.

This is only for fun and a way for me to acknowledge the women at the time who until Newsies UK, were rarely given a spotlight in Newsies media.

Late 1800s

In 1868, there were roughly 300 newgirls and 2000 newsboys living in New York, but exact numbers were hard to state as newsies were 'at all hours in all public places’

Prior to mid 1800s, many newsgirls had to dress as boys in order to bypass social prohibitions

There were newsgirls of different backgrounds, education, class and age, but most were age 8-20

Many newsgirls were expert sellers, making names for themselves, having their own territories and gaining devoted customers

Multiple sources state the intelligence of the newsgirls being higher than that of the newsboys, likely having to work more than the newsboys to make the same wage

The media at the time presented newsgirls as pretty, witty and resourceful, whilst the newsgirls described themselves as real people in unfortunate situations

People within society had opposing reports on newsgirls, as some stated them to be stylish, respectable and intelligent, whilst others stated their crudeness, and raggedness and coarseness

There are many more mixed accounts, as others report newsgirls as heroic, behaving far better than the newsboys, respecting the city more and going out of their way to help civilians

The newsgirls were widely disliked as the idea of girls working on the streets was seen as evil and it was believed that the girls would put the newsboys out of business

It was also believed that the girls would be corrupted and lose their innocence and therefore should leave the work to the boys

This led many newgirls to work in less seen areas of the city, as the newsboys ran the city, making their presence known

What was most loved about the newsboys, such as their camaraderie and hardwork, was hated about the newsgirls

The girls often faced injustices and dangers far greater than the boys. Newsgirls as young as eleven were often harassed, robbed by male street workers, abducted and assaulted. This was used in the defence of banning all newsgirls under sixteen

The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

In the late 1880s, the community disliked the newsgirls so deeply that they wanted to get the girls off the street for good. It was passed that girls under 16 were no longer allowed to sell papers

They disguised this cruelty as an act of kindness to protect the girls and guide them to a life of motherhood and domesticity

The girls listened before one day fighting back, all swarming to the streets

A few years later, another attack on the newsgirls occured due to complaints from newsboys, publishers and patrons

Newsgirls were given warnings, and if they were to return to selling papers, then and their parents would be arrested and punished severely

By the end of the 19th century as few as 12 newsgirls under 16 were left in New York City

This ban extended to the newsboys in 1899, but little consequence was given and enforcement was low, unlike the ban on newsgirls

Newsgirls in New York:

Notable New York Newsgirls

Winnie and Sadie Horn (‘the soubrette newsgirls’)

In the late 1800s, they were two of the most famous newsgirls, working from 3pm to 3am everyday

Winnie was blind in one eye and dressed eccentrically, reporting to have spoken in Shakespearean English. She would scribble quotes from literature, such as the bible and Shakespeare, on her newspapers

Winnies loyal customers ranged from the New York City mayor to Theodore Roosevelt

Winnie was known as ‘winsome Winnie’ and ‘queen of the newsies’

They stated that them and their sisters were ‘born newsgirls’

Winnie was notable and had many mentions in the papers up until her death:

Mary Welter

Marywent to school until she was 13 and wanted to continue, but she had to support her family

She sold papers at twenty-third street ferry and upwards of 10 dollars a week ($328)

She would stay focused on business when and the competing newsboys inevitably began to act up throughout the day, she would take their customers

Newsies the musical

Before Newsies UK, there were no newsgirl characters. Despite claims of characters such as Smalls being women, they were dressed as newsboys and the Smalls Broadway actress, Laurie Veldheer, stated that Smalls is a boy.

Smalls in Newsies OBC:

With characters as old as 17 (Jack Kelly), and newsgirls of over 16 being allowed to work at this time, along with evidence of newsgirls taking part in the strike, there is no reason for newsgirls to have been left out of the story. There are arguments that may be made about Brooklyn being all women and the inaccuracies of this, but I pose to that how accurate is it for the newsies to be singing, dancing, and flying.

Brooklyn in Newsies UK:

A final note: This may seem redundant after titling this post ‘the history of girlsies’, but I feel the need to point it out: ‘Newsies’ isn’t a gendered term. Newsgirls throughout history have referred to themselves as ‘newsies’. There is no need to other newsgirls and separate them from the term. They are newsies and their gender doesn’t change that.

I hope this can shed some light on newsgirls and their history, and why their stories should be heard alongside the retellings of the newsboys.

Sources:

Extra: The history of America’s girl newsies

Backstage at “newsies” with Ben fankhauser and Tommy bracco

“The newsgirl question”: competing frames of progressive era girl newsies

Newsies vs. The World

[aimeedaisies]

The Princess Royal’s Official Engagements in February 2024

01/02 Visited ReBoot (Moray Computer Recycling) in Forres. 🖥️

As Warden, opened the Queen Elizabeth II classrooms at Gordonstoun School. 🏫

Visited Lossie Community Hub at the Warehouse Theatre, in Lossiemouth. 🎭

Unofficial Sir Tim, as Chair of the Board of Trustees, attended the opening ceremony of the Zimingzhong 凝时聚珍: Clockwork Treasures from China's Forbidden City exhibition at the London Science Museum. 🐉🧧🕰️

03/02 With Sir Tim As Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union, attended the Six Nations Rugby Match between Wales and Scotland at Principality Stadium in Cardiff. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏉

05/02 Visited Dressability Clothing Alterations Charity in Swindon, to mark its 25th Anniversary. 👗🪡🧵

As Commandant-in-Chief (Youth) of St John Ambulance, attended the dedication of a new Community Response Unit in Devizes, Wiltshire. 🚑

06/02 Held an Investiture at Windsor Castle. 🎖️

As Patron of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, attended the launch of Nottingham West Primary Care Network’s Interactive Group Therapy at Plumptre Hall. 🩺

As President of the UK Fashion and Textile Association Limited, visited GH Hurt and Son in Nottingham. 🪡

With Sir Tim As Royal Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, attended the announcement of the winner of The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering at the Science Museum in London. ⚙️🥂

07/02 As Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Logistic Corps, visited the Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Munitions and Search Training Regiment at St George’s Barracks in Bicester. 💥

As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, visited the Commission’s Headquarters in Maidenhead. 🪦

As Patron of Catch22, visited the Commissioned Rehabilitative Services at Community Links in London. 🔗

08/02 As Vice Patron of the British Horse Society, visited Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre in West London. 🐎

As President of the Royal Yachting Association, attended the Annual Luncheon at Trinity House in London. 🛥️🥪

09/02 In Wales, Princess Anne; 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

As Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution, visited Worms Head Station in Rhossili, followed by a Reception at South Gower Sports Club in Scurlage. 🔎🍾

Visited Newport Medieval Ship. 🚢

Visited Newport Transporter Bridge which is undergoing maintenance. 🌉

10/02 With Sir Tim As Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union, attended the Six Nations Rugby Match between France and Scotland at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. 🇫🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏉

12/02 As Patron of Swinfen Telemedicine, attended a Meeting at the Royal Society of Medicine. 💊

As Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, held a Dinner at Buckingham Palace. 🎓

13/02 Held an Investiture at Windsor Castle. 🎖️

As Master of the Corporation of Trinity House, chaired the Quarterly Meeting of the Court at Trinity House. 📆

14/02 As Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution, visited Hengistbury Head Station near Bournemouth. 🌊

As Colonel-in-Chief of the Intelligence Corps, visited I Company at Hamworthy Barracks in Poole. 🕵️‍♀️

15/02 Visited the Ordnance Survey National Mapping Agency in Southampton. 🗺️

With Sir Tim Attended Evensong and the James Caird Society’s Dedication Service followed by a Reception in Westminster Abbey, to mark the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Sir Ernest Shackleton. 🔭🧭🇦🇶

16/02 Visited knife crime community group ‘Off the Streets’ North Northamptonshire in Wellingborough. 🚫🔪

20/02 As President of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, visited Laxtons Limited in Baildon near Bradford. 🧶

As President of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, visited Marton Mills in Otley, West Yorkshire. 🪡

21/02 In Doncaster, South Yorkshire, Princess Anne;

Visited Agemaspark Precision Engineering Company. ⚙️

Visited Haith Group Vegetable Processing Machinery Company. 🥕🥦

As Patron of the Butler Trust, visited HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Doncaster. 🚓👮‍♀️

As Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Carmen, attended a Joint Services Awards Dinner at Painters’ Hall in London. 🍽️

22/01 Visited London South Bank Technical College and Lee Marley Academy. ✏️👷

As Patron of Save the Children UK, visited Mary’s Living and Giving Shop in Wandsworth. 👚

23/02 unofficial Departed Heathrow Airport for Namibia 🇬🇧✈️🇳🇦

24/02 unofficial Arrived at Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia. ✈️🇳🇦

Representing The King, Princess Anne called upon Mrs Monica Geingos (widow of Dr Hage Geingob). 🖤

Unofficial Sir Tim represented Princess Anne, Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union, at the Six Nations Rugby Match between Scotland and England at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏉

25/02 Representing The King, Princess Anne attended the Burial Service for Dr Hage Geingob at Heroes’ Acre. 🕊️

Later attended a State Luncheon given by The President of Namibia at State House. 🍽️

26/02 unofficial Arrived at Heathrow Airport from Namibia. 🇳🇦✈️🇬🇧

With Sir Tim Attended the British Horseracing Authority’s Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards at Ascot Racecourse. 🐎🏆

27/02 With Sir Tim Attended a Service of Thanksgiving for the late King Constantine II at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle with members of 🇬🇧, 🇬🇷, 🇩🇰 and 🇪🇸 royal families.

28/02 As Patron of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, attended the Emergency Medicine Trainees' Association Annual Conference at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead. 💉💊

As Royal Patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, attended a Rugby League Reception at Leeds Rhinos Rugby Club, in Headingley, Leeds. 🦽🏉

29/02 unofficial Departed from Heathrow Airport for the United Arab Emirates 🇬🇧✈️🇦🇪

Unofficial Sir Tim, as President of Never Such Innocence, attended a 10th anniversary celebration for the charity at Edinburgh Castle. 🏰

Total official engagements for Anne in February: 44

2024 total so far: 85

Total official engagements accompanied by Tim in February: 6

2024 total so far: 23

FYI - due to certain royal family members being off ill/in recovery I won’t be posting everyone’s engagement counts out of respect, I am continuing to count them and release the totals at the end of the year.

[allthegeopolitics]

Indian universities have deepened research ties with Israeli colleges and weapons companies since the start of the war on Gaza, despite several institutions in the US and UK being forced to rethink exchanges as the death toll spirals, Middle East Eye can reveal. In recent months, Indian universities have increased partnerships in the fields of defence, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), with Israeli universities alleged to be complicit in the months-long conflict. Several are now either directly working with Israeli weapons companies or with Indian companies reported to have sent weaponry to Israel.  The partnerships, some publicly announced, have fuelled speculation that Israel is engineering closer ties with Indian universities - especially in the sciences - to build not only new hubs of defence and technology research for its armed forces but also as a means of exerting influence on Indian academia.

Continue Reading.

[usafphantom2]

HMS Prince of Wales has been operating in Vest Fjorden in the Arctic Circle. F-35 Lightning jets of 617 Squadron conducted a day of sorties in air-to-air and air-to-ground roles as well as intelligence gathering and electronic warfare tasks.

UK Defence Journal

@CcinChris via X

[zvaigzdelasas]

Rishi Sunak’s cabinet was meeting on Thursday evening amid expectations of UK involvement in imminent military strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen.[...]

The foreign secretary, David Cameron, was seen entering No 10 shortly before 8pm. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, and shadow defence secretary, John Healey, will be briefed after the call, it is understood.[...]

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, has said further attacks by the Yemeni rebels on international shipping could prompt a western military response. Any UK strikes are expected to involve US forces.

Speaking on Wednesday, Grant Shapps, the British defence secretary, told reporters at a press briefing to “watch this space” regarding British action in the Red Sea, and accused Iran of helping the Houthis with intelligence and surveillance.

In a statement released before the briefing, Shapps said: “The UK alongside allies have previously made clear that these illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and if continued the Houthis will bear the consequences.”[...]

UK military action is traditionally followed by a statement to parliament. However, the House of Commons finished its business for the week on Thursday afternoon, and if Sunak or Shapps did choose to address MPs, there would be a risk of many not being able to attend.

The Liberal Democrats said MPs should be recalled. Layla Moran, the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson, said: “If the UK plans to take military action, it’s vital there is a vote in parliament. The prime minister must make arrangements for a recall of parliament if strikes are planned before Monday.”

11 Jan 24

[luminiferocity]

Here be headcanons

It's happening! Kicking off the first day of 007 Fest 2023 with some MI6 worldbuilding headcanons for Headcanons Day (AKA the HCs crammed into my WIP to make sense of film-world MI6)

Q Branch is just a small part of Six (and everyone else thinks the double-oh programme is more trouble than it's worth)

Q Branch makes no sense. As film!Q is a shorthand for the mission support teams for narrative ease, Q Branch seems to run independently and Q himself is a polymath taking on all the roles.

Eh, I'm okay with genius Q because I love him 🤷 Other Q Branchers are all wildly smart and eccentric in their own ways. That's Q's hiring policy

Most analysis, missions, etc. are run through logical departments with hundreds of staff, which the problem children doubles-ohs and Q Branch build on for their specialist missions

Lots of Six staff don't like the double-ohs and Q Branch by extension – they burn through the budget, cause havoc and get away with multitudes, and a little more secrecy and intelligence in the SIS would be much preferred

Maybe it's for the best that Q Branch is away from HQ up-river at Millbank Pier (based on this excellent post)

Essentially, Mallory has hundreds, maybe thousands, of staff and assets globally, yet it's 1% of his staff that causes 99.9% of his headaches

Heracles isn't the first off-book project and it won't be the last

Mallory was used as a character to hang the Heracles plot on, but it leaves a lot of questions. Why was he even involved? Why isn't it the responsibility of the Defence Science and Technology Lab?

I figure all the UK's intelligence agencies have joint off-book operations like the Heracles research, some farmed out to private contractors, etc. So, Heracles isn't special, it's just that this secret got found out and had big consequences

Maybe Mallory had a hand in Obruchev defecting, so those consequences were extra personal

Also, imagine being Mallory: was Chair of the committee looking into MI6 shadiness, only to get hired as M and get tangled into all this shadiness

Q & Moneypenny besties: great; Q & Moneypenny & Tanner: even better

After Spectre, they didn't know who to trust, except one another. They keep Six running and they're each other's rocks and best bitching buddies

Q, despite what he says, is the most dramatic of the three. Moneypenny, of course, delights in winding Q up. Tanner isn't as catty as those two, except for when the mood strikes and he's the worst

Tanner gets swept up in various antics, often Bond's, along with Q and Moneypenny. However, he's perfected bland-faced innocence and Mallory never gives him grief for it. Q and Moneypenny find this very annoying

[beardedmrbean]

Russian bomber pilots hit a grain ship in the Black Sea by mistake as they “targeted it in haste” and wanted to fly away quickly to avoid Ukrainian air defences, say British defence chiefs.

The Ministry of Defence in London believes that the merchant vessel Aya may only have escaped catastrophic damage because of a “detonation failure” in the “aging munition” fired at it.

In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said: “On 11 September 2024, the merchant vessel Aya was struck by a missile in the Black Sea as it transited south from the Ukrainian port of Odesa having been loaded with more than 26 thousand tons of grain bound for Egypt.

“It is almost certain that the missile was an AS-4 KITCHEN anti-ship missile launched by a Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE Russian bomber that was operating in the area at the time. It is a realistic possibility that a detonation failure avoided catastrophic damage.”

Russian and Ukrainian forces have fought a series of battles along the Black Sea coastline, and out at sea, including over Snake Island, which was captured by Vladimir Putin’s forces before being seized back, and the sinking of the flagship Moskva warship.

The Russian navy was forced to retreat from the Black Sea after the port of Sevastopol in Crimea was targeted.

But the British military chiefs do not believe that the grain vessel was hit on purpose and instead that it was “likely struck due to poor targeting procedures from Russian pilots using an aging munition”.

They added: “Following the loss of a BACKFIRE in April this year, Russia has almost certainly been more wary with their strike operations in the Black Sea.

“It is a realistic possibility this incident occurred due to pilots incorrectly identifying Aya as their target in haste, wanting to depart the area immediately after launch for fear of being targeted by a Ukrainian surface to air missile.

“The KITCHEN missile has consistently underperformed in the Ukraine conflict. Launching a supersonic cruise missile on an incorrect heading against a likely erroneous target in international waters demonstrates extremely poor and irresponsible aviation practice.”

Britain, the US, Ukraine and its allies have been fighting an information war, alongside the battlefield conflict, against Russia so their briefings need to be treated with caution.

However, they are far more believable than the propaganda issued by the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's armed forces commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Thursday he had ordered defences to be strengthened in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after Kyiv forces announced they had withdrawn from the town of Vuhledar.

Russian troops are steadily inching forward in different sectors in eastern Ukraine despite Kyiv's surprise incursion into Russia's western Kursk region in August that it was hoped would slow the advances.

Syrskyi said on social media he was working on "one of the hottest front sectors" with the 25th Sicheslav Airborne Brigade.

He gave no details on the exact location but the brigade operates in the Pokrovsk front, an area of intensified Russian assaults.

"While working in the brigade, I made a number of decisions aimed at strengthening stability and effectiveness of our defence," Syrskyi said.

Russian forces launched a major drone attack overnight on 15 Ukrainian regions, causing damage to commercial and residential buildings, local authorities said on Thursday, though there were no immediate reports of any casualties.

The Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 78 out of 105 Russian drones during the assault, with 23 more likely impacted by active electronic jamming.

Authorities in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv said the air force had downed around 15 drones over the city and its surroundings during an air alert that lasted more than five hours.

A Russian drone targeted a truck delivering gas in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region on Thursday, killing two adults and a child, police said.

Ukrainian drones attacked the "Borisoglebsk" military airfield and warehouses for fuel and guided bombs in Russia's Voronezh region overnight, according to a Ukrainian security source.

The security source said Ukraine's SBU security service was continuing actions to reduce the ability of Russian troops to use fighter jets with guided bombs to strike Ukrainian cities, and that attacks on Russian airfields would continue.

The drones attacked warehouses, parking lots for Russian Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-34 jets and aviation fuel storage facilities at the Borisoglebsk airfield, the source said.

"From there, the enemy actively bombards Ukrainian territories with guided bombs," he said.

Pictures on the attack and a short video clip showing fires could not be independently verified and the extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Alexander Gusev, the governor of Russia's Voronezh region, said Russian air defence had shot down 10 drones over the region. He did not report any damage.

[scotianostra]

2nd March 1938 saw the arrest by MI5 of Jessie Jordan, the Dundee hairdresser who would later be convicted as a spy for Nazi Germany.

It is thought Jessie allied with the Nazis in order to get her daughter officially recognised as being of true Aryan descent — something that hadn’t happened previously because of Jessie’s illegitimate birth. She had been married to a German and lived there for several years until they divorced in 1937 when she returned home.

She was a low-level agent, and in addition to handling mail from America, she compiled a map of coastal defences between Montrose and North Berwick, which she had planned to pass on to Germany.

However, one of her colleagues, who had grown suspicious of Jessie, discovered the map — and when Dundee police began investigating, they realised MI5 were already on her trail.

A letter forwarded to Hamburg by Jessie was marked with her address, which allowed the investigation to convict her and track down other Nazi agents in America.

A New York spy ring was rumbled by the FBI off the back of her mistakes — marking the first time the US and the UK had worked together on intelligence at a time when the two nations still actively spied on each other.

She was paid with £5 notes which at the time were still uncommon — it would be like one of our £100 notes today. The serial numbers on them allowed you to trace it through the system and so they were able to find the bank in the Netherlands where they had been withdrawn by the Germans.

She wasn’t much of a spy. She left a trail of evidence, but she only had around a week of training. She was very quickly found out in art by one of the women who worked in the hairdressers, Mary Curran.

The entire tale, encompassing Jessie’s arrest right up to the conviction of the New York spies, was dramatized in 1939 for the Warner Brothers’ film Confessions of a Nazi Spy. It was the first Hollywood film to strongly criticise Hitler’s regime and sparked a change in the way Americans perceived Germany prior to the Second World War.

She was found guilty of espionage and in May 1939 was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. She was initially sent to Saughton Prison, during which time she became unwell and underwent an invasive operation that included a sub-total hysterectomy. When the Second World War started, she was transferred to Aberdeen Prison.

During her time in prison, Jordan was described by her Dundee solicitor J. R. Bond as “a model prisoner, who showed off her needlework and exhibited no interest in an appeal.” Bond further noted that “she is not in the least depressed.” As a result of this good behaviour, Jordan was granted early release in 1941, but was immediately arrested and interned as an enemy alien. She remained in this internment throughout the war, and after the war ended she was deported to Germany. Jordan died in Hamburg in 1954.

[tomorrowusa]

Are Russians moving to your block? It may be a good idea to stock up on Javelins and HIMARS.

Not sure of the origin of the cartoon or whether or not it was modified. But it captures the spirit of Russian imperialism well.

As for the actual war, UK Defence Intelligence reports that the Russian generals in charge of the invasion are more concerned with the troops’ shaving habits and hair styles. I suppose that Defense Minister Shoigu and Gen. Gerisamov want the Russian Army to look more presentable when Ukrainian drones spot them.

The abject stupidity of the Russian leadership puts them in a class with George Santos.

[magz]

Palestine News Summary from LetsTalkPalestine May 16 to May 25, 2024. Related Helpful Links: [LetsTalkPalestine Links (including vetted information sources)] [gazafunds.com] [eSims for Gaza] [UNRWA] [Decolonize Palestine, learning basics and debunking myths] (Remember: In supporting Palestine and Palestinians, you are not alone. The people of the world united and in solidarity. Starting as small as one nudge and reminder, yet as big as the globe. To help one person, to help one family, to help one peoples, to help all who need to be unshackled. All help. From the River To The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free.)

Palestine News Summary Quote, below.

May 16:

Day 223

🔻 Israeli army suffers in invasion of Jabalia (north Gaza) as Palestinian fighters resist. At least 5 IOF soldiers killed + 15 injured in battles in last 24 hours. Palestinian fighters attacked 4 Israeli tanks at command centers, incapacitated army bulldozers & sniped 1 IOF soldier

• 39 Palestinians killed, 64 Palestinians injured in Gaza in the last 24 hours

‼️ Besieged Beit Hanoun receives no food & water for 5th day since Jabalia invasion. WFP suspends operations amid border seizure in Rafah. Limited supplies enter Gaza via Karem Abu Salem crossing

🇱🇧 Hezbollah launches first-ever drone strike, injuring 3 IOF soldiers in 13 attacks on the IOF Metula base + struck IOF intelligence aircraft

• Israeli attacks on densely populated Jabalia kill 4 incl. pregnant woman

⚖️ ICJ hears South African request for orders for Israeli withdrawal from Rafah; Israel to address court tomorrow

• Israel releases 76 Gazan hostages, forced them to walk across Gaza in dire conditions

May 17.

Day 224

🇪🇸 Spain will refuse all ships carrying weapons to Israel to dock at Spanish ports after denying 1st ship yesterday

• 31 Palestinians killed, 56 Palestinians injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🇱🇧 Israel assassinated Hamas official in airstrike on car in Lebanon, injuring 2. Earlier bombing killed Hezbollah member + 2 kids

• Israeli tanks & jets escalate bombardment & demolition of infrastructure in Jabalia amid invasion, killing 6+ as many still under rubble

🇪🇬 Egypt deploys military convoys at Gaza border amid rising tensions over Rafah invasion & Israeli seizure of Rafah crossing. Egypt warns normalization treaty w/ Israel at risk & considers downgrading relations w/ Israel

🇹🇷 Israel to abolish free trade agreement w/ Turkey & impose 100% tariff on imports in response to Turkey banning exports

• West Bank: Israel bombs Jenin, killing commander of Jenin Brigades (local resistance group), injuring 2 others. IOF killed 1 Palestinian in Tulkarem.

May 18.

Day 225

🔻 Hamas says it killed 5 IOF soldiers in eastern Rafah today + attacked tanks, helicopters. Hamas claims 100 attacks on IOF vehicles in last 10 days

•⁠ ⁠83 Palestinians killed, 105 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

•⁠ Israeli attack kills ⁠22, injures 30+ near Kamel Adwan Hospital in Gaza

🇨🇦 Canada sanctions 4 Israeli settlers in the West Bank over abuses

•⁠ ⁠Israel escalates bombing, killing 4 in Khan Younis & 4 in central Gaza

❗️ Ex-Mossad deputy chief says Israel losing ”war”

•⁠ ⁠Israeli bombing kills 8+ incl. women & children & injures 10 while fetching water

•⁠ Attack on evacuation center in Jabalia invasion kill 15. IOF advances Rafah invasion, attacking car killing 1, injuring others

🚚 Israel let only 33 aid trucks in Gaza since May 6

🇨🇭 Zurich police fire rubber bullets + pepper spray at students at university Gaza protest

🇦🇹 Austria to resume UNRWA funding, the 9th to resume. US, UK & others still frozen

[No May 19 summary]

(image: map of ICC member and signatories that must abide by new ruling)

‼️ International Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for Israeli & Hamas officials

ICC Chief Prosecutor applied for warrants for Netanyahu & Defence Minister Gallant + Hamas leaders Sinwar, Haniyeh & AlDeif for several war crimes & crimes against humanity.

If judges approve, they’d be the first-ever ICC arrest warrants for Western leaders — a milestone in ending Western impunity.

It’d obligate all ICC member states (🗺️👆) to arrest them if they entered their territory. This’d make it extremely difficult for Netanyahu & Gallant to visit allies like EU states, Canada & Jordan. But Hamas leaders — already blacklisted by the West — would be practically unaffected.

🇳🇱 Arrested suspects are tried by the ICC in the Netherlands.

The warrants may mark a new stage in Israel’s diplomatic and political isolation, straining Western ties & legitimizing arguments of Israeli criminality which may fuel more divestment & sanctions.

It’s also a clear threat to other Israeli officials & IOF soldiers.

May 20.

Day 227

‼️ Israel bombards north Gaza amid invasion of Jabalia, killing 18 in airstrikes on Jabalia & Beit Lahia. ⁠⁠Only 2 functioning hospitals in north Gaza: Al-Awda Hospital is besieged, out of drinking water & tanks bulldoze its vicinity, blocking patients & staff from leaving. Kamal Adwan Hospital oxygen machine power outage killed 1 child

•⁠ 106 Palestinians killed, 176 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

•⁠ Recently released 30 y/o hostage & cancer patient Farouk al-Khatib killed after Israeli medical negligence in captivity

⚖️ US, UK, Italy & Germany condemn ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. Hamas condemns being equated with Israel.👆 More info above

•⁠ ⁠40% (900,000) of Gaza population recently displaced including 810,000 who fled Rafah since invasion

•⁠ ⁠Israeli forces executed 2 Palestinians by opening fire on crowd at Israeli-made corridor in central Gaza that restricts Palestinians moving from north to south Gaza.

🚚 Only 69 UN aid trucks enter south Gaza from May 6-19

May 21 (part 1).

🚨 Jenin massacre (instagram news link)

Israeli forces stormed Jenin in the West Bank this morning at 8am (👆🎥), and the ongoing assault has become one of Jenin’s deadliest raids.

Israeli soldiers have shot and killed at least 7 Palestinian civilians, including Dr. Osaid Jabareen, the head of surgery at Jenin Hospital, a teacher walking to work, & 9th grade student. So far 12 people injured mostly by live bullets, incl. 4 kids, a journalist & paramedic

Israeli forces blocked the injured & staff from entering hospitals. An Israeli sniper shot at anyone moving near Khalil Suleiman Hospital, fired at people in vicinity of Jenin Hospital & blocked ambulances

Israeli forces stormed the home of a 50-year-old woman, destroyed the home then abducted her. Meanwhile, bulldozers raze the city, demolishing infrastructure, streets & cars

Ongoing fierce clashes between Jenin Bridages (local resistance group) & IOF as resistance fighters fire explosives at Israeli tanks.

May 21 (part 2).

Day 228

‼️⚖️ Norway the 1st country to say it’ll arrest Netanyahu if ICC warrant issued

•⁠ 85 Palestinians killed, 200 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🔻 Hamas claims it killed 5 IOF soldiers in north Gaza w/ grenade & sniped IOF soldier at Israeli corridor separating north & south Gaza

🇺🇳 UNRWA shuts down 2 health facilities in Rafah due to Israeli evacuation order + suspended aid operations in Rafah as aid running out since seizure of Rafah crossing

•⁠ 4 killed incl. an infant in Israeli attack on home in Gaza City

📺 Israel seized @ apnews camera & broadcasting equipment, cutting its Gaza live feed. Later reversed decision after US & global backlash

🚚 Israeli forces share intel to settlers on locations of aid trucks for Gaza, facilitating settler attacks on trucks

🏥 Israel attacked Kamal Adwan Hospital 4 times (largest functioning hospital in north Gaza) as IOF fired at the gates, hitting ICU, reception area & roof. 20 staff & 13 patients trapped inside

May 22.

Day 229

🇪🇸🇮🇪🇳🇴 Spain, Ireland & Norway to recognize State of Palestine within a week. Recognition limited to West Bank & Gaza

• 62 Palestinians killed, 138 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🏥 Footage shows Israeli forces abducting 100+ Palestinian bodies from Shifa Hospital’s mass graves

• Israeli attacks kill 6 in north Gaza. 17+ killed incl. kids & 20+ injured in central Gaza. No functional health services anymore in north & central Gaza

🔻 Fierce clashes ongoing in Rafah between resistance fighters & IOF soldiers as Israeli tanks advance. Israel admits 3 soldiers killed & 2 injured

• Death toll in ongoing Jenin raid rises to 11 including 4 teenagers. Settler attacks continue in West Bank’s Nablus

🇬🇧⚖️ Legal group (ICJP) submits war crimes complaint to Scotland Yard accusing 5 UK ministers of complicity in Israel’s starvation warfare

🇨🇴 Colombia to open embassy to Palestine in Ramallah (West Bank)

May 23.

Day 230

🏥 Al-Awda Hospital in north Gaza forced to close after 4-day siege. IOF expelled medical staff on foot, forced to abandon their patients. Al-Aqsa Hospital to run out of fuel imminently, putting hundreds of dialysis patients & incubator babies at risk

•⁠ 91 Palestinians killed, 21 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🇳🇴🇪🇸🇮🇪 Israeli foreign minister reprimanded ambassadors of Norway, Spain & Ireland for decision to recognise Palestine

•⁠ ⁠Israeli overnight attack on Gaza City killed 16 incl. 10 kids. 8 killed in attack on Nuseirat camp

🎓 UK police arrest 12 students at Oxford University for Palestine sit-in (@ oxact4pal)

•⁠ Israeli forces invade Beit Hanoon (north) in escalation of Jabalia invasion, Israeli sniper executed Palestinian in the head

🔻 30 Israeli soldiers injured in past 2 days

•⁠ IOF shot 2 kids in the foot & hand near Apartheid Wall (West Bank)

🇱🇧 Hezbollah claims destroyed Israeli tank after Israeli strike killed Hezbollah official & injured 3 kids in school bus

May 24 (part 1).

[Context: original old ICJ post from LetsTalkPalestine]

🚨 ICJ orders Israel to end Rafah invasion

After a new South African request, the ICJ ordered Israel to immediately halt its invasion of Rafah and to withdraw. Here’s what else it said:

1️⃣ Its January orders were inadequate for the current situation which risks irreparable damage to the rights of Palestinians in Gaza

2️⃣ Israeli measures for Rafah evacuation are insufficient, and the humanitarian situation is "disastrous”

3️⃣ Israel must allow investigations into allegations of genocide

4️⃣ The court implied that the offensive may inflict conditions calculated to cause the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza — notably, this phrasing is the legal language used to describe an act of genocide

5️⃣ Demanded the immediate reopening of the Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid

🇺🇸 Though these orders are legally binding, the ICJ has no enforcement power — only the UN Security Council can enforce them, and the US would likely veto

Does this mean the ICJ is useless? 🤔 Not exactly. See the last 3 slides of our post above 👆 from January explaining how we need to use tactical victories to end this genocide and free Palestine. No court can free Palestine. Only a people’s movement can.

May 24.

Day 231

‼️ Al-Aqsa Hospital generators shut down from lack of fuel causing power outages leaving most equipment unusable, putting many at risk incl. 20 newborns as oxygen generators will run out

•⁠ 57 Palestinians killed, 282 injured in last 24 hours

🇪🇬 Egypt to finally open their side of Karem Abu Salem crossing for UN aid. Only 906 aid trucks entered Gaza from May 7-23 as Israel seized Palestinian side of Rafah crossing which Egypt won’t reopen unless legal agreement w/ Israel

🇪🇸 Israel bans Spanish consulate from servicing Palestinians in West Bank after Spain said it’ll recognize the state of Palestine

•⁠ Israel expands Rafah invasion as tanks advance into crowded areas in central & west Rafah + bombing across the city

🔻 Hamas strikes 3 IOF tanks & seriously injured IOF soldier in north Gaza

•⁠ Israeli strikes on homes in north Gaza killed 7. Israel bombed aid storage house in Deir al-Balah killing 12+

•⁠ IOF bulldoze infrastructure & storm homes in raid on Balata (West Bank)

[collapsedsquid]

Iran’s attack against Israel last weekend was massive, by any standard. Tehran launched about 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles, and about 120 ballistic missiles, according to data from the Institute for the Study of War, in waves timed so that the 300-plus weapons arrived in Israel within 10 minutes of each other.

[....] US and UK jet fighters, combined with Jordanian air defences, downed multiple drones and missiles long before they reached Israel’s borders. Centcom, the US military’s central command for the region — which has included Israel since 2021 — co-ordinated intelligence and radar alerts from around the region, and took down nearly a third of the incoming missiles and drones. [....] Even on Saturday, several Iranian ballistic missiles penetrated Israel’s air defences. The Israeli military on Monday also denied US reports that half of Iran’s missiles had failed to launch or crashed before reaching their targets.

[...] But there are complicating factors. For one, there is a global shortage of interceptor missiles effective against ballistic missile attacks, such as those used in the US-made Patriot and Israel-manufactured Arrow air defence systems. Some of the more sophisticated versions can take up to two years to manufacture. They are also expensive: one former Israeli military official estimated the cost of Saturday night’s defence at more than $1bn in expended material, not including what it cost the US, France and UK to send jets.

[thoughtlessarse]

An immediate arms embargo on Israel. When I met Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf last month and he unequivocally backed such a move, the case was already overwhelming. Yet this week, the UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron doubled down – even as Gaza is razed from the face of the earth, the position was “unchanged”. It should not take the spilling of Western blood to make this point – given the mass slaughter endured by the Palestinian people, including more than 200 aid workers – but even the Israeli military killing three Britons working with World Central Kitchen hasn’t shifted the Government’s position. You can only imagine what would have happened if, say, Iran had blown up an aid convoy in similar circumstances. According to the Campaign Against Arms Trade, the seven aid workers were killed by a Hermes 450 drone, which is powered by a UK-made R902(W) Wankel Engine. That a leaked recording of senior Tory MP Alicia Kearns – the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee – made clear that the Government had received legal advice that Israel is violating international humanitarian law, clear to anyone at this point who isn’t either deceitful or living in a parallel universe. That would necessitate stopping arms sales, as well as the sharing of intelligence. Yet the British government remains determined to continue its complicity with one of the great crimes of our age. […] The Israeli investigation was an absurd whitewash, suggesting a military which describes itself as amongst the world’s most advanced made a “grave mistake” by exterminating the convoy in these circumstances. Well, it gets so much worse. A fascinating piece of investigative journalism in The Telegraph – not words you often read me type – has a sensational finding. The most senior commander in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) dismissed for his role in the attack is a hard-line settler in the West Bank who, in an open letter signed in January, demanded Gaza was deprived of aid. It demanded the Israeli War Cabinet and the IDF chief of staff “do everything in your power” to prevent “humanitarian supplies and the operation of hospitals inside Gaza City”. Here’s another astonishing detail: the retired military officer who led the investigation into the strike is the CEO of the defence firm that makes the drone missiles used in the strike. 

read complete article

[georgefairbrother]

On January 18th, 1963, the BBC reported that Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell, aged 56, had died from what was described as a deterioration of his heart condition.

"...Mr Gaitskell became ill with flu in mid-December. A medical check-up showed he was fit to travel to the USSR on 1 January for talks with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and he appeared well over Christmas. But immediately after the holiday he became ill with another virus and was admitted to hospital on 4 January. Two days ago his condition deteriorated suddenly and it became clear his kidneys had been affected. The night before his death, doctors attempted to treat Mr Gaitskell using a kidney dialysis machine..."

Gaitskell had succeeded Clement Attlee as party leader in 1955 and, according to the BBC, had made Labour 'poised for victory' at the next general election thanks largely to his efforts toward making the party 'relevant and realistic'. (Which was a polite way of saying he was trying to shift them a few steps to the right, or at least stop them heading any further leftwards).

His policy positions had not always endeared him to all members of his own party. As Chancellor he had introduced some NHS charges to fund rearmament, prompting key resignations which further destabilised an already faltering government leading up to their 1951 election loss. He argued that collective ownership of industry be dropped from Labour's policy platform, and opposed unilateral nuclear disarmament.

He was succeeded as Labour leader by Harold Wilson, ironically one of the 1951 resignations.

It subsequently emerged that Hugh Gaitskell died from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, a disease that potentially leads to multiple organ failure and, according to at least one medical opinion, extremely rare in temperate climates like the UK. Gaitskell had visited the Russian Embassy in preparation for a trip to Moscow, where he had been given coffee and biscuits. So you can see where this is going...

John Simkin writes in Spartacus Educational,

"...Some members of MI5 believed that Harold Wilson was a Soviet agent. Anatoli Golitsyn, a KGB officer who defected in 1961, worked for the Department of Wet Affairs. This department was responsible for organizing assassinations. He said that just before he left he knew that the KGB were planning a high-level political assassination in Europe in order to get their man into the top place. Christopher Andrew, the author of The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5 (2009), has pointed out that senior figures in MI5 were not convinced by these claims... James Jesus Angleton the head of the CIA's Counter-Intelligence Staff... ordered his staff to search the published medical literature of the fatal disease and discovered that Soviet medical researchers had published three academic papers describing how they had produced a drug that, when administered, reproduced the fatal heart and kidney symptoms suffered by Gaitskell..."

[zvaigzdelasas]

Europe split over US, UK strikes on Houthis in Yemen - Reuters

Italy, Spain and France stood out on Friday by not taking part in U.S. and British strikes against the Houthi group in Yemen and not signing a statement put out by 10 countries justifying the attacks.

The divergence highlights divisions in the West over how to deal with the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have been targeting civilian ships in the Red Sea for weeks in what they say is a protest against Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip.[...]

The Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bahrain provided logistical and intelligence support for the operation, U.S. officials said.

In addition, Germany, Denmark, New Zealand and South Korea signed a joint statement with these six nations defending the overnight attacks and warning of further action to protect the free flow of Red Sea trade if the Houthis did not back down.[...]

A source in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said Italy had declined to sign the statement and as a result was not asked to participate in the attacks.

However, a government source said Italy had been asked to take part but declined for two reasons -- firstly because any Italian involvement would have needed parliamentary approval, which would have taken time, and secondly because Rome preferred to pursue a "calming" policy in the Red Sea.

Hours later, a government statement added that "Italy supports the operations of allied countries, who have the right to defend their vessels, in the interest of global trade flows and humanitarian assistance."[...]

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a French official said Paris feared that by joining the U.S.-led strikes, it would have lost any leverage it had in talks to defuse tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. France has focused much of its diplomacy in recent weeks on avoiding an escalation in Lebanon.

Asked whether France refused to participate, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he wouldn't elaborate on diplomatic conversations.[...]

[A] diplomat who is aware of France’s position said Paris did not believe the attack could be deemed legitimate self-defence.[...]

Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said Madrid had not joined the military action in the Red Sea because it wanted to promote peace in the region.

"Every country has to give explanations for its actions. Spain will always be committed to peace and dialogue," she told reporters in Madrid.

12 Jan 24