🇹🇷 Turkey’s defense ministry reported that 31 ships are being constructed in domestic shipyards.

MoD Press and Public Relations Advisor Brigadier General Zeki Akturk stated that MILDEN's construction began with the first weld at Golcuk Naval Shipyard, while initial steel cutting for the TF-2000 Air Defense Destroyer and National Aircraft Carrier occurred at Istanbul Naval Shipyard.

🔗 https://www.defensemirror.com/news/38523

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🇺🇸🤝🇮🇱 Scoop: Biden notifies Congress of $8 billion arms sale to Israel

Zoom in: The sources said the arms sale — which needs approval from the House and Senate foreign relations committees — includes AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for fighter jets to defend against airborne threats, including drones.

Some Democrats pushed the administration to condition arms sales to Israel based on Israel's handling of the war effort and the humanitarian situation in Gaza but Biden declined to do so.

The sale also includes 155mm artillery shells and Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters.

The proposed deal also includes small diameter bombs, JDAM tail kits that turn "dumb bombs" to precision munitions, 500-lb warheads and bomb fuzes.

🔗 https://www.axios.com/2025/01/04/biden-arms-deal-israel-8-billion

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🇬🇱/🇩🇰Greenland’s leader wants independence from Denmark as Trump hovers over Arctic island

The prime minister of Greenland called for independence from Denmark and removing the “shackles” of colonialism in a strident New Year’s address this week.

Greenland, the world’s largest island with a population of around 60,000, was a Danish colony until it became self-ruling with its own parliament in 1979. It remains a territory of Denmark, with Copenhagen exercising control over its foreign and defense policy.

The renewed call comes after United States President-elect Donald Trump once again suggested buying Greenland from Denmark — a proposal he made during his first term and reiterated last month, calling the U.S. acquiring the Arctic territory an “absolute necessity.”

As global powers seek to expand their reach and footprint in the Arctic, mineral-rich Greenland — which hosts a U.S. military base — is coveted for its strategic value in security and trade.

https://www.politico.eu/article/greenland-prime-minister-mute-egede-independence-denmark-colonialism-donald-trump-arctic/

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⬛❌🇳🇬 — In a very rare attack, and in a growing trend in the north-west arena of Nigeria, IS-linked "Lakurawa" group attacked a police checkpoint and killed two soldiers in Argungu, Kebbi state, capturing cattle and 2 rifles, attack unclaimed for now.

➡️This comes during growing fears of ISSP (Islamic State Sahel Province and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) merge, which would effectively undermine JNIM's "dominance" as a group in the region and a return of a "Caliphate 2.0".

➡️Lakurawa is a group that emerged many years ago, primarily recruited by elders to protect villages from bandits, and from late 2010s turned into an Islamist group which fights both bandits and the government.

😯NOTE: Nigerien junta leader Tiani recently accused Nigeria of creating the Lakurawa group to destabilize Niger.

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🇦🇪🇾🇪 The construction of the UAE air base on Abd al Kuri is complete, & the airport is expected to be operational within a few weeks. With support from the US & Israel, the UAE is also building other military and intelligence facilities on the island.

Abd al Kuri Island is part of the Socotra archipelago, spanning approximately 133 km2. In recent years, the UAE has occupied the island and forcibly relocated its residents to Socotra Island and other areas of Yemen in February 2023.

Operating military aircraft from this island could significantly enhance the UAE’s control over the Gulf of Aden, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and maritime traffic from the coast of Yemen to the Guardafui Channel in the Horn of Africa.

📎 ISW

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🇮🇱🇸🇾 Israel now controls more than 30% of Syria's water

The Israeli air force launched a violent attack near the Syrian capital of Damascus on 2 January, coming as Israel’s military continues to expand its occupation in the country, reaching a key dam in the southern Quneitra area.

Israel's recent expansion in Syria, which began immediately after the fall of the Assad government, has seen invading troops seize precious water sources such as the Al-Wahda Dam on the Yarmouk River Basin and others. Syrian and Israeli sources, as well as Carmel News citing an Iranian source, reported last month that Israel now controls 30 percent of Syria's water supply and 40 percent of Jordan's.

https://thecradle.co/articles/israeli-army-bombs-damascus-outskirts-seizes-control-of-syrian-water-sources

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👤👎🇯🇵🤝🇺🇸🏭 — 🏴 ZeroHedge | Nippon Steel "Dismayed" By Biden's Block Of US Steel Deal, Labels It "Clear Violation Of Due Process" | January 3, 2025:

"Biden administration officials seem to have leaked the president's impending decision, expected on Friday, to block Japan's Nippon Steel from purchasing US Steel.

(...)

Update:

President Biden has released a statement indicating that he will "block" Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion takeover of US Steel.

Here's the full statement:

As I have said many times, steel production—and the steel workers who produce it—are the backbone of our nation. A strong domestically owned and operated steel industry represents an essential national security priority and is critical for resilient supply chains. That is because steel powers our country: our infrastructure, our auto industry, and our defense industrial base. Without domestic steel production and domestic steel workers, our nation is less strong and less secure.

For too long, U.S. steel companies have faced unfair trade practices as foreign companies have dumped steel on global markets at artificially low prices, leading to job losses and factory closures in America. I have taken decisive action to level the playing field for American steelworkers and steel producers by tripling tariffs on steel imports from China. With record investments in manufacturing, more than 100 new steel and iron mills have opened since I took office, and U.S. companies are producing the cleanest steel in the world. Today, the domestic steel industry is the strongest it has been in years.

We need major U.S. companies representing the major share of US steelmaking capacity to keep leading the fight on behalf of America's national interests. As a committee of national security and trade experts across the executive branch determined, this acquisition would place one of America's largest steel producers under foreign control and create risk for our national security and our critical supply chains.

So, that is why I am taking action to block this deal. It is my solemn responsibility as President to ensure that, now and long into the future, America has a strong domestically owned and operated steel industry that can continue to power our national sources of strength at home and abroad; and it is a fulfillment of that responsibility to block foreign ownership of this vital American company. U.S. Steel will remain a proud American company – one that's American-owned, American-operated, by American union steelworkers – the best in the world.

Today's action reflects my unflinching commitment to utilize all authorities available to me as President to defend U.S. national security, including by ensuring that American companies continue to play a central role in sectors that are critical for our national security. As I have made clear since day one: I will never hesitate to act to protect the security of this nation and its infrastructure as well as the resilience of its supply chains.

(...)

Update (1111ET):

Nippon Steel is furious that President Biden blocked their proposed $14.9 billion deal to take over US Steel.

"We are dismayed by President Biden's decision to block Nippon Steel's acquisition of US Steel, which reflects a clear violation of due process and the law governing CFIUS," the Japanese steelmaker wrote in a press release, adding, "Instead of abiding by the law, the process was manipulated to advance President Biden's political agenda."

#Geoeconomics

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🇹🇷 "Turkish warplanes bombed the city of Deir Hafer and its countryside and Tishreen Dam and its vicinity, southeast of Manbij city. The warplanes are still flying over the area", -SDF Media Center says

📎 Liveuamap MiddleEast

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🇺🇸Could Trump withdraw from Middle East in his 2nd term?

Trump announced the withdrawal of US troops from Syria on three separate occasions but never followed through on these promises during his first term. Additionally, for all his talk about ending the “endless wars” that he blamed on former President George W. Bush, his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton, and others, Trump never ended the US military presence in Afghanistan or Iraq during his first four years in the Oval Office. Since winning last year’s presidential election, he has selected neo-conservatives, hardline hawks, and pro-Israel advocates such as Marco Rubio, Elise Stefanik, and Pete Hegseth to serve his second administration. At the same time, Vice President-elect JD Vance has declared that “neo-conservative foreign policy is strategically and morally stupid.”

He has selected several individuals for high-ranking roles in his second administration who advocate for a US policy of regime change in Iran. Even if Trump does not pursue a direct regime-change agenda toward Tehran, his second administration will likely impose "maximum pressure 2.0" on Iran, which means they will be doing the same maximum pressure method in their second term as well. This would likely involve imposing increasingly stringent sanctions on Iranian oil exports to China and seeking European support to intensify pressure on the Islamic Republic. Trump will possibly encourage messianic Israel to take even more aggressive action against Iran and Tehran-aligned non-state actors in the region, such as the Houthis in Yemen.

However, the Middle East has undergone significant changes since Trump left the White House in January 2021, which will complicate his second term’s foreign policy approach. Gulf Arab monarchies are now engaged in detente with Iran and are unlikely to support a renewed US-led "maximum pressure" campaign. It will also be extremely difficult for Trump to build on his Abraham Accords legacy by bringing more Arab states into the Israeli normalization fold, especially in the context of the region's post-Oct. 7, 2023 environment. It is important to observe how Trump's second term policies adjust to the past four years of these major shifts in the Middle East.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/opinion/opinion-syrian-regime-change-and-new-years-attacks-could-trump-withdraw-from-middle-east-in-his-2nd-term/3440962

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🇺🇸📞🇺🇸📝 — Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) leaves the floor with some Republicans who did not vote for him on the first ballot.

🔗 CSPAN (@cspan)

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tl;dr: Basically, in American terms:

— That's the equivalent of Progressive wing of the DNC (AOC and all others alike) introducing a bill outlawing and banning the Republican Party after they impeached Trump, following a Midterm elections where the Democrats got a slim victory

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🇺🇸🗣🇦🇫❗️🇺🇸 — 🏴 ZeroHedge | Former CIA Officer Warns: 1,000 Al-Qaeda Fighters In US For Next Homeland Attack | January 1, 2025:

"In a recent discussion on the Shawn Ryan Show, former CIA targeting officer Sarah Adams warned of a potentially devastating attack planned by Al-Qaeda terrorists on American soil.

The interview offers significant insights into what may be unfolding, as Al-Qaeda sleeper cells could be activating in the wake of the New Orleans terrorist attack and a possible vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) in the rear of a rented Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside Trump's hotel in Las Vegas just hours later.

Ryan asked Adams: "I just want to clarify. You are 100% certain that there are 1,000 plus Al-Qaeda-trained fighters within the US borders?"

Adams, currently a global threat advisor with extensive experience in Middle Eastern affairs, responded: "Well, Al-Qaeda says they trained and deployed a thousand for this attack. First off, I think there are more than a thousand Al-Qaeda members in the United States, but for the Homeland Attack, that number is based on what Al-Qaeda is saying, so they could exaggerate it; however, they did have about 1,400 in the Hamas Attack so the number is not off from what they did in the first round of attacks."

🗄 Archive

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🇪🇺 Faced with an energy crisis due to the disappearance of Russian gas and bad weather making renewable energy unreliable to use, the European Commission is busy at work inventing new regulations making it harder for businesses to operate and discouraging people from starting new businesses all in the name of gender equality.

@CIG_telegram

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🇪🇺🤝🇸🇾 EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, endorses the visits of the French and German foreign ministers in Syria.

🔗 Kaja Kallas

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🇩🇪🇫🇷🇸🇾 Al Jolani refuses to shake the hand of the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock but shakes the hand of French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot.

@CIG_telegram

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🇺🇸 Biden to present Hillary Clinton, George Soros and 17 others the Presidential Medal of Freedom 

The White House said Clinton, Soros and the 17 other recipients of the prestigious award are “individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.” 

“President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else,” the White House said in a statement. “These nineteen Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place. They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.” 

🔗 https://nypost.com/2025/01/04/us-news/biden-to-present-george-soros-hillary-clinton-and-17-others-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom/

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🇬🇧 Labour blocks grooming gang inquiry into Starmer’s conduct as CPS head

Sir Keir Starmer was the director of public prosecutions from 2008-2013, which includes the years of the grooming gang scandal

Labour has blocked an inquiry into Sir Keir Starmer’s conduct as the head of the Crown Prosecution Service while investigating the Oldham child grooming scandal.

Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, refused to launch a public inquiry into historical sexual abuse by gangs in Oldham, saying it was for the council to decide whether one was necessary.

The scandal was one of several across the country in which dozens of girls were abused by British Pakistani gangs.

Police forces and prosecutors often did not take action for fear of being called racist or Islamophobic a failing Sir Keir addressed in 2012 when he was running the CPS as the director of public prosecutions.

Elon Musk, the US tech billionaire, and Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, led criticism of the decision to block an inquiry, as revealed by GB News earlier this week. 

Writing on his social media platform X, Mr Musk claimed Ms Phillips “deserves to be in prison” over the “disgraceful” decision, which he suggested had been taken to protect the Prime Minister.

He said: “Who was the head of the CPS when rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice? Keir Starmer, 2008–2013.

In a later post, Mr Musk described the Prime Minister as “two-tier Keir”, claiming there was “no justice for severe, violent crimes but prison for social media posts”.

Mrs Badenoch said: “The time is long overdue for a full national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal. Trials have taken place all over the country in recent years, but no one in authority has joined the dots – 2025 must be the year that the victims start to get justice.”

However, she was rebuked by Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, who said: “Talk is cheap. The Conservatives had 14 years in government to launch an inquiry. The establishment has failed the victims of grooming gangs on every level.”

🔗 https://archive.ph/2025.01.03-205920/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/01/02/labour-defends-blocking-grooming-inquiry-keir-starmer-cps/

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📱 Elon Musk turned off his replies to verified accounts only.

He also announced changes to the algorithm that should discourage “negativism” from appearing in people’s feeds.

@CIG_telegram

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🇹🇷 Turkish navy starts construction of three new warships

ISTANBUL — The Turkish navy has begun the new year by announcing the construction of three warships based on domestic designs: a submarine, an aircraft carrier and the lead ship of the highly anticipated TF-2000 air-defense destroyer series.

The shipbuilding programs are closely linked to the political and naval ambitions of Turkey, honing the country’s long-range force projection and strike capabilities, in particular.

The new work brings the total number Turkish naval ships under construction to 31, according to service officials. The additions are meant to bolster the country’s local shipbuilding chops, a key element in the government’s preference for building weapons at home, versus importing them.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/01/03/turkish-navy-starts-construction-of-three-new-warships

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🇺🇸🇮🇳 CA06 Sacramento County Representative Ami Bera on X:

“When I was first sworn in twelve years ago, I was the sole Indian American Member of Congress and only the third in U.S. history.

Now, our coalition is six strong!

I am excited to welcome even more Indian Americans to the halls of Congress in the years to come!”

📝James Kirkpatrick: Most people in Congress are far right racial nationalists for someone.

Unfortunately, there are none for Americans.

🔗 Ami Bera

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🇨🇳/🇹🇼 Record-breaking Chinese PLA military activity around Taiwan in 2024

- 3,069 incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ (+80% yoy)
- 5,110 PLA aircraft detected nearby (+8%)
- 2,501 PLAN warships tracked (+32%)
- Most sorties in a single day (153)
+ 3x major military drills

📎 Ian Ellis

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👤👎🇯🇵🤝🇺🇸🏭 — 🇺🇸 The Washington Post | Companies signal court fight ahead after Biden blocks U.S. Steel sale | Move comes after a year of political and economic drama. It leaves the future of the once-iconic American business in doubt | January 3, 2024:

"President Joe Biden’s decision to block Nippon Steel’s proposed purchase of U.S. Steel was a political act made in “clear violation of due process and the law,” the two companies said Friday, signaling that a courtroom fight is imminent.

(...)

“This acquisition would place one of America’s largest steel producers under foreign control and create risk for our national security and our critical supply chains,” Biden said.

Biden opted to kill the deal despite intense efforts in recent days by some of his senior advisers, who warned that rejecting a sizable investment from a top Japanese corporation could damage U.S. relations with Japan."

#Geoeconomics

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Foreigners run our country and are replacing us.

“They look at America like an undervalued asset. (…) They're treating the citizens like employees. ‘White people demand a quality of life that's too high? Bring in the immigrants!’”

📎 Ether-Wave

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🇺🇸🗳📝 — U.S. House Speaker Election for the 119th Congress of United States ended like this:

First Ballot Result:

🇺🇸 Johnson - 218
🇺🇸 Jeffries - 215
⁉️ Others - 1
🤷‍♂️ Present - 0

"Therefore, the honorable Mike Johnson...is duly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 119th Congress."

🔗 CSPAN (@cspan)

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🇺🇸📞🇺🇸📝 — Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) leaves the floor with Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), who voted for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) for Speaker on the first ballot.

🔗 CSPAN (@cspan)

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🇰🇷📝❗️ — Kim Seon-min, Rebuilding Korea Party, a major Liberal/Center-Left Party in South Korea says that they are considering multiple impeachments against remaining members of the cabinet of South Korean Conservative President Yoon, including current acting President Choi Sang-mok.

➡️ She also stated that Rebuilding Korea Party will move to pressure Ministry of Justice to present motion for dissolution of the People Power Party (PPP), President Yoon's Conservative/Right-wing Party, which would effectively ban the only major Right-wing party in South Korea

🔗 Wonho Chung 🇰🇷 (@saber_psvm)

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Teamsters Union President Sean M. O'Brien Opposes H1B Visas:

"Senator Sanders is 100% right. The H-1B guest worker visa program displaces US workers and allows billionaire tech employers to exploit foreign workers."

📎 Sean O'Brien

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🇪🇺🇩🇪🇫🇷❌🇸🇾 The German and French foreign ministers told the de-facto ruler of Syria, HTS emir, Mohammed al Jolani, that the EU will not lift sanctions and fund reconstruction “until a truly diverse & representative political structure is formed”.

📝: Some of the quotes coming out of the Franco-German delegation to Syria are unbelievable. Unbridled arrogance.

Insofar as it is necessary, Syria should have relations with the EU, especially with regards to Syrian refugee + diaspora, but in all other cases should explore alternative options. The EU's footprint must be extremely limited on the ground, starting from today.

Luckily we're in 2025, there are many options. The Gulf is eager for investment, the Turkic states through Turkiye are open, and East Asia sets a superior example for both public administration and economic development. Europe has nothing to offer except NGO money.

Syria's new govt needs to surge ahead with a focus on the GCC, Turkic states, and East Asia.

🔗 Charles Lister

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🇩🇪🇸🇾🇸🇾 German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock says the security of Kurds is “essential” but calls for the liquidation of the SDF and its integration into the new armed forces of the HTS-led Syrian interim government.

@CIG_telegram

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🇪🇺 President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has fallen ill with a severe case of pneumonia.

She has cancelled all public appearances until she recovers.

@CIG_telegram

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