China Dismisses Taiwanese Concern Over Spy Balloons

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China’s state-run Global Times on Thursday mocked Taiwanese and U.S. media for being concerned about “harmless weather balloons flying over the island.”

Three such balloons made an unusual transit over the middle of Taiwan Island on Monday and Tuesday, coming close to a Taiwanese airbase. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry merely stated it would “closely monitor” the balloons, and all other objects that enter Taiwanese airspace.

The Global Times accused media outlets in Taiwan and the United States of “sensationalizing” the balloons and “hyping” the threat they could pose. Nowhere in the article did anyone explain why Chinese balloons were suddenly floating over the middle of Taiwan two weeks before a crucial election.

The Chinese Communist Party paper was especially furious at the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) because it dared to mention that Taiwan might be thinking back to the Chinese spy balloon debacle over the United States in February 2023.

The WSJ further speculated that even if the balloons over Taiwan were indeed harmless meteorological devices, they could still be part of China’s efforts to intimidate the Taiwanese out of voting for candidates Beijing dislikes in their upcoming election. (Read more from “China Dismisses Taiwanese Concern Over Spy Balloons” HERE)

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South Korea Evacuates Islands After North Korea Fires More Than 200 Artillery Rounds Nearby

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North Korea fired more than 200 artillery rounds into the sea on Friday near a tensely defended maritime border with South Korea, a military official said, while residents of two South Korean islands were ordered to evacuate due to an unknown “situation.”

The defense ministry would not confirm if the order was prompted by the North’s artillery firing or South Korean drills in response.

However, a text message sent to residents and confirmed by an island official cited “naval fire” to be conducted by South Korean troops from 3 p.m.(0600 GMT) Friday.

An official on Yeonpyeong island, which sits just south of the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL) sea border, said the evacuation was ordered at the request of the South Korean military.

The firing by North Korea caused no civilian or military damage in the South, South Korea’s military said in a news briefing. (Read more from “South Korea Evacuates Islands After North Korea Fires More Than 200 Artillery Rounds Nearby” HERE)

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Taiwan Spots Chinese Balloons near Island Military Base

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The Taiwanese Defense Ministry tracked four Chinese balloons passing over the Taiwan Strait on Monday and Tuesday. Three of the balloons passed over the center of Taiwan Island, coming fairly close to the airbase at Ching Chuan Kang before disappearing.

Taiwan detected several Chinese balloons passing over the Taiwan Strait last month, but none of those balloons flew directly over the island as Tuesday’s flights did.

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry declined an opportunity to state for the record whether it believed the new balloons were surveillance platforms, weather balloons, or something else. The ministry said that it “closely monitors” all objects entering Taiwanese airspace and “appropriately responds” to each incursion.

Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Sun Li-fang ventured that the four balloons at least resembled the type of platform employed to collect atmospheric data for meteorologists. It seems unusual for Chinese weather balloons to pass directly over Taiwan, something they have never done before.

The balloon sightings raised concerns in light of the February 2023 debacle in which a Chinese spy balloon flew over the continental United States, apparently gathering intelligence from several military installations. President Joe Biden eventually bowed to mounting public pressure and ridicule and ordered the balloon shot down, but not until after its mission was complete. (Read more from “Taiwan Spots Chinese Balloons near Island Military Base” HERE)

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Deadly 7.6-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Japan, Leaving Destruction and Devastation

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As Japan welcomed the New Year, the nation was rocked by a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa prefecture. The seismic event, which occurred at 4:10 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), has claimed at least four lives and inflicted significant property damage, triggering a series of tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia.

The United States Geological Survey reported the quake’s devastating impact, noting that it collapsed buildings, ignited fires, and prompted widespread evacuations along the affected coastal areas of Japan. The aftermath of the quake has left a trail of destruction, with images and videos circulating on social media capturing the extent of the damage.

At least 31 smaller aftershocks continued throughout the day, with the likelihood of further seismic activity in the days and months ahead. One particularly distressing incident involved approximately 1,400 passengers stranded inside high-speed bullet trains for roughly ten hours following the main earthquake.

In response to the crisis, an estimated 8,500 military personnel have been deployed to aid in the relief effort. President Joe Biden has already expressed the United States’ readiness to provide any necessary assistance to the Japanese people, underscoring the international concern and solidarity in the face of this natural disaster.

As the affected communities grapple with the aftermath of this devastating event, the global community watches closely, offering condolences and assistance to a nation grappling with the sobering reality of starting the new year amidst tragedy.

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Hamas Denies Rapes, Claims Abducted Israeli Women Were Treated Well

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The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas once again denied that its members committed rape and sexual violence during the October 7 attacks, despite ample evidence from eyewitnesses and forensic evidence recently documented by the New York Times.

The Times of Israel reported Monday:

Hamas refutes the New York Times report on the weaponization of rape and sexual violence during the Gaza terror group’s brutal onslaught against Israel on October 7.

In a statement in Arabic and English, Hamas politburo member Basem Naim claims that the Western media and news agencies are “biased to what the Israeli propaganda says [in terms of] lies and slanders against the Palestinians and their resistance.”

Describing the October 7 savagery as “glorious,” Naim falsely claims that the New York Times report was based on accounts given indirectly by “women who said they heard other women repeating these allegations,” but there is “no conclusive evidence” that rapes took place.

As Breitbart News noted last week, the Times published an extensive report summarizing the growing evidence that Hamas raped, molested, mutilated and murdered Israeli women — and men — at several sites during the October 7 terror attack. (Read more from “Hamas Denies Rapes, Claims Abducted Israeli Women Were Treated Well” HERE)

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Thousands of Gazans Will Become Christian, Palestinian Evangelical Predicts

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An ex-member of the Fatah terrorist organization, who embraced Christianity in the early 1990s, has asserted that a considerable number of Muslims in Gaza are likely to forsake Islam in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas War, gravitating towards Christianity.

Speaking to Joel Rosenberg on the latest episode of the Rosenberg Report, which aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) over the weekend, Taysir “Tass” Abu Saada said that he predicts many Gazans will feel so hopeless, lost and lied to by Hamas after the war that they will abandon Islam and Hamas’s extremism for the teachings of the Bible.

“Hamas is an ideology that is spread among many people, not only in the Gaza Strip but all over the world,” Saada told Rosenberg. “However, God has a plan. And I believe the Arabs’ and the Jews’ plan is also part of that, and that is where my hope is.

“That is why I am back in the Holy Land, to move to the Gaza Strip and take part in rebuilding,” Saada continued. “I believe with all the destruction, with all that happened, with the hardship the Palestinians have gone through, they cannot sit back but will ask, ‘Why?’ . . .

The Christian convert said that he already has a team on the ground ministering to Gazans during the war, and these individuals are telling him that “the harvest is going to be huge.” (Read more from “Thousands of Gazans Will Become Christian, Palestinian Evangelical Predicts” HERE)

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Putin: Russia ‘Will Never Back Down’ as Ukraine War Enters Third Year

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As the approaching two-year mark of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine casts a somber shadow, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a New Year’s address vowing that Russia “will never back down.” In the face of mounting casualties and economic challenges fueled by Western sanctions, Putin aimed to reassure a war-weary nation with a resolute message.

In his address, Putin expressed confidence in Russia’s ability to overcome difficulties, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He asserted, “We will never back down because there is no such force that can divide us, make us forget the memory and faith of our fathers, or stop our development.” Describing Russia as one country and one big family, Putin emphasized unity as the key to the nation’s future strength and prosperity.

The New Year’s address coincided with alarming reports about the impact of the Ukraine war on the Russian military. The UK Ministry of Defence revealed a significant rise in the average daily number of Russian casualties in 2023. According to British intelligence assessments, if this trend continues, Russia could lose over half a million military personnel in the next year. Additionally, concerns were raised about the time needed for Russia to rebuild a well-trained and experienced military force, with predictions of a “low quality, high quantity mass army” in the interim.

The high casualty rate has led to rare protests in Russia, where mothers and wives have called for an end to the conscription of their loved ones. Despite these challenges, Putin appears to be in a stronger position than at the beginning of the year. He successfully navigated a rebellion attempt by Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and thwarted Ukraine’s much-anticipated “Spring counteroffensive.”

While Ukraine faces financial constraints, with funding from the U.S. and EU in limbo, Russia’s steadfastness in the conflict has led to a crisis of confidence among Ukraine’s Western financial backers. Despite war fatigue on both sides, there is little indication that either Russia or Ukraine is willing to back down.

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Journalist Found Dead After Exposing ‘Luxury Villa Owned by Zelenskyy’s Family’

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Egyptian investigative journalist Mohammed Al-Alawi, known for his exposé on the purchase of a luxury villa by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s mother-in-law, has been found dead.

The report, published by El Mostaqbal, details the discovery of Al-Alawi’s body in the Red Sea city of Hurghada, showing signs of fractures and bruises. The cause of death is reported as a cerebral hemorrhage resulting from a severe brain injury, with indications that the journalist had been subjected to a beating by a group of individuals.

Al-Alawi gained attention in August when he reported on the purchase of a $4.85 million villa in El-Gouna by Olga Kiyashko, Zelenskyy’s mother-in-law. The journalist leaked alleged documents as evidence, raising serious questions about corruption and the possible misappropriation of U.S. financial aid to Ukraine by the Zelenskyy family.

The Ukrainian embassy in Egypt has dismissed the allegations as “Russian propaganda,” while Orascom Development, the owner of the El Gouna resort, issued a statement categorically denying the reports. He claims the allegations are “completely false” despite Al-Alawi’s exposé.

Al-Alawi’s death has intensified concerns about the safety of investigative journalists and the challenges they face when exposing sensitive information. In a recent interview, the deceased journalist’s brother, Ahmed Al-Alawi, disclosed that Mohammed began receiving death threats after the release of his investigation. Ahmed also claimed that the police believe the assassination was carried out by Ukrainian operatives.

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Iran Speeding Up Transfer Of Precision Weapons To Terrorist Group Hezbollah: Report

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Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and the backers of the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, is reportedly speeding up its transfer of precision weapons to Hezbollah as Israel is rumored to be preparing for a war to protect itself in the north.

According to Missile Threat, Hezbollah already has 130,000 rockets, and is considered the world’s most heavily armed non-state actor. As recently as Thursday, Hezbollah launched 50 rockets and missiles at northern Israel.

“We can no longer accept [Hezbollah’s elite] Radwan force sitting on the border,” Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s national security adviser, told Channel 12 earlier this month. “We can no longer accept Resolution 1701 [a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution that bans Hezbollah from being within nearly 20 miles of Israel’s border] not being implemented.”

“The situation in the north must be changed. And it will change. If Hezbollah agrees to change things via diplomacy, very good, if not — we will have to act,” he said. “We will have to ensure that the situation in the north is different.” (Read more from “Iran Speeding Up Transfer Of Precision Weapons To Terrorist Group Hezbollah: Report” HERE)

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Iraq Works to Expel U.S. Forces After Iran-Backed Shiite Militia Attacks

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Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Thursday that his government is working to expel U.S. and allied troops. Iran-linked Shiite militias have relentlessly attacked American forces in Iraq since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7 and began the current Gaza war.

“We are in the process of reorganizing this relationship. With the presence of capable Iraqi forces, the Iraqi government is heading towards ending the presence of the international coalition forces,” Sudani said at a press conference with socialist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Spain has some troops in Iraq, but the bulk of the foreign forces are Americans, nominally serving as advisers, trainers, and consultants to the Iraqi military.

Sanchez said his government would support “the unity, sovereignty, and stability of Iraq.” He also condemned Israel for its strikes in Gaza, a position Sudani applauded.

Sudani said his administration would respect “the legal authorization granted by previous governments” for the presence of foreign troops but criticized foreign forces for engaging in “military operations” that he rejected as a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty.” (Read more from “Iraq Works to Expel U.S. Forces After Iran-Backed Shiite Militia Attacks” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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