Scholz-Putin talk should be welcomed, as it is right step --- Bundestag

#Bundestag member of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - Reason and Justice (BSW) group Sevim Dagdelen considers the telephone conversation between German Chancellor Olaf #Scholz and Russian President Vladimir #Putin a right step.

"Even if it is a maneuver designed to present oneself as Chancellor of the Peace in the upcoming election battle, it should be welcomed that Olaf Scholz has finally reached the point of having a direct conversation with Russian President Putin," she wrote on her X page. "The statement made by his predecessor Helmut Schmidt that it is better to negotiate for 100 hours about nothing than to shoot for one minute was and still is correct," Dagdelen noted. The lawmaker emphasized that politicians who are "intoxicated by war" and advocate for an imposed peace or the continuation of the conflict "until Kiev's victory" are only contributing to further loss of life.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, marking their first phone conversation since December 2022. According to the Kremlin, the leaders discussed Ukraine, the Middle East crisis, and bilateral relations between Moscow and Berlin. They agreed that their aides would maintain communication. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Scholz’s decision to call Putin demonstrates political will to understand Moscow's position firsthand.

The History of the Conflict in the Middle-East

Israel never started a war --- #Israel never lost a #war.
When you fight for existence, not conquest, losing is not an option !

Russia to open embassies in several African countries, reports MFA

#Moscow will open embassies in an array of countries in #Africa, with Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone among them, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who also serves as special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa, told TASS in an interview following the First Ministerial Conference Russia-Africa. "Embassies [will be opened], of course. An embassy in Burkina Faso was just opened. An embassy in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, is about to be opened," he said, adding that there is also "a list of countries where [embassies] have been closed." "Moreover, [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey V. Lavrov has said that Sierra Leone is next in line, in Freetown," Bogdanov added.

In some African states, such as South Sudan, for example, the Russian side reached an agreement at some point to open an embassy, though "it has not been done for a variety of reasons," he noted. "Now I hope that it is also planned, to open [an embassy] in Juba, South Sudan," the official said.

[REPORT] Iran’s so-called ‘supreme leader’ seriously ill...
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's second son is a possible successor.

The 85-year-old supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is gravely ill, adding to the uncertainty of an Iranian response to Israel’s weekend attack on their military installations, a report published Saturday in The New York Times said. According to the report, the most powerful political authority in the Islamic Republic is seriously ill, and there is internal turmoil over the possibility that his second son, Mojtaba, 55, might succeed him. The younger Khamenei served in the Iran–Iraq War from 1987 to 1988, and reportedly took control of the militia that was used to suppress the protests surrounding the result of the 2009 elections, which demonstrators said was rigged.

His prospects for the position rose following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash earlier this year and replacement by President Masoud Pezeshkian. Khamenei’s father has held the life position for the last 35 years since his appointment in 1989, following the death of the first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini with whom he was closely allied, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.

President Trump worries World War III could break out in coming months

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald #Trump is worried that World War III could break out in the next four months due to the policies of the Democrats leading the US government.

«I actually worry about the next three months. I really do. I worry about the next three and a half four months will end up in a world war because of this, the people that we have [in government]," he said at a rally in the state of California.

Trump again promised that if he wins the presidential #election, he will be able to resolve the conflict in #Ukraine, as well as «end the chaos in the Middle East.».

Oil price to fall to $50 per barrel, reports WSJ citing Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has said that #oil prices may fall to $50 per barrel unless a number of OPEC+ nations adhere to agreed output limits, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported citing sources.

This comes amid an online meeting of the #OPEC+ ministerial monitoring committee aimed at estimating the current situation on the oil market, which is taking place now. Its participants intend to discuss the issue of weakening output restrictions in December, according to the publication.
#Riyadh has warned a number of countries, including Iraq, against an increase in oil production, indicating that they should observe their OPEC+ commitments.

The price of futures contracts of Brent crude oil for December delivery rose above $76 per barrel on London's ICE earlier on Wednesday for the first time since September 3, 2024. The price of oil is rising amid an escalation in the Middle East.

American deployment in the Middle East:

Dozens of additional U.S. troops deployed to Cyprus (+700 from the UK) to assist with possible Lebanon evac

7 fewer U.S. warships than 2 weeks ago (from ~30% to 25% of the deployed fleet)

Navy’s only oiler in the region ran aground & towed to Oman

In August, the U.S. surged military assets into the region to deter Iran from attacking Israel. At its peak, this represented approximately 30% of the deployed U.S. Navy fleet. With the departure of the Roosevelt CSG, plus a few destroyers & logistics ships, it’s now around 25%.

Iran provides Houthis with anti-ship ballistic missile: IRGC media

Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), reported on Wednesday that Iran has supplied the Houthi rebels in Yemen with the Ghadr ballistic missile.

The missile, described as the first Iranian anti-ship ballistic missile, is now in the hands of Yemeni fighters, enhancing their capability to target maritime vessels. The revelation is significant as it confirms that Tehran has been arming its proxy forces in Yemen with advanced ballistic missiles. This follows a pattern of Iran's military support to its allies in the region, further destabilizing the Middle East.

Tasnim's report also highlighted the history of the anti-ship ballistic missile's development, pointing out that Iran needs to be able to threaten US and other foreign navies in the broader Middle East.

In March, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps accused Iran of supplying ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, highlighting Tehran's expanding role in global conflicts. Since November, the Houthis have been using Iranian-supplied missiles and drones to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea, a critical global trade route. The attacks were initially a response to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza but have since severely disrupted maritime trade in the region.

The Houthi campaign in the Red Sea began after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Muslim nations to blockade Israeli trade.

‘Incoherent pandering’: Joe Biden roasted online following graduation

#Biden was blasted online following “incoherent pandering” at a #graduation ceremony on Sunday at Morehouse College in Atlanta. The 81-year-old received an honorary degree from the college located in Atlanta and conducted a speech.

X users roasted The oldest-ever sitting president after his early exit from Morehouse’s ceremony.
“Biden bails on the rest of the ceremony after he finishes his incoherent pandering at Morehouse College,” wrote RNC Research.

University students protested Biden’s appearance during the graduation ceremony as many turned their backs on him.
One of the students at the ceremony, DeAngelo Fletcher, believed the President's appearance was to appeal to young black voters. “I think it's kind of insulting that our star alumnus is Dr. King, but Biden has been on a tirade in the Middle East. Bringing him here, especially during an election year to get the young Black vote especially, it's kind of insulting,” he said.
Transcript

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usAvsHPGPE4

Journalist warns of ‘political liability’ in Biden’s campaign against Trump

U.S. President Joe #Biden’s stance on #Ukraine and the #Middle_East conflict will become a political liability in his campaign against President Donald #Trump, U.S. investigative journalist Seymour Hersh wrote on his blog on Substack.

"This is the world the Biden administration fostered. Its refusal to seek a middle ground in the Ukraine war, along with its inability to check Israel’s continued assault in Gaza, will become a political liability in Biden’s campaign against Donald Trump, who warns of unending violence if he loses the presidential election in November," he pointed out.

"The best that Biden has come up with is continued, if so far empty, talk about a ceasefire in Gaza, and a commitment that no American soldiers will be sent to the front in Ukraine. The president also promises that the United States will keep on paying for Ukrainians to fight and die in a proxy war that could be ended," #Hersh emphasized.