Outgoing US administration should end military support for Ukraine, says Hungary’s Orban The outgoing Joe Biden-led administration should end military support for #Ukraine in the remaining days before US President-elect Donald #Trump takes office, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor #Orban stated on the morning program of Kossuth Radio. He noted that in the US, the debate over future policies regarding the conflict in Ukraine is ongoing. "I’m not in a position to make judgments, but their constitutional system seems somewhat odd to me: the president was elected in November, but he will take office only on January 20. What happens between these two dates usually doesn’t concern anyone very much. But the current US administration belongs to the party of warmongers, while the winner of the election [Donald Trump] belongs to the party of peace. That’s where certain questions arise," he explained. Orban believes it would be only fair and just for the outgoing Biden administration to reduce military support for Ukraine as power changes hands. "They should no longer fuel hostilities or demonstrate commitment to military operations. Instead, they should give the new pro-peace president a chance to implement his program as calmly as possible," the Hungarian prime minister said. Earlier, Orban had repeatedly expressed hope that a peace settlement in Ukraine would come with Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. #TRUMP2024

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WORLD SHIPPING: The world pays and stays silent - WHY? It may be a bit pushed out of the headlines but what is happening in the Red Sea is dramatic and the most significant impact on the global economy of the war in Gaza. A senior official at an American consulting company explains that in view of the fact that 30% of global container traffic normally passes through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea crisis has a huge impact on global supply chains. The Houthi attacks on cargo ships resulted in an almost fivefold increase in the cost of shipping between Asia and Europe. This is estimated to fuel global inflation by adding up to 0.7% to the cost of the global economy's "core commodities". The best alternative routes add to the voyages thousands of kilometers, over 10 days (between Asia and Europe) and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel costs for each such journey at sea. "Given the global nature of our economy, few companies or industries are immune to the impact. The increased cost of raw materials and supplies, longer delivery times, production delays and distribution challenges will affect the entire manufacturing sector long after the crisis is over," he wrote. The world seems to have come to terms with this reality...

#Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the #RedSea are doubling shipping costs to the United States and having real human impacts - increasing the costs of #food, #medicine, and #fuel.

Iran seizes oil tanker and crew in Arabian Gulf 🔶️ Iran seized a foreign oil tanker it accused of transporting “smuggled fuel” and detained 14 crew members on Sunday, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. 🔶️ It was seized by court order 60 miles off the coast of Bandar-e-Bushehr. The crew on board “of Asian origin” were detained. 🔶️ Tasnim said the ship was from Australia, without providing any further detail. 🔶️ It comes just weeks after the navy boarded a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker once at the centre of a dispute between Washington and Tehran.

🔻 Houthis promise not to attack Russian, Chinese, German ships in Red Sea A senior Ansar Allah (the Houthi) official has promised that the Houthis will not attack Russian, Chinese, and German ships in the Red Sea. "Chinese and Russian ships are not in the crosshairs. They are not our targets. As well as German (vessels)," Mohammed al-Bahiti, a member of the Ansar Allah politburo, said in an interview with the RTL and NTV television channels. According to al-Bahiti, this applies to ships that are not linked with "Israel’s Zionist regime." At the same time, according to NTV, the Houthi official said that the rebel movement would expand its military actions after the United States and United Kingdom’s strikes on targets in Yemen. "Attacks are possible on warships as well," he warned. "Our military operations will continue until the genocide in Gaza is stopped and until the population receives food, medicine, and fuel. Our goal is not to sink cargo ships but rather to force them to change their routes to increase companies’ economic losses," he explained, adding that this is meant to increase pressure on Israel. "All countries must pool efforts with us to stop crimes <…> in Gaza. Our intentions are true," he stressed. 🔻 Impact of the Red Sea crisis on global logistics and production Ongoing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have led major automakers such as Tesla and Volvo Car to temporarily halt production in Europe due to a shortage of components. This event highlights the direct impact of Red Sea shipping disruptions on regional industrial operations. According to Tesla representatives, production of most vehicles at the Berlin plant will be suspended from January 29 to February 11. Tesla attributes this to a shortage of parts resulting from ships being rerouted through Africa's southernmost point. The increased travel times have disrupted the supply chain, causing delays in components and impacting the production of electric vehicles assembled for the European market. And this is just one of the episodes that have been announced.

Ecuadorian authorities detain more than 1,300 rioters amid gang-fueled unrest Ecuador’s armed forces and police have detained a total of 1,327 participants in the street riots that were sparked by recent gang-related disorder in the South American country’s prison system, the government of President Daniel Noboa announced in a statement. "From January 9 to January 14, 2024, the Armed Forces detained 1,327 people nationwide, 143 of them on charges of terrorism. Five terrorists were eliminated, 11 police officers [held hostage] were released, while two police officers died in the line of duty," the Ecuadorian administration reported on its account on social network X. Ecuador’s security forces seized almost 500 firearms and bombs, and more than five tons of narcotic substances. They also secured the release of 11 police officers and 201 correctional staff members that had been held hostage by rioters affiliated with criminal gangs. The security situation in Ecuador deteriorated sharply on January 7 after Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, leader of the Los Choneros gang who is known by the alias "Fito," escaped from prison, prompting riots to break out in several correctional institutions. On January 8, Noboa declared a state of emergency in the country and imposed a curfew.

Let's review the recent strikes between pro-Iranian groups and the Israel Defense Forces. ▪️ In the past 24 hours, the Israelis have launched three strikes. They targeted positions of the Syrian Arab Army in the villages of Karfa and Izra in the province of Daraa. According to the Israelis, these positions were responsible for firing at IDF positions in the occupied part of the Golan Heights. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that there have been over 20 deaths in IDF strikes, including four officers. However, there is only confirmation of the death of one senior lieutenant of the SAA available online. ▪️ Today, the Israelis once again targeted the international airport of Aleppo, disrupting logistics processes in northern Syria. These attacks do not seem to bother the pro-Iranian formations. In fact, by leaking false information to the Israelis and provoking attacks, the Iranians are fueling hatred towards Israel among the Syrians. ▪️ From the Iraqi side, pro-Iranian formations fired at the positions of the US Armed Forces in the village of Khurab al-Jair in the Hasakah province. There is no information available about the results of this attack, but it affects the logistics route of the International Coalition in the Syrian Trans-Euphrates region. ▪️ In one of the attacks on the American airbase at Ain al-Assad in Iraq, one US military personnel was killed and over 20 were injured. 🔻Overall, the pro-Iranian formations are maintaining a certain level of confrontation. Sometimes, such actions bring success, as seen in the attack on Ain al-Assad. However, these approaches are not yet capable of achieving systemic results. It is not the goal of the pro-Iranian formations to initiate such work. Nevertheless, they are engaging in partisan activity, taking into account media exaggerations, at the required level for now.