Day: August 30, 2024

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@MEMRIReports: Renowned #Russian Expert Lukyanov: ‘The Arrest Of #Durov Isn’t Just About #Telegram;’ ‘How The Likely Shrinking Of The Global Information Realm Will Affect Trade And Economic Connectivity’ – Audio of report here



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@POTUS: Today’s report shows inflation down to 2.5% – continuing at the lowest level in over three years. That’s progress.Prices are still too high. And Kamala and I are fighting to lower them by building 3 million homes, lowering drug costs, and investing in record energy production.



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Security and Intelligence

Seoul and Washington to hold high-level talks after North Korea unveils nuclear drone arsenal


A target explodes during a performance test of an upgraded 240 mm rocket launcher system supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in North Korea pictured on August 28, 2024. (Source – KCNA)

Defence chiefs from the US and South Korea are set to hold high level talks about the nuclear missile threat from North Korea, it has been announced.

The fifth meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) is expected to take place on September 4th and will focus on assessing the progress of joint efforts by the allies to deter North Korea’s military threats. 

South Korean and US officials hold a joint news conference at the foreign ministry in Seoul on September 15, 2023, after their fourth Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group meeting to deter North Korean provocations. From left to right: Acting Under Secretary for Policy Sasha Baker, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Bonnie Jenkins (USA), Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin, and Vice Defence Minister Shin Beom-chul (South Korea).  (Source – Yonhap)

The talks will address ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries to bolster “extended deterrence” against North Korea. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stands next to the drones that are very similar to the Iranian-made UAVs, August 26, 2024. (Source – X)

Details of the talks emerged after the communist state tested a new fleet of suicide drones along with a new 240mm multiple rocket launcher system which is capable of striking the South Korea capital Seoul.

Imagery has also emerged of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observing tests of the new “suicide drones” crashing into targets resembling South Korean battle tanks.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees a performance test of various drones during a visit to the Drone Institute of North Korea’s Academy of Defence Sciences at an undisclosed location. (Source – KCNA)

Unlike traditional missiles that are fired from a distance, the drones are designed to directly collide with their targets, ensuring complete destruction. 

A North Korean government photo showing an explosion after, it says, a drone crashed into a target in a demonstration. (Source – KCNA)

The drones, equipped with X-shaped wings, demonstrated their capability to accurately strike various test targets on land and sea.  The Korean Central News Agency said that the tests involved several types of drones, each intended for specific roles such as reconnaissance, impact detonation, and underwater attacks. 
 
Lee Chang Hyun, spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that the South Korean military is closely monitoring North Korea’s new drone capabilities, and has systems in place to detect and intercept them.
 
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also reaffirmed on Thursday the United States’ commitment to the “complete” denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula during his talks with top Chinese officials in Beijing this week. 

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan attends a press conference at the US embassy in Beijing, China, August 29, 2024. (Source – Tish Wang / Reuters)

Sullivan’s comments come amid concerns in Seoul over the absence of references to denuclearisation in the recently adopted Democratic and Republican policy platforms. The omission has sparked fears that Pyongyang could see it as an opportunity to negotiate arms control rather than denuclearisation, a stance firmly opposed by Seoul.

Further complicating the security situation, Pyongyang has reportedly sent Russia more than 13,000 containers of military supplies since mid-2022. The shipments are reportedly part of a formalised agreement to supply Russia with weapons and ammunition for use in its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Putin pictured with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. (Source – Russian Pool via APTN)

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that a Defence Intelligence Agency report submitted to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the ruling People Power Party, indicates that North Korea has been transferring arms to Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war.

The military suspects that North Korea has supplied Russia with weapons, including 122-mm artillery rounds, mobile anti-air missiles, and anti-tank missiles, in exchange for Russian technological assistance in missile and spy satellite programs. 
 
The agency said: “To prepare for a prolonged war in Ukraine, Russia has moved to formalise North Korea as a supply base for weapons and ammunition.” 
 
Recent talks between Russian and North Korean officials further suggest that this partnership could extend beyond economic cooperation, potentially encompassing more sophisticated military technologies, such as North Korea’s newly tested suicide drones.
 
South Korea and the United States are jointly monitoring the possibility of North Korean missiles being sent to Russia, citing Russian missiles fired in Ukraine that have shown characteristics of North Korean missiles.
 
Earlier in August, North Korea issued a warning to the US following its provision of military hardware, including Apache helicopters, to South Korea labelling South Korea a “vassal force” and the US “recklessly provocative.”

The post Seoul and Washington to hold high-level talks after North Korea unveils nuclear drone arsenal first appeared on National Security News.


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@KyivPost: RT @KyivPost: More from the scene in Kharkiv where Russians have bombed a residential high rise building from the safety of Russian territo…



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@cogatonline: RT by @IDF: 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝘆𝗽𝗿𝘂𝘀: The “Trinity” ship has docked at the Ashdod port and began unloading. The ship arrived after going through inspection in Cyprus, and is carrying 3,577…



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@MemriDttm: RT @MemriDttm: #Pittsburgh Neo-Nazi Shares Activism On Social Media, Admits To Distributing #NeoNazi Flyers To Veterans, And To Attendees O…



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@MEMRIReports: Criticism On Social Media Of Senior #Hamas Official Khaled Mashal’s Calls For The Resumption Of Suicide Attacks Against #Israel – Audio of report here https://t.co/hgMmSykOKs #MEMRI https://t.co/r081O6q89d



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@NCSCgov: Foreign adversaries and non-state actors conduct campaigns that target supply chains— either directly or through proxy groups—to advance their global ambitions. Learn how to build a resilient ecosystem: dni.gov/files/NCSC/doc…



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Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) / Twitter

@mikenov: October Surprise 2024 may be pro-Trump and negative for the US Democrats. It might relate to Durov’s arrest, subsequent elective decryption, and the release of the damaging information on Trump’s opponents, a la the TelegramGate in Puerto Rico in 2019.



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@KyivPost: RT by @JuliaDavisNews: ‼️Rescue efforts ongoing after Russian guided bombs targeted a 12 story residential building in Kharkiv. Update: 47 wounded, 5 dead, including a 14-year-old girll, several victims requiring amputations, an unknown number of people trapped under debris on upper floors.