David McBride was not given leave to appeal the decision made yesterday about the nature of his duties. It means Justice Mossop’s decision stands, and his duty is to the military chain of command, and only that.

Following today’s proceedings in court was not easy for those of us who didn’t go to law school, or are unfamiliar with 19th century court decisions. The prosecution used a court case from 1874 to argue that a military oath does not have any allowance for any other higher – or public – duty.

from X

The United States is trying to make up for its relatively declining economy by increasing its military spending, which, as a consequence, is now already over half of the global total of military spending (though it hides that damning fact). It’s all based upon incessant lies.

BY Eric Zuesse

Within hours of being appointed Britain’s new foreign secretary, former Prime Minister David Cameron landed in Kiev.

Cameron had already decked out his LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) profile photos in the bright yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian flag which, in his new role, was like having an online dating profile just for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky – an open invitation to come take a spin on Santa Cameron’s knee with his wish list just in time for Christmas. And Zelensky didn’t waste any time, either.

With relations at a crossroads, Beijing-Washington dialogue on bilateral, global issues highly anticipated

All eyes are on the China-United States summit as President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Tuesday for his face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden in San Francisco, where he will also attend the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting.

Amid a complex international landscape, and at a time when China-US relations are at a critical crossroads, Xi's trip to the US has been highly anticipated.

Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, said that for the world's two largest economies to have a very important conversation at such a critical time opens the door to other opportunities for the world.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that it was "absurd" for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to accuse Israel of fascism.

Scholz said Israel is a democracy and "a country that is bound to human rights and international law and acts accordingly."

"Therefore, the accusations against Israel are absurd," he said at a press conference in Berlin.

Scholz is set to host Erdogan in Berlin for talks on Friday. They will be joined by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

In Australia, whistleblowers are feebly protected. They tend to muddy the narrative of perfect institutions, spoil the fun of having illusions, and give the game away. Despite recent amendments to the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth) regarding, for instance, the creation of a National Anti-Corruption Commission, public sector employees remain vulnerable to prosecution. The NACC, for one, already risks being hobbled by secrecy restrictions imposed by the Albanese government.

EU approach to Ukraine ‘surreal’ – ex-Austrian foreign minister
Karin Kneissl says Brussels is “importing” hostilities by inviting a country to join the bloc while fighting a military conflict

The European Union is making a mistake by facilitating the accession of Ukraine while the country remains locked in a military conflict with Russia, former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl has said. She expressed dismay at the fact that key member states seem to agree with Brussels’ expansion plans, despite the risks.

Kneissl’s comments came in response to the European Commission’s decision last week to recommend launching accession talks with Kiev. Its president, Ursula von der Leyen, praised Ukraine for making considerable headway but stopped short of giving a definitive timeline for the country’s admission to the bloc.

Basel al-Araj, a Palestinian resistance leader, shortly before Israel’s 2014 invasion of Gaza, laid down the fundamental rules for warfare against Israel. 

The rules by al-Araj, not a member of Hamas, provide the Palestinian lens for the incursion by Israeli forces in Gaza. While Israel’s superior firepower — its air force, missiles, tanks, armored personnel carriers, drones, naval forces, mechanized units and artillery — make it possible to inflict huge numbers of Palestinian casualties, most of them civilians, while Israel can level whole neighborhoods and turn hospitals, schools, power stations, water treatment plants, bakeries, mosques and churches into piles of concrete, this does not translate into a defeat of the Palestinian resistance groups. 

Investigate Israel for ‘war crimes’ – Human Rights Watch
Deliberate attacks on hospitals and ambulances in Gaza are an atrocity, the group said

Israel’s attacks on hospitals, ambulances and medical personnel in Gaza should be “investigated as war crimes,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday, urging the government in West Jerusalem to end such strikes immediately.

Former President Trump gave a stark warning to enemies of the U.S. while speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition Conference on Saturday.

“If you spill a drop of American blood, we will spill a gallon of yours,” the former president said during his remarks. 

Over twenty-five hundred Migrants Died or Went Missing 

While Trying to Reach Europe via the Mediterranean this Year, also

Conservative and Labour governments supported Baghdad's attacking 

The Kurds 60 years ago

Knowing it may have constituted genociding

Declassified files show.

The new wave of violence of Israel on the Gaza bubble

Enters its second month with More than 10,000 dead people 

The Associated Press has been reporting 

Forty percent of them children. Where is this catastrophe going 

What are the limits of Israel’s inhumanity

Ukraine Suffers up to 235 Casualties in its military

In Donetsk Direction says Russian Ministry

Russia Repels eight Attacks in South Donetsk Direction

Ukraine Loses another 145 Soldiers in the same mad action

French President Emmanuel Macron has appeared to backtrack on his comments about Israeli strikes killing scores of civilians in Gaza, which he made in an interview with BBC on Friday while calling for a ceasefire.

The remarks were met with backlash from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused Macron of making “a serious mistake, factually and morally,” while the Israeli President said that the remarks “caused much pain and upset in Israel.”

On Sunday, the French leader initiated a phone call with Isaac Herzog to clarify his position saying that he “did not intend to accuse Israel of intentionally harming innocent civilians,” according to Herzog’s office.

Former US President and current frontrunner for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump, is leading current US President Joe Biden in both national polls and five of six swing states, damaging the argument that Trump’s political Republican rivals are more electable than the former President.

According to two recent polls of swing state voters, Trump is beating Biden in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, while Biden maintains a small lead in Michigan. Meanwhile, two national polls have Trump ahead of Biden with registered voters by three or four percentage points.

On October 7, Israel was attacked by Hamas, an armed Palestinian resistance group inside Gaza. The group killed 1,405 people, and kidnapped over 200 in Israel.

Hamas was a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a global terrorist organization which is outlawed in many countries, but not in the US, UK or Germany. 

The world has just experienced its hottest 12-month period in recorded history, with the average global temperature over 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels between November 2022 and October this year.

Analysis of international data, conducted by Climate Central scientists, found that human-induced climate change had significantly elevated temperatures around the world.

The report warned that El Niño was only just beginning to boost temperatures and, based on historical patterns, most of the effect would be felt next year.

While Australia did not experience the same level of extremes compared to many other parts of the world, a hot and dry summer was expected.