News of the World

[kyonides]

Russia warns Israel against providing arms to Ukraine:
'Will lead to an escalation of this crisis'

Israel considers reversing stance on arms for Ukraine

Russia on Wednesday took aim at Israel and warned it not to get involved in the war in Ukraine by providing arms to Kyiv, claiming such a move would "lead to an escalation of this crisis."

"We say that all countries that supply weapons should understand that we will consider these to be legitimate targets for Russia’s armed forces," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said according to a report by The Times of Israel.

"Any attempts — implemented or even unrealized but announced for the supply of additional, new or some other weapons — lead and will lead to an escalation of this crisis," she added. "And everyone should be aware of this."
...
Netanyahu told CNN Tuesday that he was "looking into" providing Ukraine with "other kinds of aid" besides humanitarian help.

Israel has made no hard commitments to Ukraine when it comes to defensive aid largely because of the complex relationship it holds with Russia, though Moscow’s burgeoning relationship with Iran – which has provided Russia with drones for its war effort in Ukraine – could prompt Jerusalem to change its tune.

Netanyahu’s comments ran counter to a statement made last week by a spokesperson from the Israeli Ministry of Defense who told Fox News that Israel’s "policy of the security echelon has not changed."

The spokesperson's statement came after reports said Israel denied a U.S. request that it send Hawk missiles to Ukraine.

China refused call with Pentagon after downing of suspected spy balloon

"On Saturday, 4 February, immediately after taking action to down the PRC balloon, the DOD submitted a request for a secure call between Secretary Austin and PRC Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe," Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement, referring to the People's Republic of China.

"Unfortunately, the PRC has declined our request. Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue," Ryder added.

China says the balloon was an errant weather observation aircraft with no military purpose, but Washington has described it as a sophisticated high-altitude spying vehicle.
...
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the same day that measures were taken to ensure the balloon's instruments were "mitigated" in their ability to spy during the flyover, while "at the same time increasing and improving our ability to collect intelligence and information from it."

Paris mayor backs banning Russia from 2024 Olympics unless Ukraine war ends

Last month Hidalgo said she believed Russians could take part "under a neutral flag" to avoid "depriving athletes of competition".

On Tuesday she told French media her earlier position was "indecent" because a neutral flag, "does not really exist" although she said there should be a place for "dissident Russians who want to parade under the refugee flag".

Her office said this was a "clarification" of her position.

They would, she said, be athletes who do not "support Vladimir Putin in his aggression".

The Refugee Olympic Team competed for the first time in the Rio Games in 2016, where it was made up of 10 athletes originally from Syria, Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hidalgo did not address the issue of the participation of Belarusian athletes.

IOC pushes back against Paris mayor on
banning Russian, Belarusian athletes from 2024 Olympics

Olympic leaders have set out a path for athletes from Russia and Belarus who have not actively supported the war to try to qualify and compete as “neutral athletes” without a national identity such as team uniforms, flags and anthems.
...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with many sports leaders and athletes, have consistently said all potential competitors from Russia or Belarus should be banned from Paris, extending a decision that was applied in most Olympic sports within days of the war starting last February.

Olympic bodies and lawmakers in the Baltic and Nordic regions of Europe have also publicly supported Ukraine in standing against the IOC’s preferred route. They have warned of a possible boycott, and are expected to join an online call of sports ministers Friday hosted by the British government.

Russian athletes have avoided being banned outright from the past four Olympics dating back to 2016 in fallout from a scandal of state-backed doping. At the past three Olympics, they competed without their national identity but in uniforms that clearly identified them as Russians.

The IOC has cited advice from a human rights expert that banning athletes on the basis of their passport would be discrimination, and sought to clarify its position Wednesday.
...
Tennis and cycling are among the few sports to let Russian and Belarusian athletes continue to compete without their country’s name, flag or anthem.

Lavrov pledges Russian military support on visit to Mali amid concern over abuses

Russia has delivered “very large supplies of aviation equipment” to Mali over the past few months which has "significantly increased” the capability of local forces to fight extremists, Lavrov told journalists.

“We will now be planning additional steps in the field of education through military higher educational institutions and in the field of supplies of weapons and military equipment,” Lavrov said, refusing to go into specifics.

Lavrov's trip to Bamako, Mali's capital, comes as Western countries express their concerns about alleged human rights abuses committed by Russian mercenaries working for the private military contractor Wagner Group.

The Russian foreign minister made no mention of Wagner by name during a press conference, but criticized unnamed Western powers of “neo-colonial approaches and double standards.”
...
Russia's presence in Mali has expanded as the role played by former colonizer France has diminished. After spending nine years helping Mali's army curb the spread of Islamic insurgents, France withdrew its forces last year after relations soured with the country's ruling junta.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un unveils new ICBM at military parade

Wearing the black coat and fedora combination favoured by his grandfather and North Korea's founding leader Kim Il Sung, Kim attended the February 8 parade with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and daughter Ju Ae, state media photographs showed.
...
The weapons on show included at least 10 of the country's largest Hwasong-17 ICBMs, plus vehicles apparently designed to carry a solid-fueled ICBM, Seoul-based specialist site NK News reported.

North Korea has long sought to develop a solid-fuel ICBM, which could help make its nukes harder to detect and destroy.

When the ICBMs appeared in the square, it prompted cheering by spectators, KCNA said, adding that the parade also featured a "tactical nuclear operation unit".
...
Commercial satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies at 10:05 pm (1305 GMT) on Wednesday night showed a large North Korean flag and thousands of people assembled at Kim Il Sung square.

Analysts said that the scale and scope of the weaponry on display showed advances which represented a challenge to the United States.
...
"This is North Korea trying to declare itself a full-fledged nuclear power," Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul told AFP.