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Russia intensifies assaults on Ukraine ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Russia intensifies assaults on Ukraine ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Mounting evidence suggests that Russia ramped up its assaults on Ukraine leading up to the United States election on November 5, in a possible effort to strengthen isolationists supporting Donald Trump. It also appears to be doubling down on that strategy ahead of Trump’s inauguration on January 20. “November was the fifth straight month that Russian Forces have suffered an increase in monthly total losses,” said Britain’s Ministry of Defence, as Ukraine estimated that 45,680 Russian soldiers were killed and wounded during the month. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has estimated Russian losses for September at 38,130 and for October at 41,980. Those climbing casualty figures are due to the fact that Russian ground assaults have steadily mounted despite the pain. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, estimated that Russian daily gains on Ukrainian turf averaged 22sq km (8.5 square miles) in October and 27sq km (10.4 square miles) in November. Advertisement “Russian forces have thus suffered an estimated 125,800 casualties during a period of intensified offensive operations in September, October, and November 2024 in exchange for 2,356 square kilometres of gains,” said the ISW. These losses were well beyond what US officials believed Russia could sustain. They put its recruitment capacity at 25,000-30,000 a month. (Al Jazeera) Ukraine has recorded a similar crescendo in airborne attacks. “From September to November 2024, the enemy used over 6,000 UAVs and missiles in air strikes on Ukraine,” said Victoria Vdovychenko, a programme director at the Centre for Defence Strategies, a Ukrainian think tank, and a fellow at Cambridge University’s Centre for Geopolitics. “This is three times the number used from June to August 2024 and four times the number used from September to November 2023,” she told Al Jazeera. Before and after the election, Vdovychenko believes Russia also upped its information campaigns to manipulate US public opinion. North Korean troops entered active combat in the Russian region of Kursk on the day of the election, showing that Russia had access to fresh manpower. When US President Joe Biden reacted to Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s defeat by authorising US weapons to strike deep inside Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin fired the Oreshnik ballistic missile into Ukraine in apparent retaliation. But Russian chief of staff Valery Gerasimov recently told his US counterpart the launch “had been planned long before the Biden administration agreed to allow Ukraine to use American ATACMS to strike deeper into Russia”, reported The New York Times, quoting US officials. Putin was nonetheless able to create the impression that it was the US that was provoking Russia and prolonging the war. Advertisement These messages all played into the hands of the Trump campaign, his supporters admit. “President Trump seeks peace and an end to ‘never-ending wars’ that benefit entrenched elites,” said Demetries Andrew Grimes, a former US naval officer, aviator and diplomat who supports Trump. “The American people made it clear by electing Trump that they desire peace and an end to US funding for the war in Ukraine, reflecting growing concerns about prolonged involvement,” he told Al Jazeera. “The topic of negotiations skyrocketed everywhere since the election, especially in the foreign media,” said Vdovychenko. “Yet Russia doesn’t show any sign that it’s ready to go into talks because they don’t suggest they are ready to give up on anything.” Russia intensifies attacks Russia now appears to be intensifying its attacks, doubling down on the tactics that helped Trump win. Ukraine estimated Russian casualties at at least 11,000 for the first week of December, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tallied drones, missiles and glide bombs at more than 900 for that week. Putin outlined his terms for talks in June. “Ukrainian troops must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics and Kherson and [Zaporizhia] regions,” Putin told foreign ministry officials, naming the four regions his armies partly occupied by force. “As soon as Kiyv declares that it is ready to make this decision … and also officially notifies that it abandons its plans to join NATO, our side will follow an order to cease fire and start negotiations,” Putin said. Advertisement Zelenskyy has since outlined a “victory plan” that includes providing additional weapons to Ukraine and offering it unconditional NATO membership immediately, guaranteeing its security. In an interview with Sky News on November 30 he appeared to compromise, and seek NATO membership for free areas of Ukraine only. “Zelenskyy was saying [there are ways of bringing this conflict to an immediate end] if there were immediate NATO membership for the free areas of Ukraine and deal with the occupied territories later,” said Keir Giles, a Eurasia expert at Chatham House, a London-based think tank. “But, he says, ‘There’s nobody who’s actually suggested that to us’. He knows it’s a nonstarter because NATO doesn’t do things immediately or even swiftly, even without opposition from the US and Germany. So what Zelenskyy was doing, was showing up the lack of political will in NATO and the coalition of backers to actually arrive at a workable solution to the conflict.” Most Ukrainians prefer to keep fighting, according to a poll released this week. The New Europe Center, a Kyiv-based think tank, following its annual December survey of public opinion, said “64.1 percent of Ukrainians believe that negotiations with Russia are not worthwhile unless Ukraine receives real security guarantees from the West”. “The argument is that Russia will start the war again after a short pause,” it said. Could Trump abandon Ukraine? Some observers believe that Trump has already cost Ukraine the battlefield initiative it had following a 2023 counteroffensive. Advertisement Last autumn, he put pressure on Republican members of Congress to deny $60.4bn in military aid, and succeeded in delaying it by six months. “If you look at the pattern of slow, incremental, steady Russian advances, it seems to begin after Ukrainians were compromised in their ability to defend themselves by the hold in aid eventually feeding through

France’s Macron names centrist ally Francois Bayrou as new prime minister

France’s Macron names centrist ally Francois Bayrou as new prime minister

Veteran politician tasked with hauling nation from crisis after the previous government was toppled. French President Emmanuel Macron has named centrist leader Francois Bayrou as his new prime minister after the previous government was deposed last week. Bayrou’s appointment, confirmed by the Elysee presidential palace on Friday, came after former Prime Minister Michel Barnier was forced by far-right and left-wing lawmakers to step down after just three months in office in a historic no-confidence vote last week. Bayrou is a well-known figure in French politics whose political experience is seen as key in efforts to restore stability to the country. The 73-year-old leader of the Democratic Movement (Mouvement Democrate, or MoDem) group, which has been allied to the president’s centrist Renaissance party since he swept to power in 2017. The country was plunged into a political crisis when Macron called snap elections earlier this year after his party polled badly in European elections, with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party emerging as the clear victor. But his bid to buttress his minority government, which had struggled to pass legislation, backfired spectacularly when the poll delivered an inconclusive result, leaving parliament divided among three warring blocs with no absolute majority. Advertisement Bayrou, who served as education minister from 1993 to 1997, now faces the immediate challenge of putting together a cabinet that can survive a no-confidence vote and thrash out a 2025 budget in a bid to limit economic turmoil. The new prime minister, the country’s fourth this year, was recently cleared in a case alleging embezzlement of European Parliament funds. His appointment has raised hackles on the left of the political spectrum, which is wary of continuing the president’s policies, and on the right, where he is disliked by influential former President Nicolas Sarkozy. Jordan Bardella, the president of the RN, said the party would not be calling for an immediate no-confidence motion against Bayrou. France’s festering political malaise has raised doubts about whether Macron will complete his second presidential term, which ends in 2027. The president has pledged to stay on “until the end” of his five-year term, until May 2027. In a critical moment, Le Pen will be judged in an embezzlement trial next year. If convicted, she could lose the opportunity to stand in the 2027 election. The public appears to be eager for a period of stability in French politics, with just over two-thirds of respondents in an Elabe poll published Wednesday saying they want politicians to reach a deal, not to overthrow a new government. Adblock test (Why?)

How India’s Gukesh Dommaraju became chess king in a cricket crazy country

How India’s Gukesh Dommaraju became chess king in a cricket crazy country

Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest world chess champion ever after defeating defending champion Ding Liren of China. Gukesh’s win on Thursday came in the last game of the 14-game World Chess Championship in Singapore. The otherwise cricket-crazed India is jubilant at the 18-year-old’s victory. Here is more about Gukesh, and how he clinched the world title: Who is Gukesh? Gukesh comes from Chennai, the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He attended Chennai’s Velammal Nexus School. He started playing chess at the age of seven, Gukesh said in an interview uploaded in 2019 by the Gibraltar International Chess Festival. “Chess is so complex, so I just love it,” Gukesh said in the video. “I want to become a world champion.” By the age of 12, Gukesh had become a grandmaster – the highest title a chess player can attain – making him the third-youngest grandmaster in history and the youngest one from India. Gukesh sees beauty and philosophy in pawns, bishops and boards. A YouTube video uploaded by the chess news publication ChessBase India shows the shelves of his room in his Chennai house stacked with trophies and chess books, such as Under the Surface by Jan Markos and Yochanan Afek’s Practical Chess Beauty. Advertisement Chennai has come to be known as the chess capital of India. Out of the 85 chess grandmasters in India, 31 are from Tamil Nadu. The state is even home to a temple dedicated to the game Is he the youngest world chess champion? Yes. Before Gukesh, Russian legend Garry Kasparov was the youngest to become world champion at the age of 22 in 1985. How did Gukesh win? Gukesh qualified for the championship in April by winning the men’s Candidates Tournament of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). He was the youngest candidate to win the Candidates Tournament. He competed against seven other contestants in the event held in April in Toronto, Canada. The winner of the double round-robin tournament goes on to challenge the defending champion for the world title. Ding, 32, became world champion in 2023. Starting November 25, Gukesh and Ding faced off over 14 intense games. In chess, a player wins one point for a win and half a point for a draw. Ding went into the lead by winning the first game. The second round ended in a tie. Gukesh won the third game, tying things up with Ding at 1.5 each. They remained tied for multiple games, drawing each of them. In the 11th game, Gukesh, playing with white, took the lead after Ding made a blunder. But Ding bounced back by winning the 12th game, levelling the playing field once again. The 13th game resulted in a draw. The winning moment Gukesh played with black in the 14th and final game. Midway through, a draw appeared imminent. But Ding made the mistake of moving his last powerful piece, his rook, off a strong position. Ding’s mistake took Gukesh by surprise, and he looked intently at the board and calculated his next moves. Ding, left, and Gukesh compete in game 14 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore on December 12, 2024 [Simon Lim/AFP] After realising his mistake, Ding was visibly disappointed and resigned three moves later, conceding the world champion title to Gukesh. Advertisement “It took me a while to realise I blundered. … I think I played my best tournament in the year. “I could be better, but considering yesterday’s luck, it’s a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets,” Ding said at a news conference after the game, saying he would continue to play chess. [Simon Lim/AFP] When Gukesh realised he had won, he broke into tears. Speaking to reporters after the game, Gukesh said he initially did not realise Ding’s blunder but when he did: “It was probably the best moment of my life.” Gukesh reacts after winning. [Simon Lim/AFP] Gukesh said Ding “fought like a true champion”. Who are the earlier 17 champions? Wilhelm Steinitz: Born in Prague, Steinitz was the first official world champion, grabbing the title in 1886 and holding it for eight years over four championships. Emanuel Lasker: Born in Prussia in what is today Poland, Lasker won the title in 1894 and held it over six championships. Jose Raul Capablanca: Hailing from Cuba, Capablanca won the title in 1921. Alexander Alekhine: The Russian who obtained French citizenship won the title first in 1927 and three times after that. Max Euwe: The Dutch mathematician won the title in 1935. Mikhail Botvinnik: The Russian won the title five times, first in 1948. Vasily Smyslov: The Russian became world champion in 1957. Mikhail Tal: The Latvian became world champion in 1960. Tigran V Petrosian: The Armenian remained world champion from 1963 to 1969. Boris Spassky: The Russian became world champion in 1969. Bobby Fischer: The American became world champion in 1972. Anatoly Karpov: The Russian held the title from 1975 to 1985, winning five times. Garry Kasparov: The Russian held the title from 1985 to 2000, winning six times. Vladimir Kramnik: The Russian held the title from 2000 to 2007, winning three times. Viswanathan Anand: The first grandmaster and world champion from India won the title in 2007 and held it until 2013, winning four times. Magnus Carlsen: The Norwegian grandmaster won the title in 2013 and held it until 2023. Ding: The Chinese grandmaster held the title of world champion for 20 months after winning it in April 2023. Advertisement What are the reactions to Gukesh’s win? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Modi posted on X on Thursday: “This is the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination. Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi: Gandhi also posted on X: “Gukesh, you’ve made all of India proud!” Gukesh, you’ve made all of India proud! At just 18, becoming the youngest-ever World Chess Champion is a phenomenal achievement. Your passion and hard work remind us that with determination, anything is possible. Congratulations, champ! pic.twitter.com/wcK4YZmVB9

Dem claims Trump wielding nuclear strike authority ‘should terrify you’ — then people point out the obvious

Dem claims Trump wielding nuclear strike authority ‘should terrify you’ — then people point out the obvious

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., claimed that people should be terrified that President-elect Donald Trump will possess the power to initiate a nuclear attack.  In a post on X, Markey noted, “Come January, Donald Trump will have the sole authority to launch a nuclear strike. This should terrify you. That’s why @RepTedLieu and I are urging @POTUS to put guardrails on presidential authority to start nuclear war.” Trump — who trounced Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 White House contest by winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote — previously served as president from early 2017 through early 2021. And during his Oval Office tenure, he never used nuclear weapons. BIDEN ADMIN SETS NEW TARGET TO TRIPLE US NUCLEAR CAPACITY FROM 2020 LEVELS He has also been outspoken about the massive danger posed by nuclear weapons. “To me, we have one really major threat: That’s called nuclear weapons,” Trump said earlier this year. “This isn’t Army tanks going back and forth and shooting at each other. This is obliteration,” he said of the powerful weapons. “We have incredible stuff, so does Russia. China has much less but” will “catch up,” Trump said, calling the issue the “single biggest threat by far to civilization.” Josh Barnett, who lost in a Republican primary for an Arizona state Senate seat earlier this year, responded to Markey’s post by writing, “LOL he had the authority the last four years he was in office.”  PUTIN SIGNS REVISED DOCTRINE LOWERING THRESHOLD FOR NUCLEAR RESPONSE IF RUSSIA IS ATTACKED Others made the point as well. “Hey buddy, he was already president once,” Tom Gillis, who describes himself on X as a “Former PGA tour player,” declared in response to the lawmaker’s post. “He had the power before and didn’t use it,” another individual, Shonathan Perrius, tweeted. In a letter to President Joe Biden Markey and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., declared that during his waning time in office the commander-in-chief could “safeguard the system against Donald Trump or any future unstable president, and make it constitutional. “We urge you to announce that henceforth it will be the policy of the United States that it will not initiate a nuclear first strike without express authorization from Congress. In a situation where the United States has already been attacked with nuclear weapons, the president would retain the option to respond unilaterally,” the two Democrats declared in their letter to the president. US MUST EXPAND NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN FACE OF RUSSIA AND CHINA THREAT, WARNS TOP OBAMA DEFENSE ADVISER The lawmakers have long advocated for the policy shift, repeatedly pushing legislation on the issue. “As the coauthors of the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act — proposed legislation that prohibits any U.S. president from launching a nuclear first strike without prior congressional authorization — we urge you, in your remaining time in office, to change this unconstitutional policy,” they said in their letter to Biden. “We first introduced this act during the Obama administration not as a partisan effort, but to make the larger point that current U.S. policy, which gives the president sole authority to launch nuclear weapons without any input from Congress, is dangerous. As Donald Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office, it is more important than ever to take the power to start a nuclear war out of the hands of a single individual and ensure that Congress’s constitutional role is respected and fulfilled,” Markey and Lieu noted.

Sen. Booker ‘frustrated’ by lack of transparency about drones, says it’s causing ‘misinformation to spread’

Sen. Booker ‘frustrated’ by lack of transparency about drones, says it’s causing ‘misinformation to spread’

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he is “frustrated” by the government’s lack of transparency surrounding the recent drone sightings in his state and surrounding areas in the mid-Atlantic region. On Capitol Hill on Thursday, the senator said that he has issued a letter asking for more information because Americans should be aware of what is happening in the skies. “I’ve been a little frustrated,” he told reporters. “There hasn’t been enough transparency letting people know what’s happening. It’s allowing a lot of potentially misinformation to spread, or at least fear. We should know what’s going on over our skies.” LEGISLATORS ACROSS POLITICAL SPECTRUM ‘EQUALLY ANGRY’ OVER HANDLING OF DRONE SIGHTINGS: NEW JERSEY LAWMAKER Booker said he has been hearing from his constituents and other elected leaders, all of whom share his concerns about the mysterious drones. “We have agencies and organizations from the government that should be able to provide a lot more information than the public has,” he said, adding that the public should have “good information” on a situation that is “understandably concerning.” The senator also worries that the lack of transparency about the drones could potentially fuel misinformation. “I’ve heard a lot of things about them, and again, I want to make sure that we have all the facts,” he said. NEW JERSEY RESIDENT CAPTURES VIDEO OF SUSPECTED DRONES HOVERING OUTSIDE HER HOME When asked if he thinks the drones should be shot down, Booker had an opinion differing from fellow congressman, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who clearly stated they should be, if necessary. “Safety first. You’re over populous neighborhoods and areas,” Booker said. “I think the most important thing right now is the safety and security of our communities, but we should know what’s going on.” Large drones were first spotted in New Jersey on Nov. 18, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed earlier this month.  The White House said in a daily press briefing on Thursday that a newly-started investigation into the drones has not revealed anything malicious, criminal or threatening to national security, thus far.