❌Pakistan Dismisses US Warning Over 'Election Irregularities'

Washington had put Islamabad on alert that relations between the two countries would suffer if it did not probe irregularities in last month's election.

The warning from Donald Lu, the top US diplomat for South Asia, "reflects a misunderstanding of Pakistan's political situation and electoral laws,” a spox for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said.

Lu told lawmakers Wednesday that the US had "serious concerns" about the conduct of the February 8 election and ongoing disruptions of media and social media, including a prolonged shutdown of X.

@RiseGS

⚡️ Estonian Prime Minister Kallas said she is "committing political suicide" by raising taxes on military spending.

"I'm committing political suicide, but I don't have a choice," she told EUobserver.

@ukraine_watch

🔴 China, Russia Reaches Agreement with Houthis Not to Attack Ships in Red Sea, Gulf of Aden – Bloomberg

The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to reroute to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

The cost of insuring a seven-day voyage through the Red Sea has risen by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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➡️ Less Than Third of US Military Families Would Still Recommend Service

The likelihood of active-duty families recommending military service dropped from 55% in 2016 to just 32% in 2023, according to a survey by Blue Star Families.

Respondents cited poor job opportunities for spouses, poor mental and physical health care services, and housing concerns, among other issues

The annual survey had more than 7,400 responses between May and July 2023 and is the "most comprehensive" survey of its kind.

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⚠️ FLASHBACK: After WWII the UK government decided to randomly drop a nuclear bomb right next to 20,000 British soldiers - just to see what would happen

If the UK thought this was ok to do to its own army – what evil did they get up to in Africa and Asia?

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🤔 “It’s called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it” - George Carlin

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💵New Zealand Officially Enters ‘Double Dip’ Recession

New Zealand has sunk into its second recession in just 18 months, official data showed Thursday, as wild weather and efforts to tame inflation weighed heavily on the economy.

Output shrank 0.1% in late 2023, after falling 0.3% the previous quarter, StatsNZ said. New Zealand also suffered a downturn in late 2022 to early 2023.

The latest contraction came even though migration surged, with around 130,000 people arriving in NZ last year, boosting the population to 5.3mn.

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⚠️Israeli Forces Murdered Four Unarmed Palestinian Civilians in Khan Yunis with Targeted Drone Strikes

Al Jazeera has published exclusive footage from an Israeli drone shot down by resistance fighters in Gaza - revealing the IDF UAVs deliberately targeted Palestinian civilians fleeing Khan Yunis.

The drone pursues the youths until they were either dead or seriously injured.

The US, UK and many international govts are complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people.

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🤔 Taiwan Reveals US Troops Stationed on Island Less Than 4 Miles from China

The admission came when Taiwan’s Defense Minister confirmed a report that US Special Forces have been training on outlying islands just 3.7 miles from China.

In an apparent escalation of the American military presence in Taiwan, it remains unclear how long the Special Forces have been deployed on the Kinmen Islands.

It was previously believed that the US maintained only limited troops on Taiwan itself, as the island nation would send its special forces to the US to train.

China does not appear to have addressed the remarks.

@RiseGS

⚠️ Polish Su-22M4 fighter-bomber flies over Polish farmers protest

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😳 Secret Report Warns Ottawa: Canada Could "Descend into Civil Unrest Once Citizens Realize the Hopelessness of Their Economic Situation” – National Post

The Canadian police report is listed as a piece of “special operational information” to be distributed only within the RCMP and among “decision-makers” in the federal govt.

“The coming period of recession will … accelerate the decline in living standards that the younger generations have already witnessed compared to earlier generations,” reads the report, entitled Whole-of-Government Five-Year Trends for Canada.

It warns that whatever Canada’s current situation, it “will probably deteriorate further in the next five years.”

A heavily redacted version was made public as a result of an access to information request filed by Matt Malone, an assistant professor of law at British Columbia’s Thompson Rivers University, and an expert in govt secrecy.

@RiseGS