WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel privately went together with a plan for the Trump administration to promote superior weapons to the United Arab Emirates, regardless of publicly saying later that he opposed the arms deal, in accordance to officers accustomed to the negotiations.
Mr. Netanyahu selected not to attempt to block the deal as he took half in a broader effort in latest months to safe a diplomatic breakthrough normalizing relations between Israel and the Emirates, the officers stated. President Trump introduced the initiative to nice fanfare final month, with out mentioning the arms discussions that have been continuing on a parallel observe.
However after information of the arms sale turned public late final month, the Israeli prime minister repeatedly denied that he had given assurances to the Trump administration that Israel wouldn’t oppose the Emirati arms deal. The officers stated Mr. Netanyahu’s public statements have been false. He then stopped publicly complaining concerning the proposed arms sale after a gathering with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem final week that introduced the Israeli prime minister again in line, the officers stated.
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The White Home has accelerated its push in latest weeks to promote a package deal of cutting-edge weapons to the Emirates, together with F-35 fighter jets and Reaper drones. The deal additionally consists of EA-18G Growler jets — electronic warfare planes that pave the way in which for stealth assaults by jamming enemy air defenses. That ingredient of the package deal has not beforehand been reported.
The United Arab Emirates has lengthy sought extra superior weapons, however Israelis have feared a shift within the stability of navy energy within the Center East. A public admission of settlement by Mr. Netanyahu would have almost definitely prompted an outcry in Israel, because the disclosure of the proposed arms sale did, together with from members of Mr. Netanyahu’s personal cupboard.
Mr. Trump’s announcement on Aug. 13 of the diplomatic breakthrough got here as Mr. Netanyahu was struggling to handle a number of crises: the coronavirus pandemic, a fraying governing coalition with political rivals, tense funds negotiations and an ongoing corruption trial.
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American officers are cautious to insist that the brand new push to promote the weapons to the Emiratis shouldn’t be a direct reward for his or her function within the settlement, wherein the Emirates turned the third Arab nation to acknowledge Israel in change for Israel suspending plans to annex occupied West Financial institution territory. However they don’t dispute that after years of American refusals to promote F-35s to the Emiratis, the change in place is linked to the diplomatic initiative.
The arms deal may face vital resistance in Congress; by regulation, weapons gross sales should not weaken Israel’s military edge in the Middle East. However Trump administration officers have mentioned bypassing a vital a part of the lawmakers’ evaluate course of, which could enhance their possibilities of pushing by means of the arms gross sales earlier than the election in November.
Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the USA, stated in a press release that it “shouldn’t be true” that Mr. Netanyahu gave approval to American officers for a weapons deal involving F-35s. He added that he was assured the Trump administration “is absolutely dedicated to sustaining” Israel’s navy benefit within the area.
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The State Division declined to remark. A spokesman for the Nationwide Safety Council didn’t reply to a message searching for remark.
Dozens of Emirati officers traveled to Washington final week to meet with counterparts on the Pentagon and the State Division to talk about the arms package deal and their diplomatic initiative with Israel.
Hussein Ibish, a scholar on the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, stated officers from all three nations had instructed him that Mr. Netanyahu had given approval for the arms sale, however they’d then publicly denounced it due to the anger that erupted in Israel, together with from protection officers, when the quiet association turned public.
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“I’ve heard it from events on all three sides that he gave a inexperienced gentle on this,” Mr. Ibish stated, including that Mr. Netanyahu had beforehand indicated to the Emiratis and the Individuals that “there wouldn’t be substantive and categorical opposition.”
He stated the Emiratis have been surprised at Mr. Netanyahu’s public disavowal. They responded by canceling an Aug. 21 assembly with American and Israeli officers on the United Nations. (Axios first reported the episode.)
However the Emiratis calmed down after being reassured that the sale would stay on observe. “They’ve come to perceive there’s numerous Kabuki theater in all this,” Mr. Ibish added.
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The Emirates and Saudi Arabia have an in depth relationship with the White Home. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, views the 2 nations as vital in efforts — which so far have failed — to dealer a peace deal between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Furthermore, Mr. Trump has embraced them as vital patrons of American weapons regardless of resistance in Congress over the killing of thousands of civilians in the Saudi-led air war in Yemen, often with American bombs.
“The peace agreement with the United Arab Emirates does not include any reference to arms sales, and the U.S. has made it clear that it will always take strict care to maintain Israel’s qualitative edge,” the statement said.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office said Israel’s defense minister, Benny Gantz, a former chief of the Israeli military, had been told in late July of communications with American officials opposing the sale of F-35s.
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But Mr. Gantz responded angrily to the reports of a secret arms deal, saying in a news conference on Tuesday that he had not been informed of the normalization agreement in advance and that “it is forbidden to take security risks.”
The State Department has yet to notify Congress of a new proposed arms package to the Emirates. But some lawmakers and aides have already quietly signaled disapproval to the administration after news reports in August detailed the proposal, officials said.
“The president thinks like a salesman, and that is what he needs within the Center East,” Mr. Ibish stated.
Trump administration officers may resolve to bypass the casual notification course of in Congress, which some have mentioned backing out of altogether. Some lawmakers have used that course of to maintain up arms shipments to Gulf nations, primarily due to civilian casualties.
Passionate news enthusiast with a flair for words. Our Editorial Team author brings you the latest updates, in-depth analysis, and engaging stories. Stay informed with their well-researched articles.
Florida has become the first State in the US to ban laboratory grown meat. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Wednesday which bans the sale of any form of lab grown meat. The bill is clearly a move to appease the state’s cattle industry.
In a statement the state’s commissioner of agriculture said it was protecting the interests of the state’s farmers as well as the integrity of American agriculture. The lab grown meat ban is also one of the many other pet causes of DeSantis.
DeSantis said just after the bill was signed,
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“Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,”
In a press release it was said that Florida was negating the World Economic Forum’s goal of forcing the world to eat lab-grown meat and insects.
However it must be remembered that lab grown meat is still not available for the consumers. Lab grown meat is harvested from animal cells and the FDA has given approval to two entities Upside Food and Good Meat to make the lab grown meat. The two companies also do not have any outlets to sell this meat. Till date only two high end restaurants China Chilcano, Chef José Andrés’ high-end Peruvian restaurant in Washington, DC, and Bar Crenn, a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco have served lab grown meat to the consumers. However both these restaurants have stopped featuring the lab grown meat on their menu.
The lab grown meat industry has not even started competing with the farmers but it seems the ban is a way to preempt any such possibility. A section of the population believes that the move is a consequence of a conspiracy theory which stated that the “globalists” are forcing people to eat bugs and live in pods. This theory is also known as the “Great Reset,” which was first coined in 2020 after a World Economic Forum initiative that urged governments to use the pandemic to promote sustainable development. The Right Wing experts connected it with a 2016 World Economic Forum blog post which talked about the possible use of bug protein and a 2013 book about insect farming published by the United Nations.
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Lab Grown or cultivated meats are harvested in bioreactors using cells from animals. Startups are working on chicken, fish and beef meat. The promoters of lab grown meat contend that the process will in the long run significantly lower the greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing meat. The process of making lab grown meat involves extracting living cells from an animal and feeding it with nutrients such as proteins, sugars and fats. The final product is much akin to traditionally produced meat in taste as well as composition.
For example the Los Angeles startup Meat uses the plasma of cows to grow meat for ground beef. It takes about three years to raise a cow to 300 kilograms of meat. However 2000 kg of meat can be produced in a year from a single cow’s plasma and there is no need to slaughter the animal also.
However lab grown meat is extremely energy intensive and the startups have not been able to scale up the production and bring the price down.
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The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, an association which represents the traditional meat producers have vehemently opposed cultivated meat citing safety concerns and have been lobbying to prevent the lab grown meat to be referred as beef.
Good Meat, a lab grown Meat Company which is the first in the world to sell lab-grown meat, wrote on X it was “disappointed” by the new Florida law.
Southern Brazil experienced heavy rains which have caused destruction in the area. Due to heavy rains, a hydroelectric dam located in the Rio Grande do Sul state collapsed.
Due to this, over 30 people met their ultimate demise in the disaster. The BBC has reported that more than 60 people are also reported missing.
Since Saturday, more than 15000 people have been forcibly evacuated from their houses as the rescue efforts intensify.
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Dam Collapse Causes Chaos
The hydroelectric dam collapse between the Bento Gonçalves and Cotiporã resulted in a two-meter wave. As a result, it worsened the critical situation in the flood-stricken areas.
Emergency responders and residents both panicked hard as the difficulties were exacerbated.
This Brazil flooding is described as one of the worst in recent history. Almost 500,000 people were devoid of critical resources, such as access to clean water and electricity.
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Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian President, responded to the chaos and extended the central government’s support. Rescue operations were carried out in multiple municipalities as per urgent orders given by Governor Eduardo Leite.
Helicopters were also sent if any person is trapped and needs evacuation. Due to heavy destruction, aerial winching has been proved to be the most effective means of extraction.
Cause Of Heavy Rain and Flood
Meteorologists studied the cause and announced that the level of unprecedented rainfall intensity can be attributed to higher-than-average temperatures coupled with upgrading humidity and strong winds.
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Thus, El Niño worsened Southern Brazil’s situation and its extreme weather conditions.
According to The Economic Times, Forecasters from the meteorological department predicted the continued rainfall “with the passage of a cold front, Rio Grande do Sul’s communities’ resilience is being tested to the limit.”
Internet trends sometimes get infiltrated by games that result in dangerous situations for those involved. We had Blue Whale and then Pokémon Go, and now we have “Senior Assassin.” In this game, players receive a target and must eliminate them using water guns, paintball guns, and other similar items.
Warning Issued Against Dangerous Game ‘Senior Assassin’
The target is a real person. The game has gone so far that participants are running and chasing people in public, including outside school boundaries. The stakes have been raised as people now carry fake firearms resembling real ones while chasing others for the game. Although the game did not originate from TikTok, videos of participants “eliminating” their targets have gone viral on the platform.
Recently, a group of high school students was running around with fake firearms when they encountered a licensed gun owner. The police have stated that this game can lead to dangerous situations because someone with a real gun might feel threatened and end up shooting someone without knowing the full context.
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Tragically, the game has already caused the death of a boy. Six-year-old Justin Johnson, who had sickle cell disease, was lured out of his room by the trend, while others began chasing him with toy guns. After a few moments, Justin suffered heart palpitations, prompting his father to call for help.
Unfortunately, Justin had stopped breathing by the time help arrived. The family’s lawyers are now pursuing legal action against the “Senior Assassin” game, which they believe caused Justin’s death. “It’s supposed to be a game that involves individuals trying to tag other individuals with water guns or pellet guns or paintball guns,” claimed the lawyer during the hearing of this case.
Investigations are ongoing, and the police have issued a warning about the dangers associated with the game.
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