Blog

Joe Biden has established a task team to investigate how U.S. and western components are making their way into drones manufactured by Iran and deployed to cause havoc in Ukraine.

Despite rigorous export rules designed to prevent Iran from acquiring these components, evidence has emerged that Tehran is acquiring more than enough commercially available technology, including microelectronics developed in the United States, to make the drones.

The United Kingdom-based research organization Conflict Armament Research discovered last month that 82 percent of the components of drones shot down in Ukraine were manufactured in the United States.

According to sources quoted by CNN, the White House has now formed a task force comprised of agencies from across Washington, including the departments of Defense, State, Justice, Commerce, and Treasury.

Joe Biden has established a task team to investigate how U.S. and western components are making their way into Iranian-made drones (seen in Ukraine) that are causing havoc in Ukraine.

According to sources quoted by CNN, the White House has now established a task group comprised of agencies from across Washington, including the departments of Defense, State, Justice, Commerce, and Treasury.

As the battle in the east has reached a stalemate, Moscow has launched hundreds of drones against Ukraine’s power infrastructure in an attempt to deprive the population of electricity as winter weather approaches. The attacks have resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians.

Despite convincing evidence to the contrary, Tehran has denied supplying Russia with Iranian-made Shahed-136 “suicide drones.”

The drones loaded with explosives are launched in clusters, making them difficult to defend against, and then crash into their targets. However, they are vulnerable to small guns fire. Ukraine has successfully destroyed multiple drones.

Conflict Armament Research and the Ukrainian Armed Forces studied the devices that were brought down.

Investigations revealed that processors manufactured by the Dallas-based technology business Texas Instruments and an engine manufactured by an Austrian corporation owned by Canada’s Bombardier Recreational Products were among the components identified in the drones.

Both businesses have condemned the usage of their components in the drones. Texas Instruments told CNN that it “does not sell any products into Russia, Belarus, or Iran” and that it “complies with current laws and regulations in the countries where we operate and interacts with law enforcement authorities as required.”

Additionally, we do not endorse or encourage the use of our products in applications for which they were not intended.

In a statement on its website, Bombardier Recreational Products stated that it had initiated an investigation into how its engines got up in the drones.

BRP has neither allowed nor permitted its distributors to supply military UAV manufacturers in Iran or Russia, according to the statement.

The discovery of western components in the drones highlights how relatively inexpensive consumer goods may be adapted for military use. Frequently, such commodities are exempt from export penalties and controls.

The United Kingdom-based research organization Conflict Armament Research discovered last month that 82 percent of the components of drones shot down in Ukraine were manufactured in the United States. Pictured: The tail of a drone that was lost in Ukraine

Ukraine has been the target of regular, lethal aerial assaults. After suffering a series of setbacks on the battlefield, Moscow intensified its aerial campaign against the country’s electricity grid in an attempt to demoralize the enemy. Firefighters in Ukraine at work following a drone strike

The officials told CNN that investigations into the drones have increased in recent weeks as a result of evidence indicating that Russia intended to establish its own drone factory as part of an agreement with Tehran.

Iran has begun transferring drone plans and components to Russia in order to launch production there, CNN said, marking a dramatic escalation in the military alliance between the two sanctioned states.

As part of a broader ‘holistic strategy’ to dealing with Iran, the White House National Security Council is overseeing the new endeavor to explore how US components are being used in the drones, a senior source told the news network.

This will also include Tehran’s repression of protestors, its nuclear program, and its participation in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

However, the Iranian drones are perhaps the most serious concern due to their use of American weaponry.

Many of the drones’ components were manufactured within the last few years.

Conflict Armament Research stated in its research that the November drones it analyzed possessed “advanced technological capabilities.” These included sources outside of Iran for tactical-grade sensors and chips.

This, according to the assessment, reveals that Tehran “has been able to dodge current sanction regimes and has increased its weapons’ capabilities and resilience.”

Kyiv, Ukraine police fire against a drone during a Russian drone strike, which local authorities believe to be Iranian-made Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), during Russia’s invasion on Ukraine. 17 October 2022

The announcement of the taskforce precedes Ukraine’s president Zelensky’s visit to the United States, where he will meet Joe Biden and address Congress on Wednesday, a trip that the White House says would send a strong message of Western unity to Russia.

The visit would “underscore the United States’ unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes,” according to a statement from White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.

The covertly scheduled trip occurs on the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet with his senior military leaders to assess the crisis in Ukraine and set goals for next year in what the Kremlin referred to as a “important, lengthy address.”

It will be Zelensky’s first travel outside of Ukraine since Russian forces invaded in February and planned a swift takeover of Kyiv and the majority of the country.

Instead, the visit occurs on the 300th day of a war in which Russian forces have been halted by a determined Ukrainian army supported by Western armaments, forced to retire from gained territory, and striving to avoid more reverses.

“On my way to the United States to boost (Ukraine’s) resilience and defense capabilities,” Zelensky tweeted, indicating that he will address Congress.

Monday drone assaults near Kiev injured three persons. Russia said it shot down several missiles built in the United States over its airspace near Ukraine.

“The first time I heard the air raid siren… I believed there would be a drone assault. It worried me for the first time,’ said Natalia Dobrovolska, a 68-year-old Kyiv resident.

She claimed hearing multiple blasts before her building in western Kyiv lost power. According to officials, Russia deployed 35 attack drones across the country, including 23 over Kyiv.

Pictured are debris bits retrieved as evidence by a U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal team aboard the M/T Pacific Zircon from an Iranian-made Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicle on November 16, 2022, and released by U.S.Navy on November 22, 2022.

Ukraine reportedly shot down 30 of the airborne weapons, including ‘Shaheds’ manufactured by Iran, which had bombarded the capital in recent weeks.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that important infrastructure facilities were harmed, while regional officials reported that nine dwellings were damaged.

Ukraine has been the target of regular, lethal aerial assaults. After suffering a series of setbacks on the battlefield, Moscow intensified its aerial campaign against the country’s electricity grid in an attempt to demoralize the enemy.

With the onset of winter, missile and drone attacks have deprived millions of Ukrainians of water and heat and plunged cities across the country into darkness.

Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky requested Ukraine’s allies to provide the Ukrainian military with more weaponry via video hookup to the leaders of numerous NATO countries. The expectation is that Biden will comply by supplying Patriot missile defense systems.

“Aggression from Russia can and must fail.” Our mission today is to expedite it,’ Zelensky told the assembled officials in Riga.

In a late-night address on Sunday, he stated that nine million of Ukraine’s estimated 40 million residents had their energy restored following the previous week’s Russian missile onslaught.

In a press conference at the close of the year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern that he believed the war would continue. Guterres stated, “I am not optimistic about the likelihood of productive peace discussions in the near future.”

Today, Suella Braverman criticized Home Office workers for being overly sluggish to process asylum petitions after revealing that only one was processed every week.

The Home Secretary said colleagues that caseworkers handling asylum cases must expedite their job in order to minimize a 100,000-case backlog and a multimillion-pound hotel cost.

Last week, Rishi Sunak committed to clear this six-figure traffic bottleneck by the end of 2023 as part of his plan to restore the immigration system’s functionality.

Today, in front of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee of the House of Lords, Ms. Braverman stated, ‘There is a great deal of transformation that we want to undertake with regard to asylum casework and related processes.

“I should note, for context, that during my short months at the Home Office, I have discovered that we have vastly different procedures. Our asylum casework staff does an excellent job, but their output is, frankly, too low.

The average number of decisions made per week by decision-makers is one. We must significantly boost that number.

She also declined to exclude out hosting migrants on decommissioned cruise ships in an effort to save costs.

The Home Secretary said colleagues that caseworkers handling asylum cases must expedite their job in order to minimize a 100,000-case backlog and a multimillion-pound hotel cost.

Last week, Rishi Sunak committed to clear this six-figure traffic bottleneck by the end of 2023 as part of his plan to restore the immigration system’s functionality.

More than 400 asylum applicants were illegally imprisoned in immigration deportation centers last month, it was learned.

She emphasized the “very difficult” problem of achieving the goal of placing 100,000 asylum seekers in local authority housing as opposed to hotels, with the current number being 57,000.

“You then inquired about cruise ships; we want to remove the usage of hotels as soon as possible since it’s an intolerable cost to the taxpayer, with hotel use alone costing over £5 million per day,” she stated.

“We will provide a variety of alternative sites, including defunct amusement parks and former student dormitories. I should clarify that we are examining these sites; however, nothing has been confirmed.

“However, we must bring forward thousands of spots, and when it comes to vessels, all I can say is that everything is still on the table and nothing is excluded, as we are in discussions with a range of providers.”

In the summer, when he ran for the Tory leadership, Mr. Sunak offered the radical move as a viable alternative to the daily expenditure of $5 million on hotels.

But its legality has been called into question.

More than 400 asylum applicants were illegally imprisoned in immigration deportation centers last month, it was learned.

According to a line of Home Office emails obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act, the detention of between 450 and 500 migrants kept as ‘overflow’ from the Manston processing center was defined as ‘no longer legitimate’ at the time.

During an increase in Channel crossings in October, the maximum capacity of Manston, which is 1,600, was exceeded by as many as 4,000 individuals.

Before being transported to housing, new immigrants were anticipated to be taken to the centre, which is designed to temporarily house people for security and identity checks.

However, other individuals were imprisoned for much longer durations due to a shortage of alternative housing.

According to the BBC, the emails reveal that permanent Home Office secretaries were aware of overcrowding problems at the time.

One email stated, “Their custody is no longer legitimate, as they can only be detained until their identity is locked down, and then for no more than five days.”

“The majority have been there for weeks, longer than some Manston instances.” We must relocate them to hotels immediately…’

A representative for the Home Office told a broadcaster that an unprecedented number of small boat arrivals had placed “great pressure” on the asylum system, adding that the department had “worked hard to relocate people into hotels or other housing as swiftly as possible.”

Rome Newsroom, Dec 21, 2022 / 04:28 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has urged Catholics not to forget the many children in Ukraine this Christmas who are suffering without electricity and heating amid the war.

Speaking near a large nativity scene in Paul VI Hall on Dec. 21, the pope recalled an encounter that he had with Ukrainian war refugees in which the children seemed unable to smile.

“On this feast of God becoming a child, let us think of Ukrainian children. … These children bear the tragedy of that war which is so inhuman, so harsh,” he said.

“Let us think of the Ukrainian people this Christmas, without electricity, without heating, without the main things necessary to survive, and let us pray to the Lord to bring them peace as soon as possible.”

In his last general audience before Christmas, Pope Francis said, “Jesus reveals a God who is full of compassion and tenderness.”

He said: “We have a tender, affectionate Father who loves us, who has always loved us. When we experience this, our heart melts and doubts, fears and feelings of unworthiness are dissolved. This love is irresistible.”

The pope underlined that one could experience this tenderness and develop a close “friendship with God” by reading the Bible.

“For the believer, the Word of God is not simply a text to read. It is a living presence, a work of the Holy Spirit that comforts, instructs, gives light, strength, refreshment, and a zest for life,” Pope Francis said.

“Let us pick up the Gospel, take the Bible in our hands – 5 minutes a day … Carry a pocket-size Gospel with you, in your purse, and when you are traveling, read it a bit. Read a small passage during the day. Allow the Word of God to draw near to your heart. Do this and you will see how your lives will change, with the proximity of the Word of God,” he said.

The pope said, “God’s voice resounds in stillness, attentiveness, and silence.” He added that it is “only in peace that we can enter profoundly into ourselves and recognize the authentic desires the Lord has placed in our hearts.”

“Many times it is not easy to enter into that peace of heart because we are so busy with this, that and the other, the entire day,” he said. “But, please, calm yourself down a little bit, enter into yourself, within yourself. Stop for two minutes. When we allow ourselves to be calm, God’s voice comes immediately. He is waiting for us to do this.“

Pope Francis gave this reflection as part of his weekly catechetical series on discernment. He said that “every day, whether we want to or not, we always perform acts of discernment concerning what we eat, read, at work, in our relationships, everything.”

“Life always presents choices to us, and if we do not make conscious choices, in the end it is life that chooses for us, taking us where we do not want to go.”

Among those who greeted the pope at the end of the general audience were men dressed as the three kings who followed the star to Bethlehem.

Pope Francis said: “May the birth of the Savior bring you all interior consolation and give you the joy of feeling loved by the God who became a child.”