Author: admin-to-del

Israel has blocked most aid from entering Gaza since March, with the U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation taking over its distribution since May. At least 1,000 people have been killed seeking food from GHF and aid convoys since then, the U.N. Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) estimates. Israel has previously disputed the number of casualties.

“The killing of civilians seeking aid in Gaza is indefensible,” EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday, noting she spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to “make clear the [Israel Defense Forces] must stop killing people at distribution points.”

Kallas and von der Leyen’s statements come as foreign ministers across Europe and the Commonwealth area accused Israel of denying assistance to the civilian population in Gaza in a joint statement on Monday. Twenty EU countries, alongside the U.K., Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Hadja Lahbib signed on to the statement.

In a post on X, Sa’ar said the countries behind the statement had made a “mistake … part of them out of good intentions and part of them out of an obsession against Israel.” Sa’ar added he had spoken to Kallas and told her Hamas was responsible for “deliberately creating friction between the civilian population, the aid distribution centers and the IDF.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also demanded on Tuesday that Israel let journalists into Gaza, a day after the journalists’ association at newswire Agence France-Presse said their colleagues in Gaza were starving to death.

Health crisis spirals

“This is not hunger, this is not malnutrition. This is forced starvation, this is torture,” Saira Hussain, a British-Australian doctor currently working in Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, said.

The Cabinet Office announced Tuesday that it is making changes to its National Security and Investment Act — legislation aimed at safeguarding critical areas of the economy from malign or foreign influence.

These include removing requirements for key businesses to tell the government about internal restructuring changes or alert officials when appointing a liquidator. Pat McFadden, the department’s lead minister, told MPs that the changes “reduce business burdens without exposing the country to greater risk.”

Ministers will also consult on plans to shake up what are defined as key sectors under the legislation to update the importance of areas such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The consultation also will look at bringing the water sector under national security legislation. 

This would mean that the industry in Britain — which itself is under extensive scrutiny due to debt-laden ownership structures — will have any potential buy-outs, such as those based overseas, escalated to national security experts.

The annual review of the legislation, also published Tuesday, revealed that the government had only blocked one deal out of all those called in for further scrutiny. A further 16 saw a “final order” notice submitted to mitigate risks to national security, which could include stringent conditions applied to an investment deal.

The Cabinet Office announced Tuesday that it is making changes to its National Security and Investment Act — legislation aimed at safeguarding critical areas of the economy from malign or foreign influence.

These include removing requirements for key businesses to tell the government about internal restructuring changes or alert officials when appointing a liquidator. Pat McFadden, the department’s lead minister, told MPs that the changes “reduce business burdens without exposing the country to greater risk.”

Ministers will also consult on plans to shake up what are defined as key sectors under the legislation to update the importance of areas such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The consultation also will look at bringing the water sector under national security legislation. 

This would mean that the industry in Britain — which itself is under extensive scrutiny due to debt-laden ownership structures — will have any potential buy-outs, such as those based overseas, escalated to national security experts.

The annual review of the legislation, also published Tuesday, revealed that the government had only blocked one deal out of all those called in for further scrutiny. A further 16 saw a “final order” notice submitted to mitigate risks to national security, which could include stringent conditions applied to an investment deal.

The Cabinet Office announced Tuesday that it is making changes to its National Security and Investment Act — legislation aimed at safeguarding critical areas of the economy from malign or foreign influence.

These include removing requirements for key businesses to tell the government about internal restructuring changes or alert officials when appointing a liquidator. Pat McFadden, the department’s lead minister, told MPs that the changes “reduce business burdens without exposing the country to greater risk.”

Ministers will also consult on plans to shake up what are defined as key sectors under the legislation to update the importance of areas such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The consultation also will look at bringing the water sector under national security legislation. 

This would mean that the industry in Britain — which itself is under extensive scrutiny due to debt-laden ownership structures — will have any potential buy-outs, such as those based overseas, escalated to national security experts.

The annual review of the legislation, also published Tuesday, revealed that the government had only blocked one deal out of all those called in for further scrutiny. A further 16 saw a “final order” notice submitted to mitigate risks to national security, which could include stringent conditions applied to an investment deal.

The Cabinet Office announced Tuesday that it is making changes to its National Security and Investment Act — legislation aimed at safeguarding critical areas of the economy from malign or foreign influence.

These include removing requirements for key businesses to tell the government about internal restructuring changes or alert officials when appointing a liquidator. Pat McFadden, the department’s lead minister, told MPs that the changes “reduce business burdens without exposing the country to greater risk.”

Ministers will also consult on plans to shake up what are defined as key sectors under the legislation to update the importance of areas such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The consultation also will look at bringing the water sector under national security legislation. 

This would mean that the industry in Britain — which itself is under extensive scrutiny due to debt-laden ownership structures — will have any potential buy-outs, such as those based overseas, escalated to national security experts.

The annual review of the legislation, also published Tuesday, revealed that the government had only blocked one deal out of all those called in for further scrutiny. A further 16 saw a “final order” notice submitted to mitigate risks to national security, which could include stringent conditions applied to an investment deal.

The Cabinet Office announced Tuesday that it is making changes to its National Security and Investment Act — legislation aimed at safeguarding critical areas of the economy from malign or foreign influence.

These include removing requirements for key businesses to tell the government about internal restructuring changes or alert officials when appointing a liquidator. Pat McFadden, the department’s lead minister, told MPs that the changes “reduce business burdens without exposing the country to greater risk.”

Ministers will also consult on plans to shake up what are defined as key sectors under the legislation to update the importance of areas such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The consultation also will look at bringing the water sector under national security legislation. 

This would mean that the industry in Britain — which itself is under extensive scrutiny due to debt-laden ownership structures — will have any potential buy-outs, such as those based overseas, escalated to national security experts.

The annual review of the legislation, also published Tuesday, revealed that the government had only blocked one deal out of all those called in for further scrutiny. A further 16 saw a “final order” notice submitted to mitigate risks to national security, which could include stringent conditions applied to an investment deal.

By Christopher Wells

“Christ is not absent from Gaza,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said on Tuesday. “He is there—crucified in the wounded, buried under rubble, and yet present in every act of mercy, every candle in the darkness, every hand extended to the suffering.”

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem was speaking at a press conference with Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, following the prelates’ recent pastoral visit to Gaza. In his opening remarks, Cardinal Pizzaballa insisted that the two patriarchs had travelled to the war-torn Palestinian territory not as politicians or diplomats, but as pastors. He insisted that the Church will never abandon the people of Gaza, emphasizing that their mission was not to a specific group, but to all: “Christians, Muslims, believers, doubters, refugees, children.”

‘Servants of the suffering Body of Christ’

His sentiments were echoed by Patriarch Theophilos, who said they had gone to Gaza “as servants of the suffering Body of Christ, walking among the wounded, the bereaved, the displaced, and the faithful, whose dignity remains unbroken despite their agony.” In Gaza, he said, “we encountered a people crushed by the weight of war, yet carrying within them the image of God.”

The Orthodox Patriarch explained that “the Church’s mission in times of devastation is rooted in the ministry of presence, of standing with those who mourn, of defending the sacredness of life, and of witnessing to the light that no darkness can extinguish.”

Humanitarian aid: a matter of life and death

Cardinal Pizzaballa, for his part, also emphasized the Church’s support for “all humanitarian actors… who are risking everything to bring life to this sea of human devastation.”

“Humanitarian need is not only necessary—it is a matter of life and death,” he said. “Refusing it is not a delay, but a sentence. Every hour without food, water, medicine, and shelter causes deep harm,” he continued, adding, “It is morally unacceptable and unjustifiable.”

Joint appeal to end the war

During the press conference, the two Patriarchs issued a joint appeal to world leaders and decision makers, calling for “an end to the war, the release of detainees, and the beginning of a true healing process that restores life and dignity to Gaza and the entire Holy Land.”

They also recalled Pope Leo’s appeal, during last Sunday’s Angelus, for the international community “to observe humanitarian law and to respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population.”

“It is time to end this nonsense, end the war and put the common good of people as the top priority,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said, adding that together both he and Patriarch Theophilos were praying and calling for “the release of all those deprived of freedom, for the return of the missing, the hostages and for the healing of long-suffering families on all sides.”

Patriarch Theophilos made the appeal directly: “To the international community, we say: silence in the face of suffering is a betrayal of conscience. To the children of Gaza, we affirm: the Church remains beside you. And to all those who wield power, we echo the Lord’s command: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”

By Christopher Wells

“Christ is not absent from Gaza,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said on Tuesday. “He is there—crucified in the wounded, buried under rubble, and yet present in every act of mercy, every candle in the darkness, every hand extended to the suffering.”

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem was speaking at a press conference with Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, following the prelates’ recent pastoral visit to Gaza. In his opening remarks, Cardinal Pizzaballa insisted that the two patriarchs had travelled to the war-torn Palestinian territory not as politicians or diplomats, but as pastors. He insisted that the Church will never abandon the people of Gaza, emphasizing that their mission was not to a specific group, but to all: “Christians, Muslims, believers, doubters, refugees, children.”

‘Servants of the suffering Body of Christ’

His sentiments were echoed by Patriarch Theophilos, who said they had gone to Gaza “as servants of the suffering Body of Christ, walking among the wounded, the bereaved, the displaced, and the faithful, whose dignity remains unbroken despite their agony.” In Gaza, he said, “we encountered a people crushed by the weight of war, yet carrying within them the image of God.”

The Orthodox Patriarch explained that “the Church’s mission in times of devastation is rooted in the ministry of presence, of standing with those who mourn, of defending the sacredness of life, and of witnessing to the light that no darkness can extinguish.”

Humanitarian aid: a matter of life and death

Cardinal Pizzaballa, for his part, also emphasized the Church’s support for “all humanitarian actors… who are risking everything to bring life to this sea of human devastation.”

“Humanitarian need is not only necessary—it is a matter of life and death,” he said. “Refusing it is not a delay, but a sentence. Every hour without food, water, medicine, and shelter causes deep harm,” he continued, adding, “It is morally unacceptable and unjustifiable.”

Joint appeal to end the war

During the press conference, the two Patriarchs issued a joint appeal to world leaders and decision makers, calling for “an end to the war, the release of detainees, and the beginning of a true healing process that restores life and dignity to Gaza and the entire Holy Land.”

They also recalled Pope Leo’s appeal, during last Sunday’s Angelus, for the international community “to observe humanitarian law and to respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population.”

“It is time to end this nonsense, end the war and put the common good of people as the top priority,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said, adding that together both he and Patriarch Theophilos were praying and calling for “the release of all those deprived of freedom, for the return of the missing, the hostages and for the healing of long-suffering families on all sides.”

Patriarch Theophilos made the appeal directly: “To the international community, we say: silence in the face of suffering is a betrayal of conscience. To the children of Gaza, we affirm: the Church remains beside you. And to all those who wield power, we echo the Lord’s command: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”

TOWNSVILLE, Australia — U.S. paratroopers made the most dramatic entrance possible to Australia during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025. Flying 14.5 hours nonstop from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, they parachuted from the night sky into the Australian countryside on July 14.

“We landed right on the X,” Col. Brian Weightman, commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) of the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division, told Defense News during an interview in Townsville.

The commander said he was the first to jump onto the drop zone.

In such a parachute operation, casualties of up to 10% are anticipated, he explained.

“We’re very comfortable with that if we land and 90% of the force is able to continue on,” Weightman said.

Luckily, this nighttime airdrop resulted in only three minor injuries, one of which was caused by a midair parachute entanglement in the dark.

Their 6,800-mile flight was only the beginning of the unit’s simulated joint forcible entry operation. After landing, the paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Regiment – nickname “Three Geronimo” – proceeded to march another 30-plus miles to seize an urban objective located near Townsville in northern Queensland.

“To be able to do that with real violence and at speed is really impressive, and I think it should scare adversaries,” the commander said.

Six C-17A Globemaster III aircraft – four from the U.S. Air Force and two from Australia – transported 323 American and a dozen German paratroopers on the intercontinental flight, while French troops joined the sky train upon their arrival Down Under. The C-17s also dropped heavy equipment such as HMMWVs.

Technological gains

Weightman relayed how he enjoyed continuous communications to higher headquarters with voice, data and video from his aircraft. This high bandwidth is a big deal, as it “gives you a lot better situational awareness and a lot better understanding of what’s going on. You’re able to really paint a much better picture of the enemy.”

Furthermore, “To be able to directly deliver an infantry battalion with its command that is situationally aware and physically optimized onto a drop zone 7,000 miles away, means that you can really go anywhere in the world.”

Asked whether nighttime parachute jumps are more challenging, Weightman responded, “For us it’s not much more. You know, we own the night, so once we get on the drop zone, we have an asymmetric advantage against our adversaries.”

Talisman Sabre is meant to showcase interoperability, which is “easy to talk about but hard to do,” according to the colonel.

Nighttime jumps demonstrate “the highest level of proficiency,” he said.

After refitting in Townsville, more than 400 American paratroopers were to join 100 German and 36 French soldiers to perform another nighttime jump on July 21, this time at Shoalwater Bay in central Queensland.

“This airfield seizure and expanded lodgment is very classic – it’s the bread and butter of the airborne infantry,” Weightman noted.

The 11th Airborne Division possesses two of the U.S. Army’s five airborne brigades: the 1st Brigade is a mobile combat brigade equipped with Infantry Squad Vehicles, while 2nd Brigade is airborne. Asked what his division brings, Weightman highlighted two things – the ability to move anywhere in the Indo-Pacific, and the other is its Arctic mission.

“We’re the only brigades in the world that have the ability to conduct offensive operations in the Arctic,” the commander said. The troops can operate in arctic climates or the subtropics of Australia with equal adeptness.

Defense News asked whether there is still a place for airborne units on modern battlefields. After all, Russia’s airmobile operation at Hostomel Airport at the start of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 ended disastrously.

“I would argue, yes,” Weightman responded. “And as I’m looking from the enemy’s perspective, what we’re able to do would absolutely scare me if I was the enemy of our country.”

The Indo-Pacific region is rife with tensions – China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula – and the 11th Airborne Division is ready to accomplish offensive, defensive, stability or expeditionary operations, said the brigade commander.

Asked about the rising threat from China, Weightman responded, “You know, we’re not training against a specific adversary. What we’re training to do is to be interoperable with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.”

However, he continued, “If we’re able to do that and mass power from anywhere to anywhere at scale, then we should be able to beat any adversary and keep the Indo-Pacific region open.”

The exercise was the eleventh iteration of Talisman Sabre. The drill involved more than 40,000 troops from 19 nations.