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Downing Street officials prepare plan for announcing death of Larry the cat. Government sources told The Times that a press release and graphics are drafted “ready for the sad day he goes”.

Pictures, selected to be published upon news of his death, are reportedly stored in folders on the No 10 IT system as part of a plan to inform the public. The cat, who was adopted from Battersea Cats Home, was first brought into Downing Street by David Cameron as a pet for his children and has since outlasted five prime ministers.

While one source said that, at present, Larry is “doing OK”, another said: “We felt it had to be handled so sensitively.”

seems like afd will get 1st place, bsw will come 3rd after cdu in thuringia (according to exit polls). Germany as expected

Breaking News: It's Monday in Burgerland. I'd rather be in bed.

Can any Ukraine watchers tell me if the fascist regiments absorbed into the AFU are taking less losses than the rest of the AFU. I keep trying to understand why Ukraine is dragging this war on, and outside of the normal reason, one of the thing so have been wondering is whether the fascists in government are using the war as a way to rid itself of opposition.

Switzerland lifts ban on the development of nuclear power plants due to geopolitical tension and climate targets

• Nationwide Blackout Hits Venezuela for Second Time, Far-Right Opposition Allegedly Responsible
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• Nicanotes: Nicaragua: cooperation, not conspiracy - Alliance for Global Justice
• West Bank Resistance Launches Operation Terror of the Camps
• “Beauvoir and Belle: A Black Feminist Critique of The Second Sex” – Book Review

I had asked this question in askchapo a while ago but a recent comment here from @refolde@hexbear.net reminded me to ask again: Has there at any point in history been a positive turn in a public figure? The closest I can find is Emperor Puyi who was forced to rehabilitate. Has anyone suddenly gained a conscience and stopped doing evil stuff? You know, like a based version of St. Paul?

I was dreaming that the newest generation of South Africans was just a tad more radicalised and demanded that Glencore immediately suspend coal shipments to isnotreal, else they would burn down their corporate office in Johannesburg; ideally with the executives still inside,

Death to shit-loaded-diaper-real

Interesting point from Simplicius (chud with decent military analysis) about the collapse of the Donbas front

But my contention is that, if and when we start seeing multiple Ukrainian fronts collapsing at the same time, that will be the final siren song notifying us that the ‘snowball effect’ has truly begun and that Russian manpower is now overwhelmingly superior as a generality. That’s because as a last desperation move, Ukraine would be forced to pull forces from other fronts just to plug holes to keep from being entirely overrun and surrounded. The fact they’re not necessarily doing this yet likely means there are still some reserves available. When those reserves run out, it can create a cascading effect where reserves are pulled from other fronts, and then those fronts subsequently begin collapsing just as fast as the Pokrovsk one. Only then can we say that the AFU’s final stanza has begun.

We are not yet seeing a general collapse which means Ukraine must have some ability to manage unit rotations and some reserves left. Wait for two or more ongoing collapses before calling it curtains.

Big arrows soon?

By looking at this poll i can instantly imagine something about reform voters:

Going on record as team nothing ever happens with the Prokhorovka direction and the collapse of the Donbas line. I think it’s too big and too defensible to fall quickly or to abandon without a fight. No big arrows until spring at least by which time Ukraine has a new army and some kind of next defensive line has been built.

Attack on Venezuela's Power Grid Update:

VP Delcy Rodríguez is at the electric grid "headquarters" in eastern Venezuela overseeing the restoration of the power supply following today's nationwide blackout. The government pointed the finger at a sabotage attack against the transmission system

Guri Dam and the majestic Caroní River (which meets the Orinoco 100km downstream). This massive hydroelectric plant, finished in 1986, is the main source of electricity in Venezuela. And that's a problem.

With Guri being responsible for 80% or more of the country's electricity (there's no official data on this but it's more or less assumed), it becomes an obvious target. Like we saw in 2019 and again today, an issue at Guri can leave the whole country in the dark

TV detectives always talk about "means, motive and opportunity." The far-right opp. certainly has the motive, the means and opportunity still need to be clarified b/c this is highly strategic infrastructure. Though the situation was quickly solved,it still exposed a vulnerability

And beyond investigating today's alleged attack, meting out justice and reinforcing defenses, there is still a larger debate about Venezuela's electric grid and the outsized dependence on Guri. This did not start now, not even in 2019, but was exposed as a major issue in 2009

A major electrical crisis showed that, w/ the country's fast growth, there just wasn't enough electrical generation to keep up. The Chávez government put forward an ambitious plan to rapidly improve Venezuela's electric infrastructure, w/ dozens of new generation sources planned

The plan did bring short-term relief but many major works were never completed as the economic crisis, corruption issues and later US sanctions got in the way.This included plants that would have lessened the dependence on Guri for the westernmost states (which are farthest away)

The infrastructure works also included a number of thermoelectric plants to provide backup for the Guri Dam. However, US sanctions specifically targeted the oil sector and swap deals that provided diesel, which remains carefully rationed given its importance for agriculture

Not really news, but the Foreign Minister of Isn'treal is using AI-generated Nazi propaganda to smear Iran.
xcancel link

The FAMa carried out air strikes in the Tinzawatèn area, on the border with Algeria, allegedly neutralizing around twenty armed men.

According to the army, the "precision" attack targeted "terrorist" elements.
Azawad rebels and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) said the attack left 21 civilians dead, including several children. (the source I use ENTRE GUERRAS had pictures of the dead children)
Some of the wounded were taken to Algerian territory, according to local sources.

Compelling strategic argument from former Tunisian general on Hezbollah' -and by extension, the resistance- guerilla strategy of escalation. "Nothing ever happens" is carefully considered.

As agonizing as it is, I'm inclined to agree making the confrontation more direct wouldn't necessarily improve the situation. Clearer minds need make difficult decisions.

The mechanism through which all concessions in history have been extracted has been fear. Anyone seeking concessions who is acting truly strategically should support those who generate the most fear. The problem with socdems and radlibs is that they're mostly not acting very strategically. They do not understand the mechanism or that increasing the forces to the left of them is the necessary pressure that ultimately achieves the goals they have.