Category: World

China has deployed about 90 Navy and Coast Guard ships near Taiwan, two – thirds of which are military vessels. In response, Taiwan stepped up training and established emergency centers.

China has deployed nearly 90 Navy and Coast Guard ships, two-thirds of which are warships. This is reported by Reuters on its website with reference to a high-ranking official of the Taiwanese security service, reports UNN.

There are about 90 ships of the Chinese navy and Coast Guard in the waters off Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands, the East China and South China Seas, about two-thirds of which are military vessels.

In response, the Taiwanese military set up emergency centers, as well as stepped up "combat readiness exercises" at strategic points. Taiwanese naval forces and Coast Guard boats will monitor Chinese ships.

Any unilateral, irrational and provocative actions can seriously affect peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and are not welcomed by the international community

– said the Ministry of defense of Taiwan.

Recall

Taiwan's Defense Ministry has reported 16 Chinese warships near the island and expects new maneuvers. China reacted sharply to the visit of the Taiwanese president to the United States and American support for the island.

Russia has established a supply chain of American microchips and chips used for the production of weapons from the online store of Texas Instruments, or TI store.

Source: Bloomberg

Details: It is worth noting that Russian distributors replicate information from the TI store online marketplace to their trading platforms, allowing clients to view semiconductor availability and costs before placing an order.

Getchips.ru and altchips.ru are two Russian sites that sell TI products for a 40% markup.

US officials have established that Russian portals get entire product information via the Texas Instruments API (an application programming interface that allows companies to exchange data).

TI provides its partners with an API that allows them to view prices, product availability, order details, and so on. In some circumstances, authorised users of this API, such as price comparison websites, combine this data with additional sources to create a new API.

TI asserts that it does not provide its API to any Russian company, and that any companies that have access to it must go through a verification process.

According to Bloomberg, Russian distributors replicate product information from a Western company's website without direct access to the Texas Instruments API. However, it was not possible to determine the name of this company.

Reports say that the Russian government must first approve the acquisition before ordering and supplying the essential equipment to at least one intermediate country.

Records reviewed by Bloomberg show that Hong Kong-based intermediaries include Sure Technology, Chipower Electronics, and Horsway Tech.

Goods are mostly delivered from Hong Kong and Russia by Sea Global SCM and the Russian aircraft Aeroflot.

By August 2024, one of the largest Russian distributors had handled over 4,000 orders for hundreds of thousands of TI store goods totalling over US$6 million. Orders of over US$4 million were planned for Russian military businesses.

Previously, the US authorities accused the TI store of lax oversight over online sales. At the same time, the online store claims to regularly review and cancel thousands of orders that seem suspicious.

TI chips, in particular, were discovered in Russian Kinzhal missiles and Lancet-3 attack drones. Since the outbreak of the full-scale war, Ukrainian investigators have discovered over 4,000 Western components in Russian weapons, with Texas Instruments accounting for 14% of the total.

Background:

• India plays a vital role in supplying Russia with powerful Nvidia AI chips, while Malaysia has emerged as the primary provider of technology.
• Russia manages to circumvent sanctions by purchasing electronic components from Western businesses for its missiles, twice overpaying for them.

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The Jerome family from Rinteln decorated their home with 605 Christmas trees, using 120 thousand decorations and 50 thousand light bulbs. This is the seventh family record since 2017, surpassing last year's figure of 555 Christmas trees.

A German family has set a world record for the number of decorated Christmas trees. Their home in Rinteln now has 605 Christmas trees decorated with more than 120,000 ornaments, 50,000 light bulbs, and thousands of Christmas figures. This was reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.

Details

"It's just unbelievable!"- said Thomas Eromin, who together with his family set a record.

He noted that the process of decorating Christmas trees is very soothing for him.

Christmas trees occupy almost the entire house, even the toilet, but there are also rooms that can not be entered — the bedroom and their daughter's room.

"There's always a place — or a room, or a corner, or a ceiling, or walls," explains Suzanne Eromin, explaining how they managed to fit so many Christmas trees in their home.

This is not the first time the family has set a record. They broke their own achievement six times, including from 2017 to 2021 and again in 2023. Last year there were 555 Christmas trees in their house, but this year they decided to surpass themselves.

One person was killed, and two others were injured in Russian strikes on Kherson on the morning of 9 December.

Source: Roman Mrochko, Head of Kherson City Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote from Mrochko: "The enemy used a drone to attack a vehicle in the Dniprovskyi district of the city at around 11:30. An unidentified man sustained fatal injuries."

Details: Another man was injured when explosives were dropped from a drone in the suburbs of Kherson. The local resident, 61, sustained shrapnel wounds.

Russian forces attacked the central part of Kherson from the temporarily occupied left bank of Dnipro river, injuring a woman, 44, who was outside at the time, at around 10:30. She was taken to hospital with blast trauma and shrapnel wounds.

Additionally, the Russians targeted a vehicle belonging to one of Kherson’s municipal enterprises, using a drone.

"The workers were in the suburbs at the time. They were lucky to survive. Three municipal employees are experiencing acute stress reactions. The photo shows the municipal vehicle after the enemy drone strike," Mrochko wrote.

Update: Later, local authorities reported that Russian forces again attacked Kherson with a UAV at around 12:30. A man, 61, who was walking home, was injured when explosives were dropped from the drone. He was taken to hospital with blast injuries and a leg wound.

Background: Earlier, the Financial Times reported that Russia is using civilians in Ukrainian cities to hone in its kamikaze drone attacks and improve drone operators’ skills.

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Gas prices in Europe continue to decline due to mild and windy weather. Storm Darrag increased wind power production, which reduced the use of gas for electricity.

Natural gas prices in Europe fell for the fifth consecutive day, as mild and windy weather helped protect stocks from faster depletion. Gas futures fell on Monday after falling 2.8% last week. This is reported by Bloomberg, reports UNN.

Details

Over the weekend, a road storm passed through the UK, which contributed to an increase in electricity production from wind and reduced the use of gas for electricity generation.

Temperatures are expected to drop slightly in the coming days and wind speeds will subside, but mild and windy weather will return next week. This could reduce gas consumption when new supplies start arriving in Europe, ensuring record imports of liquefied natural gas since January.

Some LPG supplies have been delayed in Wales due to a stormy weekend, but one ship is already being unloaded and four more are due to arrive this week, according to data provided by Bloomberg and port authorities.

Demand in Asia will remain low as China, the largest consumer, may resell more shipments of liquefied natural gas. This is due to weak domestic demand and better resale prices, according to Chinese importer ENN Group.

Gas futures in the Netherlands, the European benchmark, fell 0.7% to €46.16 per megawatt-hour as of 08:49 am in Amsterdam. The same indicator for the UK fell by 1.1%.

recall

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin canceled obligations for foreign companies to pay for Russian gas only through Gazprombank amid US sanctions.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for Russia's leader, stated on Monday, 9 December, that the Kremlin is working to establish contact in Syria with individuals or groups capable of ensuring the security of its military bases.

Source: Kremlin-aligned news agency RIA Novosti; CNN Turk; the Russian Latvia-based media outlet Meduza

Details: Peskov stated that it is too early to discuss Russia’s continued military presence in Syria, as this will be determined through negotiations with the country’s future authorities.

Quote: "It’s premature to address this now. In any case, this will be a matter of discussion with whoever holds power in Syria," said Putin’s spokesperson.

Media reports indicate that Russia has requested Türkiye’s assistance to ensure the safe withdrawal of its troops from Syria. The troops are expected to be moved to Turkish-controlled areas before being airlifted back to Russia.

CNN Turk reports that while Russia plans to retain its bases in Tartus and Khmeimim, it has sought Turkey’s help to withdraw forces from other parts of the region.

Peskov also confirmed that Moscow is in talks with Ankara regarding Syria.

Quote: "We are in dialogue with other regional states, particularly about developments in Syria. Syria is entering a very challenging period of instability, and maintaining dialogue with all regional countries is vital. We are committed to continuing consultations and analysing the situation," he said.

Background:

• On the morning of 8 December, Syrian rebels announced the liberation of Damascus, the capital of Syria, with President Assad reportedly fleeing.
• The Institute for the Study of War reports that the loss of military bases in Syria could significantly hinder the Kremlin’s ability to conduct operations in Africa. This setback would weaken Russia’s influence in Libya and Sub-Saharan Africa while also raising doubts about its sway over authoritarian regimes across the continent.

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Yoon Sok Yol was banned from leaving the country after a failed attempt to impose martial law. The president became the subject of a criminal investigation, and his party delegated powers to the Prime Minister.

South Korean President Yoon Sok Yol was banned from leaving the country due to an unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law. This led to a criminal investigation against him, as well as aggravated the political crisis, against which there are increasingly calls for his resignation.

This is reported by Reuters, reports UNN.

Details

The head of the high-ranking Corruption Investigation Office, Oh Dong-UN, said that Yoon Sok Yol was banned from leaving the country. A representative of the Ministry of Justice confirmed the implementation of this decision. The president was also the target of a criminal investigation on charges of treason after a failed attempt to impose martial law, which was lifted just six hours after parliament voted against.

Political crisis and resignation demands

Yoon apologized for his actions, but did not resign, leaving his fate to his power of the People Party. However, the party decided to delegate presidential powers to the prime minister, which caused a constitutional crisis. The opposition insists on immediate impeachment and bringing the president to justice.

At the same time, the arrest of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun for his involvement in an attempt to impose martial law escalated the conflict. Many senior military officials, including the acting defense minister, have openly stated that they will not carry out such orders in the future.

Geopolitical influence

Yoon's decision to declare a state of emergency sparked protests in the streets and raised concerns among Seoul's allies. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin canceled plans to travel to South Korea, and US Secretary of State Anthony Blenken called his Korean counterpart, saying he expected the democratic process to win.

It is noted that the United States has 28,500 military personnel in South Korea, which is a legacy of the Korean War of 1950-1953.

Amid internal turmoil, the region remains tense: North Korea is providing military assistance to Russia in the war against Ukraine. This increases the challenges to security and stability in the region.

Economic consequences

The political crisis also poses a threat to Asia's fourth-largest economy. The Opposition warns of possible irreversible consequences for financial markets, while government agencies have already stepped up plans to stabilize the situation by the end of December.

Development prospects

The crisis in South Korea is at a critical stage. On the one hand, there is growing pressure on Yuna to resign, and on the other hand, the president's party is creating a working group for an orderly transition of power. There is a debate in society and among experts about whether the prime minister is capable of performing the functions of the head of state.

The fate of President Yoon is still uncertain.

recall

A special forces officer revealed the truth about a scandalous raid on the South Korean parliament.He stated that the soldiers acted on the orders of the former defense minister, who later resigned.

An off-road Toyota car has been blown up in the temporarily occupied city of Donetsk.

Source: RIA Novosti, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlet; Russian Telegram channels

Details: The propagandists also published a video from the scene. It shows a damaged car. The driver's seat suffered the most from the explosion.

В окупованому Донецьку вибухнув позашляховик "Тойота". Відео "РИА Новости" pic.twitter.com/05PpHVUYU4

— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) December 9, 2024

It also shows several people trying to help the driver.

Russian Telegram channels reported that the explosion had killed Sergei Yevsyukov, the head of the Olenivka penal colony that was used as a torture chamber. His wife is in a serious condition in hospital – her leg was torn off.

Внаслідок вибуху в окупованому Донецьку загинув начальник Оленівської колонії Сергій Євсюков. Його дружині відірвало ногу, вона у важкому стані в лікарні, пишуть російські пабліки в Telegram. Відео з Telegram-каналу Mash pic.twitter.com/AayQCnGmL8

— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) December 9, 2024

Mash, a Russian Telegram channel, said that an explosive substance, about 100 grams of TNT equivalent, was placed under the bottom of the Toyota Land Cruiser.

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In the Netherlands, a 43-year-old engineer from Russia was banned from entering for 20 years for stealing ASML technological secrets. The suspect could sell stolen chip manufacturing data for tens of thousands of euros.

Kolishnogo spivrobitnika virobnika chiniv ASML zvinuvachuyut have kradizhtsi komertsiyno taimnitsi. Transferє UNN iz posilannyam on Nederlandse Omroep Stichting.

A former employee of ASML, a manufacturer of chip machines, has been banned from entering the Netherlands for 20 years.

An investigation by Nieuwsuur reveals that the man in question is a Russian engineer at the age of 43. He is a defendant in a court case in which he is accused of several violations of sanctions legislation. For several years, he has been suspected of stealing documents, in particular, instructions for chips, from ASML and Mapper Lithography, a company engaged in chip manufacturing technologies.

The United States imposes a ban on the supply of Taiwanese AI microchips to ChinaNov 10 2024, 11:10 AM • 23090 views

According to media reports, the Russian engineer could sell the stolen data for tens of thousands of euros. This, in turn, could help Russia realize its technological ambitions – for example, the production of important chips (7-nm). Currently, Russia is able to produce only outdated systems using 65-nm technology, which significantly limits its technological capabilities.

As for ASML, there have already been cases of theft . in 2019, former Chinese employees stole trade secrets on a large scale. Thanks to this, they founded a competitor to ASML – XTAL.

And in 2023, a Chinese employee took information about the company's advanced technologies. He later moved to work for Huawei, which also makes chips.

Given our unique position and growing geopolitical tensions in the chip industry, we see growing security risks

– the company admitted then.

recall

A Dutch citizen living in Moscow has built a thriving businessby importing Western goods such as Nike and Lego to Russia through intermediaries, bypassing the companies ' policy of refusing to sell in Russia.

How the Russian Federation gets microchips for missiles and fighters: a scheme through Lukashenka's companiesNov 27 2024, 12:40 PM • 15962 views