For those who read Czech, a translation has very kindly been done of the article I wrote on the anniversary of the Soviets crushing Czechoslovakia in 1968: "Socialism Could Never Have a Human Face" (The English is here: www.kyleorton.com/p/socialism-...)

It’s bizarre to see warnings that Syria “might become” Libya. It’s detached from reality. Syria over the past 14 years has been far more disordered, violent, brutal - all under Assad, who managed to achieve the rare combination of extreme repression & total chaos, neither freedom nor stability.

It's actually over. Nearly 14 years of daily carnage in Syria, and Bashar al-Asad is gone - from power and possibly from life. An extraordinary event. Baffling. Bewildering. It still doesn't seem real and there's been a handover of power ceremony in Damascus.

Anyone interested in Syria reporting and following of news updates, here is a helpful list to start with: go.bsky.app/TpjA464

OK -- today is Day 5 of renewed major conflict in #Syria & the frontlines continue to move. Here's a new 🧵 bringing us up to speed:

'...The comments came during a call with Emirati leader Mohammed bin Zayed, an Assad ally, who “emphasised the UAE’s solidarity with Syria and its support in combating terrorism”.' www.ft.com/content/6a85...

Ukrainian forces recently regained lost positions north of Kharkiv. Geolocated footage posted 30 NOV shows Russian forces striking Ukrainian forces in a forested area southeast of Hlyboke (north of Kharkiv City), indicating that Ukrainian forces recently regained tactical positions in the area. 1/3

My directorial debut The Battle For Kyiv is available online now for 10 more days at the Byline Doc Fest. Byline TV subscribers get free access, otherwise a festival pass is available. byline.tv/docfest/

Syrian insurgents have broken into Aleppo city, eight years after they were defeated and deported, and twelve years after they first captured part of the city.

Islam is the result of a long process *after* the formation of the Arab Empire in the 630s and 640s. The question is what the Arab creed looked like before that, specifically how it related to Jews. www.kyleorton.com/p/jewish-inf...

Taliban establish new office to preserve ‘jihadi values’ amu.tv/139353/

Dozens of Storm Shadow cruise missiles have been delivered to Ukraine by the UK in recent weeks, per Bloomberg. The shipments come as Ukraine begins a new strike campaign into Russian territory, with a Storm Shadow raid already hitting a critical Russian command post in Kursk.

Hunted, Tortured, Killed. The Grim Fate of Journalists Under Russian Occupation “There are no more Ukrainian media outlets in the territories captured by Russia,” says Nastya Stanko But there are independent journalists who report anonymously—and they are hunted. united24media.com/anti-fake/hu...

Guess the disinformation filters on this site are not *that* tight after all. Unless it's a singular exemption that permits people to advocate and justify the rape and slaughter of Jews - which has proven to be a real problem in Left-wing spaces since 7 October 2023.

Criminality is the only real use case for crypto, and anyone who says otherwise is lying or delusional.

U.S. intelligence officials warned American defense companies on Thursday to increase security precautions following several acts of sabotage in Europe that officials have blamed on Russia.

NEW: Lebanese Hezbollah likely fired large numbers of rockets at Israel to pressure the Israeli government during ongoing ceasefire negotiations. Latest on Iran, Israel, and the Middle East w/ @criticalthreats.bsky.social: isw.pub/IranUpdate11... More key takeaways 🔽 🧵(1/6)

24 November 1903 | A Czech Jew, Robert Glück, was born in Prague. He was deported to Auschwitz from Theresienstadt ghetto on 28 September 1944. He did not survive.

reminder of the time john prescott was given a state banquet on a trip to Beijing and then told them it wasn’t as good as Mr Chu’s in Hull (source: hull daily mail)

Those of us who opposed the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) root-and-branch have reasons for optimism. The ICC cannot touch Israel's leaders, but this has shown that our worst forecasts about this wretched institution were accurate. Provides a focal point for collective action.

21 November 1929 | A Polish Jewish girl, Sara Brukner, was born in Warsaw. She emigrated to France. She arrived at Auschwitz on 19 August 1942 in a transport of 997 Jews deported from Drancy. She was among 897 of them murdered in gas chambers after the selection.

Happy to be on Encyclopedia geopolitica's "2025 Reading list" for my book, Hope and Despair: #Israel's future in the New Middle East You can order your copy here: hurstpublishers.com/book/hope-an... Or on Amazon: amazon.com/Hope-Despair...

Hope this was money laundering. A non-criminal explanation induces too much despair.

im on every app. im in your city, in your neighborhood. the sales associate who handed you a large when you asked for a medium? that was me. i am now behind you.

Hi 👋 Going forward, I will post our interviews here as well as Twitter/X & Instagram🪻

Did the Qur’an Exist Before Muhammad? www.kyleorton.com/p/did-the-qu...

Russia's core propaganda outlets have been nakedly lobbying in favor of Tulsi Gabbard for the past 48 hours.

Islamic State Weighs in on Donald Trump’s Re-election www.kyleorton.com/p/al-naba-46...

Commening on the 18 November Russian attack on Odesa, which killed 8 people, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy connected its timing to a recent diplomatic phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Hezbollah attacked UNIFIL today and UNIFIL would not even name Hezbollah: "Even in the 1980s, after being directly…attacked by Hezbollah…UNIFIL did nothing … When it is routinely harassed, restricted, threatened or even attacked by Hezbollah…UNIFIL does not respond." aijac.org.au/featured/uni...

"What happened to those strange Soviet front organisations such as the wealthy, spy-infested International Union of Journalists? Or the International Union of Students, which was finally expelled from its hulking concrete headquarters in Prague only in 2006" Cc @kyleworton.bsky.social

Geolocated the #Israeli airstrike on Mar Elias area. This is the second airstrike on central #Beirut today. Coordinates: 33.888769, 35.494380

Relentless pattern from Biden: > We couldn't possibly > Maybe we could but we have to assess > Assessment still ongoing > Alright then, we can The cost is thousands of Ukrainian lives every time, and in this case it comes with such a short time window (until Trump takes office) it's even worse.

This what Ukraine accomplishes with just 8 F-16's, imagine if they had 100. NATO countries have 4000 of these old planes sitting around collecting dust.

Ukraine's international partners have denounced Russia's most recent mass aerial strike launched against the country on Nov. 17.

The morality story of the FBI engaging in racist persecution of Martin Luther King is essentially the reverse of the truth. J. Edgar Hoover protected Dr. King from Southern states—and tried to protect King (and the civil rights movement) from King's missteps. www.kyleorton.com/p/martin-lut...

The IDF says it has completed a second wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut's southern suburbs a short while ago. The sites hit by fighter jets in Dahiyeh included a weapon depot, a command center, and other Hezbollah infrastructure, according to the military.

Scholz’s phone call to the Kremlin gives Putin a precious opportunity to lecture and grandstand. Any peace deal must “eliminate the original causes of the conflict,” Putin declared. The original cause of the conflict, of course, is Vladimir Putin.

The common thread for Ukraine and Israel, having to deal with hostile neighbours whose exterminationist visions are eternal: any "ceasefire" or "negotiation" is a pause while these enemies plot how to try again.

China megaport paves way into Latin America as wary US looks on

Trafficking ring preyed on victims from Romanian foster homes

Crusaders and “Assassins”: A Murder-Mystery in the Medieval Levant www.kyleorton.com/p/assassinat...

BRICS offers Turkey 'partner country' status, Turkish trade minister says www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

Memorial reveals 34 Russian sailors died in 2023 Novocherkassk ship sinking Ukrainian cruise missile strike destroyed Russian landing ship Novocherkassk in occupied Feodosia port on 26 December 2023.

How the Taliban are erasing Afghanistan’s women – photo essay www.theguardian.com/global-devel...