nah, just bored by the stuff from Florida, when really its just click bait.
Yes, you can no longer confuse kids in schools until they reach a certain age. And that of course would cut into the earnings of some people that cut of the breats of 13 year olds and castrate boys age 9 via chemicals, cause they played with the wrong toys age 18month. Someone outght to burn the witch.
And are you advocating violence against people you don't agree with or is that just something you do because it makes you feel all good?
If the Ukrainians did it, then it exposed how useless Russian air defence is, and is a symbolic strike preceding their counter-offensive
Some talk it was a false-flag operation by the Russians to motivate the population about the war.
Some talk it was Prigozhin (Wagner boss) trying to provoke Putin to take stronger action.
There is talk and rumours flying around about nuclear retaliation at the moment. I certainly hope that is not true, and I don't think Nato survellience has suggested anything untoward in that respect.
Crisis actors next? Sounds like a good old conspiracy theory
I guess if the attacks had been successful you would be celebrating, rather than casting doubt, but because they were a failure, they must have been the silly old Russians .
Amusing to speculate though
"…I guess if the attacks had been successful you would be celebrating…"
If it is Ukrainian drone attack then from being in Kyiv in three days to cancelling the big parade because they can't protect Red Square from enemy air attack is quite the journey, nes pas?
Moscow is supposed to be surrounded by an extensive air defense system. If it isn't a false flag it is right up their with Matthias Rust on the embarassment scale.
Yeah. It is hard to know who actually did this. Normally the first thing to do is look at who benefits. In this case, there are a number of actors who could have benefited in various ways.
But it isn't really clear to me. Sure, Russia has motivation for a false flag op.
But, what they are also pointing out to the Russian people is how ineffective their own air defence is, if a simple drone can get through. If it was to be a false flag, I would have thought aiming a drone at a school or hospital would tug more on the heart strings of the Russians.
If it was a flalse flag job, I am more inclined to go with the Prigozhin theory than Putin. He has been jockeying for position for awhile now, and has been trying to show how useless the Russian military are. So, this would suit his modus operandi.
The Russian winter offensive has largely run out of steam, having a parade with nothing to show for the offensive is a bad look.
The Russian and Mercenary forces in the Ukraine – around 250,000 men in combat elements – has suffered major losses in their best units. Ukrainian losses have also been grievous, but I would suggest their army is in a better shape than the Russians.
The Russians are running out of anything bigger than crew-served weapons (which means they can't mobilise much more manpower, except as cannon fodder light infatry) and generally speaking the Russian army is de-modernising. The bringing out of storage of ancient T-54/55 series tanks (a better choice than the T-62 because the T-62 has an unique 115mm gun they haven't made ammo for in decades whereas the 100mm T-55 gun is ubiquitous) and BTR-50 APCs is mind boggling, especially in the context of the Ukraine getting relatively modern Western MICVs and MBTs.
The Russian force density is only around 4-500 men per km of the battlefront, which is why they are relying on extensive field fortifications – they need to create a reserve. I would guess they plan to use relatively small numbers of lightly equipped conscripts in fixed fortifications as speed bumps to attrite and slow Ukrainian offensive break in/break out operations for long enough to move their mobile forces and airforces to counterattack.
My guess is the Ukrainians will probably seek a repeat of their last offensive, conducting a two phased operation aimed at an intial attack to draw in the Russian reserves and then a second thrust once the Russian reserves are commited. Perhaps an attack in the Svatove/Sievierdonetsk area to fix Russian reserves to defend the vital supply lines there or an attack across the Dniepr in the Kherson/Nova Karkova area a la Operation Badr in 1973 that would force the powerful Russian Air Force into an attritional battle against Ukrainian missile batteries. This latter option is very risky but would have the advantage of drawing Russian reserves to the west of Mariupol as they would have to destroy the bridgeheads in case the Ukrainians then conduct mobile operations east to Melitopol, north east to Vasylivka and south east to the Crima. Such attacks would also out flank the fixed, largely east-west orientated Russian field defenses.
In any event, there will almost certainly be an attack between Volnovakha and Polohy towards Mariupol and with the aim of cutting off all communications and supplies to the Crimea and Russian forces west of that place & getting to the Black Sea – where they can destroy the Kerch bridge and then settle down to starve out the Crimea and force it’s surrender.
Anyway, a two pronged attack where if either was successful it could be quickly reinforced and either would mean the Russians would suffer a big defeat must be the desire.
I know the Russians have kilometres of trenches etc. But, the problem is their troop density per kilometre. Basically, they can't defend everywhere.
So, I think the Ukrainian strategy will be to try and force the Russians to shift their troops to a location where they think the Ukrainians are attacking, then attack somewhere else as well. So, we may see a number of feints.
And, the problem with static defence is that it is that: static. Compared to the Ukrainians who can move around. Especially when Ukraine has access to highly detailed satellite pics, and highly precise weapons.
I wouldn't want to be a Russian soldier in a trench tbh.
looked like security cam/webcam footage to me. Static, not handheld, of a local point of interest.
As for the two on the roof, maybe they were literal flag operatives. Or cleaners. Or dudes laying poison for the birds that necessitate cleaners. Or guards on a routine external. Amazing what happens on rooftops at night, even without students in the area.
Dunno about the range and model of drone. But hitting the flagpole could just be an artifact of GPS guidance with a waypoint over the building.
Putes has a parade in that very location next week. lol. Guess the body double will be working that gig.
I am certainly not ruling out the Ukrainians. But the whole thing is a bit weird.
Maybe it was people inside Moscow, Ukrainian or otherwise, with some sort of small drone. That would likely explain how they managed to avoid air defence.
No more weird than a cessna landing in Red Square.
They're fighting a war and don't have unlimited resources. The Ukrainians will be starting an offensive soon (it's getting to Chekov's Offensive territory because of the weather – use it or get it off the table), so lots of anti-drone-capable defenses will be in the occupied areas. Borders still have to be covered. As do strategic facilities in the arse end of Siberia. Are we assuming those areas haven't been pared back to suboptimal levels already? Low altitude drones are a beast different to what S400s are designed to hit.
It's also possible the drones were low-level longe range reconnaissance and not intended to go boom at all, unless they were damaged.
But if intentional, the juice for Ukrainians in this isn't hitting putin. It's in giving the Russians a week to drag a whole bunch more short-range AA back to Moscow for the nice parade where he announces the capture of Bakhmut. From the ukrainian perspective it's Sun Tzu shit – force the enemy to be where you are not.
The parade itself would likely have too much potential civilian casualties to serve Ukrainian strategic goals. That would interrupt the eager flow of guns & ammo from Europe and the USA and Turkey. But how many generals would take that bet? A failure there would be more visible than the inevitable 9 May present for the occupied territories.
I suspect it's more likely that Russia releasing info and posing it as "attempt on putins life" as a way to try to help the next drawdown for cannon fodder, making lemonade out of lemons. If they wanted to justify tactical nukes putin would blow up apartment buildings in the suburbs of moscow. Again (allegedly).
Although I wonder how many oligarchs would happily send their own drones to kill him.
But if intentional, the juice for Ukrainians in this isn't hitting putin. It's in giving the Russians a week to drag a whole bunch more short-range AA back to Moscow.
I thought they had cancelled the parade due to security concerns. But, from what I saw, they had a lot of air defence that was to be in the parade.
But, I imagine the Russians will be moving more of their gear back to Moscow.
I think one of the issues with those small, slow moving drones is that air defence radar struggles to distinguish them from birds sometimes.
I understand they have been launching drones at some of the Russian airfields nearby with the aim of forcing the Russians to move their planes further away so the Ukrainians have more warning about air-borne missile launches.
These drones are low and small and slow. They do apparently sometimes get filtered out by constraints designed to detect jets from 200km or mortar rounds from 1km, but finding something low from the ground has a range limited by topography and curvature, and an airborne platform needs to be able to separate it from the terrain and cars.
The attacks in depth aren't drone hordes yet (idea being that if you send enough only one needs to get through), so some folks I've been reading are arguing they're mostly still probing. But there's a pattern of attacks against fuel supplies, which is interesting. Are they looking to have putes commit to a feint and not have the fuel to get back, or simply fix the russians in place so that the ukrainians always have the weight at point of contact? Not a good day to be a Russian general. Good.
Been looking every few days/week and leaving whenever the usual stupidities turn up. Sometimes very short visits. Most of the usual tory/tankie/bigot conversations are still around. Although less medical woo-woo, so there's that I guess.
Checked up today mostly because I'm short on NZ pols news and looking to refresh it after the tpm/labour thing.
The "false flag" bs popped out and I bit. It probably won't become a habit anytime soon.
Putin's illogical little rant is "how dare those Ukrainians attack targets in Russia. Its not like a war , we were just defending Russian sovereignty, and now those miserable Ukrainians want to make it into a real war by attacking us! "
Obviously I (like almost everyone) have no idea of who did this, or exactly what happened.
The Ukrainians have generally been very strategic and mostly focus on removing the Russians from Ukraine. I doubt they think such an attack would be particularly useful, so makes me doubt whether it was them. But who knows.
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Oz is facing a housing crisis – AirB&b short term rentals are clearly a major factor.
This contributor to housing market shortage is missed time and time again in NZ, not even measured. About time to regulate the size of this corner of the market, and to make it pay its way. Then homeless people can shift out of motels into homes, and travellers back into motels.
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Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
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Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
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Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
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Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
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The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
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The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
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Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Nobody tell Ron DeSantis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8LsIx_y6Gg
Why, does anyone of us live in Florida USA and has voting rights there?
Crickey, so salty. Did the kid whose ball you confiscated off your front lawn yesterday come back with his big dad and give you a hiding or something?
nah, just bored by the stuff from Florida, when really its just click bait.
Yes, you can no longer confuse kids in schools until they reach a certain age. And that of course would cut into the earnings of some people that cut of the breats of 13 year olds and castrate boys age 9 via chemicals, cause they played with the wrong toys age 18month. Someone outght to burn the witch.
And are you advocating violence against people you don't agree with or is that just something you do because it makes you feel all good?
It was very poor taste and is now on my radar. However, there was no advocating as such.
Please don't use violence, not even 'in jest'. The Mods tend to take a hard line on this.
Crazy stuff. Drones just hit the Kremlin.
The question is who did it:
If the Ukrainians did it, then it exposed how useless Russian air defence is, and is a symbolic strike preceding their counter-offensive
Some talk it was a false-flag operation by the Russians to motivate the population about the war.
Some talk it was Prigozhin (Wagner boss) trying to provoke Putin to take stronger action.
There is talk and rumours flying around about nuclear retaliation at the moment. I certainly hope that is not true, and I don't think Nato survellience has suggested anything untoward in that respect.
But, interesting times.
Probably either 2nd Amendment actors from Russia or the Ukraine or a false flag.
If it was a false flag, top marks to the Ruskies for actually hitting a flag.
If it is the work of “concerned of Kyiv” (or Kursk) then I salute their ambition.
Suspiciously there were two people on the Kremlin roof at that moment. Perhaps with fire extinguishers in case it got out of hand.
And, someone conveniently was there to film it.
So, a bit fishy. And you are right. A good effort to hit a flag with a false flag operation LOL.
False flag operation ?
Crisis actors next? Sounds like a good old conspiracy theory
I guess if the attacks had been successful you would be celebrating, rather than casting doubt, but because they were a failure, they must have been the silly old Russians .
Amusing to speculate though
It looks like the drones were quite small. So, highly doubtful they would have had the range to make it all the way from Ukraine.
And, those two guys on the roof? What the heck were they doing there right at that time other than to put the fire out if it got too intense.
And, who is saying it was a failure? Which ever side did it likely thinks it achieved its purpose.
"…I guess if the attacks had been successful you would be celebrating…"
If it is Ukrainian drone attack then from being in Kyiv in three days to cancelling the big parade because they can't protect Red Square from enemy air attack is quite the journey, nes pas?
Moscow is supposed to be surrounded by an extensive air defense system. If it isn't a false flag it is right up their with Matthias Rust on the embarassment scale.
ISW think it was a false flag attack on the flag to get Russians more interested in supporting the war effort.
https://twitter.com/TheGrayzoneNews/status/1653476546244427826?cxt=HHwW5IC29ZCKqvItAAAA
That would be a challenge that no Russian teenager into drones could resist. Even looked like a Molotov cocktail going off.
Most Russian teens could resist killing Ukrainian civilians doing their supermarket shop, though.
//
That is the 2nd amendment actors I was referring to!
Certainly vindicates Poots' decision to cancel victory day parades because of safety concerns.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/02/russian-regions-scrap-victory-day-parades-amid-fear-of-ukraine-strikes
Yeah. It is hard to know who actually did this. Normally the first thing to do is look at who benefits. In this case, there are a number of actors who could have benefited in various ways.
The ISW are picking a false flag.
https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1653906530087890947?cxt=HHwWhsCzmb7O7fMtAAAA
I saw that as well.
But it isn't really clear to me. Sure, Russia has motivation for a false flag op.
But, what they are also pointing out to the Russian people is how ineffective their own air defence is, if a simple drone can get through. If it was to be a false flag, I would have thought aiming a drone at a school or hospital would tug more on the heart strings of the Russians.
If it was a flalse flag job, I am more inclined to go with the Prigozhin theory than Putin. He has been jockeying for position for awhile now, and has been trying to show how useless the Russian military are. So, this would suit his modus operandi.
The Russian winter offensive has largely run out of steam, having a parade with nothing to show for the offensive is a bad look.
The Russian and Mercenary forces in the Ukraine – around 250,000 men in combat elements – has suffered major losses in their best units. Ukrainian losses have also been grievous, but I would suggest their army is in a better shape than the Russians.
The Russians are running out of anything bigger than crew-served weapons (which means they can't mobilise much more manpower, except as cannon fodder light infatry) and generally speaking the Russian army is de-modernising. The bringing out of storage of ancient T-54/55 series tanks (a better choice than the T-62 because the T-62 has an unique 115mm gun they haven't made ammo for in decades whereas the 100mm T-55 gun is ubiquitous) and BTR-50 APCs is mind boggling, especially in the context of the Ukraine getting relatively modern Western MICVs and MBTs.
The Russian force density is only around 4-500 men per km of the battlefront, which is why they are relying on extensive field fortifications – they need to create a reserve. I would guess they plan to use relatively small numbers of lightly equipped conscripts in fixed fortifications as speed bumps to attrite and slow Ukrainian offensive break in/break out operations for long enough to move their mobile forces and airforces to counterattack.
My guess is the Ukrainians will probably seek a repeat of their last offensive, conducting a two phased operation aimed at an intial attack to draw in the Russian reserves and then a second thrust once the Russian reserves are commited. Perhaps an attack in the Svatove/Sievierdonetsk area to fix Russian reserves to defend the vital supply lines there or an attack across the Dniepr in the Kherson/Nova Karkova area a la Operation Badr in 1973 that would force the powerful Russian Air Force into an attritional battle against Ukrainian missile batteries. This latter option is very risky but would have the advantage of drawing Russian reserves to the west of Mariupol as they would have to destroy the bridgeheads in case the Ukrainians then conduct mobile operations east to Melitopol, north east to Vasylivka and south east to the Crima. Such attacks would also out flank the fixed, largely east-west orientated Russian field defenses.
In any event, there will almost certainly be an attack between Volnovakha and Polohy towards Mariupol and with the aim of cutting off all communications and supplies to the Crimea and Russian forces west of that place & getting to the Black Sea – where they can destroy the Kerch bridge and then settle down to starve out the Crimea and force it’s surrender.
Anyway, a two pronged attack where if either was successful it could be quickly reinforced and either would mean the Russians would suffer a big defeat must be the desire.
I know the Russians have kilometres of trenches etc. But, the problem is their troop density per kilometre. Basically, they can't defend everywhere.
So, I think the Ukrainian strategy will be to try and force the Russians to shift their troops to a location where they think the Ukrainians are attacking, then attack somewhere else as well. So, we may see a number of feints.
And, the problem with static defence is that it is that: static. Compared to the Ukrainians who can move around. Especially when Ukraine has access to highly detailed satellite pics, and highly precise weapons.
I wouldn't want to be a Russian soldier in a trench tbh.
More opining.
Four Possibilities for the Kremlin Attack
Moscow claims Ukraine struck the Kremlin. The truth is likely worse.
By Tom Nichols
https://archive.li/h0YiG (the atlantic)
looked like security cam/webcam footage to me. Static, not handheld, of a local point of interest.
As for the two on the roof, maybe they were literal flag operatives. Or cleaners. Or dudes laying poison for the birds that necessitate cleaners. Or guards on a routine external. Amazing what happens on rooftops at night, even without students in the area.
Dunno about the range and model of drone. But hitting the flagpole could just be an artifact of GPS guidance with a waypoint over the building.
Putes has a parade in that very location next week. lol. Guess the body double will be working that gig.
I am certainly not ruling out the Ukrainians. But the whole thing is a bit weird.
Maybe it was people inside Moscow, Ukrainian or otherwise, with some sort of small drone. That would likely explain how they managed to avoid air defence.
No more weird than a cessna landing in Red Square.
They're fighting a war and don't have unlimited resources. The Ukrainians will be starting an offensive soon (it's getting to Chekov's Offensive territory because of the weather – use it or get it off the table), so lots of anti-drone-capable defenses will be in the occupied areas. Borders still have to be covered. As do strategic facilities in the arse end of Siberia. Are we assuming those areas haven't been pared back to suboptimal levels already? Low altitude drones are a beast different to what S400s are designed to hit.
It's also possible the drones were low-level longe range reconnaissance and not intended to go boom at all, unless they were damaged.
But if intentional, the juice for Ukrainians in this isn't hitting putin. It's in giving the Russians a week to drag a whole bunch more short-range AA back to Moscow for the nice parade where he announces the capture of Bakhmut. From the ukrainian perspective it's Sun Tzu shit – force the enemy to be where you are not.
The parade itself would likely have too much potential civilian casualties to serve Ukrainian strategic goals. That would interrupt the eager flow of guns & ammo from Europe and the USA and Turkey. But how many generals would take that bet? A failure there would be more visible than the inevitable 9 May present for the occupied territories.
I suspect it's more likely that Russia releasing info and posing it as "attempt on putins life" as a way to try to help the next drawdown for cannon fodder, making lemonade out of lemons. If they wanted to justify tactical nukes putin would blow up apartment buildings in the suburbs of moscow. Again (allegedly).
Although I wonder how many oligarchs would happily send their own drones to kill him.
I thought they had cancelled the parade due to security concerns. But, from what I saw, they had a lot of air defence that was to be in the parade.
But, I imagine the Russians will be moving more of their gear back to Moscow.
I think one of the issues with those small, slow moving drones is that air defence radar struggles to distinguish them from birds sometimes.
I understand they have been launching drones at some of the Russian airfields nearby with the aim of forcing the Russians to move their planes further away so the Ukrainians have more warning about air-borne missile launches.
Not cancelled from two days ago, apparently.
These drones are low and small and slow. They do apparently sometimes get filtered out by constraints designed to detect jets from 200km or mortar rounds from 1km, but finding something low from the ground has a range limited by topography and curvature, and an airborne platform needs to be able to separate it from the terrain and cars.
The attacks in depth aren't drone hordes yet (idea being that if you send enough only one needs to get through), so some folks I've been reading are arguing they're mostly still probing. But there's a pattern of attacks against fuel supplies, which is interesting. Are they looking to have putes commit to a feint and not have the fuel to get back, or simply fix the russians in place so that the ukrainians always have the weight at point of contact? Not a good day to be a Russian general. Good.
Welcome back, stranger.
Been looking every few days/week and leaving whenever the usual stupidities turn up. Sometimes very short visits. Most of the usual tory/tankie/bigot conversations are still around. Although less medical woo-woo, so there's that I guess.
Checked up today mostly because I'm short on NZ pols news and looking to refresh it after the tpm/labour thing.
The "false flag" bs popped out and I bit. It probably won't become a habit anytime soon.
Wollt ihr den totalen krieg. 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportpalast_speech
Putin's illogical little rant is "how dare those Ukrainians attack targets in Russia. Its not like a war , we were just defending Russian sovereignty, and now those miserable Ukrainians want to make it into a real war by attacking us! "
Deeply strange stuff from the Russians – Dmitry Medvedev was having a little tanty this morning saying
"…there are no options left aside the physical elimination of Zelensky and his cabal..,”
As if they haven't been trying to kill him for the last 14 months…
Looked like a low budget b grade movie, which I expect is what it was
Obviously I (like almost everyone) have no idea of who did this, or exactly what happened.
The Ukrainians have generally been very strategic and mostly focus on removing the Russians from Ukraine. I doubt they think such an attack would be particularly useful, so makes me doubt whether it was them. But who knows.
On "World Press Freedom Day" there are several local media outlets that could do with a copy of this.
https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/new-media-handbook/?fbclid=IwAR0xVvXrfIehgb5DfpepVbA9UnF7Yd766QkZsbuH5hKHysLxYk49WO2Yyrw
"This media handbook from Sex Matters aims to help editors and reporters find their way back to professional excellence. It explains when and why it is both reasonable and right to talk about people’s sex, and the harms that result if they fail to do so. It is based on UK law, but its guiding principles – clarity, accuracy, balance and editorial independence – are universal, meaning that it will be useful for journalists elsewhere too."
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/04/short-term-rental-properties-in-nsw-surge-by-13000-since-december-2021
Oz is facing a housing crisis – AirB&b short term rentals are clearly a major factor.
This contributor to housing market shortage is missed time and time again in NZ, not even measured. About time to regulate the size of this corner of the market, and to make it pay its way. Then homeless people can shift out of motels into homes, and travellers back into motels.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131951550/green-mp-elizabeth-kerekere-to-break-silence-amid-bullying-probe
Will she go full Sharma, ?
Or will she toddler off to te party Maori ?
Or will they kiss and make up??
not a team player by the looks of things.
In the TV program Housing this week fronted by Clarke Gayford, he made a casual remark as the truck he was in passed through the town of Seddon. I thought it was rather funny.
"This town was named after the second best Prime Minister of New Zealand."
Turns out Chris Bishop, a former cancer stick apologist, is not above fronting that sort of logic in the housing debate. No source for his claims a frontline housing charity wants this. And many, many frontline groups who do not…
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/04-05-2023/we-cant-find-the-charity-that-told-chris-bishop-to-bring-back-no-cause-evictions