Monday, October 14, 2024

Nile Basin Nations Say Water-sharing Accord Has Come into Force Without Egypt’s Backing

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA

7:27 AM EDT, October 14, 2024

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A regional partnership of 10 countries says an agreement on the equitable use of water resources from the Nile River basin has come into force despite the notable opposition of Egypt.

The legal status of the “cooperative framework” was formally confirmed by the African Union after South Sudan joined the treaty, the Nile Basin Initiative said in a statement Sunday.

Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania have ratified the accord. Egypt and Sudan declined to sign, while Congo abstained. Kenya has not yet deposited its ratification documents with the African Union.

The accord, which came into force on Sunday, “is a testament to our collective determination to harness the Nile River for the benefit of all, ensuring its equitable and sustainable use for generations to come,” the Nile Basin Initiative said in its statement. “This is a moment to congratulate the governments and people of the Nile riparian countries, and all partners and stakeholders, for their patience, resolve, and dedication to this cause.”

The lack of ratification by Egypt and Sudan — desert nations that have raised concern over any attempts to diminish their shares of Nile water — means the accord will prove controversial.

Tensions in the region have increased, stemming in part from Ethiopia’s construction of a $4 billion dam on the Blue Nile, a key tributary of the Nile River. Egypt fears the dam will have a devastating effect on water and irrigation supplies downstream unless Ethiopia takes its needs into account. Ethiopia plans to use the dam to generate badly needed electricity.

The accord’s rights clause states that Nile basin states “shall in their respective territories utilize the water resources of the Nile River system in an equitable and reasonable manner.”

Measuring 6,695 kilometers (4160 miles), the Nile is the longest river in the world, with one tributary, the White Nile, starting in South Sudan and the other, the Blue Nile, in Ethiopia.

Amid the dispute with Ethiopia, Egypt has recently appeared to strengthen its position in the Horn of Africa by pledging security cooperation with Somalia, which opposes Ethiopia’s efforts to seek access to the sea via the Somali breakaway territory of Somaliland. Under the terms of an agreement reached last week, Egypt could deploy peacekeeping troops to Somalia when the mandate of African Union peacekeepers expires at the end of 2024.

It was not immediately possible to get a comment from Egypt on the Nile accord now in force. The country, a founding member of the Nile Basin Initiative, has long asserted its rights to Nile water according to the terms of a colonial-era agreement.

The agreement between Egypt and the United Kingdom gave downstream Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking 55.5 billion cubic meters and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic meters of the total of 84 billion cubic meters, with 10 billion lost to evaporation.

That agreement, first signed in 1929, took no account of the other nations along the river basin that have been agitating for a more equitable accord.

GT Exclusive: Latest Report Shows US Cyber Weapon Can ‘Frame Other Countries’ for its Own Espionage Operations

By Yuan Hong

Oct 14, 2024 11:59 AM

Cartoon: GT

China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center on Monday released its latest report on Volt Typhoon, once again exposing cyber espionage and disinformation operations conducted by US government agencies, including a US cyber weapon that can mislead investigation and frame other countries for its own cyber espionage activities. 

This is also the first time for the center to release the report in multiple languages, including Chinese, English, French, German and Japanese. 

The Monday report is the third report on Volt Typhoon released by National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and National Engineering Laboratory for Computer Virus Prevention Technology. It further disclosed the cyber espionage operations targeting China, Germany and other countries which were launched by the US and other Five Eyes countries. 

On May 24, 2023, the cybersecurity authorities from The Five Eyes countries, the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, issued a joint cybersecurity advisory, claiming that they had discovered cluster of activity of interest associated with a "China state-sponsored cyber actor," known as Volt Typhoon, and these activities "affected networks across US critical infrastructure sectors."

On April 15 and July 8, the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, National Engineering Laboratory for Computer Virus Prevention Technology and 360 Digital Security Group jointly released two investigation reports disclosing the US government's narrative regarding Volt Typhoon is purely a fabrication crafted by the US. The two reports also expose how US government agencies, in order to maintain control over the so-called "warrantless surveillance rights," conduct indiscriminate monitoring of global telecommunications and internet users. This is done to enable related interest groups to gain greater political and economic benefits by fabricating nonexistent Chinese cyberattack threats. The nature of the event resembles a "house of cards" conspiratorial swindling campaign scheme targeting the US Congress and taxpayers.

"After we released the reports in April and July on Volt Typhoon, more than 50 cyber security experts from US, Europe, Asia and other countries and regions have contacted us through various ways. They believed that the US government and Microsoft have attributed Volt Typhoon to Chinese government without any concrete evidence, and they also expressed concern about the US government's fabrication of Volt Typhoon," a research fellow from the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center told the Global Times on Monday. 

Secret weapons

The US is the world's largest arms dealer and its cyber weapon arsenal is not only large in scale, but also sophisticated in function. Previously, the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center publicly disclosed multiple types of cyber weapons which were developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The Monday report unveiled information on a customized stealth "toolkit" codenamed "Marble" that the US agencies have developed to cover up their Computer Network Exploitation (CNE) operations, mislead attribution analysis and shift the blame on other countries. 

The toolkit is a framework that can be integrated with other cyber weapon development projects, assisting developers to obfuscate various identifiable strings in program code, effectively "erasing" the "fingerprints" of cyber weapon developers, according to the report.

For a long time, the US has kept pushing a "Defend Forward" strategy in cyberspace, and implement the "Hunt Forward" operations, which means to deploy cyber-war forces in the surrounding areas of adversary countries to conduct close-in reconnaissance and network penetration. In order to satisfy those tactical needs, the toolkit "Marble" was developed, said the anonymous researcher. 

The framework also has a "dirty" feature, which is the ability to insert strings in other languages at will, such as Chinese, Russian, Korean, Persian, and Arabic. This is intended to mislead investigators and defame China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and Arab countries, said the researcher. 

By tracing and analyzing the source code and comments of "Marble" framework, researchers also found that it has been identified as a secret weapon development program, which is not allowed to share with any foreign country, starting no later than 2015. This secret weapon was tailored by US intelligence agencies for themselves, and was even kept a secret from the so-called ally countries. 

Recent findings in the report have once again highlighted who poses the greatest threat to global cyberspace security. The US government not only disregards the report but also continues to disseminate false information about Volt Typhoon, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday. China condemns US' irresponsible actions and urges it to immediately cease its global cyberattacks and stop using cybersecurity issues to slander and malign China, Mao said.

 'False flag' operation 

A "False Flag" is a deceptive act or operation carried out to make it appear as if it was conducted by another party. According to the report, the "Marble" framework fully exposes the indiscriminate and bottomless cyber espionage activities around the world carried out by US intelligence agencies, and their conspiracy to mislead investigators and researchers through "false flag" operations, so that to frame "adversary countries."

The anonymous researcher said that in conjunction with previous investigation findings, the hackers from US cyber forces and intelligence agencies disguise themselves like chameleons in cyberspace, pretend to come from other countries to carry out cyberattacks and espionage activities around the world, and pouring dirty water on non-ally countries of the US.

The report also noted that the "False Flag" operation is actually an important component of the US intelligence agency's "EFFECTS Operation," known as the "Online Covert Action" in the UK. The secret documents from the US and Five Eyes Alliance show that, the "EFFECTS Operation" includes two broad categories, "Information Operations" and "Technical Disruption Operations." 

The Internal documents of the US and Five Eyes Alliance clearly indicate that the implementation of this "EFFECTS Operation" must adhere to four main principles, which are "Deny," "Disrupt," "Degrade," "Deceive." And these four main principles precisely cover all the core elements of the Volt Typhoon operation, said the report.

Subsea cable tapping sites

According the top secret files of NSA, the US has been controlling the world's most important internet "choke points," such as the Atlantic and Pacific subsea cables, constructing at least seven full-traffic tapping sites. All these sites are operated by NSA, FBI and NCSC from UK. Each packet through the sites is being intercepted and deeply inspected indiscriminately, according to the report. 

The US National Security Agency is not content with merely focusing on the specific areas covered by submarine cables, and the data intercepted by these surveillance systems falls far short of meeting its intelligence needs. Therefore, the US has conducted CNE operations on specific targets located in the "blind spots" of its surveillance systems.

Top secret documents from the NSA show that the Office of Tailored Access Operation (TAO) of NSA has launched massive CNE operations around the world and implanted more than 50,000 spyware implants. Victims are mainly concentrated in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America. The internal documents of the NSA showed that almost all major cities in China are within the scope of NSA's operations, a large number of entities and their network assets have been compromised, said the report. 

Spying on 'allies'

The report also cites instances of the US conducting surveillance on countries such as France, Germany, and Japan. 

The anonymous researcher said US intelligence agencies have established a large-scale global Internet surveillance network, providing a large amount of high-value intelligence to the US government agencies, which offers the US government great advantage in the diplomatic, military, economic, scientific and technological fields. The US government and its intelligence agencies could put anyone on the "list" of monitoring. 

For example, from 2004 to 2012, the US carried out a long-term espionage operation against France, monitoring the movements of the French government on policy, diplomacy, finance, international exchanges, infrastructure construction, business and trade. Some important intelligence was authorized by the US to be shared with the other "Five Eyes" countries. This shows that the countries of the "Five Eyes" alliance are also beneficiaries of US espionage operations.

A 'snooper' in cyberspace

The report said that the US global Internet surveillance programs and stations are like ubiquitous "snoopers" in cyberspace and steal user data from the global internet in real time, and this eavesdropping capability has become an indispensable foundation of the US efforts to build the "Empire of Hacking" and the "Empire of Surveillance."

To maintain such a huge surveillance program, the annual funding budget is quite huge, and with the explosive growth of internet data, the demand for funding is bound to "rise." This is also one of the main reasons why the US government conspired with its intelligence agencies to plan and promote the Volt Typhoon operation, said the report.

Over the years, the US government has kept politicizing the issue of cyberattack attribution in a way that serves its own self-interests. Some companies, such as Microsoft and CrowdStrike, have been influenced by the desire to appeal to US politicians, government agencies and intelligence agencies, as well as to enhance commercial interests. They kept using a variety of names with geo-political features to describe the hacking groups in the absence of sufficient evidence and rigorous technical analyses, such as "Typhoon," "Panda" and "Dragon." 

In its last part, the report said that the international communications in cybersecurity industry is vital as the geopolitical landscape is growing increasingly complex and cybersecurity requires extensive international collaboration. 

"We look forward to seeing that all cybersecurity firms and research institutes will keep focusing on the research of cybersecurity threat prevention technology and how to provide users with higher-quality products and services, which will then keep the internet developing in a healthy way along with the progress of human society," said the report.

The Looming Nuclear Threat a Call for Global Security Reform

By Global Times

Oct 13, 2024 11:45 PM

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Recent escalations in regional conflicts and confrontations have reignited global concerns about the danger of nuclear war. Sun Xiaobo, director-general of the Department of Arms Control of the Foreign Ministry of China, urged the international community on Thursday to establish "a world free of nuclear weapons." 

All countries and regions must collectively and deeply reflect on the existing security structures and their effectiveness in preventing nuclear proliferation and conflict.

The post-World War II international order, including the nuclear deterrence strategy of the Cold War, has not adequately addressed the fundamental issues surrounding nuclear weapons. While the concept of mutually assured destruction may have prevented direct conflict between nuclear powers, it has kept the world living under a constant shadow of the nuclear threat.

As global geopolitics undergo dramatic shifts, we're witnessing new dynamics in international relations. In Asia, proposals for expanding extended military alliances have emerged. Discussions about NATO's role in Asia and the creation of new regional security pacts reflect the complex security concerns of certain nations, including fears of nuclear threats.

However, we must carefully consider whether such approaches truly enhance global security or risk escalating tensions. The root causes of war and nuclear proliferation are complex and multifaceted. They stem not just from the weapons themselves, but from deep-seated geopolitical tensions and historical grievances. To effectively address these issues, we need a nuanced understanding of global security dynamics that goes beyond simplistic "us versus them" narratives.

Why have the existing security mechanisms failed to effectively prevent the threat of nuclear war? The answer likely lies in the approach to international relations and security. The pursuit of absolute security of certain nations or blocs often comes at the expense of others' perceived security, creating a cycle of mistrust and arms buildup.

To break this cycle, we need a paradigm shift in the approach to global security. This should include: developing a more inclusive and cooperative security framework that addresses the legitimate concerns of all nations; investing in conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms that tackle the root causes of international tensions; promoting nuclear disarmament efforts while simultaneously addressing the security concerns that drive atomic proliferation; encouraging civil society participation in discussions about war, peace and nuclear disarmament.

Merely discussing the destructive consequences of nuclear war is clearly not enough. History teaches us that military confrontation and the division of the world into opposing blocs do not lead to lasting peace. Instead, we must strive for a standard, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept. This approach recognizes that in an interconnected world, the security of one nation is inextricably linked to the security of all. 

All countries and regions must take concrete steps toward creating a more stable and secure world order. This requires moving beyond Cold War thinking and embracing a more nuanced, collaborative approach to global security.

By fostering understanding, promoting cooperation and addressing the root causes of conflict, we can work toward a world free from the shadow of the nuclear threat - a human community with a shared future where security is achieved through collective commitment to peace.

PLA Conducts Joint Drill Surrounding Taiwan Island to Send Stern Warning to 'Taiwan Independence' Separatists

By Liu Xin and Guo Yuandan

Oct 14, 2024 12:09 PM

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) holds the Joint Sword-2024B exercises in the Taiwan Straits on October 14, 2024. Illustration: Courtesy of the PLA Eastern Theater Command

On Monday, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command is dispatching its troops of army, navy, air force and rocket force to conduct joint military drills code-named Joint Sword-2024B in the Taiwan Straits and the drill serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of "Taiwan Independence" forces, Senior Captain Li Xi, spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement released early Monday morning.

With vessels and aircraft approaching Taiwan island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint drills, focusing on subjects of sea-air combat-readiness patrol, blockade on key ports and areas, assault on maritime and ground targets, as well as joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, so as to test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command's troops, Li said.

The drill serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of "Taiwan Independence" forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity, said the spokesperson. 

The Monday drills came after Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's speech on October 10, in which he claimed that the "People's Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan" and that they are "not subordinate to each other." 

This exercise serves as a firm response to Lai Ching-te's continued fabrication of "Taiwan independence" fallacies and his propagation of separatist agendas. The exercise stands as a strong deterrent against the provocations of separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence" and represents a just action in defense of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chen Binhua, spokesperson of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement on Monday.

Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson at the Ministry of National Defense, said on Monday these exercises are not directed at the people of Taiwan. "We are willing, with utmost sincerity and effort, to strive for peaceful reunification. However, we do not promise to renounce the use of force, and we will not leave even the slightest space for Taiwan independence," said Wu.

The PLA's Joint Sword-2024B exercise sends a clear message to "Taiwan separatists" that the more aggressively they push the separatist agenda, the greater the countermeasure they will face. The joint actions taken by the mainland on Monday also break Taiwan separatist forces' illusion that whatever they do, the mainland will refrain from taking military action, analysts said. 

Multiple breakthroughs

Analysts said that the Joint Sword-2024B drills have achieved multiple significant breakthroughs, including the patrols and control operations of China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels surrounding Taiwan island, and the participation of the Liaoning aircraft carrier group in the exercise.

On Monday, CCG fleets 2901, 1305, 1303, and 2102 conducted law-enforcement patrols in the waters surrounding the Taiwan island, implementing patrol and control operations around the island. This is a concrete action to manage the Taiwan island in accordance with the one-China principle, CCG spokesperson Liu Dejun said in a statement.

The scope of deterrence in the Monday exercise has expanded, and the exercise is moving closer to the island of Taiwan in comparison to the previous ones, especially with CCG vessels conducting patrol and control operations around the island, achieving successive new breakthroughs, Zhang said. 

Zhang said that the Monday exercise, with overwhelming force and strategic depth, has significantly squeezed the Taiwan military's "defense and operational space."

The PLA's naval and air forces, along with CCG, are advancing toward the Taiwan island from multiple directions, enforcing a complete blockade of the island. It is as if a sharp sword is piercing through the Taiwan authorities' so-called "defense space," drawing ever nearer to the island, fully showcasing the PLA's joint operational capabilities across multiple operational domains around Taiwan island, Zhang said. 

Upon further analysis of the designated areas for this exercise, Zhang said the PLA has established six zones: two in the Taiwan Straits, two to the east of the island, one in the north, and one in the south. 

Zhang noted that the drills in the northern sea and airspace serve as a direct warning to the leading figures of 'Taiwan independence," specifically targeting Lai authorities. Meanwhile, the exercises in the southern sea and airspace are designed to send a warning to the main strongholds of the "Taiwan independence" forces.

Compared to previous PLA's exercises around the Taiwan island in recent years, the deterrence scope of the current drill has expanded significantly, and the location of the drill is moving closer to the island. In response to the provocations by the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces in collusion with external powers, who employ a "salami slicing" strategy, the PLA has developed a proactive counter posture to deal with these challenges, said Zhang. 

Soon after Lai's separatist inaugural speech on May 20, the PLA Eastern Theater Command held the Joint Sword-2024A exercises in the Taiwan Straits, the north, south and east of the Taiwan island, as well as areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin from May 23 to 24.

Moreover, the drills of the PLA Eastern Theater Command simultaneously blockaded key northern and southern ports of Taiwan island, which handle a significant share of the island's throughput and serve as main channels for liquefied natural gas imports. Zhang said that this demonstrates the PLA's ability to disrupt the island's energy imports, potentially impacting its economy and society, with the aim of deterring "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

A clear message 

The PLA's Joint Sword-2024B exercise sends a clear message: The more aggressively "Taiwan independence" separatists push their agenda, the greater the countermeasure they will face. This also delivers a strong signal of firm opposition to "Taiwan independence" and a steadfast commitment to safeguarding national reunification, dispelling the illusion among separatist forces that the mainland will refrain from taking military action, Wang Wenjuan, an expert from the PLA Academy of Military Science, told the Global Times.

Wang said that the exercise also showcases the Chinese military's unyielding spirit, high-level preparedness, and strong combat capabilities. "Like a sword hanging overhead or a hammer poised to strike at any moment, it forces the Lai authorities to feel the deterrence of war firsthand, delivering a clear message in a language they understand - that secession means war," said Wang. 

Wang noted that this exercise will show Lai and the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces mainland's determination and confidence to defend national unity and territorial integrity.

The decision to conduct military exercises is solely within a nation's sovereign rights, experts said.

As outlined in the 1949 Draft Declaration on the Rights and Duties of States by the United Nations, each state has the right to manage its internal and external affairs according to its own discretion, without outside interference, coercion, or directives. Consequently, a state has the legitimate right to govern the development and deployment of its armed forces through its domestic laws, Zheng Hong, a research fellow from PLA Naval Research Academy, told the Global Times on Monday.

Zheng noted that China's Constitution states that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China and the PLA's role is to strengthen national defense, protect the motherland, and resist external aggression. China's National Security Law stipulates that the state shall take all necessary defense and control measures to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, and to prevent armed subversion and secession. 

The National Defense Law of China specifies that one of PLA's core missions is to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Anti-Secession Law stipulates that the "Taiwan independence" forces are prohibited from separating Taiwan from China under any name or in any way, said Zheng. 

These legal provisions, whether in international law or Chinese domestic law, provide the legal basis for the PLA to carry out exercises on the country's territory and in its jurisdictional waters to effectively fulfill its mission, Zheng said. 

The PLA requires no so-called "excuses" to conduct exercises, as it strictly adheres to domestic laws when fulfilling its duties. In response to Lai's provocative actions in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," the PLA is obliged to take firm, decisive measures to punish and deter such moves. "The greater the provocation, the stronger the response."

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Iran Ready for War, Committed to Peace in Gaza, Lebanon: Araghchi

By Al Mayadeen English

13 Oct 2024 23:24

Iran and Iraq are in agreement on the urgent need to stop "Israel's" "crimes and aggression" and establish a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Sunday that Tehran is fully prepared for a "war situation" while simultaneously working towards establishing peace in Gaza and Lebanon. His remarks came during a joint press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Baghdad, where both diplomats stressed the urgent need to end Israeli aggression in the region.

"We are fully prepared for a war situation. We are not afraid of war, but we do not want war, and we will make efforts for a just peace in Gaza and Lebanon," Araghchi said, reaffirming Iran's position. "The Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek an escalation of tension, conflict, and war, although it is ready for any situation. We are prepared for war as we are prepared for peace."

Araghchi stressed the growing danger of a wider conflict, noting that "Israel’s" actions are the root cause of the escalating violence. He warned that the situation, which began in Gaza, has now spread to Lebanon and could extend to other regional countries, putting the entire region at risk of a widespread war.

Iran and Iraq are in agreement on the urgent need to stop "Israel's" "crimes and aggression" and establish a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. Araghchi noted that his discussions with regional leaders, particularly Iraqi officials, have focused on the "dangerous and sensitive issues" in the region and the Persian Gulf, with positive consultations taking place.

Hussain: 'Israel's' aggression on Lebanon could drag entire region into conflict

In his remarks, Araghchi criticized the international community for not paying enough attention to the plight of displaced people in the region, noting that "Israel’s" attacks have blocked efforts to provide aid. He reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to supporting the Lebanese people and Palestinian refugees in Syria through all available means.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein expressed strong opposition to the use of Iraqi airspace for any potential Israeli attack on Iran, amid Israeli rhetoric about a possible response to Iran’s recent missile activities. "The continuation of the war and its expansion towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Israel's exploitation of Iraqi airspace as a corridor, is completely unacceptable and rejected," Hussein said.

Hussein further warned that "Israel’s" aggression against Lebanon could drag the entire region into conflict, noting that any war in the region would have serious consequences for regional peace and security.

Tehran is reportedly bracing for a possible response from "Israel" after reports emerged suggesting that the Israeli leadership has agreed to attack it.

The US has reportedly warned "Israel" against targeting critical Iranian infrastructure, including nuclear and oil facilities, in light of concerns that such an escalation could destabilize the region further. 

Despite these "concerns", the US on Saturday expedited the transfer of the THAAD missile defense system to "Israel" in response to "increasing threats of ballistic missile attacks from Iran", Ynet reported.

Gulf states urge US to stop 'Israel' from attacking Iranian oil sites

On Thursday, three Gulf sources told Reuters that Gulf states are urging Washington to prevent "Israel" from bombing Iran's oil assets, fearing the targeting of their oil facilities by the Axis of Resistance.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar are refusing to allow "Israel" to fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran and have informed Washington of this, according to three government sources.

During discussions this week, Iran warned Saudi Arabia that if "Israel" was given any aid in carrying out an assault, the Kingdom's oil infrastructure would be at risk, according to a senior Iranian official and an Iranian diplomat.

Ali Shihabi, a Saudi expert close to the Saudi royal court, divulged that "the Iranians have stated: 'If the Gulf states open up their airspace to Israel, that would be an act of war.'"

According to the diplomat, Tehran has delivered a clear warning to Riyadh that its allies in Iraq and Yemen may retaliate if "Israel" receives regional backing against Iran.

A Gulf source close to government circles told Reuters that the Iranian Foreign Minister's visit to Riyadh and the Saudi-American discussions at the defense ministry level are part of a concerted effort to handle the problem.

Three Dead, Dozens Injured in Hezbollah Drone Attack on IOF Haifa Base

By Al Mayadeen English

13 Oct 2024 20:59

A drone strike launched from Lebanon kills several Israeli soldiers and wounds dozens of others in a military base in Haifa.

A drone attack on an Israeli military base in Binyamina, south of Haifa, has killed three Israelis and wounded 67 others, according to Israeli media.

Notably, Israeli air defense systems failed to detect the drone, which detonated without triggering air raid sirens in the area, as confirmed by Israeli media outlets. 

The strike reportedly targeted the dining hall at a base belonging to the Golani Brigade. 

It was reported that 50 ambulances rushed to the scene to transport the casualties, with helicopters also being called in.

Hezbollah issued a statement in the wake of the operation, claiming responsibility for it. "The Islamic Resistance carried out an operation on the evening of Sunday, October 13, 2024, launching a squadron of attack drones at a training camp of the Golani Brigade in Binyamina, south of Haifa," the statement read.

The Resistance said the operation was in response to "Israel's" massacres across Lebanon, particularly its aggression on the Lebanese capital a few days ago.

"The Islamic Resistance will remain present and ready to defend our country and our proud, oppressed people, and will not hesitate to fulfill its duty in deterring the enemy," it added after underlining that the operation was carried out as part of the series of Khaibar operations and in support of the people of Gaza and their resistance, as well as in defense of Lebanon and its people.

The military media wing of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah reissued a warning to Israeli settlers, reiterating a statement made days earlier by the Resistance operations room.

Hezbollah had earlier said: "The Israeli enemy forces are using the houses of settlers in some settlements in northern occupied Palestine as assembly points."

"The Israeli enemy's bases used as operations rooms for the aggression on Lebanon are within densely-populated cities such as Haifa and Tabarayya, among others," the warning added. "All the aforementioned houses and military bases are legitimate military targets for the Rocket and Air Forces of the Islamic Resistance. Therefore, we warn settlers against gathering near these military sites in order to preserve their lives until further notice."

Hezbollah Launches Sweeping Attacks on Israeli Forces in Border Towns

By Al Mayadeen English

13 Oct 2024 19:20

Hezbollah Resistance fighters continue to defend against an Israeli onslaught on Lebanese border towns, engaging invading troops in close quarter battles.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah has been engaging Israeli occupation forces non-stop in the past few days, announcing a collection of military operations throughout Sunday. 

In continuation of their defense against the Israeli occupation incursions into the border area of Lebanon, Hezbollah fighters engaged Israeli occupation forces in close-quarters battles, attacked their positions with rockets and artillery weapons, and destroyed several armored vehicles, during a period extending from Sunday morning to Sunday afternoon. 

At least 27 Israeli troops were injured in confrontations with Hezbollah Resistance fighters so far on Sunday, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported. The Israeli military censor has worked on concealing the number of casualties, however, has admitted that the military transferred at least six injured soldiers, via a helicopter, to the Rambam Hospital in occupied Haifa. 

According to Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon, at least 30 Israeli military casualties were recorded near the border villages of Aita al-Shaab, Ramyah, and Qaouzah.

In total, Hezbollah launched 38 operations today against "Israel" and Israeli troop gatherings.

Western Axis operations

During an Israeli infantry infiltration attempt into the town of Qaouzah, Hezbollah fighters discovered the force and confronted it with automatic weapons at 1:15 pm (local time). Two hours later, Hezbollah's anti-armor units fired an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) at an Israeli tank. The ATGM directly impacted the tank, putting it up in flames and killing and injuring its crewmembers on the same axis. 

In the nearby town of Aita al-Shaab, a Hezbollah infantry unit launched an offensive on Israeli occupation forces that had positioned themselves in the western neighborhood of the town. Fierce clashes occurred in the area, which saw Hezbollah fighters fire automatic weapons, unspecified rocket weapons, and artillery shells at the invading force, since 4:45 pm. 

A statement released by the Resistance, at 5:29 pm, explained that confrontations were ongoing. 

Hezbollah fighters also fired rocket artillery shells at Israeli occupation forces in the Zar'it barracks, the Shomera barracks, and Khilat Warde, all located in the vicinity of ongoing confrontations on the Western Axis.

The barracks came under another attack at 6:50 pm, this time via a one-way attack drone launched by the Resistance's Unmanned Air Force at Israeli occupation forces. 

Eastern Axis operations

On the Eastern Axis, which extends from Blida to Israeli-occupied Lebanese territories, including the Kfar Chouba Hills and the Shebaa Farms, Hezbollah fighters also engaged Israeli occupation forces in close-quarters battles. 

At 10:00 am, Hezbollah fighters discovered and engaged an Israeli infantry force in the Kanaan Hills, in Blida, killing and injuring multiple Israeli troops, who were shot from point-blank range by Resistance fighters. 

Later on Sunday evening, Hezbollah fighters discovered a company of Israeli occupation forces attempting to infiltrate the border town of Meis al-Jabal at 7:30 pm. Vigilant Resistance fighters ambushed the force, firing barrages rocket-propelled grenades, and their automatic weapons at their positions. Hezbollah's Military Media Unit said that Resistance fighters engaged the invading company at point-blank range, killing and injuring several. 

As a result, the invading company withdrew from the border town after suffering heavy casualties. 

"The hostile force withdrew amidst the screams and wails of the attacking soldiers," Hezbollah stated.

Hezbollah fighters also fired artillery shells at Israeli occupation troops in the same area, at 3:20 pm. 

On the far end of the Israeli-occupied Lebanese territories, near the Shebaa Farms, Hezbollah fighters fired a salvo of rockets at the Habousheet military site. 

The city settlement of Kiryat Shmona, the Misgav Am military site, and Manara also came under attack at 1:50 pm, 5:00 pm, and 7:15 pm respectively. Kiryat Shmona and Manara were shelled with salvos of rockets while Misgav Am was shelled by artillery units.

The Manara settlement came under another rocket attack at 9:25 pm, as Hezbollah fighters targeted the positions of Israeli occupation forces in the area. 

Long-range rocket attacks

Hezbollah's fighters also added another rocket attack to a series of attacks, dubbed the "Khaibar Operations."

These long-range attacks come in response to Israeli crimes and massacres against civilians in Lebanon, seven of which have been announced since October 1, 2024.

On Sunday, at 9:30 am, Hezbollah fighters launched what it described as a salvo of "top-tier" rockets at the Israeli Teirat al-Karmel military base in southern occupied Haifa. 

In response to Israeli strikes on Lebanese towns and residents of the country, Hezbollah also launched a large barrage of rocket artillery shells at the Tzurit military base, located to the east of Karmiel. 

Hezbollah fighters also fired a salvo of rockets at the Israeli Tznover logistics base in the occupied Syrian Golan, which is located to the north of Katzrin.

Major drone attack hits at least 60 Israeli troops

Amid these substantial attacks and reports of heavy Israeli casualties on the frontlines, Hezbollah's Unmanned Air Force prepared to launch the most significant attack of the day. 

At around 7:30 pm on Sunday, a swarm of one-way attack drones impacted an Israeli military base in southern Haifa. Shaking up the Israeli regime, the drones killed and injured at least 67 Israeli troops after striking the base's cafeteria, Israeli media reported.

Israeli medical authorities confirmed the aforementioned number of casualties saying that four were killed while the rest were dealt injuries of various degrees. 

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said that the attack targeted an Israeli training camp, subordinated to the 1st Infantry Golani Brigade, in Binyamina, approximately 30 km south of Haifa and 62 km away from the Lebanese-Palestinian border. 

Moreover, warning sirens did not sound before or during the attack, despite the long distance traveled by the Resistance's drones. 

Hezbollah stressed that the precise strike was part of the "Khaibar Operations," underlining that it also came in response to the Israeli massacres committed against civilians in central Beirut. 

Settlements under fire

Another strike occurred at 7:15 PM, when Hezbollah fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli forces in the Menara settlement with a rocket barrage. This was followed by a second strike at 7:25 PM on Israeli forces stationed in Khallet Wardeh.

Later in the evening, at 9:25 PM, Hezbollah launched a third round of rockets at Israeli forces once again in the Menara settlement. A fourth and fifth attack took place shortly after, at 9:30 PM and 9:50 PM, also hitting Israeli forces in the same area.

In a separate attack at 10:00 PM, Hezbollah fighters targeted Israeli troop movements near the Fatima Gate in the town of Kfar Kila using artillery fire. The evening also saw a rocket strike on Israeli forces stationed at the Hounin barracks at 10:45 PM.

Finally, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon attacked Israeli Unit 7200's maintenance and rehabilitation base south of the city of Haifa, announcing that it was all in support of Gaza and its Resistance, as well as in defense of the Lebanese people and in retaliation for the attacks against them.

Chinese Military Launches ‘Joint Sword-2024B’ Drills Near Taiwan — Statement

Vessels and aircraft approached Island in close proximity

© AP Photo/Heng Sinith/Archive

BEIJING, October 14. /TASS/. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched ‘Joint Sword-2024B’ military drills near Taiwan on Monday, the country’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"On October 14, the PLA Eastern Theater Command dispatched its troops of army, navy, air force and rocket force to conduct joint military drills code-named ‘Joint Sword-2024B’ in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island," the statement said citing Senior Captain Li Xi, spokesperson of the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command.

"With vessels and aircraft approaching Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint drills, focusing on subjects of sea-air combat-readiness patrol, blockade on key ports and areas, assault on maritime and ground targets, as well as joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, so as to test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command's troops," the statement continued.

According to Li Xi, "The drill also serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding national sovereignty and national unity."

Lai Qingde, the Taiwan administration's head, stated on October 10 that Taipei's efforts to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait are unchanged. The island will defend its "state sovereignty," he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning responded that "Taiwan has never been a country and will never become one, it has no kind of sovereignty at all."

On May 20, Taiwan held an inauguration ceremony for the island's new leader, Lai Ching-te. Three days later the PLA Eastern Theater Command announced the start of the Joint Sword 2024A exercise around Taiwan, as well as near the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin. The exercise involved land, missile, naval and air forces.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War.

Since then, the island has retained the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China that existed on the mainland before the Communists came to power. Official Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China.

Russian Forces Liberate DPR’s Mikhailovka — Top Brass

The Russian armed forces have hit the infrastructure of a Ukrainian military airfield and drone warehouses over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry added

© Alexei Konovalov/TASS

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. The Russian armed forces have liberated the settlement of Mikhailovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Defense Ministry reported.

"As a result of decisive actions, the battlegroup Center has liberated the settlement of Mikhailovka in the Donetsk People's Republic," the ministry said.

Russian forces hit Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure

The Russian armed forces have hit the infrastructure of a Ukrainian military airfield and drone warehouses over the past 24 hours, the ministry added.

"Russian forces hit the infrastructure of a military airfield, drone warehouses, as well as accumulations of enemy manpower and military equipment in 138 areas," the ministry said.

Battlegroup Center 

Russia’s battlegroup Center has eliminated up to 460 Ukrainian servicemen over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry reported.

It also said that the battlegroup liberated Mikhailovka in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and also defeated seven Ukrainian brigades.

"The battlegroup also repelled 11 counterattacks. The enemy lost up to 460 servicemen, three US-made HMMWV and one Turkish-made Kirpi armored fighting vehicles, five vehicles, four 122 mm D-30 howitzers and a 100-mm Rapira anti-tank gun," the ministry added.

Battlegroup North

Russia’s battlegroup North has destroyed up to 40 Ukrainian servicemen and four guns in the Liptsy and Volchansk areas of the Kharkov Region over the past 24 hours, the ministry said.

"The Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 40 servicemen, three vehicles, two 152 mm D-20 guns and two 122 mm D-30 howitzers, as well as a drone howitzer," the statement said.

Battlegroup Dnepr 

Russia’s battlegroup Dnepr has destroyed up more than 50 Ukrainian servicemen and two warehouses over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said.

"The Ukrainian losses amounted to up over 50 servicemen, five vehicles, a 122 mm D-30 howitzer, as well as a US-made AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery station and two warehouses," the statement said.

Battlegroup West 

Russia’s battlegroup West has wiped out up to 510 Ukrainian servicemen over the past 24 hours, the ministry noted.

"The enemy lost up to 510 servicemen, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, an infantry fighting vehicle, a Kozak armored fighting vehicle, 12 pickup trucks, a Polish-made Krab 155 mm howitzer, a US-made M198 155 mm howitzer, two D-30 122 mm howitzers, a UK-made L-119 105 mm gun and a Grad MLRS, as well as a US-made AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery station and three ammunition depots," the ministry said.

Battlegroup East

Russia’s battlegroup East has wiped out up to 130 Ukrainian servicemen over the past 24 hours, the ministry said.

"The enemy losses amounted to up to 130 servicemen, a tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, three vehicles and a Polish-made 155-mm Krab howitzer," the statement said.

Battlegroup South

Russia’s battlegroup South has wiped out up to 615 Ukrainian servicemen and destroyed an enemy warehouse over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry reported.

"The enemy losses amounted to up to 615 servicemen, five vehicles, a UK-made 155 mm FH-70 howitzer, a 152 mm Msta-B howitzer, two 122 mm D-30 howitzers, a US-made 105 mm M119 gun, a Grad MLRS, as well as an Anclav-N electronic warfare station and an ammunition depot," the ministry said.

Air defenses down 36 drones over day

Russian air defenses shot down five Ukrainian HIMARS rockets, two Neptune long-range missiles and 36 drones over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry also added.

"The air defenses downed five US-made HIMARS rockets, two Neptune long-range missiles and 36 fixed-wing drones," the statement said.

Unsuccessful Ukrainian Attacks and Losses: What is Known About Situation in Kursk Region

The total losses of the enemy during the fighting in this area amounted to more than 22,600 troops

© Mikhail Klimentyev/TASS

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces have lost over 300 servicemen and seven tanks in the Kursk Region over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The total losses of the enemy during the fighting in this area amounted to more than 22,600 troops.

TASS has compiled the main information about the situation on the battlefield.

Unsuccessful Ukrainian counterattacks and breakthrough attempts

- Over the past 24 hours, the Russian Armed Forces repelled five enemy counterattacks near Zeleny Shlyakh, Nizhny Klin and Pokrovsky.

- They also thwarted an attempt to break through Russia’s state border near Novy Put.

Offensive actions and strikes on Ukrainian reserves

- The battlegroup North repelled enemy troops near Daryino, Lyubimovka, Malaya Loknya, Novy Put, Tolsty Lug and Plekhovo.

- Russian army aviation and artillery struck the manpower and equipment of 13 Ukrainian brigades in the Kursk Region and 10 brigades in the Sumy Region.

Ukrainian losses

- Over the day, the Ukrainian losses amounted to over 300 servicemen, 10 armored vehicles, including seven tanks, along with two German-made Leopard, one infantry fighting vehicle and two armored fighting vehicles, as well as a UK-made AS-90 howitzer, two mortars and 11 vehicles.

- Eight Ukrainian servicemen surrendered over the past 24 hours.

- In total, during the fighting in the Kursk area the enemy has lost over 22,600 servicemen, 157 tanks, 72 infantry fighting vehicles, 98 armored personnel carriers, 909 armored fighting vehicles, 619 vehicles, 186 artillery guns, 36 multiple rocket launchers, including nine HIMARS and six MLRS.

Kim Jong Un--Officials Should Become Communist Revolutionaries Who Are Possessed of the Party’s Original Ideals and Spirit as Their Mental Qualities

Discourse Given to Rodong Sinmun, Organ of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea

October 10, Juche 113 (2024)

Today, when we are making a vigorous advance to confidently open a new golden age of strengthening the Workers’ Party of Korea and an era of achieving the comprehensive rejuvenation of the state, we are greeting the 79th founding anniversary of the WPK, the great guide of the Juche revolution.

The more closely we look back upon the protracted and glorious road of struggle it has followed, the more proud we feel of the greatness of our Party that has written the longest ruling history of socialism together with the Korean revolution, the Korean people and this country and the more precious we feel the unprecedented history of its founding and exploits pioneered and achieved by the forerunners in the revolution.

Greeting the meaningful anniversary of Party founding, I pay the immortal glory and noble tribute to the revolutionaries of the first generation of the WPK, who wonderfully achieved the historic cause of giving birth to the militant General Staff of the revolution in the arduous and complicated struggle.

I also extend warm greetings to the members of the WPK and all other people across the country, who are working with devotion to implement the struggle programme of the Party, supporting it single-heartedly with absolute trust in it and unshakable belief in the victory of the revolution even in the face of all manner of trials and difficulties.

It is very meaningful that today we are reconfirming the justness of the line of building up the Party in the new era, which it is applying, and hardening our revolutionary faith and will to remain loyal to its cause while looking back upon what its original features were on the historic day when the cause of its building was achieved, how it was founded and how its glorious and victorious history started.

Next year we will be greeting the 80th anniversary of Party founding.

A revolutionary party with the longest ruling history–this is not a simple rhetorical expression.

The epochal significance of the day when the birth of the vanguard of the Korean revolution was declared to the world is more conspicuous not simply because thanks to this day our Party could set the longest record in the history of the ruling socialist parties.

It is all the more so because securely preserving the purity of all the precious assets and traditions created in the pioneering period of the revolution poses itself as an important problem decisive of its future development as the revolution advances, and because today we are realizing its importance to the utmost extent.

The sacred ruling history of the WPK spanning nearly 80 years and the great exploits it has performed in these decades for the country, people, times and revolution originate in the characteristic and profound ideals and spirit it adopted at the time of its founding and the steadfast inheritance of them.

In the long period since the day of its grand start to this day, it has led the socialist cause victoriously, firmly maintaining its revolutionary character and original features unique in the world without the slightest deviation or discolouring and enjoying the absolute support and trust of the masses of the people. This is because it has remained faithful to its original ideals and spirit and steadily carried them forward from one generation into the next.

The factor most decisive of the existence and development of a political party is on what ideals and spirit it was founded and how they have been inherited in their pure form.

As a problem that is related with a party’s historical origin and character and the lineage that ensures its existence from one generation into the next, it is of absolute importance in its building and activities.

The original ideals and spirit of the WPK, unprecedented in the history of political parties of the working class, contain a precious iron truth, which was found in the course of pioneering a fresh road of building a revolutionary party and whose everlasting veracity has been verified on the arduous road of consolidating the organizational and ideological foundations to this end.

These great spiritual assets have served as a dynamic force that has enabled the WPK to follow the road resplendent with victory while preserving its character and bloodline and steadily improving its ruling and guiding abilities as a revolutionary party of a Juche type that struggles, guided solely by its leader’s revolutionary ideology, to build a communist society where the people’s ideals are fully realized.

As it had laid its spiritual foundations solid enough to guarantee its eternal viability already before it was born, the WPK has been able to adorn its entire course of arduous and complicated struggle with victories and successes.

But for the spiritual assets bequeathed by the generation of pioneers of the cause of Party founding, it would not have been able to found itself as a mass-based party of the working people in such a short period of time immediately after liberation in defiance of different political parties and groupings advocating isms and assertions of all hues; nor would it have been able to achieve the cause of founding the army and the state and then repulse the armed invasion by the allied imperialist forces–which was a world-startling miracle–thus demonstrating the honour and glory of the new-born Korea.

When the other ruling socialist parties were being swept into the vortex of revisionism and dogmatism resulting in the political upheaval of capitalist revival in a number of countries, it marched forward unflinchingly under the banner of its socialist and communist programme. Its profile is shining as the symbol of a revolutionary party.

Etched in the chronicles of the working-class party building are tragic records of not a few of them, though having been born as the revolutionary vanguard in championing the demands and interests of the working people, giving up their original fighting programmes and the revolutionary spirit of their founder generation, going degenerated in the face of countless challenges and counter-revolutionary offensives, and meeting the end of their existence.

Pursuing reformism by a party in its building on the pretext of the changes in the times will inevitably lead to the deviation from its original ideals and degradation in ideology and spirit, which will in turn weaken its ruling efficiency.

Transformation and innovation is a law-governed demand in party building and an essential precondition for its political leadership over the revolution and construction.

Yet, a revolutionary party should never permit any transformation or reform of the ideals and spirit it adopted at the time of its founding.

This is because the ideals and spirit comprehensively represent not only the party’s guiding ideology and fighting programme and good experience in its founding, but also the principles and ethos it has to adhere to throughout the course of its building.

The true value of a party’s original ideals and spirit lies not simply in that they served as a powerful engine leading the cause it adopted at its inception, but also in that they offer a sure guarantee for its greater leadership ability and brighter future with an inexhaustible viability even after its founding.

Mindful of the noble sense of responsibility and mission it assumed for the destiny of the country and the people, our Party has been consistent in holding fast to and carrying forward its original ideals and spirit even in the face of manifold, unprecedented and complicated trials. This has enabled it to write its long ruling history as the one of steadfast development and laudable guidance, the great one of devoted service for the people.

No other party in the world is longer-standing and better-prepared than ours in terms of ruling years, leadership authority, ideology, theory, work methods and discipline.

The absolute dignity and greatness unique to our Party precisely represents the ennobling and great qualities of its original ideals and spirit; the inexhaustible viability of our Party comes precisely from that of its original ideals and spirit.

Our Republic has made great leaps forward while pressing on against unheard-of difficulties and developed into a matchless power which no other forces dare defy. Witnessing its sacred and dignified image, our people are realizing anew the value of the great ideals and spirit.

When the banner a party raised at its inception is great and when its succession is great, the party’s past, present and future will all be adorned with victory and glory–this is a truth etched in the history of the WPK spanning nearly 80 years.

This great iron truth verified by history will remain valid for all eternity.

We should maintain the purity of our Party’s original ideals and spirit that determine its revolutionary character and mode of existence and apply them to its building and activities to the letter. This is the way to ensure its eternal development as a dignified and powerful party through all ages.

Those who should stand in the vanguard of our Party that is winning victory after victory on the strength of its great original ideals and spirit are officials most faithful to it.

Despite the change of generations along with the advance of the revolution, our officials, the backbone of our Party, should be communist revolutionaries who are thoroughly equipped with its original ideals and spirit. By doing so we can implement the five-point line of Party building in the new era and thus improve the profile and militant efficiency of our Party in every way possible.

Proceeding from this, our Party, at the historic watershed of its development, put up the slogan Let Us Open a Great Golden Age of Party Building in the New Era by Carrying Forward Its Original Ideals and Spirit! and set it as the primary revolutionary task of officials to carry forward on a higher level the ideals, faith, spirit and temperament cherished by the first-generation revolutionaries in accomplishing the cause of Party founding.

The original ideals and spirit of the Party should be adopted by Juche-type communist revolutionaries as the essence of their ideological and mental qualities.

Loyalty to the leader, devotion to the revolutionary cause, the spirit of serving the people, high-level class consciousness, socialist patriotism and ennobling moral traits–these constitute the major ideological and spiritual qualities of a communist revolutionary of a Juche type, the perfect incarnations of which were the anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters.

When they had no government to provide a rear, these fighters pioneered the revolution barehanded and waged it while eating and sleeping in the blizzard-swept wilderness. In doing so, they trusted the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung and nobody else, and their 20-year-long, immortal chronicles of resistance and the sacred history of Party founding were written with their beautiful ideals of socialism and communism, steadfast faith in the revolution and indomitable fighting spirit.

Having performed imperishable exploits for Party founding and the sacred cause of building the country and its armed forces, the revolutionary forerunners remained honest and resolute all their lives and worked with devotion for the prosperity of the country and the wellbeing of their fellow people.

Many years have passed, but the noble soul cherished by these first-generation revolutionaries has served as an inexhaustible source of sustenance to bring up the people of the later generations into true fighters and communists.

To embody and apply the Party’s original ideals and spirit to the letter poses itself today as a most pressing, crucial task facing our officials as leading personnel of the revolution.

Our Party is making sustained efforts to build up the country’s defence capability to cope with the allied imperialist forces’ moves for aggression and war, and at the same time is conducting gigantic projects for the comprehensive development of socialism.

The tasks facing us are challenging, yet we are short of qualified officials who are equal to such tasks.

The first-generation revolutionaries who created the Party’s original ideals and spirit passed away, and the faithful, veteran officials of the second generation who had been trained under their direct concern and influence, are passing away one after another. In order to ensure that the officials of the new generation fill the forerunners’ positions and roles with credit, we should make constant efforts to transform cadres along revolutionary lines and adopt radical measures to improve their training.

This is the very reason why the Party Central Committee puts the main emphasis on improving personnel administration, underlining the need for our cadres to live and work like the forerunners who blazed a trail for the cause of Party founding. These years, while giving top priority to the work of the Central Cadres Training School of the WPK, it has invested a huge sum in developing it into a political school without parallel in the world, the best “pedigree farm” for training Party cadres.

The ruling history of our Party spans nearly eight decades, and its policy of making officials revolutionary and working-class dates back far more than half a century. Never before have we brought the Party’s original ideals and spirit to the fore as the banner for transforming cadres along revolutionary lines.

Only when we equip our cadres with the far-reaching ideals, steadfast revolutionary faith and indomitable spirit that have been etched in the great history of Party founding, can we successfully attain the goal of transforming our Party’s cadres along revolutionary lines and bring about a great turn in building up the Party.

The Party’s original ideals should be a purpose of life and work for our cadres and part of their creed, and the Party’s original spirit and ethos should definitely dominate their thinking and action. Only then will the ranks of our Party’s cadres become steel-strong with genuine communist revolutionaries, adding inexhaustible dynamism to our cause of building up the Party to make a steady advance along the road of victory.

All our officials should work hard to temper themselves in the flames of transforming cadres along revolutionary lines, fully conscious of the urgent practical requirements and the important mission they have assumed for the times–writing a new, great chapter of history of the WPK by carrying forward its original ideals and spirit.

That officials possess the Party’s original ideals and spirit as their mental qualities means that they cherish the first-generation revolutionaries’ boundless loyalty to the Party and the revolution and their spirit of devoted service to the people, as their essential temperament and principle of life, always thinking and acting accordingly.

Loyalty to the Party, the revolution and the people, as was displayed by this generation, is the three-point essential temperament to be possessed of by our officials who are the leading personnel of the revolution and the hard core of our Party.

Officials should have a high degree of loyalty to the Party and fulfil their responsibility and duty as its core members in supporting its ideology and leadership.

They should take the lead, first and foremost, in defending our Party’s dignity and authority in every possible way.

Our Party’s dignity represents our state’s prestige, and it is a source of the greatest pride and honour for our people.

Our forerunners of the preceding generations, despite the difficulty and complexity of their struggle, were unconditional in safeguarding the Party’s dignity and authority and defending the revolution. We must never allow their ennobling spirit and merited contributions to remain merely as memories of the past.

In the struggle of the present times, too, our officials should regard it as the starting point and fundamental principle of their thinking and activities to thoroughly defend the prestige of the Party.

They should make it their habit to always try to identify any shortcomings in ensuring the absolute authority of the Party in all processes and on all occasions of their work and life and take steps to prevent any minor defects.

They should consider all affairs carefully and organize and carry them out scrupulously while giving top priority to ensuring the authority of the Party rather than attempting to achieve immediately visible successes.

Their loyalty to the Party is manifested intensively in implementing its lines, policies and decisions to the letter.

The environment and conditions in the early days after the Party was founded were worse than those of today and the cadres’ academic attainments or career were not conspicuous, but their viewpoint of and attitude to the Party’s lines and policies and their political awareness and sensibility were on a remarkably high level, which our officials should attain today.

Officials should learn from the spiritual world of the first-generation revolutionaries, and become staunch fighters who are perfect in implementing the Party’s policies even in the face of manifold trials and difficulties.

At present some officials, unaware of the quintessence of our Party’s policies, are working subjectively and merely to satisfy their own taste and, claiming that they are implementing the Party’s policies, they are vulgarizing these policies and even distorting their execution, deviated from Party principle. These are serious mistakes.

Whatever they do, officials should have a clear understanding of the Party’s intention, and, on its basis, consistently maintain the methodology of planning their work and finding solutions to the problems; and they should direct the greatest efforts to carrying out the Party’s decisions perfectly without any slightest compromise or deviation.

They should fully display their Party spirit in the struggle for strengthening the politico-ideological unity of the Party and the single-hearted unity of the revolutionary ranks.

We should never rest on our laurels or relax as the unity and cohesion of the Party and the revolutionary ranks have been firmly maintained up to now, nor forget even a moment that the enemy within and without are waiting for a chance to undermine the single-hearted unity and resorting to more desperate schemes.

With an awareness that they stand on the forefront of defending the unity and cohesion of the Party, officials should firmly preserve the politico-ideological purity of the revolutionary ranks by launching a principled, merciless struggle against those who have been deteriorated ideologically and degenerated in their class consciousness.

They should think and act thoroughly in line with the unified leadership system of the Party Central Committee, launch a struggle immediately against any trifling negative tendencies and elements such as idolizing individuals, regarding oneself as exceptional and working in a self-centred way and stamp them out resolutely.

I have already said that our officials should coordinate the public sentiments as carefully as running with an electric bulb on a glass tray. This means that it is quite a difficult task to manage the public sentiments and maintain unity, and great efforts should be directed to this task with constant care and attention.

Officials should thoroughly orient and subordinate all their work to strengthening the single-hearted unity between the Party and the masses and deal with the arising problems in accordance with Party and class principles after correctly distinguishing whether they are favourable or not to cementing the single-hearted unity.

Our officials should make devoted efforts with thoroughgoing revolutionary spirit.

Our Party set it as the development strategy of our own style to develop all sectors of socialist construction, all regions of the country and all fields of the national economy in a balanced, simultaneous way, and made such a challenging strategic decision as shouldering the task for a mid-term and long-term rural rejuvenation and regional development while carrying out the gigantic struggle tasks of the five-year plan set forth at its Eighth Congress.

It is a clear expression of our Party’s revolutionary stand to live up at any cost to the responsibility entrusted by the times and the revolution as well as to the people’s trust and expectation, and this requires all our officials to make unyielding and devoted efforts with renewed revolutionary conviction and fighting spirit.

As shown by the life of the many loyal persons who have stoutly supported the Party’s cause from the early days of its founding up to the present, a fighter who overcomes hardships by means of conviction and optimism and devotes his all to the sacred cause for the country and the people can be said to be a genuine revolutionary.

A man with no conviction and optimism can neither feel the worth of waging the revolution nor tide over the hardships, easily wavering in the face of difficulties and trials.

With clear insight into the present reality that convincingly shows the absolute superiority of the socialism of our own style and promises a bright future for the overall rejuvenation of our state, officials should brave all manner of challenges and trials in the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and fortitude and carry out the decisions of the Party Congress and the plenary and political bureau meetings of the Party Central Committee.

It is most pressing for them to retain a strong sense of responsibility and display infinite devotion in implementing their official duties.

Loyalty to the revolution means a keen awareness of responsibility for one’s revolutionary duty and indomitable exertion.

The present era, in which the campaign for gigantic creation unprecedented in the history of our socialist construction is underway, demands hands-on officials who achieve remarkable results with a high sense of responsibility, bold drive, stubborn fighting spirit and persistent executive ability.

However, our officials have yet to rid themselves of such irresponsible and insincere tendencies as formalism, expediency, and self-protectionism, and this has proved to be a hindrance to our advance and development.

With a firm view and stand that they assume full responsibility for their work before the Party and the state, they should always rack their brains to find ways for better successes and more substantial results and work with devotion to achieve them.

If it is for the sake of the revolution, they should not argue about the limits of responsibility or consider benefits first with a self-centred approach, but instead take the lead in undertaking a task, however challenging it may be–this is the attitude of a genuine revolutionary, the attitude of a master.

Officials should do away with the indifferent and self-centred practice of staying aloof from any problems that are beyond the bounds of their responsibility, and adopt a proper stance and attitude of considering and approaching every problem in the interests of the Party and the state.

Our officials should become faithful servants of the people, who embody loyalty to them as one of their inherent qualities.

The quintessence of our Party’s original ideals and spirit is the people-first principle.

In the first days of our Party founding, the Korean communists inscribed in its sacred red flag their lofty ideals for building a new country whose masters are the people, as well as their faith and will to sacrifice themselves without hesitation for the sake of their fellow people.

The nearly eight decades of our Party’s struggle to defend the red flag symbolizing its original ideals and spirit, represent the history of its preserving its nature and original features as a genuine party of the people. And following this course, our Party has administered the great people-first politics that is unprecedented in the political history of ruling socialist parties.

The people-first principle is not an abstract slogan, but it is the political creed unique to our Party, which permeates all its lines and policies and whose viability our people have experienced through their everyday life.

Despite manifold difficulties facing the state, our Party initiated and is unfailingly carrying out gigantic projects of lasting significance to translate the people’s ideals and dreams into reality, and it also ensures that the more difficulties the people experience, the deeper the whole Party goes among the masses, sharing weal and woe with them. Such traits can never be displayed or imitated by other ruling socialist parties.

People-first principle–this represents our Party’s original features and its absolute ruling efficiency.

Our officials’ loyalty to the people should find its expression in wholeheartedly supporting the Party Central Committee’s people-first politics and faithfully serving the people.

They should, first of all, acquire a proper view of and attitude towards the people.

It is self-evident that an official with an improper view of the people can neither respect nor serve them.

Our Party has performed great and undying exploits, because since the initial days of its founding it has regarded it as its inherent mission to believe in the people as in heaven and serve them, and has made strenuous efforts to this end, thereby winning their absolute support and trust despite the passage of time and changes of generations.

When a party is alienated or divorced from the people, it would be futile to talk about or think of its lines and policies, struggle and achievements. Likewise, when officials are separated from the people, it would be pointless to speak about their worth.

Officials should never deviate from the view that the people do not exist for the sake of cadres, but the latter exists for the sake of the former, and from the stand and attitude of regarding the people as sacred beings and respecting them as their mentors at any time and under any circumstances.

At its historic Eighth Congress, our Party put special emphasis on holding higher the ideals of “The people are god” as well as single-hearted unity and self-reliance, and declared them to the whole world. Officials should cherish its real intention deep in their mind, be infinitely courteous and sincere to the people and remain faithful to the duty as their true servants.

Most recently, we have brought the residents in the flood-hit areas to the capital city and taken warm care of them with sincerity while giving education to their children, and decided to add the construction of advanced public health facilities, facilities for science, education and cultural activities, and grain management facilities to the Regional Development 20×10 Policy. All these are the revolutionary measures which clearly testify to our Party’s faith that the people are its god.

Our officials, whatever they do, should consider whether it would infringe upon the demands and interests of the people and whether it would cause any inconvenience to them, and should approach and deal with the arising problems from their standpoint and from the viewpoint of providing convenience to them and promoting their wellbeing.

They should cherish the boundless trust of the people, who call the Workers’ Party mother, as the greatest confidence in and expectations of them, regard it as their duty to find out and take charge of new things for them and make positive efforts to find solutions to the problems, eagerly awaited by them.

It is of particular importance to be prudent in words and deeds in acquiring the traits as befitting an official of the Party.

As always, officials’ moral traits are a serious political issue directly related with the prestige of the Party.

I stress once again: if officials make a slightest mistake in words or deeds before the people, they will lower the prestige of the Party and estrange the masses from it.

The revolutionary forerunners, who had laid firm foundations of the Party and secured its authority in the early days after its founding, performed feats in their work to be praised by all. However, there was no gap between them and their fellow people, and they built up the foundations for establishing a sound climate in the Party by dint of their unique people-oriented spirit and methods of working with them.

Officials should always be courteous with bright facial expression whenever they approach the masses, be they ten or one, and give sincere advice to those who made a mistake and lead them forward.

They should be infinitely humble in front of the masses and mix with them unceremoniously, and every of their words and deeds should overflow with the ennobling moral traits and warm human feelings of respecting and caring for them.

We should keep intensifying the struggle to root out the abuses of power, bureaucracy and accumulation of wealth by illicit means.

These negative practices are the main targets of struggle, which fundamentally run counter to our Party’s original ideals and spirit.

Officials should refrain from harbouring such ideas of demanding uncommon treatment while regarding themselves as exceptional beings and seeking only their own interests by abusing their power, but make it part of their habit to lead the same life with other people.

Times have changed a lot since the days of Party founding, but its mode of existence and activities–sharing weal and woe with the people and standing in the vanguard of their struggle–remains unchanged.

If any slightest manifestation is revealed among them of the abuses of power, bureaucracy and accumulation of wealth by illicit means, it will do harm to the Party and leave a blot on their political integrity. Bearing this in mind, they should control and temper themselves, working and living modestly, simply and frugally.

In addition, they should not spare comradely advice and help to other officials working with them so as to ensure that any trifling practice of the abuses of power, bureaucracy and corruption is not revealed among them. They should also make continuous efforts to awaken and educate their family members and relatives lest they commit any unsound practice.

In order to become communist revolutionaries who are possessed of the Party’s original ideals and spirit as their mental qualities, our officials should intensify their studies.

Studying is the primary process for them to acquire and steadily improve their Party, revolutionary and people-oriented spirit; it is also an important way for the revolutionary transformation of cadres.

Fully aware that studying hard is the essential requirement for their training in the Party spirit and their revolutionary self-improvement, officials should study voluntarily, diligently and substantially.

Primary attention should be paid to the studies aimed at arming themselves with the Party’s lines and policies.

Our Party’s revolutionary ideology is the ever-victorious banner leading the cause of Juche, providing absolutely correct guidelines for ushering in a golden age in building up the Party and achieving national prosperity in the new era.

Officials should regard it as a vital task to arm themselves with the Party’s ideology and policies, keeping in mind that, without a correct understanding of them, they can neither be faithful to the important responsibility and duties entrusted to them by the Party nor breathe the same air as, and keep step with, the advance of the times.

They should firmly equip themselves with our Party’s revolutionary ideology by conducting an in-depth study of its documents in a chronological order and in a systematic and comprehensive way, thereby making it an element of their firm faith.

In particular, they should intensify their study of the Party’s current policies, such as the new policy on regional development, until they correctly grasp the gist of those policies, and then identify what they need to do for their implementation and take practical steps to this end.

In arming themselves with our Party’s ideology and theories, they should put the particular emphasis on effectively studying its line of building up the Party in the new era.

Mindful of the Party Central Committee’s intention to usher in a new golden age of building up the Party by carrying forward its original ideals and spirit, they should study hard to grasp the essence, originality, viability and great vitality of the five-point line of building up the Party and make it an element of their faith, and find ways for applying it in practice.

They should also conduct an in-depth study of how our Party was founded and has been developed.

The new golden age of building up the Party should start with studying how our Party was founded and has been developed and learning from the ennobling spirit of our forerunners who made an undying contribution to pioneering and advancing the cause of building a Juche-oriented party–this is our Party’s requirement.

All the officials should be so effective in studying the history of our Party in various forms and by various methods that they can gain knowledge, which is as good as first-hand experience, of how the first-generation revolutionaries went against all odds to pioneer the great cause of Party building and carry it through with credit, and of how hard the second- and third-generation revolutionaries have worked by carrying forward their predecessors’ soul and spirit.

They should also be well aware of how dearly they paid for the creation of our Party’s history and tradition of unity and cohesion unprecedented in the history of the building of revolutionary parties, the ruling socialist parties in particular, and of how the fighters of the preceding generations defended the Party Central Committee and the revolution in times of grave trials.

In order to become communist revolutionaries embodying the Party’s original ideals and spirit, officials should cultivate and train themselves in a revolutionary way through Party life.

Party life is a school for revolutionary education and a furnace for revolutionary training, where officials can acquire and consolidate their loyalty to the Party, the revolution and the people.

Bearing in mind that whoever neglects Party life and fails to temper their loyalty to the Party will degenerate in spite of themselves and end up being traitors and renegades of the revolution, officials should enhance their loyalty to the Party and revolutionary temperament by taking a voluntary and sincere part in Party life.

Officials should participate in Party life faithfully with a high appreciation of Party organization, just as rank-and-file Party members do–this is an obligation stipulated in the Party Rules and a course of their cultivating revolutionary traits.

The anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters made efforts to enhance their loyalty to the Party by reviewing their Party life by themselves even in the throes of successive battles and marches; learning from their ennobling examples, officials should respect the Party organization and take a fully responsible attitude and approach towards its decisions.

By taking a voluntary and sincere part in Party meetings, reviews of Party life and Party study sessions, they should establish a regularized climate of obeying Party discipline and working and living accordingly, and get into the habit of making conscious efforts to place themselves under the Party organization’s guidance and control.

They should train themselves ideologically and enhance their Party awareness through intensive criticism and ideological campaign.

Self-reflection and principled, comradely criticism are the most efficacious of political “tonics,” which help our officials work harder with a strong sense of their basic duty as Party members and revolutionaries, and ideological campaign is a fundamental method for transforming cadres along revolutionary lines.

Officials should review their Party life conscientiously now and then according to the Party Rules and regulations, and they should be frank with the Party organization about their mistakes and be bold in correcting them.

When others make a mistake, they should give them principled criticism based on the Party’s ideology, policies and discipline and, not confining themselves to doing so, help them with all sincerity so that they can rectify their mistake.

Success or failure in preparing officials to be genuine communist revolutionaries embodying the Party’s original ideals and spirit depends largely on the role of Party organizations.

Officials’ self-consciousness alone is not enough to enhance their loyalty to the Party, the revolution and the people.

If we connive at, and take a hands-off approach towards, any signs of unorganized, undisciplined or negative practice that may be revealed among officials, we cannot maintain the Party’s original ideals and spirit. This will end up failing to provide a sure guarantee for the future of the Party and the revolution.

Party organizations at all levels, fully aware that transforming cadres along revolutionary lines is a crucial matter that has a direct bearing on the destiny of the Party and the successful accomplishment of the socialist cause, should strengthen the education and control of officials and establish strict discipline within the Party.

They should make exacting demands on officials to be fully conversant with the Party’s regulations and order and strictly observe them in and out of work; they should also exercise tight control and guidance so that the officials draw up detailed action plans, work according to them and exert themselves in implementing their assignments to produce substantial results.

They should be effective in educating and controlling officials lest they act contrary to the Party’s principles and discipline in the course of directing the lower-echelon units or in their daily activities; once they reveal any negative practice, they must never connive at it, instead making an issue of it and helping them rectify it.

By taking into account the requirements of the developing revolution and the preparedness of officials, they should work out detailed methodology to transform them along revolutionary lines and make persevering efforts to this end, correcting deviations in time, if any, and steadily intensifying this work.

Next year is very significant in that our glorious Party will greet its 80th founding anniversary and its Central Committee will wind up its eighth term.

From now on, we should make good preparations for celebrating this anniversary of our Party as a grand political festival that will proudly review its longest history as a ruling socialist party and mark a watershed in opening up a new, great era of building up the Party and the country.

In addition, we should successfully carry out the policy-oriented tasks put forward by the Eighth Party Congress.

All the officials should embody the Party’s original ideals and spirit, and they should remain faithful to their responsibility and duty as the leading personnel of the revolution in the ongoing drive to open up a golden age for strengthening the whole party and achieving national prosperity.

Filled with greater conviction and mounting morale, we are advancing more vigorously and confidently to bring earlier the victory of socialist and communist construction by carrying forward the invaluable and sacred ideals and spirit.

The intention in pioneering the cause of the Workers’ Party of Korea was a truth, and its victory is a truth as well.

The great soul of our forerunners is encouraging us.

Let us all endeavour to keep up the revolutionary upsurge in the new era by making redoubled efforts to achieve proud results with a strong sense of honour and responsibility as befitting the hard core of the great Party and the leading personnel of the revolution.

2024-10-11