Hezbollah Says 'No Place' Safe, Even Threatens Cyprus, If Israel Invades Lebanon

 Amid widespread reports and statements that Israel and Hezbollah are on the brink of full-scale war, the Shia paramilitary group's leader Hassan Nasrallah has warned of a war "without rules or ceilings" if Israeli forces launch an offensive in Lebanon.

The words were given in response to Israel's top generals the day prior announcing that battle plans have been approved for a Lebanon offensive and widening of the war. The IDF statement said it is preparing to "accelerate readiness in the field."

"The enemy must wait for us by air, land, and sea. We repeat: If war is imposed on Lebanon, the resistance will fight without rules, controls, or ceilings," Nasrallah responded Tuesday.

"Storming the Galilee is a possibility that remains present within the framework of any war that the occupation may launch against Lebanon," Hezbollah's Secretary-General continued.

And that's when he for the first time of the conflict which began in wake of Oct.7 issued a warning against Cyprus, given that the Greek-speaking island-nation currently has a bilateral defense cooperation agreement with Israel.

"Opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon would mean that the Cypriot government is part of the war, and the resistance will deal with it as part of the war," Nasrallah said.

He further warned that targets in the Mediterranean would also come under attack. In 2006 the Israeli Navy's INS Hanit warship suffered a direct hit from a Hezbollah anti-ship missile (likely made by Iran), killing four soldiers.

His fresh words are also being interpreted by Israeli media to say gas fields in the Mediterranean and energy platforms could also be attacked:

Israel "knows that what also awaits it in the Mediterranean is very big," Nasrallah added, without elaborating, possibly insinuating the group could attack its offshore gas rigs.

The Israeli warship, Hanit, which was attacked by Hezbollah during the 2006 Lebanon War. TOI/Flash90

While Israel is not known to have any bases or ports in Cyprus, it has on occasion conducted joint military drills with Cypriot forces.

More likely is a scenario where Israeli jets would take off from Cypriot bases - or else one of the two British bases maintained on Cyprus. Any bigger Israeli anti-Hezbollah operation in Lebanon would without doubt involve a ratcheting air war over southern Lebanon.

This is insane. Hezbollah drones are out there screenshotting all sensitive Israeli positions, chemical and oil storages and the entire port of Haifa while the Iron Dome is clueless. Hezbollah will destroy the port if Israel attacks Lebanonpic.twitter.com/4YhXnoUHQJ

— Hadi (@HadiNasrallah) June 18, 2024

Nasrallah in his Tuesday statement warned further, "We developed some of our weapons and used new weapons that we had not used previously." Israeli leaders are concerned about recent drone image Hezbollah was able to capture over Haifa, which is Israel's third largest city.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/nasrallah-says-no-place-safe-even-threatens-cyrus-if-israel-invades-lebanon

"Taking Our Extra Time": Boeing Delays Starliner's Return To Earth Amid Thruster Issues

 Boeing's Starliner spacecraft's return from the International Space Station to Earth will be delayed until mid-next week as NASA and astronauts troubleshoot helium leaks and try to figure out why some of the thrusters failed during the latest test flight.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew program manager, said Starliner would end its first crewed mission to the ISS no earlier than next Wednesday - or about three weeks after it first launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

"We want to give our teams a little bit more time to look at the data, do some analysis, and make sure we're really ready to come home," Stich said. 

He emphasized that during the ISS docking on June 6, five of Starliner's 28 reaction control thrusters malfunctioned but noted four managed to recover and come back online.

"We're taking our extra time given that this is a crewed vehicle, and we want to make sure that we haven't left any stone unturned," Stich said, adding, "We also want to look at the systems, and potential interaction between the systems, and make sure we haven't missed something before we return. And we're getting a lot of great data while we're at the space station for not only this flight but for the next flight."

Over the weekend, Boeing and NASA conducted a thruster hot-fire test. Stich expressed a high level of confidence in Starliner's return, stating that everyone involved in the mission 'feels very confident.' 

Starliner is designed for six-month missions. The spacecraft can stay docked at the ISS for 45 days. 

The latest in-flight problems follow years of challenges Boeing has faced with Starliner. These problems compound the ongoing issues with the company's commercial jet program that CEO Dave Calhoun was grilled by lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/taking-our-extra-time-boeing-delays-starliners-return-earth-amid-thruster-issues

Grid Collapse: Ecuador Hit By Nationwide Power Blackout

 A nationwide power blackout hit Ecuador on Wednesday afternoon, plunging 17 million people into darkness. Authorities are working to repair a faulty transmission line that was responsible for the outage.

"The immediate report that we received from the CENACE (National Center of Energy Control) is that there is a failure in the transmission line that caused a cascade disconnection, so there is no energy service on a national scale," Public Works Minister Roberto Luque wrote on X.

Luque added, "We are concentrating all our efforts on resolving the problem as quickly as possible."

The blackout has paralyzed a major subway system in the South American country. There are reports that hospitals in major cities are without power. This comes months after Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa declared a power emergency and ordered eight-hour nationwide rationing due to lower hydroelectricity power generation levels. 

Internet tracking website NetBlocks reports that Ecuador's national connectivity plunged to 44% shortly after the power outage. 

*Developing... 

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/grid-collapse-ecuador-hit-nationwide-power-blackout

Shipping industry urges Red Sea action as Houthis sink second vessel

  Urgent action must be taken in the Red Sea to stop attacks on merchant shipping by Yemen's Houthis, leading industry groups said on Wednesday, after the sinking of a second ship.

Iran-aligned Houthi militants first launched drone and missile strikes on the important trade route in November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. In more than 70 attacks, they have also seized one vessel and its crew and killed at least three seafarers.

"It is deplorable that innocent seafarers are being attacked while simply performing their jobs, vital jobs which keep the world warm, fed, and clothed," the world's top shipping associations said in a joint statement.

"These attacks must stop now. We call for states with influence in the region to safeguard our innocent seafarers and for the swift de-escalation of the situation in the Red Sea."

The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier attacked by Yemen's Houthi militants in the Red Sea last week has sunk, salvagers confirmed on Wednesday.

The vessel was struck with missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat, according to sources.

International naval forces have been deployed to provide mainly defensive support for ships still sailing through the Red Sea, but the attacks have increased significantly.

Insurance industry sources said on Wednesday there was also mounting concern over the use of attack drone boats by the Houthis.

"They are harder to defend against and potentially more lethal as they strike the waterline," one industry source said.

"Missiles have - to date - mainly caused deck and superstructure damage (to ships)."

There have been 10 Houthi strikes so far in June compared with five in May, said Munro Anderson, head of operations at marine war risk and insurance specialist Vessel Protect, part of Pen Underwriting.

"The first successful use of an unmanned surface vessel represents a new challenge for commercial shipping within an already complex environment," he added.

Insurance industry sources said that additional war risk premiums, paid when vessels sail through the Red Sea, had hovered close to 0.7% of the value of a ship in recent days from around 1% earlier this year.

They added that with a second ship sinking and the losses likely to emerge from that, rates are likely to firm up, adding hundreds of thousands of dollars of extra costs to every voyage.

Ships must divert around southern Africa, which is the best way to protect seafarers, said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary with the International Transport Workers' Federation, the leading seafarer's union.

"We would also welcome proper escorts and the shielding of ships by naval forces, which would reduce the risks of ships being hit," he added.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/shipping-industry-urges-red-sea-131915310.html

Nasdaq Boosts Scrutiny of Investors in IPOs From China, HK

• Firms grilled on identity, independence of selling holders
• China relaxed overseas listing rules, sparking more deals

 

Nasdaq Inc. is once again increasing scrutiny of small initial public offerings from China and Hong Kong to avoid a repeat of the wild swings that followed a handful of deals two years ago, according to people familiar with the matter.

Several Hong Kong- and China-based IPO applicants have faced a series of questions from Nasdaq, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information. Questions centered on the identity and independence of the firms’ pre-IPO investors selling shares in the listings, the people said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-20/nasdaq-adds-scrutiny-of-investors-in-ipos-from-china-hk

Lexicon Phase 2 data: clinically significant benefits in diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain

 Clinical trial of LX9211, an investigational non-opioid investigational therapy, demonstrated clinically significant benefits for people with diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP)

Investigators conclude that clinical outcomes of RELIEF-DPN 1 support commencement of Lexicon’s dose-ranging Phase 2b PROGRESS trial, currently enrolling patients

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/06/19/2901068/0/en/Data-From-Lexicon-s-RELIEF-DPN-1-Phase-2-Study-of-LX9211-Published-Today-in-Diabetes-Care-a-Peer-Reviewed-Journal-of-the-American-Diabetes-Association.html

Noninvasive laser therapy could be an effective new treatment for stroke

 People who experience stroke have limited therapeutic options, but new research by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital reveals the potential for non-invasive light treatment using lasers. The results are published in Stroke.

"Unlike other approaches using chemicals, which can be toxic to our bodies, laser light is a physical parameter. It does not stay in the body after the therapy and will have little chance of causing side effects," said co–senior author Satoshi Kashiwagi, MD, Ph.D., an investigator in the Department of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School.

Kashiwagi and his colleagues have been searching for new stroke therapies because the currently used combination treatment of intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy (the injection of clot-busting drugs plus surgical removal of a blood clot) is effective only when it is performed within a certain timeframe and is only appropriate for a fraction of patients.

Targeting the endothelial cells that line blood vessels represents a promising therapeutic strategy because dysfunction of these cells is implicated in the development of stroke. Endothelial dysfunction is characterized by insufficient production of nitric oxide (NO), a gas that helps keep blood vessels open to allow blood to flow freely.

Noting that previous research has shown that laser therapy increases NO production in endothelial cells, the Mass General research team tested the effects of laser therapy in a mouse model of stroke.

They found that treating the head with low-power invisible laser light improved brain blood flow and decreased stroke injury. Experiments showed that mechanistically, laser treatment improved the function of blood vessels in the brain by stimulating the production of NO.

"We discovered a new way to effectively treat stroke using laser light, a modality that is already widely used in the clinic for procedures such as Lasik eye surgery and tattoo removal, and has a well-known safety profile," said Kashiwagi.

"Thus, we expect that we could advance this technology to clinical trials relatively soon. Such technology has the potential to replace the current standard therapy using chemicals, which may cause side effects."

Laser therapy may also be effective for a wide array of other cardiovascular diseases that are characterized by NO deficiency.

More information: Shinya Yokomizo et al, Near-Infrared II Photobiomodulation Preconditioning Ameliorates Stroke Injury via Phosphorylation of eNOS, Stroke (2024). DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.123.045358

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-noninvasive-laser-therapy-effective-treatment.html