Ukraine strikes, Hamas charges and cross-regional political and energy developments

Off Leash update 4 Sept

Venezuela •In a bid to distract Venezuelans while he tries to steal the presidency, Pres. Maduro announced that Christmas in Venezuela will take place almost three months early this year, on October 1. •Maduro has pre-poned Christmas twice before - in 2021 and 2023 - both to boost the economy by injecting bonuses for public employees and holiday handouts for supporters. This year's early holiday will bring the added benefit of rewarding loyal supporters for turning a blind eye to his election theft. •Cynical Venezuelans complain that holding Christmas early won't make it any merrier: either way, they can't afford gifts or holiday feasts because of runaway inflation under Maduro's bad economic policies. •The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference also wasn't joyous about the date change: it issued a statement reiterating that "Christmas commences on December 25" and chiding that Jesus's birthday "is not to be used for political or propaganda goals." Ukraine •Russia targeted a Ukrainian military academy and nearby hospital in Poltava, killing at least 51 people - including many cadets. •Poltava is around 100 miles (160 km) from the Russian border, and the supersonic missiles flew so fast that air raid sirens sounded only minutes before the attack, giving cadets and residents insufficient time to reach shelter. Many of those killed were on their way to a shelter when they were struck down. •More Russian missiles struck the city of Lviv on the Polish border overnight, killing at least seven. •Separately, Foreign Minister Kuleba resigned as part of Pres. Zelensky's reshuffle to "strengthen some areas in the government" ahead of "an extremely important autumn." Rumors suggest Kuleba will be replaced by Andriy Sybiha, a career diplomat who's currently the deputy head of Zelensky's office. Gaza •The U.S. Justice Department unsealed indictments charging Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and five other senior Hamas members for a wide range of crimes against American citizens, including - but also predating - the Oct. 7 attacks. •The charges are mostly symbolic - and three of those indicted are already dead anyway - but the indictments would allow the U.S. to put Sinwar and the other two on trial if they survive the war and are apprehended. China •China retaliated against Canada's new tariffs on cheap Chinese electric vehicle (EV) exports by launching a dumping inquiry into Canadian rapeseed (canola), which is a far more important export market for Canada than EVs. Over half of Canada's exported canola goes to China, earning Canada C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) in sales. Ottawa called the probe "deeply concerning." •Separately, New York accused an ex-gubernatorial aide of acting as a foreign agent for China by accepting Chinese money for political favors like denying Taiwanese officials meetings with the governor and other officials. Iraq •U.S. and Iraqi commandos carried out an unusual joint raid on Islamic State militants hiding out in Anbar, killing at least 15 jihadists - including some senior leaders. At least six U.S. soldiers suffered injuries. Libya •Libya's rival legislatures agreed to appoint a mutually agreeable candidate to lead the central bank within 30 days, raising hope for an end to the bank's leadership crisis. •Oil markets are optimistic that they'll resolve their dispute and Libya will start pumping oil again: oil prices fell 4% on weak demand and the prospect of Libyan oil reentering an already-oversupplied market. Other News •Romania, Hungary, Georgia, and Azerbaijan kicked off an ambitious project to lay a power line under the Black Sea to bring energy from Azerbaijan's Caspian wind farms to the EU. •The project was approved in 2022 and became urgent quickly after Russia invaded Ukraine, forcing the EU to seek alternate energy supplies.