Drone Strike In Israel Marks Advance by Rebels

"TEL AVIV -- A drone strike on Tel Aviv that managed to slip through Israel's vaunted air defenses was the first such attack on the country's commercial capital since the beginning of the Gaza war.

The Israeli military said the blast early Friday was caused by a large uncrewed aerial vehicle that could travel long distances. It said it believes the device was launched by the Iran-aligned Houthi militant group from Yemen, roughly 1,250 miles away.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had targeted Tel Aviv with a new drone called "Yaffa" that can evade Israeli air-defense systems.

The drone strike marks an advance in the militant group's capabilities and threatens to widen what is already a multifront war. 

The fact the drone got through highlights Israel's difficulties defending against drones, a relatively cheap means of attack that is frustrating militaries around the world.

"The Israeli security system will come to terms with anyone who tries to harm the state of Israel or send terror against it in a clear and surprising way," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed on the attack and held a situation assessment Friday morning, according to a statement by his office.

The drone, likely an upgraded Iranian Samad-3, approached its target from the direction of the sea and was detected, but it wasn't intercepted and no air-raid sirens were activated ahead of the explosion due to a human error, the military said based on its initial findings.

"We are investigating the mishap -- why we didn't identify it, attack it and intercept it," Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

The military said that it did intercept an additional uncrewed aerial vehicle outside Israeli territory along the country's eastern border around the same time and that it was investigating whether the incidents were connected.

A video shared by the Israeli military on Friday that was verified by Storyful, which is owned by News Corp, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, appeared to show a small aircraft hurtling toward a building near the Tel Aviv beach followed by a flash of light and a loud explosion.

Emergency services said one person was killed and several people were injured by the blast, which hit an apartment near the U.S. Embassy's branch office in the city shortly after 3 a.m. Friday. The injuries were a result of shrapnel, shock wave or anxiety, according to Israeli authorities, and none of the injured were seriously wounded.

A U.S. official said the U.S. has been in touch with Israeli security officials to learn more and understood that Israel is conducting an investigation into what happened.

Houthi militias have previously fired missiles at Israel with a focus on the city of Eilat in southern Israel." [1]

1. World News: Drone Strike Marks Advance by Rebels. Peled, Anat; Keller-Lynn, Carrie.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 20 July 2024: A.7.  

Japonijos, vienatvės kankinami, vienišiai ieško romantikos iš vyriausybės --- Mažėjantis gimstamumas suteikė piršlybų biurą; "Jiems reikia pagalbos" kankinami vienišiai ieško romantikos iš vyriausybės --- Mažėjantis gimstamumas suteikė piršlybų biurą; "Jiems reikia pagalbos"

 

 „OMIYA, Japonija – 39 metų slaugytoja Jurika Adachi pavargo bevaisiai naršyti pažinčių programėlėse ir pernai kreipėsi į vietos valdžios pareigūnus prašydama padėti susirasti vyrą.

 

 Pirma, biurokratai turėjo keletą klausimų.

 

 Adachi užpildė internetinę formą ir užsisakė susitikimą asmeniškai Saitama Rendezvous pagalbos centre. Ji pareigūnui pateikė, asmens tapatybę patvirtinantį, dokumentą su nuotrauka ir kaip pajamų įrodymą išsikasė mokesčių dokumentą. Adachi nuėjo į kitą biurą, kad gautų dokumentą, įrodantį, kad ji tikrai yra vieniša. „Man tai netrukdė“, – sakė Adachi dė vyriausybės biurokratijos.

 

 Ji bijojo sutikti dar vieną vyrą, kurio pažinčių programos nuotrauka atrodė geriau, nei vaikinas asmeniškai.

 

 Japonija gamina daug automobilių, bet nepakankamai kūdikių. Šalies gyventojų skaičius mažėja nuo didžiausio 2008 m., kai per metus sumažėjo daugiau, nei 800 000 žmonių.

 

 „Jei nebus imtasi radikalių veiksmų, Japonija (ir daugelis kitų šalių) išnyks! Elonas Muskas sunerimęs paskelbė X birželio mėn.

 

 Kadangi Japonijoje susituokusios poros pagimdo 98 % kūdikių, vietos valdžios institucijos savo viešąsias paslaugas įtraukė į piršlybas.

 

 Tai kainavo Adachi apie 100 dolerių už dvejų metų planą. Jai nereikėjo tiek laiko, kad susitiktų su savo amžiaus vyru. Jo nuotrauka jos nesužavėjo, tačiau Ri Adachi dirbo tvirtą sistemų inžinieriaus darbą. Jie papietavo ir pasivaikščiojo parke.

 

 Jam patiko jos linksma šypsena, o jai patiko lengvas jo pokalbis. „Net per pirmąjį pasimatymą, – sakė ji, – su juo jaučiausi labai patogiai."

 

 Žmonės, ieškantys santuokos partnerio, be kitų detalių, nurodo savo pomėgius, pajamas ir vietą. Kai kurios vietos valdžios institucijos atlieka testą, kad nustatytų vertybes, asmeninius bruožus ir elgesio modelius, skirtus kompiuterizuotam atitikimui.

 

 Tokijo pareigūnai netrukus pristatys programėlę, kurioje naudojamas dirbtinis intelektas. Planuojamai programai reikės, kad piršlybų kandidatai pirmiausia būtų patvirtinti internetu per kamerą ir pasirašytų prisiekusį pareiškimą, kuriame teigiama, kad yra įsipareigoję susituokti.

 

 „Atrodo, kad tai per daug rūpesčių“, – sakė 28 metų Natsuki Tomigawa, dirbanti turizmo versle ir besinaudojanti komercinėmis pažinčių programėlėmis.

 

 Kai kuriose vietose tokias rungtynes ​​surengti buvo sunku. Akitakatos miestas vakarų Japonijoje praleido dešimtmetį, bandydamas paskatinti santuoką ir susilaukė 59 porų. Miestas apskaičiavo, kad kiekvienai santuokai ganyti vidutiniškai išleido daugiau nei 6000 dolerių. Ne visos poros turėjo vaikų. Kai kurios poros išsiskyrė.

 

 Vietos valdžia turi skirtingus reikalavimus piršlybų paslaugoms.

 

 Ehime prefektūra Šikoku saloje yra viena griežčiausių. Būsimąsias poras per pirmąjį pasimatymą turi lydėti savanoris palydovas. Pirmą pusvalandį lydintys asmenys paprastai laikosi šalia, kad padėtų pralaužti ledus ir įsitikintų, kad nėra abejotinų reikalų.

 

 Lydėtojai taip pat laikosi vietinių taisyklių: porai draudžiama keistis vardais ar telefonų numeriais per pirmąjį pasimatymą, kuris neviršija dviejų valandų. Vėliau vyras ir moteris – tos pačios lyties asmenų paslaugos nesiūlomos – pasako palydovui, ar jiems patiko jų pasimatymo partnerė, ar ne. Jei abiems patiko, palydovas pasidalina vardais ir kontaktine informacija.

 

 „Sakau jiems, kad visa tai dėl jūsų saugumo“, – sakė 64 metų Naomi Atarashi, palydovė veteranė.

 

 Ji paprastai prašo poros tris sekundes pažvelgti vienas į kitą ir tada pateikti savo įspūdžius. „Jie paprastai būna labai drovūs ir įsitempę“, – sakė Atarashi. "Jiems reikia pagalbos pradėti pokalbius."

 

 „Chaperone“ programa yra viena sėkmingiausių Japonijoje. Jo 200 palydovų kasmet padeda susituokti maždaug 100 porų, tai yra apie 2 % prefektūros santuokų. Tačiau jos gimstamumas praėjusiais metais pasiekė rekordinį žemumą.

 

 Atarashi, veteranė palydovė, sakė, kad žmonės, užsiregistravę piršlyboms, tampa vis vyresni. Jie ieško draugo, kad galėtų pasidalinti savo vėlesniais gyvenimo metais.

 

 Neseniai ji lydėjo 40-ies metų amžiaus moterį, kuri kažkada buvo vedusi. Kitą kartą ji prižiūrėjo 63 metų vyrą, kuris niekada nebuvo vedęs.

 

 „Mūsų iniciatyva kovoti su mažu gimstamumu virsta kažkuo kitokiu“, - sakė Atarashi. „Tačiau gerai, kad tai padės sumažinti vienišų pagyvenusių žmonių skaičių.“ [1]

 

Lietuvoje konservatorių vyriausybė irgi skatina gimstamumą, bet kasetinėmis bombomis. Kuo daugiau rizikos vaikams, tuo daugiau turime gimdyti, kad padidėtų šansai, jog išliks nors vienas.

 

1. Japan's Lonely Singles Seek Romance From the Government --- Falling birthrates have yielded the office of matchmaking; 'They need help'. Inada, Miho.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 20 July 2024: A.1.

Japan's Lonely Singles Seek Romance From the Government --- Falling birthrates have yielded the office of matchmaking; 'They need help'

"OMIYA, Japan -- Yurika Adachi, a 39-year-old nurse, grew tired of swiping fruitlessly on dating apps and petitioned local government officials last year for help finding a husband.

First, the bureaucrats had a few questions.

Adachi filled out an online form and booked an in-person appointment at the Saitama Rendezvous Support Center. She presented her photo ID to an official to verify her identity and dug out her tax document as proof of income. Adachi went to another office, to obtain a document showing she was indeed single. "I wasn't bothered," said Adachi of the government rigmarole.

She dreaded meeting one more man whose dating app photo looked better than the guy did in person.

Japan makes plenty of cars but not enough babies. The nation's population has been falling since its peak in 2008, falling by more than 800,000 a year.

"If radical action isn't taken, Japan (and many other countries) will disappear!" Elon Musk posted in alarm on X in June.

Because married couples produce 98% of the babies in Japan, local governments have added matchmaking to their public services.

It cost Adachi about $100 for a two-year plan. She didn't need that long to meet a man her age. She wasn't impressed by his photo, but Ri Adachi had a solid job as a systems engineer. They had lunch and took a walk in the park.

He liked her cheerful smile, and she liked his easygoing conversation. "Even on the first date," she said, "I felt very comfortable with him."

People seeking a marriage partner list their hobbies, income and location, among other details. Some local governments give a test to determine values, personal traits and behavior patterns for computerized matching.

Tokyo officials will soon introduce an app employing artificial intelligences. The planned app will require matchmaking applicants first be cleared online via camera and sign a sworn statement saying they are committed to getting married.

"It sounds like too much trouble," said Natsuki Tomigawa, 28, who works in the tourism business and uses commercial dating apps.

In some places, making such a match has proven difficult. The city of Akitakata in western Japan has spent a decade trying to encourage marriage, yielding 59 couples. The city calculated that it spent more than $6,000 on average to shepherd each marriage. Not all of the couples had children. Some couples divorced.

Local governments have different requirements for matchmaking services.

Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, is one of the most strict. A volunteer chaperone is required to accompany prospective couples on their first date. The chaperones usually stick around for the first half-hour to help break the ice and make sure there is no funny business.

Chaperones also enforce local rules: The couple are forbidden from exchanging names or phone numbers on the first date, which is limited to two hours. Later, the man and woman -- there are no same-sex services offered -- tell the chaperone whether or not they liked their date partner. If both did, the chaperone shares names and contact information.

"I tell them these are all for your safety," said Naomi Atarashi, 64, a veteran chaperone.

She typically asks the couple to look at each other for three seconds and then give their impressions. "They're usually very shy and tense," Atarashi said. "They need help to start conversations."

The chaperone program is among Japan's most successful. Its 200 chaperones help around 100 couples tie the knot every year, about 2% of marriages in the prefecture. Its birthrate, however, hit a record low last year.

Atarashi, the veteran chaperone, said people signing up for matchmaking are increasingly older. They are looking for a companion to share their later years.

She recently accompanied a woman in her late 40s, who had been once married. Another time, she supervised a 63-year-old man who had never married.

"Our initiative to tackle the low birthrate is turning into something different," Atarashi said. "It's good, though, that this will help reduce the number of elderly living alone."" [1]

In Lithuania, the conservative government also promotes the birth rate, but with cluster bombs. The greater the risk to the children, the more we have to give birth to increase the chances that at least one will survive.

1. Japan's Lonely Singles Seek Romance From the Government --- Falling birthrates have yielded the office of matchmaking; 'They need help'. Inada, Miho.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 20 July 2024: A.1.