[ShabelleMedia] Somali special forces from the elite Danab unit, backed by specially trained Jubaland police, carried out a coordinated operation in parts of the Lower Juba region targeting al-Shabaab ... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa... krazed killers, officials said Monday.
The joint offensive focused on dismantling al-Shabaab infrastructure in areas believed to have been used to plan and launch attacks, according to military sources.
Several krazed killer hideouts and operational centers were destroyed during the operation.
Commanders leading the mission said the primary goal was to restore security and stability in Jubbaland’s Lower Juba areas, particularly around the strategic city of Kismayo ...a port city in the southern Lower Juba province of Somalia, at the extreme southern end of the country (always assuming Somalia can be called a country). It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.... Lower Juba and other parts of Jubbaland remain key areas where al-Shabaab maintains a strong presence.
The region has seen repeated festivities and Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s aimed at weakening the group’s capabilities.
Another temporary victory for the disloyal opposition.
[KhaamaPress] A U.S. court blocks Trump’s bid to end protections for 400,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
A U.S. federal court has rejected a Trump administration attempt to end temporary protected status (TPS) for approximately 400,000 migrants colonists from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south... . The ruling was delivered on Monday, May 5, ordering the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to halt its plan to terminate the program.
The two-year temporary protection was originally granted during President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. You're a lyin' dog-faced pony soldier... ’s term in response to humanitarian crises in those countries, allowing migrants colonists to live and work legally in the United States. The court ruled that ending this status without sufficient justification would cause serious harm to vulnerable communities.
The effort to revoke TPS was part of former President Donald Trump ...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!... ’s broader immigration crackdown, which sought to increase deportations, including of individuals previously granted humanitarian relief. The DHS had announced in March that it would terminate the program, prompting legal challenges from immigrant rights groups.
This court ruling marks a significant victory for immigrant advocacy organizations and affected migrants colonists, many of whom have built stable lives in the U.S. Legal experts and human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. groups argue that ending TPS without a lawful basis would not only disrupt families but also violate due process protections.
#1
It's beyond time to move the lower US courts to some place like Nome Alaska. That would weed out these lawfare judges as they don't have the grit to live for more than one season in a fridged land.
[IsraelTimes] An IDF investigation into the injury of two soldiers in Gaza City on Saturday has found that they were likely hit by Hamas rocket fire, and not a faulty tank shell as initially suspected.
Of the two troops of the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion, one was seriously and one was lightly injured by the blast in an army encampment in the area of Gaza City’s eastern Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods.
The investigation, led by the commander of the Jerusalem Brigade Col. Nir Ifergan, has determined “with a high likelihood” that the soldiers were hit by rocket fire aimed at the encampment, and not the explosion of a tank shell.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF confirms carrying out airstrikes in Lebanon this evening, saying it targeted infrastructure at a Hezbollah “strategic weapons” manufacturing and storage site in the Beqaa Valley area.
The strike was carried out after the military says it identified that Hezbollah was working to restore the facility, which had been targeted in the past.
Additionally, the IDF says it struck several more Hezbollah sites in the Srifa area of southern Lebanon this evening.
The Hezbollah activity and the presence of weapons in the targeted areas “constitute blatant violations of the understandings agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF adds.
Lebanese media reports Israeli airstrikes in the Janta area in the Beqaa Valley, close to the border with Syria.
Israeli drone targets Aitaroun with three strikes
[AnNahar] An Israeli drone on Monday carried out three strikes on the southern town of Aitaroun near Israel’s border, the state-run National News Agency reported.
“An Israeli drone conducted three consecutive strikes on an open area on the outsirts of al-Mahafer-al-Mteit in the town of Aitaroun in the Bint Jbeil district while no casualties were reported,” NNA said.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it located and demolished “the main headquarters of the former Syrian regime at the peak of Mount Hermon,” during recent operations in Syria.
The military compound was raided by the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade, alongside combat engineers and paratroopers.
At the facility, which belonged to the Bashar al-Assad regime, the IDF says it found bunkers and numerous weapons, including artillery cannons, rockets and launchers, mortars, explosives, and mines.
The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries.
Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.”
Israeli officials have said that they seek to completely demilitarize the southern Syria area, and not allow any armed groups to enter it and gain a foothold, including the new Syrian government.
[IsraelTimes] With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval, renovation and maintenance work has begun on the “Little Western Wall,” a section of the Western Wall located in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
Netanyahu authorized the work through the National Security Council due to the political sensitivity of the area with regard to Jordan, the report says. As such, it says, Israel issued an official update to the Jordanian government a few hours before the work began.
Jordan views itself as a custodian of the Temple Mount and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, a status Israel does not recognize.
The “Little Western Wall” is considered the second closest place outside of the Temple Mount to the location of the Holy of Holies in the Second Temple and is thus granted a special sacred status by Jews.
The renovation and maintenance work had long been needed, but was delayed because senior political leadership had yet to approve it, according to Kan. The several months of discussions leading up to the authorization included representatives from the NSC, the police, and the Shin Bet, the report says, citing a minister briefed on the details.
[IsraelTimes] The Southern District Police say officers from the Netivot police station found an unexploded bomb at the entrance to Kibbutz Alumim this morning that they believe was left there by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023, attack.
A spokesman says that, upon examining the bomb, police sappers concluded that it was Iranian-made and was likely left behind by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel.
A police bomb squad neutralized the explosive.
The incident comes after an unexploded bomb also thought to have been left behind by Hamas terrorists was discovered near the city of Netivot last month.
[IsraelTimes] Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... has handed over a bully boy suspected of firing rockets into northern Israel, the Lebanese Army said.
The Paleostinian group turned over the suspect, who the Lebanese military only identified by the initials M.G., at the entrance of the Ain el-Helweh refugee camp, in the southern city of Sidon. The army says the bully boy was suspected of being involved in two rocket launches into Israel in March.
The country's top military body Friday warned Hamas that it would face the "harshest measures" if it carried out any attacks from Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... , weeks after several Lebanese and Paleostinians were detained on suspicion of firing rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel. Both attacks, months after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal went into effect last November, were met with widespread Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s across southern Lebanon and in southern Beirut.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, the Paleostinian bully boy group has carried out several attacks against Israel from Lebanon, where it has an armed presence. Israel has since carried out airstrikes that have killed several Hamas officials, including senior military chief Saleh Arouri in Beirut.
[AnNahar] The Lebanese Army said Monday that Hamas handed over a second Paleostinian suspected of involvement in rocket fire at Israel, one day after the first suspect was handed over and several days after authorities warned the hard boy group against harming the country's security.
The two men are suspected of involvement in two rocket launches towards Israel from Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... on March 22 and 28, the army said.
Israel responded to the rocket fire by bombing south Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hamas ally Hezbollah holds sway.
The Israeli military often says it has targeted Hezbollah operatives or infrastructure, but also occasionally Hamas members or other allies.
Two army statements said the suspects’ handover came based on the "recommendation of the Higher Defence Council and the Lebanese government decision."
The council issued the recommendation on Friday, warning that "the utmost measures" would be taken to stop any action that violates Lebanese illusory sovereignty.
Last month, the army arrested several Lebanese and Paleostinian individuals accused of involvement in the March launches. A Lebanese security source told AFP at the time three Hamas members had been arrested. No group grabbed credit for the rocket launches, and Hezbollah denied any involvement.
[IsraelTimes] Two waitresses fired and a Temple University student suspended as Jewish founder of Barstool Sports rages over antisemitic incident in his Philadelphia establishment
Two waitresses were fired and a Temple University student suspended on Sunday, after video emerged of a "Fuck the Jews" sign being held up, to a raucous reception among a small crowd, at a bar in downtown Philadelphia owned by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.
According to Portnoy, who is Jewish, two students requested a sign as part of the bar’s bottle service, asking that it say "Fuck the Jews." Two waitresses then fulfilled the order, he said, one enthusiastically and the other reluctantly, and neither of them consulted with the management of the bar before doing so.
In an online rant, Portnoy at first threatened "consequences," but later said that the suspended student and one other student agreed to take a tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp site in Poland. Portnoy said he hoped it would be a "learning experience," rather than strictly punitive, and urged his followers to stand down amid the online fracas.
The bar said in a statement it was "saddened, embarrassed, and frustrated by the deplorable actions of a customer and misguided staff."
Temple University president John Fry called the incident "deeply disturbing" and vowed further disciplinary action for anyone involved.
"I’ve been shaking, I’ve been so fucking mad," said a red-faced Portnoy, whose bro-culture website reaches millions each month, in a video posted to X on Sunday.
"I have just sat, and for the last two hours, I have been on the trail," he said. "You think I’m going to put up with this shit at my bar?"
Portnoy said he’d conducted his own investigation into how the sign was put up, because "I want fucking consequences for fucking actions."
In a second video, posted some two hours later, Portnoy said that two waitresses and two Temple students were involved in the incident.
He said he’d fired both the waitresses, but that he had spoken to both of the students and their families and wanted to use the situation as a "teaching moment."
"The more I thought about it, these are young fucking morons who did this. They were drunk. It’s like, do you really want to ruin someone’s life?" he said. "Let’s try to turn a hideous incident into maybe a learning experience."
"We’re going to send these kids to Auschwitz, and they’re going to do a tour of the concentration camps in Germany and hopefully learn something, and maybe their lives aren’t ruined, and most people see it’s not just words you’re throwing around — so to me, that’s a fair outcome of this event."
The Barstool founder’s insistence on consequences was applauded online — though some who praised Portnoy’s righteous indignation at first said they were disappointed by his decision to take a reparative approach.
Shlomo Litvin, a prominent Chabad rabbi based in Kentucky, said on X, "Touring a Nazi Polish death camp, controlled by the Polish government alone, does little to combat antisemitism.
"Don’t take them to Poland. Bring them to a Nova exhibit. Have them sit through the Israeli government footage. Have them speak to a survivor of both the Holocaust and Nova, then bring them to a Chabad House for a class and to a Friendship circle to volunteer for a few dozen hours," he said.
"I can do both," Portnoy responded.
He also received plaudits from some elected officials. US Rep. Elise Stefanik, a conservative firebrand ...firebrands are noted more for audio volume and the quantity of spittle generated than for any actual logic in their arguments... from New York who’s made antisemitism a focus, called Portnoy "an American icon."
US Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania commended Portnoy "for not only immediately working to address the horrific display of hate... but also using it as an opportunity to educate on the tragic history of anti-Jewish hatred and violence."
Jason Holtzman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia condemned the incident at the bar and told CBS news, "Ever since [October 7, 2023] we’ve really seen an uptick of hate against Jewish people, vandalism of Jewish institutions, it’s really a disturbing sign of the times."
Anti-Jewish hate crimes have surged worldwide in the year and a half since the Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... terror group attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, starting the ongoing war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said he would send two customers to tour a former Nazi concentration camp after they allegedly engaged in antisemitic behavior at a Barstool pub in Philadelphia, then later retracted that offer for at least one of them because he said the person was denying responsibility for what happened.
Portnoy said in posts on social media that in an initial conversation Sunday the customer took 100% responsibility for his actions with his friend and agreed to take a learning trip to Auschwitz in Poland. But on Monday, Portnoy posted that the customer “did a 180” and told him he had nothing to do with the antisemitic behavior and that he was just being a citizen journalist by sharing video of what happened.
“His trip to Poland has been revoked,” Portnoy said in the post. “Whatever ramifications come his way he 100% earned.”
It wasn’t clear if the trip had been revoked for the other customer.
In a video posted on social media Saturday night, a woman at the bar who appears to be a server holds a sign with an anti-Jewish message on it while a man repeats the message multiple times.
The bar said in a statement posted to social media that several employees, against their training and organization’s written discrimination policies, complied with a customer’s request for the sign in connection with ordering bottle service.
“We are saddened, embarrassed, and frustrated by the deplorable actions of a customer and misguided staff,” Barstool Samson Street said in the post.
Philadelphia police said they were investigating. No charges were immediately filed.
Temple University said one of the customers is believed to be one of their students. The student was put on interim suspension while an investigation continues, President John Fry said in a statement posted on the university’s website.
Kappa Delta Rho said in a post on its website that it is also investigating because the customer involved was allegedly a member of their fraternity at Temple.
“To be clear, our organization firmly opposes all forms of hate, which have no place in our fraternity,” said Xavier Romano, executive director of the national fraternity.
Portnoy, who is Jewish, had said he hoped to turn the event into a teachable moment. He did not initially identify the culprits, but identified one of them on Monday when saying he would not be sending them to Auschwitz. The customer didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Portnoy said he has experienced increased antisemitism, as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.
He founded Barstool Sports in 2003, a digital platform covering sports, lifestyle and entertainment, in the Boston area. He also owns several Barstool bars in locations around the country.
[IsraelTimes] A concert in Central Park for the anti-Israel singer Kehlani is canceled after pressure from the New York City mayor’s office.
Kehlani was supposed to perform next month at a show called “Pride with Kehlani,” during the city’s LGBTQ Pride month. The show was hosted by the City Parks Foundation, a nonprofit that partners with the city’s department of parks and recreation and receives public funding.
Kehlani has said, “Fuck Israel,” “Fuck Zionism,” “Dismantle Israel,” and shared other calls for Israel’s destruction on social media. Last year, she put out a music video that flashed the message, “Long live the intifada.”
The office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams pressured the foundation to cancel the show, citing security concerns, The New York Post reports.
The foundation canceled the show following a letter from the mayor’s office, the report says.
Adams’ press secretary, Kayla Mamelak Altus, says on X, “We are grateful to the City Parks Foundation for responding to our concerns and canceling the Kehlani concert in Central Park.”
New York Rep. Ritchie Torres also pushed for the show’s cancellation.
“Antisemitism becomes unacceptable only when we, as a society, have the courage to reject it,” Torres says after the show’s cancellation.
Cornell University in upstate New York canceled a Kehlani performance last month, due to her anti-Israel rhetoric.
…in this case a solidly Indian subcontinent name. He also likes to be videoed throwing water on sleeping vagrants, for some reason…
is no longer taking any responsibility or involvement for the “Fuck the Jews” sign at Barstool Samson. His is basically lawyering up and blaming it all on his friend now and is saying he was just a citizen journalist. It is a 180 from my convo with him yesterday. Needless to say his trip to Poland has been revoked
#3
Meet that wandering Muslim Mo Kahn
From a ghetto in north Pakistan
Who has never known peace...
Till Trump grants him release
And he settles just west of Amman.
In my defense, I just sat through all of Raazi (and, boy, is my Bhatt tired!).
#4
If Columbia, Harvard, et al are any indication, education for these people is not the solution. As the Dalai Lama said of terrorists - their minds are closed.
#5
I'm afraid Mr. Portnoy is going to find his previously quiet sector is going to be on the front line from a flanking move.
Been trying to get him since he had only one website and didn't censor comments counter to that time's Censor's Approval, allowing salty commentary and good looking women.
[IsraelTimes] Pro-Palestinian protesters are gathered about a block away from the Met Gala in Manhattan as the area immediately around the museum is been cordoned off by police.
Organizers calling for protesters to “surround” the Met in social media posts claimed the Manhattan institution is “tied to genocide in every way possible.”
The hardline Within Our Lifetime organization, the group at the center of New York City’s most volatile anti-Israel protests, also called out celebrities for continuing to “flaunt their extreme wealth and materialism” as residents of Gaza suffer in the ongoing war with Israel.
Video clips shared on social media show some protesters hopping over barricades as they marched in the rain through Central Park. Other clips show protesters met by vocal counterprotesters supporting Israel.
New York City police say no arrests had been made.
It’s the second year in a row that protests have taken place outside the gala.
[NYTimes] The strikes came after an attack by militants killed more than two dozen civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir and are an intensification of a conflict between two nuclear powers.
India said early Wednesday that it had conducted strikes on Pakistan, two weeks after an attack by armed militants killed more than two dozen civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Interesting that the New York Times stylebook slavishly copies the Pakistani term, instead of calling it Jammu and Kashmir, as India calls its own territory..
The Indian government said its forces had struck nine sites in Pakistan and on Pakistan’s side of the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistani military officials said that five places had been hit, in Punjab Province and its part of Kashmir.
“Our actions have been focused, measured, and nonescalatory in nature,” the Indian government said. “No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted.”
In its own statement, the Pakistani government said that the strikes “will not go unanswered” and that it would respond at “a time and place of its own choosing.” It added, “The temporary pleasure of India will be replaced by enduring grief.”
Pakistani military officials said they had begun a “measured but forceful” response. They did not share operational details but said that retaliation was underway.
The precise nature of the Indian strikes — whether they involved missiles fired from India or Indian fighter jets crossing into Pakistan — was unclear. The Pakistani military said that Indian planes did not enter Pakistan’s airspace in conducting the attacks.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/06/2025 17:59
Comments ||
Top||
#2
Zerohedge says the Indians hit terrorist infrastructure and not military targets.
From the link:
The fact that India is taking pains to let the Pakistani side know that no official military sites were targeted strongly suggests New Delhi is trying to strike without it leading to escalation.
But it would seem highly unlikely that the Paks won't respond.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/06/2025 18:02
Comments ||
Top||
#3
Over on The Enforcer, the Pakistanis claim that they've shot down two Indian jets, and that an Indian missile slammed into a mosque full of people praying.
#6
^ Rumors are Rubio is desperately trying to get through to the Indian leadership without much luck. As far as I can tell, India and Pakistan really are starting to mix it up.
Moscow closed all four of its main airports for several hours into Tuesday after state media reported the military had shot down 105 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said that at least 19 drones were destroyed on their way to the capital as it prepares for Victory Day celebrations this week.
Debris fell on a major avenue in the city's south without causing injuries, Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.
Governors in other Russian cities, including Penza and Voronezh, said they had also been targeted by Ukrainian drones.
It was the second night in a row that Russia has reported a Ukrainian drone attack, after the defence ministry claimed it had destroyed 26 overnight on Monday.
Ukraine has continued to apply pressure ahead of Russia's May 9 Moscow parade, presided by President Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... and attended by several world leaders as the country marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe.
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Saturday that his government could not guarantee the safety of foreign delegations and world leaders travelling to Moscow to attend the parade.
'Our position is very simple for all countries traveling to Russia on May 9: We cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,' he said, adding that Russia could orchestrate provocations including 'arson, bombings and so on only to blame us'.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] … as protesters blame Irish government for 'inviting the whole third world to come in'
Huge crowds have staged anti-migrant protests in Ireland amid growing anger at the government over an increase in arrivals and asylum claims.
More than a thousand are believed to have joined a march in County Donegal's Letterkenny over the weekend, with several hundred having organised a counter-protest.
Ireland has seen anti-migrant anger growing in recent months, over the sheer number of asylum seekers being housed across the nation. Many of them are unable to get accommodation, forcing them to sleep in tents which has further incited anger.
The 'Letterkenny Peaceful Assembly/Protest Against Illegal Immigration' started at the lower end of Port Road, in the town's eastern side, and and concluded at Market Square.
Over in Carrickmacross, a similar protest, this one attended by around 800, was launched on Friday, where speakers criticised the Irish government and landlords profiting from housing asylum seekers.
Local independent councillor Seamus Treanor said people living in his ward did not feel safe in their own homes, given heightened levels of anti-social behaviour.
'I want to get one thing straight - the reason we have a housing problem in this county is because our government opened our borders, and invited the whole third world to come in.
'They came in their tens of thousands, and communities like Carrickmacross are suffering the consequences.
'The so-called opposition are in step with the government, and agree with their policy.'
Many were seen waving Irish and Donegal flags in protest against what they believed was a surge of illegal migration to the country.
One little girl was seen holding a large sign that read: 'TRAITORS ARE LIVING AMONGST US.'
But hundreds of counter-protesters were also present at the Letterkenny march, railing against the anti-migrant sentiment seen across the nation in recent months.
The United Against Racism Donegal Group invited speakers, who spoke in favour of inclusion, respect and equality for all, and rejected the incitement to hatred.
Cops reportedly managed to watch over the incident without any confrontations, having erected a physical barrier between the two groups.
In February, Ireland saw a wave of violence, with anti-migrant anger at an all time high - after the number of people applying to come into the country rocketed by nearly 300 per cent in five years.
Shocking videos showed Dublin descending into chaos - with fighting thugs throwing themselves into busses, knife fights on their streets and mass brawls sparking in residential roads.
In others, men patrol the capital to keep the city 'safe' while police can be seen using riot shields and pepper spray as they crack down on protests.
As many as 150,000 people moved to Ireland in 2023-24, Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures revealed, the highest number in 17 years.
Many of them are being accommodated in poor areas of central Dublin or small provincial towns. Only 30,000 of these were returning Irish citizens.
There are now nearly 33,000 international protection applicants being housed across the nation, up from 7,244 in 2017. Alongside arrivals from Africa and the Middle East, 100,000 refugees flocked to the country following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Each costs the nation nearly £70 a day, a figure that has increased by a third in two years. At the end of last year the Irish Refugee Council revealed there were a record 3,001 asylum seekers homeless in Ireland.
The budget for housing Ukranian refugees has been slashed from £910million in 2023 to less than £340million this year, with officials saying the reduction is expected to continue.
Once sleepy towns are now homes to hundreds of asylum seekers while tent cities have been set up along Dublin's Grand Canal.
And with hard-right sentiment at fever pitch the country is on a knife edge - with even Ireland's left-wing politicians admitting that the influx of migrants was driving a spike in homelessness.
Aoife Gallagher, from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, who monitors hard-right activity, has previously said that there has been an escalation in migrants being targeted in Ireland.
'We see consistently, a couple of times every week, horrific attacks on migrants,' she told the BBC.
'We see people standing outside IPAS centres waiting for asylum seekers in order to confront them and intimidate them.
'There's a level of political violence that we haven't seen before.'
The Irish Refugee Council say there are now more than 3,000 asylum seekers homeless in Ireland. Since December 2023, 5,671 of 6,407 have been refused accommodation, while only 736 were immediately accommodated after a vulnerability triage.
Irish Refugee Council CEO, Nick Henderson, said: 'We can’t continue to normalise homelessness and have the State effectively delegate its duties to volunteers and under resourced charities. It puts both people seeking protection and those helping them at risk of harm.'
Last year UK Government ministers flatly rejected Dublin's demands to take back asylum seekers crossing from Northern Ireland.
The Republic has voiced alarm that large numbers are taking advantage of the invisible border on the island to avoid being deported to Rwanda, with ministers saying more than 80 per cent of the country's asylum seekers arrive this way.
Then-Taoiseach Simon Harris vowed to pass new laws to facilitate returns of migrants, after the country's courts declared the UK cannot be classed as 'safe' due to the pact with the African state.
The government has previously spoken favourably about migration. Jamie Drummond, Co-Founder and Executive Director of NGO ONE and a friend of U2 star Bono, told the International Development Committee in 2015 that young immigrants were needed to help with Ireland's 'senile' aging population.
She said: 'Just as this country and this continent will be at its most senile demographically speaking, Africa will be the world’s youth and the supply of the world’s energy, creativity and dynamism.
'If we have invested properly in their education, governance and long-term security and the ability and belief that people can make a contribution in their economies and societies.
'If we fail to make those long-term investments because we are lurching in response from crisis to crisis or because we are indifferent, we will significantly regret the missed opportunity of having their engagement in a positive way and we will regret unfolding increased crises at that time.'
Project Ireland 2040 - an initiative unveiled in 2018 - forecasting nearly two million extra people in Ireland in 15 years time who would need an extra £96billion in investment for infrastructure and housing.
This huge figure was intended to be used to expand cities and settle rural areas, although it has quickly been left in the dust as the number of arrivals has reached more than double the initial estimates, The Telegraph reports.
A study by the London School of Economics found that hard-right protests in Ireland had seen structural racism and existing views 'supercharged' by social media.
And they blamed the government for cutting funding to anti-racism initiatives in the wake of the 2008 financial crash for allowing views to spiral.
They concluded: 'More needs to be done to ensure already woefully neglected communities receive sufficient state resources to facilitate greater community integration of asylum seekers and migrants, allowing these communities to view immigration as beneficial, hence helping to tackle embedded racism.
'It is this issue of distribution which needs to be at the centre of public debate on immigration, rather than the toxic, polarising and racist frames favoured by the far right and, increasingly, some "mainstream" politicians.
The hashtag 'Ireland is full' frequently trends on social media as experts fear sites like X have fanned suspicion within communities.
Researchers from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue (ISD) found misinformation by hard-right Irish figures is rising across all social media platforms in analysis of 13million posts from 1,640 accounts over the last three years.
They found that the pandemic had brought together previously fringe groups including those holding right-wing views and anti-vaxx campaigners around Covid conspiracy theories.
And when this passed the links 'didn't disappear', with many moving on to target refugees and the LGBT community, The Irish Times reports.
X is the most common platform for hateful posts, with researchers finding 1,158 accounts that posted 11.7million tweets between January 2020 and April 2023. The creation of these spiked following 2022 immigration protests and Elon Musk taking over the site in 2023.
Kremlin disinformation also sparked a flood of disinformation following the invasion of Ukraine, including claims the war was started by the West and that Zelensky's government was controlled by Nazis.
ISD said: 'These narratives also aim to downplay the severity of the war and fuel animosity towards Ukrainian refugees by suggesting they receive preferential treatment over the local population.'
You see, it isn't that the natives can't afford housing and may get stabbed in the street, it's that the messaging funding concerning acceptance to their fate needed to be greater.
[FoxNews] The death of a pastor in New River, Arizona, under bizarre circumstances has been ruled a homicide.
Pastor Bill Schonemann, 76, head of the New River Bible Chapel, was found dead in his own bed last Monday, April 28, with his arms spread wide and pinned to the wall, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. Foul play is suspected. Obviously a suicide
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office officially ruled Schonemann's death a homicide, as police continue to investigate.
[YouTube] How The Ukraine War Will End & What If China Invades Taiwan? (Sir Alex Younger)
What is the real job of a spy? What is the role of the UK’s intelligence community in Trump’s new world order? How does the relationship between politicians and intelligence services work?
Dumb as a box of hair with Ghetto ethics
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas., said the Democratic Party needs people "unafraid" to stand up to President Donald Trump when asked if she believes she is the future leader of the party.
Crockett appeared on CNN’s "The Lead with Jake Tapper" on Monday to discuss comments Trump made against her during his "Meet the Press" interview on Sunday.
"I mean, I look at the Democrats, they're in total disarray," Trump said. "They have a new person named [Texas Rep. Jasmine] Crockett. I watched her speak the other day. She's definitely a low IQ person. And they said she's the future of the party. I said, ‘You have to be kidding.’"
#2
One morning while taking the air,
Fair Jasmine's unethical hair
Was luckily caught
In a box--
"It was not!"
Well, in some kinda hedge. [Crockett, bare]
[FoxNews] Hyrum Baquedano-Rodriguez, an illegally present Honduran national, was nabbed by ICE agents after local authorities dropped his charges
An illegally present Honduran national was nabbed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after they said local authorities dropped a series of his charges, which included child abduction and home invasion.
Agents with ICE in Washington, D.C., arrested Hyrum Baquedano-Rodriguez, 26, in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 2, officials said in a news release.
"Though the court saw fit to drop his most recent charges, Hyrum Baquedano-Rodriguez has been convicted of numerous crimes in Virginia and represents a calamitous hazard to our Virginia residents," said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C., Field Office Director Russell Hott.
Officials said his charges include abduction of a person with intent to defile and burglary, entering a house to murder, rape, etc.
"Every one of his convictions represents another one of our neighbors that Baquedano-Rodriguez has victimized. ICE Washington D.C. will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing criminal alien offenders from our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities," Hott said.
ICE officials said Baquedano-Rodriguez was first arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Aug. 25, 2018, after he illegally entered the United States near Yuma, Arizona.
Baquedano-Rodriguez was then released on an immigration bond by a DOJ immigration judge in Eloy, Arizona, on Jan. 22, 2019.
Fairfax County police arrested Baquedano-Rodriguez on Nov. 9, 2021, and charged him with three counts of indecent liberties, including exposing genitals to child and indecent exposure.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said his administration's top priority is "protecting Virginians."
"Protecting Virginians has been a top priority of our administration since day one, and it should be a priority for every leader at the federal, state and local level," Youngkin said. "That’s exactly why the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force is so important. I’m grateful to our law enforcement officers at every level for working hard to keep Virginians and Americans safe, and I’ll always stand with them."
Homeland Security also confirmed the arrest and said Baquedano-Rodriguez remains in ICE custody.
"MAKING AMERICA SAFE AGAIN: @ICEgov arrested Hyrum Baquedano-Rodriguez, an illegal alien, after a Fairfax County court dropped charges for abduction of a person with intent to defile and burglary. This child sexual predator will remain in ICE custody pending his removal," the department shared in a post on X.
Officials said Baquedano-Rodriguez was convicted in September 2022 of entering property with intent to damage by a Fairfax County General District Court and sentenced to 18 months in prison and imposed restitution.
Less than two weeks later, officials said the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court convicted him of disorderly conduct and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and he was sentenced to 12 months in prison for each conviction.
Baquedano-Rodriguez was convicted again, officials said, in March 2023 of entering property with intent to damage by Fairfax County General District Court and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Then, in June 2024, officials said a DOJ immigration judge in Annandale, Virginia, ordered Baquedano-Rodriguez removed from the United States to Honduras.
On May 2, 2025, the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court dismissed Baquedano-Rodriguez’s charges for abduction of a person with intent to defile and burglary: entering a house to murder, rape, etc.
However, later that day, officers with ICE Washington D.C. arrested him in Fairfax, Virginia, and served him with a warrant of removal. Baquedano-Rodriguez remains in ICE custody.
This was not the first time a Honduran national with a criminal background was released by Fairfax County officials.
Last April, Fairfax County repeatedly released a Honduran national charged with sex crimes and ignored an ICE detainer request.
Immigration officials arrested the 30-year-old Honduran national at his residence in Bladensburg, Maryland, on April 15, after Fairfax County twice released him.
[FoxNews] Trump-appointed judge orders North Carolina to certify nation's last undecided 2024 election
A federal judge on Monday ordered the North Carolina elections board to certify results showing Democrat Allison Riggs as the winner of the state Supreme Court race against Republican Jefferson Griffin, ruling that thousands of contested ballots in the November contest must remain in the final count.
U.S. District Judge Richard Myers – who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2019 – agreed with Riggs and others who argued it would violate the U.S. Constitution to carry out recent decisions by state appeals courts that could remove potentially thousands of ballots for overseas military and their family members who were not required to attach a copy of their photo IDs, as well as ballots for a category of "Never Residents," or U.S. citizens with family ties to North Carolina who have never lived in the United States. Myers wrote that votes could not be removed six months after Election Day without damaging due process or equal protection rights of the affected residents.
Myers ordered the State Board of Elections to certify results that, after two recounts, had Riggs as the winner — by just 734 votes — over Griffin.
"The State Board SHALL certify the results of the election for Seat 6 based on the tally at the completion of the canvassing period on December 10, 2024," Myers wrote, denying Griffin’s petitions for judicial review and injunctive relief.
The judge delayed his order for seven days in case Griffin wants to appeal the ruling to the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
More than 5.5 million ballots were cast in what has been the nation’s last undecided race from November’s elections.
Myers said the "case concerns whether the federal Constitution permits a state to alter the rules of an election after the fact and apply those changes retroactively to only a select group of voters, and in so doing treat those voters differently than other similarly situated individuals."
The board "must not proceed with implementation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court’s orders, and instead must certify the results of the election for (the seat) based on the tally at the completion of the canvassing period," Myers wrote.
Griffin, himself a state Court of Appeals judge, filed formal protests after the election in hopes that removing ballots he said were unlawfully cast would flip the outcome to him.
Griffin's legal team was reviewing Myers' order Monday night and evaluating the next steps, Griffin campaign spokesperson Paul Shumaker told the Associated Press.
"Today, we won," Riggs said in a statement. "I‘m proud to continue upholding the Constitution and the rule of law as North Carolina’s Supreme Court Justice."
Griffin wanted Myers to leave undisturbed the state courts' decisions, which also directed that most of the voters with otherwise ineligible ballots get 30 days to provide identifying information for their race choices to remain in the tally.
Riggs, the state Democratic Party and some affected voters said Griffin was trying to change the 2024 election outcome after the fact by removing ballots cast by voters who complied with voting rules as they were written last fall.
Myers wrote that Griffin’s formal protests after the election, which were rejected by the State Board of Elections, constituted efforts to make retroactive changes to the voting laws that would arbitrarily disenfranchise only the voters who were targeted by Griffin. Griffin’s challenges over voters not providing photo identification only covered at most six Democratic-leaning counties in the state.
"You establish the rules before the game. You don’t change them after the game is done," Myers wrote in a 68-page order. "Permitting parties to ‘upend the set rules’ of an election after the election has taken place can only produce ‘confusion and turmoil'" that "'threatens to undermine public confidence in the federal courts, state agencies, and the elections themselves,'" he added.
One category of ballots that state appellate courts found to be ineligible covered military or overseas voters who did not provide copies of photo identification or an ID exception form with their absentee ballots. A state rule exempted them from the requirement. The appeals courts had permitted a "cure" process for these voters, so their ballots could still count in the race.
The other category of ballots that the appellate courts declared violated the state constitution were cast by overseas voters who have never lived in the U.S. but whose parents were declared North Carolina residents. A state law had authorized these persons to vote in state elections.
Griffin filed formal protests that appeared to cover more than 65,000 ballots. Ensuing state court rulings whittled down the total to between 1,675 and 7,000, according to court filings.
[Chron] Return of the Micksican Beto O'Rourke rallied Democratic voters on Saturday [Apr 26] at a North Texas town hall for his grassroots organization, Powered by People, which the former El Paso congressman founded in 2019.
During a Q&A session at the event, when asked if he would run for U.S. Senate, O'Rourke said, "I'm gonna infer from your question that you do not want Ken Paxton to be your next senator."
"If...this is what the people of Texas want—that it's the highest and best use of what I can give you—then yes, I will," O'Rourke said amid loud cheers from the crowd. This was on the teevee news about April 28, but I kept forgetting to post it.
[ZH] Germany's blue-chip DAX 40 index fell nearly 2% after a new political crisis erupted in Berlin, triggered by "conservative" leader (so conservative he reneged on his election promises to halt runaway speding and crammed through a fiscal timebomb in the last days of the previous government) Friedrich Merz's failed bid to become the country's 10th postwar chancellor.
Merz needed 316 votes out of 630 to secure the chancellorship but received only 310, falling short of a majority despite his coalition holding 328 seats. Because the vote was conducted by secret ballot, the identity of those within his own party who defected remains unknown. The outcome prevented his swearing in on Tuesday and pitching Europe’s biggest economy into uncharted territory....
[GatewayPundit] The war of words continues to escalate between the Trump administration and the parting left-Green German government over the secret police attack on the largest opposition party in Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Responding to an X post from the German foreign ministry, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau issued a scathing smack-down to the self-righteous finger-waggers in Berlin.
The slugfest began with an X post by SecState Marco Rubio — Landau’s boss and confidante — skewering the German government’s attack on the AfD (The Gateway Pundit reported), currently the most popular party in Germany in the polls:
"Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise. What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes."
The German Foreign Ministry, run until this week by departing Green disaster Annalena Baerbock and her left-hand woman, American former Greenpeace head Jennifer Morgan (World Economic Fund), clapped back with typical self-righteousness:
”This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law. It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped."
That was obviously too much for Deputy SecState Christopher Landau, who is Jewish and the son of a WW II veteran.
Landau posted:
"Speaking for myself, words can’t even begin to express the outrage and resentment I feel at having an official account of the GERMAN government purport to lecture the US Secretary of State on the need to spy on and censor the political opposition.
And no, Germany, you can’t hide behind smug references to what you’ve learned from "your" history.
As you may recall, it’s "our" history too, as we played a pretty important role in ending that particular chapter in your history.
And it’s "my" history too, as my own father was forced to flee his native Vienna after the Anschluss (and became an American citizen and proudly fought in the US Army to liberate Europe).
He didn’t flee as a result of TOO MUCH free speech; he fled because those who believed in spying on and censoring political opponents were in charge.
You may choose to brand your own citizens as "rightwing extremists" and silence or jail them because, for instance, they oppose open borders. But please spare us the moralizing."
Ouch!
"The German establishment elite are running scared because the German people are sick of their failed climate nonsense and Open Borders madness and are desperate for sensible politics," European Parliament foreign committee member Petr Bystron (AfD) told The Gateway Pundit. "They are turning to the Alternative for Germany despite years of persecution and character assassination, as I experienced myself first-hand. They thought they could pull the same stunts as usual, but now, we have a US government which is on to their tricks and will no longer stand for it. Thank you, Marco Rubio and Chris Landau."
[IsraelTimes] Vance, Rubio attack decision; German foreign ministry responds to US secretary of state: ‘We have learnt from our history that right-wing extremism needs to be stopped’
[Ynet] An Israeli paratrooper from the 202nd Battalion swings open the yellow gate at the Quneitra crossing, the only passage point between Israel and Syria. He steps forward without a helmet—a sign of the relatively low threat level. Eight yards ahead, a fellow soldier opens the inner gray gate with the press of a button.
Once a symbol of Syrian sovereignty, the crossing has faded. The Syrian flag that flew above the checkpoint just months ago is now tattered, and a portrait of Hafez al-Assad—the late president who negotiated a 1974 ceasefire with Israel—lies in fragments across the abandoned border post.
Roughly 50 miles east, Israeli helicopters recently delivered supplies to Druze communities in As-Suwayda, and more than 20 wounded Druze have crossed into Israel for treatment. But at the border, the gunfire remains distant for now.
Six months after Israeli forces entered the Syrian side of the Golan Heights without a fight, the Israel Defense Forces has tripled its deployment in the area. After an initial period of calm, two diverging realities have taken shape.
In the north, about 12 to 18 miles from the border, the IDF has permitted the interim Syrian government led by Ahmad al-Sharaa to deploy local police in villages such as Khan Arnabeh, Jubata al-Khashab, and New Quneitra. The move has brought stability, and Israeli soldiers now pass through these communities en route to nine new IDF outposts constructed in Syrian territory.
But in the south, near the road to Daraa, tensions are rising. The more religiously conservative Sunni population, many of whom supported the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
…most recently called Hayat Tahrir al Sham until they conquered Bashir al Assad’s Syria…
during Syria’s civil war, has resisted disarmament. Two weeks ago, militants in the town of Nawa opened fire on Israeli paratroopers from the 890th Battalion using heavy machine guns from balconies. The soldiers escaped injury.
"We called in Zik drones and eliminated seven militants who posed an immediate threat," said a senior commander. "We could have neutralized 100, but we chose restraint. We didn’t want to go there."
Farther east, near the old Syrian military ridgelines 11 to 12 miles from the border, Israeli forces have chosen not to take control. The IDF occasionally fires warning shots at unidentified figures approaching the abandoned posts. Al-Sharaa’s forces are not allowed to operate in this area, despite outreach from Damascus.
"His regime is still fragile and lacks real control over much of Syria," a senior Israeli officer said. "The Alawite coast remains loyal to Assad, Turkish and Kurdish forces dominate the north, and Bedouin tribes hold sway in the southeast. This southwestern corner is not a high priority for Damascus."
Israeli defense officials recently met with Western diplomats who visited Damascus to assess al-Sharaa’s control. "You walk into government buildings and find 50 empty offices," one European official said. "Only three or four rooms are actually staffed."
Israeli intelligence estimates that al-Sharaa commands around 60,000 lightly armed fighters, most operating from pickup trucks. The IDF believes Turkey is interested in helping establish a formal army under al-Sharaa but has held back due to financial concerns, especially after Israeli operations destroyed major Assad-era weapons depots.
Turkey has been on the brink of financial collapse since the 1990s, despite infusions of cash from various sources and donors. Setting up and training a proper army from scratch is an expensive proposition — especially if Israel chooses to be annoyed.
Iranian forces have withdrawn from the Syrian Golan—a shift Israel welcomed—while Russia still maintains a limited military presence along the coast and in the northeastern city of Qamishli. Israeli officials have also met with Turkish counterparts to discuss coordination.
The IDF has quietly strengthened ties with Druze leaders on both sides of the border. Last month, senior officers met with some 60 Druze sheikhs from Israel and Syria. A proposal to allow Syrian Druze to work in the Israeli Golan has stalled, reportedly due to bureaucratic and insurance issues.
On the ground, Israeli soldiers are adjusting to the new reality. In calmer northern areas, most now travel by vehicle, often without helmets. Still, a fast-moving convoy of pickup trucks from deep inside Syria could reach Kibbutz Ein Zivan in just five minutes by air, warned Lt. Col. G., operations officer for the IDF’s Golan Division.
From the roof of the old Quneitra police station—a grim Soviet-style relic—Israeli soldiers now overlook new bases, reinforced shelters, and permanent infrastructure built at a cost of tens of millions of shekels. Food is trucked in from kitchens on the Israeli side of the border.
At the edge of the frontier, IDF engineers are constructing a 56-mile defensive line of trenches and embankments. About 20 percent of the project is complete. During a patrol near the Syrian village of Qahtania, soldiers encountered three smiling children. One wore a shirt bearing symbols of "New Syria" and the image of Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Nearby, three motorcycles seized from Syrians who approached too close to Israeli positions are parked outside an outpost flying the red flags of the Paratroopers Brigade. The riders may have been scouting troop movements.
"Intelligence remains a challenge," said Lt. Col. G. "We make one or two arrests a month, but if we get actionable intel, we act immediately—with arrests or force, if needed."
[IsraelTimes] Likud’s Ariel Kallner says law will ‘preserve’ Israel’s Jewish and democratic character; Hadash-Ta’al MK Tibi counters that it is intended to suppress Arab vote
Lawmakers in the Knesset
…Israel’s parliament…
Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Monday began debating a controversial bill that would levy massive taxes on nongovernment organizations funded by foreign governments, and erode their right to file lawsuits in Israeli courts.
The bill, sponsored by Likud MK Ariel Kallner, would allow the government to tax foreign government donations to domestic nonprofits at a rate of 80 percent, while also stipulating that courts need not consider petitions by groups "primarily financed by a foreign political entity."
If passed into law, the legislation would apply to NGOs that do not also receive Israeli state funding. The finance minister, with the approval of the Knesset Finance Committee, would be allowed to exempt organizations from the new rules "in special circumstances."
Arguing in favor of the legislation, which passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum in February, Kallner argued that sanctions imposed on violent mostly peaceful settlers by the Biden administration "came as a result of despicable blood libels by delegitimization organizations such as Breaking the Silence and others" — adding that between 2012 and 2024, "a little more than NIS 1.3 billion ($360 million) flowed from foreign countries to 83 left-wing organizations, some of which are downright anti-Zionist."
"This is a psychotic reality that distorts the discourse," he declared, railing against "foreign-funded legal warfare against the state" by human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. groups petitioning the High Court of Justice.
"The law is not against civil society, but for it, against its distortion," Kallner asserted. "The law will preserve a Jewish state, preserve democracy, and block illegal foreign intervention."
Committee chairman Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) agreed, claiming that foreign money funded opposition to the coalition’s judicial overhaul agenda, while "the attorney general prohibited the justice minister from using state money to produce public diplomacy [relating to] the reform."
Groups such as B’Tselem, Breaking the Silence, and the New Israel Fund have long been targeted by the Israeli right and even the political center over their focus on alleged Israeli human rights abuses against the Paleostinians.
"When it comes to the Arab public, there is no doubt that part of the politician’s intention is to prevent campaigns to encourage voting in Arab society," Hadash-Ta’al MK Ahmad Tibi told the committee.
Accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party of seeking to harm Arab political representation, Tibi lamented that the coalition was also working to pass a bill "that aims to make it easier to disqualify Arab lists."
Where the Arab lists are funded by foreign interests — like the US State Department during the Obama and Biden administrations — yes.
Last month, politicians voted 22-0 to approve the first reading of a bill to disqualify a candidate or list of candidates from running in municipal elections on the grounds that they have denied the existence of the State of Israel as Jewish and democratic, or expressed support for terrorism or armed struggle against Israel.
"If anyone is worried about foreign interference, let them go check past laws to see where the money of oligarchs who support political parties over the years went, and what happened in the Prime Minister’s Office," declared Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovich, alluding to the ongoing Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... gate scandal.
The Shin Bet and police are currently investigating members of Netanyahu’s inner circle over alleged ties between them and Doha as part of the probe. They are suspected of multiple offenses tied to their alleged work for a pro-Qatar lobbying firm, including contact with a foreign agent and a series of corruption charges involving lobbyists and businessmen.
Speaking with The Times of Israel in February, Noa Sattath, the executive director of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, accused the government of attacking liberal civil society groups while leaving right-wing organizations untouched.
"This proposed legislation is a direct assault on Israel’s democracy and part of the ongoing judicial coup. It represents a systematic attack on all institutions that check government power, and specifically targets human rights organizations working to protect minorities in Israel and Paleostinians in the occupied territories," Sattath said.
"The selective taxation targets only foreign state funding from Israel’s closest allies — including the United States and European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... member states — who support democracy, human rights, and minority protection. Meanwhile,
...back at the argument, Jane reached into her purse for her .38... right-wing organizations relying on private donations remain unaffected, and the finance minister has discretionary power to exempt certain organizations, while those receiving state funding are automatically excluded."
A previous version of the bill was shelved during an international uproar, nearly two years ago.
That proposal, also sponsored by Kallner, did not touch on NGOs’ legal standing, but mandated that any nonprofit group that engaged in public advocacy two years before or after receiving a donation from a foreign government would lose its status as a public institution and would no longer be eligible for tax exemptions, and in addition would be hit with a 65% income tax.
[IsraelTimes] Diaspora Ministry dubs Canada ‘champion of antisemitism,’ tying Trudeau’s condemnation of military action in Gaza to 670% spike in anti-Jewish incidents
Israel on Monday crowned Canada the "champion of antisemitism" and published a report blaming world leaders, universities, media outlets, and social networks for allowing or encouraging skyrocketing anti-Semitism around the world last year.
Relying on media accounts and data from international hate monitors, the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry publication released Monday found that Jewish communities around the world were increasingly threatened due to a rising tide of anti-Israel criticism from friend and foe alike in the wake of Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... ’s October 7, 2023, attack and the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Among those singled out in the 153-page English-language report were the governments of South Africa, Ireland and Spain, which were accused of leading the way in antisemitic rhetoric by voicing opposition to Israeli actions or policies. Political leaders speaking out against Israel were accused of bolstering anti-Semitism, as were the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... , the TikTok social network, and Columbia University.
Several organizations have documented a sharp rise in antisemitic rhetoric and actions after Hamas mounted its shock assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. The Diaspora Ministry report, in contrast, devoted much of its focus to assigning blame to different entities for allowing hate speech and activity to persist and went further than others in linking anti-Israel sentiment to antisemitism.
"This shocking data highlights the ongoing failure of international institutions and many Western countries," Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli said in a blurb. "The Israeli government will not hesitate to point out those who encourage antisemitism — be it governments, universities, or social networks."
The report synthesized data from various sources, including watchdog organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and UN Watch, global research institutions, and Jewish umbrella organizations in different countries, the ministry said.
The publication comes just over a month after the ministry was lambasted for embracing far-right European politicians and disparaging left-wing organizations at an international conference on combating antisemitism it organized in Jerusalem.
While the ministry devoted a handful of pages to the Arab and Moslem world, where accusations of endemic antisemitism persist, the lion’s share of the report focuses on the West; Iran, where some 8,000 Jews live under the regime’s Islamist repression, is mentioned only in the context of Tehran’s support for anti-Israel activities and terror.
In Canada, the report found a "significant increase in antisemitic incidents in intensity and forms not previously seen" in the country following October 7, 2023, counting a 670 percent jump in anti-Jewish incidents over the previous year.
"In 2024, Canada earned the dubious distinction as ’champion of antisemitism," a ministry blurb accompanying the report read.
Former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau ...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North... ’s condemnation of Israel at the United Nations in December 2023, just two months after the October 7 massacre, helped fuel that country’s rampant Jew-hatred, the report alleged.
Trudeau stepped down from his position in January 2025, and was replaced by Liberal Mark Carney in national elections last week.
Canada has made efforts to quell rising antisemitism within its borders, although Jewish groups say much more is needed.
In Australia, where a string of arson attacks and other vandalism at synagogues and elsewhere has shaken the Jewish community, the report recorded a 320% jump in antisemitic incidents compared to the months before the October 7 Hamas attack.
In the United States, antisemitic incidents rose by 200%, the report said.
The report also quoted from surveys showing many European Jews fearing for their future in the Continent. A CRIF poll cited in the study found 64% of French citizens believe Jews have valid reasons to fear living there. In Germany, the ADL found that 80% of Jews reported feeling less safe, while in Britannia, 90% of Jewish respondents told the Campaign Against Antisemitism that they avoid city centers during anti-Israel demonstrations.
The report largely tied countries’ responses to antisemitism to the level of official criticism aimed at the Jewish state.
South Africa, Ireland and Spain were all highlighted for unfriendly stances toward Israel, which the ministry alleged heightened uneasiness among Jews there.
"Their asymmetrical application of normative principles directly undermines Jewish communities’ senses of belonging and security within these societies, as documented through both quantitative and qualitative research," the report said.
La Belle France, Britannia, Canada and Australia were described as "morally ambiguous" for taking steps to fight antisemitism while simultaneously criticizing Israel to a "disproportionate" extent, endangering local Jewish communities.
The report accused French President Emmanuel Macron of helping legitimize antisemitic rhetoric from La Belle France’s far-left by making harmful statements about Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
In the UK, the Labour government was criticized for its arms embargo against Israel, and the state-owned broadcaster BBC was called out for refusing to call Hamas members "terrorists" and for covering up antisemitic complaints.
Only the United States and Germany were recognized as fully supporting the fight against antisemitism in the report.
International organizations were criticized for maintaining a double standard on Israel compared to the rest of the world. In 2024, the United Nations General Assembly passed 17 resolutions condemning Israel, and only six against all other countries combined, the report said.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which the report urged governments worldwide to adopt, says criticism of Israel that places a double standard on the country is a form of anti-Jewish hate.
The report also backed the government’s contention that cases against Israel in the the Hague are antisemitic. Arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza were listed in the report as "among the most severe antisemitic incidents of 2024."
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has vociferously denied antisemitic motivations.
On social media, TikTok was singled out as a major source of antisemitic content, with the report quoting a former bigwig at TikTok Israel who called the platform an "existential danger to Israel."
Many of the people responsible for TikTok’s advertising policies support Hamas, the Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... s, and other terrorist organizations, while Israel’s sponsored campaigns on the short-form video platform have all been blocked, the report alleges.
TikTok has said it works to block hate speech on its platform. The social network, which features short-form videos, has initiated several projects to promote Holocaust remembrance on its site, among other causes.
The report noted that all major social media networks, including TikTok, made efforts to curb antisemitic messaging after the October 7 attack.
However,
the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach... these efforts have been insufficiently enforced. During the most recent US elections, Instagram removed 40% of antisemitic content from its platform, Facebook removed 24%, X removed 22%, and TikTok removed just 17%, the report claims.
According to the report, 2,087 antisemitic incidents were recorded on college campuses between June 2023 and May 2024, 477% more than a year earlier.
Columbia University in New York was labeled the most antisemitic campus in the US, with 127 antisemitic incidents in 2024, of which 90% were linked with far-left movements. UCLA earned a distant second with 63 incidents, followed by the University of Michigan (35) and Harvard University (32), according to data from the Amcha Initiative cited in the report.
"Under Biden’s administration, I was considered persona non grata. Under Trump, I was welcomed at Mar-a-Lago and was able to speak," Ben-Gvir told Fox News Digital. He added that having "an American president who supports us and stands behind us makes a difference" in wartime.
[RT] The UAE-backed G42 group’s reported expansion plans come amid growing AI competition, with China and others closing the gap with the US
The United Arab Emirates’ artificial intelligence group G42, backed by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Mubadala investment company, is set to expand into the US, Financial Times has reported, citing corporate filings. It plans to invest tens of billions of dollars to establish itself in the market, the newspaper said.
While the US has dominated the domain, as well as the semiconductor segment, more and more nations are making concerted efforts to develop and promote globally indigenous AI technologies and chips.
In an article on Sunday, FT quoted a G42 representative as confirming that it is “committed to the USA market expansion and has established a legal entity towards that strategy.”
The publication noted that the AI company is chaired by the UAE’s national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who has spearheaded the country’s AI-centered economic diversification push.
Last April, Microsoft pledged to invest $1.5 billion into G42 in exchange for a minority stake in the UAE group, which has also attracted other US investors, including Ray Dalio’s family office and private equity firm Silver Lake.
In 2023, G42 announced it was cutting ties with Chinese hardware suppliers such as Huawei in favor of their American competitors to ensure compliance with US regulations.
As recently as January, the debut of DeepSeek in China cast doubt on the dominance of US-based ChatGPT. Unlike its American rival, the Chinese model is freely available without a subscription, and swiftly became the most downloaded app on Apple’s and Google’s stores in nearly 60 countries. On top of that, it is said to be far less expensive to run compared to ChatGPT.
Back in March, researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) unveiled a new superconducting quantum computing prototype, which is said to be a million times faster than Google’s top quantum processors. The Chinese chip, named Zuchongzhi-3, is also a quadrillion times more efficient than any conventionally built supercomputer, according to its developers.
In February, the newspaper Mint, citing Indian officials, claimed that New Delhi was developing its own artificial intelligence chip from scratch, with a view to reducing the country’s dependence on Western tech companies by 2027.
[Garowe] Security teams in Kenya have been activated in the coastal area and around the dense Boni Forest to pursue al-Shabaab ... an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia attempting to metastasize into Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and similar places, all ofwhich have enough problems without them... attackers, who are said to have killed at least five coppers who were on duty within the dangerous zone.
The five officers from the Administration Police (AP) unit were ambushed by suspected al-Shabaab holy warriors early this week within Boni Forest. They are part of the multi-agency security teams serving under the KDF-led Operation Amani Boni..
According to the National Police Service, the affected officers were from the elite Special Operations Group, which works closely with the KDF. Five other officers were critically injured after the ambush, officials said.
The officers were ambushed when they were pursuing the holy warriors believed to be operating in the expansive forest. They had been trailing the Lions of Islam for two days following intelligence that they were hiding in the forest and planned a large-scale attack.
"An SOG team was deployed and embarked on a pursuit patrol to locate enemy forces in Boni Forest within the Janjana areas. After two days of patrolling, the team had contact with a large enemy force in the Lehelo area," the SOG command said.
One corporal and four constables are among the officers killed in the ambush. The five injured officers have since been transferred to Nairobi for special treatment, with a reinforcement deployed to pursue the attackers, officials added.
The attack came just a day after five other quarry workers were killed in an attack while on the way to their workplace in Bur Abor Village in Mandera East, Mandera County. Those killed were mainly nonlocals, a recurring attribute enforced by the krazed killers.
Detectives said preliminary investigations linked the attack to al-Shabaab holy warriors who had been spotted in the area earlier before the attack.
"All the victims were non-locals who were working at a quarry for a living. They have been excavating stones for construction in the area," police said. Cases of al-Shabaab attacks are surging in northeastern and coastal Kenya, but the security teams have managed to foil some attacks.
[NYPOST] Dozens of lefty groups behind the country's supposedly ''grassroots'' May Day protests have been largely bankrolled by two billionaires and a dark-money network of progressive nonprofits.
More than $500 million from Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss' organizations, hedge-fund tycoon George Soros ...either Ernst Stavro Blofeld or Auric Goldfinger come true. Maybe both.... ' Open Society Foundations and the dark-money Arabella network flowed to the progressive groups between fiscal years 2016 and 2023, according to an analysis shared with The Post.
The funding wasn't intended for the May Day protests per se, but it has been propping up many of the self-styled ''grassroots'' progressive activist groups over time.
''The hypocrisy of the May Day protests is glaring,'' said Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, to The Post.
''These organizations project the illusion of being driven by everyday Americans, but in reality they're being bankrolled by some of the biggest dark-money megadonors in politics.''
Starting Thursday, on May Day, organizers put together more than 1,000 protests across the country to demonstrate against President Trump, activity that spilled into the weekend.
Although the day is not generally a significant phenomenon in the US, in some countries, it is a holiday to mark International Workers’ Day and spring festivities. Oftentimes, labor movements overseas use it to protest for certain causes.
The "50501" movement — or "50 protests, 50 states, 1" effort, an anti-Trump organization that formed in January — is widely credited for trying to move that international energy into the US by orchestrating the widespread stateside protests last week.
US organizers framed the demonstrations as a fight against "Trump and his billionaire profiteers" — despite records showing that prominent plutocrats were funding many of the participating activist groups.
Many of the protests were also directed at tech baron Elon Musk, who is poised to dramatically reduce his cost-cutting role in the Trump administration by the month’s end.
"Trump and his billionaire profiteers are trying to create a race to the bottom — on wages, on benefits, on dignity itself," the "50501" movement said on its website ahead of the demonstrations.
"We are demanding a country that puts our families over their fortunes — public schools over private profits, healthcare over hedge funds, prosperity over free market politics."
About three dozen of the participating groups have raked in about $293.6 million from Wyss’ groups, $47 million from the Arabella network and $194.2 million from Soros’ Open Society Foundations, according to an assessment reviewed and checked by The Post.
Some of the most prominent left-wing activist groups in the anti-Trump demonstrations last week were the Sunrise Movement, Indivisible and Planned Parenthood ...has received federal funding since 1970, when President Richard Nixon signed into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act. It is sometimes described as the gynecololgical wing of the Democratic party... Tax filings and other records show that the Sunrise Movement took in $2,070,000 from funders in the so-called Arabella network, and Indivisible got $107,000 from the Arabella network, $6.5 million from Wyss groups and $7.6 million from Soros’ Open Society Foundations, while Planned Parenthood Federation of America accrued $1.6 million from the Arabella network, almost $6 million from Wyss’ groups and $19.7 million from Soros’ group.
"The Open Society Foundations did not fund or coordinate the May Day protests," a rep for the Open Society Foundations told The Post.
"We support a wide range of organizations committed to justice and democratic participation, but how they choose to engage in political moments is up to them."
An Arabella representative said, "Arabella Advisors has no connection to the May Day protests.
"We are a nonpartisan professional services firm that provides operational and administrative support to philanthropists and nonprofit organizations."
The Arabella network data includes IRS ...the Internal Revenue Service; that office of the United States government that collects taxes and persecutes the regime's political enemies... Form 990 information for the Sixteen Thirty Fund, North Fund, New Venture Fund and Hopewell Fund — nonprofit groups that the Washington, DC-based Arabella Advisors services with operational and administrative support.
Wyss’ groups include activities from the eponymous Wyss Foundation — his charitable group — and the Berger Action Fund, his advocacy arm.
Because of his Swiss citizenship, Wyss, 89, is precluded from donating to US political candidates. But he has emerged as a top backer of lefty causes in America nonetheless by pumping cash into dark-money groups.
Dark money in these cases refers to political spending that is not subject to financial disclosure requirements, which helps shield donor identities.
Wyss made his fortune from the medical-device-maker company Synthes, which he sold more than a decade ago to Johnson & Johnson.
One of the largest groups to partake in protests that benefited from Wyss was Families Over Billionaires, the trade name for the massive liberal dark-money Sixteen Thirty Fund, which received more than $278 million from his organizations, records show.
A Wyss representative did not return a Post request for comment.
The May Day demonstrations across the US were the latest in anti-Trump protests that have taken place since his 2024 election victory, which have been orchestrated by groups that have, in part, received billionaire cash.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On May 5, the US and Israeli air forces launched a series of eight strikes on the port and city of Hodeida in western Yemen, Al Jazeera reports.
"Israeli media reports that the strikes on Hodeida targeted a concrete factory used to support the Houthi military industry," the statement said.
According to the channel, 48 bombs were dropped, causing a "heavy blow" to the port of Hodeida. No casualties or deaths were reported.
As reported by Regnum news agency, earlier Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to give a powerful response to the missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport by rebels from the Yemeni Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement and stated that Iran was behind the Houthis’ actions.
On the morning of May 4, it became known that debris from a rocket launched from Yemen fell near Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The Israeli army press service confirmed that debris from a rocket launched from Yemen fell near the airport during its interception.
After the missile attack, the use of the airspace at the airport was suspended for about an hour, then the airport resumed receiving and releasing aircraft.
Later that day, the Houthis announced plans to impose a complete air blockade on Israel by launching multiple strikes on airports, primarily Ben Gurion.
The Israeli Air Force on Monday evening carried out Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in the Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... -held port city of Hodeidah in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... in response to the Iran-backed terror group’s ballistic missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport that left several injured a day earlier.
According to the military, the strikes carried out by some 20 IAF fighter jets targeted Houthi infrastructure along the coast of Yemen, including at the Hodeidah port and a concrete factory near the nearby city of Bajil, some 2,000 kilometers from Israel.
The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they fired a “hypersonic ballistic missile” at Ben Gurion. The [Israeli] military has said that Iran, and the Houthis — which are supplied by Tehran — do not possess hypersonic missiles, and the missiles they have launched at the country are not maneuverable.
The jets dropped 50 munitions on the Houthi targets, the military said, publishing images showing the jets preparing for takeoff. IAF refuelers and spy planes also participated in the operation.
The Israel Defense Forces said the Hodeidah port was used by the Houthis "for the transfer of Iranian weapons, equipment for military needs, and other terror purposes."
The Bajil concrete factory "serves as an important economic resource for the Houthi terror regime and is used for building tunnels and military infrastructure," the IDF said, adding that the strikes "constitute a blow to the regime’s economy and its military buildup."
"The strike was conducted in response to the repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel, during which surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs were launched toward Israeli territory and its civilians," the military said in a statement
It was the sixth Israeli strike in Yemen since the beginning of the war, and the first since January. The IDF had stopped responding to the Houthis missile and drone fire on Israel, after the US launched a major aerial campaign against the Iran-backed group several months ago.
A large fire reported in the Bajil district in Hodeidah Govenorate following Israeli airstrikes against Houthi targets. pic.twitter.com/HzcaEL1zTB
Israeli officials said the strikes were coordinated with the US, but were not a joint operation.
Footage posted online purportedly showed a large fire at the concrete factory, where the Houthi-run health ministry reported at least 21 people were injured.
Some of the first footage from tonight’s unilateral strikes by the Israeli Air Force against Hodeidah in Houthi-controlled Western Yemen, which is reported to have heavily targeted a cement factory on the outskirts of the city as well as the Port of Hodeidah. pic.twitter.com/gWDSVCLnsV
Nasruddin Amer, head of the Houthi media office, later said the Israeli strikes would not deter the rebels, and vowed that they would respond to the attack.
“The aggressive Zionist-American raids on civilian facilities will not affect our military operations against the Zionist enemy entity,” he said in a social media post.
Monday’s strikes came after a missile fired from Yemen on Sunday landed inside the perimeter of Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv for the first time, in a grove of trees alongside an access road close to the airport’s main Terminal 3, several hundred yards from the facility’s control tower. The missile gouged a wide crater in the ground near an airport parking lot, injuring six people, none of them seriously, and prompting most international airlines to suspend flights.
The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they fired a “hypersonic ballistic missile” at Ben Gurion. The [Israeli] military has said that Iran, and the Houthis — which are supplied by Tehran — do not possess hypersonic missiles, and the missiles they have launched at the country are not maneuverable.
The Houthis “will work to impose a comprehensive air blockade on the Israeli enemy by repeatedly targeting airports, most notably… Ben Gurion Airport,” the terror group said in a statement. The success of such a blockade is highly unlikely, however, with Israel’s defensive systems expected to be able to tackle most incoming missiles.
While I don't hold a Ph.D. in How Stuff Burns, that doesn't look to me like the way a cement factory would burn. Cement just kind of sits there, you know? That's its one job. Two, if you count "not burning" separately.
On the flip side, in a war where one side is composed of terrorists who hide their deadly missile stashes in concrete bunkers, a cement factory seems like a legitimate target.
The IDF has said that the concrete factory is an “important economic resource” for the Houthis, alleging that it is used “for building tunnels and military infrastructure.”
#1
'When Israel attacks, it destroys everything': Yemenis fear further Israeli strikes amid oil shortages
An interesting insight into the workings of Arab mind “This isn’t just about the Houthis—it affects everyone. You’re [Israel] bombing everything, like it’s revenge. People are afraid. When Israel strikes, it destroys everything. And today, the worst happened — there’s no fuel. It’s gone. Even though the company issued a statement, we’re tired of war. We’re exhausted.”
#5
Trump: ""The Houthis have announced that— they don't want to fight anymore. They just don't want to fight, and we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings. They have capitulated...They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore."
[ShabelleMedia] In a coordinated effort with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... this morning in Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... , targeting turbans affiliated with the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS). The airstrike resulted in significant enemy casualties, according to initial reports.
The Ministry of Defence of Somalia has commended the successful operation, praising the collaboration between the Somali government and the U.S. military in combating terrorism. A statement from the Ministry emphasized the importance of the ongoing partnership and reaffirmed Somalia’s commitment to working with international allies to eradicate terrorist groups operating within the country.
"The airstrike today is a clear demonstration of the strength of our partnership with U.S. AFRICOM," the Ministry said in a statement. "Together, we remain dedicated to defeating the terrorist threat posed by ISIS and other holy warrior factions. This successful operation is another step forward in ensuring the security and stability of Somalia."
The airstrike, according to AFRICOM, is part of an ongoing campaign to target and eliminate al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... and ISIS, which have been destabilizing the region, particularly in the northern and central parts of Somalia.
While no specific details have been released regarding the number of ISIS turbans killed or captured, the Somali government has vowed to continue its counterterrorism operations in collaboration with international partners to disrupt and dismantle these holy warrior networks.
The U.S. military has been conducting operations in Somalia for several years, primarily focused on targeting al-Shabaab holy warriors, but ISIS-affiliated groups have increasingly become a threat in the country, particularly in Puntland.
This operation underscores the continued international effort to support Somalia’s fight against terrorism and its ongoing commitment to securing a peaceful future for its citizens.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A humanoid robot was filmed attacking its handler while trying to break free from restraints in a scene viewers have branded 'dystopian'.
In CCTV footage from a factory in China, the robot, which is attached to a miniature crane, is seen violently swinging its arms back and forth.
As it flew into what looks like a rage, it lashed out at a man sitting nearby at a computer who had to duck, while another man standing behind the robot had to back away.
The robot - seemingly of its own accord - raised its arms in the air and brought them down again, repeating the motion with increasing speed and violence.
It then began walking forward as it thrashed around in an apparent bid to break free from the crane.
The men can be seen flinching and cowering while raising their arms to shield their faces.
As the computer monitor toppled to the floor, other items were knocked over from the desk as the men attempted to flee from the out-of-control robot.
Eventually, one of the men pulled the crane from behind in a bid to stop the ongoing destruction.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Mercedes-Benz will shift production of one of its vehicles to Tuscaloosa, Alabama by 2027.
The German luxury carmaker's move is the latest response from an industry caught in the expensive crosshairs of President Donald Trump's 25 percent tariffs.
The decision marks a potential win for Trump’s protectionist trade agenda, which aims to boost US manufacturing by slapping steep tariffs on foreign-made goods.
But there are many complicating factors.
The company didn't say which model would move to America. Instead, it said the production of a 'core segment vehicle' will move stateside.
Many experts predict the move will impact the production of the GLC, the company's best-selling car in the US. The compact SUV is built in Bremen, Germany.
'As a company with global activities and more than 30 plants worldwide, Mercedes-Benz generally pursues a local-for-local strategy,' the company told DailyMail.com.
'In doing so, we continuously optimize our production network and use its high flexibility to react to fluctuations and changing market conditions to remain competitive.'
Mercedes reported selling 64,163 units in the US in 2024, up 58 percent from the year before.
While the Alabama plant might become the SUV's birthplace, Mercedes will likely start to move some production out of the factory, too.
The company said in April it was actively reviewing production moves as the tariff pressure mounted.
Moves could impact some of its highest-profit cars, like the GLE, GLS, GLE Coupe and Mercedes-Maybach GLS, which all call Alabama home.
Mercedes has used the American plant for export production, including sending cars to Europe and Canada.
But as President Trump doubles down on automotive tariffs and countries respond with retaliations, exported vehicles could be slashed from the factory lines.
It's a risk Trump is willing to take. For years, the President has argued that high import taxes will entice companies to reboot a sleepy manufacturing sector in the US.
So far in the auto industry, his duties have had mixed results.
Yesterday, GM's CEO, Mary Barra said that tariffs will cost her company between $4 billion and $5 billion annually.
Her company's statement was the first time consumers could see the genuine cost the Trump administration might be imposing on car companies.
Ford has responded with an employee pricing sale that has slashed thousands off its current lineup.
But the company's CEO, Jim Farley, has admitted that prices for his cars are likely to rise after July 4.
Honda and Hyundai have both said they're re-upping plans to manufacture cars in the US to avoid tariffs.
Meanwhile, Stellantis laid off 900 employees and blamed tariffs.
Subaru also said it would stop shipping cars to Canada from its Indiana plant.
So far, the companies have scribbled out minor details of their capacity changes. But behind the scenes, executives are growing increasingly frustrated with the White House's ever-shifting policies.
Executives told DailyMail.com that they're struggling to even set a price for their products.
[IsraelTimes] Designation allows domestic intelligence agency to step up monitoring of far-right Alternative for Germany – largest opposition party in parliament
A German court said on Monday that far-right party Alternative for Germany had filed a lawsuit challenging the domestic intelligence agency’s decision to classify it as an murderous Moslem organization.
A spokesperson for the administrative court in Cologne ...the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth populated city in Germany.... said the lawsuit and a corresponding emergency petition had been submitted, both of which would be reviewed once the BfV domestic intelligence agency had confirmed that it had been notified.
The murderous Moslem classification announced on Friday allows the spy agency to step up monitoring of the AfD, the biggest opposition party in parliament, for example by recruiting informants and intercepting party communications.
The agency’s 1,100-page experts’ report, which is not to be released to the public, found the AfD to be a racist and anti-Moslem organization.
The German parliament could now attempt to limit or halt public funding for the AfD. The incoming government will also review whether to launch an attempt at an outright ban of the party, Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Lars Klingbeil said last week.
The AfD has denounced the designation as a politically motivated attempt to discredit and criminalize it.
Its lawsuit comes one day before conservative leader Friedrich Merz is due to be elected chancellor by Germany’s lower house of parliament and amid a heated debate within his party over how to deal with the AfD.
According to a representative survey conducted by the polling institute INSA for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper this weekend, 61% of Germans agreed with the categorization of the AfD by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) as "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor," with 48% supporting a ban.
Thirty-seven percent said they would oppose a ban; 15% said they didn't know.
As for the effects of any potential AfD ban, 35% of respondents said they thought such a measure would bolster democracy, while 39% thought it would damage democracy. Some 16% didn't think there would be any effect, while 10% didn't know.
#1
Hesse State Govt Bans AfD Populist Politicians From Overseas Trips. A state government in Germany has banned members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) from taking part in foreign business trips. The move comes after Germany’s domestic spy agency declared the AfD a right-wing extremist organisation last week.
The German state of Hesse announced it would not include AfD members in foreign business trips due to the labelling of the party as extremists. The state’s Europe Minister, Manfred Pentz, announced the exclusion of the AfD members on May 4. Pentz stated, “After the classification of the AfD, I decided not to invite representatives of this party to my foreign business trips for the time being.”
The minister argued that having the AfD on trips dealing with countries like Israel would harm Germany’s reputation, despite the AfD having many pro-Israel members. “My business trips abroad are aimed at promoting [Hesse]. I can’t achieve that if I travel with representatives of a secure right-wing extremist party,” he insisted.
Germany’s actions to declare the AfD an extremist group mean that the domestic spy agency would be able to surveil party members. The move could also lead to the AfD being banned in the future.
Members of the Trump administration have outright condemned the moves against the AfD. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, “Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.”
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/06/2025 6:52
Comments ||
Top||
#3
"In church, kitchen, Kinder, we fight
For the values of Weimar Freiheit!
We will sing--"
"Ja, und cook--"
"From our grandparents' Buch!"
And that's all that it took...
[To Get Right]
[FoxNews] 'We’re going to shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters,' Hegseth says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Monday that the U.S. military will soon be seeing a dramatic reduction in the number of general officers across all branches.
He called the reduction a "historic" move to fulfill President Donald Trump’s commitment to "achieving peace through strength."
"We’re going to shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters," said Hegseth.
According to Hegseth, there are currently 44 four-star and flag officers across the military, making for a ratio of one general to 1,400 troops, compared to the ratio during World War II of one general to 6,000 troops.
Hegseth, who has pledged to transform the military into a "leaner, more lethal force," issued a memo to senior Pentagon personnel on Monday in which he ordered the reductions to be carried out in two phases.
In the first phase, Hegseth ordered a "minimum" 20% reduction of four-star generals and flag officers in the active-duty component as well as a 20% reduction in the National Guard.
In phase two, the secretary is ordering an additional 10% reduction in general and flag officers across the military.
The secretary called the reductions part of his "less generals, more GIs policy."
In a video announcing the change, he said the reductions will be done "carefully, but it's going to be done expeditiously."
He said "this is not a slash-and-burn exercise meant to punish high-ranking officers" but rather a "deliberative process, working with the joint chiefs with one goal: maximizing strategic readiness and operational effectiveness by making prudent reductions."
"We got to be lean and mean. And in this case, it means general officer reductions," said Hegseth.
Congress sets the number of general officers allowed in the military. The total number of active-duty general or flag officers is capped at 219 for the Army, 150 for the Navy, 171 for the Air Force, 64 for the Marine Corps and 21 for the Space Force.
#1
Really? Historical? Check the number of union generals in January 1865 and the number in January 1867. Custer went from general to colonel. However, that was a time before the courts started to interfere in the process. Check this one's ups and downs in rank in the old system.
But, its a start. Make colonel an important rank again.
#3
...empire building.
- Creating new commands
- Multi-national organizations
- A division back in WW2 has one general officer as its commander. Today a division has three, the division commander and deputy commander for maneuver and support.
#1
Real state agent from Chicago who went thru a procedure at his dentist and was found neither alive nor dead but was nevertheless buried, is unearthed centuries later in a world where 5 million people multi task to run everything on the planet since the I.Q of the rest of the world (3 billion) is 45.
[RT] Reddit is considering suing the University of Zurich for using chatbots to sway users’ opinions on hot-button topics.
According to media reports, a group of researchers at the University of Zurich in recent months conducted an unauthorized study on r/ChangeMyView, one of Reddit’s largest debate communities.
Definitely the right place to run that kind of experiment.
The experiment involved AI chatbots posing as regular users and engaging in discussions on controversial issues.
The bots, whose accounts have since been banned, posted more than 1,700 comments across the subreddit. They adopted fake identities such as a male rape victim downplaying the trauma of his assault, a Black man opposing the Black Lives Matter movement, and a domestic trauma counselor claiming the most vulnerable women were those “sheltered by overprotective parents.”
Ah. A proper experiment would test response to each side of each argument, not just consistently the same side of each argument.
Another bot was used to scan user profiles and deliver personalized arguments in response.
The researchers disclosed the experiment to subreddit moderators several months after it had taken place, calling it “a disclosure step in the study.”
In a statement posted last week, Reddit’s moderator team has said the platform prohibits the use of undisclosed AI-generated content or bots. Reddit’s chief legal officer, Ben Lee, said neither the company nor the r/ChangeMyView moderators had prior knowledge of what he called an “improper and highly unethical experiment.” He added that Reddit was preparing formal legal demands to send to the University of Zurich and the researchers involved.
The researchers said the study had been guided by principles of “ethical” research and transparency. The university ethics committee had argued that the research had caused little harm. Still, users on the subreddit reacted with shock and anger over being unknowingly experimented on.
The journal Science cited an emailed university statement as saying the researchers have decided not to publish the results.
Smart. They’d get reamed for the built in bias of their protocol. It would be a serious teachable moment for the entire academic community.
The university said it would investigate the incident.
I recommend a remedial course in proper test design for all involved in running, approving, and funding the project.
The use of AI bots – fake accounts designed to mimic real users – has grown steadily across social media platforms in recent years. Experts say they are increasingly used to shape public opinion, particularly around elections.
It would be interesting to know if the scientists involved concluded they were successful in influencing and/or changing minds. Or not.
Western governments, primarily the US and the UK, have long accused Russia of operating large-scale ‘bot farms’ to interfere in their election processes – accusations Moscow has repeatedly denied. However, some Western actors have come under scrutiny themselves for using bots in disinformation campaigns, while publicly warning about foreign interference.
#1
I saw an article on X with a researcher lamenting that no scientific journal would accept any articles with AI results in the articles.
He was researching why pure sciences like astronomy went in and out of "style". He did a lot of AI queries in his research and GROK hit a very interesting answer which he followed up with serious research. He won't be published because the idea came from Grok.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A Ukrainian marine drone carrying air-to-air missiles shot down a Russian fighter jet last week in what was described by Ukraine's Defence Intelligence Chief as a 'historic moment'.
A member of Ukraine's special forces was guiding the Magura V7 sea vehicle in Black Sea waters close to the Russian port town of Novorossiysk on May 2 when it registered a Russian aircraft streaking overhead.
Stunning heads-up display footage released by Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency showed the moment the drone unleashed a US-supplied AIM-9 sidewinder infrared guided missile and scored a direct hit on the jet - a Su-30SM multirole fighter.
It is believed to be the first time in history that a seaborne military drone has scored a kill on a fixed-wing fighter aircraft.
The hitherto unrealised feat was repeated minutes later when a second Magura drone scored a kill on another Su-30.
The Magura V7 marine drone is based on the same platform as the Magura V5, which has been used to great effect by Ukraine's armed forces to terrorise Russia's Black Sea naval fleet, but has been modified for air defence missions.
Each drone is reported to cost just over £200,000 - a paltry sum in comparison to the cost per unit of the advanced supermanoeuvrable Su-30SM, which comes in at roughly £37 million.
The crew of the first Su-30SM managed to eject and were plucked from the murky waters of the Black Sea by a Russian civilian ship, according to Budanov and Russian military bloggers.
The crew of the second jet were not so lucky and went down with their plane, Ukrainian officials said.
#1
What's sad is the Magura's don't have an all aspect attack setup, it can only engage targets in front of it's missiles. Has to turn to engage targets to the side.
So the Su-30's had to basically do is go "shoot me in the back".
Posted by: ed in texas ||
05/06/2025 14:41
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[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday responded to an attack from Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) button men in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, two days after a high-ranking ISIS leader was arrested in the province.
"Our SDF forces successfully thwarted another ISIS terrorist attack in Deir Ezzor’s eastern countryside when an ISIS terrorist cell attempted an attack on the Dhiban Brigade using RPGs and machine guns," the SDF said on X.
"Our forces swiftly responded and foiled the attack," it added.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/06/2025
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[93 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
[IsraelTimes] PM says military will no longer withdraw from seized territory; IDF spokesman says new ‘wide-scale attack’ will move ‘majority’ of Gazan population to areas ‘sterile of Hamas’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the military will stay stationed in whatever areas of the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip are captured until all the goals of the war are reached, a day after the cabinet voted to intensify combat operations against the Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... terror group.
In a video posted on his personal X account, Netanyahu said that "last night we sat late into the night in the cabinet and decided on an intensified operation in Gaza."
"This was the recommendation of [IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir] — to move, as he put it, toward the defeat of Hamas," he continued.
"He believes this will also help us rescue the hostages along the way. I agree with him. We are not letting up on this effort, and we will not give up on a single one. That is what we are doing," he said.
"We won’t talk about the details because we’ve already spoken in detail about both of these matters: what we’re doing for the hostages, and what we’re doing for the defeat [of Hamas]," Netanyahu added.
"One thing will be clear — we’re not going in and out [of Gaza] just to call up reserves so they’ll come and seize territory, we withdraw from territory, and carry out raids on what remains... That’s not the intention. What’s our intention? The opposite," he concluded.
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday evening that the goal of the "new and intensified phase" of the war, dubbed Operation Gideon’s Chariots, "is the return of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas’s rule."
"These two goals are combined with each other," he said, adding that the offensive "will include a wide-scale attack and the movement of the majority of the Strip’s population — this is to protect them in an area sterile of Hamas. And continued Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, elimination of terrorists, and dismantling of infrastructure."
Defrin said the IDF will implement the "Rafah model," whereby all Hamas infrastructure is razed and the area is declared part of Israel’s buffer zone, in other parts of the Strip.
An Israeli official said earlier Monday that the new plan provided for the "conquering of Gaza," retaining the territory, moving of the Paleostinian civilian population toward the south of the Strip, attacking Hamas, and preventing the terror group from taking control of humanitarian aid supplies.
According to the official, "a central component of the plan is the extensive evacuation of the entire Gazook population from combat zones, including from northern Gaza, to areas in southern Gaza, while creating separation between them and Hamas terrorists, to allow the IDF operational freedom of action."
Netanyahu’s video, along with the statements from the IDF front man and the official, affirmed what many government figures have said since the cabinet’s decision was announced Sunday night, namely that the IDF will no longer withdraw from captured areas as it has done during much of the first year and a half of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Some government figures even went a step further than the prime minister, saying that Israel’s goal is to "occupy" the Strip, a word Netanyahu did not use in his statement.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 414.
More than 52,500 Paleostinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. The figures cannot be independently verified, and do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January, and another 1,600 holy warriors inside Israel during the Hamas onslaught.
Official: IDF to launch major Gaza op if no deal signed by end of Trump’s Mideast visit
[IsraelTimes] The Israel Defense Forces will launch a major offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip if no hostage deal is reached with the terror group by the end of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the region next week, a senior Israeli defense official said Monday.
The warning came after the security cabinet on Sunday night approved a plan to significantly broaden the military offensive against Hamas, and as the IDF was calling up tens of thousands of reservists.
Trump is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates between May 13 and May 16, the White House has said.
The official added that plans to allow Gazans to voluntarily emigrate abroad, “especially those concentrated in the south outside of Hamas control,” were also part of the offensive’s objectives.
The overhaul to the aid delivery system, approved by the cabinet late Sunday and first reported by The Times of Israel on Friday, would entail the IDF transitioning away from wholesale distribution and warehousing of aid and instead have international organizations and private security contractors hand out boxes of food to individual Gazan families.
According to Israeli and Arab officials familiar with the matter, the IDF would not be directly involved in the distribution of aid, amid pushback from Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, but troops would be tasked with providing an outer layer of security for the private contractors and international organizations handing out the assistance. Israel believes this method will make it harder for Hamas to divert aid to its fighters, the officials said.
The UN in a statement Sunday said it would not participate in the plan as presented, saying it violates its core principles.
According to a memo by the defense body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, COGAT, seen by The Associated Press, all aid will enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, on approximately 60 trucks daily, and be distributed directly to people. Some 500 trucks entered Gaza every day before the war.
The memo said that facial-recognition technology will be used to identify Palestinians at logistics hubs, and text message alerts will notify people in the area that they can collect aid.
COGAT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After Israel said it was going to assert more control over aid distribution in Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs sent an email to aid groups, urging them to reject any “draconian restrictions on humanitarian work.”
The email, which OCHA sent Monday to aid groups and was shared with the AP, further stated that there are mechanisms in place to ensure aid is not diverted.
Earlier, OCHA said in a statement that the plan would leave large parts of the population, including the most vulnerable, without supplies. It said the plan “appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic — as part of a military strategy.”
The plan to take over the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza is “fundamentally against humanitarian principles,” the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) told AFP on Monday.
He said, “The United Nations agencies, all other international humanitarian groups and NGOs have said no to be part of this idea coming from the Israeli cabinet and from the Israeli military.”
Egeland said the Israeli government wanted to “militarise, manipulate, politicise the aid by allowing only aid to a few concentration hubs in the south, a scheme where people will be screened, where it’s a completely inoperable system.”
“That would force people to move to get aid, and it would continue the starvation of the civilian population,” he said, adding: “We will have no part in that.”
“If one side in a bitter armed conflict tries to control, manipulate, ration aid among the civilians on the other side, it is against everything we stand for,” he stressed.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the only one to vote against the cabinet’s aid proposal, asserted that “the only aid that ought to enter Gaza should be for voluntary migration, to allow them to emigrate voluntarily.”
“As long as we have hostages languishing in the tunnels, I don’t understand this discussion at all,” he told members of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party during its weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Two attackers on traffic police officers were eliminated in Makhachkala. This was reported by the head of the press service and information technology department of the Sovietsky district of Makhachkala, Abdulla Kamilov.
“According to the information we have, two militants were neutralized,” Kamilov wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to him, during the attack the terrorists took over a police patrol car. Now law enforcement officers continue to search for other possible participants in the incident. Kamilov called on local residents to wait until the operational work is completed and not to go outside.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, unknown persons opened fire on police officers at the intersection of Kerimov and Magomedtagirov streets in Makhachkala. As a result, three law enforcement officers were killed, and one of the attackers was killed by return fire.
According to the head of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, the shooting was carried out by the driver of a car that the police were trying to stop. The city has an "Intercept" plan in place. As a result of the incident, one police officer was killed and two others were injured. According to the regional health ministry, at least seven people were injured, including a seventeen-year-old girl.
Later, footage of a shootout between police officers and armed bandits at the intersection of Kerimov and Magomedtagirov streets appeared online. The footage shows police cars and the bodies of the dead, as well as eyewitnesses hiding from bullets.
The regional department of the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on the fact of an attempt on the lives of law enforcement officers.
Ukrainian socialist media have been disputing the claim, make by Russian General Valery Gerasimov, that the Kursk operation was successfully completed.
[Regnum] Residents of the village of Glushkovo, Glushkovsky District, Kursk Region, must evacuate. This was reported on May 5 by local authorities.
“Due to the complicated situation in the village, residents who are currently there must temporarily evacuate,” wrote the head of the village, Vasily Khudyakov, on the social network VKontakte.
He added that the work would be carried out by the Bars unit. For questions about evacuation, the head of the village advised contacting the local administration on Yendovishchenskaya Street.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, from 20:30 to 21:00 Moscow time on May 5, Russian air defense forces shot down nine Ukrainian drones over Russian territory: five drones were hit over the territory of the Kursk region and four over the Belgorod region.
Russian air defense forces shot down nine Ukrainian drones over Russian territory within half an hour. This was reported on May 5 by the Russian Defense Ministry.
“From 20:30 to 21:00 Moscow time, nine Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by air defense systems on duty: five over the territory of the Kursk region and four over the territory of the Belgorod region,” the department reported.
Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported on the evening of May 5 that two Ukrainian drones attacked passenger cars in Valuyki, and in the village of Dalniy, drones damaged a technical room. In addition, in the village of Yasnye Zori in the Belgorod District, two FPV drones caused significant damage to infrastructure, and a power line was knocked down. The village of Golovino was also damaged. In Grayvoron, an FPV drone pierced the roof of a private home. In the village of Vyazovoe in the Krasnoyarsk District, a fire started in an inactive warehouse after a drone attack.
[NYPOST] The three men who allegedly murdered an Israeli businessman late last month in his Los Angeles home are all illegal immigrants from Georgia — one of whom was released after an earlier crime by a sanctuary city, sources told The Post.
The three attackers allegedly broke into Alexander Modebadze's Los Angeles home, where they held the 47-year-old captive for hours before savagely beating him to death, police said in a statement.
Cops later arrested Pata Kochiashvili, Zaza Otarashvili and Besiki Khutsishvili and charged them with murder — and all three now have federal immigration detainers lodged against them, according to sources.
[X]
Secretary Marco Rubio
@SecRubio
May 2
Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.
What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes.
Germany should reverse course.
GermanForeignOffice
@GermanyDiplo
May 2
This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law. It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped.
Christopher Landau
@ChrisLandauUSA
May 3
Replying to @GermanyDiplo @SecRubio
Speaking for myself, words can’t even begin to express the outrage and resentment I feel at having an official account of the GERMAN government purport to lecture the US Secretary of State on the need to spy on and censor the political opposition. And no, Germany, you can’t hide behind smug references to what you’ve learned from “your” history. As you may recall, it’s “our” history too, as we played a pretty important role in ending that particular chapter in your history. And it’s “my” history too, as my own father was forced to flee his native Vienna after the Anschluss (and became an American citizen and proudly fought in the US Army to liberate Europe). He didn’t flee as a result of TOO MUCH free speech; he fled because those who believed in spying on and censoring political opponents were in charge.
You may choose to brand your own citizens as “rightwing extremists” and silence or jail them because, for instance, they oppose open borders. But please spare us the moralizing.
May 3, 2025 · 1:17 AM UTC
#2
Trump need to troll them by asking why the hell should we be tied to them if they're just going to be no different than Putin? Goodbye and thanks for all the fish.
Story published a week ago, but still interesting.
[FoxNews] The FBI previously said that while perpetrator Shamsud-Din Jabbar of Texas acted alone, they had not ruled out accomplices
Iraqi authorities on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of an ISIS member accused of inciting the New Year's terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans that left 15 people dead, including the perpetrator.
The arrest comes months after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar of Texas killed 14 civilians and injured 57 others when he rammed a Ford F-150 through crowds of people celebrating New Year's on the famous New Orleans street around 3 a.m. Jan. 1. Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police.
Iraqi authorities said their investigation into the ISIS member came at the request of American authorities but did not expand on exactly what incited the deadly attack. Officials are not releasing the suspect's name.
The suspect will be tried in Iraq under the country's anti-terror laws for being a member of ISIS, according to a translated statement from the Iraq judiciary.
"With efforts from the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation, a person involved in the terrorist ISIS organization was arrested for inciting the hit-and-run incident that occurred in the United States of America in January 2025, which led to the death of 15 people and the injury of 30 others," the judiciary said, according to a translated version of the statement, adding that the center "received a request from the United States of America to assist in the investigations related to the terrorist operation that took place in the city of New Orleans, in which a gunman ran over a crowd of celebrants with a truck before opening fire on them."
The First Karkh Investigation Court, "based on the investigations and analysis of the evidence, identified the identity of the accused and arrested him in Iraq as he is a member of what is called the Foreign Operations Office of the terrorist ISIS organization," the judiciary said.
FBI New Orleans said in a statement: "The FBI's investigation into the New Year's Day terrorist attack in New Orleans remains active and ongoing. While we continue to work with our law enforcement partners, both in the U.S. and internationally, based on the information to date, we continue to believe that Shamsud Din-Jabbar acted alone in carrying out the attack on Bourbon Street. We continue to follow all leads and encourage anyone who may have information to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov."
The FBI previously said it had not ruled out the possibility of accomplices being involved in the attack even though Jabbar acted alone, saying the suspect had previously visited New Orleans on two occasions, on Oct. 30, 2024, and Nov. 10, 2024. He also visited Cairo and Toronto prior to the attack.
Federal authorities also said Jabbar was inspired by ISIS.
"[H]e appears to have been inspired – from afar – by ISIS. And it is, in many ways, the most challenging type of terrorist threat we face," former FBI Director Christopher Wray told "60 Minutes" in a wide-ranging interview that aired in January. "You're talking about guys like this, who radicalize not in years but in weeks, and whose method of attack is still very deadly but fairly crude. And if you think about that old saying about connecting the dots, there are not a lot of dots out there to connect. And there's very little time in which to connect them."
The Texas native was a twice-divorced Army veteran who, despite a lucrative job at a large consulting firm, had a history of financial struggles and missed child support payments, records show.
During his visits to New Orleans months before the attack, Jabbar used Meta smart glasses to take videos of his surroundings as he rode a bike through the French Quarter.
On Dec. 31, Jabbar rented a Ford truck in Houston and then drove it to New Orleans, where he checked in to an Airbnb. Authorities would later find bomb-making materials and remnants of a fire at the property, saying Jabbar likely attempted to cover up his crime by attempting to burn evidence at the rental home in the St. Roch neighborhood, about two miles from the French Quarter.
"It's pretty clear so far that this is a guy who was radicalized online and who was determined to try to murder as many innocent people as he could in the name of ISIS," Wray said in his interview with "60 Minutes."
President Biden has always claimed he had Israel’s back. An explosive new report confirmed by nine of his top national security officials refutes that claim.
The most disturbing revelation is that only months after the October 7 attack, Biden and his aides secretly sought to interfere in Israel’s politics and dethrone Israel’s democratically elected prime minister.
One former Biden official says there were discussions to "scramble Israeli politics, and see if you can trigger elections, or Gd knows what."
The revelation is based on extensive interviews with former top Biden administration officials that aired on Israeli Channel 13 on April 27.
The new report was delivered by Raviv Drucker, the host of Israel’s Channel 13 "Hamakor" investigative program.
Unfortunately, the show and its deeply troubling revelations have received scant attention in the United States.
But Drucker’s wide-ranging investigative report showcases the Biden administration’s deep antagonism towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as Israelis were reeling from the brutal October 7 attack.
Drucker is a nationally known Israeli journalist who has broadcast many investigative reports. He also has published many brutally critical accounts of Netanyahu and his family. He’s not a fan of the current Prime Minister. And Channel 13 has aired many other anti-Netanyahu programs.
Sure, it’s true that President Biden’s hostility towards the Israeli head of state was never quite a secret. But former Biden officials decided to publicly admit this truth.
It’s interesting that they did so on Israeli national television, not on American TV. Did they do so to advance their own previous animas against Netanyahu?
It is vital to understand their comments came as anti-Netanyahu organizers are escalating their political attacks on the prime minister.
Last Saturday, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak called for a "civil insurrection" to topple the Netanyahu government, according to the Jewish News Service. His call came even as Israel is calling up reserves and the country is facing active wars in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... , Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... and possibly a war with Iran.
"We need to get to a civil insurrection," he proclaimed also on Channel 13. Barak is calling for hundreds of thousands to take to the streets for "the shutdown of the country until the government falls."
The sense that Biden wasn’t fully in Israel’s corner have certainly rumbled below the surface since October 7, including charges that Washington withheld key weapons from Israel during the war.
But it’s his administration’s anti-democratic maneuvering against a major ally that’s most alarming.
Tablet, the highly regarded Jewish investigative publication reported in August 2024 about President Biden’s anti-democratic ploys against Netanyahu. "The Biden administration has assembled an interagency team of targeteers...to weaken if not. Topple the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," they reported.
Here's a little bit of information people should know about Netanyahu and democracy. In 1996 at the age of 47, he became Israel’s youngest prime minister. Netanyahu also became the first Israeli prime minister elected directly by popular vote.
He was re-elected to the country’s highest post in 2009, 2013, 2015, 2020 and in 2022.
The former Biden officials on Channel 13 described their efforts to remove him from office. Hamakor reports that internally, Biden administration openly discussed the idea of forcing out Netanyahu.
One of the nine former Biden officials on his show was Ilan Goldenberg, who served in national security positions for Presidents Obama and Biden and in 2023 became Vice President Harris’ Middle East advisor. Goldenberg also served as Harris’ Jewish liaison during her 2024 Presidential run.
I reached out to Goldenberg, who now is a senior executive at J Street, an organization that for years has been highly antagonistic towards the Israeli prime minister. He did not return my call.
Not well known is that Goldenberger was born in Jerusalem as an Israeli citizen. He renounced his Israeli citizenship to work for President Obama in his first term. The Jewish critic originally focused on advancing the administration’s controversial Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... policy.
In the Channel 13 interview, Goldenberg was quite candid about Biden. He suggested the administration was considering measures to trigger new elections and force Netanyahu out even as the October 7 atrocities were still fresh in Israeli minds.
Goldenberger explained the former President’s strategy, saying, "The idea would be to either force Netanyahu to come on board (with the Biden policy), or scramble Israeli politics, and see if you can trigger elections, or Gd knows what."
The idea that Biden would "scramble Israeli politics," supposedly a staunch American ally, shows its deep disrespect for Israeli democracy. And it deeply tarnishes Biden’s image in Israel.
In the Channel 13 program, Tom Nides, Biden’s former U.S. Ambassador to Israel continued the narrative of the former President’s antagonism toward Netanyahu saying the former President regularly demonized Netanyahu. He said Biden considered the Israeli leader to be "a manipulator, a magician."
Biden, who in public tried to appear softspoken, frequently used coarse and ugly language behind the scenes. And his antipathy towards Netanyahu often was on full display to his aides.
In a commentary, Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution posted comments about these ugly revelations. "This startling disclosure...raises critical concerns about the Biden administration’s respect for Israeli democracy, particularly during one of the darkest periods in the nation’s modern history, when Israel was reeling from an unprecedented terrorist onslaught that claimed over 1,200 lives and left hundreds kidnapped into Gaza.
Hansen added, "At a time when Israel was battling for its very survival against genocidal terrorism, the Biden administration, according to Goldenberg’s account, was actively seeking to leverage the crisis for political ends, rather than offering unconditional support to an ally under siege."
I suspect we can expect more details to emerge of how the former president — and his fellow Democrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... — aggressively tried to subvert America’s biggest democratic ally in the Middle East.
#1
Coming from the same people who flooded US with millions illegals - mostly "Latino-Americans" not wanted in their own countries - that's hardly a surprise.
#3
IMO, Globalism is a worldwide movement centered in EUrope. They've a lot of local branches (like Dems in US) but they'll all the same. US are a target because the mightiest western country. Israel is a target because all totalitarians hate Jews.
#4
I suspect we can expect more details to emerge of how the former president — and his fellow Democrats
aggressively tried to subvert America’s biggest democratic ally in the Middle East.
The cause justifies the means. Jarrett and Brennan photo here please,
[IsraelTimes] At least 2 arrested, with police accusing demonstrators of refusing to clear path to Prime Minister’s Office; hostage’s father says ‘nobody cares’ about his son’s suffering in Gaza
Hundreds of anti-government demonstrators protested outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday afternoon, with police forcibly dispersing some of those gathered, as festivities broke out between protesters and officers.
The protesters had marched from the Chords Bridge to the Knesset complex for a demonstration timed to coincide with the first weekly faction meetings following the end of the spring recess.
"You’ve been doing this for more than 2.5 years, with huge amounts of money that you raise from overseas, including from hostile countries," he said, speaking from the Knesset rostrum. "I’m convinced, by the way, that your protests are also being funded by Iranian parties.
Speaking to Channel 12 news, protesters said they showed up to demonstrate over a host of issues, including the failure to recover the remaining 59 hostages from Gazoo, the mass call-up of IDF reservists, and the treatment of the country’s educators during ongoing wage disputes.
While the demonstrators were allowed to rally outside the Knesset, some of them were said to have tried to block the entrance to the Prime Minister’s Office, which is just across the street. Police ordered them to move, and later forcibly removed those who refused.
Protest organizers said that at least two people were arrested in the festivities, though one was released shortly afterward.
Police said that some protesters ignored police demands to move out of the way and "swore at a police officer" who was on duty. In a statement, police said one protester was arrested after attacking a female police officer who was working to clear demonstrators from the unauthorized zone.
In footage posted online, police could be seen hauling protesters across the street while crowds jostled around them. In a second video clip, a protester is dragged across the street by the arm, while another is hauled out of the crowd by a cop pulling him by the strap of his backpack.
♦️ תיעוד: המשטרה החלה לפנות בכוח מפגינים נגד הממשלה מול הכנסת. צילום: זיו שמע תקשורת. pic.twitter.com/xp5HWBGayF
♦️ Documentation: Police began to forcibly remove anti-government protesters in front of the Knesset. Photo: Ziv Shema Communications.
Addressing the Knesset on Monday, Regional Cooperation Minister Dudi Amsalem accused protest organizers of being funded by Iran, sparking outrage from some opposition MKs.
"You’ve been doing this for more than 2.5 years, with huge amounts of money that you raise from overseas, including from hostile countries," he said, speaking from the Knesset rostrum. "I’m convinced, by the way, that your protests are also being funded by Iranian parties... Time will tell."
His comments prompted yelling from Labor MK Efrat Rayten and Yesh Atid MK Merav Ben-Ari.
Some of the protesters gathered outside the Knesset were tied to the larger movement to free the hostages remaining in Gaza, who were particularly angry after the government overnight approved an expansion of the fighting that was said to include "conquering" the Strip.
#4
Apologize about Muffin Man. I wanted to post that as a comment on youtube to the MI-6 interview but my Firefox browser seems to be getting confused on context. I am about ready to dump Firefox.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding back Russian assaults in the east and south of Ukraine.
The Russian army concentrated a third of its attacks on the Pokrovsky direction. Currently, 11 battles are ongoing there.
Since the beginning of the day, 89 combat clashes have occurred on the front. A third of Russian attacks are concentrated in the Pokrovsk area, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in an operational report as of 16:00 on Monday, April 5.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, one enemy attack was stopped near Volchansk.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy actively attacked four times in the area of the settlement of Zagryzovo and in the direction of Novoosinovoye and Glushkovka. Two combat clashes continue.
In the Liman direction, the invading army carried out 13 attacks near the settlements of Grekovka, Novomikhaylovka, Novoye, Kolodezi, Mirnoye and in the direction of Zelenaya Dolina. Five battles are currently ongoing.
In the Kramatorsk direction, our defenders repelled three enemy attacks in the Kurdyumovka area and in the direction of Belaya Gora. The battle is currently underway.
In the Toretsk direction, the Russians tried to advance in the areas of Toretsk and Ozaryanovka. Two assaults were repelled there. Another clash continues.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy carried out 32 assaults in the areas of the populated areas of Sukhaya Balka, Staraya Nikolaevka, Vodyanoye Vtoroye, Novotoretskoye, Shevchenko, Udachnoye, Uspenovka, Kotlyarovka, Troitskoye, Bogdanovka and Andreyevka. The defense forces have already repelled 21 attacks.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, our soldiers are currently repelling two attacks, and eight more assault attempts have already been stopped in the areas of the populated areas of Novopol, Novosyolka, Privolnoye, Komar and in the direction of Otradnoye.
In the Gulyai-Polye direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully repelled four enemy attacks near Vysokoye, and another combat clash is not over.
In the Orekhov direction, our defenders successfully stopped 11 assaults in the areas of Stepovoye, Malye Shcherbaki, Kamenskoye and in the direction of Novoandreyevka and Novodanilovka.
In the Kursk direction, Ukrainian troops repelled six attacks, and another military clash continues.
Let us recall that in the course of 24 hours on May 4, Russia lost more than 1,200 fighters killed and wounded. The total number of Russian losses since the start of the full-scale war is approaching 1 million people.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22.57 Russia is seeking to negotiate peace with Ukraine due to the sharp drop in oil prices. This was stated by US President Donald Trump during a conversation with journalists.
22.37 Russian troops attack Odessa with attack drones on the evening of May 5. Explosions were heard in the city. This was reported by Odessa Mayor Gennadiya Trukhanova on Telegram.
22.23 Russian troops are redeploying Tu-95MS combat aircraft to Siberia. OSINT researcher MT Anderson reported this on the X social network, citing satellite images.
21.56 US President Donald Trump believes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's proposal for a so-called "three-day truce" is not that long, but it is "a lot." He said this during a conversation with journalists at the White House.
20.28 New services will appear in the Reserve+ application. This was reported by Deputy Minister of Defense for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization Ekaterina Chernogorenko on her Facebook page.
19:29 US President Donald Trump plans to involve his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in ending Russia's war against Ukraine. The American leader wrote about this on his social network Truth Social.
18.38 Ukrainian aviation successfully hit the control point of enemy UAV units in the area of the settlement of Tetkino in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Up to 20 Russian soldiers were eliminated and their equipment was destroyed.
17:59 Ukrainian refugees are integrating well in the Czech Republic, and further progress needs to be made both in terms of their employment and in terms of helping those who want to return home. This was stated by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Prague.
16.05 Ukrainian military made another breakthrough into the Kursk region of the Russian Federation on Monday morning – in the area of the settlements of Tetkino and Novy Put. This was reported by Russian telegram channels.
15.41 The Czech Republic will train Ukrainian pilots on two types of aircraft – F-16 and L-39 – on its territory. This was stated by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Prague.
15:02 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the heads of leading defense enterprises of the Czech Republic. Ukrainian-Czech cooperation and joint production can ensure security and prevent a repeat of aggression on the European continent, the head of state noted.
14.17 On the morning of May 5, Russian troops fired cannon artillery at the village of Ivanopolye in the Konstantinovka community. As a result of the shelling, a civilian was killed and two more people were wounded. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk OVA Vadim Filashkin.
13.39 Russian troops are experiencing an acute shortage of armored vehicles at the front. They are forced to send outdated equipment to conduct massive assaults. This was reported by military journalist Andrey Tsaplienko on Monday, May 5.
Thus, in one of the echelons they counted up to 70 T-62MV and T-62M tanks, produced from 1961 to 1975.
Tsaplienko suggested that in frontline workshops they would be made into "tank-sheds" designed for one-time use.
13.27 Since the beginning of the war, the State Bureau of Investigation has been investigating 2,571 criminal cases involving crimes against national security. This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation's press service.
Under investigation:
1.8 thousand cases - on the facts of high treason,
584 productions - for collaboration activities,
46 cases - for aiding the aggressor state and others.
12.55 The domestically produced Vislyuk ground robotic system has been approved for use in the Defense Forces units . This was reported by the Defense Ministry. The Vislyuk system is manufactured in various modifications - for logistical tasks, evacuation, mining, and installation of engineering barriers. It can also serve as a moving platform for moving radio communication repeater towers, combat modules, and day or night surveillance systems. It has reactive control channels.
12.14 Over three years, the fundraising platform United24 has raised more than UAH 56 billion in support of Ukraine. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"This is not just a number - it is proof that in the pursuit of a common goal, millions of people are capable of the incredible. We are united not by geography, language or origin - we are united by faith.
The United24 platform launched in May 2022. During this time, millions of people and companies from more than 100 countries have made voluntary contributions to support Ukraine.
12.07 The Ministry of Strategic Industries and representatives of the Spanish company Escribano Mechanical and Engineering (EM&M) discussed issues of localizing production of equipment in Ukraine. This was reported on May 5 by the press service of the Ministry of Strategic Industries.
11.55 In one of the villages of the Aleksandrivska community of the Donetsk region, Russian troops attacked an enterprise with drones, the roof of the warehouse caught fire. The fire broke out on an area of 1,100 square meters. Rescuers extinguished it for more than five hours. There were no casualties.
11:29 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky awarded the soldiers who distinguished themselves during the Kursk operation and ensured the creation of a buffer zone on the border with Russia. He reported this on Facebook .
10:48 The European Union may double its military support for Ukraine this year, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said . European money can be used more effectively by investing it in purchasing weapons directly from Ukrainian manufacturers, he noted.
10.22 A 31-year-old local informant for the Russian Federation, who was adjusting strikes on the city's defenders, was detained in Nikolaev. This was reported on May 5 by the SBU.
10.05 A transformer substation was disabled in Saratov (Russia). This was reported by the ATESH partisan movement. It is noted that as a result, the power supply to two cellular base stations was completely disrupted. These stations provided communications in areas where key industrial facilities are located, in particular, the GazPromMash oil refinery, the Pirogroup plant and the mobilization center, which the Russians use to coordinate their criminal activities.
9.45 The Ukrainian Defense Forces shot down 42 Russian drones, and another 21 enemy UAVs were lost. This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force. The consequences of the drone attack were recorded in the Sumy and Donetsk regions.
8.49 Over the past 24 hours, 269 combat clashes have been recorded at the front, the hottest situation is in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlovsk directions, where 115 and 52 enemy attacks were repelled, respectively. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
8.20 On the night of May 5, Russian troops attacked the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region using Grad MLRS, heavy artillery and kamikaze drones. As a result of the shelling, a garage and a car were on fire. This was reported by the head of the OVA Serhiy Lysak.
7.50 Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military has destroyed 1,260 Russian occupiers. The enemy's total losses in personnel amount to about 958,070 servicemen.
7.23 Marines destroyed an enemy Ural truck and a D-30 cannon. The video was published on the page of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
04.30 Russian troops struck Konotop in the Sumy region, using more than a dozen martyrs and two ballistic missiles. An infrastructure facility was destroyed. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties, despite the fact that the Russians struck at intervals to hit rescuers and medics who arrived at the scene of the preliminary strikes.
03.26 Explosions were heard in the Russian Moscow region. The city authorities announced the alleged shooting down of four UAVs. Meanwhile, the Vnukovo airport announced the "Carpet" plan.
[IsraelTimes] According to British reports, suspects may have been ‘hours away’ from major attack, with some outlets claiming synagogues, Jewish community may have been target
British police said Monday that they had secured warrants to further question four Iranian men arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences this weekend.
Police arrested five Iranian men aged between 29 and 46 in Saturday’s operation, four of whom were detained under the Terrorism Act, while the fifth was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.
"Warrants of further detention have today (Monday, 5 May) been secured for those four men, meaning they can be detained and questioned until Saturday, 10 May," said the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
The fifth man detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act has been released on bail to a date in May, added the force.
"Our officers and staff are progressing what is a significant and highly complex investigation, and we still have searches and activity underway at multiple addresses across the country," said Dominic Murphy, head of the Counter Terrorism Command.
"We believe that a specific premises was the target of this suspected plot and Counter Terrorism Policing officers remain in close contact with the affected premises," he added.
In a separate operation on Saturday, police detained three other men on suspicion of terrorism offenses, two of whom were also Iranian nationals. The arrests were carried out in London, Swindon, and the Greater Manchester area.
According to British media reports, speculation is mounting that those arrested were "hours away" from carrying out an attack on a synagogue or other Jewish target. There has been no confirmation of the reports.
According to The Telegraph, "the target may have been a synagogue or another target linked to the Jewish community." The Daily Mail said a "major attack" was planned.
The embassy of Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... in London did not respond to a request for comment on the arrests.
The arrests come at a time of heightened scrutiny of Iran-backed activities in the UK, with Britannia saying it has responded to more than 20 such plots since 2022, and imposing sanctions on a Swedish-based criminal network linked to Iran for targeting Israeli and Jewish interests in Europe.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:57 Official summary of the Office for Documentation of War Crimes of Ukraine from 00:00 05.05.2025 to 00:00 06.05.2025
A total of 17 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
There were reports of a civilian being injured.
Damaged:
Two civilian infrastructure facilities.
A total of 17 armed attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 31 units of various ammunition were fired.
21:38 Destruction of a Ukrainian group in the Tyotkino area this morning —video.
20:57 Attack aircraft of the 39th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army Corps are advancing in a residential area in the east of the settlement of Ulyanovka in the Pokrovsky direction —video.
20:26 Destruction of Ukrainian 122mm self-propelled gun 2S1 in the area of Andreevka DPR —video.
19:35 Ukrainian Armed Forces attack Belgorod region continue. Preliminary, there were no casualties.
In the Valuysky District, on the Valuyki-Veydelevka and Urazovo-Dvuluchnoye road sections, two passenger cars were damaged by drone strikes. The village of Dalniy was also attacked by a drone - a technical room was damaged.
In the Belgorod district, the village of Yasnye Zori was attacked by two FPV drones, which damaged a social facility, an administrative building, two cars and two units of agricultural machinery. In addition, a power line was broken. In the village of Golovino, the detonation of a drone damaged the facade of one of the buildings of an agricultural enterprise.
In the city of Grayvoron, as a result of an FPV drone attack, the roof of a private home was pierced.
The village of Vyazovoe in the Krasnoyarsk region was subjected to shelling, as a result of which an inactive warehouse caught fire.
19:17 Acting Governor of Kursk Region Alexander Khinshte in reported about the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the region
In the village of Leshchynivka, Glushkovsky district, a Ukrainian drone attacked a residential building. As a result of the strike, a 61-year-old woman was injured - she has shrapnel wounds, her condition is moderate. She will be taken to a medical facility in the near future.
18:50 Operator of the reconnaissance UAV GV "Sever" caught an attempt to transfer an enemy assault group in a Kozak armored fighting vehicle from Pavlovka in the direction of the state border and the settlement of Novy Put.
18:38 Fighters of the "Center" group of forces are approaching to the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region on another section of the Pokrovsky front.
“In the Novopavlovsk direction, Russian troops captured Uspenovka and entered Novoaleksandrivka,” Ukrainian analysts admit.
17:50 Next targets destroyed by Russian drone operators in the South Donetsk direction
This time, UAV operators of the Vostok group of forces destroyed a US-made M-113 armored personnel carrier, as well as vehicles used to deliver ammunition and food, along with enemy manpower.
16:49 Crew of the 152mm 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled gun of the West group of forces destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces bunker using high-precision munitions "Krasnopol".
15:41 During the repulse of the attack of Ukrainian fascists in the direction of the settlement of Tetkino in the Kursk region, the Sever group drone operators detected movement of a group of enemy fighters in an armored personnel carrier.
15:15 Ukrainian soldier convicted for mining roads and preventing the evacuation of civilians in the Kursk region
The evidence collected by the military investigative bodies of the Investigative Committee of Russia was deemed sufficient by the court to pass a sentence against Viktor Isaev, a junior sergeant in the grenade launcher unit at the commandant's office of the rapid response of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
14:34 Ukrainian Armed Forces militants lead massive artillery shelling of Kamenka-Dniprovska in the Zaporizhia region. At least six explosions were recorded, 1,152 subscribers were de-energized. The danger of repeated strikes remains, said the region's governor, Yevgeny Balitsky.
14:30 Russian intelligence detected the location of the enemy radar in the area of the settlement Peski. The target was attacked by the "X-ray" aircraft of the "Sever" group, destroying the "Rada" radar station.
13:40 Crews of T-72 tanks of the "East" group of forces inflicted fire damage to the concentration of manpower and vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, disrupting the rotation of Ukrainian militants in the South Donetsk direction.
12:40 Russian Ministry of Defense summary on the progress of the Special Military Operation as of May 5, 2025.
Units of the North group of forces inflicted losses on concentrations of manpower and equipment of the mechanized, tank, and ranger brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Sadki, Ryasnoye, Velyka Pisarevka in Sumy Oblast and Granov in Khar'kov Oblast.
Over the past 24 hours, the Armed Forces of Ukrainelostup to 1,395 troops, 4 tanks, 28 vehicles, 10 armored combat vehicles, five ammunition depots, two Western-made artillery pieces, 14 field artillery pieces, four artillery pieces, 4 electronic warfare stations, and a HIMARS multiple launch rocket system launcher.
Units of the "West" group of forces took up more advantageous positions and defeated two mechanized, mountain assault, assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a territorial defense brigade in Peski, Kupyansk, Grigorovka, Kutkovka in the Khar'kov region and Karpovka in the DPR.
The "South" group improved its tactical position by defeating the manpower and equipment of two mechanized and airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Serebryanka, Druzhkovka, Seversk and Zarya DPR.
The Center group improved its position on the front line, defeating two mechanized and a ranger brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as a special forces brigade and two National Guard brigades in Udachnoye, Dimitrov, Novopavlovka, Novosergeevka and Grodovka of the DPR.
The Vostok group continued its advance and defeated two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a marine brigade and a territorial defense brigade in Bogatyr, Fedorovka, Komar and Novopol of the DPR.
The Dnepr group defeated a mechanized brigade and two coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Malaya Tokmachka, Pavlovka in the Zaporizhia region and Antonovka in the Kherson region.
11:50 The enemy is in the Kursk border areais trying show an offensive in the direction of Tyotkino and Popovo-Lezhachi.
Attacks with the support of armored vehicles. Before this, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to make passages in the minefields with the help of mine-clearing machines.
Russian Army fighters repel a breakthrough attempt. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have already suffered losses in equipment.
11:40 FPV drone calculations at Rubicon Centerare striking manpower, armored vehicles, UAVs and firing positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donetsk direction.
11:35 Ukrainian Armed Forces are again trying to break through to Kursk region
New attempt by Ukrainian militants reported to break through to the territory of the Kursk region in the area of the settlement of Tetkino.
This is not the first attempt by the enemy to penetrate our defense in this area. During different periods of the Kursk operation, the Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to advance in this direction several times, including using armored vehicles, but each time they failed.
As in previous attacks, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are seeking to destroy bridges across the Seim River and its tributaries in order to complicate the logistics of our troops. Russian Telegram channels report the destruction of Ukrainian mine-clearing vehicles and other enemy equipment.
11:20 The enemy is in the Kursk border areais trying to show an offensive in the direction of Tyotkino and Popovo-Lezhachi.
Attacks with the support of armored vehicles. Before this, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to make passages in the minefields with the help of mine-clearing machines.
Russian Army fighters repel a breakthrough attempt. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have already suffered losses in equipment.
10:00 In the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous OkrugdetainedUkrainian agent who planned a terrorist attack on the railway
The detainee received instructions from a member of a banned Ukrainian paramilitary group.
9:30 Unmanned aerial vehicles "Geran-2" destroyed an ammunition depot and repair shop of the 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as a temporary deployment point for a unit of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kramatorsk.
8:28 Calculation of the ATGM "Metis" of the "Southern" group of forces destroyed a vehicle supplying ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Chasov Yar area.
8:20 For the period from 23:00 Moscow time on May 4 to 02:30 Moscow time on May 5, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 26 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
– 17 UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region;
– Five UAVs – over the territory of the Kaluga region;
– Four UAVs – over the territory of the Moscow region.
8:10 Frontline morning summary 05.05.2025
Zaporizhzhya Front. In this area, no significant changes in the LBS have been recorded over the past 24 hours. In a number of areas, positional battles continue with the active use of long-range weapons.
Donetsk Front. Fierce battles are taking place in the Bogatyr area, sometimes turning into counter-battles. The Russian Armed Forces are repelling attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to counterattack, continuing to put pressure on the Ukrainian defense.
Also, battles are continuing in the Otradnoye area and in the direction of Alekseyevka.
In Kotlino, assault actions by the Russian Armed Forces are continuing, the enemy is putting up fierce resistance.
Chasov Yar direction. No significant changes in LBS. RF Armed Forces continue to fight in Chasov Yar, gradually dislodging the enemy from the occupied positions.
Sumy direction. The Russian Armed Forces continue to carry out measures to create a buffer zone in the border area. Fighting is underway in the settlement of Belovody. Fighting for Loknya and Vodolaghi also continues
8:05 Activity of NATO spy aircraft. 04.05-05.05
Black Sea Region
US Navy Poseidon 8E flies over Constanta, Romania
Leningrad Oblast
There are two NATO Boeing Sentry E3TF aircraft, one of which is stationed in Estonia and the other in Lithuania
8:00 220mm BM-27 MLRS "Uragan" crews of the "Center" and "West" groups of forces continue to destroy enemy strongholds and manpower in the SVO zone.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] In recent days, Israel has thrown significant resources into fighting forest fires that have caused financial and reputational damage to the country and fueled spy mania that had died down.
Official Tel Aviv, sometimes with half-hints and sometimes quite directly, points to the presence of an “Iranian trace.” However, this tendency is also observed on the other side of the “front”: in Iran, there are also forces seeking to give local conflagrations a spy flair.
But the parties are in no hurry to blame each other.
THE FIREFIGHTERS COULDN'T COPE
The first fires were detected in mid-April, but the Israeli fire service was unable to quickly deal with them. Due to dry and windy weather, the flames spread rapidly, and new ones flared up in place of the fires that had already been extinguished.
Soon, the country's fire service was transferred to a special "Fire Strike" mode, which is introduced only in cases of a threat of losing control over the situation. Other agencies came to the aid of the firefighters.
In total, more than a hundred fire brigades and dozens of specialized aircraft, including those provided by other countries, participated in the firefighting effort. Army units were also deployed to extinguish the fire, especially in areas where military facilities were threatened.
The situation was brought under relative control only by May 1, and firefighters continued to eliminate the remaining fires using their own resources.
GREAT DAMAGE
The forest fires have become the most destructive and large-scale in recent decades. Authorities are still calculating the damage, but even preliminary figures are impressive: the fire has destroyed property and facilities worth tens of millions of dollars.
And taking into account the costs incurred due to the disruption of rail, road and (partially) air traffic, the amount increases several times. More than 2 thousand hectares of forest burned, including the unique nature reserve Ayanot Givaton.
In addition, the state of emergency has increased tensions between civilian and military structures. Some of the General Staff leadership expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the government has created an additional burden on the army at a time when it is involved in a large-scale campaign in Gaza.
The reputation of the emergency warning system also suffered. Emergency services were not prepared for the rampage of the elements and did not acquire a sufficient number of aircraft suitable for night-time firefighting. And this is despite the fire reform of 2018, which was supposed to eliminate the shortage of special equipment.
It is not surprising that the investigation into the causes of the disaster was placed under special control, and operatives from the General Security Service (Shabak) were involved in the investigation from the very first days.
GANG OF ARSONISTS
Barely had the danger passed when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed to inform the public of the initial results of the investigation. He reported that the police and Shin Bet had detained 18 people, mostly citizens of Arab origin.
According to the prime minister, one of the suspects was even caught red-handed when he tried to start a fire in an open area in the southern part of the capital.
However, a little later, the security forces carefully adjusted the data provided by the prime minister: only three potential arsonists were taken into custody (one of whom was actually detained at the scene of the crime).
The other defendants were only engaged in incitement on social networks, approving of other people's arson and positioning it as a form of protest against the government's policies. Therefore, they got off with a stern warning.
Despite the fact that the official version of the causes of the disaster remains careless handling of fire, a significant part of society is convinced that the fires were man-made and that Iranian agents were involved in the matter.
Moreover, some of the large fires were located far from tourist trails (but relatively close to critical infrastructure facilities), and the vector of most of the fires was directed towards the capital.
The “spy” version is fueled by numerous “anonymous sources” in the police and intelligence services, who say that the operation to create a “fire shaft” was skillfully disguised as a natural fire.
The perpetrators allegedly had clear instructions and a common goal: to disrupt Israel's Independence Day celebrations and ensure that the torch-lighting ceremony, the holiday's main event, is cancelled.
Moreover, the symbolic fire was supposed to be lit by Mossad officers who distinguished themselves during the “pager attack” against Lebanese Hezbollah last year.
Ultimately, the goal was achieved: the ceremony was cancelled, and only footage from the dress rehearsal was shown.
STRANGE COINCIDENCES
However, it was not only Israel that suffered from the fire, but also Iran. Over the past week, fires broke out within a day of each other at a power plant in Karaj and at a motorcycle factory in Mashhad.
At the same time, new outbreaks periodically broke out throughout the week in the port of Shahid Rajaee, where a chemical explosion occurred on April 26.
The Iranian authorities call the incident a “series of accidents” and urge not to look for “spy trails,” especially since the objects are located in different parts of the country and are related to civilian infrastructure.
Moreover, unlike in Israel, in all cases the fires were quickly extinguished and the damage caused was minimal.
However, even with this formulation of the question, some Iranian "hawks" do not consider the fires an accident, although their arguments are not as loud as in Israel. In large part because the Iranian security forces do not yet have any significant evidence of external involvement - at least, publicly.
Observers have also linked the series of strange fires in Iran to the recent execution of Mohsen Langarneshin, a senior Mossad agent who worked in Iran.
It is known that Langarneshin, before his arrest, collected data on vulnerabilities in the protection of the country's energy facilities and factories, and with the sudden fires, Tel Aviv could well have hinted that the executed man was not the only Israeli figure in the Iranian rear, thereby provoking a "witch hunt."
One way or another, neither Tel Aviv nor Tehran are in a hurry to officially accuse their counterparts of deliberate arson, preferring to collect a more convincing evidence base.
However, it should not be ruled out that after some time, the “fiery terror” will be included in a louder and larger-scale spy story, as has already happened more than once in the Iranian-Israeli confrontation.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Victor Lavrinenko
[REGNUM] The Swedish public is nervous - they are being intimidated by the machinations of "Moscow's agents" and are being told that Russian spies are swarming around, representing the advance guard of an impending "invasion".
As a result, the population is increasingly immersed in paranoia - an attack of it can be provoked even by three Russian letters on the body of a car.
The apogee of nervousness and the whipped-up spy mania was the persecution of the Orthodox church in the city of Västerås. According to Swedish politicians and intelligence services, the church has become a "nest of Russian intelligence" and is engaged in "surveillance of the city airport."
EVERY RUSSIAN IS UNDER SUSPICION
In April, Sweden and Finland began preparing a joint plan to evacuate their populations in case of war. Residents of these countries receive daily fresh portions of news about the latest intrigues of "aggressive Russia".
The press and officials are telling the population: the Russians are already here, they are waging a hybrid war! And this is yielding results - according to a recent poll, almost 70% of Swedes are very concerned about the "increased threat" from Russia. And at least three out of ten fear ending up under "Russian occupation".
Many Swedes are now actively thinking about how they can survive if fighting breaks out, says Emelie Ruud, an official with the National Emergency Management Agency.
"According to the latest survey, 43% say they can manage without government assistance for at least a week (after the war begins. - Author's note). And 63% said they plan to improve the preparedness of their home," says Ruud.
Two years ago, an “exposé” article appeared in the Expressen publication, claiming that various equipment intended for radio intelligence has been on the roof of the Russian embassy in Stockholm since Soviet times.
Moreover, sources in the intelligence services told the publication that this equipment can be used to wiretap mobile phones and track encrypted radio communications of the Swedish Security Police (SäPo).
According to the publication, the embassy employs not so much diplomats as spies, and continuous intelligence activities are carried out.
SäPo had previously stated on numerous occasions that Russia was Sweden's biggest security threat, so the revelations about the embassy fell on fertile soil.
Counterintelligence chief Daniel Stenling ominously reported : "What we can say publicly is that they have the technical capability to deliver intelligence equipment to Sweden. Russia is constantly collecting intelligence on Sweden."
As evidence, the reader was shown satellite images, as well as photographs taken from the office of the Expressen publication, which is located right opposite the embassy.
According to Swedish experts, "the equipment that the Russians are trying to hide with roof awnings looks noticeably worn out, but some antennas can still intercept radio communications in the Baltic Sea."
SäPo adds that the Russian diaspora living in Sweden is also allegedly actively used in espionage cases. And now any ethnic Russian in Sweden bears the stamp of these suspicions.
"I'M NOT MYSELF"
The psychological state of the Swedes is demonstrated, for example, by the stupidest incident that occurred in November last year in Gothenburg. There, near the regional office of the state tax agency, a car with the Russian letters "FSB" on the hood was parked. Its appearance caused real panic.
"He stood there for at least an hour. Almost no one was working - everyone was crowded at the windows and looking at the car. Some were just silent, others were laughing. Everyone wanted to run away somewhere. I went home, because no one knows what can happen," complained one of the tax officers.
The police, who were raised to their feet, quickly conducted an inspection and found out that the car with the "creepy" inscription was local. But the reason why Russian letters were painted on the car could not be found out. Perhaps its owner just decided to joke. Well, like some of our "comedians" put up "FBI" number plates.
Another telling example: a few months ago, a sixty-year-old man was fired from the IT department of the state tax agency after ten years of work there. The specialist’s “guilt” was that he had been married for 26 years to an ethnic Russian woman of Moldovan origin. Because of this, the Security Police considered him “vulnerable to Russian influence.”
Indeed, the taxman's wife once held Russian citizenship, but in 2011 she renounced it in favor of Swedish citizenship. SäPo considered this "IT specialist" suspicious also on the grounds that he had once visited Russia - although the last time he was there was fourteen years ago.
His wife has not visited the Russian Federation for more than five years, but this did not help. Nor did the fact that the woman openly criticizes Russia on the Internet help the family.
The elderly computer specialist was called in for a biased interview, after which they decided to get rid of him. "When I was applying for the job, I myself raised the issue of my Russian wife. Then I was told that there was no problem. I am completely out of my mind... I cannot understand why this happened to me," the dismissed Swede bitterly complains.
But the most eloquent and blatant example of Swedish spy mania is, oddly enough, connected to the sacred sphere. Last year, an Orthodox church built in 2019–22 in the Swedish city of Västerås (about 80 km west of Stockholm) became the object of suspicion.
This small wooden church belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church and was consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The ROC explained the need for its construction by the demand for the Orthodox faith among the residents of Westeros: not only emigrants from Russia need Russian Orthodox Church churches, but also Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Moldovans living there.
There are currently about ten parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sweden, uniting approximately 1,200 active parishioners. The community in Västerås is not very large, but people come there for services from other cities, including Stockholm, where there is no large Orthodox church.
In the current times, not a single parish of the Russian Orthodox Church can feel at ease - the shadow of suspicion of espionage can fall on anyone. So the peaceful life of the Westerosi temple did not last very long.
"PROXIMITY TO THE AIRPORT"
The Security Police suspected that this church was allegedly a "stronghold" for spies collecting information about the industrial and transport infrastructure of Sweden and about the exercises of the local army. Swedish "security officers" claim that Västerås may be of interest to Russian intelligence because industrial enterprises of ABB, Bombardier, Westinghouse Atom, Peab, ICA Handlarnas are located there.
"When the Swedish Defence Forces conduct exercises at or near Västerås Airport, as they did in June (2024 – Ed.), they are likely under surveillance from the church," warned Markus Göransson, a researcher at the Swedish Defence University who specialises in "Russian hybrid warfare".
That is, in this case, the principle of “highly likely” (“we don’t know for sure, but it’s very likely”), which is common in such cases, was applied.
Indeed, when investigating the situation with the church in Westeros, the Security Police found no direct evidence of "espionage" by priests, expressing only "suspicion". However, because of these very suspicions, the state agency for supporting religious communities deprived the church of the subsidies it was entitled to by law.
The Russian Ambassador to Stockholm, Sergei Belyaev, commenting on the rumors spreading around the church, recalled that at one time the authorities of Westeros themselves proposed this very site for the construction of the church, although initially the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church did not like it.
In April 2025, the Westeros City Council, at the instigation of the government, proposed to “resolve the issue” with the local Orthodox church in a radical way – by forcibly buying out the land on which the building was built.
In support of this idea of a local policy, they point out that the church is located just three hundred meters from the territory of the city airport. Also nearby are local water treatment facilities, which, according to the Swedes, are also of interest to the Russians, who are probably already thinking about sending their saboteurs there.
In any case, the Westerosi leadership shares Marcus Göransson's opinion that the temple priests are most likely monitoring the air harbor on behalf of Russian intelligence.
"We must put the security of Västerås first. The main problem is the church's proximity to the airport and its high tower, which makes eavesdropping easier," said Elisabeth Unell, a representative of Sweden's Moderate Party, which runs the country's government.
The chairman of the municipal council, Staffan Jansson, has promised to hold a meeting in May to discuss the forced expropriation of the land. If the decision is positive, it will be submitted to the Swedish government for approval.
Thus, it is very likely that the Orthodox church in Westeros will soon cease to exist in its previous location. And it is still a big question whether it will be allowed to be reborn in its former place.
In general, it can be stated that in Sweden, albeit in a more sluggish form, the same processes are taking place as in the Baltics, where local authorities have set the task of completely clearing their territories of the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Swedes are also making great strides towards this, and the spy mania raging in the country provides justification for cracking down on an objectionable religious organization.
#1
The Soviet's had taken controlling positions in most churches (denominations) by the late 1950s. My dad saw it within the world's Lutheran Churches.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Andrey Zvorykin
[REGNUM] If there had been no war, then in 1946, 210 million people could have lived in the Soviet Union. "On the contrary, taking into account the Great Patriotic War, such a figure... is about 170 million people. That is, we actually lost 39 million people at the demographic level," said Sergei Galkin, head of Rosstat.
On May 5, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, the head of the statistical service presented the collection “ Victory Figures ” - this book and the accompanying multimedia project were created by Rosstat together with the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Center for Strategic Research Foundation.
"If there had been no war..." If we remember this, even the statistics on the demographic decline begin to echo with pain. After all, the 39 million that the country lost were those killed on the front lines, those who died during the occupation, those who did not survive the siege of Leningrad, those who died in the front-line areas and in the seemingly peaceful rear - from hunger and disease. And the generation of the late 1940s - early 1950s that could have been born. While our overseas allies were experiencing a baby boom, our country was doomed to demographic decline.
Even at the height of the war, statistical facts and data accused Nazism - it is enough to refer to Vyacheslav Molotov's note of April 1942 " On the monstrous crimes, atrocities and violence of the German fascist invaders in the occupied Soviet regions and on the responsibility of the German government and command." "Bleeding" figures helped the chief Soviet prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, Roman Rudenko, prove the guilt of the leaders of the Third Reich in atrocities on Soviet territory.
Research into the damage the enemy inflicted on our country continued throughout the post-war period, including in recent decades. As the authors of the collection explained, similar collections of statistical data were prepared for the 70th and 75th anniversaries of the Great Victory.
For comparison, if in the mid-2010s researchers estimated the demographic losses of our large country at 25-27 million people, now a study of data on the dead, captured, deceased - together with those never born - has given the above-mentioned monstrous figure of 39 million.
By 1956, when the American baby boom was reaching its peak, the population of the Union was just reaching the level of the beginning of the peaceful 1941. The losses of material wealth of our country continue to be calculated, but already now the "Victory Figures" give approximate data - 30-33% of national income. In France, which survived the occupation, there was a 1.5% drop in national income, the same in Great Britain.
Thanks to the collected documents, the scale of the tragedy experienced by our country becomes even more visible. 1.7 thousand Soviet cities, over 70 thousand villages and hamlets suffered from Nazi bombings and destruction during the occupation. More than 25 million of our compatriots were left homeless.
"Along torn-up roads. And ruined villages. We walked along the stars to the east..." - wrote Alexander Tvardovsky in "Ballad of a Comrade". If translated into the language of statistics, then from June 1941 until the moment of expulsion from our land, the enemy destroyed 36.8 million hectares of arable land. 32 thousand industrial enterprises were destroyed. But statistics allow us to appreciate the feat of those who evacuated factories and plants to the rear in the first, catastrophic months of the war - 218 thousand enterprises were taken deep into the country.
Despite the threat of losing 50-70% of metallurgy, coal production and electricity in the first months of the war, which was threatened by the occupation of the lands of the western part of the country by the Third Reich and its satellites, the country managed to create an industrial base in the Urals and Siberia, the head of the public council at Rosstat, chief economist of VEB.RF Andrei Klepach cited data from the collection "Victory Figures".
By 1948, the USSR had surpassed the pre-war level of industrial production, and by 1950, agricultural production.
"So, at the expense of what? At the expense of both the dedication of people and management, this was achieved... The figures are a lesson in how to develop and restore the country," added Klepach.
“That line of depth, beyond which the flames of the Ural forges rose from behind our backs…” wrote Tvardovsky in the poem “I was killed near Rzhev.”
This combination of poetry with figures and facts is a conscious choice.
“I would like information about the horrors of war, about the Victory, about the feats that our people accomplished, to reach every person in one way or another,” emphasized Pavel Smelov, director of the Center for Strategic Research, addressing those gathered.
After the announced minute of silence, the children's choir "White Steamship" took to the stage and performed the song "Signalers-Buglers" by Alexandra Pakhmutova and Nikolai Dobronravov.
Honored Artist of Russia Vladimir Konkin read a poem by contemporary poet Ivan Kupreyanov that touched everyone present :
"Russian, Georgian, Tatar,
Highlander, Pomor, steppe dweller...
The call of the Motherland is total -
“This is how victory was forged!”
And Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Vakhrukov acted in an unexpected capacity - he presented an addition to the collection "Numbers of Victory" - the collection "The Hero's Path", which presents routes in memory of the Great Victory that can be visited on the territory of our country.
"Today, the collection that we were able to make, 20 routes from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, contains the main things that we were able to collect for tourist routes - these are villages, cities, settlements, where the main battles took place, the heroism of our people was manifested. It seems very important to me that our children will be able to learn this not from the pages of textbooks, but to come, lay flowers at the graves of the Unknown Soldier, touch the feat, and then pass it on to their children," the deputy minister emphasized.
Actor and musician Vladislav Demin also performed at the presentation, he performed his song "Friendship Anthem", which he repeatedly sang in front of soldiers in the SVO zone. In his speech, the artist drew attention to the section of the collection dedicated to the performances of theater actors in front of the Great Patriotic War soldiers and called on modern cultural figures to repeat their actions, also supporting soldiers on the front lines of the SVO.
"In 1941, 357 acting groups performed at the front, in 1942 - already 920, while the number of performances increased from 32,500 to 117,000. In 1943, there were 1,215 front-line concert brigades, and the number of performances reached 150,000. Only the artists of the Central Theater of the Red Army, as part of 19 front-line brigades, showed 1,745 performances, plays and concerts at the front..." - the hosts of the event added to the artist.
After Demin, Honored Artist of Russia, President of the Eurasian Art Union Leonid Feodor and Head of the Information Department of the Eurasian Art Union Alena Kovaleva took the stage. They emphasized that artists are now also involved in supporting patriotism in society, including the Union regularly holds exhibitions of works about Russia specifically for Rosstat employees.
The presentation of the collection was concluded by a performance by the winner of the Russian Presidential Prize, Grammy Award winner, guest soloist of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatres, opera singer Nikolai Didenko, who, together with the children's choir "White Steamship", performed the legendary song "Victory Day", familiar to every resident of our country.
"The numbers have spoken and acquired a visible form. The numbers are not only a question of memory, but also a lesson from those victims and losses that were incurred, from that social and economic feat," said Andrey Klepach.
“We must pass this on from generation to generation. Maybe this sounds a bit pompous, but everyone in their place can do [something] to preserve this memory,” added Dmitry Vakhrukov.
#4
Russia SHOULD have over 300 million people now. Between both world wars, Stalin and his purges, alcoholism, etc they only have 145 million and falling.
The world wars and urbanization was Europe's suicide.
#6
A substantial number of Russians were killed by other Russians in combat or by Ukrainians during this time period. Other Russians were killed by the Russian government.
Depends on how you count.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
05/06/2025 13:35
Comments ||
Top||
#7
Russians have done extensive analysis of the Red Army's war dead, reflected in this document (It's in Russian, sorry)
This question is one of the most controversial. In my opinion, the essence of the discussion is most accurately reflected in the article by V. Litvinenko "Were the Red Army's losses in the Great Patriotic War excessive?" The main conclusion of this article is:) "the levels of irretrievable combat losses of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht on the Soviet-German front are approximately equal.Moreover, due to the insufficiency, unreliability and contradictory nature of the initial data, it is impossible to say with complete certainty whether the Red Army's losses were greater or less than the Wehrmacht's losses. "
#9
Stalin's order 227 - Not One Step back also didn't help. Sometimes it makes military sense to retreat, regroup and then counterattack. However, with Order 227, Soviet commanders dared not retreat.
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