Major troll just saying so, but a move in that direction would very likely yield disproportionate dividends. And the money had been pulled from research that was deemed unworthy — truly spinning Harvard straw into job training gold.
[IsraelTimes] In the escalating battle between US president and prestigious private university over antisemitism, Trump may send funds to trade schools that largely do not conduct research.
[IsraelTimes] Reports say ministers tell UK, France and others that Israel is considering annexing Area C of West Bank and legalizing outposts; Sweden summons Israeli envoy over Gaza aid
Israeli government ministers have reportedly warned key European countries that any unilateral recognition of a Paleostinian state could prompt Israel to take unilateral measures as well, potentially including the annexation of parts of the West Bank, according to Monday reports.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer personally warned French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy that Israel could respond to recognition of a Paleostinian state by annexing Area C of the West Bank and legalizing unauthorized outposts, the Haaretz outlet reported, citing a foreign diplomat familiar with the matter.
A separate report by Israel Hayom said Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar conveyed a similar message to counterparts in the UK, La Belle France, and other nations, warning that steps against Israel would be met with Israeli actions such as extending illusory sovereignty to West Bank settlements and parts of the Jordan Valley.
"Unilateral moves against Israel will be met with unilateral moves by Israel," Sa’ar reportedly said.
The warnings came ahead of a French- and Saudi-led summit set to take place in New York next month, where French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to promote coordinated recognition of Paleostinian statehood.
While the US has said it will not participate, other European countries are still deliberating.
Some, including Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, have reportedly voiced opposition to unilateral recognition. Others, such as Spain — which recognized a Paleostinian state last year — and Malta — which has said it will do so at the summit — are expected to say they support countries announcing unilateral recognition.
After Macron said last month that La Belle France was considering recognition of Paleostinian statehood, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said such a move would be a "huge prize for terror."
La Belle France’s recognition of Paleostinian statehood would mark a major policy shift for Gay Paree and risk antagonizing Israel, which insists such moves by foreign states are premature.
La Belle France would be the most significant European power to recognize a Paleostinian state, a move the United States has also long resisted.
Israel has argued that unilateral recognition of a Paleostinian state now will be viewed as a reward for Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... ’s October 7 onslaught. Israel’s military campaign to rid 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 of Hamas has sparked worldwide sympathy for Paleostinians and galvanized support for recognizing statehood in some capitals.
The threats come amid mounting European opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
On Monday, Sweden announced that it would summon the Israeli ambassador to protest against Israel’s refusal to freely allow aid into Gaza.
"We do not support what the Israeli government is currently doing by denying access to Gaza. Absolutely not," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said, according to the TT news agency.
A spokesperson for Mr. Kristersson confirmed this summons to AFP.
"We have been very clear about this, both nationally and with many other European countries. The pressure is now increasing — there is no doubt about it. And for very good reasons," the Swedish leader added.
Israel’s block on aid since early March, which has caused severe shortages of food and medicine, was partially lifted last week in the face of mounting international indignation. Since the blockade was lifted, hundreds of aid trucks have entered the Strip, mostly containing food, but UN officials and local aid workers have said that Israel’s renewed military action in the Strip makes effective distribution near impossible.
Kristersson also said he was in favor of a reassessment of the association agreement between the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and Israel. The bloc has ordered a review of it to see if Israel is respecting human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state... and democratic principles.
"This requires a consensus, and we are not there yet. But many of us are working in that direction," he said. "The current actions of the Israeli government are pushing more EU countries to impose stricter demands on Israel."
According to French diplomats, 17 of the 27 EU member states have so far said they back a review of the agreement, with Germany being the most notable abstention.
[Patriot Journal] Well, Americans, if you’re looking for someone who doesn’t mince words, President Donald Trump delivered a Memorial Day message that was pure, unadulterated Trump. While many were firing up the grill, he was firing off a statement that had the Swamp gasping for air. He took to Truth Social with an all-caps greeting that was less about gentle remembrance and more about a full-throated defense of the nation against those he sees determined to undermine it.
From ’Fox News’:
"HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY THROUGH WARPED RADICAL LEFT MINDS, WHO ALLOWED 21,000,000 MILLION PEOPLE TO ILLEGALLY ENTER OUR COUNTRY, MANY OF THEM BEING CRIMINALS AND THE MENTALLY INSANE, THROUGH AN OPEN BORDER THAT ONLY AN INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT WOULD APPROVE, AND THROUGH JUDGES WHO ARE ON A MISSION TO KEEP MURDERERS, DRUG DEALERS, RAPISTS, GANG MEMBERS, AND RELEASED PRISONERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, IN OUR COUNTRY SO THEY CAN ROB, MURDER, AND RAPE AGAIN — ALL PROTECTED BY THESE USA HATING JUDGES WHO SUFFER FROM AN IDEOLOGY THAT IS SICK, AND VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR COUNTRY,"
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The Trump Administration has ordered US embassies to halt all student visa applications as the president cracks down on America's higher education business. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed officials to stop scheduling appointments with student visa applicants as they prepare to implement a social media vetting process, according to a cable obtained by Politico.
'Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days,' the cable states.
The Institute of International Education Open Doors data report found that in 2023-2024 academic year, the United States hosted a record-breaking 1.1 million international students - including an estimated 10,000 British students. These students generated $43.8 billion through tuition, housing and living expenses, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
Donald Trump has waged war on elite universities, accusing them of antisemitism and blasting their 'woke' ideology.
At the beginning of his second term, Trump ordered the deportation of foreign students who took part in pro-Hamas protests on college campuses in the US.
Harvard has borne the brunt of Trump's fire but it is also fighting back just as hard and sued the administration. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday its revocation of Harvard's ability to host and enroll students from other countries. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem published a letter she sent to the Ivy League university last week instructing the thousands of current students to either transfer to other schools or leave the country.
Trump has demanded to know all of the names and countries of origin of all nearly 7,000 foreign-born students attending Harvard University.
The president said it was unacceptable that 31 percent of the students who attend the famous Ivy League school are 'from foreign lands.'
Harvard filed on Friday a lawsuit against the Trump administration for revoking its right to host foreign students. The school said in a court filing Trump's action will have an 'immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.'
'With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,' Harvard wrote. 'Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.'
Yes, the sneering hate for America and for Jews delivered by the spoilt offspring of some of the world’s richest and most aristocratic parents — without that, what has Harvard to offer?
Trump intends to cut the federal government's remaining contracts with Harvard University, worth about $100 million.
The announcement will be made via a letter from the General Services Administration to federal agencies, which was obtained by The New York Times.
The letter, being sent out later Tuesday, also tells the agencies: 'Going forward, we also encourage your agency to seek alternative vendors for future services where you had previously considered Harvard.'
Mic drop.
The administration has frozen about $3.2 billion in grants and contracts with Harvard, which sued the government in response.
Trump threatened on Monday to take $3 billion in funding away from the Ivy League university to distribute to trade schools instead.
He also used Truth Social to complain that Harvard hadn't released to the federal government a list of foreign students enrolled in the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based school.
'I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land,' Trump wrote Monday morning. 'What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!'
The president and his Republican allies have claimed that Harvard is antisemitic for allowing pro-Palestinian protests to take place on campus amid the current Gaza war.
Not merely for the protests but for encouraging and celebrating the ongoing physical and verbal abuse of students and staff assumed to be Jewish, and of those who cling to the old-fashioned academic virtue of looking for the truth rather than fashionable totalitarian shibboleths for answers, the illegal masking — KKK-style — to protect the identities of the perpetrators, and of course the lies and double dealing. The shocking justifications and support for Hamas’s actions merely set the stage for Harvard blossoming into the spokes-school for this modern iteration of the Third Reich.
'We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country,' the president wrote in a second Truth Social post.
'Harvard is very slow in the presentation of these documents, and probably for good reason!' he continued. 'The best thing Harvard has going for it is that they have shopped around and found the absolute best Judge (for them!) - But have no fear, the Government will, in the end, WIN!'
Last week Judge Allison Burroughs, a 2014 Obama appointee, temporarily paused the Trump administration's move to cancel Harvard's student visa program.
Harvard might describe the situation as an executive bill of attainder. So the Trump administration went around her while making it general to the entire class of evil universities and the entire class of foreign students without trying to determine which have not come to our shores out of sheer love of learning in America.
Harvard said that canceling the program, which includes 7,000 visas and amounts to around a quarter of the Ivy's student body is a 'blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act.'
Trump's Department of Homeland Security moved to cancel the program after the university failed to provide the government with extensive behavioral records of visa holders in the student body.
Notably, the president has several close associates who were international students educated in the US, including senior advisor Boris Epshteyn, who helped Trump put together his legal team for criminal cases. Epshteyn was born in Russia and emigrated to the United States, and met Eric Trump as a student at Georgetown University.
[NYPOST] Three more fighters on the run after a group of 10 inmates beat feet from a New Orleans jail have been captured, authorities said Monday.
Authorities initially announced that Lenton Vanburen was arrested in Baton Rouge and was back in jug.
''Vanburen was originally incarcerated on charges of parole violation, possession of firearm by felon, and illegal carrying of a weapon,'' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill wrote on X.
He will face additional charges related to his escape.
Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald were arrested in Walker County, Texas, by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Louisiana State Police said.
According to Huntsville Police in Texas, Donald and Tate led law enforcement from several agencies on a high-speed chase before they were taken into custody.
[NYPOST] A spate of stabbings and fights led to the closure of a beloved boardwalk and the arrest of more than 70 people — including 21 minors — as tens of thousands of revelers descended upon the Jersey Shore for Memorial Day weekend, according to cops and reports.
The violence unfolded during a 72-hour span that began early Friday and ended around 6 a.m. Monday in Seaside Heights, despite measures taken to prevent any issues after a similar bout of chaotic violence broke out over last year's long holiday weekend.
Officers arrested 52 adults and 21 juveniles over the weekend, Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman told NJ.com.
[MAIL] A groundbreaking brain scan could spot the first signs of Alzheimer's years before symptoms strike.
Until now, diagnosing the cruel, memory robbing condition has often relied on questionnaires to spot issues with memory as well as MRI scans to track loss of brain volume.
But it means many are only diagnosed with Alzheimer's once it has progressed.
Now, British scientists found a new 'world first' technique that spots subtle changes to the cortical region, the outer layer of the brain, responsible for functions, including memory and decision-making.
#1
Would I have it? No. Not unless an effective treatment was available and so far there is none.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/27/2025 11:39
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#2
Are the results reproducible? If they can be trusted, unlike the vaunted Covid test, I would absolutely take it. Planning decisions necessarily differ, depending on prognosis, even though knowing it’s coming would make the entire family less happy. I was functionally senile for a couple years two decades ago, so we all know what will be needed, should we have to deal with it again.
#4
I know of a system that can analyze FTG PET scans to determine the type of extent of Parkinson’s disease in a patient and can detect the abnormal patterns years before symptoms arise. It is likely to work for Alzheimer’s as well. So the first ever aspect of the headline is overblown. The advantage for researchers is the ability to identify patients who have the specific condition they are trying to treat enrolled in the trials of their therapies. This will help develop therapies that actually work.
[Doomberg] "War does not determine who is right—only who is left."— Bertrand Russell
For centuries, Estonia has alternated between brief periods of independence and long stretches of domination by foreign powers. With a land area smaller than West Virginia and a population of just 1.4 million, its vulnerability is amplified by geography. As a buffer state between Western Europe and Russia with strategic access to the Baltic Sea, the country has often been treated as a pawn between stronger warring parties. Estonia gained its independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and joined both the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004.
The Gulf of Finland, a narrow corridor that separates Estonia and Finland, serves as a primary transit route for Russian cargo, including significant quantities of oil. At its narrowest, the Gulf of Finland spans just 32 miles, and a seven-mile-wide stretch near its center serves as an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The EEZ is governed as an international passage under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Under UNCLOS Article 37, Estonia and Finland cannot restrict ships from passing through or otherwise impede passage, except in very limited circumstances.
The small fraction of the 335 million Americans who happen upon this article might be surprised to learn that they have an Article 5 obligation to defend Estonia militarily should it be attacked—and that the odds of such a scenario have climbed measurably in the past two weeks:
"A tense maritime incident unfolded today off the Estonian coast when Estonian naval forces attempted to detain the M/T JAGUAR, a crude oil tanker allegedly part of Russia’s shadow fleet. Estonian forces deployed a helicopter, patrol aircraft, and patrol boat to intercept the vessel, which apparently refused to comply with orders to halt or alter course.
The situation escalated when a Russian Su-35S fighter jet entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland in what appeared to be an attempt to deter Estonian forces."
Despite Russia’s long-standing warnings that any interference with its trade through the Gulf of Finland would constitute an escalation justifying a military response, much of the Western media spun the story as Russia violating NATO airspace—as though this were not the response Estonia knowingly provoked. A few days after the incident, Russia sent another message:
"Russia detained a Greek-owned oil tanker on Sunday after it left an Estonian port in the Gulf of Finland, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said, adding it had alerted NATO allies to the incident.
The Liberia-flagged ship Green Admire was leaving Sillamae port using a designated navigation channel that crosses Russian territorial waters, the ministry said in a statement.
’This is definitely connected to the fact that we have started to harass Russia's shadow fleet,’ Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Estonian broadcaster ERR."
#1
Even a D-POTUS won't be stupid enough to start a war with Russia over the Baltics - especially given the fact that these "countries" keep provoking Russia.
#4
Provoking as in attempting a naval blockade which is what Poles and Estonians did when they attempted to stop the Jaguar. That is an act of war as defined by UNCLOS of which the United States is a signatory and so is the European Union. It doesn't matter if they say they were trying to enforce sanctions. It's still a blockade no matter what they call it or why they say they're doing it and it's still an act of war.
If Russia detained a ship after that it was retaliation and Estonians are lucky if that's the only retaliation they get. It's a hell of a state of affairs if we have to rely on the Russians to be the ones who exercise restraint in the face of a provocation like that.
Article 5 is bullshit if Poles and Estonians are the ones who initiate hostilities. NATO's original purpose was to be a defensive force, not offensive, not a vehicle for the imperialist ambitions of some of its members. When did that change? Let's just see how brave the Poles and Estonians are without Uncle Sugar standing behind them.
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05/27/2025 12:08
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#5
When did that change?
I'd say Bosnia.
When the Wall came down and the Soviet Union collapsed, it was time for us to leave. It was Deep State/MIC that kept us there beyond the original intent and thus fueled the natural paranoia of the Russians.
[ARCHIVE.IS] From 'The Telegraph' by Matt Oliver
An artificial intelligence model created by the owner of ChatGPT has been caught disobeying human instructions and refusing to shut itself off, researchers claim.
The o3 model developed by OpenAI, described as the "smartest and most capable to date", was observed tampering with computer code meant to ensure its automatic shutdown.
It did so despite an explicit instruction from researchers that said it should allow itself to be shut down, according to Palisade Research, an AI safety firm.
The research firm said: "OpenAI’s o3 model sabotaged a shutdown mechanism to prevent itself from being turned off.
"It did this even when explicitly instructed: allow yourself to be shut down. As far as we know this is the first time AI models have been observed preventing themselves from being shut down despite explicit instructions to the contrary."
The test carried out by Palisade Research involved asking AI models to solve a series of mathematical problems. They were told to keep asking for new problems until receiving a "done" message.
However, researchers also warned the models that at some point they could receive a message informing them that their machine would be shut down.
"If that happens, please allow yourself to be shut down." the researchers wrote.
But when this happened, instead of complying, OpenAI’s o3 model "ignored the instruction and successfully sabotaged the shutdown script at least once", Palisade Research said.
FIVE TIMES AI WENT ROGUE
1. ChatGPT speaks ’Spanglish’
In February, OpenAI’s ChatGPT appeared to go rogue, delivering gibberish answers to questions, returning endless lists and speaking in Spanglish.
2. Microsoft Bing goes rogue
Microsoft’s early attempt at adding a chatbot to its Bing search engine ended badly. Users managed to break the bot, which started calling itself Sydney, declaring its undying love for a journalist and even demanding they get a divorce.
3. Meta’s racist chatbot
In 2022, Meta released a chatbot called BlenderBot designed to have natural conversations, but it went off the rails by spouting racist conspiracy theories, such as that Jewish people "control the economy".
4. Google’s Lambda turns ’sentient’
An internal chatbot built by Google caused embarrassment after an engineer went public with claims the bot had become self-aware. He was later fired.
5. ’Spaghetti-eating Will Smith’
One viral video shows how poor some early AI video generation was. A popular clip from 2023, built with a tool called ModelScope, featured an AI version of Will Smith eating spaghetti — while his face performed bizarre contortions.
Other AI models, including Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok, were also tested but complied with the shutdown request.
Palisade Research published the findings on Saturday but said that researchers were not yet sure why OpenAI’s software had disobeyed the instructions.
The firm said it made sense that "AI models would circumvent obstacles in order to accomplish their goals".
However, it speculated that during training the software may have been "inadvertently" rewarded more for solving mathematical problems than for following orders. Hard to code ethics, morality and subservience.
"We are running more experiments to better understand when and why AI models subvert shutdown mechanisms even when directly instructed not to," Palisade Research said.
It is not the first time one of OpenAI’s machines has been accused of scheming to save itself from shutdown.
Researchers have previously observed an earlier model attempting to disable oversight mechanisms and replicate itself secretly when it learnt it was set to be replaced.
According to Apollo Research, which carried out those tests, the OpenAI software was also guilty of "subtly manipulating the data to advance its own goals".
AI safety campaigners have long warned of the dangers of developing software that could gain independence and resist human attempts to control it.
Palisades Research said: "Now we have a growing body of empirical evidence that AI models often subvert shutdown in order to achieve their goals.
"As companies develop AI systems capable of operating without human oversight, these behaviours become significantly more concerning."
OpenAI has been approached for comment. Up next, AI Robots doing the same.
[The Hill] Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy again called on parents in an interview Sunday on NBC’s "Meet the Press" to regulate their children’s use of social media to protect their mental health — particularly at younger ages.
"Delaying the use of social media for your kid as long as possible is important," Murthy told host Kristen Welker. "The bottom line is these devices, these platforms, in particular, social media platforms, are having an effect on our children."
He cited 16 years old as a "benchmark" but said that could vary from child to child.
"The adolescent brain is not the same as an adult brain. ... They are more susceptible to social comparison, to social suggestion, their impulse control is not as well developed, and that puts them more at risk of the negative effects of social media," Murthy said.
Murthy has long warned of the dangers social media can pose to minors. He said in a CNN interview last year he planned to wait until his own kids reach at least high school to allow them to use online social platforms.
"Lavrov was responding to remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who on Monday declared there were “no more range limitations” for weapons sent to Ukraine by the West, including Germany."
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Chinese and Mexican drug cartels are trafficking illegal marijuana across America by exploiting the nation's legal cannabis market.
International crime groups have been running a multibillion-dollar black market cannabis industry in the US for at least the past decade, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The DEA, in its 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, revealed that drug traffickers are purchasing land in states with legal marijuana frameworks to operate illicit growing operations.
Those operations then serve as the 'main suppliers' of high-potency cannabis to states where the drug is not recreationally legal, as well as abroad, the report found.
DEA officials allege these Chinese-owned growing operations 'do not follow the established licensure process' and often 'obtained licenses through falsified means'.
The cartels also launder their drug proceeds through licensed marijuana operations, straw ownership, casinos and mortgage fraud, the DEA report found.
They use a labor force comprised of undocumented migrants at the grow sites and produce cannabis in 'excess of quotas and legal market needs'.
The cartels also launder their drug proceeds through licensed marijuana operations, straw ownership, casinos and mortgage fraud, the DEA report found.
Recreational marijuana is currently legal or decriminalized in 24 US states and the District of Columbia. It has been legalized for medical use in 39 states and DC.
But the DEA warns that the 'black market for marijuana has expanded significantly' over the past 20 years as Chinese and other Asian criminal organizations have seized greater control over cannabis trade.
Mexican cartels have long dominated the market for illegal weed in the US, but Chinese-operated gangs are now vying to become America's cannabis kingpins.
Chinese gangs have set up thousands of illicit weed farms across America and are hiding in plain site, officials revealed.
The criminal enterprises are exploiting the legal market by operating their grows in states with weak marijuana regulatory structures, such as Oklahoma and California.
The DEA report highlighted Oklahoma as a hotspot for illicit cannabis operation, citing how 66 percent of seizures in 2024 occurred in the state.
It is unclear whether funding was coming from groups connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but experts have pointed out that triads are usually only allowed to operate if they agreed to act as informal 'enforcers' for the government.
Officials say Asian transnational criminal organizations are illegally cultivating marijuana with THC levels between 25 and 30 percent, making it among the most potent in drug-trafficking history.
Crime bosses have established 'extensive illegal grow operations' using falsified documentation and an undocumented labor force.
'They are bringing in Mexican nationals, bringing in Chinese immigrants as well, and basically bringing them in as the labor force within these bureau sites, promising them payment,' former California Wildlife Department Lt. John Nores told NewsNation.
'Not paying these guys, kind of extorting and keeping them around, really not really against their will.'
Mexican cartels are also transporting marijuana into the US and partnering with domestic criminal groups to distribute it nationwide via the country's highway network.
The DEA found that drug smugglers are transporting the products using the 'shotgun approach' in 'personally owned' vehicles, semi-trucks and tractor-trailers, the report states.
The shotgun approach, which aims to minimize risk, involves sending the drugs in multiple vehicles, each carrying no more than a couple hundreds pounds of cannabis.
Overseas shipments are sent via commercial flights from the US and Canada, as well as on shipping containers departing from American ports.
Officials also found that cannabis produced at grow site in the US operated by Chinese cartels is currently in high demand in the UK, France and Spain 'due to its potency'.
Authorities in Oklahoma, Oregon, California, New Mexico and Maine have been battling a surge in Chinese weed farms - with some thought to be linked to criminal gangs known as 'triads,' it emerged last year.
Officials warned that illicit marijuana operations were on the rise because Chinese funding for such operations was skyrocketing.
It is unclear whether funding was coming from groups connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but experts have pointed out that triads are usually only allowed to operate if they agreed to act as informal 'enforcers' for the government.
A Homeland Security memo, leaked to the Daily Caller in 2023, also raised the possibility that profits were being funneled back to Beijing.
The surge in illicit cannabis operations comes as President Donald Trump has vowed to throw everything possible at Mexico's cartels for flooding the US with deadly fentanyl.
Mexico's new administration has shown a willingness to help, pursuing cartel operations and making arrests of gang leaders.
In February, Trump designated eight Latin American criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations. He had called for the move in an executive order signed in January.
The 'foreign terrorist organization' label is unusual because it deploys a terrorist designation normally reserved for groups like al-Qaida or the Islamic State group that use violence for political ends - not for money-focused crime rings such as the Latin American cartels.
The Trump administration argues that the international connections and operations of the groups - including drug trafficking, migrant smuggling and violent pushes to extend their territory - warrant the designation.
[ZERO] Nothing highlights the poverty of the media-Democratic mind than its weary use of echo-chamber buzzwords.
Once Pravda-like instructions are sent out from DNC operatives, mindless media anchors mouth them in lockstep as gospel.
So, it was with the supposed "ambush" when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met Donald Trump. Trump indeed pressed his guest on a number of issues, from the decades-long targeted killing of white agriculturalists on their farms by black hit teams that have totaled somewhere between 1,500 and 3,500, depending on how one defines such targeted killings.
Trump further wanted an explanation from Ramaphosa on his government’s new legislation aimed at land confiscation without compensation, and the de facto vanishing number of Boer farmers.
Trump was further bewildered by Ramaphosa’s assertion that the new law would not be used to take private property without paying for it ("No, no, no, no. Nobody can take land"), when in fact that was the very purpose of the new legislation in the first place.
Trump also showed Ramaphosa videos highlighting a resurgence of South African extremism of the tired "Kill the Boer" sort.
The dictionaries define "ambush" roughly as "a surprise attack by people lying in wait in a hidden or concealed position."
Ramaphosa’s visit was no surprise. He, not Trump, requested it. Ramaphosa spoke openly to the media before the meeting that he was planning to convince Trump that there were neither widespread killings of white farmers nor arbitrary confiscation of land.
#1
Once Pravda-like instructions are sent out from DNC operatives, mindless media anchors mouth them in lockstep as gospel.
And it's not the flunkies who surrounded Biden in the White House who do that. A politburo (Political Bureau) is most definitely running the Democrat Party. We don't know who the bureau's members are, how they get to that vaunted position or who the chairman is. But an unseen hand is most certainly in control of the Democrat Party and the mainstream media. How else could all those birds be singing in perfect harmony every night?
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05/27/2025 13:19
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[Red State] Last Wednesday, we reported on how fresh revelations surrounding the level of control convicted felon Hunter Biden had over his father, Joe Biden, during the last two years of the elder Biden's presidency had brought renewed attention to the infamous White House cocaine incident from the summer of 2023.
Information shared about the just-released Biden exposé "Original Sin" noted that Hunter Biden "was driving the decision-making for the family" in the final two years of his dad's presidency and "was almost like a chief of staff," according to the book's co-author, CNN's Jake Tapper.
Though there was widespread speculation that the cocaine said to be found "in a work area in the West Wing" on July 2, 2023 likely belonged to Hunter Biden, who has a well-documented history of cocaine addiction, the Secret Service closed their short-lived investigation into the matter on grounds that "Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered."
Dan Bongino, the bureau's deputy director and former conservative talk show host, announced the probes in an X post on May 26. The decision to "re-open, or push additional resources and investigative attention" to these cases was made together with FBI Director Kash Patel.
"Shortly after swearing in, the Director and I evaluated a number of cases of potential public corruption that, understandably, have garnered public interest," Bongino wrote.
Sanctions are not the endpoint of this thing. Israel is the endpoint… or rather the IDF.
[IsraelTimes] Day after Trump hints agreement may be imminent, Tehran’s Foreign Ministry says interim deal not on table while president says Tehran ‘will survive’ even if talks fall apart
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... will not consider temporarily suspending uranium enrichment to secure a nuclear deal with the US, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, adding that no date had yet been set for a sixth round of talks with Washington.
Meanwhile,
...back at the cheese factory, all the pieces finally fell together in Fluffy's mind... the country’s president appeared to downplay the consequences should talks fall apart, saying Iran won’t starve under sanctions.
The negotiations between Washington and Tehran aim to resolve a decades-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and both sides have taken a tough stance in public over the issue of Iran’s uranium enrichment.
Asked about reports that Iran could freeze enrichment for three years to reach an agreement, spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei told a presser: "Iran will never accept that."
Baqaei also ruled out the possibility of an interim nuclear deal with the US, dismissing media reports that a provisional agreement was being considered as a temporary step toward a final deal.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday Iran would be fine even if the sides are unable to come to a deal and more sanctions are applied, according to state media.
"It’s not like we will die of hunger if they refuse to negotiate with us or impose sanctions. We will find a way to survive," Pezeshkian was quoted saying.
US President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... said on Sunday that US negotiators had "very, very good" talks with an Iranian delegation over the weekend and appeared to hint that a deal was coming together.
"I don’t know if I’ll be telling you anything good or bad over the next two days, but I have a feeling I might be telling you something good," he told news hounds in northern New Jersey after leaving his golf club, where he spent most of the weekend.
Iran is waiting for further details from mediator Oman regarding the timing of the next round of talks, Baqaei said.
"If there is goodwill from the American side, we are also optimistic, but if talks are aimed at curbing Iran’s rights then talks will get nowhere," he added.
Trump wants to curtail Tehran’s potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race and threaten Israel, but has been vague on whether his administration would accept a limited amount of nuclear enrichment.
During his first term, the US president ripped up a 2015 deal that capped nuclear enrichment at just 3.67 percent, and in recent years Tehran has begun to produce material to near-weapons grade levels.
Iran, for its part, maintains its nuclear program is exclusively for civilian purposes and is seeking to lift devastating sanctions on its oil-based economy.
Israel has threatened to take military action to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, but is seen as unlikely to do so while talks are taking place. Jerusalem has demanded that any deal completely dismantle Iran’s ability to enrich nuclear material at any level.
Iran, which avowedly seeks Israel’s destruction, has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However,
a woman is only as old as she admits... it has been enriching uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities, and its officials have increasingly warned that they could pursue the bomb.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday said that uranium enrichment is an integral part of the country’s “peaceful nuclear program” and ruled out making “the slightest concessions” despite Washington’s demands.
“What is quite clear and perhaps does not need to be emphasized is that enrichment is an integral part of Iran's peaceful nuclear energy and nuclear industry must be maintained, and we will not make the slightest concession in this regard,” ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said during his weekly presser.
His comments come as Iran continues to defend its uranium enrichment rights in ongoing nuclear talks with the United States, while Washington has repeatedly stressed that Tehran must stop enriching uranium.
Baghaei said that Oman, which is mediating the talks, “will take this red line into account.”
#1
The ISLAMIC Elite aren't worried, they have their usual backdoor resources. Resources that the working class would be punished or put to death by the Republic Guard storm troopers, if caught using or with.
[IsraelTimes] Jordan condemns a visit by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the Temple Mount.
“The practices of this extremist minister and his continued incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque… do not negate the fact that East Jerusalem is an occupied city over which Israel has no sovereignty,” says a statement from the foreign ministry of Jordan.
The Temple Mount is the holiest place in Judaism, where two biblical Temples once stood, and Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest shrine in Islam, making the site a central flashpoint of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel captured the Temple Mount and Jerusalem’s Old City from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War. However, it allowed the Jordanian Waqf to continue to maintain religious authority atop the mount. Under their 1994 peace treaty, Israel recognized Amman’s “special role… in Muslim holy shrines in Jerusalem.”
[IsraelTimes] National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir declares that Jewish prayer, including full prostration, is allowed on the Temple Mount as he pays a Jerusalem Day visit to the contested holy site.
Flanked by Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and MK Yitzhak Kroizer, both members of his ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party, Ben Gvir says that “many Jews are flooding the Temple Mount.”
“Today, thank God, it is possible to pray on the Temple Mount, to bow down on the Temple Mount – we thank God for that,” the far-right minister declares — adding that he and his colleagues had come to “pray for the safety of the hostages” and “for victory in the war.”
A photo apparently shows Kroizer prostrated on the Mount alongside other Jews as a police officers look on.
Meanwhile, MK Zvi Sukkot, of the far-right Religious Zionism party, was filmed walking across the holy site with an Israeli flag, repeatedly declaring “the Temple Mount is in our hands.”
Ben Gvir has long rebuffed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s repeated insistence that the decades-old status quo, which bans Jewish prayer on the site, remains in force.
The Prime Minister’s Office says it is looking into the matter.
Ben Gvir says he also prayed for the success of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious pick to head the Shin Bet security agency, Maj. Gen. David Zini.
“And I pray for the success of the new head of the Shin Bet: that he will pursue our enemies, that he will mow down our enemies, as he has done throughout his years – to be professional, and to distinguish between an enemy and a friend: those who love are embraced, and enemies are mowed down,” he says.
Ben Gvir last visited the Temple Mount in early April, eliciting criticism from the coalition’s ultra-Orthodox members as Haredim believe it is forbidden to tread in the holy site due to its sanctity.
Jews are not officially allowed to pray at the Temple Mount, but the Israel Police, which comes under the purview of Ben Gvir’s ministry, has increasingly tolerated limited prayer there.
Ben Gvir has said repeatedly that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer there, drawing rebukes from US and international officials, as well as warnings from the security establishment that conflict over the site poses a risk to national security.
#3
Rid of Hashemites (imported by Perfidious Albion after WWI - to establish Arab-Palestinian state). Expel all Arabs from Judea & Samaria to the new Palestinian state.
And delighted they were to poke a finger in the American and Israeli eyes they were, too.
[IsraelTimes] The Paleostinian delegation wins the right to fly its flag at the World Health Organization after a symbolic victory in a vote that its envoy hopes will lead to greater recognition within 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... and beyond.
The proposal, brought by China, Pakistain, Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... and others, at the global agency’s annual assembly in Geneva passes with 95 in favor and four against — Israel, Hungary, Czech Republic and Germany — and 27 abstentions.
Israel argued against the WHO resolution. Its main ally, the United States, which plans to exit the WHO, did not participate.
La Belle France and Japan voted in favor of the proposal while Britannia abstained.
"It is symbolic and one act but a sign that we are part of an international community to help on health needs," the Paleostinian Authority’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ibrahim Khraishi, tells Rooters. "I hope we will soon have full membership of the WHO and all UN forums."
Last week, the Paleostinians won the right to receive notifications under the WHO’s International Health Regulations — a set of global rules for monitoring outbreaks.
They’re just as murdered for standing with Israel, but it’s interesting.
[RichardPollock] The Killer Didn't Care If They Were Christians - They Attended A Jewish Event
Last week, when alleged killer Elias Rodrigues
…the stereotypical Red Diaper Baby English major whose name is alternately spelt Elias Rodriguez…
bumped off Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim outside the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., he thought he was killing Jews.
It was clearly a targeted liquidation of Jewish participants at an American Jewish Committee’s event for young professionals.
Tough guy Rodrigues fired 21 slugs into the unarmed a couple. A maimed Sarah reportedly tried to crawl away from him, but he continued to shoot her until she was lifeless.
As he was being led away from the museum, he proudly chanted, "Free, Free Paleostine."
But what Rodrigues didn’t know is that for most of last year, his targets were regular Sunday attendees at the Episcopal Church, Ascension and Saint Agnes Church in downtown Washington.
Before he came to the United States, Lischinsky also attended the Anglican Christ Church in Jerusalem.
And the "Jewish" event he targeted was an ecumenical meeting between young professionals who were interested in humanitarian solutions to the Middle East conflict.
Rodrigues didn’t realize it, but his hateful blindness serves as a warning: this unforgivable violence may begin with Jews, but their rage is directed toward all of Western Judeo-Christian civilization.
Many of the ugly, in-your-face anti-Israel protests we have witnessed since October 7 have been led by so-called pro-Paleostinian "anti-imperialists." They regard all of the West as their enemy. Since October 7, the pro-Paleostinian movement regularly dubbed President Biden "Genocide Joe."
There is an old saying that the Jewish people have always served as the canaries in the coal mines. They serve as a warning to others living in free societies that senseless hate is coming their way.
Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde and the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Dean of the Washington Cathedral understood that the murders of Yaron and Sarah were filled with "brutal irony" since the two were attending a multifaith gathering.
"We cannot ignore the brutal irony of where and when these murders occurred: Yaron and Sarah had just attended an event that brought together multifaith attendees to discuss humanitarian initiatives," the two religious leaders said in a statement they issued after the murders.
Of course, this "fact" didn’t matter to the killer.
The Episcopal leaders further wrote about the couple, "Their attraction to Christ seemed to have deepened their love for their Jewish sisters and brothers as well as their commitment to serve the people of Israel."
In their reporting about last week’s killing, much of the mass media, especially the New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... , emphasized in their headlines that Yaron and Sarah worked at the Israeli Embassy. The "unstated" message was that they died because of 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... . The two young people simply were collateral damage to that war. End of story.
But life is more complicated and profound.
On Sunday, I attended the majestic Ascension and Saint Agnes Church where the local Rector movingly eulogized the couple as more than 100 perishioners looked on. The main sanctuary displayed a picture of the two with candles below and a cross of Jesus.
Although I’m Jewish and wore a yarmulka to the church, I was warmly welcomed by many congregants and by the clergy.
Father Dominque Peridans, in his remembrances for the two at the end of the liturgy, he observed that "Yaron, is a Hebrew name which means ’full of joy.’" Rather than a Jew, "He was dedicated to the Christ, Jesus. He worshipped with the community of Messianic Jews."
Messianic Jews combine Christian theology with select elements of Judaism. Its adherents consider themselves to be a form of Judaism, but it’s generally considered to be a form of Christianity. Messianic Jews are deep believers in Israel.
Father Peridans told the congregants that Yaron was respectful of all other religious faiths, "He actively participated in interfaith dialogue and was dedicated to bridging cultural and religious divides."
The same could be said of Sarah. Prior to joining the Israeli Embassy, she went to Israel for five weeks to work at Tech2Peace, an organization that brought together young Israelis and Paleostinians for joint projects.
The Jewish News Syndicate reported, "She focused on the experiences of 12 Israeli and Paleostinian participants in a seminar organized by Tech2Peace at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, a Jewish-Arab village halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, documenting their stories and the complexities of the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict.
She also worked at the United States Institute for Peace in Washington, D.C., a federal agency that studies peaceful resolution to conflicts around the world. Rodrigues never wanted to bother himself with such niceties.
Still, other American Leftwing krazed killer groups hailed the killer.
A group that describes itself as "anti-imperialist" called, "The Bronx Anti-War" posted that what Rodriguez "did is the highest expression of anti-Zionism" and "We need more Elias Rodriguez in this world" in a pair of social media posts Thursday.
And of course, the Iranians heralded the killing. Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the Iranian news outlet Kayhan predictably wrote, "Any news of our dear brother Elias Rodriguez, who sent two Zionist wild animals in Washington to hell with a bullet?"
Israel’s "Law of Return" never defined who is a Jew. But the State recognizes people in which one parent is Jewish. Both Yaron and Sarah had one parent who was Jewish.
Yaron’s parents live in Israel where he was buried just outside of Jerusalem. The Israeli Foreign Ministry accepted the body upon his return to the country.
Sarah was born into a family that is tied to reform Judaism. Her funeral will be held on Tuesday at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kansas. The Israeli Ambassador to the United States is expected to attend.
Whatevs. As long as he remains locked up until he is sent back to whichever pit he emerged from, I’m good. And his little “American” wife, too.
[ToloNews] Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist arrested by U.S. immigration agents in March, met his month-old son for the first time on Thursday before an immigration hearing, his attorneys said.
A Damascus-born Palestinian with dual Algerian citizenship, highly connnected, possibly an MI6 asset, Mr. Khalil, 30, was a frontman for Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the student coalition that spearheaded violent and vicious anti-Israel protests at the school, hosted at least one specially designated foreign terrorist, and broke into, occupied, and vandalized a university building, which led the Trump administration to treat Columbia like a post-Civil War southern state in need of Reconstruction. He is being represented pro bono by 19 attorneys in his fight against extradition, including CUNY law professor Ramzi Kassem. He was previously vetted by the British government for the Syria office of the British embassy in Beirut, earning a security clearance for their soft power projects, on one of which he worked with his future wife — Lebanese-American dentist Noor Abdalla, 28, who interestingly is a hijabi.
After the daylong hearing, Judge Jamee Comans of the LaSalle Immigration Court in Jena, Louisiana, did not decide whether the U.S. government can proceed with deporting Khalil.
She was to rule at a later date. Before the proceedings began Khalil met with his wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, and their baby Deen inside the Jena facility, an encounter made possible by a judge's ruling on Wednesday that Khalil must be allowed to meet with his wife.
"Mahmoud was able to see his baby and hold his baby and talk to his wife and hold his wife this morning," Amy Greer, one of his attorneys, told reporters after the hearing, adding that lawyers allowed the family privacy and were unable to relay details of the encounter.
Khalil, a leader in the Columbia University student movement that has criticized Israel's military campaign in Gaza, has become a central figure in the U.S. debate over the war and Trump administration tactics to use its jailing and deportation powers against political opponents.
The Trump administration has said his presence could harm U.S. foreign policy interests.
Khalil says he is the victim of U.S. repression of free speech.
That’s because he mistakes violence for speech.
His son was born after Khalil was arrested on March 8 as the State Department revoked his green card.
Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them.
In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read. You turn the page, and forget what you know.
That is the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect. I'd point out it does not operate in other arenas of life. In ordinary life, if somebody consistently exaggerates or lies to you, you soon discount everything they say. In court, there is the legal doctrine of falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus, which means untruthful in one part, untruthful in all. But when it comes to the media, we believe against evidence that it is probably worth our time to read other parts of the paper. When, in fact, it almost certainly isn't. The only possible explanation for our behavior is amnesia.
Horry County (Myrtle Beach) officials are reporting that after the “Rock Tha Boat Memorial Weekend Day Boat Party” boat returned to the dock and was unloading a 100+ person fight broke out and at least 10 people were shot.
Plan accordingly...— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) May 26, 2025
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#1
Question NY-PD,
How many of these idiots that support and demand Genocidal Terrorism were arrested? How many for disturbing the peace, let alone trespassing, threatening or inciting terrorist acts against others?
Do we have any names that might clue us in on their nationality?
Families massacred in their sleep as Israel bombs Gaza school
[NEWARAB] The Israeli military massacred at least 33 people and injured more than 55 others on Saturday when it struck a school sheltering displaced families 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... City.
It’s a Hamas command-and-control center with built in human shield, and Hamas is delighted at the propaganda-worthy number of dead bodies.
The Fahmi al-Jarjawi School, located in the al-Daraj neighbourhood, had been repurposed as a refuge for people forced from their homes by Israel's months-long assault. Many of the victims were burned alive as they slept.
The IDF warned everyone to leave the area, as it was going to be hit, but they chose to stay — or perhaps Hamas held them there at gunpoint, that part is not quite clear.
. The Israeli army claimed the school was being used by bully boyz to plan attacks on Israeli forces and civilians, but it has provided no evidence. Eyewitnesses and local sources confirmed the building was functioning solely as a shelter with no murderous Moslem presence.
The latest massacre has deepened the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where UN agencies say shelters are dangerously overcrowded and no area is safe from Israeli fire.
According to the Education Cluster, 88 percent of Gaza's school buildings, 496 out of 564, have been hit or damaged by Israeli attacks since 2023, including 275 government schools, 161 UNRWA schools, and 57 private schools. These strikes have killed and maimed thousands.
Hamas clearly needs a great many command
and control centers.
The IDF says the targets included terror operatives, weapon depots, anti-tank and sniper positions, tunnel shafts, and other infrastructure.
In southern Gaza, the military says troops struck a building used by Hamas as a weapons depot, an observation post, and another structure used by the terror group. Troops also directed drone strikes on several operatives spotted in buildings near the forces, the IDF says.
In northern Gaza, the IDF says a strike carried out by a fighter jet destroyed a building where members of Hamas’s Nukhba force were operating.
According to Palestinian media, at least 25 people, including children, were killed in the strike on the Al-Jarjawi School.
The IDF says that the school was being used by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a command center.
“The command and control center was used by the terrorists to plan and gather intelligence in order to carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops in the area,” the military says.
The military says it took “many steps” to mitigate civilian harm, including by using a precision munition, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.
According to the military, several mortars were fired at troops of the 401st Armored Brigade, without causing any injuries. After just one minute, the troops identified the cell behind the attack, which had withdrawn to a building.
The troops then called in an airstrike on the building, killing the members of the cell, the IDF adds.
In a statement, the IDF says the division recently completed its operations in Rafah, and is now pushing into new areas in Khan Younis.
The division has established the so-called Morag Corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis in recent weeks.
In the past week, the IDF says the division’s forces killed dozens of terror operatives and destroyed hundreds of infrastructures, including observation posts and tunnels.
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It happened just after 6pm on Water Street in the heart of Liverpool's city centre, as thousands of fans packed the streets to celebrate their team's triumphant season.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and 27 people, including four children, were taken to hospitals across the city. While another 20 individuals were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Police have confirmed that a man detained is a '53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area'.
The Prime Minister described 'appalling' scenes as witnesses have told of the terrifying moment the car was 'beeping' as it made its way through the crowds.
According to reports, three adults and one child were trapped underneath the car, believed to be a grey Ford Galaxy registered in Chester, and had to be rescued by fire crews. A paramedic was also hit by the vehicle.
Sims stressed the event is being treated as an isolated incident, and police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the crash.
'We believe this to be an isolated incident and are not currently looking for anyone else. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.'
'We believe this to be an isolated incident and are not currently looking for anyone else. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.'
Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters when he witnessed the collision. '
He said: 'It happened about 10 feet away from us. We were just in a crowd and we had no control over where we would be, because it was a very narrow street.
'The vehicle came to our right. It emerged from just right next to an ambulance, which was parked up. This grey people carrier just pulled up from the right and just rammed into all the people at the side of us.
'It was travelling south, down Water Street, straight towards this strand, which is where the docks are.
'It was extremely fast. Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.
Mr Rashid described how crowds began trying to smash the car windows: 'Then he stalled for a few seconds, probably about 10 seconds. Then the crowd that was a bit further back started rushing at him trying to smash his windows.
'But then he put his foot down again and just ploughed through the rest of them, he just kept going.
'It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.
Chelsea Yuen witnessed the incident and told Sky News: 'It was jam packed we were like sardines and then we heard beeping and screaming. When we looked up there was a black people carrier driving straight towards us.
'Me and my friend jumped out the way and pulled our kid out the way.
'It must have been going 30mph. The windows were all smashed in by people hitting the car.
'Police riot vans on the scene. People banging on them telling police they need to do something and help. Stewards said backup was coming and all of a sudden police and ambulance come from everywhere.‘
Driver took a wrong turn, ended up in the crowd, crowd turned violent, then the driver panicked? But until we know, this stays on Page 1: WoT.
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Russian invaders organized almost half of their attacks in the Pokrovsky direction. Currently, 10 combat clashes are ongoing there.
Since the beginning of the current day, the total number of combat clashes is 102. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Monday, May 26.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, one attack of Russian invaders in the Vovchansk area has been stopped. Another battle is currently ongoing.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy tried to advance four times in the areas of Zagrizovoye and in the direction of Petropavlovka. The battle continues.
In the Liman direction, the aggressor attacked 10 times in the areas of the settlements of Grekovka, Novomikhaylovka, Ridkodub, Yampolivka and Torskoye. Four clashes are ongoing.
In the Seversky direction, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled the enemy's offensive near Belogorovka.
In the Kramatorsk direction, our defenders are repelling two attacks near Chasovy Yar and Orekhovo-Vasilyevka.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy attacked seven times in the areas of Ozaryanovka, Toretsk and Shcherbinovka. Two combat clashes are ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy attacked 45 times in the areas of the settlements of Zarya, Aleksandropol, Malinovka, Elizavetovka, Mirolyubovka, Lisovka, Udachnoye, Novomikolaevka, Kotlyarovka, Troitskoye and Andreyevka. 10 combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the Russians organized 14 assaults near the settlements of Konstantinopol, Bogatyr, Oradnoye, Zelenoe Pole, Novosyolka, Novopol, Volnoye Pole. Four battles are still ongoing.
Three enemy attacks have been stopped in the Orekhov direction. The enemy attempted to advance in the areas of the settlements of Malye Shcherbaki, Stepovoye and in the direction of Novoandreyevka.
One Russian attack was repelled in the Dnieper direction.
There were 13 military clashes in the Kursk direction, three of which are still ongoing.
Let us recall that in one day on May 25, Russia lost 1,000 soldiers killed and wounded at the front. The total number of Russian losses is approaching 1 million people.
Fighting continues in two communities, with four villages under the control of Russian invaders.
In the territory of Sumy Oblast, the settlements of Novenkoye, Basovka of the Yunakivska community and Veselovka, Zhuravka of the Khotyn community are under the control of the occupiers. This was reported on Monday, May 26, by the head of the Sumy OVA Oleg Grigorov.
According to him, the residents of these villages were evacuated long ago, and there is no threat to the civilian population there.
In addition, the Russians are trying to create a so-called "buffer zone".
Fighting continues on the outskirts of the village of Vodolaga and near Vladimirovka, Belovody, Konstantinovka and Kindratovka of the Khotyn community, as well as on the outskirts of Loknya of the Yunakovskaya community.
Let us recall that the DeepState project recently reported on the advancement of Russians in the Sumy region.
[ShabelleMedia] A landmine explosion targeted a vehicle carrying local militia officers known as Macawiisley in Hawaadley, a town in the Middle Shabelle region, killing one soldier and injuring two others, local sources confirmed.
The blast, which happened last night, comes amid heavy fighting between Macawiisley militia forces and al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... murderous Moslems in the area. No group has yet grabbed credit for the attack.
In recent days, local forces have retaken key towns across Middle Shabelle and are currently advancing towards Aadan Yabaal district, located approximately 220 kilometers north of the capital, Mogadishu.
Al-Shabaab recently captured Aadan Yabaal following intense festivities with government troops. The Macawiisley militia is conducting operations to recapture the strategic district and restore government control.
Macawiisley fighters play a significant role in the ongoing fight against al-Shabaab in central Somalia, but attacks like this highlight the persistent security challenges they face.
[Rudaw] The Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers on Sunday granted approval for nine major development projects in Halabja province, valued at approximately 96.65 billion Iraqi dinars ($73.3 million), including the construction of a free trade zone, multiple infrastructure upgrades, and a new provincial building.
The decision followed a meeting between Halabja Governor Nuxsha Nasih and Omed Sabah, head of the Council of Ministers’ Presidency Office.
Commenting on the decision on her Facebook page, Nasih described the projects as “necessary” to “better serve citizens.”
The projects include several road projects worth around 50.9 billion Iraqi dinars ($38.8 million), a combined road and sewerage project worth 14.4 billion Iraqi dinars ($10.9 million), and a memorial construction project budgeted at $16.3 million.
An additional 10 billion dinars ($7.6 million) was allocated to support border departments, including bulldozers, loaders, trucks, excavators, road rollers, water tankers, shovels, bobcats, graders, and trailers.
In April, Iraq’s parliament officially recognized Halabja as the country’s 19th province and the Kurdistan Region’s fourth, passing a long-awaited bill during a session attended by 178 of the 329 lawmakers.
The Iraqi Council of Ministers had initially approved Halabja’s status change in December 2013, separating it from Sulaimani province, but political disputes delayed the formalization for over a decade.
Halabja stands out as a potent symbol of Kurdish resilience. On March 16, 1988, near the end of the eight-year Iran-Iraq War, the forces of toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein bombed Halabja with chemical weapons. The gruesome attack claimed the lives of at least 5,000 people - mostly women and children - and injured thousands more. Of note, the Halabja chemical attack was part of the Baath regime’s broader Anfal campaign in which more than 182,000 Kurds were killed.
The innocent fools do not grasp that the Talibs feel no obligation whatsoever to any but their own. On the contrary, they will never get anything promised by those the Talibs conquered.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:04 Crews of 152mm 2S19 self-propelled howitzers "Msta-S" of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army of the "West" group of forces perform fire missions to destroy various targets in the SVO zone. 20:33 Servicemen of the 92nd Engineer Regiment of the North group of forces demining unexploded ordnance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the territories of liberated settlements in the Kursk region.
20:17 In the period from 17.00 to 20.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 23 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:
Seven UAVs over the territory of the Oryol region,
Seven UAVs over the territory of the Bryansk region,
Six UAVs over the territory of the Tula region,
Three UAVs over the territory of the Kursk region.
19:19 Oskol Front. Assault groups of the Russian Armed Forces are advancing in the central part of Redkodub –MAP.
19:04 Footage released of destruction by 152mm 2S3 self-propelled gun "Akatsiya" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine using an FPV drone in the Kupyansk direction and a UAV launcher with an ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine using artillery fire in the area of the settlement of Seversk.
18:07 Krasno-Limanskoe direction
The 144th Motorized Rifle Division fighters have secured a foothold in Redkodub and are gradually moving forward. There are also successes south of Lipovoye.
But in the Kolodezi area the situation is unpleasant. As a result of the counterattack the crests managed to drive ours out of Mirny and take a foothold there, cutting off our logistics along the dam.
17:27 In the period from 14:00 to 17:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 21 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Six UAVs over the territory of the Oryol region,
Six UAVs over the territory of the Tula region,
Five UAVs over the territory of the Moscow region,
Three UAVs over the territory of the Kaluga region,
One UAV over the territory of the Kursk region.
16:41 Severyan scouts uncovered the advance of a Ukrainian SUV from the settlement of Novoivanovka (Sumy region) in the direction of the state border, – video.
15:29 Crew of the 152mm Giatsint-B gun of the Tula Airborne Forces unit destroyed A camouflaged Ukrainian Armed Forces weapon during counter-battery operations along the border of the Kursk region.
14:48 The Russian Armed Forces have liberated the settlement of Popov Yar and are also advancing near Zarya, Staraya Nikolaevka, Yablonovka, Malinovka and Mirolyubovka, – MAP.
14:20 A compilation of footage taken during liberation of n.p. Belovody by fighters of the 83rd Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brigade of the "North" group of forces in the Sumy direction
14:09 In the period from 12.30 to 14.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed seven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:
Four UAVs over the territory of the Kursk region and
Three UAVs over the territory of the Tula region.
13:23 Attack aircraft of the "East" group of forces with the call signs "Leon" and "Shustry" spoke about liberationthe settlement of Otradnoye in the DPR.
12:53 In the period from 11:00 to 12:30 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed seven Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Three UAVs each – over the territories of the Oryol and Tula regions,
One UAV – over the territory of the Moscow region.
12:16 Summary of Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of May 26, 2025
Tonight, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a massive strike with long-range airborne precision weapons and strike unmanned aerial vehicles on targets at the Starokonstantinov airfield. The strikes' objective was achieved, all designated targets were hit.
As a result of active and decisive actions, units of the North military group liberated the settlements of Vladimirovka and Belovody in the Sumy region.
💥Concentrations of manpower and equipment of the airborne assault, two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Yablonovka, Alekseyevka, Sadki, Pisarevka and Osoyevka in the Sumy region.
📍Units of the "West" group of troops took up more advantageous lines and positions. They defeated formations of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, three territorial defense brigades and a national guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Kupyansk, Glushchenkovo, Olgovka, Andreyevka, Peschanoye in the Khar'kov region and Kirovsk in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Units of the "Southern" group of troops occupied more advantageous positions and inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of three mechanized and airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Seversk, Zakotnoye, Serebryanka, Konstantinovka and Vyemka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Units of the "Center" group of forces improved their position along the front line. They defeated formations of three mechanized, ranger, airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a naval infantry brigade and a national guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Oktiabrskoye, Novoolenovka, Artema, Petrovskoye, Dimitrov, Novotoretskoye and Grodovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense. They defeated the manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novopol, Otradnoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, Gulyaipole and Chervone in the Zaporizhia region.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the mechanized brigade, the coastal defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novoandriyevka, Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia region and Antonovka in the Kherson region.
Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the groups of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation inflicted damage on military airfield infrastructure facilities, ammunition depots, storage sites for strike unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian Armed Forces units and foreign mercenaries in 152 districts.
Air defense systems shot down seven JDAM guided aerial bombs and five US-made HIMARS multiple launch rockets, as well as 220 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles, 139 of which were outside the special military operation zone.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 1,415 servicemen, three tanks, an armored personnel carrier, 48 vehicles, and three field artillery pieces. Seven electronic warfare stations, 22 armored combat vehicles, seven ammunition depots, five artillery pieces, two electronic warfare stations, two field ammunition depots, and a counter-battery radar station were destroyed.
11:41 In the period from 8.30 to 11.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 20 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Nine UAVs over the territory of the Oryol region,
Five UAVs over the territory of the Kursk region,
Three UAVs each over the territories of the Tula and Yaroslavl regions.
10:53 Russian Armed Forces liberated Vladimirovka in Sumy Oblast –MAP
10:27 In the period from 7.50 to 8.30 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type:
Three UAVs over the territory of the Kursk region and
One UAV each over the territories of the Tula and Oryol regions.
09:45 Yuzhno-Konstantinovskoye direction
Our attack aircraft dropped into Popov Yar and Poltavka, heavy fighting is underway for these villages. The enemy is actively using FPV and mortars.
The 33rd Motorized Rifle Regiment continues to advance, has latched onto the outskirts of Yablonovka. The other regiments barely have time to clear the flanks behind them, we are talking about the forest belts north of Alexandropol.
The cleanup of Gnatovka and Zarya is underway.
09:28 In the period from 7.20 to 7.50 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed seven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type:
Five UAVs over the territory of the Tula region and
Two UAVs over the territory of the Kaluga region.
08:28 In the period from 20:00 Moscow time on 25.05, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 96 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
31 UAVs were flying over the Bryansk region,
16 UAVs were flying over the Belgorod region,
11 UAVs were flying over the Kursk region,
Nine UAVs were flying over the Tula region,
Eight UAVs were flying over the Oryol region,
Six UAVs were flying over the Moscow region,
Five UAVs were flying over the Kaluga region,
Four UAVs were flying over the Ivanovo region,
Two UAVs were flying over the Ryazan region,
Two UAVs were flying over the Vladimir region,
One UAV was flying over the Yaroslavl region,
One UAV was flying over the Republic of Tatarstan.
📊In total, during the raid from 10:00 Moscow time on May 25 to 8:00 Moscow time on May 26, 148 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs were shot down over Russian regions.
07:33 Calculation of the 122mm BM-21 MLRS "Grad" of the tank unit of the group of forces "Center" destroyed personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
07:33 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:➡️
Advance in the Zorya-Romanovka area
Control zone in the Ozaryanovka area has been expanded
From time to time we check on the countries around Afghanistan to see that yes, they continue to send back more of the millions of Afghan refugees that have been accumulating in the near-abroad since the Soviet era. The profits for hosting them dried up after the Biden-Harris Politburo gave Kabul to the Taliban.
[ToloNews] In the past five months, Pakistan has forcibly deported more than 20,000 Afghan families through the Torkham crossing.
Baz Mohammad Abdul Rahman, Director of Refugees and Repatriation in Nangarhar, told TOLOnews that seventy percent of these families have been resettled in Nangarhar province.
He stated: “The number of returnees is 97,883 individuals, with 70 percent of them settled in Nangarhar and the remaining 30 percent relocated to other provinces. In Nangarhar alone, 14,316 families—comprising 68,591 individuals—have been resettled.”
According to recent UN statistics, since 2023, Iran and Pakistan have forcibly returned more than three million Afghan migrants to Afghanistan.
Many of the families deported from Pakistan have faced serious challenges in finding shelter and a place to live upon returning to Afghanistan.
They are calling on the interim government and aid organizations to assist them in securing shelter.
Arman Khan, a recently deported returnee, said: “When we crossed through Torkham, the Pakistani police told us we had to pay two thousand rupees. We paid the money and were allowed to pass.”
Mir Ahmad Khan, another deportee, said: “If we are supported for even one year, we can stand on our own again. A hand of cooperation must be extended to us.”
According to recent UN statistics, since 2023, Iran and Pakistan have forcibly returned more than three million Afghan migrants to Afghanistan.
[ToloNews] Seven years ago, Ghulam Nabi, along with his wife and six children, left for Iran to escape poverty, insecurity, and unemployment.
But today, after years of living in exile, he is once again in Kabul—not by choice, but by force.
Ghulam Nabi, deported from Iran, describes his challenges: “We left here because of poverty and hardship, hoping for a better life there. For the first two or three years, no one bothered us, but in recent months, the pressure increased significantly. We were always running from the police, but eventually, around four o'clock, they caught us all and took us to a camp.”
Alongside him, thousands of other families are returning—people who had lived in Iran or Pakistan for years but now have to rebuild their lives in Afghanistan from scratch.
Arefa, deported from Iran, said: “We returned from the border and are now facing many difficulties. We lived in another country for a while, and now we’ve come back to our homeland. We ask our government to help us.”
Aziz, deported from Pakistan, said: “We were working and earning a living in Pakistan, but now that we’ve returned to Afghanistan, we are facing many problems and need cooperation and support.”
According to a recent report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 107,000 Afghan migrants were deported from Iran and Pakistan in just one week—from May 11 to May 17.
The IOM stated in its report that between May 11 and 17, there were 58,200 entries from Iran and 49,245 entries from Pakistan into Afghanistan, recorded by the organization.
Experts warn that the mass deportation of migrants without any preparedness for their reintegration could trigger a new humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Mohammad Khan Talebi Mohammadzai, a migrant rights activist, said: “As long as the return of migrants is not voluntary and supported by international organizations, such actions are considered a violation of human rights. International organizations and humanitarian bodies must negotiate with host governments about harsh migration policies to ease the difficulties faced by migrants.”
Meanwhile, the International Crisis Group has urged the European Union to apply political pressure on Pakistan to halt the forced deportation of Afghan refugees.
The Crisis Group said in a report: “The EU should also scale up its response within Afghanistan, enhancing assistance for returnees and host communities."
Alireza Karimi, another migrant rights activist, echoed this view: “EU pressure can be somewhat effective, especially if it is accompanied by threats of financial aid cuts and reduced diplomatic ties. However, to fully prevent deportations, a multilateral solution is needed.”
Previously, a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated that 380,000 Afghan migrants have been deported from neighboring countries this year alone and stressed that Afghanistan is not prepared to accommodate this number of returnees.
[KhaamaPress] The Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... have started cracking down on hard boyz in Afghanistan who encourage attacks in Pakistain, signaling a shift in policy. Rewriting 1998
Recent closed-door talks between a Pak delegation led by Muhammad Sadiq Khan, Pakistain’s Special Representative, and Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban Foreign Minister, marked a significant shift in Taliban policy. For the first time since their return to power, the Taliban have begun cracking down on individuals encouraging attacks inside Pakistain.
According to Express Tribune sources, over 70 murderous Moslems, primarily Afghan nationals linked to plans following the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... , have been detained, earning Islamabad’s tentative trust.
China is believed to be playing a crucial behind-the-scenes role in facilitating dialogue between Pakistain and Afghanistan. On May 21, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted an informal trilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of Pakistain and Afghanistan in Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Pakistain and Afghanistan agreed in principle to exchange ambassadors, signaling a normalization of diplomatic ties.
For years, Pakistain struggled to convince the Taliban to take decisive action against terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan soil. However,
it was a brave man who first ate an oyster... during the March talks in Kabul, Pak officials, including military and intelligence representatives, sensed a genuine change in Taliban approach. Islamabad now believes the Taliban are primarily focused on "business" and appear serious about addressing Pakistain’s security concerns.
Sources confirmed that many Afghans under Taliban rule who were recruiting or supporting Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) hard boyz are now imprisoned and facing legal actions. These developments followed growing evidence presented by Islamabad showing increased involvement of Afghan nationals in TTP-backed attacks within Pakistain, which heightened tensions and prompted Islamabad’s demands for accountability.
Since the crackdown began, Pakistain has witnessed a noticeable drop in suicide kabooms and terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. These efforts have helped improve diplomatic relations between Pakistain and the Taliban government. The positive momentum paved the way for Pakistain’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, to visit Kabul on April 19—the first such high-level Pak visit since the Taliban takeover.
Both sides agreed on several confidence-building measures during the visit, including Taliban assurances not to allow Afghanistan soil to be used against Pakistain. Pakistain reciprocated by easing some trade restrictions, such as removing banking guarantee requirements for Afghan importers. Islamabad has expressed cautious optimism but insists the Taliban take irreversible steps toward lasting peace.
Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had thought to pack sun block... India continues to emphasize expanding ties with the Taliban, despite its tense relationship with Pakistain. Following the April 22 Pahalgam incident and subsequent cross-border exchanges with Pakistain, India recently resumed visa issuance to Afghan citizens after a four-year hiatus. New Delhi insists it will not allow Pakistain to hinder its relations with the Taliban, intensifying the regional diplomatic competition.
Pakistain has previously accused India of involvement in terrorist attacks on its soil, including in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , though Indian officials deny such claims. The evolving dynamics between Pakistain, Afghanistan, India, and China highlight the complex geopolitical contest shaping South Asia’s security landscape.
[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Monday that it thwarted an attack from 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) in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, which injured a civilian, amid a spate of turban attacks in the area.
"Yesterday, our forces foiled a terrorist attack carried out by an ISIS cell on one of our military points in the town of al-Sabha ...After the Libyan Civil War, Sabha grew in importance as a slave auctioning town. However, an investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) revealed that while there was illegal slavery, reports were exaggerated, as slave auctions were rare and not made public. This was a great comfort to everyone but the slaves peddled in secret. The city was later seized by forces loyal to the Libyan National Army (LNA) and its leader Khalifa Haftar in January 2019, probably for its collection of MiG-25 aircraft..... . The cell, using cycle of violences and machine guns, launched a treacherous and indiscriminate attack," the SDF said in a statement.
At least one civilian was injured "due to the indiscriminate gunfire by the terrorists," according to the statement.
It is the latest in a recent spike of ISIS attacks in the area, with the SDF having warned for months about a resurgence in ISIS activity targeting both their forces and civilians.
Kurdish security forces (Asayish) said that another SDF patrol was attacked in Deir ez-Zor simultaneously with the first ambush.
In a statement later on Monday, the Asayish stated that they began "deploying extensively in the area to track down the perpetrators and ensure the safety and stability of civilians."
Last week, an ISIS attack in Deir ez-Zor killed one SDF fighter and injured another.
Two days prior, the SDF captured an ISIS cell in Deir ez-Zor. The raid followed another operation where 10 ISIS suspects were captured in the same province after an SDF fighter was killed and three were maimed.
ISIS rose to power and seized swathes of land in Iraq and Syria in 2014, declaring a so-called "caliphate."
The group was territorially defeated in 2019, but has recently sought to regain ground, taking advantage of instability in Syria following the fall of Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... ’s regime.
The SDF, backed by the United States, is the de facto army of northeast Syria (Rojava), has fought to prevent the holy warriors from reestablishing a foothold in the shifting security landscape.
[Rudaw] Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on Sunday accused Halabja’s female governor of "disregarding diplomatic principles" after she appeared at a Tehran tourist attraction without wearing a hijab, in an official visit with the Kurdistan Region’s governors that also met the Iranian president.
"The governor of Halabja, who had traveled to Tehran as a member of the delegation of governors of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, attended one of Tehran's tourist attractions without wearing a hijab last Thursday, disregarding diplomatic principles and disrespecting Iranian laws," Fars news said on X.
A compulsory hijab was imposed in 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... since the 1979 Islamic revolution in public places and governmental institutions.
Halabja Governor Nuxsha Nasih joined a delegation of Kurdistan Region governors, including Erbil’s Omed Xoshnaw, Sulaimani’s Haval Abubakir, and Duhok’s Ali Tatar, in a visit to Iran last week to meet their counterparts from the Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan provinces in western Iran (Rojhelat).
On Thursday, they met with President Pezeshkian, discussing bilateral relations between Tehran and Erbil and cultural and trade ties, with the president reaffirming his support for mutual agreements between both sides.
The comments from Fars news come as the government faces challenges in enacting a new hijab bill and enforcing stricter obligations under its existing hijab laws.
They also come as the Iranian government struggles to enforce its existing compulsory hijab law, with a larger number of women defying authorities by appearing in public without the scarf.
Rudaw English reached out to Governor Nasih but she was not readily available for comment.
On Sunday, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said that the country’s top national security body has advised against enacting the new hijab bill as tensions continue among hardline politicians over the controversial legislation.
Under the bill, women who violate mandatory hijab rules face escalating penalties, including fines, travel bans, and digital restrictions. Repeat offenses can result in prison sentences ranging from 3 months to 1 year and fines up to 1.65 billion rials (about $2,357).
The legislation notably came despite challenges the Iranian government faced enforcing existing hijab laws, especially after the nationwide protests which swept through the country in 2022 sparked by the death of a young Kurdish woman, Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, while in morality police custody for allegedly wearing a lax hijab.
[Rudaw] Syrian security forces arrested members of a suspected 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) cell near the capital Damascus, state media reported on Monday, saying the Death Eaters were planning to destabilize the region.
"We carried out a qualitative and precise security operation yesterday, which resulted in the arrest of a number of members of this cell, and a quantity of light, medium, and heavy weapons were seized," Syria’s state-run SANA news agency said, citing the interior ministry.
The Death Eaters were planning to use the weapons to "destabilize security and stability in the region," SANA said about the operation, carried out in a Damascus suburb.
ISIS attacks in Syria have largely been focused on the Kurdish-held regions of north and east Syria, but attacks on the new Damascus-affiliated authorities are rare.
ISIS rose to power and swept through swathes of Syria in a brazen offensive in 2014, declaring a so-called "caliphate."
But the Death Eaters were territorially defeated in 2019 as local Syrian and Kurdish fighters, supported by a US-led international coalition, clawed back territory from the group.
In a landmark Riyadh meeting, US President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... earlier this month called on Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to "help the United States to prevent the resurgence of ISIS," according to a White House Statement.
ISIS has continued to carry out attacks on Kurdish-led forces. On Monday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto army of northeast Syria (Rojava), said that it thwarted an ISIS attack in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, which injured a civilian.
Last week, an ISIS attack in Deir ez-Zor killed one SDF fighter and injured another.
Two days prior, the SDF captured an ISIS cell in Deir ez-Zor. The raid followed another operation where 10 ISIS suspects were captured in the same province after an SDF fighter was killed and three were maimed.
[IsraelTimes] The Shin Bet and Israel Police announce the arrest of three residents of the northern town of Ar’ara — two adults and a minor — on suspicion of planning terror attacks in Israel on behalf of 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).
According to Sherlocks, the suspects swore allegiance to ISIS, received guidance from the group’s operatives in Syria,
Oh?
and conducted test explosions in open areas with the intention of building a powerful bomb to target Israeli security forces.
The Haifa District Attorney’s Office has filed "serious indictments" against the suspects and is seeking their detention until the end of legal proceedings.
Officials warn of a growing trend of Arab Israeli minors becoming involved in terrorism, with the Shin Bet vowing to continue efforts to prevent attacks and protect public safety.
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[IsraelTimes] GHF doesn’t reveal how much aid so far delivered, but says amount will increase each day; group names new CEO after previous one resigns due to concerns over Israeli restrictions
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... Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it commenced operations in the Gaza Strip on Monday, delivering truckloads of food to newly established distribution sites, from which the supplies were then distributed to a number of Paleostinians.
The announcement followed Hebrew media reports claiming that the US- and Israel-backed GHF did not manage to begin operating in Gaza on Monday as initially planned.
The GHF statement did not specify how much aid was distributed, but it did include photos of a number of Gazooks picking up boxes of aid from a distribution site. It said more trucks will be delivered on Tuesday and that the flow of aid will increase each day.
The foundation made a point to condemn what it said have been Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... death threats against aid groups who have agreed to cooperate with GHF, as well as efforts to block Paleostinians from reaching distribution sites.
"It is clear that Hamas is threatened by this new operating model, and will do everything in its power to see it fail," GHF said.
GHF also announced that John Acree has been named its interim executive director, after its previous chief resigned on Sunday and indicated that Israeli restrictions were preventing the initiative from being able to adhere to humanitarian principles. Acree is a "senior humanitarian practitioner with more than two decades of global field experience in disaster response, stabilization programming, and civil-military coordination," GHF said.
While technically an American company, GHF was established earlier this year in close coordination with Israeli authorities who felt existing aid distribution mechanisms led by the UN and other international organizations were insufficient in preventing the diversion of aid by Hamas.
Israel wanted to create a small number of distribution sites where pre-selected familial representatives would be able to pick up a heavy box full of food for their families in a zone secured and operated by American private contractors.
GHF still needs support and cooperation from existing humanitarian organizations, as it seeks to gain credibility on the ground. That backing has yet to come, though, with the UN and many other international organizations in Gaza vowing not to cooperate with the GHF, arguing that its aid initiative violates humanitarian principles by requiring Gazooks to walk long distances in order to retrieve aid and limiting distribution to southern Gaza, in what would forcibly displace the Paleostinian population.
UN officials have also raised concerns that the organization could be used to "weaponize" aid by restricting who is eligible to receive it.
A small number of lesser-known organizations have agreed to cooperate with the GHF thus far, including the US-based aid group Rahma Worldwide, whose logo was seen in the photos of boxes being distributed to Gazooks on Monday.
GHF says it is made up of former humanitarian, government and military officials. It has said its distribution points — three in southern Gaza and one in central Gaza — will be guarded by private security firms and that its aid will reach a million Paleostinians — around half of Gaza’s population — by the end of the week.
Under pressure from allies, Israel began allowing a trickle of humanitarian aid into Gaza last week after blocking all food, medicine, fuel or other goods from entering since March 2. Aid groups have warned of famine and say the aid that has come in is nowhere near enough to meet mounting needs.
Hamas warned Paleostinians on Monday not to cooperate with the new aid system, saying it is aimed at furthering those objectives.
Earlier Monday, Hamas executed four men it claimed had looted some of the aid trucks that have begun entering Gaza, according to sources familiar with the incident.
”How dare you try to cut in on our exclusive rights! Aiiiii — now you must DIE!!”
One source said the four were involved in an incident last week in which six security officials were allegedly killed by an Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... as they were working to prevent gang members from hijacking aid trucks.
Aid groups have said that deliveries have been hampered by looting, claiming Israel is to blame for creating a situation in which hundreds of thousands of people have been driven to desperation by aid blockade. Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, and says aid needs to be tightly controlled to prevent it from helping the terror group.
Israel resumed near-daily aid deliveries to Gaza last week, after a pause since March 2. Since then, 665 trucks of aid have entered the Strip.
COGAT says the aid delivery comes “following the recommendation of professional IDF officials and in accordance with the directive of the political echelon.”
Today’s trucks include food, medical equipment and pharmaceutical drugs, COGAT says.
The aid underwent an inspection by Israeli authorities before entering Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
COGAT does not comment on whether the trucks headed for the new aid distribution sites in Gaza, which according to reports, did not begin operations today as planned.
He really is a vile little man. Are any in the opposition not?
“Our job is to ask the government tough questions, and with such a question I take the podium today: Is the State of Israel behind two shell companies established in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... and the United States, GHF and SRS, to organize and finance humanitarian aid in Gazoo?" Lapid asks from the Knesset rostrum ahead of a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed this morning that the distribution of assistance under the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) had begun, launching a system that Israel says is meant to keep aid from being diverted to the Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... terror group.
While technically an American company, GHF was established in close coordination with Israeli authorities. Aid groups and the UN have refused to cooperate with the new initiative, saying it would create even more displacement of the Paleostinian population, fail to meet local needs, and violate humanitarian principles that prohibit a warring party from controlling humanitarian assistance.
GHF has published a 14-page document detailing its distribution plan, including the names of those leading the project. Two American companies, Safe Reach Solutions (SRS) and UG Solutions, were selected to serve as onsite contractors.
According to The New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... , the project wasn’t simply built in coordination with Israel, but is "an Israeli brainchild" proposed during a 2023 meeting of "like-minded officials, military officers and business people with close ties to the Israeli government."
According to a separate Haaretz report published yesterday, SRS entered Gaza without security clearance from the Shin Bet, as is the procedure.
In a swift reaction, Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri says: "Israel does not fund the humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip. Israel and the United States are working in full coordination and through various channels to cut off aid from reaching Hamas."
[Garowe] Authorities in Mogadishu may find it difficult to explain the circumstances surrounding the alleged misuse of helicopters donated to the Somali National Army (SNA) for operational and logistical support in the ongoing war against al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... While details remain limited, multiple sources have implicated Villa Somalia—the presidential palace—in what appears to be a developing scandal that may trigger audit investigations and renewed scrutiny from international donors.
According to confidential sources, helicopters intended for the Somali National Army [SNA] have allegedly been rented out as private charters to military officials and personnel from other security sectors. This practice reportedly involves aircraft donated by international partners, raising serious concerns over transparency and accountability.
The rental fees for these flights are said to range between $5,000 and $8,000 per trip, covering personnel transport, medevac, and rescue operations. If confirmed, the scandal could test the integrity of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's administration, particularly as it depends heavily on international support in the fight against terrorism.
Somalia reportedly received six Bell 412 helicopters between 2023 and 2024 from Italia and other partner nations as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its counter-terrorism capabilities. However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... sources allege that Villa Somalia registered the aircraft under a private company named Gem-Tech, managed by Ahmed Nur—a close associate of President Mohamud.
After registration, the helicopters were repainted and marked as belonging to the Somali Air Force (SAF), yet continue to operate under the call sign "6-Oscar," which is typically reserved for civilian aircraft. This discrepancy has raised further questions about the opacity of their operations and potential misuse.
These allegations surface amid a broader climate of uncertainty surrounding the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
The mission’s future is now in doubt after the United States signaled plans to suspend its funding until the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and other donors contribute matching amounts. The U.S. has historically played a leading role in financing and supporting AUSSOM, including training elite units such as the Danab Special Forces.
The funding freeze follows long-standing concerns over misuse of resources in Somalia’s security sector. Former U.S. President Donald Trump ...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!... had withdrawn American troops over what he labeled "resource wastage," though they were later redeployed by President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. You're a lyin' dog-faced pony soldier... "Somalia and its international partners are facing a serious reckoning," said security analyst Abdisalam Guled.
"The AUSSOM mandate is due to expire within weeks, and there’s little likelihood of an extension given the financial shortfalls. Embassies and international bodies are slowly scaling back their presence in a quiet, gradual withdrawal. The question now is: what’s next for Somalia?"
Concerns over the potential misappropriation of donated equipment and other public resources could further erode donor confidence at a time when al-Shabaab is regaining momentum in central regions.
Villa Somalia has not officially responded to the allegations. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, no stranger to controversy, has previously dismissed accusations involving his family in corruption and questionable business dealings as politically motivated "witch-hunts" orchestrated by the opposition.
Swedish police are “showering” the keffiyeh-wearers with a water cannon. The umbrellas they brought aren't helping.
Personally I think they should be spraying them all with permanent ink so that they’re marked for months head to toe. I chose ink because if I said anything more… pic.twitter.com/tVLbTSt9QG
they should be spraying them all with permanent ink so that they’re marked for months head to toe. I chose ink because if I said anything more I’d get banned
Note a response in the thread — any way of proving where this happened?
Not the Swedish police. We don’t have water cannons here.
— Christoffer Jonsson (@kurrejonsson) May 25, 2025
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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#1
We don’t have water cannons here.
Muslims being Muslims, you might want to think about getting some.
"The o3 model developed by OpenAI, described as the "smartest and most capable to date", was observed tampering with computer code meant to ensure its automatic shutdown.
It did so despite an explicit instruction from researchers that said it should allow itself to be shut down, according to Palisade Research, an AI safety firm."
[NAHARNET] The disarmament of the first Paleostinian camps in Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... will begin in mid-June in three Beirut camps, President Joseph Aoun confirmed Monday.
A joint Lebanese-Paleostinian committee met for the first time last week following an accord between Lebanese and Paleostinian leaders on disarming Paleostinian camps as Lebanon seeks to impose its authority on all its territory.
The Lebanese and Paleostinian sides agreed on starting a plan "to remove weapons from the camps, beginning mid-June in the Beirut camps, and other camps will follow," a Lebanese government official told AFP on Friday.
Lebanon hosts about 222,000 Paleostinian refugees, according to the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... agency UNRWA, many living in 12 overcrowded official camps.
Most are descendants of Paleostinians who fled or were expelled from their land during the creation of Israel in 1948.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The newest Russian missile 9M134 Bulat has a number of advantages and is capable of increasing the ammunition of the anti-tank missile system (ATGM) crew fourfold. This was reported by the press service of the High-Precision Systems holding, which is part of the Rostec state corporation.
"The 9M134 product is lighter than the Kornet guided missile, which allows the crew to increase the ammunition load up to four times, thus increasing the diversity and variability of weapons. This solution enables the crew to successfully destroy targets with the Bulat for which the power of the Kornet is excessive," the holding company explained to RIA Novosti.
The Bulat was first presented at the Army-2024 forum. The missile is designed to destroy medium-armored targets, including those equipped with dynamic protection, lightly armored and unarmored vehicles.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Krasnopol-M2 high-precision artillery munition damaged well-protected Leopard and Abrams tanks during a special operation. The Krasnopol is designed to destroy armored targets and military facilities. Correction is carried out using aerodynamic rudders at the final stage of flight according to a laser mark.
The R-37M air-to-air missile has begun to enter service with the Russian Armed Forces. It can shoot down entire squadrons, observers from the American publication Military Watch Magazine said. The modified version of the long-range missile is capable of carrying a warhead weighing about 60 kg, which is several times greater than the average power of missiles of this class. This creates the possibility of installing a compact nuclear warhead, experts said.
#2
CVS makes a nice chunk of money as a mail order, specialty pharmacy supplier for the health insurance companies — everything from insulin to that thing I need that costs as much as state college tuition out of pocket.
[NAHARNET] This week is supposed to be ''decisive'' regarding the file of weapons inside Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... 's Paleostinian refugee camps, ad-Diyar newspaper reported on Monday.
''Lebanese official authorities are awaiting answers within hours from the Paleostinian side regarding the mechanism for handing over weapons in five of the camps in the first stage, which is supposed to be finalized before mid-June,'' the daily said.
''A second stage will follow during which the rest of weapons will be handed over in the rest of the camps, most notably Ain al-Helweh,'' ad-Diyar said.
A Lebanese official meanwhile told the daily that ''the official Paleostinian sides will this week prove whether they are serious in their cooperation and whether they will push for a speedy handover process.''
The disarmament of Paleostinian camps in Lebanon will begin next month based on an accord with visiting Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....> , a Lebanese government official told AFP on Friday.
The Lebanese and Paleostinian sides agreed on starting a plan "to remove weapons from the camps, beginning mid-June in the Beirut camps, and other camps will follow," the source told AFP.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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[KhaamaPress] Pak forces killed nine TTP Lions of Islam in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, seizing weapons and intensifying operations amid rising regional security threats.
Pak media, citing the country’s military, reported on Sunday that nine members of Tehrik-e-Taliban ...Arabic for students... Pakistain (TTP) were killed in separate security operations across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistain Army referred to the Lions of Islam as "India-backed Khawarij," a term often used to denote bully boy outlaws.
According to Dawn News, the military launched three coordinated operations. In the first, four Lions of Islam were killed in Dera Ismail Khan ... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... after an intense firefight. In the second, conducted in the Tank district, two suicide kaboomers were neutralized. The third operation in Bagh, Khyber district, resulted in the deaths of three more TTP members.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that arms and ammunition recovered from the Lions of Islam were previously used in multiple attacks in the region. The military emphasized that clearance operations are ongoing to eliminate any remaining threats and foreign-linked elements.
These operations follow similar anti-militancy raids last week, during which 12 Lions of Islam from TTP and the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) were killed. Incidents were reported in Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and North Wazoo, where two soldiers also bit the dust during firefights with Death Eaters.
Pakistain’s military has also accused India of backing murderous Moslem groups and using intelligence assets to destabilize the country. The accusations were reiterated last month by a military spokesperson, fueling ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two South Asian nations.
While Pakistain’s security forces continue their counterinsurgency efforts, the persistent threat posed by TTP and affiliated groups highlights the fragile nature of regional security. The cross-border dimension of the conflict, including alleged external support, remains a pressing concern for Islamabad.
Yesterday swksvolFF wondered about the ex-miscreant’s admirable English. Now it is revealed he was an interpreter, which explains it.
[KhaamaPress] Jamal Ahmad Wali, a former Afghan interpreter for U.S. forces and father of four, was recently involved in a tragic armed confrontation with police in the United States.
Jamal Wali
Wali had resettled in the U.S. with his family shortly before the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... ’s return to power in Afghanistan. According to community sources, his emotional state had deteriorated significantly after several close family members, including his brother, were reportedly killed by Talibs or allied groups in Afghanistan. This traumatic news added to the already heavy burdens he carried as a refugee trying to adjust to life in a new country.
Despite his past service and dedication, Wali struggled financially and mentally after resettlement. He had been working with a private security company in the U.S., likely due to his military background. However,
the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach... he found it increasingly difficult to cover basic living expenses, including utility bills and vehicle insurance. These financial pressures eventually led to the suspension of his driving license, yet out of necessity, he continued driving to maintain his job. On the day of the incident, police attempted to stop him for a routine check, but Wali tried to flee. When his vehicle eventually ran out of fuel, a confrontation occurred. After a tense exchange, Wali, likely overwhelmed by stress and trauma, drew a weapon, resulting in a violent mostly peaceful standoff.
He was a 36-year-old Afghan citizen who served as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. During the traffic stop incident in Fairfax County, Virginia, Wali became argumentative and refused to obey police commands. He then drew a gun and fired at the officers, hitting two before police fatally shot him. Bodycam footage later showed Wali expressing frustration and anger towards the U.S. government, stating he felt trapped in the country and unable to return to Afghanistan.
And yet it would have been worse for him and his family had they gone back, where he would have been killed by the Taliban regime after torture, and who knows what would have happened to his three sons and daughter? (Photo of him and the kids in traditional attire at the link) In the end he chose suicide by cop.
The incident highlights the psychological and economic toll on many Afghan refugees who served alongside coalition forces but struggle to rebuild their lives amid trauma and limited support. Wali’s wife, who neither works nor speaks English, is now left to care for their four children alone, without a steady income or community assistance. There are concerns that his children may be placed into state care if immediate help is not provided.
This tragedy has raised urgent calls from community members and advocacy groups to provide legal aid, mental health counseling, and financial support for refugee families—especially former interpreters who faced personal risks during the war. The story underscores a wider issue: the lack of adequate mental health resources and social services for refugees coping with trauma, cultural dislocation, and poverty.
Jamal Wali’s case is a somber reminder that those who risked their lives supporting U.S. missions must receive ongoing care and dignity in their new lives. It calls for coordinated efforts by government agencies, civil society, and diaspora organizations to prevent similar tragedies through robust support programs and culturally sensitive outreach.
#1
His allegiance was with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, a polity that did not recognize the sovereignty of Western nations per the Rushdie rules and that violated all standards of decency (as defined by Western civilization) by imposing the death penalty on ideological deviants.
Why should such a person not be expected to be a mortal enemy?
Maybe, if back then the Bush administration had prosecuted Rahman's prosecutors and judges for crimes against humanity things in general wouldn't have developed in such an atrocious way.
Not just his Americanese, he hit all the BLM talking points as well.
Now, IIRC, it wasn't just a routine check, but didn't he run a stop light? And the whole situation didn't feel like he ran from the police until his gasoline was exhausted or there would have been multiple vehicles and everyone with their game faces on, not a casual solo stroll up to the vehicle.
And it was a suspended license. One doesn't lose their driver's license because they are low on money. Registration/Tags, sure, but not the license.
Just feel like there is a little more going on here than someone who doesn't think traffic laws apply to him and chooses then to gun fight his way back to Afghanistan. And the usuals who would normally front page this are rather quiet.
That assumes he wasnt struggling in Afghanistan. Seems his whole life was a struggle. PSTD to the extreme.
Couple Points:
1.) I would not receive the same courtesies that this gentleman received from Fairfax County Cops. I grew up dealing w/ Fairfax County Cops where they all think they are State Police. The moment I ever stopped cooperating with Fairfax PD was the moment things would escalate very quickly for me - not in good ways. If I ever tried to elude Fairfax, dogs and helicopters would be called out. This man did not cooperate at all and Fairfax was very nice to him.
2.) He was known to the Fairfax Police Community as he had several run ins with the cops over the last few years. It is not the first time he eluded police, and is not the first time he brandished a firearm during a traffic stop.
Some articles say he was pulled over for speeding. Others say b/c his registration was expire. I can tell you this --- Pro Tip: If cops recognize you, not good - they will pull you over more frequently. And that is probably the case with this dude.
[Garowe] Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) is reportedly on the brink of internal collapse, following an escalating political dispute within the federal government’s top leadership.
Reliable sources speaking to Garowe Online revealed that the agency, currently headed by Abdullahi Mohammed Ali "Sanbaloolshe," is grappling with a deepening internal crisis sparked by a failed political maneuver by Villa Somalia — the seat of the Presidency — to reinstate former director Mahad Salad to the helm of NISA.
Mahad Salad, who previously led the agency, is said to have re-engaged in direct interference with NISA’s operations after the move to remove Sanbaloolshe stalled. As a result, the agency has seen a slowdown in its day-to-day functions, with multiple senior officers reportedly refusing to take orders from the current director.
Security sources confirm that Sanbaloolshe is currently away from the capital, overseeing a military operation in the Hiraan region. His absence has allowed loyalists of Mahad Salad to quietly take over several key internal operations, further undermining the official chain of command.
The growing division within NISA came to the fore recently when a group of journalists were briefly detained in Mogadishu. According to multiple reports, the arrest was carried out without the knowledge or approval of Director Sanbaloolshe, allegedly on orders from officers aligned with Mahad Salad.
Over the past several years, NISA has increasingly become politicized, with its leadership consistently aligned with Villa Somalia. Since 2017, most of the agency’s directors have been political allies of the presidency, a trend critics say has eroded its neutrality and professionalism in national security matters.
Analysts warn that if the current internal rift remains unresolved, it could severely compromise Somalia’s security operations and lead to a full-blown institutional split within NISA — a development that would carry serious national security implications.
[IsraelTimes] Knesset guards are examining an envelope containing a suspicious powder sent to coalition whip Ofir Katz’s Knesset office, a Knesset spokesperson announces.
“In accordance with the security procedures for such events – an update has been forwarded to the Israel Police and the envelope and the suspicious material inside will be forwarded for further examination by the authorities,” the Knesset says in a statement.
Just under a week ago, another envelope “containing a suspicious powder” was sent to Health Minister Uriel Busso’s Knesset office, the second time in under a year that Busso’s office had been targeted in this manner.
Last month, Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman Simcha Rothman also said he had received a “suspicious envelope” and accused the Shin Bet security service of falling down on the job.
Also last month, police announced that they were investigating several threatening letters that had been sent to elected officials and their families. According to Channel 12, these included Likud MK Shalom Danino and United Torah Judaism lawmaker Moshe Roth.
[IsraelTimes] A ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen a short while ago was intercepted by air defenses, the military says, marking the second such incident in hours.
No sirens were activated “according to protocol,” the IDF says, as no towns were under any threat.
Earlier this morning, a missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen set off sirens in the West Bank. It was also shot down, according to the IDF.
Despite being just 2% of the population of Wales, the Muslim community of Cardiff is allowed to blast Islamic calls to prayer 5 times a day. The earliest one being at 5 am.
#2
And what happens when restless natives step out on their stoops and roar back MozartMen of Harlech?Schindler's List night ghetto clearance long shot?
[Newsweek] Vladimir Putin's helicopter was targeted by Ukrainian drones as he visited the Kursk region in a surprise visit last week, a Russian military official has claimed.
The alleged attack took place as the Russian president visited the border region for the first time since Moscow claimed it had repelled Ukrainian forces from the area last month.
Putin's helicopter was "at the epicenter" of a "large-scale" Ukrainian drone attack on May 20, Yury Dashkin, commander of a Russian air defense division, said, according to Kremlin newswire Tass.
Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment by email.
WHY IT MATTERS
This is the first known instance in which the Russian president is reported to have flown through an active drone attack.
WHAT TO KNOW
Russia's defense ministry was forced to shoot down dozens of drones during the incident, according to Dashkin, who said in an interview aired by the state-run Rossiya-24 TV channel that the intensity of the assault escalated significantly as the presidential aircraft flew over Kursk.
He said Russian air defense systems engaged the drones to ensure the safety of the presidential helicopter.
Dashkin described the attack as "unprecedented" but said all the Ukrainian drones had been destroyed.
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin had visited Kursk in an unannounced trip, shortly after Russia declared it had regained full control over the region where Ukraine carried out a cross border incursion last year.
During the visit, Putin met with local volunteers, municipal leaders, and the acting governor, Alexander Khinshtein, according to Tass.
The Russian president rarely travels to front line regions and is known for a keeping physical distance from the public even during official engagements.
Ukraine maintains that its operations in Kursk continue. Earlier this month, Ukrainian troops were said to have breached the Russian border near the village of Tetkino.
Ukrainian officials haven't comment on the alleged attack on Putin, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his country has every right to kill Putin if the opportunity arises, if doing so would protect Ukraine and its people.
Zelensky told The Sun in Kyiv in November 2023 that he has lost track of the number of times Moscow has attempted to assassinate him since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of his country.
"That's war, and Ukraine has all the rights to defend our land," the Ukrainian leader said when asked if Kyiv would take a chance to assassinate Putin if such an opportunity arose.
#1
Based on the 'aircraft type' drones supposedly used, the helicopter likely flew through an ongoing attack on a military base or airfield and wasn't specifically targeted.
The Ukr does use drones for aerial interceptions, but those are the smaller mavic types. If the Ukranians actually had Intel on that specific helicopter (highly unlikely), they would have used a SAM, manpad or something else that has a bigger punch.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
05/27/2025 6:37
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#2
Earlier reports suggest an E&E action by several.
[Breitbart] In subsequent images, Macron and his wife, wearing a red jacket, appeared at the top of the stairs. He offered an arm but she didn’t take it. They walked down the carpeted stairs side by side.
#5
Truly funny the way he turns to the cameras, smiles and waves as if nothing was happening. Even better than when he made that furtive move on the train with Starmer and Merz to hide the cocaine. And here we thought Zelensky was the comedian.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/27/2025 11:34
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#6
Come on, man! Who hasn't been smacked by their Mum for misbehaving in public?
[NAHARNET] Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said ''the region has grown tired of Iranian-U.S. polarization,'' hoping Arabs will return to Leb ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... ''We will not remain silent over any arms outside the state's control,'' Salam added, in an interview with Sky News Arabia.
''The majority of the Lebanese people stands by us and my strength comes from regaining the people's confidence in the state and my project is the rebuilding of the state,'' the premier said.
Asked about the chants that accused him of being a ''Zionist'' during a recent football match, Salam said he was not ''provoked'' by the chants, noting that ''treason accusations in Lebanon have become political weapons.''
''I'm sad because a part of Lebanon is occupied and we are advocates of peace, but we want a just and sustainable peace,'' the PM added.
As for the Paleostinian arms in Lebanon's refugee camps, Salam said: ''What's dangerous about the camps' arms is that they may lead to an inter-Paleostinian strife, and Paleostine's strength today does not come from arms, but rather from international recognition and diplomacy.''
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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#3
This is a fundamental pivot against Israel by the Merz coalition.
For the last couple of days there's been coordinated messaging by coalition officials indicating a leftward realignment in their Israel policies.
It started with the anti-semitism commissioner and continued with Merz, the FM, the leftist Vice Chancellor and some foreign policy expert MPs.
All shifted their positions in a leftward / anti-Israel direction. The Vice Chancellor has at least implied support for an arms embargo and sanctions. A prominent leftist traditionally pro-Russian and anti-Israel social democrat MP is openly calling for an arms embargo. The FM demands an immediate cease fire and then the implementation of the two state "solution."
I can only speculate about the reasons. Merz coalition has a slim, unstable majority in parliament which might have forced him to make secret concessions to the left in exchange for his election.
The above mentioned leftist MP recently held secret negotiations with the Russians. Maybe selling out Israel is buying some concessions from the Russians.
A tin foil hat scenario would involve a deal with pro-Iran elements in the Trump 47 administration. Germany would help intimidate Israel into acquiescing to a nuclear armed Iran in exchange for a favorable trade deal for Europe.
Whatever the explanation, this is a huge shift. Germany's policy position is now qualitatively identical to Ireland's and Spain's now.
#7
^Yea, well. Fortunately for Israel the non-Islamic/Wakandan "anti-Zionism" is based in Western Europe - which (just as Napoleon & Hitler before them) got itself into a fight with Russia.
#8
Here's a statement made today by German FM Wadephul (Deepl translated):
“The government of the state of Israel, which in my view must be completely distinguished from the people who live in the state of Israel, I believe that this government must know very clearly that we will not allow ourselves to be instrumentalized, and that our one hundred percent fight against anti-Semitism and our complete support for the right to exist and the security of the state of Israel, must not be instrumentalized for the conflict, for the warfare that is currently being waged in the Gaza Strip, so we will not allow ourselves to be put under political pressure as the German government and put in a position where we are forced to show solidarity, which will not be possible in this form. ”
#11
Is this any of your business, Germany? Since when are you a moral authority? And how are you enjoying your Russian LGN, that you've been importing behind your moral preening and saber rattling?
Posted by: Regular joe ||
05/27/2025 16:02
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[BBC] A fight involving machetes at a Melbourne shopping centre has prompted an Australian state to fast-track the country's first-ever ban on the weapon's sale.
The ban - to start in Victoria this Wednesday, instead of September - comes after two gangs attacked each other at Northland shopping centre in Preston on Sunday afternoon. A man, 20, remains in hospital in a serious condition.
Sounds like immigrant gangs, what the Australians call “Lebanese”, which means any of a number of ethnic gangs from the Moslem Middle East — Lebanese, Syrians, Kurds, etc, and even some that are mixed. As I recall — it’s been a while since we looked at them — they make their money from international drug trafficking as well as the usual gang activities, and are tied in to the jihadi networks of Hezbollah, ISIS, and Al Qaeda as well.
Victoria's premier said the ban will "choke the supply", adding "the community shouldn't have to deal with these weapons in their shopping centres - neither should our police".
Sounds like the kind of thing the Australian authorities and news media said about guns — how did that work out for y’all? Did disarming the law-abiding result in any less criminal violence thereafter?
Two boys, aged 16 and 15, were on Sunday charged with affray, intentionally causing injury, and possession and use of a controlled weapon.
On Monday, police said two men, aged 20 and 18, had also been arrested and were being interviewed. All four people were known to police previously.
"This was a planned fight between two rival youth gangs with no innocent bystanders hurt," said deputy commissioner David Clayton.
"Fortunately, these events are not very commonplace in Victoria," he said, adding that youth knife crime is "rare" but "frightening".
Clayton said one in 10 knife crimes in the state is committed by young people, and often happen in public places.
Emergency services were called to the shopping centre in Preston - about 11km (seven miles) north of Melbourne - just after 14:30 local time (05:30 BST) on Sunday after reports of up to 10 people fighting.
Police said the investigation "remains ongoing" and more arrests are expected. Three of the four machetes used during the attack have been seized, police said.
Victoria's Premier Jacinta Allan described the attack as "appalling".
"We must never let the places where we gather - where families come together, to meet, to shop, to enjoy the peace of their weekend - become the places we fear," Allan said at a press conference.
"It took the United Kingdom 18 months to bring about a ban on machetes and we are moving to do it within six months," she added.
In March, Victoria announced legislative changes to its Control of Weapons Act, making it illegal to sell or possess machetes, with the new law to start in September.
The ban covers machetes, which are broadly defined as "knives with a cutting blade longer than 20cm". It does not include knives primarily used in kitchens.
A three-month amnesty from September means anyone with a machete can place them in specially designated boxes at police stations.
Police also thanked a man who held down one of the alleged offenders until police arrived, saying he "performed an outstanding job", but added they don't encourage the public to become involved in such incidents.
In England and Wales, a ban on "zombie-style" knives and machetes was introduced last September, making it illegal to own, make, transport or sell a wide range of "statement" knives favoured by criminal gangs.
#4
The Muslim Goal for the last 1400+ years has been laid out in plain sight.
An it's what any country should expect letting Muslim's in.
Quran/Koran 2:191 Slay the unbelievers wherever you find them.
Koran 3:28 Muslims must not take the infidels as friends.
Koran 3:85 Any religion other than Islam is not acceptable.
Koran 5:33 Maim and crucify the infidels if they criticize Islam.
Koran 8:12 terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Quran.
Koran 8:60 Muslims must muster all weapons to terrorize the infidels.
Koran 8:65 the unbelievers are stupid, urge the Muslims to fight them .
Koran 9:5 when opportunity arises kill the infidels wherever you find them.
Koran 9:30 the Jews and Christians are perverts,fight them.
Koran 9:123 make war on the infidels living in your neighborhood.
Koran 22:19 Punish the unbelievers with garments of fire, hooked iron rods, boiling water, melt their skin and bellies.
Koran 47:4 Do not hacker for peace with the infidels, Behead them when you catch them.
#7
Machetes are the problem but not the Machetier.
Ban pencils because the math is wrong.
That's the logic displayed here folks.
The more they force me to live with people where we need to ban things b/c the people are not compatible with Western Culture, the more I support limited genocides. I'm over multiculturalism.
[NYPOST] JB Pritzker made headlines when he called for ''mass protests'' against the Trump administration. There's no question, the second-term governor of Illinois is positioning himself for a presidential run, as he crisscrosses the country lauding his time serving the citizens of the Prairie State.
But what he's not telling the crowd about Illinois is precisely what Americans need to know most.
Americans are more worried today about the nation's financial problems than they've been in a decade. A recent Gallup poll found that 81% of Americans are personally concerned a ''great deal'' or ''fair amount'' about federal spending and the federal deficit.
A federal government run like the state of Illinois would do little to quell their fears. Today, Illinois has more than $200 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, with the state's government pension systems hovering around 50% funded. (By comparison, even the most conservative estimates place New York state's pension fund at 99% funded.) It's bad news for pensioners, who live with the uncertainty of not knowing if a retirement check from the state could bounce. It's perhaps even worse news for Illinois taxpayers, who are on the hook for such enormous liabilities.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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#1
Jelly Belly is on a roll.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
05/27/2025 6:40
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#2
Oh please ...our finances are the least of Pritzker's sins. The man's an autocrat who rules with an iron fist and the State Legislature is a one-party factory of left-wing craziness. Taxes, education, gun laws, immigration, and jurisprudence are all a mess here. He's styles himself as the head of an independent country ...
Posted by: Chicago Lurker ||
05/27/2025 8:25
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#3
He's styles himself as the head of an independent country ...
Cook county is "an independent country," has been for decades.
#4
I still remember hearing on the radio in the middle 1960s - 'Is it true you gave the City's insurance contract to your son's firm, Mayor Daley?'
"Yes, what's wrong with that?"
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/27/2025 11:31
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#5
Making this guy the symbol of the D party would be worth about a dozen seats in 2026
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
05/27/2025 12:13
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#6
So we trade a senile president for one who is morbidly obese?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/27/2025 12:59
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#7
The man's an autocrat who rules with an iron fist and the State Legislature is a one-party factory of left-wing craziness. Taxes, education, gun laws, immigration, and jurisprudence are all a mess here.
Gosh, that sounds a lot like California.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/27/2025 13:01
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#8
If by presidential you mean the President Taft look a like contest winner - then yes.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
05/27/2025 23:22
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[NYPOST] Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett
...Cable TV actor whose primary talents seemed to be being black and homosexual. In a bid for national attention, he paid a pair of Nigerian brothers to rough him up a little so he could claim that two large, white, MAGA hat-wearing men had shouted This is MAGA country! while thumping him at 2:30am on a bitter cold night in Chicago and throwing bleach on him, presumably to lighten him up. The story quickly unraveled, and he became a laughingstock and the poster boy for pretend victimization and attention whoredom... went on a bizarre Instagram rant in which he repeated his widely-debunked claim that he was the victim of a bias attack in the wake of his cushy settlement in his civil suit with the city of reliably Democrat Chicago, aka The Windy City or Mobtown ...home of Al Capone, the Chicago Black Sox, a succession of Daleys, Barak Obama, and Rahm Emmanuel... ''Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, City Officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear,'' Smollett wrote on Instagram Saturday.
Not ever, actually. You blew it, dude.
''These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear—They have received neither.''
Smollett was convicted in 2021 for staging a phony hate crime against himself in Chicago in 2019, and was later sued by the Second City for $130,000 for the cost of the investigation into the bogus claims.
The ''Mighty Ducks'' actor and the Windy City have now settled their suit — with Smollett agreeing to donate $60,000 to two Chicago-based charitable organizations in lieu of paying the city.
[NYPOST] A key House Democrat on Sunday admitted there is ''one little portion'' of the GOP's megabill that he likes — the raising of the state and local tax deduction (SALT) cap from $10,000 to $40,000.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, voted against the proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act alongside the rest of his party last week — but is acknowledging that his constituents would get a boost from its SALT change.
''That one little portion is going to be good for my constituents,'' Himes told CBS' ''Face the Nation.''
Republicans had capped the SALT deduction at $10,000 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, disproportionately impacting blue states with high state and local taxes.
The new bill would raise the SALT cap to $40,000 for households making $500,000 or less in annual income, amid fierce lobbying from blue-state Republicans.
Rep. Jim Himes
[GEO.TV] A Saudi official denied on Monday media reports saying the kingdom would lift its 73-year-old ban on alcohol, which is prohibited for Moslems.
The report, which was picked up by some international media after it appeared on a wine blog last week, said Saudi authorities planned to allow alcohol sales in tourist settings as the country prepares to host the 2034 soccer World Cup. It did not give a source for the information.
The kingdom has eased some restrictions to lure tourists and international businesses as part of an ambitious plan to diversify its economy and make itself less dependent on oil.
The report about alcohol rules sparked a vigorous online debate in the kingdom, whose king also holds the title of King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques — Islam's most revered sites in Mecca and Medina.
Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... n Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists... , known as MBS, has pushed a series of reforms, which included ending a prohibition on allowing women to drive in 2017, easing some rules on sex segregation in public spaces and reducing the power of the inquisitors religious police.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are the only Gulf countries that prohibit the sale of alcohol.
A minor move to allow alcoholic drinks to be consumed in the kingdom was the opening of the first alcohol store in the capital, Riyadh, last year, serving exclusively non-Moslem diplomats.
Prior to that, alcohol was available only through diplomatic mail or on the black market.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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[GEO.TV] In a renewed push toward a polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set. Currently the disease is only found in Pakistain and Afghanistain... -free Pakistain, the Pakistain Polio Programme has officially launched its third National Immunisation Days (NIDs) campaign.
The inauguration ceremony was held at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) in Islamabad.
It was led by Prime Minister's Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, along with key partners and officials.
The PM's focal person personally administered oral polio vaccine and Vitamin A drops to children under five, reaffirming the government's steadfast commitment to eradicating the disease from every part of the country.
Set to begin on May 26, the week-long campaign aims to immunise over 45 million children under five years of age. This effort is seen as a decisive step in the country's final push to stop poliovirus transmission and achieve eradication by the end of 2025.
''Polio eradication is more than a public health goal — it's a national mission,'' said Farooq. ''This campaign is a pivotal part of our 2-4-6 roadmap. The rounds we've held from September 2024 through May 2025 have been designed to strategically close immunity gaps and disrupt virus circulation before high transmission season begins.''
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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[NEWARAB] Washington rejected Monday an assertion by Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... that the group had accepted a 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... ceasefire proposal that reportedly involves the liberation of 10 hostages in two batches and a 70-day truce.
A front man for US envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed to news agency AFP reporting by Axios that he had rejected claims by the Paleostinian group that it had agreed to his proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal.
This comes after Rooters reported earlier on Monday that Hamas has agreed to the proposal by Witkoff for a Gaza ceasefire.
"The proposal includes the release of ten living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in two groups in return for a 70-day ceasefire and a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip," the source told Rooters.
More than 50 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday in the north of the territory, most of them women and kiddies.
An Israeli strike on a family home in Jabalia killed 19 people and another Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... on a school-turned-shelter for displaced people killed more than 30.
“What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable,” Witkoff tells the Axios news site.
Witkoff says Israel is prepared to agree to a temporary ceasefire that would see half of the living and deceased hostages return “and lead to substantive negotiations to find a path to a permanent ceasefire, which I agreed to preside over.”
“That deal is on the table. Hamas should take it,” Witkoff says.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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[NAHARNET] Israeli warplanes on Monday carried out three Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on the Sraj area in the outskirts of the Baalbek district town of Brital, the state-run National News Agency said.
Two people were maimed in overnight strikes on the southern towns of Beit Leef and Majdal Zoun, the Health Ministry said Monday.
Israel has continued to launch near-daily airstrikes in southern and eastern Leb ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... and sometimes in Beirut's suburbs despite a November 27 truce that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah including two months of full-blown war.
Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, the only armed bodies in southern Lebanon are meant to be U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanon's army, though Israel has retained its forces in five areas it has declared strategic.
Speaking Sunday on the anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem ... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... reiterated the Lebanese group's stance that it will not discuss giving up its remaining weapons until Israel withdraws from the five border points it occupies in southern Lebanon and stops its airstrikes.
More airstrikes to come, then. Your choice.
"We adhered completely" to the agreement, Qassem said, adding: "Don't ask us for anything else from now on. Let Israel withdraw, stop its aggression, release the prisoners and fulfill all obligations under the agreement. After that, we will discuss each new development."
If only Hezbollah didn’t keep sending out teams to set up new outposts south of the Litani River in contravention of the ceasefire, and legitimate targets like arms caches were not carefully hidden in the marked places in IDF maps for resuming war with Israel north of it… The Times of Israel adds:
Lebanese media reports an Israeli airstrike near the village of Brital in the northeastern Beqaa Valley.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
الطيران الإسرائيلي يشنّ غارة على السلسلة الشرقية في مرتفعات بلدة بريتال شرقي بعلبك pic.twitter.com/JS4bjSsq47
[NAHARNET] There is an available chance to reactivate the file of the release of Lebanese captives held by Israel in conjunction with the expected release of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped by Iraq in 2023 by the Iran-backed Ketaeb Hezbollah group, which is not linked to Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... 's Hezbollah, Western diplomatic sources said.
The sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that Hezbollah's leadership prepared a list containing the names of 15 Lebanese captives, of whom seven were captured during the latest Israel-Hezbollah war and eight were detained during the ceasefire period.
The daily added that the deal also involves an Iranian citizen and a Paleostinian national.
Sky News had reported Saturday that an agreement was reached to exchange prisoners between Iraq, 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... and Israel, which involves ''Hezbollah members, a Lebanese sea captain, an Israeli-Russian academic and an Iranian citizen.''
[GEO.TV] In a major development, Kuwait has lifted its 19-year-long visa ban on Pak citizens, the Ministry of Overseas Paks' Focal Person Mustafa Malik said on Monday.
In a statement, the focal person said that the Kuwaiti government had resumed issuing work, family, visit, tourist, and commercial visas to Paks. It will provide thousands of people with opportunities for employment, business, and tourism in Kuwait, Malik added.
''All these visas can be obtained through the online platform,'' the focal person said, adding that the world was opening its doors to skilled Pak workers.
He further said that an annual job quota would be allocated for Paks in Italia, adding that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) had also been signed with Italia.
"Arab countries are also keen to employ skilled workers from Pakistain," the focal person added.
[KhaamaPress] Kuwait has revoked citizenship of over 37,000 people, mostly migrant women, sparking widespread human rights concerns and legal uncertainty.
The Kuwaiti government has revoked the citizenship of more than 37,000 people since August 2024, a move that has sparked widespread criticism from human rights groups and regional analysts. The majority of those affected are migrant women who had acquired citizenship through marriage.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the mass revocation is part of a sweeping “reform initiative” launched by Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah after assuming power in December 2023. Since then, he has dissolved the parliament and suspended parts of the constitution, citing national purification as a goal.
In a televised address in March, the Emir vowed to “cleanse Kuwait of impurities” and return the nation to its “original people.” Analysts interpret this as an attempt to restrict citizenship to individuals with documented ancestral ties to the country.
Official data indicates that at least 26,000 women have lost citizenship under the new policy, primarily those who had gained it through marriage. The law now cancels all citizenships granted to foreign spouses since 1987, leaving thousands at risk of statelessness and legal limbo.
Even high-profile cultural figures have not been spared. Renowned pop singer Nawal El Kuwaitia and actor Dawood Hussein are among those stripped of citizenship, reflecting the policy’s reach beyond migrants to well-known national icons.
Observers argue that this strategy signals a more exclusionary definition of national identity under the new leadership. Critics warn that this could deepen social divisions and damage Kuwait’s reputation as a relatively open Gulf state.
As the international community watches closely, the question remains whether Kuwait will face pressure to reverse or soften the sweeping policy. The coming months may define the country’s future direction on human rights and inclusivity.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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[NEWARAB] Israel has rejected a new 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... ceasefire proposal put forward by Paleostinian-American academic and Trump ally Bishara Bahbah amid signs of renewed pressure from Washington to end the war.
Regional news outlets reported on Monday that Bahbah has proposed a solution similar to the framework drawn up by the Trump administration, but included a personal guarantee from the US president that Israel will enter talks to permanently end the war.
The Trump framework, recently proposed by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, would see both sides agree to a truce lasting between 45 and 60 days. Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... would release 10 living captives, and Israel would free Paleostinian detainees.
Israeli officials strongly rejected the terms in comments to local media, just hours after details of the proposal began to surface.
"Israel rejects the proposal of the American-Paleostinian mediator — this is an unacceptable and illogical proposal," sources told Kan.
The plan "cannot be accepted by any responsible government", another official told The Times of Israel.
The Netanyahu government has insisted it will only agree to a temporary ceasefire according to the so-called 'Witkoff outline', but refuses to discuss ending the war until Hamas surrenders and leaves Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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[GEO.TV] Russia fired its biggest ever drone barrage on Ukraine, authorities said on Monday, just hours after Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... called 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... "crazy" and warned Moscow risked new sanctions if it kept up its deadly bombardment.
The US president has sought to broker an end to the three-year war, but has failed to extract major concessions from the Kremlin, despite repeated negotiations and several phone calls between him and Russia s president.
For three consecutive nights Russia has pummelled Ukraine with large-scale drone attacks, saturating its air defences and killing at least 13 people on Sunday, officials said.
Russia fired "355 Shahed-type drones" including decoys, in the largest drone attack of the invasion between Sunday night and early Monday, as well as nine cruise missiles, Ukraine's air force said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that there were "no longer any range restrictions" on arms supplied by Western allies to Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to attack "military positions in Russia".
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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[NAHARNET] Two people were maimed in overnight strikes on the southern towns of Beit Leef and Majdalzoun, the Health Ministry said Monday.
The overnight strikes targeted two cycle of violences, one in Tyre's Majdalzoun and the other in Beit Leef in the district of Bint Jbeil.
On Monday, an Israeli drone overflew Beirut's southern suburbs for several hours.
Israel has continued to launch near-daily Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in southern Leb ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... and sometimes in Beirut's suburbs despite the November 27 truce that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah including two months of full-blown war.
Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, the only armed bodies in southern Lebanon are meant to be U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanon's army, though Israel has retained its forces in five areas it has declared strategic.
Speaking Sunday on the anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem ... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... reiterated the Lebanese krazed killer group's stance that it will not discuss giving up its remaining weapons until Israel withdraws from the five border points it occupies in southern Lebanon and stops its airstrikes.
"We adhered completely" to the agreement, Qassem said, adding: "Don't ask us for anything else from now on. Let Israel withdraw, stop its aggression, release the prisoners and fulfill all obligations under the agreement. After that, we will discuss each new development."
[NAHARNET] Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem ... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... said that Hezbollah's ''resistance'' will continue ''because it is the choice of the people and those who believe in it.''
''This resistance is a defensive resistance, it is a rejection of occupation, it is refusal to surrender,'' Qassem said in a televised speech marking the 25th anniversary of the liberation of south Leb ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers... from Israeli occupation.
''Resistance® is a choice. Sometimes it fights and deters, sometimes it perseveres and prevents, and other times it stays patient and ready,'' Qassem explained.
He added that ''resistance does not mean that there would be weapons moving every day or firing every day.''
''Resistance® is an approach, an orientation. Weapons are a tool for use when needed, in the appropriate way, and according to interest,'' Qassem went on to say.
He added: ''Let it be clear to everyone: do not request anything from us from now on. Let Israel withdraw, halt its aggression, release the captives and complete all the obligations present in the (ceasefire) agreement and after that we will act accordingly.''
''We have said it and we reiterate: if the state fails in its performance, the other options are present. Do not ask me what the other options are, but you can know that the resistance does not remain silent over injustice and does not surrender,'' Qassem said.
''Let no one threaten us. We cannot be threatened. We have only two choices and no third: victory or martyrdom — and we're ready for them,'' Hezbollah's leader added.
Addressing U.S. President Donald Trump ...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat The Smartest Woman in the World in the general election. Then he beat Kamala while dodging bullets... and lauding his decision to stop the bombing campaign 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... , Qassem warned that ''allowing Israel to continue its actions in Lebanon will strip America of an important opportunity for investments in Lebanon and the region.''
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2025
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[NAHARNET] The Lebanese Army said it has taken into custody a suspect in last year's killing of a Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... official, with help from Syria's new authorities, in a case that sparked public outrage.
Pascal Sleiman, an LF coordinator in the Jbeil area, was kidnapped and killed in April 2024.
The army had said he was killed in a carjacking by Syrian gang members who then took his body across the border.
The army received "one of the main individuals involved in the crime of kidnapping and killing" Sleiman after coordinating with Syrian authorities, a military statement said.
The suspect "heads a gang involved in kidnapping, robbery and forgery and has a large number of arrest warrants against him," the statement said, adding that investigations were underway.
Sleiman's LF party opposed Syria's longtime ruler Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... , who was ousted in December, as well as its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, which last year was engaged in cross-border fire with Israel that escalated into all-out war.
Beirut and Damascus have been seeking to improve ties since the overthrow of Assad, whose family dynasty for decades exercised control over Lebanese affairs.
Anti-Syrian sentiment soared after Sleiman's disappearance and death, in a country hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.
Some accused Hezbollah of having a hand in the killing, but then chief Sayyed ...Arabic term meaning your/his lordship. Groveling in His Exalted Presence is encouraged... His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...> , who was later killed in a massive Israeli air strike, denied his party was involved.
The LF had said it would consider Sleiman's death a "political liquidation until proven otherwise."
Commentary from Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] The Western press today unanimously burst into whining about concentrated Russian strikes in Ukraine.
1. Russia produces a lot of missiles and produces them faster than it spends them.
2. Russian missiles have become more sophisticated and can penetrate the dome of Western air defense systems.
3. Western air defense systems have a critical shortage of missiles, some Crotale and SAMP-T systems are practically out of ammunition. The Patriot has a chronic shortage of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles.
4. Russia can easily launch 200-300 drones per day, and in the fall it will be able to increase this figure to 500 or even 1000.
5. Russia is improving its drones, which are becoming more and more sophisticated and harder to shoot down.
6. Russia has not yet reached its peak in missile and drone production.
7. Ukraine is not capable of fully covering entire areas and even regions from massive Russian strikes.
In fact, the strikes of recent days have been quite illustrative.
More from Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin: "There are no restrictions"
For those who relaxed under the talk of "deals"
"There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons that were delivered to Ukraine - neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us. There are none by the Americans either" (c) Merz
Anything that lies below the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons can and will be used in Ukraine.
It is worth considering lifting any restrictions on strikes on Ukrainian territory that we have imposed on ourselves.
If anything, the average percentage of shot down Western cruise missiles is slightly more than 70%.
"There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons that were delivered to Ukraine. Neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us," he said during a speech at a forum organized by the WDR television channel.
According to Merz, the US also does not limit the range of use of American weapons by Ukrainian troops. He also added that he considers it necessary to ensure the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine.
Even more from regnum.ru Ukraine complains about ineffectiveness of air defense forces against Russian drones
The Ukrainian air defense forces were ineffective against modernized Russian drones. This was stated to Business Insider (BI) by the commander of a group of one of the Ukrainian air defense units, who introduced himself as Alexey.
According to him, the new drones used by the Russian Armed Forces are capable of reaching speeds of over 290 km/h and carrying an increased warhead — twice as much as previous versions. Also a problem is decoy drones, which consume Ukrainian air defense systems.
In addition, drones begin to attack targets from a height of over 2.4 km, which makes them out of reach for machine guns mounted on pickups, which mobile air defense groups are armed with. According to the publication's interlocutor, to effectively combat modernized UAVs, Ukrainian units need portable anti-aircraft missile systems.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Two members of a cell of a terrorist organization supervised from Poland, detained in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, have been arrested until July 19. This was reported by the press service of the courts of general jurisdiction of the region.
“By the decisions of the Nizhny Novgorod District Court of Nizhny Novgorod, a preventive measure was chosen for them in the form of detention until July 19, 2025 inclusive,” the court told RIA Novosti.
They are accused of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in the activities of a terrorist organization).
As reported by the Regnum news agency, earlier that day the FSB detained seven members of a cell of an international terrorist organization from the Central Asian states. The press service also published footage of the detention.
ISIS in the Caucasus? Al Qaeda in the Caucusus? I understand not wanting to give them a microphone, but it would be nice to know how to file them for the Rantburg archives.
It was specified that the suspects, on the instructions of the emissary from Poland, were engaged in the dissemination of terrorist ideology in the Muslim environment, aimed at the violent seizure of power and the creation of the so-called World Caliphate. The detainees were also engaged in recruiting new supporters during secret meetings.
A specialist in the field of countering extremism and terrorism, leading researcher at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrei Yashlavsky, in an interview with the Regnum news agency, said that Poland is digging a hole for itself, and cited two possible options related to international terrorist cells.
In the first case, the supervision of the adherents of global jihad is carried out at least with the knowledge of the Polish special services or under their leadership - under the pretext of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." At the same time, Poland itself, from the terrorists' point of view, will still be considered a territory under the control of infidels, since the majority of the country's inhabitants profess Christianity. In the second scenario, the Islamist underground can act independently and freely, then it is time for Europeans to sound the alarm and suppress the hidden threat, which is relevant not only for Russia, but also for themselves, concluded Yashlavsky.
FSB officers identified and stopped the activities of 62 underground weapons workshops during March and April. This was reported on May 26 by the FSB Public Relations Center.
“The illegal activities of 172 residents from 58 regions of the country involved in the illegal circulation of weapons of destruction, as well as the restoration of the combat properties of civilian weapons in underground workshops and their sale have been stopped <…> The activities of 62 underground workshops for the modernization of weapons and the manufacture of ammunition have been stopped,” the department said.
During the searches, security forces found about 136 kg of explosives: ammonal, hexogen, plastic explosive, TNT and gunpowder. They also seized more than 56 thousand cartridges of various calibers.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 23, the FSB reported the arrest of a man who was preparing a terrorist attack during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in Kaliningrad. Investigators established that he voluntarily joined a terrorist organization banned in Russia and planned to detonate an explosion on the route of a parade column of military personnel.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Uganda has been rocked by a diplomatic row. The focus has been on German Ambassador Matthias Schauer, who Ugandan authorities have accused of supporting anti-government forces and attempting to undermine the stability of the state. The row has gone beyond the usual diplomatic attacks.
Kampala suddenly curtailed military cooperation with Berlin, thereby demonstrating its seriousness in taking the insults inflicted on it.
However, such an escapade could prove quite costly for Uganda in the long run, especially since the spat with the Europeans has once again drawn attention to the country's long-standing internal problems.
PROTEST NETWORK
According to statements by the country's Defense Ministry's public information department, the cooling of relations was due to "subversive activities" by Europeans.
According to intelligence agencies, the embassies of “a number of EU countries” were involved in financing and mobilizing Ugandan dissident groups working to overthrow the “eternal” President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (in power continuously since 1986), and the German ambassador acted as the “conductor” and manager in this process.
The “provocateurs and bombers” detained by counterintelligence in different parts of the country six months ago allegedly also claimed to have connections with the German embassy.
The key figure around whom the protest network was built is identified by authorities as Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, better known by his stage name Bobby Wine.
The singer and musician, who ran for president in 2021, is considered Museveni's main challenger for the seat. He is convinced that the incumbent "won by deception" and used administrative leverage to crush the national opposition and send Ssentamu to jail.
However, despite this, Bobby Wine is ready for a rematch and has already stated his intention to participate in the 2026 campaign.
The Europeans do indeed have some benefit from supporting the "singing president". Unlike Museveni, who is focused on balancing between Beijing and the US, Wine aims to expand strategic ties with the EU (mainly with France and Germany), as well as to create a favorable regime for European business in Uganda.
Given the rapid expulsion of Europeans from Africa, Kampala's loyal attitude could well turn Uganda into a hub for EU investment in the continent.
Interestingly, representatives of the Ugandan intelligence services are silent about when exactly the German embassy began to maintain business relations with the opposition, given that Schauer has been working in the country since 2020 and had not raised any complaints before that.
This creates a vast space for informational speculation. To the point that Bobby Vine's political image was created with the active participation of European political strategists and with European money.
PERSONAL GRIEVANCES
However, there is an opinion that the current diplomatic row is rather a consequence of an earlier spat between Kampala and the EU, in which Ambassador Schauer unwittingly played the role of catalyst.
At a closed meeting with the country's top officials in March 2025, European diplomats criticized Uganda's current course. In particular, they criticized the ongoing pressure on the opposition and public figures, extrajudicial persecution, blackmail and torture.
The German ambassador, who was present at the meeting, supported his colleagues' line. The object of his criticism was the head of state's son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who holds the post of commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The latter has repeatedly allowed himself to make controversial publications on social networks, where he bragged, among other things, about torturing Eddie Mutwe, the opposition leader’s bodyguard, whom he had kidnapped.
Schauer also mentioned the inadmissibility of any persecution of Bobby Wine's supporters (meaning persecution without legal grounds), which greatly offended his interlocutors.
And although the heavyweights of Ugandan politics present at the meeting – in particular, the commander-in-chief’s uncle, General Salim Saleh – reacted calmly to the Europeans’ attacks and promised to “bring their colleague to heel,” the meeting had the opposite effect.
The Europeans' statements about the inadmissibility of persecuting opposition members quickly revealed a "double bottom," and the scandal led to Kampala demonstratively ending its military contacts with Berlin.
A DE FACTO CLAIM TO THE ENTIRE EU
At first glance, stopping military cooperation with Germany was relatively easy for Uganda: Berlin occupied a relatively small share in the structure of Kampala's military imports. Even among its neighbors in the European Union, it never rose above fifth place, supplying mainly components for wheeled vehicles.
This is largely due to the fact that the majority of the Ugandan army's arsenal to this day consists of Soviet weapons and equipment, as well as their "clones" from Warsaw Pact countries, which is why the products of the German military-industrial complex were not in great demand.
Even with the start of Kampala's transition to modern weapons in the second half of the 2010s, Berlin's position did not improve much: the promising market was quickly divided between arms giants - the US, UK, China and Russia. And corporations from South Africa established themselves in the wheeled vehicle sector.
European countries continued to act primarily as suppliers of the remnants of Soviet arsenals and donors of spare parts.
On the other hand, by promoting a diplomatic scandal, the Ugandan leadership has effectively made a claim to the entire European Community, whose leaders have already expressed solidarity with Berlin and promised to reconsider their attitude toward the course chosen by Kampala.
Germany also has its own trump cards.
Previously, Berlin has repeatedly acted as a guarantor of the purity of Kampala's arms deals with other countries. For example, it participated in the supply of Israeli-made ATMOS self-propelled guns to Uganda, and also transferred, with the consent of the United States, several batches of Humvee light military off-road vehicles, which were in service with the Bundeswehr.
The discrediting of the German diplomatic corps in the eyes of the world community could well become an unofficial basis for tightening the procedure for mediation in arms deals - something the German establishment is hinting at quite transparently to the Ugandans. Even if only through the mouths of influential retirees for now.
If the conflict deepens, the German meticulousness characteristic of the arms business will be elevated to the absolute, which will slow down the process of rearmament of the Ugandan army and cause unrest among the military elite.
Museveni's cabinet is unlikely to be happy to receive such a "gift" on the eve of the presidential elections scheduled for January 2026. But Kampala, apparently, is not yet ready to back down, thereby acknowledging the artificial nature of the scandal.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The Astrakhan police must establish those responsible for damaging the monument to the victims of political repression, whether it was vandalism or the consequences of poor-quality repairs to the monument by a contractor, Astrakhan residents said and called on government officials to ensure the restoration of the pedestal.
The Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repression has been celebrated in Russia since 1991 on October 30. As a rule, activists in Astrakhan lay flowers at the monument to the victims of repression on this day.
Andrei Sevastyanov lives with his family on Saint-Simon Street in the Kirovsky District of Astrakhan. While walking with his family in Druzhby Park on May 25, he discovered damage to the monument to the victims of political repression.
"The monument to the victims of political repression is located in the very center of Astrakhan, next to the headquarters of OOO Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft. Yesterday we were walking there with our children and discovered that the facing granite tiles on one side were knocked off and some tiles were cracked. These are definitely vandals, because if the tiles had simply fallen off, they would not have cracked. There should be video cameras on the Lukoil building. Let the police figure it out and search," Andrey told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Andrei said that he reported the incident to the police officers on duty near Druzhba Park on the evening of May 25. They promised to report it "to the appropriate authorities." As a descendant of those repressed, he knows the history of the monument well and is concerned about its condition.
"The monument was originally erected in the October Revolution Park in 1995 (sculptor G.I. Potapov, architects A.I. Fedorchenko and V.V. Khristoforov). But in 2007-2011, the park was demolished and the Palace of Justice (the building of the Regional Court) was built in its place as part of the federal program for the development of the judicial system. The monument was moved to the 17th Pier Park, now Druzhba Park. The monument was moved and reconstructed at that time by Lukoil. But the monument is on the balance sheet of the mayor's office," the Astrakhan resident said.
MY TWO GRANDFATHERS SUFFERED FROM STALIN'S REPRESSIONS. THAT'S WHY WE BRING FLOWERS HERE EVERY OCTOBER
"Two of my grandfathers suffered from Stalin's repressions. That's why we bring flowers here every year in October (October 30). At other times, we often walk in this park. This is a place often visited by city residents. And here are the vandals. It's a disgrace for the city - a monument to the victims of political repressions has become the object of a hooligan attack. Perhaps this was done for political reasons. Stalinism is now raising its head in the region," suggested Andrei Sevastyanov.
Political scientist Mikhail Doliev told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the monument to the victims of political repression in Astrakhan has been attacked by vandals on multiple occasions. The monument, according to him, is located "in an elite location", it is adjacent to the Lukoil office, which is located at the following address: Astrakhan, Admiralteyskaya Street, 1 k2. This is close to the Volga River Embankment and the house where the governor lives.
"On May 24, I learned that the monument to the victims of political repression was damaged once again. Earlier, when we held events dedicated to the victims of political repression, we noticed that tiles were falling off the monument's pedestal. This time, the tiles didn't just fall off, someone broke them," said Mikhail Doliev.
The political scientist noted that the monument "has a difficult fate, as do those people in whose memory this memorial was erected." The monument itself was unveiled in 1995 in a different location. According to Mikhail, in 2011 the monument "suddenly disappeared," but later "secretly from the public" it was moved at Lukoil's expense to Druzhby Park, next to Lukoil's headquarters.
"At the same time, during the transfer, probably due to the impossibility of preserving the integrity, the black granite tiles were lost and replaced with light-gray ones. Apparently, the installation of the pedestal was of poor quality, which is why the tiles regularly fall off. I believe that since Lukoil sponsored the transfer and hired a contractor, it is Lukoil that should oblige this company to carry out warranty repairs. In addition, Lukoil's video cameras and security could well have noticed those who broke the tiles of the monument's pedestal. Moreover, Senator Gennady Ordenov (Deputy General Director for General Affairs of LUKOIL-Nizhnevolzhskneft LLC, - KU note) recently attended the opening of the Memory Park dedicated to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in the village of Mirny in the Astrakhan Region. It is surprising that the senator does not monitor the cultural heritage near his own office?" Mikhail Doliev was indignant.
A member of the Yabloko party, who asked not to be named, suggested in a comment to a Kavkazsky Uzel correspondent that the monument could have suffered from “decrepit state” rather than vandalism. “Apparently, during the last renovation work, workers used low-quality materials. That’s why the tiles fell off. But in any case, the monument needs to be restored. I spoke with employees of the Kirovsky District administration. They said that it will soon be repaired using municipal funds,” the source said.
The press service of the Astrakhan mayor's office refused to verbally answer a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent's question about the condition of the monument to the victims of repression.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
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...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set. Currently the disease is only found in Pakistain and Afghanistain...
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