[KhaamaPress] Amnesty International UK says asylum approvals for Afghans fell from 98% to 44%. The group warns new immigration laws are unfair, harmful, and undermine refugee protections.
Amnesty International UK has warned that Britannia’s new immigration policies have sharply reduced the rate of asylum approvals for citizens of Afghanistan and several other countries.
According to the report, only 44 percent of Afghan applicants were granted asylum this year, compared to 98 percent in the previous year. Approval rates for Iranian applicants dropped from 84 to 58 percent, while for Eritrea ...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age... ns they fell from 99 to 86 percent.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, described the new policies as "flawed and unfair." He cautioned that the approach leaves thousands of asylum seekers without protection and risks creating a growing backlog of unresolved cases alongside higher public costs.
The organization also criticized the enforcement of the Nationality and Borders Act of 2022, arguing that it contravenes the Refugee Convention. Amnesty warned that the law not only harms vulnerable individuals but also wastes public resources and fuels divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... narratives within society.
In recent years, Britannia has tightened its immigration laws to curb arrivals. Human rights groups have repeatedly warned that restricting asylum protections risks harming vulnerable people, destabilizing communities, and straining the administrative system.
Amnesty’s findings point to a troubling reversal in the UK’s humanitarian commitments. Once among the most consistent in upholding refugee protections, the country is now accused of undermining international norms.
The report underscores a broader debate over Britannia’s migration strategy: whether stricter controls truly enhance border security, or instead erode fundamental rights and weaken social cohesion in the long run.
[KhaamaPress] Kim Pudge Jong-un ...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished... acknowledged North Korea ...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche... n troop losses in Ukraine for the first time, honoring fallen soldiers, while intelligence reports suggest thousands killed amid deepening Russia alliance.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has, for the first time, publicly acknowledged that his country’s soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine have suffered casualties. His comments came during a memorial ceremony on August 22, where he honored 100 fallen "hero soldiers" and met with grieving families.
Kim praised the troops’ sacrifice, declaring that "combat operations abroad have proven the strength of our heroic army without regret." It was the first official confirmation from Pyongyang of battlefield losses in Ukraine.
South Korean intelligence, however, suggests the toll is far higher than North Korea admits. According to the National Intelligence Service, nearly 600 North Korean soldiers were killed in fighting around Kursk alone. Out of roughly 15,000 troops deployed since April 2024, around 4,700 are believed to have been killed, with thousands more maimed.
By late 2024, reports indicated about 12,000 North Korean troops remained stationed in Kursk, with an additional 3,000 reinforcements sent in April 2025. The scale of deployment highlights Pyongyang’s deepening military support for Moscow, which has come under widespread condemnation from the West.
Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch clutched at his other leg...... fighting in the Kursk region continues. Fox News reported that despite Russia reclaiming parts of the territory, Ukrainian forces are conducting cross-border operations. The Institute for the Study of War noted that Ukrainian long-range drones recently struck the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in southern Russia, a vital supplier of fuel for Russian troops.
Kim, in his speech, insisted that North Korea’s overseas operations were "approaching victory." However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... he gave no indication of whether the soldiers deployed to Russia would eventually be brought back home.
The admission signals a significant shift in Pyongyang’s narrative, confirming what analysts long suspected: North Korea’s military is directly engaged in Russia’s war. This cooperation has tightened ties between Moscow and Pyongyang while drawing sharp criticism from Washington, Seoul, and European capitals.
Experts warn that continued casualties could undermine Kim’s domestic image, even as he frames the losses as heroic. At the same time, sustained deployments risk entangling North Korea more deeply in a costly foreign war, further isolating the regime internationally.
[KhaamaPress] Swiss officials confirmed four Taliban ...Arabic for students... diplomats visited Geneva to identify Afghan convicts, calling the move "sensitive but necessary" to issue valid Kabul-approved travel documents.
Swiss state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
has reported that four Taliban diplomats recently traveled to Geneva on a discreet mission to identify Afghan nationals convicted of crimes in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... . Officials described the visit as "sensitive but necessary."
According to Switzerland’s Federal Office for Migration, the two-day mission focused on confirming the identities of 11 convicted offenders and two Afghans who had volunteered to return home. The delegation arrived "several days ago," though authorities did not disclose the exact dates.
Swiss officials explained that the step was essential because the Taliban only recognize documents issued by their own authorities in Kabul. Other papers issued by Afghanistan’s former embassy in Bern are no longer valid.
Daniel Bach, front man for the migration office, admitted the move was politically delicate. "Everyone knows human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... are not respected in Afghanistan, which makes our work sensitive. But in Switzerland, protecting the public from criminals is the priority," he said.
Authorities emphasized that the Taliban envoys did not leave Geneva airport and were only allowed to carry out identification procedures. Most cases were verified successfully, and preparations for deportations have begun, though additional checks remain necessary in some instances.
The initiative follows a policy introduced last year by Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans, requiring Afghan offenders to be deported after serving their prison sentences. Five such deportations were carried out before Taliban authorities changed their rules, insisting that Kabul-issued documents be used for repatriations.
Germany also allowed two Taliban consular staff to be stationed temporarily in July to facilitate deportation flights, but Swiss authorities stressed they have no plans to permit a permanent Taliban presence in the country.
Switzerland’s decision underscores the growing dilemmas facing European governments in dealing with the Taliban while balancing domestic security needs and international human rights concerns. Analysts say such steps highlight the uneasy compromises Western democracies are making to enforce immigration law while avoiding formal recognition of the Taliban regime.
[ShabelleMedia] The US Embassy in Baghdad said Saturday that Washington remains deeply concerned about the continued operations and territorial expansions of the ISIS/ISIS and al-Qaeda terror groups, stressing that it will continue to prioritize partnerships with allies and regional actors to combat terrorism.
The embassy, citing remarks shared by the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs on US social media company X, commended UN member states that have sustained counter-terrorism pressure in Iraq, Syria and Somalia, saying these efforts have constrained ISIS operations.
Responding to the US concerns, Iraqi military front man Sabah al-Numan told the state news agency INA that ISIS no longer poses a threat inside Iraq, describing the terrorist group as "paralyzed" thanks to the vigilance and daily operations of security forces.
He stressed that Iraq’s borders are fully secured and that regional tensions will not directly impact the country’s stability.
Dorothy Shea, the US Ambassador to the UN, told the Security Council this week that Washington has intensified its counterterrorism campaign globally, targeting ISIS and al-Qaeda leadership, infrastructure and financial networks.
"Notable successes have included the elimination of high-ranking ISIS attack planners in Somalia, Iraq and Syria, and the transfer into US custody of the man allegedly responsible for the Abbey Gate terrorist bombing in Afghanistan," she said. "These actions demonstrate our unwavering commitment to dismantling terrorist organizations and protecting international security."
At least 13 US soldiers were killed in a suicide kaboom at Kabul airport in Afghanistan in August 2021. The attack was claimed by ISIS.
Shea added that the US continues to work with allies through intelligence sharing and joint operations in order to strengthen global security and prevent the spread of Death Eater ideologies.
[Garowe] Somalia’s Auditor General on Saturday reported that more than $1 million is missing from the federal treasury, in a damning annual audit that also revealed several key government institutions — including top courts — refused to cooperate with anti-corruption investigations.
Ahmed Issa Guutaale said the 2024 audit reviewed the financial compliance of 21 federal agencies. However,
women are made to be loved, not understood... three major institutions, all within the judiciary, rejected participation in the review without offering legal justification.
"The refusal and resistance to audit processes not only pose serious financial risks and hidden administrative failures, but also undermine the entire system of public oversight and accountability," Guutaale said.
The three agencies named in the report were: the Supreme Court, which received a $2.7 million allocation in the 2024 budget; two appellate courts in the Banaadir region, with a combined budget of $937,179; and three district courts in the same region, allocated $2.1 million.
Guutaale warned that the lack of transparency raises serious concerns about whether these funds were used in the public interest.
The report comes as Somalia continues to rank as the most corrupt country in the world, according to Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index. Analysts say the refusal of judicial bodies to undergo financial scrutiny severely undermines public trust and the rule of law in a country struggling with institutional reform.
So it has nothing to do with War on Terror, they’re just awful people all the time
"This level of noncompliance casts significant doubt on whether public funds are being managed in any way that benefits the government or Somali citizens," Guutaale said.
The Auditor General’s findings are expected to fuel calls for greater accountability and international pressure on Somalia’s government to strengthen its anti-corruption framework.
[Rudaw] 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) carried out a suicide kaboom in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, killing a member of the state security forces, state media reported late on Friday.
The attack targeted a checkpoint in Mayadin city, according to Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Mayadin is located within areas of Deir ez-Zor controlled by Damascus. The oil-rich part of the province is under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Deir ez-Zor is a hotspot for ISIS attacks. The bully boy group often targets SDF in the province. The Kurdish-led force, with the support of the US-led global coalition against ISIS, has carried out numerous operations against the group there.
Kurdish internal security forces (Asayish), which is part of the SDF, on Friday announced the arrest of an ISIS leader in Hasaka city. He was accused of intimidating civilians, robbery and targeting security forces.
[IsraelTimes] Israeli forces have advanced about two kilometres into Syrian territory at more than one location, setting up checkpoints and detaining Syrian citizens, drawing condemnations from regional countries, state media reported on Friday.
The new development comes despite talks between Tel Aviv and Damascus in Gay Paree under US mediation, as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at promoting security and stability in Syria.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said Friday that Israeli armored vehicles have advanced from the Golan Heights into the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra.
Six Israeli army vehicles entered the town of Abdeen west of Daraa at dawn, briefly detaining three young men from one family, SANA reported. Another four Israeli army vehicles entered the village of al-Ajraf in Quneitra where they set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the village and searched several homes.
Since the collapse of the regime in Syria in December last year, the Israeli army has carried out a number of operations across the border, including Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s and ground operations to support the Druze minority in the south of the country, as Damascus struggles to maintain control over Druze-majority areas in the south, where protesters recently called for separation from the Syrian state.
Israel's military activity was discussed at a meeting of the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... Security Council on Thursday.
"The Arab Group condemns in the strongest terms the violations of the Israeli occupation forces in Syrian territory, which represent a flagrant violation of Syrian illusory sovereignty, international law, and the United Nations Charter, and a direct threat to regional peace and security," Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... ’s permanent representative to the UN, Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, told the council.
Iran’s ambassador, for his part, accused Israel of destabilizing Syria.
"The Security Council should not ignore the ongoing destabilizing actions of the Israeli regime in Syria. Israel’s repeated aggressive attacks have caused civilian casualties, destroyed vital infrastructure, and escalated regional tensions,"said Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani.
In early December, a coalition of opposition forces - then spearheaded by the now-dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS), under Ahmed al-Sharaa, led a swift offensive toppling the regime of longtime Syrian dictator Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... . Sharaa in late January became Syria’s interim president.
Since then, Tel Aviv has intensified efforts to destroy Damascus’s military stockpiles and its forces have entered buffer zones east of the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.
Israel had captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1974, a US-brokered Disengagement Agreement created a UN-monitored buffer zone to reduce tensions by delineating separation lines between Syrian and Israeli forces without establishing formal peace.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Tuesday held a rare meeting with Ron Dermer, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister and top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Gay Paree. The discussions, reportedly mediated by the US, come as Syria struggles to maintain control over Druze-majority areas in the south, where protesters recently called for separation from the Syrian state.
According to Tom Barrack, the US special Envoy for Syria, the goals of the meeting between Israel and Syria were achieved.
"Our goal was dialogue and de-escalation," Barrack said, without mentioning whether or not there were any agreements signed in the meeting.
[IsraelTimes] The Dutch House of Representatives approved a motion saying that the “Islamic terror organization Hamas should be completely destroyed” hours after Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp resigned after a cabinet meeting failed to agree on sanctions against Israel.
The motion, submitted by the far-right Party for Freedom in the lower house of the Netherlands’ parliament, insists Hamas cannot “play a single role” in Gaza’s future.
[IsraelTimes] Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh claims the Islamic Republic has established an infrastructure to manufacture weapons in “several countries,” in a television interview with the Iranian news agency Young Journalists Club.
He does not reveal the names of those countries. "Ruritania..."
Nasirzadeh says “missile development” has been a priority, “after the war with Israel, priorities may change.”
The factories “will likely be officially opened and announced in the near future.”
[IsraelTimes] Iran is seeking Belarus’s assistance to restore its defense capabilities damaged during the 12-day war with Israel in June, the Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service said in a statement, cited by Ukrainian media yesterday.
Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko met in Minsk with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier in the week, and while their talks officially discussed economic ties, Ukrainian intelligence said Tehran sought help with repairing its air defense and electronic warfare systems.
“Unlike Russia, Belarus is less restricted by sanctions in the military-technical sphere and could become a channel for restoring Iran’s defense capabilities,” the statement said.
[IsraelTimes] A Syrian official says that the selection process planned for a transitional parliament next month will be postponed in Druze-majority Sweida and two Kurdish-held provinces.
After toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria’s new authorities, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, dissolved the Assad-era parliament and adopted a temporary constitution for a five-year transition.
The interim charter has been criticized for concentrating power in Sharaa’s hands after decades of autocracy under Assad and for failing to reflect Syria’s ethnic and religious diversity.
The selection of the transitional parliament is planned for September 15-20. Appointed local bodies will pick two-thirds of the 210 lawmakers and Sharaa will name the rest.
But the process will be postponed in Druze-majority Sweida province in the south, and in Raqqa and Hasakeh in the north and northeast “until the appropriate conditions and a safe environment are available,” the official SANA news agency quotes organizing committee member Nawar Najmeh as saying.
Sweida province saw deadly sectarian clashes last month, with access to the province still difficult and the security situation tense.
A Kurdish administration largely controls Raqqa and Hasakeh provinces.
Implementation of a March 10 deal on integrating Kurdish institutions into those of the central government has been held up by differences between the two sides.
The postponement is due to “the security challenges these provinces are witnessing” and is “to ensure fair representation” in those areas, Najmeh says.
Seats will be “reserved” in the transitional legislative body for the three provinces to fill at a later date, he says, adding that the selection process can only go ahead in “territories controlled by the state.”
The new body will have a renewable mandate of 30 months.
[IsraelTimes] Iranian forces have killed six militants in a raid in the restive southeast, state media reports, saying they were members of a “terrorist” group linked to arch enemy Israel.
“During an intense exchange of fire with terrorists in Sistan-Baluchistan province, six assailants were killed and two others arrested,” official news agency IRNA says, citing a statement from the intelligence services.
The report doesn’t provide an exact location or say when the raid took place.
Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for clashes between security forces and armed groups, including drug traffickers and separatists.
IRNA says there are “documents” indicating “the Zionist nature” of the group targeted in the latest raid, adding that its members had planned to attack a “vital” facility in Iran’s east, without elaborating.
The report says that “the main operation team” was composed of “seven non-Iranian terrorists,” but doesn’t specify their nationality.
Two intelligence agents and a police officer were wounded in the gunfight, IRNA says.
Iran regularly reports deadly ambushes in the province targeting police or members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
[IsraelTimes] North Korea ...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche... n leader Kim Pudge Jong-un ...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished... has overseen the test-firing of two "new" air defence missiles, state media says, after Pyongyang accused Seoul of fomenting tensions at the border.
The test-firing, which took place yesterday, showed that the two "improved" missile weapon systems had "superior combat capability," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports.
The KCNA report does not explain the new missiles in any detail, only that their "operation and reaction mode is based on unique and special technology." It also does not say where the test had been carried out.
"The firing particularly proved that the technological features of two types of projectiles are very suitable for destroying various aerial targets," KCNA says.
On the same day, Kim also communicated an "important task" for the defense science sector to carry out before a key party meeting, the report says.
South Korea’s military said yesterday it had fired warning shots at several North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the heavily militarized border separating the two countries on Tuesday.
UN Command put the number of North Korean troops that crossed the border at 30, Yonhap news agency reported Sunday.
Pyongyang’s state media quotes Army Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol as saying the incident was a "premeditated and deliberate provocation."
"This is a very serious prelude that would inevitably drive the situation in the southern border area where a huge number of forces are [stationed] in confrontation with each other to the uncontrollable phase," Ko says.
South Korea’s new leader Lee Jae Myung has sought warmer ties with the nuclear-armed North and vowed to build "military trust", but Pyongyang has said it has no interest in improving relations with Seoul.
The missile tests also come as the South and the United States conduct extensive joint military drills.
North Korea — which attacked its neighbour in 1950, triggering the Korean War — has long been infuriated by such exercises, decrying them as rehearsals for invasion.
[WSB-Atlanta] A Japanese company that is best known for its high-tech bathroom fixtures is expanding in metro Atlanta.
A new, $224 million state-of-the-art facility for manufacturer TOTO opened in Georgia on Friday.
Construction crews broke ground on the original Morrow plant in 2023. According to TOTO officials, the new facility is three floors, and it is on a more than 363,000 sq. ft. plant.
"This is more than a factory opening—it’s the next chapter in our U.S. manufacturing story," said Taro Muroi, the CEO of TOTO USA. "This expansion cements our leadership in luxury bathroom innovation while creating a more agile, resilient manufacturing network."
The facility is expected to generate an estimated $43 million to Clayton County’s economy, according to Clayton County Development Authority. It will also boost domestic production by nearly 50%.
Officials call it the most advanced U.S. factory to date.
[IsraelTimes] Israel Air Force strikes against the Houthis in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, hit a military compound where the presidential palace is located, two power stations and a fuel depot, the military says.
The strikes come as a response to the Houthis’ repeated missile and drone attacks on Israel.
According to the IDF, the Yemeni presidential palace in Sanaa is “located within a military site from which the military operations of the Houthi terrorist regime forces are conducted.”
The two power plants that were targeted “served as a significant electricity supply facility for military activities,” the military says.
The strikes involved around a dozen IAF aircraft, including fighter jets and refuelers. More than 30 munitions were dropped on the four targets, according to military sources.
[PostMillennial] Over 1.7 million people sign petition demanding leniency for illegal immigrant trucker who killed 3 in Florida. "The incident was a catastrophe, not a criminal act," the petition states.
How many of the signatures belong to living legal residents or citizens currently resident in the United States? How many, by contrast, are imaginary, dead, or living in Pakistan or Canada? (Lots of Sikhs and Singhs in Canada…
An online petition attributed to a group calling itself “Punjabi youth” has drawn more than 1.7 million signatures, calling on federal authorities to release Harjinder Singh, an undocumented immigrant truck driver convicted in a deadly Florida crash.
Singh was behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler when he attempted a U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike, causing a collision that left three Americans dead. The case sparked outrage from victims’ families and advocacy groups, who say Singh’s actions warrant the full weight of the law.
In response to the crash, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this week an immediate pause on issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers, citing safety concerns and the need to protect American truckers’ jobs.
"Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers," Rubio said. "The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers."
The Department of Transportation revealed last week that Singh failed an English Language Proficiency (ELP) test during a post-accident interview, accurately identifying just one of four highway traffic signs and answering just two of the 12 verbal questions correctly.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in a press release on Tuesday that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has launched an investigation into the crash.
"If states had followed the rules, this driver would never have been behind the wheel and three precious lives would still be with us. This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures. Non-enforcement and radical immigration policies have turned the trucking industry into a lawless frontier, resulting in unqualified foreign drivers improperly acquiring licenses to operate 40-ton vehicles," Duffy said. "We will use every tool at our disposal to hold these states and bad actors accountable. President Trump and I will restore safety to our roads. The families of the deceased deserve justice."
The full petition reads as follows:
To: Governor Ron DeSantis
Office of the Governor of Florida
The Capitol, 400 S. Monroe Street,
Tallahassee, FL 32399-000
We, the undersigned, urge Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to re-examine and reduce the sentence for a 28-year-old truck driver involved in a fatal U-turn crash on Florida’s Turnpike in South Florida. This was a tragic accident — not a deliberate act. While accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident.
Key Considerations & Precedent:
No criminal intent or history: The incident was a catastrophe, not a criminal act. The driver has no prior record and fully cooperated with authorities.
Aproportionate sentencing:That guy should be given the harshest possible punishment, please."
Relevant precedent—Aguilera‑Mederos case: In Colorado, a driver, Rogel Aguilera‑Mederos, initially received a 110-year sentence for a fatal crash resulting in four deaths. Following a massive public outcry and a petition that garnered over 5 million signatures, Governor Jared Polis commuted his sentence to 10 years, with parole eligibility after five years (The Guardian, ABC, CBS News).
Judicial acknowledgment of unfairness: In that case, even the sentencing judge admitted that the mandatory minimum sentencing laws compelled him to impose the lengthy term and that “if I had the discretion… it would not be my sentence.” (Interrogating Justice, Wikipedia). Demonstrated effectiveness of public advocacy: The Aguilera-Mederos case illustrates how collective voices can catalyze justice reform.
Petition Requests:
That guy should be given the harshest possible punishment, and reasonable term, reflective of the circumstances and comparable to the Aguilera‑Mederos precedent. Grant parole eligibility after serving a fair portion of the reduced term, promoting rehabilitation and fairness. Consider alternative sentencing options, such as restorative justice measures, counseling, or community service, aligning with both accountability and compassion.
Conclusion: By granting clemency, you would reaffirm the value of proportional justice, the power of community advocacy, and the potential for rehabilitation. We believe this case is not just about one individual—it speaks to the broader principles of fairness and mercy in the justice system.
#1
This was criminal negligence, not only on the driver for failing everything but the people that hired him. The officials that allowed him to be able to drive, and the federal government for letting him in.
All individuals in these groups that were involved should be send to jail for RICO for fraud and being couplable in the manslaughter, including Biden and his staff.
#4
They're entitled to their opinion. Too bad, soooo sad. Maybe that approach works in your home countries, but not here.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/24/2025 15:45
Comments ||
Top||
#5
By definition it was a catastrophic, criminal act by a criminal illegal alien. Facts, not feelings matter, and you are accountable for your actions.
[FoxNews] A public unions expert told Fox News Digital the NEA spends less than 10% of its budget on 'representational activities'
Amid a trend of declining membership since the Supreme Court struck down mandatory union dues, the nation’s two largest teachers’ unions have poured tens of millions into left-wing causes, a new report finds from a conservative watchdog group.
The national nonprofit group, Defending Ed, released a report this week after combing through the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers' contributions to left-wing and far-left groups. The nonprofit found that the two unions spent a combined $43.5 million since 2022 to help fund state and federal political action committees and other ideologically left-wing entities, such as D.C. think tanks.
"It is clear that the teachers unions’ priorities are advancing far-left politics and radical social justice issues, not the education of children," Defending Ed researcher Rhyen Staley told Fox News Digital. "This is a slap in the face to families and teachers who want to focus on helping students improve their reading and math skills. It is time that Congress acts to stop this obscene redistribution of public monies to advance left-wing identity politics."
Left-wing philanthropic behemoths like the Tides Network, New Venture Fund, Sixteen-Thirty Fund, and Future Forward, the last of which was the main Super PAC supporting Kamla Harris' 2024 presidential run after former President Joe Biden dropped out, all received a combined nearly $1.5 million from the unions, according to the report.
The unions also forked over significant amounts of cash for groups that focus on supporting left-wing candidates for public office, such as the Democratic Governors Association, Democrat's House Majority and Senate Majority PACs.
Other groups they have donated to include major left-wing think tanks like the Center for American Progress and its 501(c)(4) arm, which received close to a million dollars since 2022 from the two unions.
Aaron Withe, an expert on public-sector unions, pointed out that the National Education Association spends less than 10% of its budget on what he called "representational activities," while, at the same time, the union spends 38% of its budget on contributions to left-leaning groups, lobbying and political gifts.
"You’d think in light of the decline in union membership in recent years, that they’d start providing value to members that outweighs the cost of membership," Withe told Fox News Digital. "Instead, they are appeasing the radical base of union members by advocating for men in women’s sports, transitioning minors, antisemitism and other radical ideological stances."
He added that this is just "the tip of the iceberg" too "when you consider that there are thousands of statewide and city and county teachers unions that are mostly funding the same causes."
[ZERO] The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration is playing a role in the sharpest decline in monthly remittances to Mexico in more than a decade, analysts say.
According to numbers released this month from the Bank of Mexico (Banxico), income from remittances abroad stood at $5.2 billion in June, a 16.2 percent decrease compared with June 2024.
That represents the largest drop in 13 years, according to a report from BBVA Research.
Remittances in 2024 represented approximately 3.4 percent of Mexico’s gross domestic product, according to the World Bank.
Remittances are transfers of money earned in the United States to such parties as relatives, friends, or business associates abroad. Ninety-nine percent of the remittances sent in the first half of 2025 were made through electronic funds transfers, according to the BBVA report.
The drop occurred after a decade of growth. Between 2013 and 2024, remittances to Mexico almost tripled to $64.7 billion from $23 billion, according to BBVA.
Analysts attribute the decline to President Donald Trump’s deportation policies and the availability of alternative methods for sending remittances. Skipping down to the preventative measure. REMITTANCE TAX
Republicans, who have argued that a remittance tax would discourage illegal immigration, were successful in getting a 1 percent remittance fee added to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Should have started at ten percent.
That tax becomes effective in January 2026 for certain types of remittances in which the sender provides cash, a money order, or a cashier’s check to remittance providers. Traditional remittance providers in the United States include companies such as Western Union and MoneyGram.
Vice President JD Vance cosponsored a similar bill when he was a U.S. senator from Ohio in 2023. That bill, called the WIRED Act, would have imposed a 10 percent fee on remittances flowing out of the United States.
#1
You earned it here. Pay taxes on it here and spend it here. Certainly well past time the "non-reported" cash income and tax avoidance should be ended.
The Mexican Cartel drug and people smuggling business will surely suffer.
#2
Currently, there is an estimated $150+ billion lost in tax revenues annually due to ILLEGALS wiring money home.
How about a tax on all Internationally Wired $$$$ if the sender is not a US Citizen, and not sending $$$ to immediate family, or for purchases?
For VISA workers here LEGALLY.
A simple VISA ID check with the VISA IV document # verified and recorded as proof to avoid the additional tax for job related earned income being wired home.
Since there are about 154 million US individual taxpayers (2022). That's works out to something like $974 for each US taxpayer, that is indirectly covering in various way for Illegals care and etc.
[ZERO] Let's make one thing very clear from the start: LGBT pride flags are political symbols for a political movement with an undeniable agenda. They are not "art murals" or expressions of civil rights, they are information weapons designed to saturate the American environment with far-left propaganda.
Woke activists have no right to paint their ideological symbols on taxpayer funded roadways. No political group has that right. The fact that progressives and Democrats were allowed to hijack US flagpoles and streets as their own personal indoctrination tools shows just how far America has fallen into the abyss in the past several years. Luckily, the pendulum is swinging back to center.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been disinfecting his state and killing the woke mind virus ever since his victory against the attempted coup by Disney in 2023. Leftists were dumb enough to believe that Florida needed Disney more than Disney needed Florida and the end result was predictable.
A person hit by a car in a Gay Pride painted Crosswalk may not have the full legal (lawsuit) protections that a properly marked/striped Crosswalk offers pedestrians.
When both drivers & pedestrians need to be focused on each other.
The Rainbow crosswalk, is to say the least, a major attention distraction.
Also, it does open the door for Lawyers seeking more $$$$$$ for their injured clients. Thus also suing the City/County for causing/creating / allowing such hazard & distraction.
[CollegeFix] A new book "The 1619 Project Myth," written by historian Phillip Magness, makes the case that The New York Times’ award-winning historical series about America’s founding is largely inaccurate and politically motivated.
Magness (pictured), told The College Fix in a recent phone interview that he was initially excited when he first heard about The 1619 Project, a series of articles in 2019 that delved into the founding of America.
However, "within about two articles, I realized there were some serious errors," he said. An economic historian, Magness serves as the David J. Theroux Chair in political economy at the Independent Institute and an adjunct professor at George Mason University.
A major focus of his new book, published in mid-July, is debunking the project’s economic claims about slavery.
The 1619 Project is a historical series created by New York Times staff writer Nikole Hannah-Jones. The project focuses on the history of slavery and race relations in early America, arguing that the country’s true founding was in 1619, when the first slaves arrived in America, not 1776. Hannah-Jones also teaches journalism at Howard University.
Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for the series, despite critiques from a number of historians and other prominent scholars, and the project continues to impact historic conversations today.
Magness said the authors "basically didn’t know the economic literature of slavery. This is one of the most heavily studied areas in the subfield of economic history for, I think, pretty obvious reasons."
"Matthew Desmond, the author of the chapter on capitalism and economics seemed to be oblivious to the existence of this," Magness told The Fix.
In Desmond’s chapter, he argued that slavery was at the heart of the American economy. A sociologist at Princeton University, he wrote: "Cotton planters, millers and consumers were fashioning a new economy, one that was global in scope and required the movement of capital, labor and products across long distances. In other words, they were fashioning a capitalist economy."
Magness said Desmond didn’t do his homework, because "he missed major research findings of the existing literature including pretty clear, conclusive evidence that slavery was not the driving mechanism of the entire American economy.
"Cotton was not the dominant industry of the American economy. If anything it was about 5 or 6 percent of GDP in that era," Magness said.
The book also critiques the project for inserting modern-day politics into historical scholarship.
Magness told The Fix that the authors "take that claim about American wealth being rooted in slavery up into the present day and use it to argue for income redistribution and massive reparations programs." He described it as "a current, modern day political agenda premised on what essentially comes down to an arithmetic error at the core of the original 1619 Project."
"Even though they’re talking about historical events and framing it as if we’re contextualizing the past, they very, very quickly move into political prescriptions that look and sound a lot like the Green New Deal," he said.
These programs, he said, would be disastrous for the U.S. economy. "The estimated dollar amount of the reparations-style program that they advocate for is $13 trillion. It would essentially bankrupt the United States."
Magness continued, "It’s just not economically possible to do what they claim they want to do, and, rather than having a serious answer to that, they just brush it aside."
He said these policy proposals and 1619 Project’s economic component are "co-dependent" on each other.
"In order to make the arguments for wealth redistribution or tearing down capitalism in the present day...they do need certain claims that they’ve made about the past to be true, one of which is that the cotton sector and plantation slavery more broadly were the engines of American wealth in the 19th century."
Magness said that claim is "statistically" and "patently untrue."
"But again, they are not interested in getting to the truth of these questions—these are straightforward empirical questions—they’re interested in making a political argument in the present day, so as a result, the narrative of history they tell becomes completely subordinated to that," he said.
Instead of reparations, Magness is in favor of "breaking down economic restrictions on mobility." He explained that "this is everything from tax cuts for people that are under the burden of the federal government, it’s deregulation of businesses, especially small businesses."
"The notion here is if you free up the economy, remove obstacles to accumulating wealth and remove obstacles to economic self-betterment, that’s the most equitable and just way of addressing problems of the past," he said.
In his book, he also argues that the 1619 Project could have been salvaged if its authors had listened to criticism and corrected errors.
However, "rather than engaging in an honest debate with them and answering the criticisms or correcting the factual errors, they just dug their heels in and took it in an even more overtly political direction," he said.
Neither Hannah-Jones nor Desmond responded to The Fix’s emails seeking comment on the new book’s critiques of their work.
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Most of that cotton based economy was destroyed by 1865, the period afterward was marked by significant economic growth in the rest of the country. Britain had switched to India for its cotton source. The regional economy of the South would remain moribund till the WW2.
[IsraelTimes] New York Times says prisoners taken back to newly built wards at Evin Prison that an inmate describes as a ‘dark dungeon’.
Iran chose to do put political prisoners there under suboptimal conditions, which somehow is an Israeli war crime, according to the government spokesman and the New York Times
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:12 In the laboratory, servicemen of the "East" military group are repairing "Mavics", which are actively used by motorized riflemen in combat operations. 19:49 Ministry of Defense RF:
Drone operators of the "East" group of forces disrupted the enemy's night rotation in the South Donetsk direction.
UAV operators of the 56th Separate Special Forces Battalion destroyed enemy armored vehicles in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
The operator of a strike UAV of the Yaroslavl paratroopers shot down a heavy cargo hexacopter of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with mines west of Chasov Yar.
FPV drone crews from the Rubicon Center continue to burn enemy equipment.
18:36 122mm D-30 howitzer crews of the North group of forces destroyed ammunition depots, UAV crews, machine gun positions and Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower in Sumy Oblast.
18:10 Fighters of the North group of forces struck three Ukrainian Armed Forces Baba Yaga drones in the Liptsov direction.
17:50 In the period from 14:00 Moscow time to 17:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 32 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
– 10 UAVs – over the territory of the Kaluga region,
– Seven UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
– Five UAVs – over the territory of the Novgorod region,
– Four UAVs – over the territory of the Leningrad region,
– Three UAVs – over the territory of the Tver region,
– Two UAVs – over the territory of the Smolensk region,
– One UAV – over the territory of the Tula region.
16:50 In the village of Repyakhovka, Belgorod district, as a result of a targeted strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces using an FPV drone a civilian died. The man died from his wounds on the spot.
Also in the area of the village, a passenger car was blown up by an explosive device. Thank God, the man only suffered a bruised leg. He received medical assistance at the Rakityanskaya Central District Hospital. Hospitalization was not required, the victim was sent home for outpatient treatment. The vehicle was damaged.
16:00 Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted drone strike on Lisichansk. As a result of the strike, a resident of the city was injured and received medical assistance.
15:45 A resident of Aleshkisufferedas a result of shelling of the residential sector by the Ukrainian Armed Forces
“A woman born in 1952 was hospitalized in the Aleshkovskaya Central Regional Hospital with a mine blast injury and a shrapnel wound to the chest,” emergency services reported.
15:10 Investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee will investigate further crimes committed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against civilians in the Kherson region
"As a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two men and a woman were killed in the village of Novaya Zburyevka, and two more civilians were injured. Two men were injured in Novaya Kakhovka and Aleshki," the Russian Investigative Committee found.
14:32 In the period from 12:00 Moscow time to 14:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 20 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
– Eight UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
– Seven UAVs – over the territory of the Smolensk region,
– Three UAVs – over the territory of the Kursk region,
– Two UAVs – over the territory of the Kaluga region
. 13:26 The concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces manpower in the forest on the left bank of the Volchya River was subjected to a massive attack, –video.
12:52 In the period from 9.30 Moscow time to 12.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 13 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:
12 UAVs – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
One UAV – over the territory of the Kaluga region.
12:27 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of August 23, 2025
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to conduct a special military operation.
Units of the North group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, airborne assault, and ranger brigades and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Staraya Guta, Novaya Guta, Pavlovka, Novaya Sich, Kondratovka, Varachino and Yunakovka in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kov direction, the situation along the front line has been improved, and units of the mechanized and motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been defeated in the areas of the settlements of Granov, Veterinary, Okhrimovka and Volchansk in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 150 servicemen, two combat armored vehicles, eight cars, three field artillery pieces, including a US-made 155mm howitzer M-777. Six ammunition and material depots were destroyed.
Units of the "West" military group actively liberated the settlement of Sredneye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Formations of two mechanized, assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Ol'govka, Kupyansk, Andreyevka, Osinovo, Kovsharovka in the Khar'kov region, Karpovka, Kirovsk and Kolodezi in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 230 servicemen, four armored combat vehicles, including a French-made VAB armored personnel carrier, a MaxxPro armored vehicle, and a U.S.-made HMMWV armored combat vehicle. Fourteen vehicles, an artillery piece, seven electronic warfare stations, and five ammunition depots were destroyed.
As a result of decisive actions by units of the Southern Group of Forces, the settlement of Kleban-Byk in the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated.
The manpower and equipment of three mechanized, mountain assault, airmobile, assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Chervone, Seversk, Minkovka, Vasyukovka, Markovo, Berestok, Dronovka, Svyato-Pokrovskoe, Nikolaevka and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost over 210 servicemen, a tank, five armored combat vehicles, seven cars, a field artillery gun, six ammunition depots and supplies.
Units of the "Center" group of forces took up more advantageous lines and positions. They defeated formations of two mechanized, assault, two airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a territorial defense brigade and a national guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Udachnoye, Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk, Belitskoye, Sukhoi Yar, Muravka, Rodinskoye, Novopavlovka, Chunishino of the Donetsk People's Republic and Filiya of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian armed forces lost over 430 servicemen, nine armored combat vehicles, including a Spartan armored personnel carrier and a British-made Mastiff armored vehicle. Thirteen vehicles, three artillery pieces, and two Israeli-made RADA radar stations were destroyed.
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 mechanized, assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a naval infantry brigade in the areas of the settlements of Kulturnoe, Poltavka, Zeleny Gai in the Zaporizhia region, Novokhatskoe, Kamyshevakha in the Donetsk People's Republic, Novonikolaevka, Zaporizhzhya and Velikomykhaylovka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 245 servicemen, three armored combat vehicles, 15 vehicles and three field artillery pieces, including a US-made 155mm M198 howitzer.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the mechanized, mountain assault brigades, the coastal defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of Kamenskoye, Stepnogorsk, Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia region, Antonovka, Kazatskoye and Nikolskoye in the Kherson region.
The enemy's losses amounted to 60 servicemen, 11 vehicles. Seven electronic warfare stations, seven ammunition depots, material resources and military-technical property were destroyed.
10:49 In the period from 8.20 Moscow time to 9.30 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed nine Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Bryansk region.
08:41 Russian Aerospace Forces inflicted air strikes on targets in the DPR
As a result of the airstrike, the FAB-3000 with a universal planning and correction module was successfully used to destroy the temporary deployment point of the 5th Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the village of Konstantinovka.
A FAB-500 strike hit the temporary deployment point of the 4th Separate Rapid Reaction Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in the area of the settlement of Belitskoye.
A light multi-purpose guided missile hit a temporary deployment point of the 54th separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the settlement of Seversk.
07:45 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:
Advance south of Varacino
Vladimirovka has been liberated➡️
Katerinovka has been liberated
Advance in Udachny
Expansion of the control zone north of Yalta➡️
Advance in Yunakovka👉
Enemy controls positions in the industrial zone in the western part of Stepovoye.
07:24 During the past night from midnight to 01:40 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed seven Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Four - over the territory of the Rostov region,
Two - over the territory of the Volgograd region,▫️
One - over the territory of Krasnodar Krai
. 05:03 Crew of the 152mm towed gun 2A36 "Giatsint-B" of the "Center" group of forces destroyed Ukrainian nationalists' UAV control point on the outskirts of Krasnoarmeysk in the DPR.
[IsraelTimes] Initiative comes after UN-backed commission that investigated sectarian violence recommended authorities increase diversity in security forces to gain trust of communities
Young Kurdish men, including members of religious minorities, recently signed up to join the Syrian government’s General Security forces in Afrin, an area in the country’s north from which Kurds were forcibly displaced years ago.
The push to recruit ethnic and religious minorities comes as the government in Damascus faces increased scrutiny after outbreaks of sectarian violence in recent months during which there were widespread reports of government-affiliated fighters killing and humiliating civilians from the Alawite and Druze sects.
A UN-backed commission that investigated violence on Syria’s coast recommended earlier this month that authorities should recruit from minority communities for a more "diverse security force composition" to improve community relations and trust.
Minorities are increasingly wary of the new authorities in Damascus, who are led by Sunni Moslem Islamist former turbans who overthrew President Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... in December after a nearly 14-year civil war.
An agreement reached in March between Damascus and Kurdish-led forces that control much of northeast Syria also has been on shaky ground.
SEEKING A ROLE IN THE NEW STATE
Abbas Mohammad Hamouda, a Kurdish Alawite, was among the young men lining up at a recruitment center in Afrin on Wednesday.
"I came with young men from my district to join the new state," he said. "We will stand together, united, and avoid problems and wars from now on."
The Kurds in Afrin "have been subjected to a lot over the past eight years," Hamouda said, adding, "I hope that the youth of Afrin will not think badly of us because of this affiliation" with the new authorities.
Formerly a Kurdish-majority area, Afrin was seized by Ottoman Turkish forces and allied Syrian opposition fighters in 2018, following a The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire... -backed military operation that pushed fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and thousands of Kurdish civilians from the area.
Arabs displaced from other parts of Syria have settled in the area since then and the Kurds who stayed have complained of discrimination against them.
Some are hoping the recent drive to recruit them to the security forces signals a shift toward more inclusion.
Malik Moussa, a Kurd from the Yazidi sect who signed up, said he had come hoping to be "part of the Syrian army and for there to be no discrimination."
"We hope that the new government will be for all the people, for there not to be oppression like there was in the past," he said.
Ferhad Khurto, a government official responsible for political affairs in the Afrin district, said about 1,000 young men had signed up in recent days to join General Security in the area from "all of its sects and colors and doctrines." He did not give a breakdown of the demographics of the new recruits.
"This is the first step, and there is a strategy ... for the sons of Afrin to share in all the government institutions, not only on the side of internal security but in civilian institutions," he said, adding that the recruitment drive in Afrin is part of a larger national strategy.
When asked for the numbers and percentage of minorities joining the security forces, Noureddine al-Baba, spokesperson for the Syrian Ministry of Interior, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named "competence and patriotism are the criteria used, not sectarian quotas."
SKEPTICISM ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT’S INTENTIONS
The recruitment effort drew skepticism in some quarters.
The Afrin Social Association, an initiative providing support to people displaced from Afrin in the Kurdish-controlled northeast, said in a statement posted on Facebook that "enrollment of some young people in the General Security Forces, without any guarantees to protect Afrin’s communities and ensure the dignified and voluntary return of the displaced, is an irresponsible act."
The association accused the authorities in Damascus of trying to "circumvent" the March agreement, which called for displaced people to be able to return to their homes, including in Afrin, along with a merger of the new government’s army and the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Wladimir van Wilgenburg, an Iraq-based Kurdish affairs analyst, said "in theory, the recruitment could improve the situation of Kurds in Afrin."
"It also depends if Kurds will be appointed to leadership positions in the security forces in Afrin and if they will really have any say, and if some Ottoman Turkish-backed groups would return to their original areas ... and if some of the violations stop," he said.
A Kurdish man living in Afrin, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, said locals have mixed feelings about the recruitment.
They believe it could be positive if the authorities are "really serious about giving a role in Afrin to the original people of this area," but they fear the Kurdish recruits would be "employed negatively" in case of an armed conflict between the state forces and SDF, he said.
Some Kurdish families are pushing their sons to join, either because the security forces are seen as a career path for those without other options or in hopes of gaining political benefits, the man said.
"I know a young guy who was working as a barber and his grandfather forced him to go to the General Security, saying that we must have influence in the state," he said.
[IsraelTimes] Nation’s currency to be revalued after 99% collapse since 2011; plan aims to restore confidence after years of hyperinflation and war, remove Assad family from notes.
Will they turn to France to print their new currency, too?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] According to one forecast, the remnants of Hurricane Erin, raging in the United States, may reach Europe and cause warming in Central Russia at the end of August. This was reported on August 23 by Marina Makarova, a leading employee of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center.
"It will get warmer in the last days of August. One of the forecast options is the remnants of Hurricane Erin. It remains very powerful, and will circle between the British Isles and Greenland. According to one of the options, a cyclone may form on its remnants, which will reach Europe and, possibly, pass slightly north of Moscow," the specialist said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Makarova also noted that more rain will reach the more northern regions, while it may be warm in Moscow.
Earlier, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in connection with the approach of Hurricane Erin, which formed in the Atlantic Ocean. Heavy rains, coastal flooding, strong gusts of wind up to 80 km/h and waves up to 5 m high are predicted in the state.
Earlier, forecasters reported a cold snap in Moscow on August 17.During the week of August 18–24, the air temperature was expected to be around +20°, 1–2 degrees below the average long-term figures, and then a new cyclone with showers and thunderstorms is expected, the forecaster added.
Earlier, Yandex Weather meteorologists reported that in many regions of Russia, the temperature in autumn will be higher than in the last 30 years. New records of average seasonal and monthly temperatures are expected, in particular, in Novosibirsk, Kazan, Samara, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk and Perm, and the greatest excess of usual values is predicted for November, which may become the warmest in the last decade.
[IsraelTimes] The Abu Shabab gang claims to have carved out an area where it is providing electricity, medical care and education for thousands of displaced Gazans under IDF protection
For nearly two years, schools across 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 have been largely shut down.
But in eastern Rafah, a rare exception has emerged: a small school operating in an area controlled by the Abu Shabaab clan — an anti-Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... group with possible ties to Israel and a questionable past — that now serves more than 100 kids from kindergarten through seventh grade.
The school eschews Paleostinian Authority textbooks previously prevalent in Gaza, with teachers apparently recruited from among displaced Paleostinians living in a part of Gaza controlled by the Israel Defense Forces and appears to educate pupils along progressive ideas of pluralism and tolerance.
"We want to create a generation of learners, not terrorists," said Mohammed, a senior member of Abu Shabaab’s forces, in a phone interview with The Times of Israel.
(Mohammed and all others who spoke to The Times of Israel for this article requested that they only be referred to by fictitious names to preserve their anonymity.)
In central Gaza, another school has also sprung up, with a similar stated mission of educating children away from hate.
Both initiatives appear to address longstanding Israeli concerns regarding Paleostinian education, which critics say includes content that incites against Israelis and Jews, perpetuating narratives that fuel distrust and conflict rather than coexistence.
CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER CLAN AUTHORITY
According to footage published online, some of it by the Abu Shabaab group, and members of Abu Shabaab’s forces who talked to the Times of Israel, the clan has established both security structures, but also civilian infrastructure to support several thousand Paleostinians living in an area of Rafah under full security control of the IDF.
Infrastructure in place includes electricity, water, a medical center and the school itself, which serves around 130 children.
The head of the clan, Yasser Abu Shabaab, is a Bedouin Paleostinian from Rafah who was little known in Gaza or Israel before October 7. Arab media reports have linked him to criminal activity, including theft and drug trafficking, and describe him as the leader of a family-based militia.
According to Al Jazeera, Abu Shabaab was tossed in the calaboose Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! at one point by Hamas, but he has denied these claims, telling the Sunday Times in July that before the war, he was merely a construction worker with no military experience.
Hamas has accused the Abu Shabaab militia of stealing humanitarian aid to sell for profit. A leaked UN memo reported on by The Washington Post in November 2024 described him as "the primary and most influential figure behind systematic looting of aid convoys."
There is evidence to suggest that the group, whose members are wanted by Hamas, is now operating under the aegis or tacit consent of Israel in areas of Gaza under IDF security control, though it has not been confirmed.
A video published on the official Abu Shabaab Facebook page on June 3 showed the forces hosting displaced families in tents, guarding aid trucks and distributing food packages, though it is unclear if the group was acting under any authorization or had seized the aid.
Satellite analysis published in Haaretz geolocated the group’s activities to an area between the Morag Corridor and Rafah, which has been under Israeli control since April.
On June 5, Israel admitted to supplying weapons to "Bedouin groups in Rafah to weaken Hamas," without confirming reports that it was supporting Abu Shabaab directly.
According to Mohammed, Abu Shabaab — which describes itself as "The Popular Forces" had built a de facto local administration in the area over the last few months.
"The medical and educational centers are part of the Popular Forces," he said. "They brought in teachers, provided generators for electricity and drilled wells for water."
In an August 10 video posted on the clan’s official Facebook page, Yasser Abu Shabaab and two men, presented as senior members of his forces, are seen showing off the school, medical center and a kitchen serving daily meals to displaced families.
"There are 5,000 displaced people here," Mohammed said. "Some families have 20 members, others just two after losing relatives in the war."
Another armed clan member, Issa, confirmed to The Times of Israel that the group has been operating in the area for about six months. He said more displaced families were expected, but their arrival was delayed due to IDF activity nearby.
In June, Yasser Abu Shabaab told Israel’s Army Radio that he was not collaborating with the IDF. "We do not work with Israel. Our goal is to defend Paleostinians from Hamas terror. Our weapons are simple, collected locally," he said.
Weeks later, however, the Kan broadcaster aired another interview with a man purporting to be Abu Shabaab in which he acknowledged working with the IDF. However,
the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything... the clan denied that the speaker was Yasser Abu Shabaab.
The fact that entry to the area requires IDF coordination suggests, at a minimum, tacit Israeli approval.
The IDF declined to comment when contacted by The Times of Israel.
SCHOOL OF RIGHTS
One of the key projects in the clan-controlled area is the new school.
"We have six classrooms with 25 to 35 students each, from kindergarten to seventh grade," Mohammed explained.
According to him, teachers were recruited from among the displaced Paleostinians in the area.
Schools across Gaza have been shut since war erupted on October 7, 2023, except for some facilities that opened during a two-month ceasefire in January and February.
Before the war, Gaza’s schools, many of which were run by the UN agency for Paleostinian refugees UNRWA, were criticized for indoctrinating children to hate Israelis and Jews.
Curriculum used by UNRWA and PA textbooks, which had been used in Gaza even after Hamas seized control of the Strip in 2007, were accused of promoting violence and terrorism against Israel, fueling hatred for future generations, critics said.
The Rafah school appears to have embraced a different path, though the source of its curriculum is unclear.
"We want a curriculum that replaces terror and violence with learning," Mohammed said. For now, lessons are oral, not based on the flawed Paleostinian Authority textbooks."
In the Facebook video, a teacher can be seen leading a class discussion on human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. . A girl named Jamila recites that: "Human rights belong to everyone and are only restricted when they conflict with the law."
On August 12, the Center for Peace Communications, a US-based nonprofit that supports inter-ethnic dialogue in the Middle East, published a separate video of the School.
"We will begin again and restore education in Gaza."
In eastern Rafah, anti-Hamas teachers are building Gaza's first schools for peace and tolerance.
— Center for Peace Communications (@PeaceComCenter) August 12, 2025
In the video, a teacher explains hospitality, equality and freedom.
“Can I take a girl and lock her away?” she asks the class. “No, she has a right to freedom.” She also warns against discrimination based on religion or ethnicity.
The teacher in the video identifies herself as Samira Abu Mousa, with degrees from the Islamic University and Al-Aqsa University. She says her opposition to Hamas stems from discrimination she faced in seeking teaching jobs without political connections.
“I and people like me long for peace, hope and security,” she tells the class.
In a subsequent post, the center wrote that it filmed the video in July, calling the area under Abu Shabab control a “pilot” for a “future free of Hamas.”
It is not clear if there is any relationship between the center and Abu Shabab. The center declined to comment.
Mohammed admitted that the forces have “partners” with whom they are trying to develop civilian activity in the area, including at the school, but did not provide further details.
According to Issa, new equipment for the school arrived via the Kerem Shalom crossing recently, including computers and notebooks that he said had been donated by foreign groups and Arab-Israeli citizens. He declined to elaborate further.
In central Gaza, a separate initiative has launched a school for 600 displaced children in Deir al-Balah, an area with little Israeli ground presence but hundreds of thousands of refugees.
The school was established by Dr. David Hassan, a Palestinian-American physician, with support from the Israeli aid group SmartAID. It enrolls orphans from kindergarten through ninth grade and provides two daily meals with help from World Central Kitchen. Founder José Andrés visited the school during his August 15 trip to Gaza.
Unlike the Abu Shabab effort, the school in Deir al-Balah still uses PA textbooks, albeit with modifications.
“We took the PA textbooks and only changed words,” Hassan told The Times of Israel over the phone. “We didn’t want to write something new, just fix problematic content. Our teachers are all women, carefully vetted to ensure no Hamas ties. Our vision is to reach 5,000 children. If we fail, there will be no other education without hate.”
According to Mohammed, aside from the school, the area under Abu Shabab administration also includes a medical center staffed by displaced doctors and nurses.
“We monitor chronic diseases, emergencies and provide medication for the elderly,” he said.
The clan member expressed hope that Gaza would in the future be administered by a “third option” that is neither Hamas nor Israel.
“We don’t like Hamas, we fought them, and we know life will be better without them,” Mohammed said. “What matters most is humanitarian action here in Rafah — because it ends terror and gives people the chance to live in peace and security.”
Interesting that they don’t quantify even a suggestion of how many thousands…
[IsraelTimes] Weekly demonstrations come as Netanyahu says Israel to negotiate for all captives after Hamas okayed phased deal, even as Gaza City takeover still looms
Thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv and across Israel on Saturday night in weekly protests calling on the government to make a deal with the Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... terror group for a hostage release deal and ceasefire in the Gazoo Strip, while thousands more gathered for a separate Jewish-Arab anti-war protest.
The demonstrations came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had issued instructions for negotiations to be held for the return of all 50 hostages, even as he moved toward approving plans for a military offensive aimed at conquering Gaza City.
Previously the protesters demanded that all the hostages would be released at once, with no preference for those in greatest distress. Now that Bibi also demands that, the protesters have moved the goalposts yet again.
Hamas said last week it had agreed to a proposed deal, which would see the release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 slain hostages during a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the release of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners. During the ceasefire, Israel and Hamas would hold negotiations for the return of all remaining hostages and a permanent end to the war.
Netanyahu has indicated in recent weeks, however, that he would only support a comprehensive deal, rather than a phased, partial agreement, and only if the terms meet all his conditions, including the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, and the transfer of governance to a body that is not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
SEPARATE ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST
As happens every week, a separate protest — this one explicitly anti-government — was held nearby, on Begin Road.
After the speeches ended, protesters gathered around a group of drummers and lit a bonfire. It burned for a few minutes before police entered the crowd with a fire extinguisher and quickly put out the blaze.
Minutes later, protesters lit another fire while continuing to chant for a hostage deal. It was soon extinguished by the cops as well.
As the flames fizzled out on the pavement, Zahiro Mor, the nephew of slain hostage Avraham Munder, gave an impromptu speech, telling protesters that “we are now seeing not an attempt, but the active torpedoing [of hostage deal negotiations].”
“We will do everything to prevent this!” he declared. “Starting tomorrow and continuing throughout the entire week, there will be tons of demonstrations… the important thing is that we get out onto the streets and finally voice our fucking rage!”
Go fuck your rage in private like decent people, and stop scandalizing children in the streets.
In addition to the main protests in Tel Aviv, demonstrators gathered in Jerusalem, Haifa, and other major cities across Israel, as well as at highway junctions across the country, to call for a hostage deal.
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023, and the body of one soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.
Of the 50, 20 are believed to be alive, and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others. The remaining 28 have been confirmed dead by the military.
‘STOP KILLING CHILDREN’: ARAB-LED PROTESTERS DECRY ‘GENOCIDE’
A separate anti-war protest, led by an Arab civil society group in partnership with human rights organizations, was held in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square earlier in the day on Saturday, drawing thousands of participants.
Demonstrators, some of whom wore keffiyehs and held signs accusing Israel of committing genocide and starvation in the Strip, chanted: “From Gaza to Jenin — stop killing children,” and “Gaza, Gaza, don’t despair, we will end the occupation.”
The protest was organized by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, the leading umbrella organization representing the country’s Arab minority, together with the Partnership for Peace movement and a coalition of human rights groups.
Police on Thursday threatened to revoke the permit for the protest and a march that was planned alongside it, citing “the excess of events” the police already had to cover,” and demanded attendance be capped at 500 people rather than 5,000.
Following the cancellation of the permit, committee chair Mohammad Barakeh accused authorities of trying to silence Arab opposition to the war.
The demonstration featured the participation of all four Arab-majority parties — Hadash, Ta’al, Balad, and Ra’am,
…Ra’am is the political party of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement, the Muslim Brotherhood in Israel…
who are currently engaged in ongoing discussions over reviving the Joint List alliance.
Joint List was originally a paid project of the Barack Obama State Department, intended to aid the State Department’s Victory15 project which trained paid leftwing activists to protest and push Bibi Netanyahu out of office. It failed abysmally, but a great deal of fun was had by all. The same leftwing activists have been leading anti-Bibi protests ever since, funded by various US government and private initiatives. One would think they would tire of failing year after year, so it must be lucrative...
Hadash-Ta’al MK Aida Touma-Sliman took to X to share images of the anti-war protest, writing: “Here at Habima Square, despite attempts to silence and subjugate us, thousands of voices are crying out: End the war of destruction and starvation immediately!”
“The establishment can revoke permits, but the moral stand for life, justice and equality doesn’t need a permit, it only demands that you be a human being,” she wrote.
Not a very big crowd:
I came back home from the demonstration organized by the High Follow Up Committee of the Arabs and the Partnership for Peace. Still moved deeply by the thousands who came, Jews and Palestinian Arabs, citizens who brought their demand to stop the genocide and starvation policy and… pic.twitter.com/iAbEUkH7Bd
The same stories are told in Egypt and Nigeria — remember the Chibok girls who made Mrs. Obama so sad? In England they are groomed as communal prostitutes, while in Europe they’re just rape bait. In Syria, Druze females were were taken as booty in the recent Swaida explosion that drew in the IDF…
[PJMedia] A Christian girl in Pakistain who, in June, escaped the Moslem who kidnapped her said he forcibly converted her to Islam and repeatedly sexually assaulted her as his "wife."
Muskan Liaqat was 14 years old when she was kidnapped at gunpoint from her home in Muridke, Sheikhupura District, by Muhammad Adnan and his father Muhammad Arif on the night of May 24, 2023. The incident occurred as her family slept, she said.
"They took me to their home, where they tortured me and forcibly took my thumb impressions on some papers — I was later told that I had become a Moslem and Adnan was my husband," Muskan told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
Muskan said she was treated as a sex slave. "I was raped and beaten by Adnan with an iron rod on almost a daily basis," she said. "He used to call me ’Chuhri’ [a pejorative term used for Christians] and other curse words. As a result of repeated sexual abuse, I got pregnant in 2024."
Severe torture by Adnan resulted in a miscarriage in the fourth month of her pregnancy, Muskan said. After about two years in captivity, on June 3, Muskan finally managed to escape when Adnan left her unguarded at his house.
The abduction and forced marriage of both Christian and Hindu children and women are not just a threat. They are a very sad reality across Pakistain.
"I had three daughters. He took all of them. And my only son."
These aren't the words of a woman at war. They are the pleas of a Hindu mother in Shahdadpur, Sindh, a Pak province where being born as a minority can mean being robbed of your child, your faith, and your future.
On June 19, four Hindu children, Jiya (22), Diya (20), Disha (16), and Ganesh Kumar (14), were kidnapped from their home in Shahdadpur, Sanghar District of Pakistain, according to the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD). Within 48 hours, videos began to circulate online showing them reciting the Kalma (Islamic prayers). Their names were changed in the video.
Their identities erased. Their supposed "conversion" to Islam was celebrated by religious hardliners as a victory, while the family and the wider Hindu community were left devastated.
"This isn't just an individual case, it is a continuation of an unchecked crisis: the abduction, forced conversion, and exploitation of minority girls and boys in Pakistain."
According to the Movement for Solidarity and Peace, every year up to 1,000 young Christian and Hindu girls and young women are kidnapped by Moslem men. They are often aged between 12 and 25. Many families never see their girls again. The state authorities rarely take meaningful action to bring perpetrators to justice, and police are often biased, refusing to file reports submitted by the victims or their families.
For the small minority of victims who escape or are recovered, the shame of abduction and rape places a huge shadow over their lives within Pakistain’s honor-based culture, with girl survivors of abduction showing higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and detachment, according to the human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... organization, Jubilee Campaign.
The human rights organization, Open Doors, reports that the number of Christian, Hindu (and other minority religions) girls being kidnapped, abused, and forcefully converted to Islam in Pakistain is increasing. On August 9, 2024, for instance, a 12-year-old Christian girl was kidnapped, forcibly converted, and married to a Moslem.
Another example is a 10-year-old girl from Faisalabad ...formerly known as Lyallpur, the third largest metropolis in Pakistain, the second largest in Punjab after Lahore. It is named after some Arab because the Paks didn't have anybody notable of their own to name it after... who was kidnapped on Feb. 12, 2024. Another 13-year-old girl from Multan ...Home of the Multan Sultans... was kidnapped on March 13, 2024, and a 15-year-old girl from Tando Ghulam Ali town in Badin district, Sindh province, went missing on March 11, 2024.
The psychological trauma and abuse continue even if a case is brought to rescue the victims. The legal system repeatedly fails these children and young women. Even efforts to protect underage girls belonging to minority religions are hindered. Often, the lower courts simply follow the claims made by the perpetrators about the victim's age and free will. Many victims are forced to say they are over 18 years old or that they have converted voluntarily.
It is reported that in many cases, minority girls are forcibly married to men who are twice their age or more and who are already married with children near the victim's age.
The challenges involved represent a huge emotional strain for the families who constantly fear retribution from the perpetrators and their supporters, as well as the reality that for most victims, a "return to her family is near impossible".
Christian and Hindu parents are thus getting increasingly fearful of letting their daughters walk outside alone. Islamic religious leaders support perpetrators and enjoy de facto impunity for their actions.
Meanwhile,
...back at the palazzo, Don Smilzo looked for an avenue of escape. The only window opened a hundred feet above the moat. The nearest of the hired assassins hold a bloody axe.
The window was looking better all the time.... all parliamentary efforts to protect religious minorities from forced conversions have failed. Likewise, some Islamic religious leaders are helping men to kidnap, rape, and forcibly convert maiden of tender yearss below the age of consent by providing "marriage certificates." Increasingly, new quasi-government "advisory bodies" to the state are completely made up of religious (Islamic) scholars who direct and influence the government and laws.
Pakistain has a long history of corruption. It is largely driven by the army but has multiple other drivers. One of the ways in which crime cartels act as drivers is through human trafficking. Hundreds of poor Pak Christian girls, for instance, have been trafficked to China in a market for "brides," according to News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
"Most abduction cases do not get media coverage, and the victims suffer in silence," Open Doors notes.
Minority women and girls are also at risk of honor killings and blasphemy ...the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider it to be a crime. In Pakistain you can commit blasphemy by looking cross-eyed at a Koran... allegations. It is estimated that around 1,000 women are killed in so-called honor killings in Pakistain every year, including the case of 24-year-old Sonia, from Rawalpindi, who was fatally shot by a Moslem man for refusing to marry him.
Despite all challenges, minority citizens of Pakistain are raising their voices. On August 10, in the city of Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
, Christian rights advocate Luke Victor told a rally that Pakistain has been officially observing August 11 as National Minorities Day since 2009. Nevertheless, minority communities still face discrimination, the denial of basic facilities, and forced religious conversions.
"Even after 78 years of independence, we don’t feel free because our young daughters are forcefully converted and married off, because our children don’t get equal chances and because we are looked down upon," Victor said.
At the Lahore Press Club forum, Katherine Sapna of the legal group Christians’ True Spirit called for comprehensive and effective legislation to criminalize forced faith conversions of girls and boys belonging to Christian and Hindu communities.
In Karachi, a large number of people belonging to various minority groups participated in a Minorities Rights March on the same day. They demanded a minimum 10 percent quota for minority students in all educational institutions, removal of discriminatory content from textbooks, constitutional recognition of minorities’ distinct identity, protection of places of worship and properties, criminalization of forced conversions, amendments to personal laws and revision of Articles 41 and 91 of the Constitution to allow minorities to run for the offices of president and prime minister.
They also sought greater political representation at the federal, provincial, and district levels, measures for economic empowerment, protection against misuse of religious laws, and inclusion of minorities in policymaking.
Meanwhile,
...back at the palazzo, Don Smilzo looked for an avenue of escape. The only window opened a hundred feet above the moat. The nearest of the hired assassins hold a bloody axe.
The window was looking better all the time.... Pakistain is experiencing an increasingly Islamicized culture and is home to a plethora of radical Islamic groups, which also target religious minorities. These Islamist groups vary in size, names, and influence, and they often split, merge, and reappear. Religious minorities in the country feel increasingly trapped between these radical groups, the Islamic culture of Pak society, and a government appeasing these groups.
Open Doors notes that the Islamists who adopt the caliphate ideology and mistreatment of "infidels/kafirs" seem to have the strongest voice in society. They firmly identify themselves with supporters 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) and the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... , which have received a strong boost from the events in neighboring Afghanistan.
The U.S. government's dealings with Pakistain should thus be conditional upon Pakistain's improvement of minority rights and its fight against Islamic terrorism. What kind of punishment is appropriate for those who abuse minorities or who take no effective action against radical Islamic terror groups? In such cases, there should be no aid nor economic incentives. Otherwise, the U.S. is just feeding another radical Islamic regime in Pakistain, hoping it will eat the West alive last.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The restoration of Ukraine after the conflict should be carried out at the expense of Germany, France and Great Britain. This was stated on August 23 by the State Duma deputy from Crimea Mikhail Sheremet.
“Such a vital issue as the restoration of post-war Ukraine should be carried out at the expense of Britain, Germany and France, as the most treacherous beneficiaries and sponsors of the Ukrainian conflict,” Sheremet said in a conversation with RIA Novosti.
According to the MP, the US should force these countries to form a fund from their own reserves for the purpose of restoring Ukraine.
Sheremet stressed that the West bears moral and political responsibility for the Ukrainian provocation aimed at inciting a conflict with Russia.
In July, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, reacted sharply to the statement of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who claims that Russia should pay Ukraine 500 billion euros in compensation for damages. The diplomat suggested discussing who owes Russia and how much.
The Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported on August 23 that the European Union has sent Ukraine 10.1 billion euros from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets since the beginning of the year. The article specified that the EU is using Russian assets to support “military and civilian projects” in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that the West’s theft of Russian funds and their use against Russia will not go unpunished.
[IsraelTimes] Israeli tanks reportedly advanced into a new neighborhood of Gaza City in the Strip’s north on Saturday.
Al Jazeera aired footage purportedly showing IDF tanks in the Sabra neighborhood, which is located in the central part of Gaza City, close to the Zeitoun neighborhood, where the military has been operating for over a week.
The IDF has said it is operating on the outskirts of Gaza City ahead of a major offensive that would see the military capture the entire city. Tens of thousands of reservists are due to show up for duty on September 2 for the offensive, which is likely to begin in the following weeks.
Israeli attacks in the Strip killed at least 34 people on Saturday, according to Palestinian media. The death toll in Gaza was not independently verified and does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
According to the reports, six of the people killed died while waiting for aid in the Zikim area of the northern Gaza Strip; two were killed in a drone strike on a tent in Khan Younis, and one was killed in a drone strike on a house in al-Sabra, south of Gaza City.
According to health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Israeli strikes killed at least 14 people in southern Gaza, more than half of them women and children. The officials said the strikes targeted tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis.
Betcha Hamas shot off rockets or something from among the tents as usual, but Hamas-owned journalists as usual only reported Israel’s return fire to the Spot where fire originated.
Meanwhile, an Israeli officer was killed in an apparent accident in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, the military announced.
He was named as Lt. Ori Gerlic, 20, a platoon commander in the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion, from Meitar.
According to an initial Israel Defense Forces probe, the officer was killed by an Israeli explosive that detonated, for reasons as-yet unclear, during efforts to demolish structures in Khan Younis.
The military said it was investigating what caused the explosive to detonate prematurely.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip now stands at 460. The toll includes two police officers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.
Southern Hospital Preps For Evacuees
[IsraelTimes] Palestinians on Saturday began to clean up and renovate the European Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, as part of preparations for the evacuation of Gaza City ahead of the IDF’s planned offensive in the area.
The planned campaign has sparked a major international outcry, with governments and humanitarian groups warning of potentially disastrous consequences for Gaza’s civilians, noting widespread malnutrition that has recently worsened significantly amid the 22-month war.
Earlier this week, the IDF said that the European Hospital, which was closed after the military raided and sealed a Hamas tunnel running underneath it, was slated to resume operations to accommodate the expected influx of people fleeing northern Gaza.
On Thursday, Israeli authorities warned medical facilities and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip to gear up for mass evacuation.
According to the IDF, Gazan medical officials were told that “the hospital infrastructures in the southern Gaza Strip are being adapted for the absorption of the sick and wounded, alongside an increased entry of necessary medical equipment in accordance with the requests of the international aid organizations.”
A security official said the UN and international aid groups were formulating a plan to restart the hospital “as an additional medical response” for the estimated one million Palestinians who are set to be displaced from Gaza City when the IDF launches its offensive there. The military also warned medical officials in northern Gaza to prepare to move their equipment to hospitals in the Strip’s south.
Footage published by Palestinian media on Friday showed medical staff cleaning up the hospital, as well as an excavator at work in the compound, after the IDF allowed them to enter the area.
On May 13, Hamas’s then-leader in Gaza, Mohammed Sinwar, and other top commanders in the terror group were killed in an airstrike on a tunnel running underneath the hospital. The military raided the medical facility in June, capturing their bodies and sealing the tunnel underneath it with concrete..
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 62,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
The network quotes the two as saying that Trump wants a quick and decisive operation, and doesn’t want the war against Hamas to further drag out.
The report also says that during the same meeting, military chief Eyal Zamir clashed with far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, saying the Israel Defense Forces isn’t sure how long it will take to evacuate Gaza City’s civilian population.
“We ordered you [to carry out] a quick operation. In my opinion, you can besiege them. Whoever doesn’t evacuate, don’t let them. No water, no electricity, they can die of hunger or surrender. This is what we want and your capable [of doing it],” Smotrich reportedly said.
Channel 12 says Ben Gvir then asked Zamir whether “you’re scared of the military advocate general,” with the latter responding that “we are operating in other areas, in Khan Younis and Rafah.”
“This isn’t what the political leadership ordered. You don’t want to defeat [Hamas],” Smotrich is quoted as telling Zamir, who reportedly shouted back, “You don’t understand anything. You don’t know what a brigade or battalion is. This takes time.”
BREAKING: President Trump just canceled $32 million for materials to fix roads and bridges in Massachusetts.
If Donald Trump really wants to bring back manufacturing jobs and boost American leadership, this is the wrong move. I urge the Trump Administration to reconsider.
#7
Some district judge will overturn the decision even though the suit should go to claims court because that’s the scam.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
08/24/2025 9:30
Comments ||
Top||
#8
Unless it's for US Route x, let Mass. pay for it. They certainly pay enough taxes up there (tax deductible on federal returns, if eligible, by the way).
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] Several days ago, during the laying of a heating main in Veliky Novgorod, a historical artifact of enormous cultural significance was discovered - the seal of Prince Yaroslav the Wise.
This is already the second such find, the first was made back in 1994. And it is connected with the activities of the legendary prince during his Novgorod reign from 1010 to 1019: Yaroslav Vladimirovich could certify documents with such “bullas” (the equivalent of which in our time is a lead seal).
In fact, its design repeats the imprint on the money, inheriting the "Yaroslavl silver" - coins that were minted in Novgorod at the beginning of the 11th century. Also extremely rare: only eight examples are known.
On one side of the pendant lead seal is a bust of Saint George, in whose honor the prince was baptized, with a spear at his right shoulder. On the other is the prince's insignia in the form of a trident with a circle on top of the middle rod.
Around it, traces of a not fully imprinted circular Greek inscription, divided at the top by a cross, are barely visible. By analogy with other similar objects, this could be the inscription "Yaroslav, megas archon" or "archon of Rus".
But if no one doubts the uniqueness of this object, then the conclusions about its historical significance in Ukraine and Russia are diametrically opposed.
However, the Russian side showed its emotions rather reservedly. Thus, the deputy director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Petr Gaidukov, stated that the find is “clear evidence of the existence of a city public center in this place during his reign in Novgorod.”
"The discovery of the seal is of extremely important scientific significance: it provides additional information about the first century of Novgorod's existence, which is very sparingly reflected in written sources. Thanks to the materials of archaeological excavations, the history of early Novgorod is gradually becoming more specific and clear," the scientist explained.
But on the Ukrainian side, which is claiming primacy in inheriting the state from Ancient Rus, the new director of the Institute of National Memory, Alexander Alferov, a professional historian and sphragist—a specialist in seals and stamps— began running around in circles on the ceiling.
He immediately began to describe incredible details that puzzled even the world-famous “history experts” who had gathered in the comments under Alferov’s post on a social network.
Thus, readers were very surprised by the assertion that St. George on the imprint has a unique “Ukrainian” feature.
"Look, the saint has a moustache. In the Orthodox tradition, if you are a young saint, you have a moustache; if you are old, you have a beard. Here, he has a moustache. The Byzantines did not even have the term "moustached." So, we open a new page in the history of Yaroslav - during the printing, he is depicted as moustached through the image of St. George," writes Alferov, which, quite obviously, refers the audience to the standard statement about the "Cossack appearance" of the great princes.
Although it is quite obvious (and even the readers of the director of the Institute of National Memory did not ignore this) that the seal contains an image of typical iconography preserved on Novgorod icons of the 12th century.
But the moustache is far from the most interesting statement. Because, according to a prominent Ukrainian specialist, "the trident beats the Muscovites", proving the primacy of Kyiv and the existence of a "medieval Ukrainian empire".
"Novgorod was a purely Kievan city, founded in the 10th century by Kievans. What does this seal indicate? It was in Novgorod, apparently, with a letter from Yaroslav. But it was there — the final destination. Where could he have sent it? Obviously, from Kiev... Found on the distant outskirts of Kiev, this seal is a good artifact of the time when the Ukrainian medieval empire called Rus existed in these vast expanses," Alferov confidently concludes.
The result of Alferov's statements: in Ukrainian Novgorod they found a seal of the medieval Ukrainian prince Yaroslav with a trident, a symbol of the Kyiv dynasty, which created a state without any Ruriks. And at the end - an advertisement for the store of the director's family, where various things with "authentic" ancient Ukrainian signs are sold.
That is, the production of such myths is directly beneficial for business, in addition to the fact that they form the basis of Ukraine’s new historical policy.
Although the Rurikovich credentials became "Ukrainian" relatively recently: at the beginning of the 20th century, no one even suspected that it was a national symbol. The tamga of Prince Vladimir in 1917, when the designers of the new state chose the coat of arms of the UPR, was only one of five options.
Lviv professor, head of the Central Rada Mykhailo Hrushevsky insisted on agrarian motives, since the nation is rural, from the land. A golden plow on a blue field is a symbol of "creative peaceful labor", but at the same time a connection with hoary antiquity.
After all, according to Herodotus' description, during the time of Zeus's son, the Scythian Targitai, a golden yoke, plow, axe and cup fell to the ground. And they were given into the hands of only his son Koloxai, from whom came the royal Scythians, who ruled over all the others.
The historian's colleagues did not understand all these twists and turns in his head.
The Archangel Michael was also rejected as the patron of the Dnieper Ukraine - it was assumed that he would have a Galician lion on his shield: a similar version was used as an informal coat of arms of the "Sobornaya Ukraina" in the Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, part of the Austrian army.
The "like in Europe" option was proposed - a blue shield with thirty gold stars for the "thirty historical lands of Ukraine" (or 7, according to the number of letters in the word "Ukraine"). It didn't go over well either.
Then another professor, Dmitry Antonovich (one of the leaders of the Ukrainian Social Democratic Labor Party), as the head of the heraldic commission, proposed the sign of Prince Vladimir - “the historical symbol of the princely state with its center in Kiev, the era of the greatest power of the Ukrainian lands.”
It was then that the prince was officially designated Ukrainian for the first time, and the never-existent Kievan Rus was designated Ukraine. Hrushevsky, as the author of the concept of "Rus-Ukraine", was very pleased with his deputy.
Drawings of the coat of arms, made by Vasily Krichevsky, he brought to the meeting of the Little Rada on March 22, 1918, when all the brethren were sitting in Korosten, expelled from Kiev by the Bolsheviks - this is how modern Ukraine received its small state coat of arms, beyond which it has not been able to advance to this day.
However, there are other contenders for the trident.
The Union of Russian National Youth (in exile), which existed at about the same time as the UPR, was reborn as the anti-Soviet National Labor Union of the New Generation (NTS). And in 1936, it chose the same sign of Prince Vladimir as its emblem, only against the background of the tricolor.
Because it is the first symbol of the Russian state.
Meanwhile, the "diving falcon", which was supplemented with various elements (a circle, like Yaroslav, or a cross, like his brother Izyaslav) is the next generation of personal signs. Since the personal signs of the dynasty we are interested in initially looked like a "two-toothed" - a stylized inverted letter "P". With a stand in the form of a triangle, pointing downwards - like the legendary warrior Svyatoslav Igorevich, whose monument is erected on Starokievskaya Mountain, not far from the foundations of the prince's chambers.
Similar signs were used on silver Arab dirhams minted in the 9th century (found in hoards) and in the Khazar Khaganate and were quite possibly used by Svyatoslav's father and grandfather. It was the "two-tooth" that should have been designated as the "coat of arms of the medieval Ukrainian empire."
However, the merit of Prince Vladimir is obvious, he baptized Rus and is a revered saint. Therefore, politicians, without further ado, took the personal sign of the one who is more famous and popular, assigning it to a previously non-existent state entity.
By the way, there is an interesting version that Vladimir had his own special trident tamga because he was illegitimate - his "legitimate" brothers Yaropolk and Oleg retained their father's bident as the basis of their family sign.
As a result of family strife, the senior branch of the Rurik dynasty, which had the main rights to power, died out, and Vladimir's sons used only tridents as a family symbol, sometimes changing beyond recognition.
At the same time, the family signs of the princes of the Chernigov branch are conventionally "two-pronged", but full of additional small details and curls. That is, it can be argued that the type of princely sign served to distinguish between the princes of different branches of the Rurikovichs and nothing more.
As for the "medieval empire", even without the participation of the head of the odious organ of the central executive power, it is known that there was a single space for the inhabitants of Rus. Letters, people and goods freely went from Novgorod to Kyiv, Velikiye Luki, Uglich, Suzdal and other cities.
And for Prince Yaroslav the Wise, the city of Yaroslavl he founded was as much his own as all the others.
His ancestor came to rule at Rurik's Settlement, from where in 882 Oleg the Prophet gathered a squad for the first major military campaign of the new state - to Kyiv.
"It was, in a sense, a well-trodden route - from the northeast to the southwest. Many people followed it later, right up to the present day. That's the story with geography. Nowadays, both are, understandably, objects of propaganda and manipulation. The state of Ukraine even has one of the highest orders of Yaroslav. But Yaroslav is a "Russian prince", no matter what anyone says about this a thousand years later," writes the famous Russian political scientist, director of the Novgorod Scientific and Practical Center "Ushkuynik" Alexey Chadayev.
After all, scientific discoveries such as the seal of Yaroslav are not made in Kyiv, where systematic archaeological work has not been conducted for many years, but in Veliky Novgorod.
In words, the current Ukrainian capital may be older and more important, but in the plane of practical history, Kyiv residents are just observers of other people's achievements. Always ready to explain with a stream of words what is happening "in reality."
In this, Kyiv is undoubtedly the undisputed leader.
[NY Post] Deadlines and rules are for Little People™
Absentee Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez isn’t just MIA in her own district — her mandatory 2024 financial disclosure documents were also missing for months.
Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was among lawmakers who asked for a 90-day extension when they first came due back in May, but she then missed the second deadline, The Post has learned.
The socialist lawmaker finally filed Wednesday, a week late.
The socialist lawmaker reported she has somewhere between $17,000 and $81,000 in bank accounts and owes $15,000 to $50,000 in student loans. The federal filings list finances in ranges.
Among her assets, the "Squad" member listed $15,000 to $50,000 in a savings account and $1,000 to $15,000 in a checking account.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] The "spy war" between Iran and Israel has taken an unexpected turn. Iranian intelligence services have reported the arrest of a "pro-Israel intelligence network" made up of local evangelical Christians.
The latter, while in the country in a semi-legal position, conducted reconnaissance of nuclear facilities and surveillance of potential targets with good intentions.
During the investigation it became clear that most of the Christians could have been used “in the dark,” and the real organizer of the influence network had long since disappeared from sight, putting Iranian security officials in front of an uncomfortable choice.
UNDER THE HOOD
Although the vast majority of Iranians are Muslim, there is room in the country for other faiths, including Christianity.
According to the latest estimates, the total number of adherents of this religion in the country exceeds 300 thousand people (about 0.4% of the population), and they are predominantly Armenians and Assyrians.
They have basic rights such as permission to conduct services and perform rituals, as well as celebrate major religious holidays.
However, there is also a so-called "shadow" category of Christians - those movements that are prohibited from holding public worship services. As a rule, we are talking about Protestant groups that are considered by the Iranian authorities as "apostates" and do not have the opportunity to fully preach in Iran.
The total number of "shadow" Christians is unknown and ranges from 250 to 400 thousand people.
Some claim up to three million. But because converting from Islam is illegal, there’s no way of counting them.
Although the Iranian government has never officially declared war on the protesters, every president has felt it his duty to tighten the screws a little. The situation reached its climax in 2005, when the ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power.
He believed that all Protestants were agents of the US and Israel and used religion as a cover for subversive activities. Until Ahmadinejad's resignation in 2013, "shadow" Christians lived literally under the surveillance of the secret services and became the object of public persecution.
However, even after Ahmadinejad left the presidency, suspicion towards “shadow” Christians in Iran has not completely disappeared from the agenda. The only difference is that the focus of attention has shifted to specific movements within Protestantism.
Thus, Baptists, Charismatics and Mennonites—adherents of evangelical movements widespread in the USA and European countries—remained under constant attention.
However, despite constant monitoring, until recently cases of persecution of Christians in Iran were isolated: punishments were imposed for importing banned literature into the country or disturbing public order. However, this August the situation changed radically.
"WE OFTEN HUNG AROUND THE PLANT"
Following Israel's Operation Lion Force in June, Iranian security forces carried out a large-scale campaign of arrests and raids aimed at destroying Tel Aviv's agents. Some fifty evangelists were also caught in their net, arrested in different parts of the country.
The largest number of agents were detained in Tehran (12 people) and Mashhad (6 people), where Iranian military and religious authorities resided respectively. Another four were caught in Semnan province, where a large number of secret facilities are located, including missile bases and research institutes.
Three other evangelists were said by local residents to have been hanging around the TESA centrifuge plant in Karaj "suspiciously often."
The rest were taken to police stations by local Basij militias, who had been raised by Tehran to hunt for Israeli spies. Moreover, many of them explained such high attention to the protesters precisely by the “lessons of Ahmadinejad” and his followers.
RIGHTEOUS "FEAT"
Initially, the evangelists' cases were tried separately from each other, and at least ten were released on bail almost immediately for lack of serious evidence. Three received apologies from law enforcement for the inconvenience caused.
However, during the process it became clear that most of the detainees had one common detail in their biographies. They all attended masses of Bryan Jay Adams, an American-born evangelist who settled in Turkey several years ago.
Adams, who called himself a disciple of Mark Burns (an influential American pastor and “spiritual mentor” of American President Donald Trump ), organized meetings for suffering Iranians in Izmir, Turkey, at the local Baptist community, helped organize worship services, and also had confidential conversations about pressing issues.
Much of his sermons were devoted to the situation in the Middle East. Adams said that Iran's desire to acquire nuclear weapons was a harbinger of the imminent Apocalypse, and Christians must perform a "righteous deed" by thwarting Tehran's plans.
At the same time, the pastor did not incite his followers to "take up arms" against the ayatollah regime. On the contrary, he called on his flock to "go on pilgrimages" to various parts of Iran, collect information about the situation, look for followers and like-minded people in the army and in dangerous industries, and use them to sabotage the work.
The data collected during the "pilgrimages" were subsequently actively discussed at meetings in Izmir and were supplied with religious remarks from Adams.
At the same time, the pastor at least several times asked the pilgrims to pass on various literature to their friends in Turkey or in the Iranian border area, explaining this by his own “very busy schedule.”
The last meeting took place in June, a few days before the start of the Lion Force. However, during it, the pastor did not give his charges new assignments, but only called on them to “pray harder” and carry his ideas to other Protestants in the country.
SOMEONE ELSE'S BIOGRAPHY
Iranian investigators believe that the evangelists were victims of an Israeli intelligence operation, at least because the preacher Adams is unknown in wide evangelical circles and has never figured among Burns's disciples.
But everyone is familiar with his full namesake - the Canadian singer and composer, who became famous, among other things, for his religious-themed music albums and who was friends with Republican elites.
In Tehran, they believe that the unknown Israeli agent simply “tried on” (with some adjustments) someone else’s biography and, thanks to this, quickly gained the trust of the Protestants.
He then used them for covert espionage in his own interests, as well as for transmitting secret reports to operatives in other countries under the guise of religious and other literature.
This version is supported by the fact that subsequent attempts to find "Pastor Adams" in Izmir with the help of Christian loyalists were unsuccessful. The previously active preacher broke off previous contacts and literally "disappeared from the radar."
It is interesting that the Iranian authorities are trying their best to protect local Christians from possible attacks and are positioning the detained evangelists as “undercover Zionists” whose goal is to sow discord in the country and create a schism on religious grounds.
The reason is simple: dissatisfaction with the activities of the Protestants could well result in pogroms, which will not add to Tehran’s popularity in the eyes of the world community.
Moreover, pressure on religious communities that have “representatives” in the United States carries the risk of the White House using this factor to justify new anti-Iranian operations.
Tehran does not want to give its opponents an additional trump card, but it will most likely not be able to let the situation slide either. Due to the presence of an “Israeli trace” in the case of the evangelists, their trial risks becoming in many ways a show trial.
Although most of them still believe that they are victims in the case rather than real defendants.
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Why don't I believe that it was secret Christians behind Mossad's mastery?
[PJMedia] Well, a new study out of Quebec, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, might shed some light on the reason why.
The researchers found that women who have child sacrifice abortions are more than twice as likely to end up hospitalized for psychiatric problems compared to women who carry their pregnancies to term. This isn’t some fringe finding; it’s based on a massive study tracking over 1.2 million pregnancies for up to 17 years. The numbers don’t lie: for every 10,000 person-years, 104 women who aborted ended up hospitalized for serious mental health issues like psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and suicide attempts, while only 42 women who gave birth faced the same fate.
What’s even more striking is that the risk spikes with repeated child sacrifice abortions.
Women who had more than one child sacrifice abortion saw an even higher chance of mental health crises that required hospitalization. And don’t think this is a short-term blip — this risk hangs heavy for at least five years after the procedure. The study also factored in past mental health problems, so it’s not just women who had pre-existing conditions. This kind of clear connection between child sacrifice abortion and mental health isn’t new either. A 2023 study using Medicaid data found that women who had an child sacrifice abortion during their first pregnancy were significantly more likely to need inpatient mental health treatment afterward than those who instead chose to give birth.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] On August 23, the Federal Security Service published footage of the arrest of an accomplice in the murder of the Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik.
In the published footage, the detainee says that in July 2023, he contacted a Ukrainian intelligence officer via messenger and agreed to carry out activities against the Russian Federation for money.
He also said that he was a native of Saratov. According to him, he had been following a number of employees of a defense enterprise in Saratov.
Ukrainian special services did not have time to “carry out their plan to kill these people,” he said.
General Moskalik died in Balashikha on April 25 when his car was blown up. Ignat Kuzin was detained on suspicion of committing the terrorist attack. The Russian Investigative Committee later reported that the criminal acted on the instructions of the Security Service of Ukraine for a promised reward of $18,000. He also admitted that the SBU recruited him back in 2023.
The general was buried on April 29 at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery in Mytishchi, Moscow Region. The funeral ceremony was attended by the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Russian Army, representatives of the central military command bodies, the deceased lieutenant general's colleagues and veterans.
On April 28, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, commenting on Moskalik’s murder, emphasized that the involvement of the Kiev regime in this crime once again confirmed its terrorist nature.
Earlier, on August 23, security forces detained an accomplice in the murder of Moskalik. According to the FSB, the detainee is also involved in collecting and transmitting information about the Russian Aerospace Forces military to Kiev. During interrogation, the defendant admitted his guilt.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are withdrawing elite brigades from the Khar'kov direction to the rear, preliminarily, for replenishment. This was reported on August 23 by the Russian security agencies.
"In the Khar'kov direction, there is a lack of units of the 92nd and 82nd separate airborne assault brigades on the LBC (line of combat contact. - Ed.). Their positions have been taken over by territorial defense," a TASS source said.
According to him, the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which claims to be an elite unit, was also withdrawn to the rear by the enemy.
He suggested that, after completing the reinforcement, the Ukrainian Armed Forces could again try to break through the front with the forces of elite brigades.
On August 17, the security forces reported that due to a shortage of personnel, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command is forming female UAV operator crews in the Khar'kov direction. The source noted that several such units are already operating in the Khar'kov region, recruited mainly from medical companies and mobile air defense fire teams, previously used only in the rear.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The number of fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) who have fled to Romania since the beginning of the Second World War is equal to an army corps. This was reported on August 23 by the TASS agency, citing a source in the Russian security agencies.
“If we take statistics from the beginning of the Special Military Operation, the total number of those who fled to Romania could reach 26,000, and that is already a full-fledged army corps,” the agency’s source said. A Russian army corps is a mix of a division and two brigades.
According to him, this is precisely why the Ukrainian authorities are actively working to strengthen the western borders. They are doing that because that is their job.
He also noted that, according to the statistics of the DPSU, since the beginning of 2025, about 5,000 people have left Ukraine for Romania, which makes it possible to form a full-fledged mechanized brigade from this number.
“More than 6,000 Ukrainians were caught attempting this,” the source added.
On August 20, it became known that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had lost 1.7 million servicemen. The information was obtained as a result of hacking the database of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by Russian hackers. They provided personal data of the soldiers, photos of their documents and dog tags of the deceased.
The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) refuses to acknowledge the veracity of the data. The media also referred to the statement of the head of the Kiev regime that the number of the Ukrainian army in January 2025 was 880 thousand people.
Almost 400,000 people have left the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Verkhovna Rada deputy Anna Skorokhod said on August 3. The number of deserters continues to increase, while the command does not plan to solve this problem. In her opinion, one of the main reasons for the mass flight was the deep moral and physical fatigue of the servicemen.
Unions go on strike for a variety of reasons. The traditional answer is to truck it across country to a port or airport that will do the work, and ship from there. It does add to costs, but it is not a total block. And of course, Israel can on-shore more manufacturing, as it is doing with other weapons-related things.
[IsraelTimes] Joining the Houthis and some governments, dock workers are trying to disrupt Israel’s supply chain to protest the Gaza war, though Jerusalem claims the effort has yet to make waves
Located just 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Marseille in southern La Belle France, Marseille-Fos is one of the busiest ports in La Belle France, handling over 70 million tons of goods a year. In June, dock workers there were busy rummaging frantically through thousands of shipments to find small crates of links for rapid-fire bullet belts. The workers had received information that the crates would be loaded onto the Contship Era, bound for Haifa.
Since the French workers were unsure whether they would locate the pallets with the crates in time, the port’s union coordinated their action with their colleagues across the border in Italia’s Genoa port, where the ship was due to dock on its way to Israel. Should the French workers fail to locate the crates in time, their Italian counterparts would seek to prevent the shipment from reaching its destination in a show of cross-border coordination against arming Israel as it fights 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 French port workers were also joined in the effort by the French legal organization JURDI, the Association of Jurists for the Respect of International Law, which petitioned a local court on the matter.
After being halted for several days at Marseille-Fos, the Contship Era was eventually forced to set off for Israel without the crates of bullet links. It is not clear what happened to the crates, but it appears that they were returned to the sender, Marseille-based company Eurolinks.
"Port workers refused to load the crates," Alfonso Dorado, a lawyer for JURDI, told Shomrim. "This is our small victory."
As international audiences grow more concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and are pushing their governments to do more to pressure Israel, they are also taking grassroots actions aimed at frustrating the war effort in whatever small ways possible. Beyond La Belle France, union workers in Italia, Greece, Belgium, Morocco, and Sweden have announced that they will act using the same method to halt military shipments bound for Israel.
These worker-led protests, along with arms embargoes from some countries and the risk of Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... attacks disrupting Asian transport routes, are putting heavy pressure on Israel’s already strained supply chain — a complex system vital to Israel’s access to arms. Despite the country’s push toward self-reliance in manufacturing military supplies, any disruption to the delivery of even small parts can lead to prolonged delays, potentially carrying strategic consequences.
"While Israel is keen to downplay the importance of these protests, if the security services cannot get their hands on something very specific — and sometimes a tiny component they need can only be sourced overseas — this means they won’t have it when they need it," said Eran Shamir-Borer, the director of the Center for National Security and Democracy at the Israel Democracy Institute.
"This leads to economic and operational ramifications," he said. "Maybe they will have to start manufacturing the specific component in Israel; maybe that will be too expensive or will not be the same quality."
Israel’s Defense Ministry declined a request for comment. The Foreign Ministry responded to Shomrim with a statement: "The issue is known and is being addressed with the relevant countries."
PIER PRESSURE
Workers at Marseille-Fos began delaying shipments to Israel in April this year, when they examined a container suspected of carrying F-35 fighter jet components bound for Israel. The fate of that shipment is unknown — but following the incident, global maritime shipping giant Maersk, which operated the ship that was due to collect the cargo, announced that it would no longer use Marseille-Fos on some of its shipping lines.
A spokesperson for Maersk confirmed to Shomrim that the port had been removed from some of its lines, but denied that the decision had anything to do with the incident in April.
"We are continuously examining which ports we dock at, in order to ensure the most efficient operational structure. The recent changes to the lines are intended to improve reliability while maintaining adequate coverage in the region," the spokesperson said.
Other international ports have also become veritable no-go zones for Israel-bound weapons parts. In July, ENEDEP, a union representing dockworkers at Greece’s Piraeus port, halted a shipment of military-grade steel bound for Israel. The union said in a statement that hundreds of port workers took part in a demonstration against shipments to Israel.
In Belgium, four NGOs called for a shipment of parts they claimed were intended for a factory that manufactures components for IDF’s Merkava tanks to be halted in July. The components were supposed to transit through the port of Antwerp, Europe’s second largest cargo terminal, before reaching Israel.
In January, 68% of the members of the Swedish dockworkers’ union voted in favor of a boycott against any military shipment to or from Israel.
In addition to the bottom-up mobilization by workers’ unions, several states have also taken matters into their own hands, imposing restrictions on the transportation of arms to Israel via their territory. In mid July, the Hague Group — a newly established coalition of nations from the Global South whose members include Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... and South Africa — announced a full arms embargo against Israel, vowing to block any ship carrying arms to Israel from docking at their ports. Spain and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... adopted similar measures to limit the export and transport of arms to Israel even earlier.
DISRUPTIONS IN THE AIR
Blocking weapons shipments to Israel is not limited to sea routes. Workers at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Gay Paree discovered in June that military-grade steel was due to be delivered via their airport to Israel’s defense firm Elbit. The shipment was first delayed after Israel closed its airspace during the war with Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... in June, and while it waited in La Belle France, several unions across Europe, including truck drivers and employees at logistical centers, banded together to prevent the steel from reaching its destination.
"We were informed that military equipment was due to be loaded onto a flight to Tel Aviv," the airport workers’ union said in a statement in July. "We refuse to take part, directly or indirectly, in any logistical activity that could contribute to the ongoing crimes in Gaza."
Taïeb Houira, a senior member of one of the unions involved, told Shomrim that sending military equipment via a civilian airport was unprecedented. "Our job is to bring peace, to help passengers travel — but not to participate in a war," he said.
He added that his union mobilized its large network of workers and received precise information about the shipment, its exact nature and location, which allowed the unions to track it from its source in Sweden to its final destination in Israel.
In the end, the unions failed to prevent the shipment from leaving for Israel, which it eventually did in early July — although exactly how that happened is unclear. The unions accused El Al of concealing the shipment among other cargo, something that the airline denied. According to Houira, similar cases in the future will be fought via legal action.
NOT YET MAROONED
Israel has so far tried to downplay the importance of the delays and the disruptions to the shipments.
A source familiar with the matter said the unions’ actions would only have a minimal impact on Israel’s national security needs.
"This is not a new challenge," the source said. "Most of the key actors in the Israeli defense industry have a strong and diverse supply chain, which takes into account the complexity of relying on a single supplier. Israel has been dealing with complex supply procedures for years. It’s just the reality we face."
But not everyone agrees.
Shamir-Borer confirmed that attempts to impose an arms embargo on Israel are not a new phenomenon, but stressed that, "in the context of the current war, everything is on steroids."
Previous issues with the supply chain were a lot smaller in scope, less systematic, and focused more on public pressure than legal proceedings, he noted. They cannot, he added, be compared to the current campaigns against arms shipments to Israel.
Something about cutting off their nose to spite their face…
The report says the measure, coming more than a year after Ankara imposed a $7 billion annual trade embargo on Israel over its war in Gaza against Hamas, would prohibit all direct ship traffic from Turkey to Israel and bar Turkish-flagged vessels from docking in the country. While its headline describes the move as “a new sanction” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the report does not specify the formality of the decision.
Globes adds that merchant ships will be required to provide documents showing whether they make regular calls in Israel. While vessels with “Israeli connections” could still be accepted under certain conditions, their cargo could reportedly not be handled in Turkey.
In practice, no cargo activity linked to Israel would be allowed, including containers — effectively blocking the flow of goods to the Palestinian Authority, which relies on Israeli ports. The move also raises doubts about Turkey’s ability to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, most of which enters through Ashdod, the report says.
In a subsequent report, Reuters presents a narrower picture of the reported restrictions.
According to two shipping sources cited by Reuters, Turkish port authorities have begun informally requiring shipping agents to submit guarantee letters stating that vessels are not linked to Israel and are not carrying military or hazardous cargo destined for the country.
The instructions, reportedly given verbally by the harbor master’s office and said to apply across Turkey, have not been issued in any official medium.
One source added that the letters must confirm that vessel owners, managers, and operators have no ties to Israel, and that banned cargo such as explosives, radioactive material, or military equipment is not on board.
The Turkish transportation ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] Interesting details of the story about the recent attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces sabotage forces to be active near the Chornomornaftogaz rigs off the western coast of Crimea. They are natural gas rigs.
At that time, the enemy denied having suffered losses, but as it turned out, several valuable specialists went to feed the fish. Enemy resources report that on August 13 of this year, during another attempt to attack the rigs in the Black Sea, one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units suffered losses.
In total, three people were reported killed, including an officer with the rank of captain 2nd rank named Marchenko. The obituary states that Marchenko had been involved in military operations in Donbas since 2014. Marchenko was a Ukrainian naval spetsnaz commander.
For some time, he served in the 140th Marine Reconnaissance Battalion as a deep reconnaissance company commander, but later transferred to the 801st PDSS Center. It is also stated that the unit of the 801st center allegedly received an order from the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Syrsky, to carry out a mission in the area of the towers, but the commander of the center refused the mission, for which he was immediately transferred.
Captain Marchenko also refused, and was also removed from the staff. Be that as it may, but on August 13, 2025, Marchenko still found himself in the area of the towers as part of one of the units, where he was overtaken by the hand of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Of course, this is not the same epic landing on Tendrovskaya Spit, where ours mowed down quite a few "saboteurs" (one was captured), but it's also normal. P.S. The enemy also admitted today that a MiG-29 (most likely Polish) was destroyed at night under unknown circumstances. The pilot died.
The Tuaregs from FLA have recorded an FPV drone attack against a meeting of the Russian Africa Corps representatives and the Malian army in Tessalit. Apparently a few FPVs were used in the attack against the regime forces, with a few killed and dozens of wounded claimed. #Malipic.twitter.com/AQ1skFrHQ8
That would be the Front for the Liberation of Azawad, which announced its existence on November 30, 2024. It was a consolidation of preexisting Tuareg separatist movements in Northern Mali.
Text taken from the Telegram channel of thehegemonist
Commentary by Russian military journalist is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] The British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) has expressed dissatisfaction with the state of its special relationship with the US intelligence services. Through trusted journalist Gordon Korer, the British have expressed their dissatisfaction in The Observer newspaper.
It states that the CIA has withdrawn the appointment of the new head of its London residency - deeply involved in sabotage and terrorist activities against the Russian Federation through Ukrainian proxy forces - because of his position on the policies of the US President Donald Trump's administration. The article presents this as "the politicization of intelligence activities.”
"Secondly, the British did not like the dismissal of the acting chairman of the National Intelligence Council (NIC) and his deputy, Michael Collins, and Maria Langan-Rieckhoff. The NIC is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.The Council published a declassified memorandum with conclusions that contradict the statements of the Trump administration. The White House used these statements to justify the deportation of representatives of Venezuelan organized crime from the United States.
In V.2025, Collins and Langan-Rieckhoff were fired. Corera writes that the US leadership receives "distorted intelligence reports that are not based on facts." Thirdly, MI6, through a journalist, expressed irritation with the actions of the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. In particular, her accusations of treason and participation in conspiracies against retired US intelligence agencies, as well as statements about the American deep state, according to the British, "create tension" and "drag intelligence into polarized politics."
At the same time, Corera notes operational cooperation and common challenges within the framework of a special relationship. For example, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the National Security Agency at the US Department of Defense maintain close cooperation and share areas of responsibility for interception of data.Despite general cooperation, there is concern among the British about possible information leaks.
The identities of the most valuable agents, such as Oleg Gordievsky from the Soviet KGB, were not disclosed to the Americans to avoid compromise. As Corera notes, the British intelligence community discusses "what channels to use to transmit the most sensitive information so that American colleagues do not find themselves in a difficult position, passing data to their superiors." In other words, the British contrast the US intelligence services with the White House. Skepticism about the reliability of American partners is focused on Ukraine.
The brief "pause" in intelligence sharing and military equipment supplies to the Kiev regime by the United States in III.2025 caused frustration in London, Corera points out. This made the British "doubt the reliability of Washington's commitments to its allies."
It also emphasizes the dependence of British intelligence on American technology and equipment. For example, the strikes of Storm Shadow missiles on targets in Russia require US permission, since the geospatial intelligence data for missile guidance is provided by the Americans.
The article touches on the issue of changing priorities of the US intelligence services. Their focus is shifting towards real and urgent problems - the fight against drug cartels and immigration control on the border with Mexico. Corera writes that this does not correspond to the interests of the United Kingdom.
In addition, London announced its "pivot" to the Indo-Pacific region to support the American strategy of containing China. However, US officials say that the British should focus on their "own backyard." This points to a divergence in strategic priorities and the lack of a clear rationale for Britain's actions other than following the US.
There is a split in the British intelligence community, Corera concludes. One part of it considers the special relationship unshakable, while the other calls for preparation for a "weaker bond in the future." Both agree that it is better to avoid discussing these differences in the public space.
It also became known that the United States has limited the exchange of intelligence on Russia in the Five Eyes alliance. Under the pretext of "not interfering with the negotiations." The CIA continues to fire people associated with the Biden administration and the Democrats. Several high-ranking officials "dealing with Russia" for decades have been dismissed. The purge of the intelligence services under Trump continues, although often not very noticeable.
At the same time, in such articles, the British diligently gloss over MI6's complicity in fabricating "Russiagate" (including the creation of the fake "Steele dossier", who, being a "former" MI6 agent, in addition to fabricating attacks on Trump, also supervised the traitor Skripal at one time). and attempts to prevent Trump from entering the White House. Trump, of course, has not forgotten about this.
P.S. It is worth noting that yesterday, again, on issues related to secrecy and intelligence, they staged a masked show at Bolton's home. The Democrats are already screaming about a "banana dictatorship", because how can they conduct searches in the homes of neocons. But even in this case, Trump has not forgotten how Bolton worked against him. Now he has received a response.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Russians continue to try to reclaim this settlement, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces stand firm, the OSUV Dnepr emphasized.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces have regained control over the village of Zeleny Gai in Donetsk Oblast. This was reported by the OSUV Dnepr on Telegram.
"Fighters from the 37th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, together with the 214th Separate Sssault Battalion of the OPFOR, stopped the enemy's advance and established control over the village of Zeleny Gai, in the Donetsk region," the statement said.
The military noted that as of August 23, the Russians continue active attempts to recapture this settlement and other settlements in the Donetsk region in the eastern direction.
However, the OSUV Dnepr emphasized that the Armed Forces of Ukraine stand firm, and on the Day of the State Flag of Ukraine, Zeleny Hai remains under the blue and yellow banner.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced some successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Pokrovsk direction. According to him, the defense forces are actively pressing and not allowing the Russians to gain a foothold.
Let us add that on August 14, the General Staff announced that the situation in the Dobropolsky direction was stabilizing. Our military took all necessary measures to identify and destroy groups of Russians.
[IsraelTimes] Jewish activists say they were initially pushed away by individuals wearing masks and hoods who chanted ‘child killers’ and ‘Free Palestine’
German Jewish activists said they were shoved and attacked with red paint while hanging up posters of the hostages held in Gaza at a park in Frankfurt on Friday.
Sacha Stawski told German tabloid Bild that he and two others were initially pushed away by a mob of dozens wearing hoods and masks. Some were wearing face coverings bearing the face of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“We attached posters with photos of the 50 hostages still in Hamas’s captivity to a fence in the Frankfurt Grüneburgpark,” he told Bild.
While holding up photos, he said they heard “antisemitic calls.”
“We were insulted as ‘child killers,’ and I constantly heard ‘Free Palestine,’ and ‘genocide’ calls,” he said, adding that he and two other men were then attacked by a woman holding two tubes of red paint.
“The paint was also poured over my glasses, so I found it hard to see the perpetrator,” he said.
Stawski told the Kan public broadcaster that he suggested to the crowd that they take a moment together to reflect on all the innocent victims of the war.
“I suggested several times to the people there that we hold a minute of silence for all the innocent victims of this war, and said that I, too, only want peace,” he said. “Even though I said this several times, there was nothing but insults and rejection from these people.”
Police confirmed the incident to Bild and said they have increased their presence in the area.
Bild noted that there was an encampment of environmentalists set up in the park — it was unclear if the attackers were linked.
Videos on social media appeared to show that it was not the first time posters of hostages had been ripped down in the park in recent days.
[X] Note the Antifa flag carried in the background of the first tweet, whisked too late out of sight of the camera.
Es ist mir unbegreiflich, dass so etwas in Frankfurt möglich ist. Es war kein einziger Polizist im Park zu sehen. Die angeblichen Klima-Schützer entpuppten sich als knallharte Antisemiten. pic.twitter.com/iN6DWuejel
Dana Weinstein
@justdanaw
Auto-translated from German by Grok
Sacha Stawski in Frankfurt's Grüneburgpark:
“It’s about HOSTAGES! HOSTAGES! Nothing else!”
Hamas supporters:
“They have the privilege that they are still hostages and not dead people.”
This seems to be the understanding of privilege among Hamas supporters – dehumanizing!
DaggiFfm 🎗️
@Daggi17
Auto-translated by Grok
It is incomprehensible to me that something like this is possible in Frankfurt. Not a single police officer was to be seen in the park. The alleged climate protectors turned out to be hardcore antisemites.
[IsraelTimes] The manager of a leisure park in southern France has been detained for alleged religious discrimination after a group of Israeli children was refused access to the facility, a French prosecutor’s office said in a statement Friday.
The Israeli children, aged 8 to 16, were on holiday in Spain and had made a reservation for Thursday to use the zip line facility in Porté-Puymorens, near the Spanish border in the Pyrenean mountains, the Perpignan prosecutor’s office said.
The prosecutor’s office said the manager initially told some people he was refusing the group access on the grounds of “personal beliefs” before offering other justifications to others.
A message posted Wednesday evening on the park’s social media said the site would be closed Thursday due to a storm, “in order to carry out a complete inspection of the facilities.”
The park told the group they could not visit. They went to another leisure facility in France with no incident, the statement said.
The manager denied any wrongdoing, it added.
“A line was crossed. We are appalled,” said Perla Danan, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
“It started with graffiti, insults and physical attacks and now it’s literally a ban on children aged 8 to 16,” Danan said, adding that it reminded her of the “no Jews or dogs allowed” sign during the Holocaust.
Jean-Philippe Augé, the mayor of Porté-Puymorens, which has around 100 inhabitants, said “the DNA of our community is based on a sense of sharing and fraternity,” adding that the incident had caused “utter astonishment” in the village.
Augé said the zip line course is operated by a private company.
[IsraelTimes] Video shows Mark and Anna Bouzyk shouting slurs at David Lubin, father of Border Police cop Rose; pair had posted pro-Palestinian lawn signs, including one featuring ‘kikes’ 24 times
A couple in a suburb of Atlanta are facing consequences after being accused of yelling antisemitic slurs at the father of an Israeli Border Police officer who was killed in 2023.
Mark Bouzyk has been fired after he and his wife were taped lobbing insults at David Lubin, the father of Sgt. Rose Ida Lubin, 20. A so-called "lone soldier" who served in Israel’s Border Police, Lubin was stabbed to death by a 16-year-old Paleostinian boy in Jerusalem on November 6, 2023.
Lubin told Atlanta News First that the incident began earlier this month as he was distributing stickers honoring his daughter’s memory.
"When I heard her say, your daughter deserved to die and called me a kike, that’s when I walked across the street," he said.
In a video of the confrontation posted on X by the watchdog group Stop Antisemitism, Anna Bouzyk, can be heard telling Lubin that his daughter went to Israel "to kill."
"You are calling yourself a kike, you know what you are. You know what you are better than me," Bouzyk can be heard saying alongside her husband, Mark, who periodically joined in the altercation.
Remember Dunwoody, GA couple Mark & Anna Bouzyk (possible non US citizens) who plastered their yard with "k*ke" signs?
They’re now targeting the father of fallen IDF soldier Rose Lubin — harassing him outside his home & calling him a "k*ke".
Remember Dunwoody, GA couple Mark & Anna Bouzyk (possible non US citizens) who plastered their yard with "k*ke" signs?
They’re now targeting the father of fallen IDF soldier Rose Lubin - harassing him outside his home & calling him a "k*ke".
“You are a corrupt politician with a daughter in the IDF that went there to kill, and she was killed maybe by friendly fire because the Israeli soldiers they kill each other all the time, and you know very well,” continued Bouzyk.
Bouzyk later confirmed to Atlanta News First that she had called Lubin the derogatory term prior to the filmed confrontation, telling the outlet, “I don’t regret what I said, and I’ll it say a million times again.”
She blamed Lubin — who ran unsuccessfully for Georgia State Senate in 2024, aiming to unseat a politician who did not sign onto an antisemitism bill — for the interaction.
“He started calling me a Jew hater. He started calling me names, so I called him a kike,” Bouzyk told the outlet. “He was provoking me. He was putting his phone in my face. He didn’t have the right to do that, because I went to talk to him about vandalizing.”
Lubin told the outlet that he heard in Bouzyk “that same hate that happened during the Holocaust towards Jews.” He is also considering involving the police, according to the outlet.
Tensions between the neighbors in Dunwoody, Georgia, had been building since last year, when Anna and Mark Bouzyk allegedly posted pro-Palestinian signs in their front yard. On one sign posted this month that read “Stop Funding War Criminals,” the word “kikes” was written 24 times.
Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch condemned the signs in a post on Facebook last week, writing that they were “deeply disturbing and offensive.” She later updated the post thanking a local resident for convincing the homeowners to remove the signs.
Mark Bouzyk has since been fired from his job as the co-founder and chief scientific officer at AllaiHealth, an AI-driven patient medical history platform, the company announced on Thursday.
“We are deeply disturbed and disheartened by the video circulating involving Dr Mark Bouzyk,” CEO Robert Boisjoli said in the statement. “The behavior displayed in that footage is reprehensible, completely inconsistent with our values, and has no place in our organization or society.”
The incident joins another recent attack on the family of an American who moved to Israel to join its army. In St. Louis, a hate crime inquiry was opened by local police after three cars were set ablaze and “Death to the IDF” was written outside of the home of a family whose son recently completed two years serving in the IDF.
The Daily Mail has the usual photos and more here.
#1
The problem here is what will become of the Karen, Kachin, Padaung, and Shan minorities. The Burmans when aroused are a vicious ethnicity. Burma, in many ways is like the Sudan. A ruling elite, generally military, at the core, and facing off against ethinic minorities on the periphery. Now faced with a problem among the Muslim minority of the west, what is needed is a diplomacy, a leader, who can bring the fissiparous elements together in what could be a very fine and profitable multi-ethnic Burma.
#1
Colombian mercenaries are trained to operate drones within the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, after which they return to their drug cartels and apply the acquired experience against law enforcement. This was previously reported by the specialized publication Intelligence Online citing a report from Mexican military intelligence.
ICE had a massive raid today at The Home Deport on Sherman Way and Lankershim in North Hollywood. Apparently, the word isn't getting out to illegal aliens. They think those red cards that Manuel Bunzalez is handing out will keep them safe. No way Jose! Viva La Migra! pic.twitter.com/8g6EQ1Swfo
Posted by: Fred ||
08/24/2025
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#1
While I am sure many of us agree, Criminal / Gang ILLEGALS need to be quickly arrested, jailed, deported and then banned for life from return.
But! In all honesty, it does open the question of how will the various US Markets (construction, food and etc) that need cheap manual labor, be addressed?
Because this Smartphone Generation, we have mindlessly walking around doing Social Media, is far from able or nor wishes to address those type of labor needs.
Should some type of 90 day sign-up period be held, for 1 year VISA's be undertaken? With historical & follow up constant Police - National Crime Information Center monitoring for anything more than a parking ticket, thus requiring immediate deportation and Ban for life on conviction.
#5
New housing was going up at the local Air Force base. The contract had to comply with existing federal law. That means the contractor had to use the law to base labor costs. During the building ICE came to the site and gathered a number of illegals. They certainly weren't being paid the prevailing union wages. The contractor blamed subcontractors for the hires. However, someone was pocking the difference. Don't get me started how those illegals got to work on the base to begin with.
#7
P2k, the Feds require a LOT of paperwork for their projects. As you suspected, there was an inordinate amount of subterfuge going on as each of those 'subcontractors' have to provide weekly or monthly certified payroll records that are then signed off at each layer as they go up the chain to the main general contractor (and they also sign off on each record's validity) for them to submit to the Feds.
Records falsification is a huge no-no and carries
some serious consequences.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/24/2025 8:18
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#8
In all honesty, it does open the question of how will the various US Markets (construction, food and etc) that need cheap manual labor, be addressed?
In a word, NO.
In several words: It's only cheap for the employer. The illegals get social security, welfare, medicare, medicade, food stamps, childcare, section 8, and more I haven't thought of.
#9
Those college grads will use AI or a YT video and build your house for you…I mean, it can’t be that hard if they can get the uneducated folks to build them. Too many folks got educated beyond their intelligence level…
As the USA became computerized / I.T. focused, it all but stopped turning out hands on Technical Trade grads. To the point we are faced with a shortage of Hands-On-Worker bees'.
We recently read we have 50+ Million foreign nationals working here in the USA. Clearly, they are doing a lot of the work the new generation (whatever) won't.
eg. While I was attending college in Fresno, the San Joaquin Valley in the early 70's, cheap farm labor was seasonal. A majority headed back to Mexico after harvest.
SO.
Yes! We need strict immigration control.
Yes! We need to kick out the NON-US Citizen Welfare leeches, the drug gangs and all the sexual deviants/perverts.
But we also need law-abiding SEASONAL, less expensive Farm Labor.
Because, imagine price results of paying US Citizens farm hands $25+ per/hr to operation heavy machinery in the sun, and shovel $hit for 12hrs a day for 9 months a year
🚨HOLY SMOKES: Journalist Michael Shellenberger says after raiding John Bolton’s House— the FBI could be coming for BRENNAN, CLAPPER, AND COMEY NEXT🚨@Shellenberger: “Look, I’ve been told from administration officials that the Department of Justice is serious, the FBI is… pic.twitter.com/69Yx7hgI1I
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Always "just about to happen."
No arrests, no trials, no convictions and no prison sentences.
Theater to keep the morons distracted from Epstein and where his trail leads.
#2
/\ "Always "just about to happen."
No arrests, no trials, no convictions and no prison sentences. Theater to keep the morons distracted from Epstein and where his trail leads."
Concur with Jairong. We're well into the second decade of justice successfully avoided. The theater continues. My expectations for justice are quite low indeed.
Disappointing? Yes, of course. Surprising? Obviously not.
[X] President Donald Trump has escalated his feud with California Governor Gavin Newsom, accusing him of incompetence in handling the slow recovery from the January 2025 fires in Los Angeles. During a White House briefing, Trump praised federal efforts for issuing permits quickly while criticizing Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass for bureaucratic delays, potentially jeopardizing preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Newsom fired back on social media, defending his executive orders to cut red tape and aid fire victims, amid broader tensions over state sovereignty and disaster response.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#4
His wife’s newly formed NGO took in $50M in donations. I expect her salary will be $45M. Need to leave some cash to cover her expense reimbursements.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
08/24/2025 14:20
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🚨NEW BUST: Transnational gang of Illegal Aliens arrested for a string of violent home invasions and torture across Houston. A father was pistol-whipped in front of his wife and son before they threatened to cut off all his fingers.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 was registered in Indonesian waters. This was reported on Saturday, August 23, by the Indonesian seismological and meteorological agency BMKG.
“An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 and a depth of 12 kilometers occurred on August 23 at 19:24 (15:24 Moscow time),” the report says.
The epicenter of the tremors was located 51 km from the city of Sinabang. There were no reports of casualties or tsunami threats.
Earlier, on August 22, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake was recorded in the Drake Passage in the Atlantic Ocean. In connection with the seismic event, the US Meteorological Service announced a tsunami threat.
During the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, postman A. Chang posed as a photo developer, helping Japanese forces while secretly sheltering Chinese refugees. He later risked his life evacuating them and revealing evidence of the atrocities.
As noted, the plot centers around a mailman, A. Chang, who was saved from execution at the hand of a Japanese war photographer, with the help of a nearby Chinese Japanese interpreter, Wang Guanghai, who prevented the murder by falsely indicating that Chang not only knew where a photo developer was, but also was himself a photo developer. The interpreter Wang also gave Chang sufficient time by claiming it would take Chang two full days to develop the film.
During that time, Chang discovered the film developing store owner, his wife, his 10-year-old daughter, and his infant son were hiding in the store.
In the film, Wang had a wife who was a beautiful opera singer, and as far as I could tell, he also had a baby mama and her child.
Concubines as well as multiple wives were reasonably common in pre-Communist China.
This comprises all the characters in the film, except for the high ranking Imperial Japanese Army officers, and one historical figure, Japanese Army Lieutenant General Iwane Matsui.
Where historical accuracy is in the film, the uniforms and the equipment of both sides of the initial battle for Nanjing were accurate. The depiction of the fighting, the subsequent massacres of Chinese POWs and civilians, were quite brutal. If you go see the film, you will be moved by the brutality. I have read the late Iris Chang's book, "The Rape of Nanching" on the massacre, yet, there is no way that the depiction in this film were over the top.
The rest of the plot of the film centers around the theme expressed by the characters, that they were traitors in helping the Japanese develop the photographs of the pogroms against Chinese civilians. Ultimately the plot shifts to the central Chinese characters trying to get passes into the Western and untouched sectors of the city.
There is a problem with the film, however. Like a drunk who can't help to keep his hands off a bottle of booze, the Chinese Communist Party just had to include at the end of the film a message that the Chinese Peoples Army defeated the Japanese, without mention of the half dozen western allies, and primarily the US Navy, which ultimately caused the Japanese empire to collapse.
This message, this zinger, in my opinion, tainted the entire film, cheapening it and the horrific crimes committed against the Chinese people. With this message, I am not even sure that this film would ultimately wind up in Tubi's catalog.
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.
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
...Arabic for 
...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 
...
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
[NY Post] 
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
Last Wednesday, I had the high honor and distinct privilege of a private screening of the recently released Chinese war film "Dead to Rights." 
