News of the World
06-02-2026, 11:42 AM
MIDDLE EAST
Quote:Iran has dug out a majority of the entrances to its underground missile bases that were buried by joint US-Israeli strikes during the height of the war, satellite images show.
A recent probe of 18 missile facilities hit during the war shows that at least 50 out of 69 tunnel entrances have been reopened since the cease-fire went into effect in April, CNN reported.
The fast work indicates that Iran would be poised to fire a lot more long-range missiles across the Middle East if the war restarts amid tense peace negotiations.
Satellite images captured the rigorous work Tehran has accomplished in just seven weeks across various missile bases, with digging equipment and large trucks seen excavating the tunnel entrances.
Workers at one base, located outside Isfahan, could be seen filling up more than a dozen craters left behind by the US-Israel joint strikes, with two entrances cleared by early May.
Heavy machines and truckers were also spotted at Iran’s missile bases near Khomeyn and Tabriz on April 10, just days after the cease-fire went into effect.
Iran’s rush to restore operations to its missile facilities undermines one of the Trump administration’s main goals of the war: to reduce Tehran’s arsenal and ability to attack allies in the Middle East.
President Trump specifically listed “completely degrading Iranian Missile Capability, Launchers, and everything else pertaining to them” as one of his five objectives for the war.
The Pentagon and White House said US and Israeli forces had struck 13,000 targets in Iran over the five weeks of war, including more than 450 ballistic missile storage facilities.
Despite the strikes, Iran continued to launch attacks across the region, hitting American bases and critical infrastructure of several Gulf nations.
Experts fear that the same type of attacks would resume if war reignites as Washington and Tehran continue to clash over the terms of a peace deal to end the conflict.
Iran has already started rebuilding its military capabilities, including restarting its drone production and replacing destroyed missile launchers, according to US intelligence.
“The Iranians have exceeded all timelines the (intelligence community) had for reconstitution,” one US official told CNN.
Quote:The US and Iran exchanged strikes over the weekend after the Islamic Republic shot down an American drone — testing the limits of the cease-fire in the three-month war.
Tehran retaliated by launching attacks on a US base in Kuwait.
The firefight started when Iran targeted an MQ-1 Reaper drone that was operating over international waters, according to US Central Command.
American fighters “swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” CENTCOM said late Sunday.
The strikes centered around Qeshm Island, which is home to an underground “missile city” and is surrounded by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces.
“No American service members were harmed. CENTCOM will continue to protect U.S. assets and interests in response to unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire.”
Following those strikes, Iran claimed it hit a US airbase in the region.
Air defenses in Kuwait, where a major US base is located, were “confronting hostile missile and drone attacks” on Monday, the country’s army said on social media.
Iran carried out the attack in response to a strike on a communications tower in Sirik County, located in the country’s Hormozgan province, according to the Tasnim News Agency.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force has since warned that if US “aggression” continues, the response will be “entirely different.”
Brig. Gen. Majid Ebn al-Reza, the regime’s caretaker defense minister, warned the US Sunday that “our finger remains on the trigger” and “new surprises are on the way,” without divulging further details.
Quote:An Iranian missile strike on an air base in Kuwait has reportedly injured several Americans, as President Trump weighs whether to accept Tehran’s latest peace proposal or return to war.
The Americans injured some time within the last 24 hours included contractors and active duty personnel, a source told Bloomberg News Saturday, with minor injuries suffered after Kuwaiti air defenses struck an incoming Fategh-110 missile.
The attack also seriously damaged a pair of MQ-9 Reaper drones, which cost about $30 million as debris fell on the Ali Al Salem air base.
President Trump huddled with his security team Friday, and said he plans to make a “final determination” on a deal with Iran that would extend a cease fire for 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and set up further negotiations on Iran’s nuclear material while the US lifts its blockade.
Located about 20 miles from the Iraqi border, the base hosted US troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US, meanwhile, continues to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports, disabling a Gambia-flagged vessel Saturday, a US official told the Associated Press.
The bulk carrier Lian Star is currently adrift in the Gulf of Oman after US aircraft undertook the action, the outlet reported.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told a defense conference in Singapore Saturday that “We’re focused on being postured and prepared to re-engage if we have to.”
CENTCOM posted images Saturday of a Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter landing on the flight deck of USS Tripoli (LHA 7) while transiting the Arabian Sea., as well as a US Air Force F-16 flying over the Middle East during a patrol.
“U.S. forces remain present and vigilant across the region,” it said.
News of the action in the region came as Trump was at his Virginia golf club, while spending the weekend at the White House, and deciding whether to accept Tehran’s latest peace proposal.
He spent Friday with his security team in the Situtaion Room but did not make an announcement regarding the war with Iran.
Quote:The independent outlet Iran International reported on Sunday, citing anonymous sources, that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian submitted a resignation letter to alleged “supreme leader” Mojtaba Khamenei complaining that the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) made his job impossible.
In Iran, the “supreme leader” is the all-powerful dictator of the country, who maintains a delicate balance of power between the IRGC, a formal wing of the Iranian military, and the civilian leaders of the country. The president and the IRGC are both directly subordinate to the “supreme leader.” Under longtime dictator Ali Khamenei, the IRGC often intervened in civilian affairs, including hijacking the diplomacy of the country with the approval of the “supreme leader.”
Following Khamenei’s extermination in an American military operation on February 28, however, the balance of power has remained unclear, as the late Khamenei’s son has made no public appearances, nor is there any public proof that he is actually running the country or capable of doing so. This has resulted in mixed messages from the Iranian regime, particularly incongruous messages from Pezeshkian and his cabinet that appear to contradict the messages of military leaders. Most recently, Tasnim News, believed to have close ties to the IRGC, reported on Monday that Tehran was cutting off negotiations with the United States, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied this in the pages of the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Prior to the conflicting reports about U.S. talks on Monday, Iran International suggested that Pezeshkian, the head of the civilian wing of the regime, could soon depart his office. According to the outlet, a “source familiar” confirmed that Pezeshkian had offered his resignation letter and complained in it about the disproportionate influence of the IRGC in his affairs.
“In the letter sent on Sunday, Pezeshkian stressed that the president and the government have effectively been excluded from major and vital decision-making processes in the country,” the outlet’s source claimed, “and that the vacuum created by this situation has enabled hardline factions within the IRGC to take control of affairs.”
The president reportedly complained that, thanks to the IRGC, “he is unable to run the government and carry out his legal responsibilities, and for that reason has requested to step down immediately.”
IRNA, the state news agency, shared comments on Monday from Pezeshkian that appeared to deny the Iran International report without mentioning it directly. Pezeshkian, according to the website, reportedly used a cabinet meeting on Sunday to reiterate – for no apparent reason, as presented in the report – that he wished to continue being president.
“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed his determination to serve the Iranian nation, underscoring resistance and national solidarity,” IRNA reported. “Pezeshkian also said his life was not more valuable than that of the martyred Leader [Ali Khamenei], and stressed the need to remain present and manage problems honestly in the field, trusting in God’s help.”
“These remarks follow recent rumors reported by certain media outlets about the president’s resignation,” IRNA added ominously, indicating that the comments were made after the publication of the Iran International report.
Pezeshkian also published a comment on his Twitter profile that addressed unspecified “hardships.”
“Confronting major challenges without enduring hardships is impossible. Crossing this rugged and winding path is only possible through public awareness and cooperation,” he wrote. “We must explain the existing realities to the people so that all segments of society participate in solving problems. This shared pain will never be healed separately.”
Pezeshkian became president in 2024 in the last sham election to be run by Ali Khamenei, organized to replace his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a mysterious helicopter crash that year. Pezeshkian was presented as the “moderate” “reformist” candidate who publicly acknowledged that widespread protests in the country were responding to legitimate failures of the government, a way to remove pressure on the regime by making the protesters feel represented by Pezeshkian. Once taking office, however, Pezeshkian did not govern any differently than any other president and regurgitated the radical Islamist and violent viewpoints of the jihadist “supreme leader.”
Quote:The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed a strike on a U.S. vessel on Monday, just hours after President Donald Trump said the United States' talks with Iran are continuing “at a rapid pace.” The strike came as Tehran signaled it had suspended negotiations.
The MSC Sariska V container ship, a Panama-flagged vessel with ties to the U.S., was struck with a cruise missile following an attack on an Iranian ship near Oman, according to reports from Al Jazeera, citing Iranian media. The vessel was hit with a projectile around 40 nautical miles southeast of Umm Qasr, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the outlet reported.
Newsweek reached out to CENTCOM by email Monday for comment. When reached by email, the Pentagon referred Newsweek to CENTCOM.
The conflicting accounts from Trump and the IRGC underscore rising uncertainty around efforts to de-escalate the broader Middle East conflict. The diplomatic rift could complicate ceasefire efforts tied to Israel’s ongoing offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah and raises questions about whether negotiations will stall or collapse.
Iranian state-linked media reported earlier that talks were halted in protest over Israeli military action in Lebanon, while Trump said Washington had not been formally notified.
Trump’s remarks came in a series of posts on Truth Social, where he also claimed Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group had agreed to halt hostilities following separate contacts. He described a “very productive” call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said messages relayed through intermediaries secured a commitment from Hezbollah to stop firing.
“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu...there will be no Troops going to Beirut,” Trump wrote, adding that forces already en route had been turned back. He also said Hezbollah had agreed “that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.”
Quote:WASHINGTON — President Trump claimed Monday that “I really don’t care” if talks between the US and Iran break down after Iran threatened to cut off indirect communication in response to Israeli airstrikes on Beirut.
“I really don’t care. I couldn’t care less,” Trump told CNBC in a phone interview. “If they’re over, they’re over. If they’re not, you know, I think they took too much time. Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring.”
A few moments later, Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social: “I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back.
“Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.“
“Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the president added in a follow-up post.
Lebanon’s embassy in Washington confirmed Trump’s remarks, noting that Hezbollah agreed “to the US proposal, which calls for a reciprocal cessation of attacks.”
“Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs would cease in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from carrying out attacks against Israel, with the ceasefire framework to be expanded to encompass all Lebanese territories,” it said in a statement.
“The scheduled negotiation meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday are set to convene to discuss this progress and build upon it.”
Still, Netanyahu said Israel’s stance on striking Hezbollah “remains unchanged” if the terror group does not abandon its attacks on the Jewish State
“Tonight, I spoke with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens—Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut,” he said. “This stance of ours remains unchanged.”
“In parallel, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon,” he added.
Earlier Monday, the Israeli military had issued a relocation notice urging residents to leave the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as the Dahieh district, where Hezbollah is thought to have a strong presence.
“Should Hezbollah continue to fire toward our cities and communities, the IDF will respond by striking terrorist targets in Dahieh,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. “Israel is not at war with the Lebanese people, but with the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
Soon after, an IRGC-affiliated media outlet reported Tehran would stop communicating with Washington in protest of the restarted conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon — disrupting weeks of attempts to find a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart formal peace talks.
Quote:A cargo ship suffered a “large explosion” along the Iran-Kuwait border on Monday just as Tehran fired attacks on a US base near the area.
The Panama-flagged MSC Sariska V container ship was struck by “an unknown projectile” just 40 nautical miles south of Umm Qasr, Iraq, near the border with Kuwait, the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said.
Video shared online, including by pro-Iran outlets, showed what appeared to be the MSC Sariska V with a large hole in its side taking on water.
Quote:Video footage which allegedly shows damage to a Panama-flagged cargo vessel, the MSC SARISKA V, after a possible Iranian drone or missile attack earlier off the coast of Umm Qasr, Iraq. pic.twitter.com/fYzjw0IhVc
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 1, 2026
The status of the ship remains unclear, with maritime tracking data showing the vessel, which was bound for Qatar, stationed at Umm Qasr.
The attack on the vessel came after Washington and Tehran exchanged strikes on Sunday, with the US intercepting an Iranian MQ-1 Reaper drone targeting Kuwait, where a major American base is located.
Kuwaiti army officials said its forces were “confronting hostile missile and drone attacks” on Monday just hours before the strike on the MSC Sariska V was reported.
Iran has repeatedly targeted Kuwait during the war and cease-fire, with Americans reportedly injured during one of the weekend strikes.
Tensions remain high along the Persian Gulf as Iran signaled it was ending peace negotiations with the US due to Israel’s latest attacks in Lebanon.
Although the hostilities have left the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil choke point, shut down since March, US Central Command said about 70 commercial ships have gone through the passageway over the past three weeks, the New York Times reported.
The ships avoided detection by turning off their transponders and received help from CENTCOM to avoid Iranian mines and drones.
Quote:The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia’s dreams of a glittering, futuristic city spanning his nation’s desert have come crashing down.
The futuristic, carbon-neutral Neom project has long been touted as an urban utopia erected upon cutting-edge, sustainable technology.
Its best-known component has been dubbed The Line – a sprawling 170km long, 500m high “smart city” which was supposed to be home to 9 million residents.
The Wall Street Journal previously claimed it had sourced leaked internal documents revealing The Line’s projected costs had exploded to a whopping $US8.8 trillion ($12.3 trillion) by 2080.
But now, reports have emerged indicating that the state-run company behind the project, Neom, has suspended all work on The Line until at least 2030.
The international news platform Semafor reports the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund has had a change of heart.
It’s redirecting cash flows affected by the Iran War and global energy transition towards more critical infrastructure, such as ports and AI data centres.
And Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vanity projects are paying the price.
Adelaide has already fallen foul of the cost-cutting exercises of MbS’s sovereign wealth fund. Its $US5 billion carrot for the breakaway LIV Golf tour has been cut.
Neom Stadium, an integral part of The Line’s first construction phase, was being sold as a prime venue for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. But the future of the 46,000-seat sports field is yet to be confirmed.
And the $1.6 billion Neom Industrial City Connector (NICC) high-speed rail link to The Line has just had its contract terminated.
Then there’s the Trojena mountain resort.
Work on this vast artificial snow field slated to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games has been halted. The swirling engineering marvel was supposed to produce a luxurious, year-round haven 2km above the surrounding desert sands.
Quote:Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday there will be “no calm in Beirut” unless the Iran-backed terrorists of Hezbollah stop attacking Israel with rockets and drones.
Israel shut down schools in towns near the Lebanese border on Sunday after Hezbollah’s latest attack while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expanded its operation in southern Lebanon, capturing the historic Beaufort Castle.
“The southern suburbs of Beirut are no different from the towns in northern Israel: If there is no calm in the north, there will be no calm in Beirut,” Katz declared in a video statement on Sunday.
“We will not allow a situation in which our towns and our citizens are attacked while calm is maintained in Beirut,” he warned.
Israel stepped up its airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Monday, issuing evacuation orders for the southern suburbs of Beirut along with several border towns.
“The State of Israel is not fighting the Lebanese people, but the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” the IDF said on Monday.
“If Hezbollah continues to fire missiles at Israeli cities and towns, the Israeli army will respond by targeting objectives in the southern suburbs,” the statement added.
Heavy ground fighting was reported around Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon over the weekend. The IDF said it captured the site over the weekend, an achievement praised by both Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The Israeli flag is once again flying over the peaks overlooking the Galilee communities. Our heroic soldiers have captured Beaufort once again and will remain there as part of the security zone in Lebanon,” Katz said on Monday.
Netanyahu released a video statement putting this weekend’s action in the context of Israel’s long struggle for security in Lebanon and noting that thousands of Hezbollah terrorists have been eliminated.
“I have instructed the IDF to expand the incursion in Lebanon. Our forces have crossed the Litani River. They took dominant terrain. They captured the Beaufort ridge. And now my instruction is to deepen and expand our hold on places that were under Hezbollah’s control,” Netanyahu said.
“The capture of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic change in the policy we are leading. We have broken the barrier of fear. We are taking the initiative, we are operating on all fronts — in Syria, in Gaza, in Lebanon; we have established security zones beyond our borders to protect our communities,” he said.
The Israeli military posted videos of its forces taking control of the 900-year-old castle and raising the Israeli flag:
Quote:President Donald Trump said Monday he believes the United States could reach an agreement with Iran “over the next week” after personally intervening to halt a rapidly escalating confrontation between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon that Tehran warned could derail the negotiations altogether.
Speaking in a phone interview with ABC News, Trump said negotiations with Tehran were “looking good” after what he described as a brief “glitch” stemming from Iranian anger over Israel’s escalating military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, including threats by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike the terror group’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district following intensified rocket and drone attacks deeper into northern Israel.
“Looking good, looking good,” Trump told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, adding, “There was a little glitch today, but I turned that one around very quickly, as you probably noticed earlier.”
Trump said the “glitch” centered on Iranian objections to Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah, which Tehran has insisted must be covered under both the current ceasefire framework and any future agreement currently being negotiated between Washington and the Islamic Republic.
“So I spoke with Hezbollah, and I said no shooting, and I talked to Bibi [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and said no shooting, and they both stopped shooting each other,” Trump said.
The remarks came after rapidly escalating tensions throughout Monday threatened to destabilize already-fragile negotiations surrounding a proposed 60-day memorandum of understanding aimed at extending the ceasefire while reopening the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz and creating a framework for broader negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Earlier Monday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is closely affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that Tehran had suspended indirect exchanges with the United States through mediators over what it described as Israel’s expanding military operations in Lebanon.
Quote:LA law enforcement will be in a state of heightened security for the two Iranian FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium in June, revealing they have been working overtime gathering “information and intelligence,” leading up to the controversial team’s arrival.
At a press conference hosted Monday morning by Nathan Hochman, the DA explained the coordinated effort between entities providing safety in the city for the June 11 to July 19 event, during which Sheriff Robert Luna explained “Iran does bring a different dynamic.”
Luna has been working closely with the Secret Service, Inglewood Police and the LAPD and says they “are prepared for any contingency” and extra staffing will be present for the games.
Iran will play two high profile matches at SoFi, one against New Zealand on June 15 and then against Belgium on June 22.
It’s been announced the Iranian team will be staying in Tijuana, Mexico and flying in and out of LA on the same day as the matches.
“Anyone who seeks to turn the celebration into chaos, you will find no refuge in this city. You will be arrested,” said Police Chief Jim McDonnell “This is a terrible time to commit a crime in LA,” added Hochman.
Personnel have planned for several years and traveled to different countries to prepare for the once in a lifetime event, according to Luna.
Police are planning on keeping areas safe with drone enforcement and layered security. Temporary flight restrictions will be put in place above SoFi Stadium.
The Secret Service plans to be throughout the city to “protect dignitaries and heads of state” who will be travelling through and staying in LA during futbol’s biggest event.
Quote:Oil markets jolted higher Monday after Iran threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
West Texas Intermediate crude surged 7% to about $94 a barrel and Brent climbed 6% to roughly $97, reflecting growing fears that a prolonged disruption could choke off global supplies.
While oil prices declined on hopes of a peace deal last week, a new exchange of strikes between the US and Iran reversed the trend.
Iranian state media reported that Tehran had halted communications with Washington and said it would “completely” block the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that serves as a conduit for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
And US Central Command said Monday that American forces intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles that were targeting US troops stationed in Kuwait.
Investors are increasingly worried that any prolonged disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could tighten global supplies and send energy prices sharply higher.
An ExxonMobil executive recently warned that global oil inventories are approaching “unheard of” lows and crude prices could soar as high as $160 a barrel if supplies continue to tighten.
Speaking at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference on Thursday, ExxonMobil Senior Vice President Neil Chapman said the market has thus far avoided a more dramatic spike because countries and companies have been drawing down crude and fuel stockpiles while tapping strategic petroleum reserves.
But Chapman warned that cushion is rapidly disappearing.
“We’re approaching unheard of inventory levels. I mean, really, really low levels,” he said. “You can debate whether that’s going to hit those really low levels in two weeks or three weeks. But once you get to that point, then you’ll see price shoot up.”
Chapman said industry models indicate Brent crude could climb drastically once inventories reach critically low levels and buyers begin competing for dwindling supplies.
“Once you get to the minimum inventory levels and all-time low inventory levels, there’s only one way to go,” the exec said.
According to Chapman, Saudi Arabia has maximized use of its East-West pipeline to move crude to the Red Sea, while previously unsold Iranian, Venezuelan and Russian oil has also found its way onto the market.
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said he is still hoping to land a major deal to buy advanced US military drones, saying it would be a potentially “huge’’ game-changer in the war.
His comments came as he warned that Ukraine was set to be brutally pummeled by Russia by air again for the second week in a row.
Zelensky argued that fusing the dramatic advancements Ukraine has made with its drone technology because of its battlefield experience against Moscow with America’s remarkable military capabilities would be “huge” and beneficial for both countries.
“American technological companies, they have a lot of different interesting AI technologies, what we don’t have. And we have a lot of things [that] they don’t have, because [of] our experience,” Zelensky told CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
“I think this cooperation can be huge and the most powerful in the world.”
While the US and Ukraine have had some cooperation on drones, there hasn’t been a comprehensive deal signed at the scale Zelensky has in mind, according to the Ukrainian leader.
The war-torn country is aiming to crank out a massive 7 million drones this year alone for both use in the skies and water.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has put an emphasis on building up American drone capabilities and recently told reporters that the Pentagon “learned so much from Ukraine and how they operate.”
Last week, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, met with officials in Ukraine to discuss drones and other issues.
Many military analysts have credited Ukraine’s drone advancements in part for the country’s progress on the battlefield against Russia in recent months. Another key factor was Starlink cutting off Russia from its satellite internet service.
Quote:PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) - France's navy has intercepted a sanctioned tanker linked to the Russian oil trade in the Atlantic Ocean and ordered the vessel to head for the French mainland, in a move Russia said was illegal and bordered on "international piracy".
French President Emmanuel Macron, opens new tab on Monday posted a video on X showing commandos rappelling from helicopters onto the Tagor, during an operation that occurred the previous day in international waters 400 miles (740 km) west of Brittany.
The tanker, which had sailed from Russia's Arctic port of Murmansk, was suspected of flying under a false flag, and was intercepted with support from Britain, Macron said. According to the vessel tracker MarineTraffic, the 252-metre-long tanker was sailing under the flag of Madagascar.
France's Maritime prefecture, the state authority for maritime security, said the boarding team's inspection of the vessel's papers had "confirmed suspicions regarding the irregularity of the flag flown."
To try to skirt Western sanctions, Russia has relied on old vessels, known as the shadow fleet, to ship its oil and gas. France and Britain have both vowed to obstruct such vessels as part of a European strategy to combat the oil revenues that help fund Russia's war efforts in Ukraine.
"It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years," Macron wrote on X.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not agree that international law had been followed.
"We consider such actions illegal; they border on international piracy," Peskov told reporters, adding that Russia would take measures to ensure the safety of shipping cargo in response to the incident.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, in a subsequent statement, said the French action, citing international law, was "yet another example of European legal nihilism and rewriting the rules for their own benefit."
Zakharova dismissed references to international sanctions, saying such punitive measures were only valid if approved by the U.N. Security Council and not "illegal unilateral measures ... in the imagination of the Franco-British pirate tandem".
On Monday, the Tagor was steaming under naval escort towards an anchorage off northwestern France, according to the Maritime prefecture.
The Tagor is the fourth sanctioned tanker the French have intercepted.
FALSE FLAG
The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions against Russia, but Moscow has adapted to most measures and continues to sell millions of barrels of oil to countries such as India and China, typically at discounted prices.
Western sanctions and a small number of interceptions have had little obvious impact on the "shadow fleet" at a time when oil prices, pushed higher by the Iran war, offer tankers a big incentive. Instead it is the Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities that are stopping Moscow from capitalising on the spike in global fuel prices.
In April, Russia deployed a frigate to escort two sanctioned vessels through the English Channel and the Kremlin said Russia had the right to defend itself against what it called piracy.
Days later Estonia said it would refrain from detaining Russian shadow fleet tankers, worried that such actions could provoke a military response from Moscow.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in March that he had granted permission for the UK military to board ships belonging to the 'shadow fleet'. However, shipping data shows that dozens of sanctioned vessels have continued to cross UK waters.
In April, owners of the Mozambique-flagged tanker Deyna paid an undisclosed fine to secure the ship's release after it was detained by France.
Quote:Russia attacked Ukraine with a barrage of missiles and drones overnight, killing at least 11 people, injuring dozens and trapping others, authorities said on Tuesday.
Russia unleashed 73 missiles and 656 drones across Ukraine, according to the country’s air force, with the main targets including Kyiv, the central city of Dnipro, and the eastern cities of Poltava, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed and suppressed 40 missiles and 602 drones.
Hits of 30 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and 33 drones were recorded at at least 38 locations. Debris from destroyed drones fell on 15 locations, the air force said.
At least four people were killed in Kyiv and 63 people were injured, including three children, Ukraine’s state emergency service said in a statement on Telegram.
Residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were damaged in eight of Kyiv’s districts.
In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, at least six people were killed and 36 others injured after Russian strikes hit the city of Dnipro, according to the emergency service.
A second attack as first responders arrived at the scene killed one rescuer.
In Kharkiv, at least 14 people were injured and residential homes, garages and cars were damaged.
A two-story residential building and part of a four-story apartment block were damaged, with people trapped beneath the rubble of the larger building.
The boom of explosions echoed through most of the night and into the early morning.
Kyiv had been bracing for another mass attack for days, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was preparing a renewed assault and urged people to remain cautious and seek shelter during air raid alerts.
In the Podilskyi district, there was partial damage to the upper floors of a nine-story building, trapping people under the rubble.
Rescue operations were still underway in the early hours of the morning, even as the air raid alert remained in effect.
In the Solomianskyi district, a 20-story building and a 24-story building were damaged.
ASIA
Quote:Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's demand that Asian allies and partners boost defense spending appeared to make U.S. support increasingly conditional in a region that has long relied on a balance of power underwritten by American military might.
The Pentagon chief called on U.S. allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific to commit to spending 3.5 percent of GDP on security.
Countries that demonstrate a commitment to a U.S.-led regional defense efforts would be moved "to the front of the line," Hegseth said during a speech Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a defense summit hosted annually in Singapore by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
That means "expedited arms sales, deep industrial-base collaboration, expanded intelligence sharing—the list goes on," he said. "The benefits are many," Hegseth said. Yet those that do not "carry their own weight for our collective defense" would be treated less favorably, he warned.
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email outside of office hours for comment.
Why It Matters
The remarks suggest a more conditional approach to U.S. security commitments in the Indo-Pacific, a region where American military power has long served as a key deterrent against China.
The push comes amid rising tensions across the Indo-Pacific. China has rapidly increased military spending and intensified pressure in territorial disputes with Japan and the Philippines, while also expanding its military footprint across the region.
U.S. Support Linked to Spending Commitments
Hegseth's comments echoed President Donald Trump's longstanding complaints that the United States bears a disproportionate share of the burden for collective defense.
Trump has successfully pushed NATO members to endorse a new goal of spending 5 percent of GDP on defense by 2027.
The threshold set out by Hegseth would be a significant increase for most regional allies. None of Washington's major partners in Asia currently meet the 3.5 percent benchmark.
Singapore and South Korea come closest, spending roughly 2.8 to 3 percent and 2.8 percent of GDP, respectively. Japan is approaching 2 percent under its ongoing defense push, while Australia spends about 2 percent.
Philippines Cited as Example of Burden Sharing
Hegseth pointed to the U.S. treaty ally as a successful example of burden sharing, citing Manila's deepening defense ties with Washington and its hosting this year of the largest-ever Balikatan joint military exercises.
Yet despite a roughly 12 percent increase in defense spending last year, Manila's military budget remains well under the 3.5 percent target.
"It is especially difficult for agricultural economies to reach compared to more industrial nations with an established military-industrial structure," Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
"But for an archipelago of 7,600 islands where you still have to invest in your basic infrastructure for connectivity, education, health care, it is very difficult to hit."
Quote:Key Takeaways
- Rejection of "Militarism" Accusations: Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi countered Beijing's claims of a "new militarism," pointing out the stark reality that Japan possesses neither the nuclear weapons nor the strategic bombers found in China's arsenal.
- Firm Stand on Defense Transparency: While emphasizing that Tokyo remains open to diplomatic dialogue, Koizumi criticized China's rapidly expanding military footprint and high level of defense spending for its lack of transparency.
- Strengthening Regional Partnerships: Amidst the diplomatic friction, Japan is actively deepening security ties with other Indo-Pacific nations concerned by Beijing's maritime ambitions, including moving forward with critical military equipment transfers to the Philippines.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi on Sunday rejected accusations from China that Tokyo’s recent defense buildup amounts to a "new militarism," while simultaneously emphasizing that the "door is always open" to bilateral dialogue.
While Japan’s postwar constitution strictly limits the nation's military role and renounces war as a sovereign right, Tokyo has progressively enhanced its defense posture in recent years. This strategic shift includes increased defense spending, expanded joint exercises with the United States and regional partners like the Philippines and Australia, and an April decision to relax longstanding restrictions on lethal weapons exports.
In response, China has intensified a vocal campaign accusing Japan of "remilitarization," framing Tokyo’s defense reforms as a revival of historical militarism and frequently invoking memories of Imperial Japan’s wartime aggression.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by email with a request for comment.
Clarifying Japan's Strategic Intentions
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue—an annual security summit hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) that convenes defense ministers, military officials, diplomats, and analysts from across the region—Koizumi sought to contextualize Japan's security policies.
"Japan's defense policy and defense buildups are not based on the idea of identifying any specific country or region as a threat—or having a military confrontation with it," he stated.
However, the defense minister did not mince words regarding Beijing's own rapidly expanding military footprint and lack of geopolitical clarity.
"That said, China continues to increase its defense spending at a high level and is rapidly expanding its military capabilities across a wide range of areas without sufficient transparency," he said. "These activities are serious areas of concern for Japan and the international community."
Quote:China on Monday dispatched a coast guard flotilla to waters east of Taiwan as Japan and the Philippines prepare to formalize maritime boundary talks in a move Beijing says undermines its territorial claims.
A Chinese statement said it was “a necessary operation” in response to the negotiations, which would seek to delimit neighboring exclusive economic waters and continental shelves in the Philippine Sea, without Beijing’s participation.
Beijing said the decision undermined its “territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” referring to its longstanding claim to self-governing Taiwan as well as the maritime claims that derive from it.
Why It Matters
The deployment highlights how quickly maritime disputes in the Indo-Pacific can escalate as regional powers move to formalize boundaries without Beijing’s involvement.
China's sweeping “nine-dash line” claim includes Taiwan and most of the South China Sea, and its claimed exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, overlaps with those of Japan, the Philippines, and at least five other governments in the region.
The Foreign Ministry in Taipei said it welcomed the move and rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
China Condemns Japan-Philippines Maritime Talks
The leaders of Japan and the Philippines announced the sea border talks last week in a joint statement that also “reaffirmed the need to further promote peace, stability, and mutual trust through maritime cooperation underpinned by respect for international law.”
The negotiations would take place under the U.N. Law of the Sea Treaty, according to the statement. China, Japan and the Philippines all are states parties to the agreement, which grants a coastal state the right to exploit underwater resources including fish stocks, energy reserves and mineral deposits within a 200-nautical mile (230-mile) zone.
Quote:Satellite imagery has captured an unidentified reflective object at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal's lagoon, reigniting concerns in Manila and among regional security analysts that China may be tightening its grip on one of the South China Sea's most sensitive flash points.
Images captured between May 26 and 28 by the satellite imagery platform SkyFi and shared with the Stanford‑affiliated maritime analysis group SeaLight show the object positioned at the southern mouth of the lagoon. Analysts estimate it to be less than 10 meters (32 feet) in diameter, though it remains unclear whether the structure is fixed to the reef or floating like a buoy, SeaLight said.
If confirmed as a permanent installation, the object would mark a potentially significant development at Scarborough Shoal—known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Island in China—where Beijing has exercised de facto control since a tense standoff with Manila in 2012, maintaining a continuous coast guard presence, challenging Philippine government patrols, ejecting Philippine anglers from the area and occasionally deploying floating barriers at the entrance.
"If this object is confirmed to be a fixed installation, it would raise questions about compliance with the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which calls for self‑restraint and avoiding actions that complicate disputes or alter the status quo on contested, uninhabited features," SeaLight Director Ray Powell said in a statement.
Efforts to verify the nature and origin of the object are ongoing, Philippine officials say. Speaking on the sidelines of the Shangri-La security summit in Singapore, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said there was "raw information" that China had built structures at Scarborough Shoal.
"Up to now I have not received any confirmation what that is or what the nature of that thing is," he said during a closed-door meeting with reporters attended by Newsweek. He added that the country's National Security Council has been tasked with leading the investigation.
USA
Quote:A meteorite that rattled New England homes and caused an explosive “double boom” plunged into the middle of Cape Cod Bay, according to experts.
The meteorite fragmented just after 2 p.m. on Saturday, roughly 40 miles above northeast Massachusetts and southeast New Hampshire, NASA posted on social media.
The energy released when the space rock broke up was “equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT” — accounting for the massive boom that spooked residents, the space agency wrote in a statement.
After puncturing the atmosphere, the meteorite fell into the middle of Cape Cod Bay in an event dubbed a “fishy squisher,” officials said.
The meteorite, which plunged into 100 feet of water, is likely strongly attracted to a magnet, offering an opportunity for a space-rock excavator to reach it with a long rope.
“Most meteorites are strongly attracted to a magnet, and these ones are within reach of a 100′ length of rope dangled off of a boat. In case anyone is interested in such factoids,” NASA said.
The phenomenon was observed from Delaware to Montreal and caused a spike in reports to the US Geological Survey, which registered the shaking with the National Earthquake Information Center.
Quote:A veteran forensic scientist suggested that Nancy Guthrie may have been abducted by a local worker who mistook her for being wealthy, given the status of her “Today Show” star daughter.
Barbara Butcher told Fox News Digital Saturday she found it “flabbergasting” someone would just take the 84-year-old, before speculating, “Someone in the area… had found out that Mrs Guthrie was the mother of Savannah Guthrie and said, “Oh, she must be rich.”
Purported ransom notes ordering cryptocurrency payments were sent to media outlets days after the matriarch vanished – but Butcher has questioned the legitimacy of the demands particularly as there were no follow-ups.
“My second thought was that after time, when there was no valid ransom demand or any information forthcoming that it’s probably likely that Mrs. Guthrie died of shock, fright, heart disease, whatever it was, very soon after being taken from her home,” Butcher, a former death investigator for New York City’s chief medical examiner, and the host of Oxygen’s “The Death Investigator, said as she spoke on the fringes of CrimeCon in Las Vegas.
“And that’s just horrifying to me…and so now this kidnapper had nothing and probably, unfortunately, took her body into the desert and buried her there.”
RJ Dreiling, a prosecutor-turned criminal defense attorney, suggested the notes were a tactic used to “throw off investigators.”
“This is someone intelligent enough to completely hide their tracks, including DNA, fingerprints, and electronic data, but also deranged enough to kidnap this woman out of her home and hold her hostage,” he told Hello!
Guthrie is believed to have been taken from her Catalina Foothills, Az, home in the early hours of Feb. 1 –– but still no arrests have been made.
Embattled Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos emphatically said “No, absolutely not” when asked if he considers the case to be cold.
“There’s way too much work that is ongoing with some of the physical evidence we have and we’re not going to give up on it just because it’s been 100 days,” he told KOLD.
“We continue to work with our labs – whether it’s on the digital end or the biological end DNA – and we continue to do that.
“We continue to work with the FBI .. and several labs across the country to get some resolution on this case.”
Nanos said his team is “committed to one thing and one thing only, resolving this, finding out who did this, and hopefully finding Nancy as well.”
“The reality is simply this: We’re policemen. We’re here to investigate a crime,” he said.
“All the other side issues, the pundits and politicians, we’ll let them do their thing.”
Quote:New evidence in the Charlie Kirk assassination is set to be made public at a hearing next month, a Utah judge ruled Monday.
Suspect Tyler Robinson’s lawyers sought to bar news cameras from a five-day preliminary hearing set for July, when the prosecution is expected to lay out evidence against the 23-year-old defendant.
District Judge Tony Graf rejected that motion.
The Kirk case has been the subject of prevalent conspiracy theories, and Erika Kirk has sought to keep the proceedings as open as possible.
Prosecutors say Robinson fatally shot the Turning Point USA founder during an appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem on Sept. 10 — then confessed to the murder to his lover via text.
Robinson’s team also claimed prosecutors have illegally sensationalized the case, pushed political agendas and villainized him in the eyes of the public, violating a pre-trial publicity order.
Graf did not find the Provo County District Attorney’s office in contempt of court on Monday, but he said both sides would have the chance to present their arguments on June 12.
Graf also ruled that media would be allowed to film and live stream a much-anticipated July hearing in which the prosecution is expected to present its most damning evidence.
Tyler’s attorneys have repeatedly argued that media access would be tantamount to blasting potential jurors with anti-Robinson propaganda before the trial begins.
Judge Graf argued that most of the evidence in question has already been revealed and discussed in the public arena, and that there are other ways to protect Robinson’s rights.
Quote:A crazed gunman is suspected of killing six family members before turning the weapon on himself – and authorities believe the “act of evil” stemmed from a domestic dispute.
Ryan Willis McFarland, 52, was named as the perpetrator behind Monday’s rampage in Muscatine, Iowa, about 50 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids, and bodies were found across several locations, KWQC reported.
Two of the victims were Muscatine Community School District students and two were employees of the district, school officials told the outlet.
“Today I simply do not have the words — this act of evil and what it has done to our community,” Muscatine Police Chief Anthony Kies said.
“Preliminary findings indicate the shootings stemmed from a domestic‑related dispute.”
Cops found four people dead with gunshot wounds inside one home just after noon.
But McFarland had left the property before the police arrived. He was found on a nearby trail with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Muscatine police said.
“While talking to Ryan Willis McFarland, he took his own life,” Kies told reporters.
“Officers and EMS personnel rendered aid. However, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Investigators learned there may be additional victims.
A man was found dead inside a home located about two miles from where the first set of bodies were discovered.
Another man was found dead at a nearby business.
The victims have not been identified but they are “believed to be family members of the deceased suspect,” police said.
Quote:A suspected terrorist who allegedly plotted to assassinate Ivanka Trump sported a brazen smirk in Manhattan court Monday as he pleaded not guilty to preparing to bomb a city synagogue.
Mohammad Baqer Saad Dadwood al-Saadi, 32 — who boasted to the feds that he was a close pal of Iran’s late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — grinned throughout the proceeding and at one point began claiming that all’s fair in war.
“I’m not a criminal. … Our children are being killed by your rockets,” al-Saadi said in Arabic, which was translated by a court interpreter.
“I’m not guilty. … I’m in a war situation,” added the suspect, who allegedly planned to bomb the Big Apple house of worship as part of a global reign of terror that spanned nearly a decade.
Al-Saadi also plotted to kill President Trump’s daughter — and even had a blueprint of her Florida home — sources have told The Post. He has not been charged over those allegations.
The accused terrorist, a leader of the terror group Kata’ib Hizballah with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard and the terror group Hezbollah, coordinated the bombing of a Bank of New York in Amsterdam, a synagogue in Belgium and the stabbing of two Jewish victims in London, according to authorities.
In all, federal prosecutors said al-Saadi has been linked to 16 planned or executed attacks of international targets in March and April alone.
“Al-Saadi claims to be part of the ‘resistance,’ a group that includes IRGC, an Iran-based designated foreign terror organization,” US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.
“All Americans should recognize that we have sworn enemies and when your enemies tell you something and when they act, you should know that they mean it,” Clayton said.
The feds have not identified the “prominent” synagogue that was targeted but said al-Saadi allegedly paid a person who turned out to be an undercover agent $3,000 of a promised eventual $10,000 to carry out the attack.
The suspect has boasted that he was like a son of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRG who was killed by a US air strike in 2020, and close to Khamenei, huddling with him just three days before the supreme leader was killed by America at the start of its war on Iran.
Quote:The Secret Service is investigating after a viral video of a nurse appeared to show her saying she wanted to drive to Washington, D.C., and take a knife to President Donald Trump’s throat, prompting calls for an investigation.
In a video shared Sunday by Right Angle News Network, a woman identified as Rhonda Lee said, “God, please kill this motherf—–2. He needs to f—ing die. I’ve never felt like that about anyone.”
Lee, who, according to her LinkedIn, worked at University of Michigan Medical Center beginning in March 2000, but has not been employed there since 2023, continued, “Given my profession, it’s counterintuitive but you know what? F— that guy. He f—ing needs to die.”
Lee added, “I have never been a violent person, but I’m about to drive up there with my god—- neck knife and give that motherf—– a smiley face across his god— neck. F– him. I hate that b—-.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the United States Secret Service, said, “The U.S. Secret Service continuously monitors information streams to support our protective intelligence mission.”
Guglielmi added, “Due to the sensitive nature of this work, we are unable to confirm or comment on specific threat cases. However, anything that could be perceived as a threat to the President or any Secret Service protectee is taken extremely seriously and investigated thoroughly.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mary Masson, senior director of public relations at Michigan Medicine, said Lee has not worked there since 2023.
“We are cooperating with law enforcement to provide any information helpful to their investigation,” Masson said.
Users on X replied to Right Angle News Network’s post of the video, with one saying, “She needs to lose her license to practice medicine, be arrested and FIRED.”
Another said, “Um, someone with that level of HATE in her heart to post a video for The World to see/hear should NEVER, EVER be allowed to provide in home care for elderly patients or any patients for that matter… In fact, she shouldn’t even be allowed to be around 4-legged animals!! She is what HATE is and looks like!!!!!”
Someone else observed, “What is it about nurses and teachers? They used to be people to look up at. Now they act like psychopaths.”
Nurses from across the country have taken to social media to wish ill or harm on members of the Trump administration, with a Florida nurse posting a video on TikTok calling on foreign governments, including China and the United Kingdom, to attack the United States in order to remove what she described as the Trump “regime”.
A California nurse expressed disappointment that Trump was not killed in the April shooting during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
Quote:A former combat medic running for Congress lied under oath as a defense witness for Omar Abdel Rahman aka “the Blind Sheikh,” who incited the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, a watchdog group claims.
Adam Hamawy, 56, an Egyptian-born physician and former Army trauma surgeon, is the leading candidate in Tuesday’s primary for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, backed by streamer Hasan Piker and left-wing senator Bernie Sanders.
But his association with Abdel Rahman has come back to haunt him. At the terrorist’s 1995 trial for inciting the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, which killed six, Hamawy was a witness for his defense.
He had met Abdel Rahman in 1991 in New Jersey and shared a ride with him to a conference in Detroit that year, named “Towards a Global Islamic Economy,” according to a court transcript.
When asked about the trip during the trial, Hamawy — who has never been accused of wrongdoing in relation to the bombing — testified that the subject of the conference was economics of the Middle East. When asked if he’d ever heard Abdel Rahman speak about jihad against America, he replied: “No, not against America,” according to the transcript obtained by The Post.
However, when shown a transcript of the speech and further prompted during questioning by a federal prosecutor, he then admitted Abdel Rahman had spoken about jihad — an Arabic term often interpreted as Holy War — but claimed it was taken out of context and he didn’t mean jihad “in specific.”
However, in a translation from the text of Abdel-Rahman’s speech at the First Annual Conference of the Islamic Charity Project seen by The Post, he makes a number of inciteful statements. The speech was entitled “The Best Way of Supporting Jihad,” and included lines such as: “We must preserve our land and defend it through jihad in the path of Allah.”
In a video of the conference seen by The Post, Abdel Rahman also tells attendees it would be against Islam to negotiate with “the enemy” — Israel — and “reconciliation, sitting down or negotiations — Islam does not approve of any of it.”
“How can a call for peace be made in Afghanistan, for example, after the fall of 20,000 martyrs?” he continued.
Abdel-Rahman also called on his followers to target Hosni Mubarak, the then-president of Egypt.
“[Ex-president Anwar] Sadat surrendered what Israel wanted in the Camp David treaty [of 1978], and the third treacherous traitor [Mubarak] comes to be the loyal dog of America. And gives everything and leads the caravan of treason to give everything to Israel and, behind it, America.”
In court in 1995, a lawyer for the US showed Hamawy a transcript and asked: “Does that refresh your recollection whether he talked about jihad for the sake of God and conquering the land of the infidels?”
Hamawy initially said the statement was being taken out of context, but then admitted, “It was a struggle in the sake of God, yes. It was a jihad.”
Hamawy also admitted “he [Abdel Rahman] basically, you know, was very critical, of America’s foreign policy against Muslims in general, especially during the Gulf War,” according to the trial transcripts. Hamawy was never charged with perjury or faced other repercussions over his testimony.
“I think the voters of New Jersey have a right to know why Dr. Hamawy felt so strongly in defending a violent jihadist leader — the Blind Sheikh — that he repeatedly lied under oath in the 1995 terrorist trial. Dr. Hamamy’s silence until now suggests he has no qualms about his testimony,” said Steven Emerson, founder and executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a Washington, DC-based think tank that studies extremism.
A spokesperson for Egpyt-born Hamawy pointed to his long career of service in the US military and added, of Abdel Rahman: “At the time, the man in question was one of very few religious figures in what was then a very small Muslim community in New Jersey … Dr. Hamawy condemns that man’s violent rhetoric and actions, and all violence, hatred, and terrorism — and he will always. Dr. Hamawy had no contact with this person after they were arrested.”
Quote:The anti-ICE protester who threatened to kill an agent and his family during a heated clash outside Newark’s Delaney Hall has been arrested and charged, officials said Monday.
Nicholas Matthew Scelfo, 27, of Brooklyn, was taken into custody after allegedly hurling threats against an ICE officer, his wife and his children during a protest at the detention facility last week.
“Federal law enforcement officers face danger with great courage, and they should be able to do their jobs without being threatened and fearing for their families’ lives,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who had vowed to see the man arrested.
“We take such threats very seriously and will prosecute those who make them to the fullest extent of the law.”
The “disgusting” encounter unfolded on May 27, when video captured Scelfo threatening one of the ICE officers stationed at Delaney Hall, where protests have been taking place every day.
“I’ll kill your whole f–king family. Your whole f–king family is dead. Your children, your wife, all dead,” the protester, who had protective goggles over his eyes, shouts at the federal agents.
“I have your face, motherf–ker. You’re dead. Dead,” he added.
Scelfo was identified through facial recognition technology, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
The agitator allegedly admitted to making the vile threats following his arrest on May 29, according to the Justice Department.
Patel said Scelfo’s arrest should serve as a warning to others protesting in New Jersey.
“Let this be a message to any criminal actor who may try something similar: you touch a cop, and this FBI will put you down,” he said.
Scelfo was charged with influencing, impeding, and retaliating against a federal officer by threat, according to the Department of Justice.
He was scheduled to appear on Monday before a US Magistrate Judge in Newark federal court.
Quote:The anti-ICE rioter who allegedly sank his teeth into federal law enforcement officers during a protest at Delaney Hall last week was previously accused of distributing child pornography.
The New Jersey US Attorney’s Office charged Brendan John Geier, 26, with assaulting federal officers and causing bodily injury, for allegedly “kicking and biting” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers outside the Newark detention center, leaving them with “horrific wounds,” according to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Geier, of Madison, NJ, was previously charged with sexual abuse of children related to the dissemination and possession of child pornography, the Justice Department confirmed to The Post.
Berks County (Pa.) Detectives began investigating Geier after receiving a tip about suspected child porn being uploaded through Skype from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in September 2018, according to the county district attorneys office.
Investigators linked seven digital images of suspected child pornography to an IP address belonging to Geier, who was then a 19-year-old student at Kutztown University.
Authorities later found “numerous digital images of suspected child pornography” on a laptop and iPhone seized from Geier’s dorm room, the DA said at the time.
Second-degree felony child porn charges were filed against Geier on March 12, 2019. He was let out of jail on a $25,000 bail, court records show.
In 2021, Geier pleaded guilty to a lesser, third-degree felony charge of criminal use of a communication facility.
He was sentenced to two years probation, ordered to have “no contact with anyone under the age of 18” and undergo “sex offender evaluation and treatment.”
Geier describes himself as a “shut in” with “high-functioning autism” who enjoys “spending most of his time alone in his room,” in a website he created in 2024 which is largely devoted to Japanese animation and rock music.
He faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars and $250,000 fine if convicted of the assault charge.
An attorney listed for Geier did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Quote:The devastated daughter of the Atlanta train passenger viciously slaughtered by an alleged homeless maniac in a random attack ripped local officials Monday for opening the transit system to free riders — and then failing to properly police its stations.
Margaret Swan, a 66-year-old great-grandmother, had her throat slashed and then was stabbed 18 to 20 times on the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority by the knife-wielding madman in an unprovoked attack Saturday morning, cops said.
Shanae Sams, Swan’s daughter, told The Post that glaring security gaps, lax policing and a temporary free-fare policy on MARTA paved the way for the heinous daylight killing.
“To me, it’s negligence with the security and the patrolling,” the 46-year-old woman said, noting how commuters were given free rides because of renovations across the transit system.
“Anybody has access to get on and off the trains. If you’re allowing free stuff like that, for me, police patrolling was negligent, there was no security, there was nothing,” she said.
“The whole situation is a situation that could have been prevented.”
Swan was sitting alone on the train around 11:20 a.m. when John Elijah Matthews, 25, was caught on chilling surveillance footage boarding and hovering over her before allegedly pulling out a knife and slitting her throat, according to a warrant obtained by 11Alive.
The victim — a mother of three, grandmother of five and great-grandmother of four – screamed and tried to escape, but the suspect allegedly held her down and stabbed her another 18 to 20 times before leaving her dead on the ground in a large pool of her own blood.
“She was screaming for help, and nobody was helping her,” Sams said.
“There’s no words that can explain how we feel right now. We are all lost, confused, angry and scared. It is just too much. Why was there no security? Why is nobody trying to prevent this from happening?” the daughter said.
Quote:Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign guru — now facing heat for allegedly threatening a whistleblowing ex-staffer to US Senate hopeful Graham Platner — has his hands in a series of other congressional bids by far-left candidates.
Wunderkind Morris Katz was ripped for his alleged dirty tactics following a report in the Bangor Daily News Sunday that he tried to browbeat former Platner campaign staffer Genevieve McDonald into denying that the married oyster farmer sexted with multiple women.
The sex scandal is the latest controversy to hit Democrat Platner’s bid to knock off GOP Sen. Susan Collins and has tarnished the gleaming profile of Katz — who is involved with several local lefty candidates this election cycle.
He’s an instrumental part of the populist campaign for Democratic Socialists of America member Claire Valdez, a Queens state assemblywoman vying for an open seat in New York’s 7th House District.
Valdez has been endorsed by her DSA comrade Mamdani, whom 27-year-old Katz has been widely credited with helping catapult to City Hall.
Valdez’s campaign declined to comment Monday when asked about Katz’s alleged threat in the Platner race. Mamdani also did not comment.
Katz is said to be advising Mamdani-backed former City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman from the left in the Democratic primary for the 10th House District.
He was also hired by the campaign of state Assemblyman Micah Lasher, who is running in a crowded Democratic primary for the open 12th House District.
Neither campaign returned requests for comment.
Katz’s firm, Fight Agency, which he runs with other liberal political operatives, has also done campaign work for Nebraska independent candidate Dan Osborn, a mechanic running for US Senate.
Katz is described on Fight Agency’s website as a political strategist who “hates status quo politics and loves long-shots.”
“As comfortable in Philadelphia union halls as he is in auto shops in Nebraska, Morris is always on the lookout for nontraditional candidates that are willing to take on tough fights,” his bio reads.
The political whiz-kid allegedly pressured McDonald, Platner’s former political director, to help stop the Wall Street Journal from reporting that the candidate had sexted several other women after marrying his wife in 2023.
Quote:An election interference scandal has already rocked California as a voting site was vandalized and burned mail-in ballots were found in a drop box.
The incidents, which officials described as isolated but serious, have sparked an investigation and renewed warnings that any attempt to interfere with the voting process will carry criminal penalties.
Election workers discovered vandalism Sunday morning at a vote center located at Cesar E. Chavez Park in Long Beach, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office.
Officials said staff responded immediately and voting operations continued without interruption.
In a separate incident, county election workers conducting routine ballot collection identified a small number of Vote by Mail ballots that appeared to have suffered fire-related damage inside a drop box at the Department of Public Social Services-Civic Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Election officials said preliminary information suggests the damage was limited in scope and occurred during a relatively short window between a scheduled ballot pickup and the following morning’s collection.
The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office has filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department and said it will cooperate fully with investigators seeking to determine how the damage occurred.
Officials are also reviewing both incidents to determine whether any voters were affected.
“Our responsibility is to protect voters and ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot,” said Dean Logan, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.
Quote:Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer got the cold shoulder from the two Democratic candidates running for the House seat in the district he calls home.
During the feisty NY1 debate Monday night, Rep. Dan Goldman and Democratic primary rival Brad Lander were asked if they would support Schumer, 75, a Park Slope constituent, if he runs for re-election in 2028.
“I think it’s time for new leadership in the Democratic Party. That’s why I’m running in this race against Rep. Goldman,” Lander said, throwing Schumer under the bus.
Goldman, who is seeking a third term, hedged.
“I have not thought about it. I have no idea whether he’s going to run or not. We’ll deal with that when the time comes,” Goldman told NY1’s questioners Errol Louis and Courtney Gross.
Both said they would support keeping Brooklyn Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as the House Democratic leader.
“[Jeffries] endorsed me,” Goldman added.
House District 10 includes downtown Manhattan neighborhoods such as the Lower East Side and Chinatown, as well as Brooklyn’s brownstone and waterfront neighborhoods.
Lander, the former city comptroller and councilman backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, repeatedly referred to Goldman as a “corporate Democrat.”
He also criticized his opponent, the Levi Strauss heir, for refusing to endorse Mamdani for mayor last year, even after the democratic socialist won the Democratic primary, and for using his personal wealth to help finance his campaign.
Quote:California’s high-speed rail board approved a controversial business plan as well as a contract worth up to $3.5 billion Monday after Steve Kawa — a longtime political advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom — was appointed chair of the authority overseeing the bullet train boondoggle.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board approved a track-and-systems construction contract without opposition, clearing the way for Kiewit, Stacy Witbeck, Herzog – A Joint Venture to begin work on the multi-phase $3.5 billion project to lay track and install electrical systems across the Central Valley.
Kawa, who served as his chief of staff when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco, takes over the board at a pivotal moment for the long-delayed bullet train, whose cost had ballooned as high as $231 billion if plans hadn’t been altered and scaled back.
The authority successfully pushed through its 2026 business plan despite objections from local officials, with the initial Central Valley segment projected to cost $34.8 billion while the broader “Phase 1” system pegged at $126 billion.
After receiving the gavel, Kawa thanked Newsom for being appointed to the powerful post, which was previously held by Tom Richards.
“I have worked for the governor since the 1990s,” Kawa said. “We have worked on many important issues and programs together. I know how important high speed rail is to him and his belief that this project will result in many benefits and a brighter future for California. I share that belief.”
While the meeting was relatively harmonious, board member Jeffrey Worthe questioned whether the authority was about to lock itself into a massive agreement with a sole bidder on a project already beset by delays, rising costs and doubts over transparency.
“Last month, I was told there’s only one bidder that could bid that project,” Worthe said. “Now we’re going to lock ourselves into a single bidder for $3.5 billion with one bid. … Help me decide why that’s a prudent use of taxpayer dollars. This is not a kitchen remodel, right? I mean, these are massive contracts.”
Staff said the authority received two proposals in a competitive procurement and determined the winning bid was in line with internal cost estimates. But they acknowledged that the price proposal from the rejected bidder was never opened because the company was deemed nonresponsive for not having a California licensed engineer in a prominent staff position.
The new contract authorizes the authority’s CEO, Ian Choudri, to execute an agreement with the joint venture not to exceed $3.5 billion.
Monday’s meeting also exposed lingering tension over the authority’s 2026 business plan, which has already been delayed amid criticism over the project’s soaring price tag and whether the plan meets legal requirements.
Quote:President Trump is dropping his $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, the Justice Department announced on Monday.
Senate Republicans complained about the lack of guardrails on the fund and grilled Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about who could apply for compensation when he met with them on Capitol Hill two weeks ago.
The DOJ said it would abide by a federal court ruling that halted any payouts.
“The Department of Justice disagrees strongly with the decision on the Anti-Weaponization Fund put forth by the United States District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
Trump was getting blowback from his party on the issue. Senate Republicans fretted that the money could be used to pay rioters from January 6th and Trump’s political allies even though people like Hunter Biden were also eligible to apply.
As part of the fallout, Senate Republican leaders delayed action on a $72 billion partisan bill to fund Trump’s immigration crackdown after dozens of Republican lawmakers objected to the establishment of the fund.
Senate Republican Leader John Thune told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday that the issue with the fund would have to be resolved before the legislation could move forward.
Additionally, Trump met with Speaker Mike Johnson at the White House, where the fund was discussed.
Trump agreed to the fund as part of his settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit with the IRS. In exchange for dropping the lawsuit, the Justice Department was to establish the fund with the IRS and anyone who believed they were a victim of the weaponization of the federal government would be eligible to apply for financial compensation.
Quote:A legal advocacy group wants the Trump administration to step in to probe CUNY‘s Black Male Initiative over claims it discriminates against white students.
The Equal Protection Project claims the CUNY program violates federal civil rights laws by giving preference to minority male students while shutting out others.
“It’s not a difficult case – CUNY explicitly is recruiting based on race and ethnicity and preferring certain racial and ethnic groups over others,” said William Jacobson, president and founder of the group, which filed a complaint with the Justice Department’s Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.
In 2012, the Obama Department of Education determined that the initiative was consistent with federal law.
“The discrimination in the program should have been stopped almost 15 years ago,” Jacobson said. “Only a legally ridiculous 2012 decision by the Obama Department of Education allowed the discrimination to continue. It is time for DOJ to correct this injustice.”
The mission of the Black Male Initiative is to bolster the enrollment, retention, grade point average and graduation rates of minority male students in 22 senior and community colleges within the CUNY system.
It has been in place for 20 years.
In its complaint, EPP claims the program also violates state and city anti-discrimination laws. But since New York’s lawmakers have allocated millions of dollars over the years to fund BMI, Albany and City Hall won’t investigate.
CUNY defended the program as legal and appropriate.
“For 21 years the CUNY Black Male Initiative has focused on improving the educational success of underrepresented students and is open to all students regardless of race, gender or national origin,” a CUNY spokesperson said.
One CUNY source said Sunday the Male Initiative is a well-intended program to address the dearth of young minority men attending and graduating from colleges.
The group admitted in its complaint that the initiative has educational benefits, but they should be applied to all students who need assistance regardless of race, color or ethnicity.
“However, BMI’s goals, programming, and promotional materials repeatedly identify favored racial and ethnic groups and communicate that the program is intended for those groups,” the complaint said.
“If CUNY had a ‘White Male Initiative’ structured similarly to BMI such race-based recruiting would not be tolerated much less funded and promoted. It is up to DOJ to ensure that the civil rights laws are enforced in a race-neutral manner.”
Quote:Mayor Karen Bass is being slammed as un-American for a last-minute decision to pull funding for a neighborhood group who wanted to close their main street for a Fourth of July Parade marking America’s 250th birthday.
The Sunland-Tujunga Fourth of July Parade, the longest-running Independence Day parade in the San Fernando Valley, has been canceled after organizers say the city withdrew support and left them facing at least $20,000 in traffic control and street closure costs.
“The mayor’s office jerked us around for so long,” said Lydia Grant, president of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council.
“It’s devastating. We’ve been doing this parade for over 50 years.”
Organizers announced Monday that it was ”with great sadness” that they’ve be unable to host the parade.
The event, hosted annually by the Sunland-Tujunga-Shadow Hills Rotary Club and the Neighborhood Council, is the centerpiece of the community’s Independence Day celebration.
The parade was set to draw marching bands, equestrian groups, vintage cars, local organizations, elected officials and homemade floats.
Grant said she was especially surprised because Mayor Bass told the group her office would help with the event, as the office had done for decades.
“I was very shocked because the mayor herself said to contact her staff to get it done,” Grant said. “Then they started ignoring us. This has never happened before.”
According to Grant, organizers were initially told costs would be around $15,000, but the final estimate exceeded $20,000.
She said the delays left organizers with no realistic opportunity to fundraise or secure sponsors before the July 4 event.
“They delayed so long that we didn’t have time to schedule or fundraise,” Grant said. “Then the DOT gave us the bill.”
The cancellation hits particularly hard in a community that has already watched several long-standing events disappear over the years because of rising costs.
“We’ve ended up losing most of our festivals,” Grant said.
“We used to have a summer festival, a watermelon festival, National Night Out and the Fourth of July celebration. Slowly, because of the costs, they’ve been taken away.”
Grant said she finds the situation especially frustrating given recent city spending on demonstrations and protests.
Quote:They’re calling it a ringing success.
A majority of New York teachers reported huge classroom improvements after the state’s first phone-free school year — thanks to better student focus, less bullying and more kids just being kids.
About 600 public school teachers were polled and 76% of them gave high marks to the no-cellphone policy implemented in September, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday during a roundtable at Brooklyn’s PS 383 Middle School.
The educators reported a noticeable improvement in student behavior and said they were more engaged in discussions and collaborated better with one another.
“They’re participating in class discussions, and teachers can finally teach,” Hochul told reporters Monday while discussing the responses. “We have finally kids talking to each other.”
Hochul was one of the leading proponents of the measure, which affected the nearly 1 million K-12 kids in the state’s public and charter schools by requiring them to place their phones in monitored bins, lockers or secured bags at the start of each school day.
Albany touted the measure — passed in May 2025 — as “one of the nation’s strongest phone-free policies,” and said it came largely from student pleas for freedom from the social pressures phones put on them during the day.
“‘You have to save us from ourselves,'” Hochul said one student told her. “I realized it was this addictive device that held their attention throughout the day, kept them engaged with it and disengaged from the teachers.”
And the kids themselves also benefitted from the ban outside of the classroom, teachers said, with 60% describing a notable decline in bullying incidents.
Another 80% of teachers said basic social connections between students had improved.
“They are reacting like kids again, feeling that burden lifted from their shoulders,” Hochul said.
Some students even agreed with their teachers’ assessments.
“I noticed a lot of kids talking with each other more, more engaged in conversation,” said one student, Julia, who joined Hochul’s roundtable. “A lot of kids playing sports with each other and doing interactive activities.”
Quote:A San Francisco public school reportedly hosted a workshop on “adult supremacy” — a new woke trend labeling teachers and adults “oppressors” that’s quietly gaining traction in California.
The confab, held at John O’Connell High School during an “Ethnic Studies Everywhere” weekend seminar in April, was titled “Youth as Knowledge Producers: Challenging Adult Supremacy Through Ethnic Studies,” according to an attendee who spoke with The Post.
“Due to systemic power dynamics inherently the relationship between students and educators is an oppressive one. Oppressor (educator) & oppressed (student),” a presentation slide explained.
The workshop was led by Jennifer Sanchez, a third-year ethnic studies educator in the Central Valley, and convened by Teachers 4 Social Justice, a nonprofit that aims to create “empowering learning environments, more equitable access to resources and power, and realizing a just and caring culture,” according to its website.
Teachers 4 Social Justice was founded by local teacher activist Jeremiah Jeffries, who led an unpopular push to rename public schools during the pandemic that was abandoned after sparking outrage from local parents.
So-called adult supremacy “constructs adults as developed, mature, intelligent, and experienced, based solely on their age and ensures that adults control the resources and make the decisions in society,” the presentation further explained.
Success “within the Western context” is “demanding, overwhelming, and dehumanizing,” the presentation claimed.
Friends of Lowell Foundation, which advocates for academic merit at San Francisco schools, compiled the “adult supremacy” slides.
Another slide obtained by The Post cited the work of academic Jackson Matos, who is mentioned as connecting “adultism” to cultural imperialism, marginalization, exploitation, powerlessness and violence.
“We have knowledge and life experience, and it is our job as parents and teachers to impart information on the next generation, on our kids,” one flabbergasted San Francisco parent, who asked not to be named, told The Post.
“Given that a large percentage of students in the district do not meet grade level standards in ELA and math, our focus as a school district is clearly way off track,” the parent said.
Quote:Bill Gates was accused of having more than 20 extramarital affairs in the fallout from his divorce from ex-wife Melinda, the billionaire told Gates Foundation staffers during a sullen town meeting earlier this year, according to a new report.
While Gates, 70, owned up to having two affairs with Russian women referenced in the Epstein files during the February gathering, the Microsoft co-founder left employees stunned when he revealed that allegations related to more than 20 affairs had come up during the 2021 divorce proceedings, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
Gates, who had been married to Melinda for 27 years, had issued a groveling apology at the time, but claimed he “did nothing illicit” during his meetings with late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
While little is known about the affair allegations, Gates admitted to having sex with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova and a former employee at his nuclear power company, TerraPower.
Gates met Antonova in 2010 at a tournament, while the Russian met Epstein seeking financial backers for a bridge academy. Epstein later paid for Antonova to attend software coding school.
The other woman, who has not been publicly identified, was referred to by Gates as a “Russian nuclear physicist” who he met “through business activities” and worked for two years at TerraPower, according to the Journal.
Concerned employees were reportedly told that the woman actually worked for their parent company, which only left the staffers confused.
Neither the Gates Foundation nor TerraPower immediately responded to The Post’s request for comment.
Epstein had allegedly discovered Gates’ affairs and attempted to threaten the billionaire with his knowledge of it, according to 2013 emails between the disgraced financier and Boris Nikolic, Gates’ chief adviser for science and technology.
The emails also tried to suggest Nikolic had assisted Gates in securing medication “in order to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls.”
MEXICO
Quote:Cops on both sides of the US-Mexico border are investigating a sprawling underground passage uncovered in the Tijuana area that is believed to extend toward the US.
The tunnel was found Saturday in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood during a raid carried out by Mexican federal authorities, with support from the Mexican navy, according to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office.
Investigators said the hidden passage stretches roughly 869 feet and sits about 21 feet below ground, making it one of the more substantial cross-border tunnel discoveries in recent years.
The underground route was uncovered after authorities executed a search warrant at a property in eastern Tijuana.
During the operation, officers seized a variety of items, including ammunition, cellphones, bank cards, a digital video recorder and dozens of doses of methamphetamine.
While inspecting the site, investigators located a wood-lined tunnel that officials believe was constructed to reach the US border.
Mexican authorities said evidence recovered during the raid suggests the property may have been used as a logistical center for criminal activity, including the storage and movement of narcotics, weapons and explosive materials.
Following the search, the seized evidence and the property were transferred to federal prosecutors, who are continuing the investigation.
The discovery has also drawn the attention of US authorities.
In a statement, Homeland Security Investigations confirmed agents are participating in an active probe involving the underground passage near Otay Mesa, a major border crossing area between Tijuana and San Diego.
“Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Diego, in coordination with our Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) partners, are conducting a criminal enforcement operation involving a cross-border subterranean tunnel in Otay Mesa, CA,” a rep for Homeland Security Investigations told NBC 7 in a statement.
“To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and ensure the safety of all involved, we are unable provide additional details at this time,” the rep added.
EUROPE
Quote:A leading leftist in the National Assembly has claimed that France was never a white and Christian country, and that the idea is merely a “fantasy” of the so-called far-right.
Mathilde Panot, who leads Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise (France in Rebellion/LFI) party in the lower house of the French parliament, not only championed the idea of a “New France” but appeared to suggest that Old France never actually existed.
Speaking to Le Média, the MP for Val-de-Marne’s 10th constituency said that it is imperative for the political left to “never concede anything whatsoever to the far right” as it is through the acceptance of premises through which the “far right becomes socially acceptable”.
Despite Christian heritage in France dating back to the 5th century with the conversion of Clovis I, she claimed that the right “fantasises about a France that does not exist and has never existed… a France that is supposedly a ‘white’ France, a ‘Christian’ France… a France being ‘invaded’ by—well, by who knows whom. In short, they are completely lost in a fantasy regarding the true nature of this country.”
“The only way to defeat the far right is to remain steadfast in one’s principles and refuse to yield even an inch to them regarding issues of racism, immigration, and—well—all such matters. Anyone who actually cedes ground to them is, in effect, helping them advance every single time—because, by doing so, they are effectively playing right into the far right’s ideological framework,” Panot continued.
The LFI leader made the comments in reference to a growing consensus across the political spectrum against mass migration into France, with fellow leftist leaders such as François Ruffin, who was formerly in the same party as Panot, coming out last month in favour of limiting the influx of foreigners to protect the wages of French workers.
Meanwhile, neo-liberal Macronists, who will be vying for tactical left-wing votes in the upcoming presidential election, such as former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, have both in the past week called for significant cuts to immigration.
In contrast, Panot and her party’s presidential candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, have doubled down on multiculturalism, in what they term “New France“.
Mélenchon, who was born in Morocco to Sicilian and Spanish parents, has hailed the idea that France is experiencing “creolization” through the importation of millions of foreigners, primarily from former French colonies in North Africa.
Quote:Six people were stabbed at Arsenal’s Premier League victory parade in London on Sunday — hours after celebrations in Paris for PSG’s Champions League success turned the Champs Élysées into an “arena of urban guerrilla warfare.”
An estimated 1 million fans packed the streets of North London to celebrate Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 years, with 24 people arrested, the Metropolitan Police said Monday.
A man in his 20s was among six people stabbed in the mayhem. He was rushed to the hospital in life-threatening condition but is now stable, authorities said. Most of the victims were not seriously injured, police said.
Of the 24 people arrested, 10 allegedly assaulted police officers, with one cop suffering a slash wound to the hand and another hit on the head.
Three others also were arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, and another three were nabbed on drug-related offenses.
Cops said two arrests were made for drunken and disorderly behavior, while one hater hurled a homophobic slur at an officer.
Arrests were also made for disturbing the peace, obstruction and ignoring dispersal orders.
Four police vans were left with broken lights and several dents, too.
Arsenal won its league title May 19 — before Paris Saint-Germaine defeated it in the separate UEFA, or Union of European Football Associations, Champions League finals in Budapest, Hungary, on penalty kicks Saturday.
France erupted in glee over PSG’s win, sending those fans running amok.
Nine hundred people were arrested across France on Saturday — a 45% rise over last year’s chaos when PSG’s Champions League also won against Inter Milan. Almost 180 cops were injured in melees, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
A person was even killed on what was supposed to be a night of jubilation celebrating the back-to-back European cup triumphs.
More than 306 people — including 81 minors — were taken into custody over the violence, Parisian prosecutors said.
Quote:It was ripe for the picking.
Banana bandits scored a sweet steal worth a whopping $6.2 million, nabbing the yellow, crescent-shaped centerpiece of “Comedian,” a masterpiece by Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan, from the Centre Pompidou-Metz museum in France this weekend.
The fruity theft comes just one year after a gallery visitor was discovered eating the banana that previously starred in the masterwork.
It’s a feast for the eyes — and the sticky fingers.
A guard for the Centre Pompidou-Metz noticed the banana, crudely affixed to the museum wall with a slice of silvery duct tape as a work of conceptual art, had disappeared Saturday.
The museum alerted the police, filed a criminal lawsuit, and restored the installation — meaning they replaced the bauble with, you guessed it, another banana.
Because unlike, say, $100,000 worth of jewels, it’s that easily replaced.
“No irreversible damage has been noticed,” reps for Pompidou-Metz said in a statement, per the UK Times.
The starchy snack has been swapped out several times since its December 2019 debut at Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida, where it sold for a jaw-dropping $120,000. But Cattelan purchased the original banana for 35 cents from a 74-year-old fruit vendor in the Big Apple.
The appetizing pièce de résistance, however, has met an unfortunate end on several occasions, thanks to hungry art lovers, including Noh Huyn-soo, who couldn’t resist sinking his teeth into the treat when it was on display at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, in 2023.
Justin Sun, a Chinese-born cryptocurrency mogul, too, chewed up the banana after purchasing Comedian for $6.2 million at an auction at Sotheby’s the following year.
Cattelan replicated the mouth-watering masterwork for Centre-Pompidou Metz in May 2025, only for it to be gobbled up by a visitor on July 12.
Last week...
Quote:Construction crews working on a highway in Italy unexpectedly uncovered the remains of an ancient sanctuary — sparking an archaeological investigation.
The discovery was announced by the Italian Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape in a May 19 press release.
The sanctuary was found in Ponso, a town some 45 miles southwest of Venice.
Construction workers from Veneto Strade S.p.A. were building a new road from Borgo Veneto to Carceri when they uncovered the site, which dates back to the fifth century B.C.
The workers were carrying out wartime ordnance clearance operations when the first artifacts were discovered.
Eventually, archaeologists uncovered large rectangular foundation structures believed to be temples, including one that appears to have been surrounded by a row of columns.
Though some inscriptions were in Latin, many more were written in Venetic script — an ancient language used by the Veneti people of northeastern Italy before Roman rule.
Many of the inscribed stones “appear to have been reused in a paved flooring structure whose function is still uncertain, while some remain in their original position,” officials said in a translated statement.
“The paving appears to have been constructed during the 1st century A.D., according to evidence currently under study,” the release noted.
“As excavations continued, new large rectangular foundation structures identifiable as temples emerged, one of which displays characteristics of a peripteral temple, surrounded by a row of columns on all sides.”
Photos from the site show ancient Venetic inscriptions, along with partially buried column fragments and stone blocks believed to be part of the temple complex.
Quote:Two hobbyists recently uncovered one of the largest Viking coin hoards ever found — fittingly, in a Nordic country.
The hoard was found in a field near Rena, about 18 miles north of Elverum in southeastern Norway, according to an announcement from the University of Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History (KHM).
The treasure hunters, Rune Sætre and Vegard Sørlie, suspected they had uncovered a hoard when they found 19 silver coins on April 10.
They contacted local officials at Innlandet County Authority — and the site soon became the center of a major archaeological investigation.
The cache consists of 2,970 silver coins believed to have been buried around 1047. It marks the largest Viking Age coin hoard discovered in Norway since 1950 — and the biggest in the country’s history.
The coins were minted between the 980s and the 1040s and bear the names of rulers including Æthelred II, Otto III, Harald Hardrada, and the legendary King Cnut.
Most of the coins were minted in England or Germany, which officials said reflects the strong foreign influence on Norway’s economy during the late Viking Age.
“Foreign coinage dominates the circulation of money in Norway up until Harald Hardrada (1046–1066) established a national coinage,” KHM professor Svein Gullbekk said in a statement.
“The hoard was deposited right at the beginning of this development.”
KHM described the discovery as “a coin hoard without parallel in a Norwegian context.”
Hanna Geiran, director general of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, said she could “hardly believe my ears when I heard about the find.”
She added, “This is both a national and an international event, and few things capture people’s imagination as much as the Viking Age in Norway.”
It remains unclear why the hoard was buried, though researchers believe it may have been tied to the region’s booming iron trade during the Viking Age.
Archaeologist Jostein Bergstøl of the Museum of Cultural History believes the massive coin cache may represent wealth accumulated through that trade.
“From the 900s until the late 1200s, there was enormous iron production in this area,” he said. “Ore was extracted from the bogs, and the processed iron was exported to Europe.”
Officials also praised the two detectorists for following proper procedures and helping secure the site.
“This is an exemplary case of how it should be done,” said Innlandet County Authority archaeologist May-Tove Smiseth.
AUSTRALIA
Quote:Rayann El Houli, part of the “ISIS Brides” group of Australian women, renounced the Islamic State and “violent jihad” her lawyer claimed during a Monday court appearance.
El Houli, a 34 year-old mother of four children, is one of the Australian “ISIS Brides” women that moved to Syria so they could marry Islamic State fighters before the collapse of the so-called ISIS “caliphate” in 2019. She reportedly returned to Australia with her sister in September. She was arrested months later on Thursday and formally charged with travelling to a declared conflict zone and joining the Islamic State terrorist organization. Both offences carry maximum penalties of up to ten years in prison.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports that El Houli appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday to apply for bail, but the application was adjourned to give the defense time to organize expert witnesses to testify before the court. She wore a blue hijab, which, according to her lawyer, Senior Counsel Peter Morrissey, is an “act of good faith” so that she could be recognizable to the people in the courtroom. ABC noted that El Houli was wearing a niqab that covered all but her eyes at the time of her arrest last week.
Morrissey reportedly presented El Houli as a “highly traumatized individual” who wanted it known that she did not support the Islamic State. He further claimed that her client has “renounced ISIS and violent jihad,” and “wants nothin to do with it.”
“Not now, not in the future, not directly, not indirectly. Not for herself, not for the people she loves and specifically not for her children,” Morrissey stressed.
Australian prosecutors allege that El Houli traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State at some point between 2013 and 2014, marrying several members of the terrorist organization during her stay in the country. Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan, citing the prosecutors’ statements, detailed that she has allegedly expressed support for terrorist acts and views of “killing nonbelievers” in the past, as well as seeking to indoctrinate her children to radical Islam.
Per ABC, it is believed that El Houli’s efforts to return to Australia were carried out independent of other efforts to repatriate Australian citizens from displaced camps following the fall of the ISIS “caliphate.” Australian Police officers have reportedly stated that El Houli was detained by Kurdish forces in March 2019 and held with her family in the al-Hawl camp in northern Syria. According to ABC, El Houli presumptively escaped the camp with her sister and children, and paid a smuggler to get them into Lebanon.
Magistrate Hannan, emphasizing that the charges against El Hoili are “very serious,” said she would need to weigh up risks to the community when deciding whether to grant bail. She also expressed that she would like to hear evidence on the circumstances of her escape from the Kurdish camp, and the accused woman’s lack of participation in anti-terrorism programs.
Morrissey reportedly argued that El Houli was “willing to undertake the programs” but that her “potential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis” has hindered her efforts.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
![[Image: SP1-Scripter.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Scripter.png)
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My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
