News of the World

[kyonides]

Russia claims Putin targeted in drone assassination attempt

Russian government officials are claiming Ukrainian forces attempted to kill President Vladimir Putin with a failed drone attack.

Officials say two drones were used in the "assassination attempt" at the president's residence within the Kremlin compound, but were disabled by Russian defense systems.

No injuries or damage to the residence was reported. Putin was seen in video and photos released Wednesday meeting with a regional governor outside Moscow.

The Kremlin called the incident a "terrorist action" and threatened retaliation against Ukraine in reports from state media outlet RIA.

"The Kremlin has assessed these actions as a planned terrorist act and an assassination attempt on the president on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade," RIA said.

Unconfirmed videos have begun circulating online appearing to show a drone being shot down over the Kremlin, and smoke rising in Moscow.

"We are looking into the report but aren’t able to validate its authenticity at this time," a U.S. official told Fox News. The U.S. did not have any advance knowledge or indication of the purported incident, Fox News has learned.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday he could not "validate" the reports, and that "we simply don't know."

Is this a Russian false flag event pretending to justify a large scale attack against Zelensky?

Iran seizes second oil tanker in a week, US Navy says

Iranian forces captured a foreign vessel on Wednesday, the second ship to be harassed and seized by the Middle Eastern country in a week, the U.S. Navy said.

The Niovi, a commercial oil tanker flying the Panama flag, was passing through the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman when it was overtaken by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN).

Approximately 12 members of the IRGCN swarmed and bordered the Niovi via fast-attack craft. The IRGCN then forced the crew to turn the ship around and sail back into Iranian territorial waters.

The Panama oil tanker was transiting from Dubai to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates when it was captured.

Video footage declassified and released by the U.S. Navy captured an aerial view of the Iranian operation.

This is Iran's second unlawful seizure of a foreign vessel in less than a week.

Jamie Foxx reportedly still hospitalized as friend begs for prayers

Reportedly still in the hospital after suffering a "medical complication," Jamie Foxx is in need of prayers.

Foxx's friend, Charles E. Alston, known as Charlie Mack, took to Instagram over the weekend to ask his followers to keep Foxx in their thoughts.

"I need you all to constantly keep our beloved brotha @iamjamiefoxx up whom we all [love] & care for dearly in our Hearts, Minds & Prayers!!!! We need you back Bro. As I always state a true champion isn’t the one that wins, it’s the one that meets & overcomes adversity," he expressed.

"You’re test becomes your testimony!! We all can’t wait to receive you back home to celebrate, laugh with and applaud you," he added.

Maryland Governor Poised to Sign Measure Broadly Restricting Gun Carry

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is poised to sign gun restriction measures, one of which will stop lawful gun owners carrying their firearms into many common settings, despite having a permit. Moore’s administration is checking the constitutionality of the bills before moving forward.

“We’re going through and checking on the constitutionality now, but, yes, I plan on signing them soon,” Moore, a Democrat, said.

Maryland House and Senate Democrat majorities passed the bills earlier this year despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that struck down a similar New York law in their ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen.

Moore called the Supreme Court’s decision in that case “wrong.” Moore made the comments during a media availability with reporters at the Maryland Capitol on April 27.

“We have to address the ease in which people are able to get firearms because we know how much that is impacting the basic freedoms of every single Marylander, and that is something that is not going to stand as long as I’m the governor,” Moore said.

It seems a  Wulfo will have a hard time selling guns at the pawn shop any time soon.

[kyonides]

House subpoenas FBI file on Biden role
in ‘criminal scheme’ as new whistleblower emerges

In a stunning development, the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena Wednesday for an FBI file that a whistleblower said links President Biden to a “criminal scheme” involving “money for policy decisions” during his vice presidency.

The tip is a potential breakthrough for GOP investigators looking into Joe Biden’s role in his family’s business dealings in countries such as China, Mexico, Russia and Ukraine.

Republicans say the file pertains to potential wrongdoing by Joe Biden — rather than possible criminal activity by first son Hunter Biden or another relative that indirectly implicates the president.

The alleged corruption is believed to involve a country other than China, The Post understands. Two sources say the whistleblower is not the same person as the IRS agent who anonymously came forward last month to allege a coverup in the criminal investigation of the first son.

The document subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee is an FD-1023 informant report that was “created or modified in June 2020″ — months before Biden won the presidency— and must be supplied at a meeting on May 10, the subpoena says.

Republicans Hone in on Blinken and Wife’s Contacts
with Hunter Biden Related to Burisma

Republicans are honing in on the role Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his wife, White House Executive Secretary Evan Ryan, played in alleged influence efforts by Hunter Biden in July 2016 on behalf of the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma when he sat on its board.

As Breitbart News reported,  in a letter released Tuesday by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Blinken told congressional investigators in December 2020 that when he was deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration, he was not aware of Biden’s association with Burisma.

“It seems highly unlikely that you had no idea of Hunter Biden’s association with Burisma while your wife was apparently coordinating with Hunter Biden to potentially connect you with Burisma’s U.S. representatives,” they wrote to Blinken, asking him and his wife to preserve their records for further investigation.

The senators released a transcript of Blinken’s interview in 2020 that showed he was asked, “During your time as Deputy Secretary of State, were you aware of any association that Hunter Biden had with Burisma?” Blinken responded, “I was not.” Blinken also denied having any knowledge of Hunter Biden’s service on the board of Burisma.

However, the senators pointed to emails on the laptop that show that Hunter Biden in July 2016 had urged Blinken, through his wife, to speak with executives of a Democrat consulting firm representing Burisma, and that Blinken had made an effort to talk to them after Hunter Biden’s urging. Burisma had hired the firm, Blue Star Strategies, in November 2015 to improve its image in Washington, D.C., after facing allegations of corruption.

Previous State Department emails obtained by Johnson showed that Sally Painter, Blue Star Strategies chief operating officer, had run into Blinken at an event in June 2016, and that Painter had written to Blinken’s assistant three days later to arrange a coffee meeting with Blinken.

Oregon looks to DECRIMINALIZE encampments
and let homeless SUE for $1,000
if they're harassed or told to leave

Democrat lawmakers in Oregon want to decriminalize homeless camps with a law that would allow the people who live in them to sue for $1,000 if they're harassed or told to leave.

The hugely-controversial bill claims 'decriminalization of rest' would allow city leaders to 'redirect' cash from law enforcement into measures that 'address the root causes of homelessness and poverty'.

But the radical proposal comes amid an explosion in camps in cities like Portland, which has one of the worst crime rates in America, causing some people to move away.

The new homelessness bill has been met with furious complaints from citizens who claim Oregon's metropolitan areas have been ravaged by progressive policies that have cut police budgets while crime and drug use has spiraled out of control.

The bill, HB 3501, was sponsored by Democrat representative Farrah Chaichi and her colleague, representative Khanh Pham. It will be discussed at a hearing of the state's House Committee On Housing and Homelessness on May 4.
...
More than 2,000 letters of opposition have been submitted, compared to just 41 in support.

The bill would allow homeless people to 'use and move freely in public spaces without discrimination and time limitations' - essentially stating they can reside in parks and on other public land indefinitely without question.

 That's an easy one! Get rid of the Democrats and you'll see how soon it'll start booming.
Really, they always make sure taxes go through the roof in no time. People living in that stay can earn over $150,000 year and still live like they could lose their houses for not being able to pay their mortgages.

Mayor Adams rips AOC for rush to conclude
that Jordan Neely was ‘murdered’

Mayor Eric Adams has ripped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for rushing to conclude that Jordan Neely was “murdered” when he was put in a chokehold by a Marine.

Hizzoner criticized the progressive lawmaker along with City Comptroller Brad Lander, who claimed people are cheering how the troubled 30-year-old homeless man was “choked to death by a vigilante without consequence.”

“I don’t think that’s very responsible at the time where we are still investigating the situation,” Adams said on “CNN Primetime” late Wednesday when asked about both inflammatory tweets.

“Let’s let the DA conduct his investigation with the law enforcement officials. To really interfere with that is not the right thing to do.
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“We don’t know exactly what happened here,” Adams stressed of the fatal chokehold on an F train in lower Manhattan Monday afternoon.

Asked when it is “appropriate” for subway passengers to “take matters into [their] own hands,” Adams stressed: “Each situation is different."
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The city medical examiner ruled Wednesday that Neely’s death was a homicide due to “compression of neck (chokehold).”

Witnesses say that Neely was having a mental episode when another straphanger, identified as a 24-year-old Marine from Queens, took him down from behind and placed him in a chokehold for about 15 minutes.

Russia Has No Choice But to ‘Physically Eliminate’ Zelensky After ‘Drone Attack’

A chorus of Kremlin figures have spoken out against what the Russian state claims was a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, with dark vows of revenge peppered among the comments. Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev compared Zelensky to Adolf Hitler and said he and his “clique” would have to be eliminated.

The exact circumstances of Wednesday morning’s blast at the Kremlin remain unknown: Russia claims it was an attempted assassination against Putin by a pair of Ukrainian drones, while Ukraine denies all responsibility and suggests it may have been the work of an indigenous Russian anti-government resistance. Like so many things in the Ukraine war, the truth is nigh-on impossible to know and relies on the official communications of two nations trying to win a war at all costs.

...it must be said — that it could have been a low-effort false-flag operation by Russia, or a remarkable bid by Ukraine to show up Russia by making a mockery of their air defences, continues in the public sphere. But one thing is now clear, that Russia absolutely is using the blast at the Kremlin as a pretext for an assassination against Zelensky.

Delivering his assessment, top Putin ally, former Russian President, and now national security council leader Dmitry Medvedev said: “After today’s terrorist attack, there are no options left other than the physical elimination of Zelensky and his clique”. Drawing a comparison to Russia’s crushing of Nazi Germany in 1945 — a common allusion in Russia which justifies its war in Ukraine to its own people as a crusade against fascism — and said if Germany didn’t need Hitler to surrender to Russia then, Ukraine won’t need Zelensky to surrender now.
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Ukraine, for their party, deny involvement. One Kyiv spokesman said it was possible the attack was actually the work of Russian anti-government partisans, remarking that drones are easy to buy.

French Pensioner Sentenced to Reeducation
After Insulting President Emmanuel Macron

A 77-year-old man has been sentenced to reeducation by a French court after reportedly disrespecting the country’s president, Emmanuel Macron.

The unnamed elder was convicted by the court of showing contempt for French leader Emmanuel Macron in Eure, France.

Unlike many other Western nations, it is an offence in France to show “contempt for public officials“, with those who fall foul of the law facing the possibility of spending up to one year behind bars and a hefty fine of over $15,000.

According to a report by news portal Actu.fr, the 77-year-old was found to have fallen foul of this law by the court by hanging a banner outside his house calling out the French head of state.
...
Police were hesitant to act against the man however due to his age, with the mayor of his village, Michel Thouin, describing him as being “an ordinary man” who had previously served as a municipal councillor.

The court sentenced the man to be reeducated by attending a citizenship course, rather than impose any financial penalty or jail time.

The banner meanwhile has reportedly been seized and destroyed by police.

And that's what we can call idolatry for sure.

‘War Has to Stop’: I Would End Ukraine War in 24 Hours, Says Trump

Former President Donald Trump has told Nigel Farage that he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours when reelected in 2024.

When reelected to the position of President in 2024, Donald Trump has said that he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within a period of 24 hours.

...current commander-in-chief Joe Biden’s refusal to attend the coronation of King Charles III.

Speaking on the war, Trump described the conflict as being a “disaster”, adding that he believes the death toll in the country to be higher than what is being reported by either the Russian or Ukrainian governments.

“You don’t knock down a whole city and say two people got hurt,” Trump told Farage, adding that “thousands of people are being killed” in bombed Ukrainian cities. “That war has to stop.”
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“I will end that war in one day. It will take 24 hours,” he said. “I know Zelensky well, I know Putin well, I would get that ended in a period of one day.”

“You can break that deal?” Farage asked him in response.

“One hundred per cent,” Trump replied. “It would be easy. That deal would be easy.”

[kyonides]

US Defense Department tracking another balloon
traveling between Hawaii and Mexico

Officials do not believe the balloon is owned by the Chinese

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is tracking another high-altitude balloon that crossed over Hawaii and is heading toward Mexico.

The DoD and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) detected and tracked an unmanned balloon off the coast of Hawaii on April 28, which was floating at about 36,000 feet, a DoD spokesman said.

The ownership of the balloon is unknown and according to the spokesman, there was no indication whether it was being maneuvered or controlled by a foreign or adversarial actor.

When the balloon crossed into U.S. airspace over Hawaii, it did not float over critical infrastructure used for defense or any other U.S. government sensitive sites, the spokesman said, nor did it pose a threat to the military or people on the ground.

Mexican President Stops Pentagon from Tracking
‘Asian’ Balloon Through Country’s Airspace

[Mexican President Andres Manuel] Lopez Obrador made the comments during one of his morning news conferences in Mexico City. He claimed to be standing up for Mexican sovereignty. As part of his rhetoric, AMLO has often claimed that he will not tolerate Mexico being subservient to the U.S. as they were in the past and will fight to keep its interventionism out of Mexico.
...
“(On Wednesday) they called from the Pentagon to (Mexican) Defense to ask for permission because they wanted to fly over our airspace with airplanes and drones of high technological military level because they had detected a balloon that came from Hawaii and was going to pass through Mexico,” Lopez Obrador said during his conference as he emphasized his stance on not allowing other nations to intervene in Mexican affairs. During his comments. AMLO used the term “from Asia” to describe the balloon but did not say specifically if it was Chinese.

Despite the request, Lopez Obrador said he did not allow the U.S. military to follow the balloon as it was about to enter Mexican airspace at 35,000 feet. Tracking indicated the balloon would enter Mexico through Manzanillo and exit through Tamaulipas.
...
The Mexican president said that his country is willing to cooperate and that the U.S. could send the information to them. Mexico would do its own tracking operation using its own equipment. He added that some information was shared but that Mexico did not find anything.

It remains unclear where the balloon went after entering Mexican airspace. The AP reports that the U.S. government has since determined that it was not a Chinese aircraft.

So Mexico told the US to simply shove it.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky stepping down

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced Friday she is stepping down from her role.

The CDC said Walensky will leave the agency at the end of June.

"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director," Walensky wrote in her resignation letter to President Biden. "I took on this role, at your request, with the goal of leaving behind the dark days of the pandemic and moving CDC – and public health – forward into a much better and more trusted place."
...
The president added that Walensky "leaves CDC a stronger institution, better positioned to confront health threats and protect Americans.  We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter."
...
Before joining the CDC, Walensky "served as Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2017-2020 and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School from 2012-2020," it also said.

I would say they turned a health institution into a tyrannical government machinery. If you don't believe me, just ask any landlord and he or she won't have a hard time confirming it at all.

Footage captures hundreds of migrants
crossing into Texas as Title 42’s end approaches

The thermal drone footage, captured overnight, shows hundreds of migrants streaming into Brownsville from Matamoros, Mexico. Agents are encountering migrants at a rate of 2,000 a day in Brownsville. Meanwhile, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources say in the first four days of May they have been encountering more than 8,000 migrants a day border-wide.

That is before the end of Title 42 on May 11. The public health order was implemented in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and millions of migrants have been rapidly expelled back to Mexico under the order for public health reasons. In March, 46% of all encounters resulted in a Title 42 expulsion.

But the looming end to the order next week has led to fears of a renewed surge at the border, with prior Department of Homeland Security estimates warning that there could be up to 14,000 migrant encounters a day. The latest footage suggests that may not be an exaggeration.

The Biden administration has been scrambling to implement measures to reduce the number of illegal crossings and establish a more orderly process. The administration also announced this week that it is sending 1,500 troops to the border, although officials have said they won’t be engaging with migrants but acting in a supporting role to Customs and Border Protection.

It has also proposed a rule that would, in theory, bar migrants from asylum eligibility if they enter illegally and have also failed to claim asylum in a country through which they have already passed.

Canada Considers Expelling Chinese Diplomats Over Intelligence Report

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said her department was summoning China´s ambassador to a meeting to underline that Canada won´t tolerate such interference.

She said the intelligence agency report indicated that opposition Conservative lawmaker Michael Chong and his Hong Kong relatives were targeted after Chong criticized Beijing´s human rights record.

“We´re assessing different options including the expulsion of diplomats,” Joly said before a Parliament committee.

Canada´s spy agency has not released details publicly. Chong has said the report identifies a Toronto-based diplomat as being part of the plot. Chong has been critical of Beijing´s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China´s Xinjiang province.

“I cannot imagine the shock and concern of learning that your loved ones have been targeted in this way,” Joly said to Chong at the committee hearing. “There will be consequences.”

Chong said the diplomat should be on the first plane out of Canada.

“It is inexplicable that this diplomat hasn´t been told to leave the country already,” he said.

China: Kremlin Drone Attack Crossed a ‘Red Line’ in Ukraine War

The Chinese Global Times government newspaper described the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin early Wednesday morning as the crossing of a “red line” in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine: the targeting of heads of state.
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Zelensky suggested that the Kremlin was blaming Ukraine for the attack because Putin “can no longer motivate his society and cannot simply send his military to their deaths. He has no victories, the world’s second army has lost on the battlefield.”
...
“China’s position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. All sides need to avoid taking actions that might further escalate the situation,” spokeswoman Mao Ning said. Asked if China would revoke its plan, announced last week, to send a negotiating team to Ukraine in light of the attack, Mao did not answer directly but appeared to indicate that the plan would not change.

“About the Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs’ visit to Ukraine and other countries, we will make further announcements in due course,” Mao said. “China will continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
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Ukraine is a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), its predatory loan program for impoverished countries. Last year, Zelensky encouraged “Chinese businesses” to help rebuild post-war Ukraine.

The Chinese government-run Global Times had more to say on the attempted drone attack on Thursday than the Foreign Ministry. Citing Chinese regime-approved “experts,” the propaganda outlet described the attack as the crossing of a “red line” that had not yet been addressed in the war: the targeting of heads of state of either country. The attack is “very serious,” the government outlet claimed, because it opened the door for Russia to attempt to kill Zelensky.
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A Chinese “military expert” identified as Song Zhongping told the outlet that he believed that Russia would “implement effective strikes against more significant targets in Ukraine” and seek “retaliation against Zelenskyy.”

[kyonides]

The Coronation of King Charles III in Two Minutes

Officially ushering in the Caroline Era, Charles III was crowned as the King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms in the ancient Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday.

The 74-year-old King succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who herself was coronated in 1953, as the oldest person in history to ascend to the British throne after having been the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales in the nation’s history.

On a rainy day in London, King Charles III travelled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey by the Gold State Coach — which was originally built in 1762 — greeting his subjects along a Royal procession.

At the ancient abbey, the King took his solemn oath to rule the British people as a devoted servant with his hand on the Bible and was anointed with Holy oil blessed in Jerusalem. The British monarch was then presented with ceremonial items, such as the Jewelled Sword of Offering, which was presented to him by Lord President of the Council and Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt, the first woman to perform such an act in the history of the country.

Charles was crowned by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who placed the nearly four-century-old crown of St Edward upon the head of the monarch, proclaiming “God Save the King”.

NATO Believes Russia Has Already Set Explosives
on Europe’s Undersea Pipes, Cables

NATO leaders believe it is “obvious” why Russia has been showing such interest in the undersea infrastructure of European nations and there is suspicion that cables and pipes may already have been “mined”, a report claims.

Russian forces have mined European critical infrastructure with explosives, NATO leaders allegedly believe according to an establishment media report citing military insiders and an ongoing major investigation into Russian maritime activity by a group of Nordic broadcasters.

As previously reported, Russian seagoing assets — which are often ostensibly civilian ships allegedly giving cover to their activities — have been observed obsessively sailing around critical infrastructure. Essential equipment for keeping the modern world going, including high voltage electrical transmission cables, gas and oil pipelines, and internet data cables all cross the seabed floor and are said to have been objects of interest for these ships.
...
A report in The Times claims NATO leaders think these expeditions have gone beyond mere reconnaissance and may have mined this infrastructure to explode on command, an ace in the sleeve in case the West becomes more directly involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

An unnamed NATO officer cited in the report is claimed to have said: “Why is there this Russian focus on undersea offshore infrastructure? The answer is obvious… If Russia attacks one of our power plants on land, that is war. If the Russians can sabotage one of our undersea pipelines or cables then — look at Nord Stream, we still do not know who did that — they can attack deniably.”

And how is it possible for them to know this but they still haven't done anything to prevent the Russians from planting all those explosives under water?

DW journalist Bülent Mumay sentenced in Turkey

A Turkish court handed a suspended prison sentence of one year and eight months to a Deutsche Welle journalist, the German broadcaster said on Saturday.

DW is appealing the verdict against Bülent Mumay, the coordinator of the broadcaster's office in Istanbul.

The Istanbul criminal court issued the sentence against Mumay on Friday for "spreading personal data" in a case brought forward by construction company Met-Gun Insaat.

The judge said Mumay posted information on his Twitter account in 2020 in violation of a court order.

Mumay had shared information about Met-Gun Insaat's links to the Istanbul Metropolitan Government's confiscated subway loans, which the company had sought to keep secret.
...
"Those who are not ashamed to confiscate the people's money are now trying to imprison those who make this public," [Mumay] added.

Why the mafia loves Germany

Yes people, that is the actual heading of this news article.  

Coordinated raids against 'ndrangheta organized crime syndicate across Europe this week attracted international headlines and generated explosive insider stories about the details of the investigation. What the raids didn't do was surprise seasoned mafia investigators.
...
Some 108 people were arrested in Italy and more than 30 more in Germany, following a more than three-year investigation called Operation Eureka into drug and arms trafficking. The 'ndrangheta, which has its origins in Italy's southern Calabria region and is one of the richest and most powerful crime groups in Europe, is said to have built up a worldwide money-laundering operation to hide the money.

For Reski, who has written several books about the Italian mafia, this week's arrests brought a certain gratification, as some of those arrested had sued and threatened her over her reporting. In some cases, German courts have forced her to redact some of her books about organized crime activities.

I thought DW was criticizing the Turkish regime for pretty much the same reason, but here they are...

Iran executes Swedish-Iranian dual national for 'terrorism'

Habib Chaab was convicted of "corruption on earth" for allegedly heading a rebel group and carrying out bombings, including one in Khuzestan in 2018. Sweden derided Iran's "inhumane" decision to execute him.
...
Iranian agents arrested Cha'ab in 2020 when he left Sweden for Turkey, taking him to Tehran without disclosing any other details.

In 2022, Iran started his trial on the charges of leading the separatist Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz and plotting and carrying out "numerous bombings and terrorist operations." The separatist movement, born in a region of minorities who have long complained of marginalization, seeks a separate state in the oil-rich Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran.

Chaab was convicted of "corruption on earth" for heading the rebel group and sentenced to death on December 6 of last year.
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The Scandinavian nation condemned the execution with the rest of the European Union, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said in a tweet. "The death penalty is an inhumane and irreversible punishment and Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its application under all circumstances," it said.

 I do think that Americans and other allies condemned and executed some war criminals in the aftermath of WWII. So why would it be any different here? If the culprit is an actual terrorist, keeping him alive would be a terrible risk that can't be justified.

Of course, Tehran fears that the popular revolts against the government of the tyrannical ayatollahs might get out of control if such figures stay alive for the next couple of years or even months. As reported not long ago, one of the provincial ayatollahs was killed in dubious circumstances. (Meaning that Raisi didn't want to admit that the people got fed up with their extremist policies.)

Iran expels four Azerbaijani diplomats

Iran expelled four Azerbaijani diplomats on 5 May, naming them “persona non grata.” The move was a response to Baku’s decision to expel Iranian diplomats from its territory in early April, Al-Mayadeen reported.
...
Recent weeks have seen tensions between Baku and Tehran escalate, with Iran accusing its northern neighbor of fueling a hostile media campaign against it, and asking Azerbaijani officials for clarification on their country’s hostile cooperation with Israel.

Last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Gihon Bayramov, the development of bilateral relations between Tehran and Baku, as well as other regional issues.

Amir-Abdollahian told his Azerbaijani counterpart that “enemies are the only beneficiaries of the differences of regional countries,” referring to “the conspiracy of the Zionist entity against the unity, security and progress of the countries of the region.”

Though Israel and Azerbaijan have had relations for 30 years, cooperation between the two countries in the economic and security spheres has intensified recently.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Baku last month, following the opening of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Israel for the first time earlier this year.

Israel views such cooperation as crucial, as it hopes to use Azerbaijan as a base for destabilizing the country’s fellow Shia neighbor, Iran.

 Did I say anything about the Iranian regime fearing what might happen in the not so far future?

Iran, Syria vow continued strengthening of ties

Syria and the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a joint statement on 5 May, which praised the expansion of ties between the two countries, and called for a continuation of the fight against extremism, Iranian media reported.

The statement marked the end of the two-day visit by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi to Syria, which was the first visit by an Iranian president to the country in 13 years.
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It also emphasized the importance of developing commercial and economic relations, as well as bilateral cooperation regarding the reconstruction of war-ravaged Syria.

This was represented in the many agreements signed between the two countries during Raisi’s meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which included an agreement on the launching of a jointly-run bank and insurance company, aimed at offering services to businesses involved in Syrian-Iranian trade, Press TV reported.

The statement went on to express “satisfaction with joint cooperation in fighting terrorism and extremism,” calling for a continuation of these efforts with the goal of achieving “the ultimate destruction of all terrorist groups.”

 Then why don't you just stop funding Hezbollah for starters?

[kyonides]

Police Identify Suspect With ‘Extensive Rap Sheet’
After 8 People Outside Texas Center Killed

The driver accused of running over and killing eight people near a Texas facility holding illegal immigrants was identified as 34-year-old George Alvarez, officials said Monday.

Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda told reporters Monday that Alvarez has been arraigned on eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. On Sunday, reports came in of a Range Rover striking more than a dozen people near a bus stop in front of Brownsville’s Ozanam Center.

Sauceda said Alvarez, who had an “extensive rap sheet,” ran a red light and lost control of the vehicle, which flipped on its side before it hit the group of pedestrians. It’s not clear if the act was intentional and officials are investigating, he said.

The suspect, Sauceda added, then attempted to “flee the scene” after the crash. He was apprehended by several people and “held down,” the chief added.

Alvarez is being held on a $3.6 million bond, Sauceda said, adding that the suspect has not been cooperative. Officials are awaiting toxicology reports to determine whether he was under the influence.

During the news conference, Brownsville Police displayed what appeared to be Alvarez’s rap sheet, showing a range of charges against him. Previously, Alvarez has been charged with counts of assault, aggravated assault, drug possession, vehicle burglary, driving while intoxicated, theft, resisting arrest, and more, according to a poster that officials displayed Monday.

Officials said Sunday that the victims appeared to mostly be illegal immigrants from Venezuela.

Biden Admin Takes Aim at Dishwashers
to Tackle ‘Climate Crisis’ After Gas Stove Clampdown

After taking aim at gas stoves as a way to cut greenhouse gases, the Biden administration has turned its attention to other home appliances, with dishwashers now in its crosshairs.

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Friday announced congressionally-mandated proposed standards for new dishwashers that promise to lower costs while reducing the amount of carbon being emitted into the atmosphere.

“This Administration is using all of the tools at our disposal to save Americans money while promoting innovations that will reduce carbon pollution and combat the climate crisis,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.

The proposed rulemaking (pdf), published in the Federal Register, seeks to impose separate new efficiency standards for power and water usage for standard-size and compact dishwashers during their regular cycles.

The proposal seeks to cut energy use by 27 percent and water use by 34 percent in new conventional household dishwashers made in the United States or imported into the country, starting three years after the publication of the final rule.

This means that the maximum estimated annual energy use for standard-sized dishwashers would be 223 kWh/year and the maximum per-cycle water consumption would be 3.3 gallons.

People, you better see the bigger picture here. They're just after stealing all of your rights and your livelihood, not climate nor the environment.

Ivermectin Restrictions Lifted in Australia

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced on May 3 that the prescribing of oral ivermectin will no longer be limited to specialists such as dermatologists, gastroenterologists, and infectious diseases specialists.

The move—which takes effect from June 1, 2023—comes amid high rates of vaccination and hybrid immunity against COVID-19 in Australia and thus the use of ivermectin by individuals is unlikely to now compromise public health, the TGA said in a statement.

Despite ivermectin being regularly administered in countries including India, Brazil, and Africa, TGA said that approved vaccines and treatments should still be the preferred choice due to most studies showing that ivermectin is not a useful medicine for COVID-19.
...
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia even wrote to the panel and advised against removing the Appendix D entry relating to ivermectin because they think that if the treatment is available, people may choose not to get vaccinated.
...
Australia banned general practitioners from prescribing ivermectin in Sep. 2021.

 They claimed that studies didn't prove the effectiveness of ivermectin in the treatment of the  

However, in a peer-reviewed study by Monash University in Australia, published in April 2020, it was demonstrated that ivermectin could eliminate SARS-Covid-19-2 in cells in 48 hours.

The team, who have been researching ivermectin for over ten years with different viruses, discovered that a dose of ivermectin could stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus from growing in cells.

“We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours, there was a really significant reduction in it,” senior research fellow and lead study author Kylie Wagstaff said.

“Ivermectin is very widely used and seen as a safe drug,” Wagstaff said.

The scientists said that the FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug has also been shown to be effective in vitro against a broad range of viruses, including HIV, Dengue, Influenza, and Zika virus.
...
In a report, published in the British Journal of Medicine, it was discovered that the U.S. FDA receives 65 percent of its funding from the pharmaceutical industry, the MHRA (UK) receives 86 percent, and the Australian TGA receives 96 percent of its funding from the pharmaceutical industry.

This proves that this decades old medication was bullied by authorities around the world because they only cared about the vaccines.

Robert Kennedy Jr. Blames CIA for Assassination of JFK

Democratic White House contender Robert Kennedy Jr. recently blamed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, in 1963.

Kennedy Jr., the son of assassinated Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, made the allegation on Sunday with John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable.” Theories around JFK’s assassination have endured throughout the decades, with many others speculating that the CIA, former President Lyndon B. Johnson, the mafia, the Soviet KGB, Jackie Onassis Kennedy, or the Fidel Castro regime—or some combination thereof—were involved in his death.

“There is overwhelming evidence that the CIA was involved in his murder. I think it’s beyond a reasonable doubt at this point,” Kennedy said about the November 1963 incident in Dallas, Texas. “The evidence is overwhelming that the CIA was involved in the murder, and in the cover-up,” he also said.

Kennedy made reference to the book, “JFK and the Unspeakable,” penned by James Douglas, for some of his assertions. The book theorized that Kennedy was assassinated because he sought peacemaking during the Cold War and was then killed by his own security apparatus.

British Universities Accepted £30 Million
From Blacklisted Chinese 5G Giant Huawei

Blacklisted technology company Huawei has plunged at least 30 million pounds ($37.9 million) into British universities via research grants and donations.

The telecom giant—deemed a national security threat by the U.S. government—is the biggest China-based donor to higher educational institutions in the UK.

Over the past four years, Huawei and its advanced chip-producing company HiSilicon spent millions of pounds financing expert-led information, technology, and communications projects.

One university received 10.7 million pounds ($13.5 million) in grants since 2017.

The funding has once again sparked concern from critics who say the Beijing bankrolling is putting universities and the cities where they’re based at risk of “huge” damage.

The revelations come just days after one of Canada’s leading universities said it was cutting ties with Huawei.

The University of Waterloo stated that it would no longer work with the Chinese tech giant after its contract runs out this year to “safeguard scientific research” at the school, according to Charmaine Dean, the university’s vice-president for research.

[kyonides]

European Superstate! Germany Calls on EU to ‘Reform’
Common Defence and Border Policies

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Tuesday for the European Union to address the political, economic and strategic challenges it faces by embracing a series of reforms, including pooling its defense procurement efforts, forging new trade deals and setting aside long-running disputes over migration from outside the bloc.

Speaking to lawmakers in the European Parliament, he said strengthening the EU's military, technological sovereignty and independent sources of crucial commodities would boost the bloc's ties with its closest partner, the United States.

Scholz said it was important for the EU to keep its promise toward prospective members such as the Western Balkans countries, while ensuring they undertake the necessary reforms to be able to join the bloc.

Efforts to rebuild Ukraine, another aspiring EU member, will need “political and financial capital over the long term,” he said, adding that a prosperous and democratic Ukraine would be the strongest counterpoint to Russian President Vladimir Putin´s “imperialist, revisionist and illegal policies on our continent.”

He said rivalry and competition with China has increased lately, but warned against efforts to decouple the bloc from its major trading partner, instead calling for a “wise de-risking” that would minimize the harm to European economies if tensions with Beijing flare.

While Scholz backed calls for “effective protection of external borders,” he urged member states to consider the benefits of migration, too, as many parts of Europe urgently need labor from outside the bloc. A reform of Europe´s asylum system should happen before next year´s European Parliament elections, he said.

Jury in New York Finds Trump Liable for Sexual Abuse,
Not Rape; $5 Million Damages

A jury in New York found former President Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexual abuse and battery of writer E. Jean Carroll three decades ago, though not liable for rape, and awarded $5 million in civil damages against him.

The jury also found Trump defamed Ms. Carroll in his reactions to her lawsuit, which was encouraged by anti-Trump lawyer George Conway and backed by Democrat mega-donor Reid Hoffman, an associate of the late convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.

The jury reached its decision after a few hours of deliberations, after a trial in which U.S. Judge Lewis Kaplan, a Bill Clinton appointee, allowed character evidence, including the infamous Access Hollywood tape, to be used.

Trump decided not to testify in his own defense. Instead, video of his deposition in the case was played, in which he said he did not recall Ms. Carroll and that he would not have been attracted to her (or her lawyer).

Carroll had trouble recalling the date on which the alleged sexual abuse took place — even the year — but the judge controversially allowed other women to testify that they had similar experiences with Trump.

Typically, such evidence of character — purporting to prove that a defendant committed a specific act based on an alleged propensity to commit similar acts — is inadmissible except in a few very specific circumstances.

Biden Administration Announces $1.2B for Ukraine,
Bringing Total Military Aid to $36.9B

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a new military aid package of $1.2 billion for Ukraine, bringing the total since its war with Russia began to $36.9 billion.

“Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a new security assistance package to reaffirm the steadfast U.S. support for Ukraine, including to bolster its air defenses and sustain its artillery ammunition needs,” the Pentagon said in an announcement.

The equipment will not come out of U.S. military stocks, as much of the assistance has so far, but rather, be purchased new from defense contractors from a fund known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).

The Pentagon highlighted its purchase of 155mm artillery rounds — something the West has been struggling to supply Ukraine with given the pace of usage by Ukraine’s military in its war against Russia.

The Pentagon also highlighted it would purchase “additional air defense systems and munitions” for Ukraine. Recent allegedly leaked Pentagon documents warned that Ukraine’s air defense munitions were running low.

Student Pepper Sprays Tennessee Teacher: ‘Give Me My Phone’

Footage was posted by Reddit user @Lazy_Mouse3803 and shows the high schooler pepper spraying the teacher. She follows him outside of the classroom and demands for him to return her phone. When he refused, she pepper sprayed him a second time right in his face, causing him to fall to his knees. She continues to grab for her phone.
...
Off-camera, another student pointed out the absurdity of the attack saying, “over a phone? This shit is crazy.”

The Metro Nashville Public Schools said the student’s action “represents a serious violation of law and our school policies” and has “received appropriate disciplinary consequences.”

The Reddit user who uploaded the video said this is the second time this teacher has been assaulted during the school year. Two months ago, he was punched in the face for taking away a student’s phone during a test.
...
Attacks on teachers have become a common news headline, and just last week, Breitbart reported that a Texas vice principal was sent to the hospital for trying to break up a fight between two students. Instead of students coming to her aid, a mob quickly ensued with the students screaming, “Everybody kick that ho!”
...
More than four of every ten educators said at least one teacher in their district has been physically assaulted or attacked by a student in the past year, a new EdWeek Research Center survey found.

In addition, ten percent of educators said they personally have been physically assaulted or attacked by a student, according to the survey of 1,042 district leaders, principals, and teachers conducted between July 27 through Aug. 8.

[kyonides]

Hunter Biden investigation:
Comer unveils 'Biden family’s influence peddling' in Romania and China

A top House Republican investigator released new financial records from his investigation into “the Biden family’s influence peddling and business schemes” by highlighting bank records related to Hunter Biden-linked business deals in Romania and China.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, released a 36-page memo on Wednesday, noting his committee had subpoenaed four banks and received thousands of records. The report argues the bank records show that “the Biden family, their business associates, and their companies received over $10 million” from companies belonging to foreign nationals, with Republicans identifying payments to Biden family members from foreign companies while Joe Biden served as vice president under former President Barack Obama and after Joe Biden left public office in early 2017.

“The transactions in Romania and China show related but separate issues identified by the Committee that raise serious questions about financial disclosures and risks to national security,” Comer’s new memo alleged.

Comer said that “the Romanian transactions show evidence of influence peddling and a correlation between Biden family and their business associates’ work and then Vice President Biden’s responsibilities while in office.”

The Kentucky Republican added that his committee “is also providing additional information about the Biden family’s troubling receipt of payments from China, particularly the individual Ye Jianming and his company, CEFC, to show what was from 2015 to 2018 a growing interest by people closely tied to the CCP in cultivating a relationship with the Biden family.”

Canada Expels Chinese Diplomat Accused of Targeting
Lawmaker Who Spoke Out Against Uyghur Genocide

Canada expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei on Monday after an intelligence report accused him of targeting Michael Chong, a Conservative Party member of parliament, for retaliation after Chong spoke out against China’s genocide of the Uyghur Muslims. China quickly expelled a Canadian diplomat in retaliation.

“I have been clear: We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Monday when announcing Zhao’s expulsion.
...
Joly said the decision to declare Toronto-based Zhao Wei “persona non grata” was made after “careful consideration of all factors at play.”
...
According to the report, Beijing wanted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party to remain in power but only as a weak minority government. Beijing’s agents meanwhile worked with “Chinese community members and associations within Canadian society” against members of the Conservative Party, which it saw as more unfriendly to Chinese interests.

And some people still want to vehemently deny China's influence in foreign governments, no matter if the proofs lead us in the opposite direction.

CIA May Have Solicited Signature for Letter
Undermining Hunter Biden Story

Top House investigative committees have evidence that at least one CIA employee allegedly had a role in obtaining signatures for the now-debunked statement that 51 former intelligence officials signed casting doubt on the Hunter Biden story in 2020, according to a joint committee report.

The 65-page “interim report,” compiled by the Judiciary Committee, Intel Committee, and Weaponization of the Federal Government Select Subcommittee, contains a wealth of detail about the orchestration of the statement, according to a copy Breitbart News obtained in advance of its anticipated Wednesday release.

The report focuses largely on the CIA’s Prepublication Classification Review Board (PCRB), which the agency uses to screen written works, such as books or academic papers, that current and former CIA employees want to publish.

The CIA’s PCRB checks the items ahead of their publication to make sure they do not contain classified information and to protect the employees and former employees from “legal liability,” according to the agency’s website.
...
The statement claimed without evidence that the New York Post’s story about then-candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, published just two weeks ahead of the 2020 presidential election, “had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

The coauthor of it, former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell, testified before Jordan’s committee last month that he and Marc Polymeropoulos drafted the statement for two specific reasons: to convey their concerns about Russia and to help Joe Biden win the election.

Biden Officials Attended Iraqi Forum Featuring Iran-Backed Terrorist

The Long War Journal reported last week that two senior officials from the Biden State Department, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, attended a conference in Iraq headlined by a known terrorist whose militias have killed hundreds of American soldiers.
...
The terrorist in question was Qais al-Khazali, leader of a Shiite militant group allied Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (“The League of the Righteous.”) Like most Shite militias in Iraq, Asiab Ahl al-Haq (AAH) is sponsored and directed by the government of Iran.

Qais al-Khazali was one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq during the 2000s. He was captured and detained by coalition forces in March 2007 after masterminding the infamous January 2007 attack on an Iraqi government compound in Karbala that killed five American soldiers and wounded three others.

The Long War Journal is among those who believe the fiendishly cunning and sophisticated Karbala attack, carried out by a dozen terrorist operatives disguised as U.S. soldiers, was most likely planned and executed with assistance from the Quds Force, the branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that handles foreign subversive operations. In fact, the operation appears to have been intended to kidnap American soldiers and bring them to Iran for torture and interrogation; when spiriting them off to Iran became impossible, the kidnappers executed them.
...
The Long War Journal was strongly critical of the Obama administration for believing AAH might “lay down their arms and join the political process” after al-Khazali and other leaders of the organization were released.

After American troops began pulling out of Iraq, al-Khazali began recruiting large numbers of Iraqi Shiites to fight on behalf of the Assad regime in Syria, a client of Iran.

Mexican Military Arrests Key Leaders Behind Border State Cartel Turf War

Within a matter of days, Mexican military forces arrested three top cartel leaders from rival factions of the Gulf Cartel and their allies. Authorities say the leaders are partly responsible for a fierce turf war being fought throughout the border state of Tamaulipas.

On Tuesday evening, military forces arrested Felipe de Jesus “Pawa” Alonzo Olmedo, the leader of the Old School Zetas gunmen in San Fernando, Tamaulipas. In a short video leaked to social media, the man known as Pawa can be seen laying on the floor while military forces question him. El Pawa claims to be the head of the “guardia” — a colloquial term used to refer to the cartel enforcers that operate in a certain city.

The arrest of the Old School Zetas top enforcer comes just days after military forces arrested Alan Alexis Cardenas and Axel Alfredo Cardenas over the weekend during two raids in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

[kyonides]

Mayorkas Says DHS ‘Ready to Meet’ Influx
of Illegal Immigrants as Title 42 Expires

Hours before Title 42 was set to expire on May 11, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that stemming the flow of illegal immigrants at the U.S.–Mexico border would be a difficult but manageable challenge for the Biden administration.

“This is a challenge, and we are going to meet this challenge,” Mayorkas told reporters at a White House press briefing. “We’re going to meet it within a broken immigration system while adhering to our values.”

Don't forget to tell the American people that YOU broke that system.

But with the policy set to expire on May 11 at 11:59 p.m. Washington time, Mayorkas stressed that the administration still had legal means for removing illegal immigrants through Title 8 immigration law.

“The transition to Title 8 processing will be swift and immediate,” the secretary said. “We have surged 24,000 Border Patrol agents and officers, thousands of troops, contractors, and over 1,000 asylum officers and judges to see this through.
...
Mayorkas’s remarks follow the administration’s May 10 announcement that it will roll out a new immigration policy in preparation for the tens of thousands of migrants who continue to gather along the Mexican side of the southern border, waiting for Title 42 to expire.
...
Mayorkas said that smugglers have been spreading the word that the border will be open after Title 42 expires.

And they don't seem to be lying to their "customers" at all.

US Encourages ASEAN-China to Develop Rules for South China Sea

The Biden administration is supportive of ASEAN’s efforts to increase peaceful cooperation with China’s communist regime in the South China Sea.

ASEAN, a political and economic bloc of nations in southeast Asia, held a summit this week, during which it announced that the group was heartened by “ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and China,” as well as its efforts to craft a “Code of Conduct” for the South China Sea. China and numerous ASEAN members all lay claim to overlapping portions of it.

The Biden administration supports such initiatives and believes such frameworks are an invaluable avenue for maintaining peace in the region, said State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel during a May 11 press briefing.
...
ASEAN members Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam all hold claims to various parts of the South China Sea, which China has systematically sought to expand its control over through the creation of artificial islands and mass use of illegal fishing fleets.

How does the saying go?
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. 

Erdogan Vows to Trash Constitution,
Gives Public Workers 45% Raise Days Before Election

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a surprise announcement on Tuesday that he would increase the salaries of all public workers, about 700,000 people, by 45 percent, a dramatic move ahead of Sunday’s presidential election.

Erdoğan, who has governed Turkey as president or prime minister uninterrupted for 20 years, is facing one of the most difficult campaigns of his career against Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the longtime leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Kılıçdaroğlu has managed to unite much of the Turkish opposition into an anti-Erdoğan coalition and counts on most other major parties choosing not to run candidates, resulting in him leading Erdogan in most recent national election polls.
...
The Turkish presidential race is run on a two-round system. If no candidate receives over 50-percent support in the first round, the top two candidates will proceed to a runoff vote on May 28.

...Erdogan’s ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) does little to dissuade supporters from violent attacks on its opponents and largely erased the presence of a free press in the country in the aftermath of the 2016 alleged failed coup. Kılıçdaroğlu has faced years of mob attacks at his events and was forced to cancel campaign appearances last month in eastern Turkey as a result of attacks on his convoy.

Reign of Terror Part Deux?
Leftist Politician Warns Macron
of Beheading Like King Louis XVI

During the Reign of Terror in 1793, radical revolutionaries in Paris deployed Madame Guillotine to cut off the head of King Louis XVI. Now 230 years later there is a rise in alarming talk about historical precedent swirling around the country’s ever more controversial and unpopular President Emmanuel Macron...

“Louis XVI, we beheaded him, Macron, we can start again!” has become a common chant heard in protests as the revolutionary rage has once again boiled up throughout France after the government used a constitutional loophole to push through a raise to the pension age in the National Assembly without a vote in March.

Christophe Prudhomme, an emergency doctor who not only serves as a national delegate for the CGT trade union confederation behind the national strikes but also as a regional councillor for the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party, was filmed singing the beheading threat outside the headquarters of Macron’s Renaissance party on Sunday.

Defending himself on broadcaster BFMTV the LFI politician claimed that the chant was “symbolic”, saying: “I prefer that anger be expressed verbally… We have the right, I think, to express our anger.”

Election Group With Ties to Soros, Zuckerberg
Meets in Washington for Conference Closed to Public

An elections group with ties to Democrat mega-donor George Soros and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gathered in Washington on May 8 for a meeting that was closed to the public.

The Epoch Times was denied entry to the event, called a “Summit on American Democracy” and hosted by the Center for Election Integrity & Research (CEIR). Organizers said that the event was invite-only. Only preapproved press and other guests were permitted to attend the summit.

Though the event was live-streamed, the closed nature of the event deprived independent media of access to the laundry list of high-ranking officials attending the summit, including a litany of Secretaries of State, who oversee elections, and other election officials. Among those attending the conference were Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Bill Gates, county supervisor for Maricopa County, Arizona.

The group describes itself as “committed to a fiercely nonpartisan approach.” But partisan allegations against its founder, funding by Zuckerberg, and indirect ties to the left-wing Soros challenge that description.
...
“The 2020 election was, simply put, the most secure, transparent, and verifiable election in American history and it’s not close,” Becker claimed.

At least one journalist who challenged this narrative was allegedly removed from the conference.

Laura Loomer, an outspoken ally of President Donald Trump and proponent of theories about widespread election fraud in 2020, reported that she was thrown out of the conference for confronting election officials from Arizona and Georgia.

China, Taliban Deepen Ties
as Afghanistan Joins Beijing’s Infrastructure Plan

China, Pakistan, and the Taliban have decided to extend the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to Afghanistan during their fifth tri-party foreign ministers dialogue in Islamabad on May 6.
...
“This announcement indicates that the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is a priority area for China’s economic expansion. Beijing is interested in extracting mineral resources from Afghanistan and using the country’s trade routes to reach Iran and Turkey as an alternative to Central Asia,” Adnan Aamir, an Islamabad-based journalist who covers Chinese interests in Pakistan, told The Epoch Times in an email.

Taliban is not in a position to make any financial commitments, and the situation is complicated, according to Aamir, because the BRI projects involve loans, and both China and Pakistan haven’t formally recognized the Taliban.
...
The joint statement addressed the Taliban as the “Afghan Interim Government” and mentioned that the tri-party meeting wanted to encourage “hard connectivity” in infrastructure and “soft connectivity” in norms and standards, and has decided to explore the facilitating measures for the movement of people and trade activities between the three countries.

K. Siddhartha, a strategic thinker and Earth scientist, told The Epoch Times that China’s moves in Afghanistan are propelled by the growing needs of the Chinese economy for minerals and raw materials.

This means that China wants to extend the new Silk Road system by exploiting a weak government in Central Asia. That sounds pretty much the same as the situation in Sudan before the civil war erupted not long ago, benefiting Russia and Iran.

[kyonides]

Taiwanese battery maker Prologium
to invest €5 billion in French factory

The group hopes to start production at the end of 2026, and ramp up over several years until it has some 3,000 employees in the factory.

It will invest 5.2 billion euros ($5.7 billion) in Dunkirk by 2030, and produce batteries for hundreds of thousands of cars there once at full capacity.

The group specialises in the development of "solid-state" batteries which are considered more powerful, safer and quicker to charge than the lithium-ion cells often used in electric vehicles.

"We can charge 80 percent of the battery in 12 minutes... if if we take the Tesla model 3 this 80 percent (will take) 20 minutes," said Gilles Normand, vice president for international development.

Solid-state batteries are also around 50 kilograms lighter, he added, which makes a big difference to the performance of the car carrying it.

Russia to Deploy New Kamikaze Drone in Ukraine

The Oko Design Bureau’s Privet-82 has a flight range of 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) and can carry a payload of 5 kilograms (11 pounds).

A low cost of 100,000 roubles ($1,300) allows mass deployment of the drone.

Test flights of the Privet-82 have been completed, paving the way for the first batch to be deployed in Ukraine within a month.

The Privet-82 will be launched from a single hub 15-20 kilometers (9.3-12.4 miles) away from the front line, obviating the need to store drones and catapults near the border. 

Having the drone hub away from the front line also allows it to house multiple drones.

Majority of Japanese Reluctant to Defend Taiwan if China Invades

A new survey by a Japanese media outlet has found that most in the country are concerned about their government helping Taiwan in a Chinese invasion.

Eighty percent of the 3,000 adults surveyed by Asahi Shimbun daily newspaper expressed fear that Tokyo would get caught up in the conflict if China were to attack the island nation.

Fifty-six percent of those polled also said the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) should only provide rear-echelon support, such as fuel, food, and medical supplies.

Meanwhile, 11 percent agreed that the Japanese military should join forces with the US to counter Chinese attacks.
...[Tokyo] said that an invasion of Taiwan would also pose a threat to Japan, leaving China in control of sea lanes to transport most of Tokyo’s energy needs and food supplies.

Japan’s move to boost its defense spending and upgrade its naval and air capabilities also suggests that the JSDF is preparing for an escalation of conflict.

This might not look as a serious problem for the Japanese, but the truth is that nothing would stop China from invading Japanese territory as well if they don't assist Taiwan in the defense of their homeland. Besides, Japanese companies have invested money in Taiwanese companies or facilities, too. And the biggest microchip producer in the world is... Taiwan!

Arby’s Workers in Louisiana Find Woman’s Body in Freezer,
Police Investigating ‘Suspicious’ Death

The  corpse was discovered during regular business hours at the Arby’s in the Lagniappe Village shopping center in New Iberia, according to a report from local station KADN. Authorities investigating the death described it as “suspicious,” though they added it may have been an accident.

“So it was an employee that discovered the female deceased inside the cooler, (and) the deceased is an employee of the restaurant,” New Iberia Police Capt. Leland Laseter told KADN.
...
“(We) pretty much have completed our process at the crime scene. After completely processing the crime scene… this does not seem like a homicide, it seems like an accident.”
...
The identity of the deceased has not been released. But a report from local station KLFY asserted the individual was manager at the establishment.

China Signs Free Trade Agreement with ‘Conservative’ Ecuador

The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced Thursday that Ecuador has signed a free trade agreement (FTA) to “create a more favorable, transparent, and stable business environment for enterprises” with China.
...
This bilateral deal will allow 50 percent of Ecuador’s exportable supply to be immediately released from tariffs for entry into China. In the course of the next 10 years, 99.6 percent of Ecuadorian products will be completely tax-free.

Among the main Ecuadorian export products are tuna and sardines, which will have immediate tax relief for their entry into China. Ecuadorian roses and cacao will be completely tax-free in five years, while shrimp and bananas will be tax-free in ten years.

To protect local industries from Chinese products, the FTA defines 828 goods as “highly sensitive.” Among them are flat ceramics, wooden boards, textiles, and iron wire.
...
The Financial Times predicted U.S. policymakers would see the FTA as a “frustrating” development since the U.S. has been trying to contain Beijing’s “growing influence” in Latin America.

China already has FTAs with Peru, Chile, and Costa Rica. The deal with Ecuador is particularly disappointing because President Guillermo Lasso is a “pro-American conservative who had sought closer trade and investment ties with the U.S.”

Judge Blocks Biden’s Post-Title 42 Catch-and-Release Policy

DHS is enjoined from implementing or enforcing the parole policy contained in the May 10, 2023, Memorandum from U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, titled “Policy on Parole with Conditions in Limited Circumstances Prior to Issuance of a Charging Document (Parole with Conditions).

“A TRO is an extraordinary measure that preserves the status quo while a federal trial judge is determining whether to issue a preliminary injunction, or PI,” explained Breitbart News senior legal contributor Ken Klukowski.

“A PI then lasts all the way until a final judgment in a lawsuit, though in this case the Biden administration will promptly take the PI to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta. This order would stay in place during that time.”
...
“This is a harmful ruling that will result in unsafe overcrowding at C.B.P. facilities and undercut our ability to efficiently process and remove migrants, and risks creating dangerous conditions for Border Patrol agents and migrants,” the agency said in a statement to the New York Times.

More than 10,000 migrants have crossed the border on each of the last three days.

Germany Changes Mind Again, Will Sell Major Stake in Top Port
to China Government Owned Shipping Giant

China’s shipping giant Cosco is to acquire a 24.9 per cent share — down from 35 per cent in the original bid of 2021 — in the Hamburg Tollerort container terminal, one of four terminals that make up the Port of Hamburg, after a German government spokesman said the had decided the deal could go ahead.

The purchase by the Chinese state-owned company had been initially approved by the left-wing German government of Olaf Scholz, who was reported to have personally intervened to push it through in the opposition of some in government who warned selling critical national infrastructure to China could be a bad idea. Yet an investigation into Cosco buying a near-quarter of Tollerort put the idea on ice earlier this year over “national security concerns” after it found the port had not been placed on the government register of critical infrastructure.

...Scholz who they say “was strongly pushing for the 24.99 percent deal to remain valid” in October. The publication cites critics who claim: “partial port acquisition is part of a targeted investment strategy through which Beijing wants to bring infrastructure throughout Europe under its influence.”

The Port of Hamburg is the third-largest port in Europe, a major point of ingress for manufactured goods from countries like China.

...“This development is expected to concentrate the flow of goods between Asia and Europe, which is significant considering China’s status as Germany’s and the Port of Hamburg’s primary trading partner. Approximately 30 per cent of the goods handled at the Port of Hamburg are either from China or destined for the country.”

[kyonides]

‘Rust’ Movie Medic Gets $1.15 Million Partial Settlement

A New Mexico judge has approved a $1.15 million settlement between a medic who worked on the “Rust” film set and one of several defendants she accused of negligence in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal.

Court records show the partial settlement between Cherlyn Schaefer and prop master Sarah Zachry was approved during a hearing Monday. Schaefer told the judge there’s not a day that goes by when she doesn’t think about what happened, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

In her civil complaint, Schaefer said she fought desperately in a failed attempt to save the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She said the shock, trauma, and emotional distress that followed has made it impossible for her to continue working in her field.

Prosecutors dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor and producer last month, citing new evidence and the need for more time to investigate.

I don't want to be mean here, but aren't doctors, especially surgeons supposed to endure this kind of horrible scenes? Why did she become a doctor in the first place!?

‘We’re Preparing to Restart Repayment’
said Education Secretary on Federal Student Loans

During a May 11 hearing of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) cited remarks by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre who said, regarding the debt ceiling, that “if you buy a car, you are expected to pay the monthly payments. If you buy a home, you are expected to pay the mortgage every month. That is the expectation.”

Britt said she believes “that same logic must apply to student loans,” to which Cardona responded, “We agree and we’re preparing to restart repayment because the emergency period is over, and we’re preparing our borrowers to restart.”

At the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, student loan payments were suspended by the government. Since then, two presidential administrations have pushed back the end of the suspension period eight times.
...
At present, the Supreme Court is reviewing the orders of a lower court that blocked the Biden administration’s student debt forgiveness plan. Payments are scheduled to resume either 60 days after June 30 or 60 days after the court ruling if the ruling comes before June 30. The court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter this summer.

Back in November, the Department of Education revealed that it had received applications from 26 million individuals for the loan forgiveness program—out of which 16 million were approved. The lower court order prevented the department from considering more applicants as well as forgiving student debt.

Cardona added that the HEROES Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in January 2002, allows him to “create a waiver for those who are impacted significantly by the pandemic.”

Merrick Garland Approves Transfer of Russian Assets to Ukraine

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Wednesday that he had given the go-ahead for the first transfer of confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine.

The U.S. Department of Justice charged Konstantin Malofeyev, a Russian oligarch, with breaching sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last year. The United States claimed that he had provided funds to Russians who were promoting separatism in Crimea.

Malofeyev accumulated his wealth through investments in various industries, including banking, telecommunications, and media.

Garland also revealed that last year authorities had seized millions of dollars from an account at a U.S. financial institution that could be linked to Malofeyev’s sanctions violations. In February, he authorized the transfer of that money to Ukraine.

“While this represents the United States’ first transfer of forfeited funds for the rebuilding of Ukraine. It will not be the last,” Garland said in a statement.

The expropriated money will be sent for the reconstruction of Ukraine in response to Moscow’s military operation, which began in February 2022.

Hong Kong English Online Media ‘Transit Jam’ Shut Down
After Founder Attacked by Local CCP Media as a Foreign Agent

James Ockenden, the founder of the English online media Transit Jam, announced on Twitter on Tuesday (May 9) that Transit Jam is to stop operation. No reason was given. However, the suspension came after he was named and accused by local Chinese Communist Party (CCP) media at the end of April as a “proxy and spy under masquerade for foreign agents.”

In addition to local transport focus, Ockenden and Transit Jam also dabbled in current affair exclusives, including organizing rallies on environmental issues. Ockenden petitioned outside the Legislative Council during the visit of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong last month (April), demanding the setup of an exclusive pedestrian zone on Queen’s Road Central, the timing of which coincided with his being targeted by local CCP media.
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Launched in 2020, Transit Jam mainly covered traffic news. Its webpage describes itself as “Hong Kong’s first and only registered media dedicated to sustainable transport and road safety.” Ockenden told the English-language online media Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) that Transit Jam’s media registration was revoked on April 23 by the government. The Transit Jam website also shows that it is no longer a registered media under the Registration of Local Newspapers Ordinance.

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), visited Hong Kong last month and met with members of the Legislative Council on the morning of April 16.

So now reporting traffic news has become a communist deadly sin!?

House GOP Demands Information
From Homeland Security Chief
on Chinese Tech Used at US Ports

The lawmakers have demanded Mayorkas provide information on what his department and the Biden administration are doing to prevent the CCP from using the technology it develops and produces, which is used in cargo cranes and other shipping infrastructure in American seaports, to spy on and orchestrate sabotage against the United States.

Two chairs of House committees, and four chairs of House subcommittees, signed and sent a letter, dated May 10, insisting that Mayorkas immediately provide the information which House Committee on Homeland Security members requested in a letter sent to him on April 23.
...
A story published in The Epoch Times on May 11 reported on a bill introduced the previous day by Representatives Carlos A. Giménez (R-Fla.) and John Garamendi (D-Calif.) that focused on inspecting and monitoring port cranes made in China to ensure that they do not contain technology used to spy, create societal disorder, inflict physical damage, and disrupt the function of seaports, which are critically important to the U.S. supply chain.

Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), a Chinese company, makes about 80 percent of the cranes used in American seaports. Chinese-made cranes are in operation at ports that the U.S. military uses.
...
The letter said that the dominant presence of ZPMC cranes in U.S. ports while noting that ZPMC holds 70 percent of the global port crane market, presents a “significant risk to U.S. homeland security”.

Those “security risks include cyberattacks, espionage, and supply chain vulnerabilities due to the shared software and interconnectivity among ZPMC cranes operating at our nation’s ports.”