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Recent Appearances...

Fifth Column

Anti-Israel protesters ‘flood’ Brooklyn Museum in occupation backed by pro-Hamas group

2024-06-01

[IsraelTimes] Arrests made as demonstrators clash with NYPD, set up tents and hang banner from building calling to ‘Free Palestine, Divest From Genocide’

Pro-Paleostinian protesters against Israel took over parts of the style=color:green;font-weight:bold;>Brooklyn Museum on Friday, hanging a banner above the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby and scuffling with police, witnesses said.

New York City style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='police officers'>coppers tackled and punched some protesters during scuffles that broke out in the crowd outside the museum while some demonstrators hurled plastic bottles at officers and shouted insults. Other protesters held banners, waved Paleostinian flags and chanted boisterously on the steps of the grand, Beaux Arts museum, which is the city’s second largest.

Some arrests were made but a New York Police Department spokesperson said it would be hours before officials had an accurate count. The art museum in the New York City borough of Brooklyn said it closed an hour early due to the disruption.

One of the arrests was of a man who spray-painted an outdoor sculpture, style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Reuters'>Rooters witnessed. Skirmishes between police and protesters also took place inside the building.

"There was damage to existing and newly installed artwork on our plaza," a museum spokesperson said in an email. "Protesters entered the building, and our public safety staff were physically and verbally harassed.

"Out of a concern for the building, our collections, and our staff, the decision was made to close the building an hour early," and the public was asked to vacate peacefully, the statement said.

The rally started Friday afternoon across the street from the Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. Banging drums and chanting, the hundreds of demonstrators then made their way to the museum about a mile away, when some of them rushed the entrance, according to the style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Reuters'>Rooters witness.

Security guards prevented many from entering, with videos posted on social media showing them trying to secure the museum’s doors against the surging crowd, but some demonstrators managed to get inside.

A banner was hung from atop the neoclassical facade proclaiming, "Free Paleostine, Divest From Genocide," while the protesters also set up tents in the lobby.

A pro-Paleostinian organization named Within Our Lifetime urged demonstrators to "flood Brooklyn Museum for style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Gaza'>Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
," alluding to the name that style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Hamas'>Hamas
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'> Hamas

..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
gave to its October 7 terror onslaught that started the war in Gaza. Within Our Lifetime, which praised the Hamas-led attack in the immediate aftermath of the atrocities, says activists occupied the museum to compel it to disclose any Israel-related investments and to divest any such funding.

New York City has seen hundreds of pro-Paleostinian street demonstrations since October 7.

The Brooklyn Museum sits at the edge of Crown Heights, which is home to one of the city’s largest communities of Orthodox Jews.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

IDF releases footage of Gaza-Egypt border tunnels used by Hamas to smuggle weapons

2024-06-01

On Friday, the Moslem sabbath. Allah must approve, or it would not have happened, right?

[IsraelTimes] Army says troops have demolished dozens of tunnel shafts and several ‘significant’ underground routes along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, destroyed 5 primed rocket launchers

The Israel Defense Forces on Friday released footage showing style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Hamas'>Hamas
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'> Hamas

..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
smuggling tunnels and rocket launchers discovered by troops along the style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Gaza'>Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
-Egypt border, as Israel continued to move forward with its pinpoint offensive in the coastal enclave’s southernmost city of style=color:navy;font-weight:bold;>Rafah.

Along the so-called style=color:navy;font-weight:bold;>Philadelphi Corridor, adjacent to Rafah, the IDF has located so far some 20 tunnels that cross into Egypt. Another 82 tunnel shafts leading into the tunnels have been located in the corridor area.

Hamas has been known to use such tunnels to smuggle weapons into Gaza, despite attempts by Egypt to thwart them in the past decade. A "high-level" source speaking to Egyptian state media this week denied such tunnels still exist.

The IDF said it has so far demolished dozens of tunnel shafts and several "significant" underground routes in the corridor area, while others are still being investigated.

Hamas operatives were killed by IDF troops inside some of the tunnels, the military said.

A happy thought…

The IDF also said it located five primed rocket launching sites along the Gaza-Egypt border. The launchers were all demolished.

On Wednesday, the IDF announced that it had established "operational control" over the entire Philadelphi Corridor. Troops are physically located in most of the corridor. There is a small section near the coast where ground forces are not present, but the IDF says it is controlling the area with surveillance and firepower.

The release of the footage came after the military announced earlier Friday that Israeli forces located long-range rockets and additional weapons and military equipment in the eastern part of Rafah and along the Philadelphi Corridor. Additionally, the IDF confirmed for the first time that it was operating in the center of Rafah, a day after tanks were reported in the area.

As it pushed further into Rafah, the military also said Friday that soldiers pulled out of the style=color:navy;font-weight:bold;>Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, wrapping up an operation to clear out Hamas-led fighters who had re-entrenched there.

Despite a growing wave of international criticism of the operation, the IDF has asserted that Rafah is the last major remaining Hamas stronghold in the Strip, and suggested that many of the remaining hostages captured by the terror group on October 7 could be held in the city.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 36,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though only some 22,000 fatalities have been identified at hospitals. The toll, which cannot be verified, includes some 15,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed in battle.

294 soldiers have been killed during the ground offensive against Hamas and amid operations along the Gaza border. A civilian Defense Ministry contractor has also been killed in the Strip.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

3 lightly hurt in rocket barrage from Lebanon; air force shoots down drone over Acre

2024-06-01

[IsraelTimes] IDF says 15 rockets fired as Iron Dome shoots down missiles in Upper Galilee; Hezbollah says one dead, one hurt in alleged Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Naqoura

Three people were lightly hurt following a rocket barrage on the style=color:navy;font-weight:bold;>Upper Galilee on Friday afternoon, medics said, as the Iron Dome air defense system intercepted multiple projectiles launched from style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Lebanon'>Leb
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'> Leb

...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
The Israel Defense Forces said that a barrage of nine rockets was fired from Lebanon toward the Upper Galilee community of Ga’aton, with seven striking open areas. Another six rockets were fired at Peki’in, which the IDF said were all intercepted by air defenses.

A short while earlier, the IDF said a drone launched from Lebanon that entered Israeli airspace was shot down by air defenses over the northern coastal city of Acre. The last time sirens sounded in Acre was in April, after two Hezbollah drones launched from Lebanon were shot down in the area.

Videos posted to social media showed multiple Iron Dome interceptions over the Upper Galilee following the rocket barrage from Lebanon.

Also Friday, the IDF said it carried out a strike against a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Naqoura, after identifying a terror cell there. Hezbollah said that a medic was killed and another style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='wounded'>maimed in the strike, which it said hit an ambulance in southern Lebanon. A statement from the terror group named the paramedic as Haidar Juhai.

"An Israeli style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='drone strike'>dronezap targeted an ambulance... One rescuer was martyred and another style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='wounded'>maimed" in the border town of Naqoura, the operations room of Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Authority told AFP.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency also said "an enemy drone targeted a Health Committee ambulance in the town of Naqura," reporting casualties.

Several terror groups in Lebanon operate health centers and emergency response operations.

Also Friday, the IDF said two explosive-laden drones launched from Lebanon struck an area in the northern Golan Heights. The army said it was investigating why it failed to intercept the two drones. There were no injuries in the attack, which set off drone sirens in two communities in the Golan.

Earlier in the day, the IDF said a projectile launched from Lebanon struck the Metula area, causing no damage or injuries. Troops shelled the launch site in response, the military said.

There were also suspected drone infiltration sirens that sounded in the Galilee Panhandle and the Golan Heights on Friday that the IDF said were false alarms.

On Friday morning, the IDF said fighter jets struck buildings overnight used by the Iran-backed terror group in southern Lebanon. Four buildings were struck in the villages of Aitaroun and Markaba, the IDF said, releasing footage of the strike.

Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Gaza'>Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
amid the ongoing war there.

So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in 10 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 14 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

Hezbollah has named 324 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 62 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.

Tensions spiked earlier this week when Hezbollah launched a series of rocket barrages at northern Israel on Monday, in response to an Israeli strike that killed a terror operative outside a south Lebanon hospital that day. The director of the facility, which is also run by Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Authority, said two style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='civilians were killed'>non-combatants were killed in the strike.

style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Meanwhile,'>Meanwhile,
...back at the argument, Livia grabbed for Jane's hair to make her point. Jane elbowed her in the face in rebuttal...
a senior adviser to US President style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Joe Biden'>Joe The Big Guy Biden
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>...46th president of the U.S. We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women created ... by the — you know — you know, the thing...
said Thursday that a land border agreement between Israel and Lebanon implemented in phases could dampen the simmering and deadly conflict on the northern border.

"I’m not expecting peace, everlasting peace, between Hezbollah and Israel," Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to Biden for energy and investment, said in an interview. "But if we can reach a set of understandings and... take away some of the impetus for conflict and establish for the first time ever a recognized border between the two, I think that will go a long way."

Hochstein brokered an Israel-Lebanon maritime boundary agreement in late 2022, after two years of talks, which opened the way for both countries to develop natural gas and other resources in the region. He has been working on a demarcation of the land border between the two countries that could have a number of phases.

He said that the first phase would allow for tens of thousands of displaced residents of northern communities in Israel to return to their homes, along with those living in southern communities in Lebanon.

Israel has expressed openness to a diplomatic solution to the conflict but has said it will launch an all-out war against Hezbollah to restore security to the north if an agreement isn’t reached.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel says it killed 18 Gaza-based Hamas members in charge of West Bank attacks

2024-06-01

[IsraelTimes] Shin Bet security agency says terror cell, primarily made up of prisoners exiled to Strip in 2011 Shalit deal, planned multiple attacks between 2022-2023 in which 8 were murdered

Israeli forces have killed 18 members of style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Hamas'>Hamas
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'> Hamas

..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
’s so-called West Bank headquarters — a unit based in the style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Gaza'>Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Strip that is responsible for advancing terror attacks against Israel from and within the West Bank — amid the ongoing war, the Shin Bet security agency announced on Friday.

Among those killed was Yassin Rabia, the head of the unit. Rabia was killed alongside another top member of the headquarters in a strike in Rafah earlier this week. The strike was also said to have killed dozens of Paleostinian civilians in a blaze caused by a secondary explosion.

An IDF probe into the strike found that a hidden store of weapons may have been the actual cause of the deadly blaze, and that an style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='airstrike'>~~Arclight~~ airstrike
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>...KABOOM!...
that targeted an adjacent area had used small munitions that would not ignite such a fire on their own.

Another nine members of the unit have been detained by troops in the Gaza Strip, the Shin Bet added.

The agency said the unit is primarily made up of Hamas members who were exiled to Gaza in a 2011 deal with Hamas, in which Israel released 1,027 Paleostinian terror convicts in exchange for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Members of the unit make contact with West Bank Paleostinians in order to recruit them to carry out terror attacks in the territory and in Israel proper, the Shin Bet said.

Among those detained by troops in November was Mahmoud Bashir Tanira, who the Shin Bet said is a member of a West Bank headquarters unit involved in directing attacks.

The Shin Bet said Tanira’s interrogation revealed that the unit was involved in numerous terror attacks in the West Bank between 2022 and 2023, which resulted in the deaths of eight Israelis and the injury of others.

According to the Shin Bet, among the attacks directed by the unit were a shooting against the settlement of Beit El in October 2022, in which an Israeli civilian was style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='wounded'>maimed; a shooting at a gas station near Eli in June 2023, in which four Israeli style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='civilians were killed'>non-combatants were killed and two style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='were injured'>were maimed; a shooting near the settlement of Kedumim in July 2023, in which a soldier was killed; a shooting at a car wash in Huwara in August 2023, in which two Israeli style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='civilians were killed'>non-combatants were killed; a shooting at the Hamra junction in August 2023, in which an Israeli civilian was style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='wounded'>maimed; and a shooting near Hebron in August 2023 in which an Israeli civilian was killed.

According to the Shin Bet, the unit was involved in at least 20 more shooting attacks in the West Bank last year.

Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,000 wanted Paleostinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,700 affiliated with Hamas. According to the Paleostinian Authority health ministry, more than 510 West Bank Paleostinians have been killed in that time.

Link

Science & Technology

Pentagon awards $480 million deal to Palantir for 'Maven' prototype

2024-06-01

May 29 (Reuters) - style=color:maroon;>Palantir (PLTR.N), opens new tab has won a $480 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for a prototype known as the Maven Smart System, the department said, opens new tab on Wednesday, deepening the data analytics provider's work with the Pentagon.

The contract has an expected May 2029 completion date and follows the Defense Department's solicitation of a sole bid, it said.
Maven takes in data from various sources to identify military points of interest and to speed up intelligence analysts' work, according to one brigade's description, opens new tab of the system earlier this year.

AI-assisted target identification has drawn controversy in the technology sector from some workers who did not want to build systems for war, and from critics who fear lethal strike decisions could have minimal human oversight.

Palantir did not immediately issue a statement.

Link

-Land of the Free

Chief Justice Roberts Declines Meeting with Senators Durbin and Whitehouse

2024-06-01

style=background-color:silver;>BLUF
[Hot Air] Now it's FlagGate. Mrs. Alito likes flags. She likes to fly them at their house. Several years after she flew a flag known as a symbol of distress, the media began to report on it. Senate Democrats are short on knowledge of American history and long on political partisanship. One flag she flew dates back to George Washington and the American Revolution. That doesn't matter. They try to tie her actions to Christian nationalism and white supremacy. Nothing is too absurd for Democrats.

Alito, like Thomas, is ignoring demands by Democrats that he recuse himself on any cases that have to do with J6 or Trump in general. So, two senators tried to get a meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts. They have been denied a meeting.

Link

Good Morning

2024-06-01

style="font-size:12pt;font-weight:bold;color:maroon;font-family:helvetica,arial,verdana,sans;">Double Jeopardy-A Demokrat Lawfare Speciality: Democrat Attorneys General Demand Federal Indictment of Daniel Perry Because the Rule of Law Is Dead

Saturday 06/01/2024

style="font-size:16pt;font-weight:bold;color:maroon;font-family:helvetica,arial,verdana,sans;">Israeli military says it has completed operations in Jabalia

style="font-size:10pt;font-weight:normal">joancaulfield87

style="font-size:10pt;color:navy;">Africa Horn style="font-size:13pt;font-weight:bold;"> style="font-family:times new roman;text-decoration-line:underline;font-size:9pt;color:red;"> Fierce clashes erupt between Sudanese army and RSF in Khartoum North		style="font-size:10pt;color:navy;">Europe style="font-size:13pt;font-weight:bold;"> style="font-family:times new roman;text-decoration-line:underline;font-size:9pt;color:red;"> Germany: Knife attack in Mannheim, suspect shot
style="font-size:10pt;color:navy;">India-Pakistan style="font-size:13pt;font-weight:bold;"> style="font-family:times new roman;text-decoration-line:underline;font-size:9pt;color:red;"> Two suspects arrested for killing barbershop workers in Gwadar: minister		style="font-size:10pt;color:navy;">India-Pakistan style="font-size:13pt;font-weight:bold;"> style="font-family:times new roman;text-decoration-line:underline;font-size:9pt;color:red;"> Hyderabad cylinder blast death toll rises to 7 as another victim dies
style="font-size:10pt;color:navy;">Israel-Palestine-Jordan style="font-size:13pt;font-weight:bold;"> style="font-family:times new roman;text-decoration-line:underline;font-size:9pt;color:red;"> Israeli airstrike on Rafah kills 12 Palestinians, Gaza medics say		style="font-size:10pt;color:navy;">Israel-Palestine-Jordan style="font-size:13pt;font-weight:bold;"> style="font-family:times new roman;text-decoration-line:underline;font-size:9pt;color:red;"> 2 more Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

US sanctions target suppliers, enablers of Iran’s drone production program

2024-06-01

[IsraelTimes] 4 entities, aviation executive named over procurement of parts for UAV program; US lawmakers push to sanction Iranian officials over rapper’s death sentence

The US on Friday issued style=color:green;font-weight:bold;>sanctions targeting entities it accused of enabling Iran’s drone program, in Washington’s latest action seeking to disrupt the production and proliferation of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by Russia against Ukraine and in attacks on US troops.

"Today’s action reinforces our commitment to disrupt Iran’s production and proliferation of deadly UAVs that continue to be used by Russia against Ukraine and by regional terrorist proxies against our troops," US Treasury Department Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in a statement.

"Treasury will continue to impose costs on those who seek to procure the components style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Iran '>Iran
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
needs for its UAV programs and enable the shipment of these weapons to destabilizing actors around the world."

Iran has supplied thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones to Russia throughout its invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022.

They have been used to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses and hit infrastructure far from the front lines.

The US Treasury said it imposed sanctions on four entities that have procured critical parts for Iran’s drone program as well as an executive of style=color:green;font-weight:bold;>Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), a subsidiary of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).

The Treasury said Afshin Khajeh Fard, the chief of IAIO, oversees its efforts to produce drones and missiles.

Friday’s action freezes any of their US assets and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. Those that engage in certain transactions with them also risk being hit with sanctions.

Last month, Iran carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel with hundreds of drones and missiles.

US style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='lawmaker'>politicians push Iran sanctions over rapper style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='death sentence'>death sentence
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead...
Also Friday, a bipartisan group of US style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='lawmaker'>politicians introduced legislation targeting Iranian officials involved in the prosecution and death sentence of a rapper who came to fame for his lyrics about the 2022 death of an Iranian woman and his criticism of the style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Islamic Republic'>Islamic Theocratic Republic.

The proposal would impose sanctions on the judges, prosecutors and style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='investigators'>Sherlocks of Iran’s Revolutionary Courts in response to Tehran’s continuing crackdown against dissenters — including rapper Toomaj Salehi — after years of mass protests in the country. It would also codify into law that the US views any judgments issued by Iran’s courts against political prisoners as violations of style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='human rights'>human rights
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'> ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state...
" style=color:green;font-weight:bold;>Toomaj Salehi has used his platform to give a voice to the voiceless and bravely speak out against the Iran regime’s torture, abuse, and crackdown against the free will of the Iranian people," Rep. Young Kim of style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='California'>Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,, one of the bill’s lead sponsors, said in a statement to The style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Associated Press'>News Agency that Dare Not be Named. "Unfortunately, he is just the latest victim of the regime’s cruelty."

She added that the bill — titled the TOOMAJ Act — will allow the US "to stand side by side with Toomaj and other peaceful protesters demanding basic human rights and take targeted action against the Iran regime."

It marks the latest congressional action against the style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Islamic Republic'>Islamic Theocratic Republic in recent months as Democratic and Republican style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='lawmaker'>politicians have united in decrying the country’s human rights record as well as its role in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, including the Israel- style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Hamas'>Hamas
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'> Hamas

..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
war. Leading the legislative effort with Kim are Reps. David Trone, Mike Lawler and style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Adam Schiff'>Adam Schiff
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>>...Showboating U.S. Representative for California's 28th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Schiff has served in Congress since 2001. He currently serves as the chairman of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In a manner reminiscent of Joe McCarthy, on March 22, 2017, in a interview with Chuck Todd on MSNBC Schiff claimed there was “more than circumstantial evidence now” that Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia." Todd followed up by asking if he had seen direct evidence of collusion and Schiff responded that there was "evidence that is not circumstantial and is very much worthy of investigation"...>
News of the death sentence ordered against 33-year-old Salehi by a Revolutionary Court in Isfahan, a central Iranian city, came down in late April. A lawyer for the rapper confirmed the sentence to The style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Associated Press'>News Agency that Dare Not be Named as Iranian officials have yet to publicly announce it. Revolutionary Courts in Iran often involve closed-door hearings, secret evidence and few rights for those on trial.

Link

Africa Horn

Fierce clashes erupt between Sudanese army and RSF in Khartoum North

2024-06-01

[SUDANTRIBUNE] Intense battles erupted on Friday between the style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Sudan'>Sudan
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'> Sudan

...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
ese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in various parts of Khartoum North (Bahri) and Omdurman, marking a significant escalation of military operations in the capital.

In the early morning hours, large contingents of Sudanese army forces crossed the "Halfaya" bridge, connecting Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri, and penetrated deep into Khartoum North after destroying RSF positions on the bridge’s eastern side.

In a statement, Sudanese army spokesperson Nabil Abdallah said, "The armed forces carried out a successful special operation at dawn today, destroying a large number of enemy vehicles and causing numerous casualties among the leaders and members of the Daglo’s militia. Our forces also managed to penetrate deep into enemy territory in Khartoum North and Halfaya."

Abdallah reported that seven army soldiers were killed and 28 style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='wounded'>maimed.

The spokesperson did not specify the objective of the attack or why the attacking forces withdrew without retaining control of the areas they had captured, particularly the eastern bank of the bridge in Bahri City.

style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='However,'>However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened...
military sources indicated that the operation aimed to deliver critical supplies to forces stationed at the Signal Corps headquarters in Bahri, where the RSF controls most parts.

style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Meanwhile,'>Meanwhile,
...back at the style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='gunfight'>shootout, Butch shot Black Bart's knife out of his hand......
RSF spokesperson al-Fateh Qureshi announced that RSF forces in Khartoum North succeeded in shooting down an army helicopter on Friday.

He added that the downing of the military aircraft was part of battles in which the RSF completely repelled the enemy after they attempted to infiltrate Khartoum North, inflicting heavy losses in lives and equipment.

Link

Europe

Germany: Knife attack in Mannheim, suspect shot

2024-06-01

[DW] Several people, including a police officer, were stabbed after a knife-wielding assailant reportedly attacked a right-wing protest in Germany's Mannheim.

A police officer was reportedly among those injured during a stabbing attack in the German city of style=color:navy;font-weight:bold;>Mannheim on Friday around midday.

Police said that a "firearm was used against the attacker," injuring the suspect. They added there was no further danger to the public.

"First responders, emergency services and a rescue helicopter have been deployed," they said.

The attack took place during a right-wing demonstration on one of Mannheim's central squares. Videos from the scene show civilians trying to subdue the attacker and him stabbing a police officer.

A different policeman eventually shoots the assailant while he is grappling with another man.

MOTIVE FOR ATTACK STILL UNCLEAR
In an online statement, police said they could not immediately provide details on the number of the victims or the severity of the injuries.

style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='However,'>However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
local newspaper Mannheimer Morgen cited a police style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='spokesman'>front man as saying that one of the officers on the scene sustained severe injuries. Later, the DPA news agency said the officer was undergoing surgery.

Outspoken Islam critic style=color:green;font-weight:bold;>Michael Sturzenberger was due to speak at the event, which is a part of his "Open Eyes" tour. His organization " style=color:green;font-weight:bold;>Pax Europa" said the 59-year-old Sturzenberger was among those injured.

Mannheim Mayor Christian Sprecht said he was "speechless" after the attack.

The right-leaning mayor urged the people not to speculate about the motives behind the attack before style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='investigators'>Sherlocks publish their findings.

The Daily Mail has photos, and adds:

A police officer is 'fighting for his life' after being stabbed by a knifeman who injured six others in a German city. The attacker went on a rampage and stabbed a well-known Islam critic, a police officer and several bystanders at an anti-Islam rally in Mannheim, Germany which was livestreamed on YouTube this morning. The officer remains in a critical condition, after under going emergency surgery for multiple hours for two stab wounds to the head.

The knifeman was style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='shot dead'>rubbed out by officers at the scene, and has been named by local outlet Der Spiegel as Sulaiman A., a 25-year-old who was born in style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Herat'>Herat
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
, Afghanistan, and lived in the Hesse state.

It is believed that authorities were not previously aware of him.

The force was criticised on social media for their handling of the situation after it appeared that the injured officer tackled one of the victims of the attack, seemingly misunderstanding the unfolding situation. The video showed that this gave the knifeman an opportunity to stab the officer as his back was turned, before the attacker was style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='shot dead'>rubbed out.

The shocking spree unfolded in Mannheim city centre where anti-Islam campaigner Michael Stuerzenberger was speaking at an event of the Citizens' Movement Pax Europa ( style=color:maroon;>BPE) - a group that advocates against the 'Islamisation' of Europe.

Chaos broke out at the event when a man dressed in a dark hooded jacket, green shirt and tracksuit bottoms tackled Stuerzenberger to the ground and style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='violent'>~~violent~~ mostly peacefully swung a large blade at him, prompting terrified screams from onlookers. Other BPE members sprinted over and tried to drag the knifeman away, but the would-be killer wriggled free and dove on top of the bloodied victim to plunge the weapon in for a second time.

Police descended on the scene almost immediately - but not before the attacker had left two people lying on the floor, blood pooling on the cobblestones.

One officer then made a potentially fatal mistake. Amid the confusion, he waded in and jumped on one of the victims, seemingly having mistaken him for the aggressor. This misread of the situation gave the bloodthirsty attacker a chance to circle behind and ram his blade into the policeman's neck. His colleagues were heard screaming 'throw the knife away!' - but with the knifeman not responding to any orders the officers opened fire from near point blank range and sent him crashing to the ground.

German media reported the knifeman died from his gunshot wounds, while his victims were rushed to hospital.

The shocking incident was quickly labelled a terror attack by the BPE.

It was evident well before the attack that Stuerzenberger, 59, was aware violence could break out. Speaking at the rally on livestream before he was set upon by his attacker, the activist was heard explaining how the event would 'de-escalate' if there was a prospect things could turn style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='violent'>~~violent~~ mostly peaceful. Stuerzenberger been assaulted at previous rallies, most notably in 2022 when he was punched in the face by an enraged style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Muslim'>Moslem in the city of Bonn.

'We want to first see if we can manage a sensible discussion as always, of course we will de-escalate if it gets heated.

'There was a staunch style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Muslim'>Moslem there earlier who was pretty agitated and he shouted, ''you don't belong here you are worse than the AfD''...

'We still have democracy here, we have freedom we have our basic laws, our values and that is what we have to defend,' he said, referencing the professed desire of some hardline Islamic groups in Germany who have advocated for the introduction of Sharia law in their districts.

Islam and immigration have become contentious issues in Germany in recent months, particularly amid the rising popularity of right-wing political entities, primarily the 'Alternative for Germany' (AfD) party.

Germany has been a major destination for refugees, especially since 2015 when Chancellor style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Angela Merkel'>Angela Merkel
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>

...chancellor of Germany and the impetus behind Germany's remarkably ill-starred immigration program. Merkel used to be referred to by Germans as Mom. Now they make faces at her for inundating the country with Moslem colonists...
- who famously declared in 2017 that Islam was 'not the source of terrorism' - opened the country's borders to over a million asylum seekers.

The move was highly style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='divisive'>divisive
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled...
, praised by many liberal commentators as a morally just, humanitarian policy but slammed as dangerous and short-sighted by more conservative mouthpieces. It also fuelled the growth of anti-immigration groups like the BPE, which was founded in 2008, and Pegida, an organization founded in Dresden in 2014 to protest what its members saw as the failure of government to counter the arrival and influence of Islam in Germany.

But the influx of style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='migrants'>~~migrants~~ colonists and a rise in the number of incidents involving refugees have triggered more intense debate as of late.

The AfD has capitalised on these concerns and made anti-Islam and anti-immigration messages the cornerstone of its campaigns. In 2017, the party's founder, Alexander Gauland, explicitly vowed to fight an 'invasion of foreigners' and was lambasted by more centrist and leftist commentators. But the party's popularity has grown rapidly - the AfD enjoyed significant success in Germany's state elections in October, winning its biggest-ever share of votes in the powerful state of Hesse and gaining a significant portion of votes in Bavaria.

Islam is currently the second largest religion in Germany after Christianity, with between 3 million and 4.7 million adherents according to most estimates. In 2017, Pew Research Centre predicted that as much as 20 per cent of the population in Germany could be style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Muslim'>Moslem by 2050 if immigration continues apace.

Changing demographics and the introduction of new values has been a source of anxiety for some living in Germany. A study by the Criminal Research Institute of Lower Saxony found that 67.8 per cent of surveyed students believe that the Qur'an is 'more important' than the laws in Germany.

Nearly half of them (45.6 per cent) think that 'Islamic Theocracy is the best form of government'.

And more than a third (35.3 per cent) said that they can understand violence against people who insult Allah or the prophet Mohammed.

Link

India-Pakistan

Two suspects arrested for killing barbershop workers in Gwadar: minister

2024-06-01

[GEO.TV] style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Balochistan'>Balochistan
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
Home Minister Zia Ullah Langau on Friday announced that two suspects linked to the attack on the barbershop workers in Gwadar had been arrested.

Seven barbershop staffers hailing from style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title=' Punjab '> Punjab
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....
had been style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='shot dead'>rubbed out and another was injured when unidentified style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='gunmen'>button men opened fire on them while they were asleep in their residential quarters near the Gwadar Fish Harbour in the Surbandar area in the coastal town earlier this month.

"I congratulate all our institutions who fulfilled their responsibility and the government’s orders with their efforts and we have arrested two killers of the Gwadar labourers," Langau said while addressing a style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='press conference'>presser in Quetta.

As per the statements taken from the suspects, the minister said, they were given orders to kill any Punjabi labourer.

He further stated that guns and weapons had been seized from the arrested suspects.

Langau lamented thousands of lives lost due to terrorism in the country, and that the government can’t see its people being killed anymore.

He said that innocent citizens were being targeted in style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title=' militant'> bully boy attacks, which he said were aimed at deteriorating the peace and security situation in the province.

"Terrorists have nothing to do with our rights. We will go an extra mile for those speaking up for the rights of Balochistan," Langau added.

The minister said that the federal government would reach out to the Iranian government on cross-border attacks, as the foreign ministry was holding talks over the cross-border attacks from Iran.

Link

India-Pakistan

Hyderabad cylinder blast death toll rises to 7 as another victim dies

2024-06-01

[GEO.TV] One more victim has passed away at Civil Hospital's Burns Ward, taking the style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='death toll'>corpse count of the Hyderabad cylinder explosion incident to seven.

"Death toll of Hyderabad cylinder blast incident rises to 7 as one more injured dies today," the government hospital’s administration told Geo News on Friday, adding that nine more victims are style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='in critical condition'>at death's door.

A massive explosion at a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder refilling shop occurred on Thursday, leaving dozens of people style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='wounded'>maimed, including children and women in Hyderabad’s Paretabad area.

The casualty rate was high due to fire which affected a large number of citizens after the dangerous explosion at the LPG shop.

style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Muttahida Qaumi Movement'>Muttahida Qaumi Movement
style='color:black;font-size:10pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:courier,"Courier New","Courier 10 Pitch",serif;background:#FFFB99'>...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
-Pakistain (MQM-P) leaders, during a style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='press conference'>presser in Hyderabad today, condemned the grave negligence of the local administration.

Link

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