#2
I thought everyone knew they first landed at what is now Gallos at Tintagel Castle, then moved to Wiltshire to build megalithic structures and crop circles. ?
#7
Report: US offers to unfreeze Iran funds to keep Hormuz open Wall Street Journal reports Washington discussed releasing $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds, but talks suffered a setback after Tehran insisted ships use its approved routes through the Strait of Hormuz or face a ‘forceful response’
Local sources report that Seleka forces have taken control of the Central African Republic side of the Um Dafuq border area, adjacent to Sudan’s South Darfur State.
Um Dafuq is a strategically important border crossing linking western Sudan… pic.twitter.com/IePchyA2Ah— DARFUR NETWORK FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (@DNforHR) July 1, 2026
Text:
#Update from Um Dafuq, South Darfur.
Local sources report that Seleka ...a 'mainly' Moslem rebel force in the Central African Republic that overthrew the govt, imposed a regime of rapine and looting on the country's non-Moslem population, and was then tossed by France. They still exist, getting funding and weapons from somewhere or other, licking their wounds, complaining about the oppression of Moslems, and occasionally raping and looting someone... forces have taken control of the Central African Republic side of the Um Dafuq border area, adjacent to Sudan’s South Darfur State.
Um Dafuq is a strategically important border crossing linking western Sudan with northern Central African Republic. For years, it has served as a key route for cross-border trade while also witnessing the movement of armed groups operating in the region.
As of the time of writing, there has been no official confirmation or denial of these developments, and the situation on the ground remains under close observation.
Sudan 🇸🇩 MAP UPDATE: the situation in Sudan as of 01/07/2026.
-In this past month the RSF has slowly tightened the noose around El Obeid, encroaching on the city from 3 directions.
-Meanwhile in northern Darfur the Joint Forces have been advancing alongside the border.
-And in the Nuba Mountains the SPLM-N was kicked out of its headquarters in Kauda by tribal Otoro fighters.
Burkina Faso: The severing of diplomatic relations with France, a sudden decision with serious consequences Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[LEMONDE.FR] Captain Ibrahim Traoré announced on Friday, June 26, the severing of bilateral relations with Paris. The 2,500 French nationals residing in the country will no longer be able to rely on the services of the embassy and consulate, which must repatriate their staff.
By Benjamin Roger
North Korea and Afghanistan were, until now, the only countries in the world without diplomatic relations with France. Now, Burkina Faso joins them. The junta of Captain Ibrahim Traoré announced on Friday, June 26, the severing of its ties with Paris due to its "relentless activism" against its "interests" and its "overt neo-colonial ambitions."
According to several French sources, this decision was made following the adoption, on June 18, by the European Parliament, of a resolution denouncing the "repression of civic space and fundamental freedoms" in the Sahelian country. The text was sponsored by MEP (The Republicans) and French General Christophe Gomart, former director of military intelligence.
The Malian Armed Forces have conducted a series of operations across the entire national territory.
⚡️In two days, the operations have affected more than 11 localities. Several dozen to a hundred fighters have been neutralized or arrested.
Details by operation:
▶️ Labézanga (border with Niger)
At 35 km east of the locality, a fighter vehicle was destroyed by an airstrike.
▶️ Dandougou (northeast)
In a forested massif, 25 km from the village, a fighter base was destroyed by a series of airstrikes.
▶️ Tombouctou (Bambara-Maoudé sector)
In the night of June 25 to 26, northeast of the city, a fighter grouping was detected at a military site with a parked vehicle. The personnel and vehicle were destroyed by airstrikes.
▶️ Djenné (Keneku forest massif)
Two vehicles, 15 motorcycles, 12 fuel drums, and several temporary fighter bases were destroyed. Four submachine guns, radiocommunication equipment, and portable devices were seized.
▶️ Djenné (Nyamina forest)
During a sweep operation, a suspect involved in terrorist activities was apprehended.
▶️ Niono
During a patrol, a spotter and informant for fighters was identified and arrested.
▶️ Route RN6 (Sofara)
11 tricycles belonging to a local merchant were seized.
▶️ Kidal
By airstrikes, a truck was destroyed, as well as a column of fighters who had previously stolen 4 tanker trucks.
▶️ Abisine
During a patrol, two tricycles transporting 30 bags of goods without accompanying documents were confiscated.
▶️ Tin-Aouker
Two observers linked to the FLA group were arrested. War weapons were seized during the apprehension.
▶️ Gao
Four armed men involved in armed robberies were apprehended.
ℹ️ Given the dispersed nature and large number of operations in different regions of the country, the Malian authorities have chosen to distribute their forces rather than concentrate them solely near major cities.
Troops Repel ISWAP Ambush After Twin IED Attacks on Humanitarian Convoy in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the 149 Battalion have repelled an ambush by suspected ISWAP terrorists after two command-detonated improvised explosive device (IED) attacks targeted a military… pic.twitter.com/WYgUlUuxMx
Troops Repel ISWAP Ambush After Twin IED Attacks on Humanitarian Convoy in Borno
By Zagazola Makama
Troops of the 149 Battalion have repelled an ambush by suspected ISWAP terrorists after two command-detonated improvised explosive device (IED) attacks targeted a military escort convoy in Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security sources said the first incident occurred at about 2:15 p.m. on June 29 when troops escorting a convoy to Kareto encountered a command-detonated IED planted by suspected terrorists at Grema Kauri Village.
The sources said the explosion left the Commanding Officer of the 149 Battalion, Lt.-Col. E.P. Isah, with minor injuries.
According to the sources, at about 2:55 p.m. on the same day, while escorting 16 empty humanitarian logistics trucks on the return journey, the convoy struck another command-detonated IED at Gambo Kurumuri Village in the same local government area.
The second explosion was immediately followed by an ambush mounted by the terrorists.
Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 | Le 30/06, de violents combats ont opposé les terroristes du JNIM au BIR 20 à Gayéri. Le même jour, le groupe a également attaqué Sebba et Solhan, tandis que les forces armées burkinabè ont mené une opération près de Toungaré.
Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 | On 06/30, violent clashes pitted JNIM terrorists against BIR 20
…the 20th Rapid Intervention Battalion of the Burkinabe army…
in Gayéri.
The same day, the group also attacked Sebba and Solhan, while the Burkinabè armed forces conducted an operation near Toungaré.
🔶 Early in the morning, JNIM seized two military barracks in Sebba and Solhan, two villages about twenty kilometers apart in Yagha province.
🔸 The attacks caused significant material damage and resulted in several casualties among the Burkinabè military.
🔷 Further south, the same day, the terrorists attacked the locality of Gayéri, in Komondjari province, where BIR 20 is stationed and repelled the assault.
A very large number of motorcycles (video in comments 📽️) was seized, along with ammunition (photo on our mapping 📸).
🔹 According to some sources, the figures vary, and there is no official tally. Losses appear significant on both sides. Some sources mention up to 200 JNIM fighters killed, without providing figures for the Burkinabè military.
ℹ️ For their part, the Burkinabè armed forces announced that they had destroyed a terrorist base near Toungaré in the Boucle du Mouhoun region. Vehicles and weapons were reportedly seized.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited [REGNUM.RU] Washington, July 1, 2026, 11:11 PM — Regnum News Agency. A U.S. military helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea. One of the four crew members is missing, the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) reported on July 1.
Three crew members of the MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter were rescued and taken aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.
"There is no indication that the emergency was caused by hostile action. Three of the four helicopter crew members were rescued and are in stable condition aboard the George HW Bush," NAVCENT reported on social media.
A search for the missing serviceman is underway at the scene.
In February, a 21-year-old U.S. Marine fell overboard from the landing ship USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea. A three-day search for him was unsuccessful, and he was declared dead. Five U.S. Navy ships and 10 aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force were involved in the search.
#1
Always sad to see this. Crews go through extensive safety training but it's still a dangerous world. All the mishaps I've witnessed/been around were helicopters...I've taken my last ride in one.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
07/02/2026 11:13 Comments ||
Top||
#2
"Sad" indeed. No mil helo's or hospital "Life Flights" for me either.
#3
I’m retired now from those oil rig chopper flights (10,000 parts flying in loose formation, it has been said,) but I wouldn’t turn down a Life Flight.
[Rudaw] Iraq's top anti-corruption court has sentenced the former head of the country's tax commission to ten years in prison and his wife to five, convicting the pair of money laundering and illegal acquisition of public funds, Baghdad's judiciary announced on Wednesday, as the anti-corruption campaign launched by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi over the weekend continues to gain ground.
"The Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court handed down a ten-year prison sentence against the former director-general of the General Commission for Taxes, and a prison sentence of five years and one month against his wife, an employee at a private bank in Baghdad, for the crime of money laundering," Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement.
The Council - the highest judicial authority for the country's ordinary court system - added that "the convicts unlawfully possessed and acquired funds and used them to purchase real estate," noting that the rulings against them were issued in accordance with the country's "Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Laws" as well as pursuant to the Iraqi Penal Code.
The rulings are part of Operation Dawn, an expanded anti-corruption campaign launched under Iraqi Prime Minister Zaidi's orders on Sunday in coordination with Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity, which has so far netted tens of senior politicians and officials and tens of millions of dollars in stolen public funds, as well as the recovery of dozens of state properties since its debut.
The Commission on Tuesday had also issued a statement on the case of former taxation chief Osama Hussam Jawdat and his wife, detailing that the ruling against them entails “a fine of more than 32 billion dinars [around $25 million] … the confiscation of funds deposited in Turkish and Kuwaiti banks,” and “the confiscation of 22 real estate properties in Baghdad and Turkey registered in the convict's name, along with their rental income and her gold jewelry.”
The case of Jawdat comes a day after Iraqi authorities on Tuesday recovered roughly 19 billion Iraqi dinars (about $14.5 million) in a case involving embezzled funds from the national carrier Iraqi Airways, Baghdad's judiciary announced.
The investigative court in Baghdad's Rusafa district “recovered 19 billion Iraqi dinars on Tuesday,” the Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement, adding that “the sum was recovered as part of investigations into a financial corruption case involving tampering with deposit records of funds belonging to Iraqi Airways.”
A day earlier the Council said large sums of state funds and several properties were seized in a case involving the deputy minister of oil for distribution affairs, Ali Maarij al-Bahadly, who was sanctioned by the United States in May.
Iraq ranked 136th out of 182 countries in Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), scoring 28 out of 100, reflecting a high level of public-sector corruption by global standards.
Manuel Pirino, the organization's regional advisor for the Middle East and North Africa, on Tuesday lauded the anti-corruption crackdown. He told Rudaw however that “it is still a bit early to say if it is a successful operation,” explaining that around 20 percent of the country's public funds "have been lost to corruption," while "between $150 billion and $450 billion in assets may have been moved overseas or hidden within Iraq."
[Rudaw] A bomb-laden drone was shot over Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone in the early morning hours of Wednesday, causing damage to nearby homes and vehicles.
The Green Zone houses Iraq's core government institutions, including parliament and the prime minister's office, along with major foreign diplomatic missions and UN offices.
"Glass and fire came through the window while I was just sitting there. The glass fell all over the sofa, and the inside of my air conditioner was completely smashed," Um Walid, a resident affected by the deflected missile in the densely populated Sadr City in northeast of Baghdad, told Rudaw’s Ziyad Ismail.
Her house was the only place damaged by the missile.
But debris from the drone damaged four houses and a number of vehicles in another district in the Iraqi capital.
Abdullah Alla, who was lightly injured by the attack, said, "I don’t know if it was a bullet fragment that hit my head, or if it hit me while I was trying to put out the fire. I can’t remember."
Security forces gathered the drone debris. Investigations have started to locate its launch point and the perpetrators behind it.
Of note, the Green Zone district has come under heavy drone and missile attack in March, when the US-Israeli war against Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... was at its peak. The strikes primarily targeted the US embassy and its military units.
[IsraelTimes] As strikes continue to hit Gaza, technocrats say ‘highly productive’ meetings held on advancing plans for enclave’s future; Board of Peace: ‘UNRWA has no place in the new Gaza’
A Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... commander who "posed a threat" to Israeli forces in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip was killed in a strike on Tuesday, the military announced, as it continued to launch attacks against targets it said were terror operatives endangering troops in the enclave.
The Tuesday strike in southern Gaza killed Adel Jihad Mohammad Asfour, a platoon commander in Hamas’s military wing, according to the IDF statement on Wednesday.
During the war, Asfour advanced sniper and bomb attacks against Israeli troops, the military said, adding that recently, alongside advancing "imminent" attacks, he also worked to rebuild Hamas’s capabilities.
"The terrorist posed a threat to IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip and was eliminated in an aerial strike," the IDF said.
The military also identified on Wednesday four other Hamas operatives who they said were advancing attacks on troops and were killed in strikes in the Gaza Strip in the past week.
The military named the operatives as Wael Mahmoud Ali Labad and Muaz Mohammad Hassan Ahmad, both anti-tank operatives; Sameh Abu Kamil, a platoon commander; and Akram Ashraf Hamad Labad, a sniper operative.
Additionally, several rocket-launching tunnel shafts were destroyed in strikes on Monday, the IDF added.
The military published footage showing some of the strikes.
Hamas-affiliated Paleostinian media outlets in Gaza also reported on Wednesday that one person had been killed and four were maimed in a strike in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City.
Earlier Wednesday, another man, identified as Mohammad Jundiya, was reportedly killed in a separate strike in Gaza.
Footage from his funeral shows gunnies firing into the air.
As of Wednesday evening, the IDF had not commented on either strike.
Alongside the strikes across Gaza, the IDF has slowly been pushing out the boundaries of the area inside the enclave still under its control, saying it now controls at least 60 percent of the Strip, rather than the roughly 53% following its pullback on the first day of the truce. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month he had ordered the military to retake additional territory, amounting to 70% of the enclave.
In the areas not controlled by Israel, Hamas remains in place as the enclave’s de facto government, as power will only be handed over to a transitional authority once the terror group agrees to give up its weapons.
Although battered by war, the terror group is reported to be maintaining its control over the Strip by executing its opponents and those it views as posing a threat to its rule.
A report on Sunday said the IDF assessed that Hamas is producing hundreds of bombs and anti-tank missiles every month, recruiting new fighters and rebuilding underground infrastructure.
Over 1,000 Paleostinians have been killed since the start of the ceasefire in October 2025, according to the Hamas‑run health ministry in Gaza, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Five Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.
NCAG TOUTS ’HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE’ MEETINGS FOR GAZA PLANS
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) said on Wednesday its members held a series of "highly productive" meetings in Cyprus to prepare for the next phase of its efforts to alleviate the suffering of Paleostinians in Gaza.
Participating in those meetings were representatives from Nickolay Mladenov’s Office of the High Representative and former UK prime minister Tony Blair’s Institute for Global Change, NCAG said in a statement.
"We concentrated on what can be done immediately, including initiatives and projects to ease conditions on the ground. We reviewed plans for reconstruction, security and governance, and we finalized the institutional arrangements that will ensure the transparency and accountability required by international donors," the statement continued.
The NCAG statement reiterated the Paleostinian technocratic government’s commitment to US President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... ’s 20-point plan for Gaza and says it is "prepared to take all necessary steps — in coordination with the Board of Peace and the Office of the High Representative — in order to assume its responsibilities once the right conditions are met."
It didn’t specify what those conditions are, but the Board of Peace has conditioned NCAG’s entry into Gaza on Hamas agreeing to disarm, while the terror group argues that Israel must first cease violations of the ceasefire deal reached in October.
This week’s meetings in Cyprus built on a workshop that was held in Cairo last week and "are part of a broader process to ensure we have every tool necessary to serve the Paleostinian people of Gaza," NCAG said.
"Further steps will be set out and announced in due course," the statement added.
In recent months, the Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, has insisted that the main obstacle preventing the NCAG from entering Gaza is Hamas’s refusal to give up its weapons.
Diplomats from each of the Middle Eastern mediating countries — Egypt, Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire... — told The Times of Israel that Hamas has sought to drag out negotiations on the issue. They also argued that Israel’s refusal to adhere to the terms of the first phase of the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire has posed a major obstacle as well.
NO ROLE FOR UNRWA IN ’THE NEW GAZA’
Additionally, on Wednesday, the US-led Board of Peace overseeing the postwar management of Gaza indicated that the UN agency for Paleostinian refugees will not be allowed to play a future role in Gaza.
"UNRWA has no place in the new Gaza. We are turning the page on the complex of perpetual aid dependency and conflict. The people of Gaza deserve better," the Board of Peace tweeted.
It appeared to be the first time that the Board of Peace has voiced its stance regarding UNRWA, which Israel and the US argue has become an irredeemable organization due to its ties to Hamas.
Israel has taken measures to limit UNRWA’s ability to operate in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, but its infrastructure continues to be used to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid in the Strip.
The statement from the Board of Peace sparked outcry from the Paleostinian Authority’s foreign ministry, which stressed the importance of UNRWA’s work in providing for Paleostinians.
The PA statement also "rejects all terminology aimed at fragmenting Paleostinian Territory, including the term ’New Gaza,’ which seeks to isolate the Gaza Strip from its natural surroundings, as well as the term ’the people of Gaza.'"
However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... the PA statement was careful to reiterate Ramallah’s support for Trump’s 20-point plan as well as the establishment of the NCAG.
Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch shot Black Bart's other gun out of his other hand...... Israel has relocated its screening facility for Paleostinians returning to the Gaza Strip from Egypt to the Kerem Shalom Crossing, instead of a military post in Rafah.
BOARD OF PEACE PARTS WAYS WITH DERADICALIZATION DIRECTOR AFTER 3 MONTHS, OFFICIAL TELLS TOI
On Tuesday, a Board of Peace official told The The Times of Israel that the panel had parted ways with its director of deradicalization after roughly three months.
"Jason Olson’s recent detail in support of the Board of Peace mission has concluded. We thank him for his capacity-building contributions," the official said in a statement.
Olson joined the Board of Peace from the US Department of Defense, with the creation of the position offering a sign of the panel’s priorities as it works to rebuild Gaza.
Israeli officials have repeatedly insisted that true peace in Gaza requires the "deradicalization" of Gaza’s population following the Hamas-led October 7 onslaught.
Olson appeared at a conference in Jerusalem last week, during which he touted the importance of the US-Israel relationship and stressed the need for Hamas to disarm in order to make way for Gaza to be rebuilt.
No reason was given for Olson’s departure, and he did not respond to a request for comment.
COGAT launches pilot to relocate screening for returning Gazooks to Kerem Shalom Crossing
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced on Wednesday that as part of the ceasefire agreement, "a pilot has been launched to relocate the Israeli security screening conducted for residents returning from Egypt to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing."
Previously, Paleostinians returning to Gaza from Egypt would be screened at the IDF’s "Regavim" checkpoint, located in Rafah.
The screening and identification procedures have now been relocated to Kerem Shalom, and they will be conducted by the Defense Ministry’s Land Crossings Authority, alongside other security bodies, according to COGAT.
"This is an operational adjustment intended to streamline the crossing process, enhance screening capabilities, and ensure the continued safe and efficient operation of the mechanism," COGAT said.
COGAT said this change only relates to the Israeli screening process. The movement through the Rafah Crossing itself remains unchanged, including "coordination with Egypt and the World Health Organization (WHO), Israel’s prior security approval process, the supervision of the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM), and the mechanism governing the departure of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[REGNUM.RU] Washington, July 1, 2026, 11:11 PM — Regnum News Agency. A U.S. military helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea. One of the four crew members is missing, the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) reported on July 1.
...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 
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
