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Nearly nine months after losing chunks of the Kursk region to a surprise Ukrainian incursion, Russia announced that its troops have fully reclaimed the border territory. Ukraine denied it, saying the fighting was still ongoing. If confirmed, Moscow’s victory in Kursk would deprive Kyiv of key leverage in U.S.-brokered efforts to negotiate an end to the more than 3-year-old war by exchanging its gains for some of Russia-occupied land in Ukraine. Here are key moments of the battle for Kursk and its impact:A Ukrainian blitzUkrainian forces pushed into Kursk on Aug. 6, 2024, in a surprise attack, with battle-hardened mechanized...

A sixth-century "mini" ice age may have been "the straw that broke the camel's back" that led to the final disintegration of the Western Roman Empire, a new study claims...By studying rocks carried by icebergs from Greenland all the way to Iceland's west coast, a team of researchers has uncovered what they believe is more evidence for the severity of this mini ice age. Their findings, published April 8 in the journal Geology, point to the prolonged cooling being a key factor in the eventual decline of the Western Roman Empire — although not all historians agree...Economic crisis, government corruption,...

Ready for higher prices — for everything? Because this will be the result if a new academic study’s authors have their way. The researchers, out of Dartmouth College, claim that the world’s largest companies have caused $28 trillion in “climate damage.” They make no bones about their money-grabbing agenda, either. “[W]e argue that the scientific case for climate liability is closed,” they write in their study summary. So now, “science [is] no longer an obstacle to the justiciability of climate liability claims,” they conclude.Translation: The “science is settled.”(My, where have we heard that before?)This is no small matter. While the...

Amid surging gold prices, Shanghai has introduced its first “gold recycling ATM“, drawing significant public interest, particularly from older residents seeking to cash in on the jewelry they’ve held for generations. Located in Shanghai’s Global Harbor shopping mall, the new machine saw long queues of customers, with appointments booked through the upcoming May holiday. Social media posts circulating online showed that the machine provides a fast, transparent process: users deposit their gold items, which are then weighed, melted and assayed. For instance, a 40-gram gold necklace was appraised at 785 yuan ($108) per gram, resulting in a payout of over...

Explanation: This stunning portrait of NGC 5335 was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Some 170,000 light-years across and over 200 million light-years away toward the constellation Virgo, the magnificent spiral galaxy is seen face-on in Hubble's view. Within the galactic disk, loose streamers of star forming regions lie along the galaxy's flocculent spiral arms. But the most striking feature of NGC 5335 is its prominent central bar. Seen in about 30 percent of galaxies, including our Milky Way, bar structures are understood to channel material inward toward the galactic center, fueling star formation. Of course, distant background galaxies are...

Russian authorities say they have detained a man described as a “Ukrainian special services agent” in connection with a car explosion that killed Russian General Yaroslav Moskalik on Friday. The suspect allegedly purchased the car that exploded in Balashikha, less than 20 miles east of Moscow, according to TASS citing Russia’s Federal Security Service. The suspect’s nationality is unclear; according to the FSB, he has a residence permit in Ukraine. The FSB also accused him of planting an explosive device in the car, but said that it was detonated from Ukraine. Video published by TASS on Saturday appeared to show...

A self-described Hamas operative who infiltrated the US Air Force and once boasted that he’s “been a terrorist since he’s been a kid” was busted alongside two Pittsburgh women after the feds foiled an apparent terror plot involving a pair of pipe bombs, the Justice Department announced this week. Mohamad Hamad, 23, who has dual citizenship in the US and Lebanon, was already charged for defacing a synagogue was hit Tuesday with a nine-count superseding indictment along with Talya Lubid, 24, and Micaiah Collins, 22. “Mohamad Hamad lied about his loyalty to the United States, among other false statements, in...

China's foreign minister has hit out at the "extreme selfishness" of tariffs, hinting at the steep levies imposed on Beijing by US President Donald Trump. "Certain countries" resort to "pressure and coercion, and trigger unjustified trade wars ... This extreme selfishness only harms their credibility", top diplomat Wang Yi told his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov, according to a ministry statement released on Saturday (Apr 26). This will "only undermine their credibility", added Wang, who was speaking on Friday on the sidelines of a foreign ministers' meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The foreign minister also said that Beijing would seek solidarity with...

The threat to Canada's sovereignty from US President Donald Trump has dominated the election, but the country also faces a challenge from within. Some western Canadians, fed up with a decade of Liberal rule, are openly calling for separation. Standing in front of a crowd of about 100 squeezed into a small event hall in the city of Lethbridge, Dennis Modry is asking locals about Alberta's future. Who thinks Alberta should have a bigger role in Canada, he asks? A dozen or so raise their hands. Who thinks the province should push for a split from Canada and form its...

By Dr. John BergsmaThis coming Sunday is the Second Sunday of the Octave of Easter, also known as “Divine Mercy Sunday.” The theme of God’s mercy runs through the readings. 1. In the First Reading, we see an outpouring of God’s mercy through the hands of the Apostles, who are given a gift of God’s power for the healing of physical illnesses and those plagued by evil spirits: Reading 1: Acts 5:12-16Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon’s portico. None of the others dared to join...

Adam Schiff: "If the cashier in South San Francisco at 10 o'clock at night believes that Democrats are a---h---s because the shampoo was locked up and my stuff got stolen out of the trunk, we've got a major problem that we have to address."

Content creator Misha Agrawal, known for her witty sarcasm and relatable rants, passed away on April 24, just two days before her 25th birthday. Her family confirmed the heartbreaking news on Instagram, though the cause remains undisclosed. Fans and friends are still coming to terms with the loss, amidst widespread disbelief

Pictures show the CIA deputy director's son who - unbeknownst to his mother and father - was fighting for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. Michael Gloss, 21, was killed in the war in April last year, but details of the story have only emerged now after an investigation by Russian independent news outlet iStories. Photos showing him wearing camouflage and hanging out with soldiers have emerged. His mother, Julianne Gallina Gloss, is the Central Intelligence Agency's deputy director for digital innovation. His father, Larry Gloss, is a US Navy veteran who participated in Operation Desert Storm and the Iraq War. In...

In the State of Washington, both the House and Senate have passed HB1131. This bill will give illegal aliens convicted of crimes in the state to get expedited access to pardons and commutations. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland) who pointed out that "our small Clemency and Pardons Board can only handle 30 cases per year. So, the number of prisoners who could get a pardon or commutation is very limited. Inasmuch as prisoners who are in this country illegally are continuously at risk of deportation they are in dire need of release so they can more...

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The Democrat Party is a “very different party” than what he was acquainted with, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) said during an appearance on Breitbart News Saturday. “It’s a different time right now. The Democratic Party is a very different party,” he said, noting that the “lunatic fringe” in the party have become the mainstream. “And these crazy left wing socialists are chasing at them — the more reasonable Democrats. Now, [Sen. Dick] Durbin is a professional politician, but he’s not an unreasonable person, and he’s not a crazy left-wing lunatic socialist,” he said, explaining that the fringe left is...

A Bronx librarian was forced to quit her job because she was traumatized by the unending parade of unhinged patrons — including one who flopped around on the floor naked, another who threatened to “cut off [her] f–king toes,” according to a lawsuit. Kelly Coffey said her New York Public Library horror story began after she started as a senior librarian in the young-adult sections of the Parkchester branch in November 2022. An agitated man came in, talking to himself and looking for his phone, according to Coffey and court papers. “He had his hands in his pockets” and suddenly...

The Brief -State Senator Bill Ramos has died suddenly. -His wife, Councilmember Sarah Perry, announced his passing on Sunday. -Tributes continue to pour in from local leaders. His wife, King County Councilmember Sarah Perry, issued a statement on the state senator's passing, reading, in part: "I am devastated to share that Bill passed away suddenly on the evening of April 19. He was doing what he loved – running on one of the many trails near our Issaquah home. For Bill, these runs were a way to relieve stress during a busy legislative session, a way to stay active –...

...A federal judge is raising alarms that the Trump administration deported a two-year-old U.S. citizen to Honduras with “no meaningful process,” even as the child’s father was frantically petitioning the courts to keep her in the country.... ...officials said in court that the mother told ICE officials that she wished to take V.M.L. with her to Honduras. The filing included a handwritten note in Spanish they claimed was written by the mother and confirmed her intent. But the judge said he had hoped to verify that information. “The Government contends that this is all okay because the mother wishes that...

Kimmel publicly called out Leno for taking back 'The Tonight Show' from Conan O'Brien after handing over the reins in 2010Jay Leno still has regrets about his infamous moment with Jimmy Kimmel. In 2010, Kimmel made an appearance on Leno's show and called him out for his decision to renege on his promise to hand over The Tonight Show to Conan O'Brien. After ratings for the late night show and his 10 p.m. talk show, The Jay Leno Show declined, the comedian returned to the original show while O'Brien refused to switch to a later showtime. After Leno asked...