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Foreign Affairs (News/Activism)

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  • Poland moves to strip Zelensky of honour for naming military unit after group that massacred Poles

    05/29/2026 10:39:04 PM PDT · by Cronos · 6 replies
    Notes from Poland ^ | May 29th, 2026
    Polish President Karol Nawrocki has announced plans to strip Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honour, after the Ukrainian president named a military unit after a group that led massacres of ethnic Poles during World War Two. However, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose government regularly clashes with the opposition-aligned president, has sought to calm emotions, warning that the only one to benefit from conflict between Poland and Ukraine is Russia. Zaproponowałem, aby jednym z punktów było odebranie prezydentowi Zełenskiemu Orderu Orła Białego – Prezydent RP @NawrockiKn. pic.twitter.com/4NaOAIjO3C — Kancelaria Prezydenta RP (@prezydentpl) May 29,...
  • Iran's ghost fleet keeps oil flowing to China through Singapore transfer hub

    05/29/2026 7:06:10 PM PDT · by MacNaughton · 22 replies
    Turkiye Today ^ | 4/16/2026 | Newsroom
    Thousands of miles from the Persian Gulf, a sprawling network of tanker-to-tanker oil transfers off the coast of Malaysia and Singapore is helping Iran sustain its crude exports to China, even as the country navigates a tense ceasefire with the United States.Analysis of satellite imagery and maritime tracking data has identified the waters roughly 100 kilometres southeast of the Malay Peninsula as the primary hub for what analysts describe as a clandestine laundering operation for Iranian crude. Dozens of ship-to-ship transfers take place there every week, involving not only Iranian vessels but a wider cast of tankers serving the shadow...
  • IRGC Warns: We Will Bring 'Utter Ruin' If U.S. Blockade Continues

    05/29/2026 7:04:47 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 38 replies
    Hotair ^ | 05/29/2026 | Ed Morrissey
    If the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz is a game of chicken, it sounds as though the Iranians will either swerve first – or accelerate. One way or the other, though, the blockade appears to have succeeded in bringing the regime to its crisis point. As discussions around a potential deal (really a pre-deal) continue, the IRGC has begun to demand an end to the US Navy's complete siege on Iranian ports. That message has come from the top of the food chain today, including the Nepo Babytollah's supposed attaché: Mohsen Rezaei, military advisor to Mojtaba Khamenei: If the...
  • Trump has Iran over a barrel

    05/29/2026 5:27:11 PM PDT · by E. Pluribus Unum · 49 replies
    The Spectator ^ | May 29, 2026 | Roger Kimball
    When is a ceasefire not a ceasefire? When the person declaring it is Donald Trump. Opinions differ about the wisdom of the President’s activities with respect to Iran. Some observers tell us he is playing four-dimensional chess. Some say it more like checkers with no kings.What, after all, is he up to? The commentariat proffers several conflicting narratives. The one common thread is the certainty with which these opinions are uttered. Trump is an idiot. Trump is a genius. For those who say that he has thrown in the towel – that Iran has “won” – I’d offer two observations.First,...
  • Congress quietly moves to integrate US and Israeli militaries

    05/29/2026 1:25:05 PM PDT · by Ultra Sonic 007 · 89 replies
    Responsible Statecraft ^ | 5/29/2026 | Ben Freeman
    (In the first step towards shifting aid further into the shadows, the House's 2027 NDAA would all but fuse the two countries' armed forces together) At a time when the American public is expressing unprecedented levels of distrust in the Israeli government, Congress just proposed tying the U.S. to the Israeli military more than ever before. Buried in the House's version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released on Tuesday, is section 224, entitled “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” The provision would arguably do more to intertwine the U.S. military with the Israeli military than the more...
  • Emerging US-Iran MoU said to reference possible $300B postwar ‘investment fund’ to aid Tehran’s reconstruction

    05/29/2026 12:58:07 PM PDT · by MarlonRando · 23 replies
    Times of Israel ^ | 5-29-26 | Nana Freiberg
    The two sources put the fund at $300 billion, though other officials involved in mediation would not confirm the amount, according to the report. Two diplomats briefed on the latest draft called it “an international ‘investment fund,’ which the United States would help facilitate in the event of a final deal,” and plans for which would be discussed during the initial 60-day negotiations period that the memorandum would kick off, the report says.
  • Why U.S. allies aren’t taking Trump seriously after his push for Arab-Israel normalization

    05/29/2026 10:27:28 AM PDT · by Timber Rattler · 42 replies
    NBC News.com ^ | May 29, 2026 | Matt Bradley
    It was the kind of sweeping, last-minute demand that would have torpedoed most diplomatic talks: President Donald Trump insisting this week that in exchange for him ending the war with Iran, several Arab and Muslim countries should sign on to his Abraham Accords to normalize their diplomatic relations with Israel. But there’s been almost no response from any of the countries that Trump mentioned by name — more than half of whom already have diplomatic relations with Israel — and no statement of support from an Israeli government that would reap enormous benefits from such a deal. Analysts said Trump’s...
  • US Investigation of UNRWA Could Lead to Its Being Labeled a Foreign Terrorist Organization

    05/29/2026 10:23:37 AM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 4 replies
    Hotair ^ | 05/29/2026 | David Strom
    I have written several times about the fundamental corruption of the UNRWA. It is one of two "refugee" aid organizations at the United Nations. It is dedicated to serving Palestinians throughout the Middle East. The other exists to serve every other refugee in the world. That's right. One agency for Palestinians. The other for every other refugee in the world. Think about that and let it sink in. Now, think about the fact that Palestinians are the only "refugees" who have had that status for 80 years. It is absurd. They are not refugees. They weren't even kicked out of...
  • UN Places Israel on Same List as Hamas and ISIS for Sexual Violence Claims

    05/29/2026 9:42:26 AM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 24 replies
    Faith and Freedom ^ | 05/29/2026
    Faith FactsUnited Nations added Israel to its blacklist of entities accused of sexual violence in conflict zones, placing the democratic nation alongside terrorist organizations Hamas and ISISIsraeli Ambassador Danny Danon condemned the decision as disconnected from facts and reality, calling it a moral failure by the international bodyThe controversial listing comes despite documented evidence of sexual violence committed by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians during the October 7 attacksIn a stunning and morally questionable decision, the United Nations has placed the nation of Israel on its official blacklist of entities accused of committing sexual violence in conflict zones. Israeli Ambassador...
  • Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Why Trump Holds All the Cards | Victor Davis Hanson

    05/29/2026 7:24:48 AM PDT · by texas booster · 21 replies
    Victor Davis Hanson and The Daily Signal ^ | May 29 2026 | Victor Davis Hanson
    Iran, China, immigration, elite institutions, and the future direction of the Democratic Party all point back to a broader debate over power, nationalism, and the stability of the Western world. Growing tensions in the Middle East, questions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, and fears of conflict with China continue shaping American foreign policy, while political and cultural battles at home are increasingly centered around institutional control, media influence, and ideological conformity.
  • EXCLUSIVE: US Probe of Embattled UN Gaza Relief Agency Expands to 1,500 Staffers Suspected of Hamas Ties: UNRWA Could Soon Be Labeled a 'Foreign Terrorist Organization'

    05/29/2026 7:03:20 AM PDT · by Twotone · 6 replies
    Washington Free Beacon ^ | May 28, 2026 | Adam Kredo
    The federal investigation into staff at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency—the U.N. Gaza relief organization that's been closely linked to Hamas—will soon encompass at least 1,500 UNRWA-linked individuals suspected of terror ties. This unprecedented dragnet—reported here for the first time by the Washington Free Beacon—exposes an aid group brimming with Hamas operatives, and is generating momentum in Congress and the Trump administration for harsher sanctions on the embattled aid group, according to congressional staffers briefed on the matter. The punitive measures up for consideration include stripping UNRWA of its diplomatic immunity under U.S. law, which would open it...
  • The Pope’s AI intervention shames our politicians

    05/28/2026 8:16:39 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 13 replies
    The Spectator ^ | 05/28/2026 | Michael Gove
    I was born into a sternly Presbyterian culture. Politically, I’m more Orange than Donald Trump’s skin tone. But today I am on my knees giving thanks to the Pope. He has produced the most powerful political document of the year, taking on the greatest challenge of our times. His first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, deals with the changes which will be wrought to all our lives by artificial intelligence in the months and years ahead. AI will transform our economies and societies massively and irrevocably; it will change what it means to be human; it may even mark the end of...
  • Separatist movement seems to be booming after court blocked Stay Free Alberta petition

    05/28/2026 10:36:02 AM PDT · by Candor7 · 45 replies
    Rebel News ^ | May 27, 2026 | Sydney Fizzard
    A rally for Alberta independence in Airdrie had no shortage of encouragement from passersby on the highway, as it appears an Ottawa-appointed judge blocking the Stay Free Alberta petition has strengthened support for the movement. Sydney Fizzard | May 27, 2026 | News Analysis | 2 Comments Alberta's growing separatist movement is gaining momentum following a controversial court ruling that temporarily blocked a citizen-led referendum on independence. In Airdrie, supporters of the sovereignty movement voiced their frustration with Ottawa, skepticism toward federal institutions and anger over what they describe as decades of Western alienation. The recent court decision that found...
  • US and Iran reach ceasefire extension deal pending Trump's final approval

    05/28/2026 10:28:43 AM PDT · by Mr. Mojo · 82 replies
    Fox News ^ | May 28, 2026 | Robert McGreevy and Patrick Ward
    U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached an agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding extending the current ceasefire and launching negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, but the deal still needs President Donald Trump's final approval, U.S. sources confirmed to Fox News.
  • Who is really behind data center opposition?

    05/28/2026 10:04:35 AM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 67 replies
    American Thinker ^ | 05/28/2026 | Mike McDaniel
    We are often best defined not by the company we keep, but by our enemies. Having the right—left—enemies tends to be a very good thing indeed, as it’s a reliable indicator we’re doing the right things with the right people and for the right reasons. It’s not always easy, however, to know the motives of people, or nations, when we’re dealing with issues of technology and/or public policy. One such issue is the proliferation of data centers, necessary for the burgeoning AI revolution, but controversial for that and other reasons. Among them is the amount of water and power they...
  • AP Exclusive: Trump administration tells prosecutors to stand down on Venezuela leader, sources say

    05/28/2026 7:34:31 AM PDT · by Timber Rattler · 29 replies
    The Associated Press ^ | May 27, 2026 | JOSHUA GOODMAN, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, and JIM MUSTIAN
    The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime target of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to current and former U.S. law enforcement officials, in the latest sign of warming relations between the White House and the oil-rich nation. It’s unclear whether prosecutors had implicated Rodríguez in any crimes or whether investigators were moving toward an indictment. A Justice Department spokesperson said in an email “there was never an investigation into her to shut down.” But DEA records obtained by The Associated Press earlier this...
  • Trump’s Iran Proposal Has Echoes of Half-Finished Gaza Deal

    05/28/2026 6:48:31 AM PDT · by Timber Rattler · 18 replies
    The New York Times ^ | May 26, 2026 | Aaron Boxerman
    The negotiations between the United States and Iran to end their war are following President Trump’s familiar playbook for resolving a Middle East crisis: agree to a cease-fire and deal with the toughest problems later. Analysts say the approach has had mixed results in the Gaza Strip, where Mr. Trump brokered a truce last year between Israel and Hamas, the Iranian-backed militant group. Plans for a so-called Phase 2 agreement — under which Hamas was to lay down its arms and Israel would allow Gaza to be rebuilt after a devastating war — have stalled. A similar approach in U.S....
  • The Mideast Is Baffled by Trump’s Call to Expand Abraham Accords

    05/28/2026 6:12:17 AM PDT · by Timber Rattler · 36 replies
    The New York Times ^ | May 28, 2026 | Vivian NereimIsabel Kershner and Elian Peltier
    The social media post by President Trump made it sound straightforward. The United States would orchestrate a deal to end the war with Iran and, in exchange, a slew of countries across the Middle East and South Asia would join an agreement, called the Abraham Accords, establishing relations with Israel. In fact, he said, that “should be mandatory.” But half of the countries he named — such as Egypt, Jordan and Turkey — already have relations with Israel. And the other half — including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan — have no interest in establishing them anytime soon. As a...
  • US troops targeted through commercial location data

    05/28/2026 5:26:20 AM PDT · by nuconvert · 16 replies
    US forces in war zones have been targeted through commercially available location data, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a letter from US Central Command shared by US Senator Ron Wyden. CENTCOM said it had received “multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil US personnel in theater,” according to the letter. A bipartisan group of lawmakers warned the Pentagon that commercial location data could reveal where US troops gather and their daily patterns, exposing them to missile, drone and roadside bomb attacks. Wyden said Washington should start treating the adtech industry as a national...
  • «Er schrie ‹Allahu Akbar› und stach auf vier Personen ein» (He shouted Allahu Akbar and stabbed four persons)

    05/28/2026 2:17:22 AM PDT · by ScaniaBoy · 20 replies
    Tagesanzeiger ^ | 28 May, 2026 | Luzia Nyffeler Luzia Nyffeler , Helmut Dworschak
    [Translated from German] Since Thursday morning, a major police operation has been underway at Winterthur train station. Several areas and stairways around the new pedestrian and bicycle underpass are cordoned off. An eyewitness, who works across from the cordoned-off area, tells this editorial office that a man of middle age shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great) around 8:30 a.m. and stabbed four men with a knife. At that very moment, a school class also passed the scene. The teacher then positioned herself protectively in front of the children. Another witness, a taxi driver, confirms that a man had been running...