politics

Iranian state TV: US aircraft destroyed near Bushehr

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A view shows an anti-Israel billboard with an hourglass image and Persian and Hebrew text reading “Israel will not see the next 15 years” at Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, on May 29, 2026. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

Iranian state television, citing a local official, reported that a US aircraft had been destroyed in Iran’s Jam ‌governorate ⁠in Bushehr, although there has been no confirmation from the United States.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday that the Iranian armed forces had launched missiles from southern parts of the country towards specified targets.

The agency said “the Iranian armed forces launched missiles minutes ago from the south of the country towards certain targets”, adding that the exact targets remained unclear, while some sources suggested there may have been clashes in Gulf waters.

It added that reports circulating about explosions being heard in the Gulf coastal provinces of Bushehr and Hormozgan had not yet been confirmed.

Separately, the Iranian Army’s Air Defence Monitoring Centre denied reports of explosions in the city of Bandar Abbas.

The centre said: “So far, no explosions have occurred in Bandar Abbas.”

It added that the sounds came from the sea, explaining that warning shots had been fired at vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with the Iranian navy.

Earlier on Thursday, clashes were reported between Iran and the United States near the Strait of Hormuz.

READ: Israeli spy Pollard says Turkiye and Egypt could be Israel’s next targets as Ankara is cast as ‘new Iran’

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says "Wish someone would lock him up".
Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says “Wish someone would lock him up”.
Continue ReadingIranian state TV: US aircraft destroyed near Bushehr

Israel launches electronic system for registering Palestinian land in West Bank ahead of annexation push

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Israeli army closes the entrance to Old City area with barricades, restricting the movement of Palestinians on the second day of Eid al-Adha in Hebron, West Bank, Palestine on May 28, 2026 [Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu Agency]

Israel on Thursday launched a new electronic system called the “Land Registry and Settlement of Rights” in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a move specialists described as part of a legal and administrative annexation project in the West Bank, particularly Area C.

They said the move marks a shift from what they described as “silent gradual annexation to declared annexation through digital and administrative tools”.

The launch follows a decision by Israel’s security cabinet in May 2025 to begin a comprehensive settlement of land ownership across the West Bank, with the aim of completing land registration under Israeli administration.

According to available information, the project officially began on 15 February 2026 after powers related to land registration were transferred to the Israeli Justice Ministry and the Survey of Israel authority. A budget of 244 million shekels (US$ 79 million) was allocated to the project.

The project aims to register nearly 58 per cent of land in Area C, equivalent to around 35 per cent of the occupied West Bank, excluding occupied East Jerusalem, as part of what Israel describes as a “settlement of property rights” process.

READ: Israel plans to expand control over Gaza in coming months

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says "Wish someone would lock him up".
Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says “Wish someone would lock him up”.
Continue ReadingIsrael launches electronic system for registering Palestinian land in West Bank ahead of annexation push

Israel freezes ties with UN chief Guterres after inclusion on conflict-related sexual violence blacklist

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the groundbreaking ceremony for a new 340 million dollar complex at the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 11, 2026. [Lucas Mukasa – Anadolu Agency]

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, announced the suspension of relations with UN Secretary-General António Guterres after Israel was added to a UN blacklist of parties accused of committing sexual violence in conflict zones.

In a post on X on Thursday, Danon described the UN decision as “political decision! Disconnected from the facts and reality!”, and announced a halt to cooperation with Guterres, saying: “Israel has decided to sever all ties with the Secretary-General’s Office.”

He added that Israel would work to “correct this mistake” once a new UN secretary-general is elected in the coming months. “Israel will wait until a new UN Secretary-General is appointed,” he said.

Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Israel was added to the blacklist despite continued Israeli efforts in recent months to prevent the move.

The UN decision comes amid growing international human rights reports documenting alleged sexual abuse and violations against Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention centres, particularly at the Sde Teiman detention facility and other prisons.

Palestinian and international reports and testimonies have also documented cases of harassment and sexual assault during Israeli raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, affecting both women and men.

READ: Pro-Israel cash goes undercover as US voters turn against Israel

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says "Wish someone would lock him up".
Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says “Wish someone would lock him up”.
Continue ReadingIsrael freezes ties with UN chief Guterres after inclusion on conflict-related sexual violence blacklist

The rats we ignore

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/rats-we-ignore

People cross a street in Havana, Cuba

The real ‘humanitarian threat’ isn’t Cuba but the United States, where poverty, lack of healthcare and illiteracy abound, writes LINDA PENTZ GUNTER

…

President Trump has labeled Cuba a “humanitarian threat.” Perhaps he should look that word up in his untouched dictionary.

US hypocrisy was on full view again on May 20 when the Department of Justice issued an arrest warrant for former Cuban president Raul Castro for ostensibly ordering the shooting down in 1996 of two aircraft flown by a group calling itself “Brothers to the Rescue,” resulting in four American deaths.

Brothers to the Rescue, a Cuban exile group out of Miami, Florida, had already conducted multiple flights into Cuban airspace, dropping propaganda leaflets. It had been warned more than 25 times by the Cuban government to cease and desist. Even the US Federal Aviation Administration had urged the group not to “taunt” the Cuban government.

By contrast, the Trump administration has been blithely blowing small civilian craft out of the waters off Venezuela, with scant evidence that they are drug-running and with clearly no threat to US national security. Since last September, almost 200 people have been killed in these incidents, many of them likely fishermen or other civilians, according to human rights groups.

But despite the clear illegality of these actions — and so many others, equally eligible for prosecution — no-one has yet issued a warrant for Trump’s arrest. There may be some rats in Cuba. But the ones we should be worrying about are inside the White House.

Linda Pentz Gunter is a writer based in Takoma Park, Maryland and the author of No To Nuclear. Why Nuclear Power Destroys Lives, Derails Climate Progress and Provokes War, published by Pluto Press.

This is only a short excerpt of the article, The full article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/rats-we-ignore is recommended.

Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Continue ReadingThe rats we ignore

Two Thirds of Reform’s Wales Shadow Cabinet Are Ex-Tories

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Article by Adam Barnett republished from DeSmog.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage campaigning in Wales. Credit: Reform UK / YouTube

Welsh Reform labelled a “retirement home for failed Conservatives”.

The majority of Reform UK’s shadow cabinet in Wales is made up of former Conservative Party politicians, including its leader, chief whip, and shadow economy minister, DeSmog can reveal.

Nigel Farage’s radical right-wing party – which campaigns against climate policies and supports dramatically increased fossil fuel production – became the second largest group in the Senedd following elections on 7 May.

Reform has presented itself as an outsider force and an alternative to the established parties.

However, DeSmog’s analysis finds that almost two thirds (64.2 percent) of Reform’s shadow cabinet posts in Wales are held by individuals who have previously served or stood for the Tories.

That amounts to nine out of Reform’s 14 shadow cabinet members, and includes Reform’s leader in Wales, Dan Thomas, who was Conservative leader of Barnet Council in London before defecting to Farage’s party in June last year. 

It also includes the party’s chief whip, Llŷr Powell, a former Tory council candidate, and shadow economy minister Jason O’Connell, a former Tory councillor.

In total, 12 of Reform’s 34 Senedd members are former Conservative politicians – amounting to 35 percent of the party’s representation in the assembly.

A spokesperson for the Wales Green Party said: “In the election campaign, Reform presented themselves as an insurgent anti-establishment party, but it’s looking more like they’re just a retirement home for failed Conservatives.”

Reform’s central party is also replete with ex-Tories. Six of Reform’s eight members of UK Parliament defected from the Conservatives, five while they were serving MPs. This includes Robert Jenrick, a former Tory minister and Reform’s current economic spokesperson, and former Conservative home secretary Suella Braverman, both of whom defected in January. 

Of the remaining two – Farage and his deputy Richard Tice – the latter is a former Tory party member and donor.

In Scotland, at least four of Reform’s members of the Scottish Parliament are former Tory politicians, including Max Bannerman in the Highlands and Islands, Thomas Kerr and Kim Schmulian in Glasgow, and Graham Simpson in Central Scot and Lothians West. 

Reform’s biggest donor, Thailand-based crypto and jet fuel billionaire Christopher Harborne, was previously a donor to the Conservative Party, giving £1.5 million between 2018 and 2022.

Harborne has donated £22 million to Reform, and gave Farage a £5 million gift in 2024 prior to him reclaiming the Reform leadership and standing for Parliament. Farage did not declare this sum when he was elected as an MP, and it is now the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation.

The Roster

Llŷr Powell, Reform’s chief whip and business manager in Wales, was a Conservative Party candidate for local government in 2022, and supported Kemi Badenoch for Tory leader the same year.

Powell, who was Reform’s unsuccessful candidate in the October 2025 Caerphilly Senedd by-election, used to work for Nathan Gill, the party’s former Welsh leader. Gill is currently serving a 10 and a half year prison sentence for accepting bribes from an agent of the Russian government during his time as a Member of European Parliament (MEP) for the Brexit Party (Reform’s forerunner).

Powell has said he didn’t work for Gill when he committed these offences, and had no knowledge of his crimes, but has refused to say the exact dates when he served under Farage’s former MEP.

James Evans, Reform’s shadow minister for health, prevention and sport, was elected as the Senedd member for Brecon and Radnorshire in 2021 as a Conservative. Before that, he served in Welsh local government as a Tory.

Laura Anne Jones, Reform’s shadow minister for food, farming and rural affairs, was previously a Conservative Senedd member for South Wales East.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Welsh leader Dan Thomas campaigning in Wales.

Credit: Reform UK / YouTube

Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, the party’s shadow minister for children, young people and skills, was a Conservative candidate for Coventry East in the 2024 general election. From 2022 to 2024 she was also a parliamentary assistant to Vicky Ford, Tory MP for Chelmsford.

Louise Emery, Reform’s shadow minister for culture, tourism and hospitality, was elected in 2017 and 2022 as a Conservative councillor in Conwy.

Francesca O’Brien, shadow minister for local government, housing and planning, was a Tory councillor for the Mumbles elected in 2017.

Adrian Mason, Reform’s shadow Counsel General and shadow minister for the constitution, was a Tory council candidate in Wales in 2017.

Jason O’Connell, shadow minister for economy and transport, was briefly a Welsh Conservative councillor in 2018, having been elected as an independent.

Outside of the shadow cabinet, Reform Welsh Senedd members Iain McIntosh and Tom Montgomery were elected to local government in Wales as Conservatives in 2022, while Stephen Senior stood as a Tory in 2022 and 2023.

Reform was approached for comment.

Article by Adam Barnett republished from DeSmog.

Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.
Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage reminds you that he's the man that brought you Brexit and asks what could possibly go wrong.
Nigel Farage reminds you that he’s the man that brought you Brexit and asks what could possibly go wrong.
Continue ReadingTwo Thirds of Reform’s Wales Shadow Cabinet Are Ex-Tories