Turkish-Funded Militias Seizing Hundreds of Acres From Christian Syrians

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The commander of an Islamist militia has reportedly seized 500 acres of farming land from Christian farmers in the town of Ras Al-Ein in northern Syria near the Turkish border.

The area is under the control of a coalition of Islamist militias that are part of the Syrian National Army, an entity backed by Qatar and Turkey.

The main groups involved in human rights abuses in Ras Al-Ein include the Al-Hamzat Battalion and Jaysh Al-Sharqya, reported the United Kingdom-based watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide, citing local sources.

The leader of Jaysh Al-Sharqya, Commander Abou Jammo, was identified as the one who ordered the confiscation, CSW said, adding that the United States has sanctioned these groups for their actions.

Amid rising tensions, the militias have also threatened to increase the tax imposed on farmers from 20% to 35%. (Read more from “Turkish-Funded Militias Seizing Hundreds of Acres From Christian Syrians” HERE)

Russian Spies ‘Buried Nuclear Bombs Near UK Military Bases’ in Case of WWIII

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Cold War Russian spies buried nuclear bombs, nerve-agent capsules and assault weapons close to UK military sites during the 1980s in case of World War Three, a special forces veteran has revealed.

Undercover Kremlin operatives even made a four-man underground bunker packed with bedding, weapons and supplies in the UK to prepare for the feared global conflict, he added. He reports that more than a dozen caches were made – the biggest in Suffolk, close to RAFs Mildenhall and Lakenheath, home of American Air Force bombers and fighter jets.

The revelations come in an exclusive Mirror interview with British special forces veteran and author Duncan Falconer as he launches his latest sensational book ‘First Into Action Again’. In the book, he describes his thrilling post-special forces military life as an elite freelance security expert working on deniable operations and protecting lives in dangerous war zones.

Father of two Duncan, 68, was at 19 the youngest Special Boat Service (SBS) recruit when he was plucked from the Royal Marines to serve in the elite Royal Navy unit during the 1970s. He told us that, in the event of another world war, Moscow planned to deploy its elite “Spetsnaz” commandos off British shores by submarine or boat, to link up with the secret caches and launch attacks. They planned to use commando raids to cripple UK and US air force installations, to disrupt the West’s ability to strike against Russia. . .

Duncan is limited on what he can say about that operation but he added that, in another incident, British intelligence made a horrific discovery. He says: “An underground cache was found inside a wood near Thetford, in Suffolk, near RAF Mildenhall. Someone had buried a huge tank and kitted it out for a four-man team to live in there. There was food and sleeping accommodation, but there was also an array of weapons, including the miniature 30kg and 90kg nuclear suitcase bombs. Apparently in the Cold War there were more than 100 on America’s east coast and the idea was if we finally went to war with Russia, they would send Spetsnaz teams to use them against their relevant targets.” (Read more from “Russian Spies ‘Buried Nuclear Bombs Near UK Military Bases’ in Case of WWIII” HERE)

Brazil’s Supreme Court Votes Unanimously to Uphold X Ban

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Tech mogul Elon Musk accused one of Brazil’s Supreme Court justices of carrying out “censorship orders” by blocking his social media platform.

Brazil’s Supreme Court voted unanimously on Monday to uphold the decision by one of its justices to ban Elon Musk’s social media platform, X.

Previously called Twitter, the ban on X began on Saturday after Musk refused to name a legal representative in Brazil in August, saying that the order by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes was trying to enforce censorship.

But Chief Justice Luis Roberto Barroso said in an interview with the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo over the weekend that “a company that refuses to name a legal representative in Brazil cannot operate in Brazilian territory”.

The collective support of the other Supreme Court justices is seen as undermining the efforts of Musk and his supporters to portray de Moraes as a renegade. (Read more from “Brazil’s Supreme Court Votes Unanimously to Uphold X Ban as Users Switch to Threads and Bluesky” HERE)

China Halts Foreign Adoption of Children Amid Demographic Crisis

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The Chinese government on Friday announced that it will no longer allow foreign families to adopt Chinese children, ending a program that has found homes overseas for more than 160,000 children since 1992. While Beijing refused to clearly explain its decision, most observers suspected it was a response to declining birth rates in China.

The cutoff of foreign adoptions was so abrupt that families with pending cases had no idea if their adoptions would go forward. When the U.S. State Department sought clarification, Chinese officials said they “will not continue to process cases at any stage.”

“We understand there are hundreds of families still pending completion of their adoption, and we sympathize with their situation,” the State Department said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry mumbled something about bringing foreign adoptions into line with “the spirit of relevant international conventions.”

This might have been a vague reference to Denmark and the Netherlands saying earlier this year that they will no longer allow overseas adoptions. Both of those decisions were prompted by bureaucratic irregularities and allegations of fraudulent paperwork, after a sharp decline in foreign adoptions during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. (Read more from “China Halts Foreign Adoption of Children Amid Demographic Crisis” HERE)

Russians Appear to Gun Down Surrendering Ukrainian Soldiers, Disturbing Drone Footage Shows

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Russian troops appeared to ruthlessly shoot dead three Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered on their knees in a disturbing front-lines execution captured in drone footage, according to a report Friday.

The soldiers had placed their hands on their heads on a road after their trench was overtaken near the war-torn city of Pokrovsk in late August, according to Ukrainian drone footage obtained by CNN.

Seconds later, they’re shown suddenly falling to the ground face-first as dust rises — a sign Russian troops had opened fire instead of taking them prisoner, according to the outlet. . .

“If prisoners of war surrender, if they show that they surrender, if they are without weapons in their hands, then summary execution is a war crime,” Andriy Kostin, the prosecutor general of Ukraine, told CNN.

The incident is part of a pattern of harrowing executions in recent months — and is an example of the Russian military’s relentlessly brutal tactics as they advance in Ukraine’s eastern region, Ukrainian officials told the outlet. (Read more from “Russians Appear to Gun Down Surrendering Ukrainian Soldiers, Disturbing Drone Footage Shows” HERE)

WATCH: Putin Announces Endorsement in America’s 2024 Presidential Election (VIDEO)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin took time away from orchestrating his military campaign against Ukraine to confirm his endorsement of a candidate in America’s 2024 presidential election. . .

While Putin’s voice on the video is significantly muted, an interviewer is speaking.

“If we can name a favorite candidate it was, it used to be Joe Biden,” she quotes. “But now he’s not participating in the election campaign.” (Read more from “WATCH: Putin Announces Endorsement in America’s 2024 Presidential Election (VIDEO)” HERE)

Kim Jong Un Executes 30 Officials Over Floods in North Korea That Killed 4,000: Report

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ordered up to 30 officials to be executed over their alleged failure to prevent massive flooding and landslides in the summer that resulted in the death of some 4,000 people, according to South Korean media.

An official under Kim’s regime said between 20 to 30 leaders in North Korea had been charged with corruption and dereliction of duty, with the state sentencing them to capital punishment, TV Chosun reported.

“It has been determined that 20 to 30 cadres in the flood-stricken area were executed at the same time late last month,” the official told the outlet. . .

The North Korean Central News Agency previously reported that Kim ordered authorities “strictly punish” the officials after catastrophic flooding hit the Chagang Province in July, claiming about 4,000 lives and displacing more than 15,000 people.

The officials who were executed were not identified, but the report noted that Kang Bong-hoon, the Chagang Province Provincial Party Committee Secretary since 2019, was among the leaders dismissed by Kim in an emergency meeting during the flooding disaster. (Read more from “Kim Jong Un Executes 30 Officials Over Floods in North Korea That Killed 4,000: Report” HERE)

Authorities Search For Answers As Country’s Classic Churches Keep Burning Down

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The Church of the Immaculate Conception went up in flames Monday in yet another instance of a French church burning to the ground, leading to speculations on the origins of their destruction.

The church burnings highlight the tensions brewing in France’s secular and multicultural country, and its immigration policies have come under increased scrutiny. Weak church structures, bias against Christians and mass immigration have all been brought up as potential factors in the onslaught of church burnings.

The church of the Immaculate Conception was nestled in the northern French town of Saint-Omer, and its bell tower collapsed from the fire. Prosecutors announced Tuesday that police arrested a man in relation to the incident, LeMonde reported.

A Saint-Omer prosecutor told Agence France-Press the man was known for previously committing “similar acts.”

France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin stated in a Twitter post Monday that an investigation was underway to “determine the exact origin of the fire.” (Read more from “Authorities Search For Answers As Country’s Classic Churches Keep Burning Down” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Helicopter Crash Which Killed Iran President Ebrahim Raisi Reportedly Caused by Climate Conditions

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The May 19, 2024 helicopter crash which resulted in the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others was caused by climatic and atmospheric conditions, an official investigation concluded, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

The Supreme Board of the General Staff of the Armed Forces released its final report attributing the crash primarily to the springtime climatic conditions in the region, according to AP. The report detailed that the helicopter encountered a sudden and dense fog, which caused it to collide with a mountain, according to the outlet.

Officials confirmed there were no indications of sabotage affecting the helicopter’s parts or systems. Raisi and his foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were among the eight fatalities in the crash, which occurred in a remote mountainous area in northwestern Iran, AP reported. There were no survivors found at the scene during the search and rescue operation.

It was previously reported that the crash occurred as Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian were traveling from Azerbaijan, where they attended the inauguration of a dam with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. In response to the tragedy, the Iranian cabinet convened an emergency meeting, according to the state news agency IRNA. (Read more from “Helicopter Crash Which Killed Iran President Ebrahim Raisi Reportedly Caused by Climate Conditions” HERE)

Zelensky Demands Using U.S. Weapons on Targets in Russia

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The war in Ukraine continues to rage on two-and-a-half years after Russian forces breached their neighbor’s borders. The protraction of the conflict has only made a Russian victory—through a favorable settlement or Ukrainian surrender—more likely, though it will come at a much higher cost to the Russians than originally anticipated by both Moscow and Washington. The simple truth is that Russia has more men, more resources, and is not reliant on the goodwill of Western benefactors.

While continued aid from the United States keeps the Ukrainian war effort afloat, that aid has come with certain strings attached. U.S. weapons given to Ukraine, for example, cannot be used to strike targets within Russian territory.

Whether Ukraine has upheld its end of the bargain is unlikely. Ukraine has privately received permission from President Joe Biden to use U.S. weapons in strikes on Russia in the past. Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is looking to negotiate, not with Russia but with the United States and other benefactors, to permanently loosen those restraints.

While Zelenskyy has made a habit of making this request, he did so again fervently on Monday after Russia launched one of its largest drone and missile strikes of the campaign so far.

In a video statement posted to X on Monday, Zelenskyy said the Russian strike “involv[ed] over a hundred missiles of various types and around a hundred ‘Shaheds’ [attack drones].”

(Read more from “Zelensky Demands Using U.S. Weapons on Targets in Russia” HERE)