What a Sad Day for France

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Riots erupted in France on Sunday after Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced his resignation after election results revealed a far-left coalition was set to win a plurality of French parliamentary seats.

The results were a major upset for the conservative French who counted on Marine Le Pen’s National Rally to secure the win.

Footage showed thousands of protestors rummaging through the streets of Paris, setting fires and clashing with more than 30,000 police officers.

The New Popular Front (NFP) alliance is on course to have 172-215 MPs with Emmanuel Macron’s centrists on 150-180 seats and the RN on 115-155, according to projections by four leading polling firms. The party was formed last month, bringing together socialists, greens, communists and the hard-left into one camp – with the leader of the radical left, Jean-Luc Melenchon, vowing to implement several socialist policies, which critics fear will leave France ‘ungovernable’. Via the Daily Mail.

(Read more from “What a Sad Day for France” HERE)

Ukraine’s Hopes of NATO Entry Dashed Over Its Persistent Corruption

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Ukraine has been jockeying for a spot in NATO since it gained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991 and has good reason to believe it has a shot. After all, NATO allies agreed at the 2008 Bucharest Summit that the country would one day become a member of the military alliance.

Despite early eagerness, Ukraine pursued a non-alignment policy from 2010 to 2014; however, it jettisoned this approach around the time of Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. In 2017, the Ukrainian parliament — which has not had elections since 2019 — adopted legislation recommitting the pursuit of membership in NATO.

A senior official in the U.S. State Department recently told the Telegraph that NATO will soon inform Ukraine ahead of the alliance’s annual summit next week that it remains too corrupt to enter the alliance.

“We have to step back and applaud everything that Ukraine has done in the name of reforms over the last two-plus years,” the official told the British paper. “As they continue to make those reforms, we want to commend them, we want to talk about additional steps that need to be taken, particularly in the area of anti-corruption. It is a priority for many of us around the table.”

This is hardly the first time the alliance has thrown cold water on Ukraine’s dreams of membership over its struggles with corruption. (Read more from “Ukraine’s Hopes of NATO Entry Dashed Over Its Persistent Corruption” HERE)

WATCH: Chinese Rocket Crashes Into Mountain After Accidental Launch

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A rocket belonging to a Chinese civilian aerospace manufacturer crashed into a mountain after accidentally launching Sunday, the company announced.

Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, was attempting a ground test with their Tianlong-3 rocket when a “structural failure” caused it to separate from the launch pad, a statement obtained by CNN said.

“Due to the structural failure of the connection between the rocket body and the test platform, the first-stage rocket was separated from the launch pad,” the company stated.

“After liftoff, the onboard computer was automatically shut down, and the rocket fell into the deep mountains 1.5 kilometers [0.9 miles] southwest of the test platform. The rocket body fell into the mountain and disintegrated.”

Videos shared on social media by onlookers shows the moment the rocket was launched before falling and causing a fiery explosion:

(Read more from “WATCH: Chinese Rocket Crashes Into Mountain After Accidental Launch” HERE)

Over 15 Killed in Suspected Terror Attacks on Russian Synagogues, Church, Police Post

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More than 15 cops and several civilians, including a priest, were killed when gunmen attacked two synagogues, an Orthodox church and a police post in a suspected coordinated terror attack in Russia.

Russian officials said the assaults against the church and one of the synagogues occurred in the coastal city of Derbent, with both catching fire, according to state media. Another synagogue and the traffic police post were hit in Makhachkala, the largest city in the same Dagestan region, according to Russian authorities.

Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee said five gunmen were “eliminated” while the head of Dagestan Republic, Sergei Melikov, announced six “bandits” were “liquidated.”

“All the circumstances of the incident and the persons involved in the terrorist attacks are being established, and their actions will be given a legal assessment,” the federation said in a statement.

Melikov vowed the probe wouldn’t stop until “all sleeping cells” of the militants were found as he urged residents to stay calm. (Read more from “Over 15 Killed in Suspected Terror Attacks on Russian Synagogues, Church, Police Post” HERE)

Deadly Attacks Intensify Between Russia and Ukraine, Russia Blames U.S. for Crimea Missile Strike

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In a tragic escalation of the ongoing conflict, Russian authorities reported six deaths and over 100 injuries from Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Sunday. Simultaneously, Russia’s aerial bombardment of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine resulted in at least one death and multiple injuries.

Among the casualties in Russia were five individuals, including two children, who were struck by debris from Ukrainian missiles shot down over Sevastopol, a port city in Russia-annexed Crimea. Mikhail Razvozhayev, Sevastopol’s Moscow-installed governor, confirmed these fatalities. Additionally, one person was killed in Grayvoron city in Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The Health Ministry, via Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, reported that 124 people were wounded in Sevastopol. The falling rocket fragments triggered a forest fire covering over 150 square meters and ignited a residential building. A fifth missile also exploded over the city, causing further panic and damage.

In response, Russia’s Defense Ministry placed blame on both Ukraine and the United States for the missile strikes, asserting that U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles were utilized in the Ukrainian assault. As a result of the devastation, Razvozhayev declared Monday a day of mourning in Sevastopol, leading to the cancellation of public events.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also reported that air defenses had intercepted 33 Ukrainian drones over Russia’s western Bryansk, Smolensk, Lipetsk, and Tula regions overnight. Fortunately, these incidents did not result in casualties or damage.

Meanwhile, Kharkiv faced renewed attacks from Russia, resulting in the death of at least one person and injuries to 11 others on Sunday. Mayor Ihor Terekhov indicated that the city was targeted by a guided bomb, leaving about half of Kharkiv without electricity due to the strike. This assault followed a Saturday attack where Russia dropped four aerial bombs on Kharkiv, hitting a five-story residential building and killing three people. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov noted that 41 people were still receiving treatment for their injuries as of Sunday.

‘Changes Our Entire Understanding’: Researchers Discover Oldest Known Deep-Sea Cargo Ship

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The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) tweeted Thursday that a company found a cargo ship dating back 3,300 years deep at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

The ship still contained “hundreds of intact jars,” the IAA said in Hebrew, while sharing a photo of two of the preserved jars.

The IAA said that the discovery overturned the belief that Late Bronze Age seafarers could not navigate their ship without sight of the shore, The Times of Israel reported.

“Only two other shipwrecks with cargo are known from the Late Bronze Age in the Mediterranean Sea … both found off the Turkish coast. Yet both of those shipwrecks were found relatively close to shore,” Jacob Sharvit, head of IAA, said, the outlet reported. . .

The ship was discovered as a result of natural gas company Energean’s standard survey of the Eastern Mediterranean floor in Israeli waters, the outlet reported. The survey discovered what appeared to be large piles of jars littering the seabed and led to the company alerting IAA about their finds, The Times of Israel reported. (Read more from “‘Changes Our Entire Understanding’: Researchers Discover Oldest Known Deep-Sea Cargo Ship” HERE)

Sword-Wielding Chinese Soldiers Seize Filipino Ship in Its Own Waters, Forcing Bare-Handed Brawl

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The Chinese Communist regime admitted on Wednesday that it used force to board Filipino ships and force them out of the Philippines’ territorial waters, an act of piracy the Chinese touted as a “police action” because the Filipinos entered an area illegally claimed by China.

The Philippine military said its forces used their “bare hands” to fend off Chinese “barbarians” and demanded China pay damages for its conduct during the incident.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) posted video and photos of the encounter on Wednesday night, showing Chinese personnel attacking their rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) with knives, axes, and poles.

(Read more from “Sword-Wielding Chinese Soldiers Seize Filipino Ship in Its Own Waters, Forcing Bare-Handed Brawl” HERE)

China’s Xi Accused the U.S. of Trying to Trick Him Into Invading Taiwan, but Said He Won’t Take the Bait, Report Says

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China’s leader, Xi Jinping, accused the US of trying to trick China into invading Taiwan but said his country wouldn’t take the bait, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The FT said Xi made the accusation in April last year during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Xi has issued the same warning to officials in his own country, one person told the FT, but this is first known case of him making the claim to a foreign leader, the outlet said.

During the meeting, according to a press statement released at the time, Xi said Taiwan was at the “core” of China’s interests, adding: “If anyone expects China to compromise and concede on the Taiwan question, they are having a pipe dream and would shoot themselves in the foot.”

Xi’s accusation against the US wasn’t featured in the statement. (Read more from “China’s Xi Accused the U.S. of Trying to Trick Him Into Invading Taiwan, but Said He Won’t Take the Bait, Report Says” HERE)

Putin ‘Stashing Years of Food in Secret Nuclear Bunker’

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Food to feed up to 300 people ‘for several years’ has allegedly been sent to the bunker in the remote Altai Mountains.

The chilling claim comes amid deep tension between Russia and the West over Ukraine, as Putin on Friday warned that NATO leaders are pushing him ‘to the point of no return’ over a nuclear Third World War.

A source – who claims to be involved in loading the food – told Pozdnyakov Telegram channel that ‘boxes with dry rations, cereals, and canned food’ are being shifted on a gargantuan scale to the remote Siberian location.

Nearby is a Putin escape named Altai Yard where earlier reports indicate the Kremlin dictator constructed a giant underground nuclear bunker.

Of the food, the source was quoted as saying: ‘I have never seen anything like it – imported, expensive, not ours [Russian]. The products are brought to a warehouse in the mountainous region, and then a presumed Putin security team takes charge. (Read more from “Putin ‘Stashing Years of Food in Secret Nuclear Bunker’” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Zelensky, Western Leaders Reject Putin Ceasefire Proposals at Swiss Summit

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Western leaders rejected Vladimir Putin’s framework for a ceasefire while backing Ukraine’s demands that Russia return all occupied territories as the basis for any potential peace agreement.

The “first annual Global Peace Summit” held in the luxury Swiss resort of Burgenstock, which did not include any representatives from Moscow, concluded with the status quo essentially remaining the same, with Ukraine continuing to demand that Russia cede territory in the East and Crimea as a prerequisite for actual peace talks to begin, a likely non-starter for Vladimir Putin.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, which saw around 100 delegates from 92 countries and eight international organisations attend, President Zelensky claimed that all participants agreed that Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” must be kept intact, Ukrinform reports.

Despite Ukraine failing to recapture the occupied regions in the Donbas during last year’s counteroffensive, Zelenksy’s chief-of-staff Andriy Yermak said that there would be “no compromise on independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” in any peace negotiations with Russia.

Before the summit, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would be willing to agree to a ceasefire and potential peace with Ukraine if Kyiv withdraws its troops from the mostly ethnically Russian territories, which Moscow now claims sovereignty over, citing the internationally contested referenda held in the regions to join Russia. (Read more from “Zelensky, Western Leaders Reject Putin Ceasefire Proposals at Swiss Summit” HERE)