JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
WAR WITH IRAN - DAY 88 MAY 26,26 - USA STRIKES SITES IN IRAN.
THE NEXT US-ISRAEL HIT ON IRAN SHOULD BE VERSE 37. ALL OFFENSIVE NUKE SITES MISSLES,DRONES,AND OF COURSE KHEMENI AND THE IRGC GUARDS.THEN AFTER IRANS REGIME CHANGE. MUSLIMS COME TO JESUS BY THE MILLIONS.
JEREMEIAH 49:32-39 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITES AND ALL OFENSIVE WEAPONS DESTROYED IN IRAN)
Jeremiah 49:32-39
32 Their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter to all winds those who have the corners [of their hair] cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, says Yahweh.
33 Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation forever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.(Location & Size: It was strategically located along the Via Maris (Way of the Sea), a major trade route connecting Egypt with Syria and Mesopotamia.)
34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(IRAN) in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) the chief of their might.(MISSLES AND NUKE SITES)
36 On Elam (IRAN) will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of the sky, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(SINCE 1979 IRANIANS HAVE GOTTIN OUT OF IRAN BECAUSE OF KHEMENI AND HIS APOCOPOLIPTIC DEATH CULT BELIEF-BLACK HATER 12ERS)
37 I will cause Elam (IRAN) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before those who seek their life;(ISRAEL THE LITTLE SATAN AND THE U.S THE BIG SATAN) and I will bring evil on them, (MISSLES) even my fierce anger,(FIRE) says Yahweh; and I will send the sword after them,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) until I have consumed them; (DESTROYED THEM ALL NUKE SITES,MISSLES ETC)
38 and I will set my throne in Elam,(IRAN WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN NATION) and will destroy from there king (KHEMENI, ISLAM) and princes, says Yahweh.(IRANIAN ARMY GUARDS)
39 But it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam,(IRAN) says Yahweh.(WERE IN THE LATTER DAYS NOW)
WHEN ARE THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL IN THE SPRING TIME.(GET READY ISLAM TO BE BIRD SEED FOR THESE BIRDS)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m0bXU5Xqc5M
The 500 million migratory birds in Israel during the spring arrive from Africa and head toward Europe and Asia, with the peak migration occurring in March and April. While migration starts in late February, the most intense movements, particularly of birds of prey, storks, and pelicans, occur during the third week of March and continue into April.
Key Details on the Spring Migration
Peak Period: Mid-March through April.
Main Migration Route: The birds use the Great Rift Valley, which includes the Hula Valley and Eilat, acting as a "bottleneck" where millions of birds fly through the narrow land bridge.
Best Spots: The Hula Lake Park (Northern Israel) and the Eilat Birding Center (Southern Israel) are primary locations for observing the migration.
Key Species: Hundreds of thousands of white storks, along with black kites, raptors, and pelicans, pass through over these months.
uration: The spring migration runs from late February and continues into June, though the heaviest traffic is in March/April.
The 500 million migratory birds fly over Israel in the fall between late August and mid-December. The peak migration period for the autumn, when the highest volume of bird traffic occurs, is typically October and November.
Key Fall Migration Details
Location: The Hula Valley (Agamon Hula Park) in northern Israel is the premier spot to witness this phenomenon.
Timing: Migration starts as early as late June with some waders, but intensifies from mid-August through November.
Peak Festival: The "Annual Hula Valley Bird Festival" is usually held in November to align with the peak migration traffic.
Key Species: Many birds of prey (raptors), including honey buzzards and steppe eagles, cross during this time, along with massive flocks of storks and cranes.
While roughly 500 million birds pass through in the autumn on their way to Africa, the same number crosses again in the spring (mid-February to May) on their way back to Europe and Asia.
JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23 Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)
Iran condemns US strikes as 'gross violation' of ceasefire-31 minutes ago-MAY 26,26-Ian Aikman
Iran says the US has committed a "gross violation" of the ceasefire with new air strikes it launched on the country.The US Central Command (Centcom) said Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to place mines had been targeted with what it called "self-defence strikes" in southern Iran on Monday.Iran's foreign ministry said it held the US responsible for the consequences of its "aggressive and unjustified actions" in the Hormozgan region, which has a coast along the Strait of Hormuz - the crucial waterway Iran has blocked causing a spike in world energy prices.It is unclear what impact the strikes will have on talks aimed to end the conflict."Without a doubt, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave any evil unanswered and will not hesitate to defend the Iranian nation," the Iranian statement said.The US and Israel started the war with Iran on 28 February with a wave of deadly attacks, including one which killed the country's supreme leader.After weeks of fighting, a ceasefire was agreed on 8 April and it has been largely observed ever since, barring one notable clash earlier in May.In its statement, Centcom said US forces "conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces".It did not give details about the location of the strikes, but an official cited by the New York Times said they had targeted an area near Bandar Abbas - a southern port city and home of an Iranian naval base that sits on the Strait of Hormuz.Iranian state media had earlier reported that local officials in Bandar Abbas were investigating after explosions were heard.Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later said it had downed a US drone and fired at a fighter jet that entered Iranian airspace, though it did not specify when this happened.This takes place against the backdrop of talks aimed at extending the current ceasefire, with the eventual aim of bringing an end to the conflict.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said a deal from the talks is still possible, but it will "take a few days".At the weekend, President Donald Trump initially suggested a deal was close before later saying he had instructed negotiators "not to rush into" an agreement.According to US media, the possible deal is not a final settlement, but a memorandum of understanding that reportedly involves a 60-day ceasefire extension, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and a plan for further negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme.Iran said on Monday that some progress had been made, but a deal "is not imminent".One of the stumbling blocks reportedly centres on Tehran's request for the release of frozen Iranian funds held abroad.The peace talks have been mainly mediated by Pakistan.However, Iranian negotiators have been taking part in talks with Qatari mediators this week.An official briefed on the Doha visit told Reuters news agency that Iran's central bank governor had attended Monday's talks to discuss the frozen assets, with discussions focusing primarily on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and the Strait of Hormuz.Iran has effectively blocked the vital shipping lane, through which around one fifth of the world's oil passes, since the US and Israel started the conflict on 28 February.US, Israel and many Western countries have accused Iran of enriching uranium in order to make a nuclear weapon. Iran says the programme is for peaceful purposes only.
Four IRGC members said killed in strikes-US attacks missile sites in Iran despite ceasefire, says it acted to defend troops-Khamenei warns US will no longer be able to use Gulf states as safe haven; Rubio insists deal still possible but is ‘a few days’ away; Trump: Tehran must hand over enriched uranium or destroy it By ToI Staff, Nava Freiberg and Agencies Today, 9:25 am-MAY 26,26
US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for talks to end the war.In the aftermath of the strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued a thinly veiled threat, warning that the US would no longer have any safe havens in the region.“US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.It gave no details of the attacks and said only that the targets included missile launch sites and boats trying to “emplace mines.”Unconfirmed reports from Iran claimed four Revolutionary Guards members were killed in American strikes in southern Iran’s Bandar Abbas.Iranian media reported explosions were heard in the port city and coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz. The Mehr news agency said the situation in Bandar Abbas was under control.???????????? Documentation of the operation of air defense systems in the city of Bandar Abbas a short time ago. At the same time, there was a report of smoke rising from the airport area in Bandar Abbas. https://t.co/JM0j27Vzfy pic.twitter.com/7t3kQuTuJi Advertisement — Eli Afriat ???????? (@EliAfriatISR) May 25, 2026-Hours later, the IRGC said it had downed a US drone and shot at other aircraft attempting to enter the country’s airspace, without specifying when the incidents took place.In a statement, the IRGC further warned “against any violation of the ceasefire by the aggressor US military and considers its right to reciprocal response legitimate and certain.”The overnight strikes threatened an already fragile ceasefire that began April 8 as the United States and Iran struggle to reach an accord to end a war that has rattled the global economy with a severe disruption of energy flows. Washington and Tehran have played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.There was no immediate reaction to the development by Iranian officials, although Khamenei published a statement on his Telegram channel warning that the Gulf powers would no longer be a shield for United States bases and that Washington would no longer have a safe haven in the region.He said the US “in addition to no longer having any safe haven in the region for aggression and the establishment of military bases, is moving further and further away from its former position with each passing day.”Several US bases in the Middle East were attacked by Iran during the recent war, and the Gulf states that host US assets were bombarded by missile and drone strikes.Khamenei has not appeared publicly since he was named as Iran’s supreme leader on March 8 following the death of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei. Since then, he has issued only written statements, fueling speculation about his health after he was injured in strikes.Prior to the overnight flare-up of tensions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi that the US would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before considering whether to deal with Iran in “another way.”He doubled down on his remarks after the military action, saying that a deal with Iran was still possible, despite the strikes.“There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress. I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days,” Rubio told reporters in Jaipur during an official visit to India.“The president expressed his desire to make it. He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal,” he said, warning that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route, was “going to be open one way or another.”“What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable,” Rubio added.‘A Great Deal for all, or no Deal at all’In a lengthy post on Truth Social on Monday, US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were going “nicely,” but warned of fresh attacks if they failed. It “will only be a Great Deal for all, or no Deal at all,” he wrote.Trump also said in a social media post that he expected Iran to hand over its enriched uranium to the United States to be destroyed, or have it destroyed in Iran with an international witness.“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.The Atomic Energy Commission was a US government agency that was abolished in 1974. The UN’s nuclear watchdog is called the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).Trump also did not specify whether he was concerned only with the 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium in Iran’s possession, which is a short step away from weapons-grade, or if he was referring to its full stockpile, which US officials have reportedly insisted would need to be removed as part of any deal.Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that they are unwilling to discuss the nuclear issue until a memorandum of understanding allowing for a 60-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is reached.A US official briefed on Monday’s talks in Doha nevertheless told Reuters that the discussions focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Iran’s central bank governor attended to discuss the potential release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a final deal.While the US and Iranian forces have observed the ceasefire, Iran has maintained controls on Gulf shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the US Navy has sought to blockade Iran’s ports, extending a global energy crisis that began with the opening of US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.Oil prices fluctuated on Tuesday morning but remained below $100, with West Texas Intermediate dropping more than five percent while international benchmark Brent crude was up.Escalating Lebanon offensive could threaten dealOn another front of the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he had ordered the military to intensify its offensive in Lebanon in an effort to “crush” Hezbollah, as the terror group continued to target Israel and its forces with drone attacks.“I have ordered an even greater acceleration of our operations,” Netanyahu said in a video statement posted on his Telegram channel.Iran has insisted that any deal with the US include a full ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have continued to trade blows despite an April 16 truce aimed at halting the deadliest spillover of the US-Israeli joint war on Iran.Israel has avoided targeting the terror group in Beirut and other locations beyond southern Lebanon in recent weeks, facing pressure from Washington amid the talks with Iran.According to Al Jazeera, Iran warned Washington following Netanyahu’s announcement that any Israeli strike in Beirut would jeopardize negotiations to end the war and reach a regional settlement.Lebanese security sources said on Monday night that people had begun fleeing the southern suburbs of Beirut, a known Hezbollah stronghold, for fear of a renewed Israeli assault on the capital.
Iranian hackers behind LA transit system breach, Israeli researchers say-Digital security specialists have suspected an Iranian hand in the hack since responsibility was claimed by an obscure pro-Iran outfit calling itself Ababil of Minab By Raphael Satter and AJ Vicens Today, 2:30 pm-MAY 26,26
Reuters — Iranian hackers were responsible for a disruptive computer breach in March that forced Los Angeles’ transit system to shut down parts of its network, Israeli researchers say.The saboteurs stole at least 700 gigabytes of emails, backups and other files from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), according to Gambit Security, a Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity firm that said it discovered the misappropriated data after it was inadvertently exposed online.In a report published on Tuesday, the company said a digital trail of evidence tied the server where the data was discovered to a previously known hacking operation that Israeli officials and researchers attributed to Tehran.Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not return messages seeking comment. Israel’s National Cyber Directorate did not return messages.The Los Angeles transit authority didn’t respond to questions about the findings. In a statement shared last month, its officials said they were working with law enforcement and cyber specialists as they brought their systems back online. “Attribution is part of the investigation and we will not speculate,” the statement said.Digital security specialists have suspected an Iranian hand in the operation against the LACMTA ever since responsibility was claimed by an obscure pro-Iran outfit calling itself Ababil of Minab.The group’s name refers to a US airstrike on a girls’ school in the Iranian city of Minab on February 28 that officials there say killed more than 175 children and teachers, and its rhetoric and modus operandi are characteristic of self-styled vigilante hacker groups that US and Israeli researchers allege are cut-outs for Iranian spies.Eyal Sela, Gambit’s director of threat intelligence, said a connection between Ababil and the Iranian state “has been a working assumption.”“What our research adds is the forensic evidence to support it,” he said.Gambit, a security startup founded in part by veterans of the IDF’s 8200 intelligence unit, Israel’s equivalent of the US National Security Agency, said it had alerted relevant authorities to its findings.Ababil did not return messages left via a form on its website. The FBI said it was aware of the LACMTA incident and was “coordinating with partners in response.” The FBI declined further comment. The US civilian cyber defense body, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, did not return messages seeking comment.Iranian hackers allegedly active since start of war-The intrusion at LACMTA was detected around March 16, its officials said in their statement. About two weeks later, Ababil materialized online and claimed to have wiped an enormous amount of data in a destructive cyberattack, publishing a video that purported to show them rampaging through the transit system’s network.Although Los Angeles transit officials said the breach did not interrupt the circulation of trains or buses, local media said it disabled at least some arrival screens and prevented customers from putting money on their transit cards.Ababil also has claimed credit for hacks affecting South Florida’s Tri-Rail commuter transit system, vehicle tracking company Vyncs, and Saudi infrastructure firm Unimac.In a statement, Tri-Rail confirmed it had been hacked “about a month ago,” but said that none of the affected data was critical. Vyncs owner Agnik said it had detected its breach on April 2 but declined to comment on the nature of the data stolen by the hackers. Both Tri-Rail and Agnik said the FBI was involved, with Agnik saying in an email that the bureau “has a pretty good understanding of who these criminals are.” Unimac did not return messages seeking comment.The group behind Ababil has hacked other organizations whose identity it has not publicized, Gambit Security said, citing its analysis of other data left online by the spies. Sela said they included a media organization and educational institution in Israel and an insurance brokerage in Turkey, but he declined to identify them further.Iranian hackers allegedly have carried out a drumbeat of digital operations since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, including a damaging attack on the medical device company Stryker and the leak of personal emails belonging to FBI Director Kash Patel. Iranian hackers are also suspected of having remotely tampered with fuel gauges at gas stations, CNN reported earlier this month.
Trump says ‘mandatory’ for Muslim nations involved in Iran deal to join Abraham Accords-US president urges Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to normalize ties with Israel; Saudi source says not without ‘irreversible pathway’ to Palestinian state-By Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff 25 May 2026, 5:36 pm
US President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that six Muslim-majority countries join the Abraham Accords normalization agreements with Israel ahead of any deal between the US and Iran to end the war, negotiations on which he said were “proceeding nicely.”The remarks were the second time in as many days that Trump tried to link the emerging deal with Iran to the accords, which were first signed in September 2020 by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, followed by Morocco and Sudan months later.“Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all,” Trump announced on Truth Social on Monday, reiterating his oft-uttered threat that if no deal is reached, it will mean “Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before.”He said that during discussions with leaders of Muslim and Arab states, he told them that “after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.”He specified that the countries he wished to see sign onto the accords included Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan. He said he also spoke to the UAE and Bahrain about this possibility.It was not clear why Egypt and Jordan would be required to sign the Abraham Accords, given that both have had peace treaties with Israel since 1979 and 1994, respectively. Turkey and Israel have had rocky relations almost since the founding of the State of Israel, with long periods of amicable ties, although those have nosedived in the past decade.After the US leader’s comments, a Saudi source told international outlets that Riyadh will only normalize relations with Israel if an “irreversible pathway” to Palestinian statehood is established.The Trump administration has long viewed Saudi-Israeli normalization as the crown jewel of the Abraham Accords, though efforts toward that end largely stalled during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Riyadh has since repeatedly insisted that such an agreement must follow meaningful movement on the Palestinian issue.Trump’s request for the Muslim and Arab states to join the Abraham Accords was first reported by Axios on Sunday.The US president did not mention Israel in Monday’s lengthy post, and it was not immediately clear whether he was envisioning traditional accession to the Abraham Accords — which were brokered during his first term — or envisioning the creation of a political framework built around broader aims.He said the expansion of the accords “should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit.”If countries do not sign, he said, they should not be involved in any deal with Iran as “it shows bad intention.”“It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be,” he added.Pakistan has said it will not recognize Israel until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Qatar, too, has no formal ties with Israel, although Doha is a key US ally and was a central mediator in negotiations between Israel and Hamas throughout the two-year Gaza war, sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.Axios, citing a US official, said the leaders of the countries Trump spoke to reacted to his normalization request with silence.“There was silence on the line and Trump joked and asked if they are still there,” one of the officials was quoted as saying.Apparently undeterred, the US president further claimed in his Truth Social post that “numerous” of the leaders he spoke to “would be honored,” as soon as a deal with Tehran is signed, “to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords.”Trump suggested on Sunday that Iran, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, could “perhaps” join the agreements after a deal is reached.“The Abraham Accords have proven to be, for the Countries involved (The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Kazakhstan), a Financial, Economic, and Social BOOM, even during this time of Conflict and War, with the current Members never even suggesting leaving, or taking so much as even a pause,” he continued.Suggesting that he was indeed envisioning a vastly expanded Abraham Accords framework over simply establishing ties between Israel and its neighbors, Trump declared that “nothing in the past, or in the future, will surpass” it.“Therefore, I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition,” wrote the president.Such a coalition, he said, would ensure the Middle East becomes “United, Powerful, and Economically Strong, like perhaps no other area, anywhere in the World!”He added that he had asked his representatives — reportedly Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — to immediately “begin, and successfully complete, the process of signing these Countries into the already Historic Abraham Accords.”Trump’s post suggested that he was seeking to offer Israel an upside in the nascent deal to end the war with Iran, whose reported terms have set off alarm bells in Jerusalem. Channel 12 reported on Sunday that senior Israeli officials have warned that, “As it seems, [the agreement] does not serve Israel’s interest.” Other officials have been quoted as calling it a bad deal and highly problematic for Israel.Israeli officials are concerned that the deal, which would reportedly begin with a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, does not address Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs or its support for regional proxies, delaying negotiations on these and other key war goals. According to the report, officials fear the deal would grant Iran time for economic and military recovery, after which “it will be hard for the Americans and us to go back and fight.”
US: If no 'good deal,' we could deal with Iran 'another way'Iran and US voice optimism but temper expectations for imminent breakthrough in talks-Tehran: Understandings reached on many issues, nuclear issue will only be discussed after sanctions relief; Rubio: Deal could be ‘today,’ but no hurry, Israel ‘always has right to protect itself’By Agencies and ToI Staff 25 May 2026, 1:21 pm
Iran and the United States played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war on Monday, with Tehran saying that while it had reached understandings on many issues with the US, an agreement was not imminent.“It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said during a weekly news briefing.“But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent — no one can make such a claim,” he said, accusing Washington of shifting its positions.Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a memorandum of understanding to end the war with Iran could materialize “today,” though if a “good deal” isn’t reached, the US would deal with the country in “another way.”There was a “pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the strait, get the strait open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off,” Rubio said.“It has a lot of support in the Gulf… every country that we’ve walked through it [with] understands it’s not just very reasonable, but it’s the right thing for the world to get done,” he said.“He’s not in a hurry, he’s not going to make a bad deal, and the president’s not going to make a bad agreement,” Rubio said of US President Donald Trump.Rubio emphasized that “Israel always has a right to protect itself,” amid reported dissatisfaction within Israel over the terms of the emerging memorandum, which is said to leave nearly all of Jerusalem’s concerns unmet.“If Hezbollah is going to launch missiles or launches missiles at them, Israel has every right to respond to that, or to prevent that from happening,” he said. “That’s always been understood. It’s being understood during the ceasefire.”The war against Hezbollah in Lebanon is one of many key issues that remain unresolved, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Tehran’s demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.A senior Trump administration official outlined what he said were the latest contours of issues being negotiated.Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official said Iran had agreed “in principle” to open the Strait of Hormuz, in exchange for the United States lifting its naval blockade, and to dispose of Tehran’s highly enriched uranium.The US understood Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had endorsed the broad template of the deal, he added.But Tehran is insisting that it will only discuss its nuclear program and its highly enriched uranium if Washington fulfills its commitments in the potential memorandum being negotiated, a senior Iranian diplomat told the ISNA news agency Monday.These issues would be discussed in 60-day negotiations in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and release of Iranian foreign assets, Hossein Nooshabadi said, according to the agency.Despite this, the senior US official pushed back on suggestions that Iran had not accepted disposing of its stockpiled enriched uranium. “It’s a question about how,” the official said.A second senior administration official said on Sunday the proposed framework would give negotiators 60 days to reach a final deal.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told state television that Tehran was “still prepared to assure the world that we are not seeking nuclear weapons,” but it was unclear if this promise would be enshrined in the text of the deal.According to Iran’s Fars news agency, “sanctions on oil, gas, petrochemicals and their derivatives would be temporarily lifted during the negotiation period so that Iran can freely sell its products.”Iran has long denied US and Israeli accusations that it is pursuing nuclear weapons and says it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, although the purity it has achieved far exceeds that needed for any civilian use. Iran, which is avowed to destroy Israel, has a stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium in its possession, which Israeli officials have said is sufficient for 11 nuclear bombs if enriched further.Iran says Hormuz ‘measures’ included in memorandum-Regarding efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei said that the issue was included in the text of the initial memorandum under discussion: “US actions under the title of a naval blockade must be stopped, and at the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the necessary measures for safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz.”Traffic through Hormuz, a vital global shipping route, has come under Iranian control since the outbreak of the war.Iran, which has only allowed a trickle of ships to pass through the strait, has insisted that vessels obtain permission from its armed forces before transiting the waterway.Baghaei claimed Iran was not imposing tolls on ships transiting the strait but rather collecting fees for “navigational services.”“The services that are provided — navigational services in addition to the measures necessary to protect the environment of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman — require the collection of certain fees,” he said, adding that Iran was “not seeking to collect tolls,” but failing to explain the practical difference.According to a Sunday report in Axios, during the 60-day negotiation period that would begin if a memorandum is reached, the Strait of Hormuz would be open with no tolls, and Iran would agree to clear the mines it deployed in the strait to allow ships to pass freely.In exchange, as part of the proposed deal, the US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports and issue some sanctions waivers to allow Iran to sell oil freely, the report added.Meanwhile, Iran reelected Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the top negotiator in talks with the US, as the country’s parliamentary speaker, semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday.Ghalibaf is a former brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and has led Iran’s strategic affairs since the death of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and several other top officials in the initial US-Israeli strikes that kicked off the war nearly three months ago.Iran hangs man accused of armed attacks during January protests-Also on Monday, Iran executed a man convicted of carrying out armed attacks during the nationwide anti-government protests that peaked in January, the judiciary said.Abbas Akbari’s is the latest in a string of executions by the Islamic Republic after it ramped up hangings in security-related cases after the outbreak of war.“Abbas Akbari… was hanged this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported, describing him as “one of the armed leaders” during protests in the central province of Isfahan.???? No pictures have been released of executed January 2026 protester Abbas Akbari, at least the 15th January protester executed by the regime since March 21. This snapshot from CCTV footage released by Iran’s state media appears to show him during the protests. https://t.co/qrgde8AXQY pic.twitter.com/8Em0b2y4LV — Ehsan Eghbal Eslami (@Ehsaneghbale) May 25, 2026-According to the report, Akbari “opened fire in the street at security forces” and “was one of the armed leaders of the riots in Nain town in Isfahan province” while carrying a handgun.He was also accused of attacking the governorate building, security establishments and health centers in Nain.The judiciary said Akbari had been sentenced to death on charges including “moharebeh” — waging war against God — as well as deliberate destruction of public property “with the intent of confronting the system, disrupting public order and security, and assembly and collusion against national security.”The Supreme Court upheld the sentence following his appeal, and he was executed on Monday morning, Mizan said.On Sunday, Iran executed a man convicted of espionage in the first reported execution linked to spying accusations during the war.Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions in the world after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.Iran claims to down Israeli drone; IDF says not familiar with incident-The Iranian army claimed Sunday to have downed an Israeli spying and surveillance drone in the Hormozgan province, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported.The wreckage of a shattered Orbiter drone, an Israeli product, was discovered in cooperation with Iranian naval forces, the semi-official agency claimed.The Israel Defense Forces said it was not familiar with the incident.
Trump insists uranium must be turned over or destroyed-Iranian officials in Qatar for talks on Hormuz as Tehran, US downplay chance of deal-Rubio says Washington will allow diplomacy every chance before turning to other options, while Trump warns deal will be ‘great and meaningful’ or there’ll be no deal at all By Stav Levaton,Nava Freiberg and Agencies 25 May 2026, 7:33 pm
Iran’s top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha on Monday for talks with Qatar’s prime minister on a potential deal with the US to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said, after Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi earlier in the day that the US would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before considering whether to deal with Iran in “another way.”There was a “pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the strait, get the strait (of Hormuz) open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off,” Rubio said.US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said in a post on Truth Social that the deal with Iran “will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal.”He reiterated his claim that the deal would be “the exact opposite” of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiated under former US president Barack Obama, calling it a “direct and open path to a Nuclear Weapon for Iran.”“I don’t do deals like that!” he added.In a later post, the president said that under any deal, Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile must either be turned over to the US or destroyed at another location with International Atomic Energy Agency oversight.Speaking at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Trump paid tribute to US troops killed in the campaign against Iran, vowing again that Tehran “will never have a nuclear weapon.”Strait of Hormuz central to current negotiations-Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a weekly briefing on Monday that a conclusion had been reached on many topics, but that did not mean that “we’re close to signing an agreement.”The official briefed on the talks in Doha told Reuters the discussions with Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were focused primarily on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while the country’s central bank governor is also part of the delegation to discuss the potential release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a final deal.Baghaei said the potential memorandum of understanding contains 14 points and is focused on ending the war and the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, in exchange for Iran taking steps to ensure safe transit through the strategic waterway.He said the talks were not yet focusing on nuclear issues, however, which will be negotiated over a 60-day period if the framework accord is agreed.The terms of the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran have been widely reported to provide, first, for a 60-day extension of the current ceasefire.The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened and Iran will remove the mines it has deployed in the strait in recent months. The US, for its part, will gradually remove its blockade of Iran’s ports. During the 60 days, Iran will be free to sell oil, and the US will lift some sanctions. If Iran implements various other steps, the US will thaw billions of dollars of Iranian assets held overseas. During the 60 days of negotiations, limitations on Iran’s nuclear program will be discussed.According to Baghei, the current MoU contains no specific details on the management of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied gas usually flows.He said Iran would not charge tolls for ships to pass through, but there would be a cost for services offered such as navigation and steps to protect the environment. These details would be worked out in a protocol with Oman, Baghei said, which shares the opposite shore of the waterway.Channel 12 reported Monday, citing a US source, that Iranian officials in Qatar are pushing to revise the wording of a potential agreement in an effort to secure the earlier release of some frozen Iranian assets.According to Channel 12, Tehran is seeking to introduce the last-minute changes in order to present tangible achievements on the domestic front.US stresses Israel’s right to self-defense-Rubio, amid reported dissatisfaction in Jerusalem over the terms of the emerging memorandum, emphasized on Monday that “Israel always has the right to protect itself.”“If Hezbollah is going to launch missiles or launches missiles at them, Israel has every right to respond to that, or to prevent that from happening,” he said. “That’s always been understood. It’s being understood during the ceasefire.”The war against Hezbollah in Lebanon is one of many key issues that remain unresolved, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its demand for the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.On Sunday, Channel 12 reported that senior Israeli officials have also warned that the proposed deal does not address Tehran’s missile program or its regional proxy network.Even as efforts to reach a deal continued, Iran said on Monday afternoon that it had downed a “hostile” stealth drone using a new air defense system, Iranian news agencies reported, without saying where it had come from.“This is a sign from us that no more stealth drones can penetrate the skies of the Persian Gulf,” Fars quoted unnamed officials as saying.The apparent confirmation of a new air defense system being deployed in Iran coincided with an Israeli report citing US intelligence officials and a senior Israeli official claiming that Tehran had resumed production of critical weapons systems far faster than initially expected.According to the Channel 12 report, Iran has restarted manufacturing ballistic missiles and missile launchers using surviving components, improvised underground facilities, and partially restored production lines, with assistance from Russia and China.The report said Israeli defense officials now assess Iran could rebuild its drone capabilities within months and significantly ramp up ballistic missile production within about a year, or possibly sooner.Channel 12 reported that updated intelligence assessments also indicate that roughly two-thirds of Iran’s missile launchers remain operational, contradicting earlier wartime estimates that about half had been destroyed.The report added that US and Israeli intelligence officials are divided over how long Iran’s broader military reconstruction will take, though current estimates range from several months to a few years – rather than decades, as some officials had previously claimed.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Iran executes man over alleged cooperation with Mossad spy agency-Judiciary claims that Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was tasked with recruiting operatives in country, was part of Israeli plot to assassinate rabbi and blame Iranians By AFP and ToI Staff Today, 1:16 pm-MAY 26,26
Iranian authorities on Tuesday executed a man after convicting him of cooperation with and espionage for Israel’s Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said.“Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was executed on charges of intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported, adding that his sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court.The hanging was the latest in a string of executions by the Islamic Republic for security-related cases following the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States on February 28.Mizan described Shekarab as “one of the operational ringleaders of Mossad abroad… who was seeking to recruit individuals inside the country” for “anti-security actions.”“Ultimately, in a complex operation and using intelligence deception tactics, the accused was guided into the country and arrested,” it said, adding that he was detained by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence forces.The report also claimed Shekarab had been tasked by Mossad “to travel to one of the regional countries with the aim of identifying and preparing the groundwork for the assassination of a Jewish rabbi… to accuse Iran of anti-Jewish actions.”Iran executed a man on Tuesday on accusations of spying for Israel, IRGC-linked Tasnim News reported on Tuesday. The sentence for Gholamreza Khani Shekarab had been upheld by the country's Supreme Court before being carried, according to the report.https://t.co/h6ytoKHEED pic.twitter.com/dYPSnRbLHi Advertisement — Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) May 26, 2026-It was not immediately clear when Shekarab was arrested or sentenced.“Finally, after reviewing the case… and after legal proceedings and confirmation of the sentence in the Supreme Court, the accused was executed by hanging this morning,” the report added.On Monday, Iran executed a man after convicting him of carrying out armed attacks during the nationwide anti-government protests that peaked in January.The day before, Iran hanged Mojtaba Kian over espionage, in the first reported execution linked to spying offences during Iran’s war with the United States and Israel.Israel and the US launched the war in a bid to destabilize the regime and destroy its nuclear and missile programs, with a shaky ceasefire in place since April 8.Since the start of the conflict, Iran has stepped up executions for allegedly spying or collaborating with Israel and the US, although before Sunday, all those hanged were sentenced for offenses carried out before the war.Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions in the world after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights says the Islamic Republic executed at least 1,500 people last year
Iran’s president orders reopening of international internet access – state media-Pezeshkian said to instruct end to nearly 90-day blackout, though mechanism for how and when country would reconnect to global web unknown-By Reuters and ToI Staff 25 May 2026, 10:43 pm
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued an order to reopen international internet access, Iranian state media reported on Monday, citing an official, after a near-90-day blackout amid the war against US and Israel.The report cited the head of public relations at Iran’s Communications Ministry.The mechanism for how and when Iran would reconnect to the global web following the decision was unknown.Most Iranians have been unable to access the World Wide Web for 87 days, according to the internet observatory NetBlocks on Monday, with only a few citizens having access to expensive and advanced VPNs that circumvent the restrictions.Authorities initially imposed an internet blackout from January 8 in response to nationwide anti-government protests, immediately before a deadly crackdown in which thousands, or tens of thousands, were reportedly killed. Connections were gradually getting back to normal in February, before a new blackout was initiated following the start of US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28.The internet disruptions hit a wide range of sectors beyond the digital economy and weighed on the labor market, threatening incomes and jobs for many workers, particularly freelancers and small businesses reliant on online activity.In normal times, access to the global internet remains heavily restricted via censorship of many websites, while authorities are increasingly relying on an intranet to provide connected services without relying on the web, notably for schools that are currently following an online curriculum.Israel and the US launched their campaign against Iran in a bid to destabilize the regime and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile capacities. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes across the region, including at Israel.A ceasefire began on April 8 while the US and Iran hold mediated talks to reach a more permanent truce. The reported lifting of internet restrictions came amid speculation that the two sides were closing in on a deal.
Analysis-Israel began the Iran war as a partner of the US — and is ending it on the sidelines-Netanyahu said the war was meant to halt the Iranian threat and suggested it brought the US and Israel closer than ever. Now Trump has frozen the PM out of talks that may leave that threat intact By Ben Sales
25 May 2026, 9:28 am
When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the case for fighting a second war with Iran in eight months, he put forward two arguments.The first was that, for Israel’s survival, the threat posed by the regime in Tehran needed to be stopped.“The goal of the operation is to put an end to the threat from the Ayatollah regime in Iran,” he said in a video message on February 28, back-to-back with one delivered by US President Donald Trump, hours after the campaign was launched.“If we do not act,” Netanyahu said, “we will face a nuclear Iran, an Iran with tens of thousands of ballistic missiles, an Iran that seeks to destroy us and would be immune to our countermeasures.”The second argument, only slightly more implicit, was that this war represented an offer Israel couldn’t pass up: a chance to fight its chief adversary shoulder-to-shoulder with the most powerful army in the history of the world. By prosecuting this war, the US and Israel, Netanyahu suggested, were closer than ever.“We are doing this in full coordination with our friends in the US, under the courageous leadership of Trump,” he said. “As a people that cherishes life, we have no choice but to go to battle. But this time, we do so with the combined mighty power of the State of Israel and the United States of America.”Near the beginning of the speech, he assured his country: “This operation will continue as long as necessary.”Three months later, it has become all but conventional wisdom in Israel that the first set of goals for the war — toppling the regime and eliminating its threat — has not been met. The Iranian regime still exists. It still possesses much of its ballistic missile arsenal and its stockpile of enriched uranium. And it also controls the Strait of Hormuz.Now, it appears that Netanyahu’s second reason for the war — building an unprecedentedly strong US-Israel relationship — is also crumbling. Netanyahu has claimed that he and Trump are partners, but he’s finishing the war on the sidelines. And he’s not the only one being shunned: In addition to emerging from the Iran war in a strategically precarious position, Israel itself is historically unpopular among the citizens of its greatest ally.The US and Israel did, indeed, begin this war together. But they are ending it separately or, more accurately, Trump is ending it himself, with Netanyahu watching.Trump, always true to character, has made this explicit, telling the press last week that the leader of Israel will “do whatever I want him to do.”Further proof of this dynamic came on Saturday, when Trump, in the throes of fateful negotiations with Tehran, held a summit-style call with a group of Middle East leaders to brief them on the talks. Netanyahu wasn’t included.Netanyahu and Trump did speak later that night, after it was clear that Washington and Tehran were closing in on a memorandum of understanding, based on talks that pointedly excluded Israel.Trump reportedly urged the Arab and Muslim nations on the call to normalize ties with Israel. And Netanyahu, in a post on X on Sunday, insisted that he and Trump “agreed that any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear danger.” He added: “That means dismantling Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites and removing its enriched nuclear material from its territory.”Trump and Netanyahu may have agreed to all of those things. But Trump frequently contradicts himself in public, and has a famous relish for dealmaking, a craft that generally entails changing positions and making concessions. He said as much in a Truth Social post on Sunday, in which he wrote that any deal he reached with Iran would be “good and proper” but that “nobody has seen it, or knows what it is. It isn’t even fully negotiated yet.”In other words, a final agreement with Iran may well lead to the dismantling of its nuclear program, or perhaps even to relations between Jerusalem and Riyadh. But Israel has no guarantee of that, and Netanyahu won’t be at the table where the deal is decided.This isn’t just about Netanyahu, who, after all, may or may not be prime minister a few months from now. He’s far from the only Israeli premier to feud with a US president, even when the alliance is going well.The issue for Israel’s leaders across the political spectrum is that, at least for the near future, Trump might be the friendliest American president they can hope for. Last week, a fresh batch of polling data told what is now becoming an old story: Following the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, Americans are souring on Israel.The New York Times/Siena survey found that most Americans disapproved of the way Trump was handling the Iran war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and opposed American military and economic support for Israel. In each case, disapproval was overwhelming among Democrats, but a quarter or so of Republicans also opposed Trump’s policies on those fronts. Only 56 percent of Republicans said they want to see their next candidate for president follow Trump’s lead on Israel.Another way to read that data, of course, is that most Republicans — if not most Americans — still support Israel. So if Republicans somehow manage to retain control of the US government after the November midterm elections, the status quo could continue.But that status quo is not the one of the shoulder-to-shoulder US-Israeli partnership described in Netanyahu’s speech. Rather, it’s one in which the US president is freezing Israel out of talks with Iran, and in which he publicly boasts about controlling Israel’s prime minister. The status quo is one in which US voters’ support for Israel is plummeting at the very moment the US negotiates a deal that could determine Israel’s security and standing in the Middle East for years.Trump has often made clear his desire to be seen as a peacemaker, and if he succeeds in ending a war he started, he may again assert his claim to that mantle. But while Israel began the war with the US, its conclusion will be primarily decided by America. The same bellicose, eliminationist threats to Israel will probably still be there, all while American support for fighting them slips away.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH) (DO NOT EVER LISTEN TO ANYBODY THAT SAYS THE WORLD IS ENDING.ITS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN-4 BILLION WILL BE LEFT ON EARTH TO GO INTO JESUS" 1000 YEAR RULE)(THAT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD TO ANY ONE, DOES IT-NOT ME.THE EARTH IS JUST RENOVATED.NEVER ENDED.
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
WORLD TERRORISM
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.(CAN YOU SAY TORNADOES,HURRICANES,VOLCANOES,EARTH QUAKES,LANDSLIDES,FLASH FLOODING,EXPLOSIONS,SNOW STORMS,THEN FINALLY NUKESAND ANY OTHER JUDGEMENTS THE EARTH CAN VOMIT THE SINNERS OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH WITH.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
Joel 3:2-King James Version (YOU DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
LUKE 19:40
40 And He answered and said unto them, “I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
What we know about Russia's Oreshnik missile fired on Ukraine.
Moscow, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2026-Russia has used its nuclear-capable ballistic missile -- dubbed Oreshnik -- three times in the war against Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, it is a "state-of-the-art" weapon that cannot be intercepted.On Sunday, the intermediate-range projectile struck an undisclosed location in Bila Tserkva, a town in greater Kyiv, the Ukrainian army said.In early January, the hypersonic missile hit a major gas depot in the Lviv region in western Ukraine, local officials said.Named after the Russian word for hazel tree, it was first fired at a plant in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in 2024, Moscow said. The rocket did not carry a nuclear payload in any of the three strikes.Here is what we know about the weapon:- Range -Russia said Oreshnik is an intermediate-range missile, meaning it can reach targets between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometres (1,860-3,400 miles) away.Sergei Karakayev, the commander of Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces -- which controls its nuclear arsenal and intercontinental ballistic missile programme -- has said that Oreshnik can hit targets "throughout Europe".Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a key ally of Russia's leader Vladimir Putin, said that Oreshnik had been deployed in his country, which borders NATO's eastern flank.Moscow promptly announced that the missile system had "entered combat duty".Ukraine says the missile was fired from the Kapustin Yar range, near the southern Russian city of Volgograd.- Power -Oreshnik has "dozens of warheads, homing warheads", Putin said in 2024.The missile itself, he added, does not cause mass destruction because "there is no nuclear warhead, and that means there is no nuclear contamination after its use".Military experts say Oreshnik could be equipped to carry nuclear warheads.Putin said the missile's destructive elements can reach a temperature close to the surface of the Sun."Therefore everything in the epicentre of the explosion breaks up into fractions, into elementary particles, essentially into dust," he said in 2024.He added that the missile can strike "even targets that are highly protected and located at a great depth".At the site of the first Oreshnik strike on Dnipro in 2024, AFP saw limited damage -- a building roof blown off and scorched trees. Ukrainian officials also reported only limited destruction, suggesting it had been equipped with dummy warheads.Residents reported a "hellish noise" and bright bursts of light during the strike.- Speed -Putin has claimed it is "impossible" for modern air defences to intercept the Oreshnik, which attacks at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3 kilometres per second.Experts say the missile can travel at hypersonic speeds, but cannot be manoeuvred in the same way typical hypersonic missiles can."As with other intermediate and intercontinental ballistic missiles, its warheads enter the atmosphere and reach their targets at hypersonic speeds," Marcin Andrzej Piotrowski, analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), said in 2024."But unlike the hypersonic weapons, Oreshnik's warheads did not perform any manoeuvres at hypersonic speeds, which would complicate the operation of anti-missile defences," he added after the first attack.- Origins -Putin said in 2024 that Oreshnik was "not a modernisation of an old, Soviet system" but a "modern, state-of-the-art" device.The US defence department described Oreshnik as an "experimental" missile based on Russia's RS-26 Rubezh ICBM.Karakayev said the missile, a "ground-based medium-range system", had been constructed based on an order from Putin issued in July 2023.
UN nuclear nonproliferation talks fail.
United Nations, United States, May 22 (AFP) May 22, 2026-Talks at the UN to reaffirm nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament goals failed on Friday, according to the leader of the talks, after four weeks of negotiations held amid low expectations.Vietnam's Do Hung Viet, the president of the conference, said that "despite our best efforts... it is my understanding that the conference is not in a position to achieve agreement on its substantive work.""I do not intend to put the document forward for adoption," he added.Negotiators were reviewing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the cornerstone of nuclear weapons control, amid fears of a renewed arms race. Previous reviews in 2015 and 2022 were also unsuccessful.With expectations low, participants negotiated over a repeatedly reviewed and watered-down text, which they ultimately failed to adopt.Experts pointed out that even in the absence of a review agreement for the third time in a row, the treaty continues to exist, but with diminished legitimacy."The text keeps on becoming less and less anchored in the realities of current conflicts and proliferation risks," including North Korea and Iran, analyst Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group said before the outcome was announced.The latest version of the text seen by AFP on Friday merely stated that Tehran must "never" develop nuclear weapons.The paragraph was in brackets, signaling persistent disagreement, despite the removal of the reference to Iran's "non-compliance" with its obligations that appeared in the first draft.Also gone were expressions of concern about North Korea's nuclear program, or even any mention of the "denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.Gone as well was the direct call on the United States and Russia to begin negotiations on a successor to the New START treaty limiting Russian and American arsenals, which expired in February.The diluted text still covered "the risk of a resumption of nuclear testing by Russia, China and the United States, the growth of arsenals, and attacks on nuclear infrastructure," Heloise Fayet of the French Institute of International Relations said earlier on Friday.Exactly why the review failed isn't yet known."The majority of countries are indeed working in good faith for disarmament," said Seth Shelden of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), commenting on the failure of the talks."But the small handful of nuclear-armed states, and certain of their allies, are undermining the NPT, frustrating disarmament efforts, expanding arsenals and provoking proliferation, and pointing the world toward catastrophe," he added.According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the nine nuclear-armed states -- Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea -- possessed 12,241 nuclear warheads in January 2025, 90 percent of which were in American and Russian hands.Some countries are modernizing their arsenals or even increasing their stockpiles.The NPT, which entered into force in 1970 and has been signed by almost all states -- with notable exceptions including Israel, India and Pakistan -- aims to prevent proliferation, promote complete disarmament and encourage cooperation for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
As IPO nears, arms maker KNDS reports booming profits.
Frankfurt, Germany, May 26 (AFP) May 26, 2026-Franco-German tank and weapons maker KNDS reported booming earnings Tuesday as it gears up to launch the latest initial public offering in the fast-growing defence sector.The news came after the German government announced last week it planned to seek a substantial stake when the group launches its IPO as it tries to gain more influence over the arms manufacturer.KNDS said its revenues grew nearly 16 percent last year, reaching 4.4 billion euros ($5.1 billion), as European countries re-arm to face a hostile Russia and other geopolitical turmoil.Operating profits reached 661 million euros, up from 500 million euros in 2024. The group's order backlog hit 33.1 billion euros.The Amsterdam-headquartered company said 2025 was a "landmark year", pointing to the "structural shift in the geopolitical environment and sustained increases in European and NATO defence budgets following recent conflicts".The group -- whose products include the Leopard 2 battle tank and Caesar howitzers -- is continuing preparations for its IPO in 2026, with a dual listing in Frankfurt and Paris, it said in a statement."Work within the company is progressing with a very satisfactory level of readiness, and remains fully in line with the initial schedule," it said.Reports earlier this month said that Berlin had sought a delay to the share offering as officials argued over the same of a potential stake.However KNDS reportedly grew frustrated with Berlin's foot-dragging and publicly insisted it would push ahead with the IPO.Berlin confirmed soon afterwards it was aiming for an initial holding of 40 percent, to be reduced to 30 percent in two to three years.The French state has had effective control of the group as a French public company holds a significant stake, with Germany's Wegmann family owning the other part.But the family now want to sell their stake.It is the latest in a string of defence industry share offerings as companies seek to cash in on growing investor appetite for the sector.sr/fz/cwKNDS
S. Korea says it will build nuclear-powered submarines at home.
Seoul, May 26 (AFP) May 26, 2026-South Korea will build its nuclear-powered submarines at home, the defence minister said on Tuesday, with a plan to launch its first vessel in the mid-2030s.Seoul is seeking to bolster deterrence against nuclear-armed North Korea, with the South set to join a small circle of countries that operate nuclear-powered submarines after receiving US approval for the supply of restricted nuclear fuel."We will develop and build nuclear-powered submarines with our own technology to launch the first vessel in the mid-2030s," Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told a defence strategy meeting attended by President Lee Jae Myung.Ahn said the first submarine would enter operational service "in the latter half of the 2030s".South Korea has long sought to acquire nuclear-powered submarines to counter North Korea's growing military threats, although it had been constrained by a nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States.Lee said in November Seoul had received Washington's approval for the construction of nuclear-powered submarines as part of a long-awaited security and trade agreement.That included US approval for uranium enrichment and reprocessing spent fuel.However, there had not yet been any firm indication about where the submarines would be built, with Trump saying they would be built "right here in the good ol' U.S.A.".South Korea, which possesses nuclear reactors, said it would fulfil its nuclear non-proliferation obligations throughout the process of securing and managing low-enriched uranium for the submarines."The Republic of Korea maintains a firm stance that it does not possess any form of nuclear weapons and will not develop them," Ahn said.Lee said after Ahn's briefing that nuclear-powered submarines would be "a symbol of our determination to take responsibility for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula".US nuclear submarine technology is considered among the most sensitive and tightly guarded military secrets.
Netanyahu briefly treated at Jerusalem hospital; his office says it was for dental work-PM’s health has become a major focus after revelation of cancer diagnosis, criticism of medical information being withheld from the public By Nava Freiberg Today, 12:38 amUpdated at 11:41 am-MAY 26,26
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center on Monday evening, his office said, adding that the premier was receiving unspecified dental treatment.The Prime Minister’s Office issued the statement after Hebrew media reported that he had been taken to the hospital. It updated on Tuesday morning that he went home later on Monday night.The 76-year-old premier’s health has become a major focus after several incidents that exposed him to criticism over the withholding of medical information from the public. They have led to considerable speculation among many in Israel as to the prime minister’s overall health.Last month, Netanyahu revealed in a lengthy social media post that he had recently undergone successful radiation treatment at Hadassah for a malignant tumor in his prostate, but had held off on informing the public, claiming Iran would have used the information to spread propaganda against Israel in the midst of the recent war.He did not specify when he was diagnosed, when he began treatment, or when treatment had ended.Netanyahu’s announcement was accompanied by the release of his annual health report along with an additional document on his cancer diagnosis and treatment, though the report consisted of five vague bullet points covering half a page, and did not even say what year it covered. Neither document bore a hospital logo or any indication that they were formal medical statements.Netanyahu also had a pacemaker implanted in July 2023, a hernia surgery in March 2024, and a prostate removal surgery in December 2024.At the time Netanyahu received the pacemaker, initial reports stated that he had stayed overnight at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan for what his office and the hospital said was dehydration monitoring. However, questions surfaced about the premier’s overall health after the hospital announced that he had, in fact, been fitted with a subcutaneous heart monitor.The doctors acknowledged a week later that they had spotted irregularities in an electrocardiogram test when he was hospitalized, but had nonetheless assured the public that the premier’s heart was “completely normal.
School canceled in many communities near border-Netanyahu orders IDF to ‘intensify blows’ against Hezbollah amid surge in drone attacks-Residents flee southern Beirut after threat, as US indicates it will allow greater Israeli action against Iran-backed terror group; northern mayor expects ‘war will intensify’ in coming days By Nava Freiberg,Stav Levaton,ToI Staff and Agencies Today, 2:03 am-MAY 26,26
Israel will escalate strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday evening, as a US official said the terror group had ignored warnings to halt firing at Israel in a conflict that could threaten US-Iran negotiations.The prime minister’s remarks were followed by confirmation from the IDF that it had launched a fresh wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in eastern and southern Lebanon.Lebanese security sources said people had begun fleeing the southern suburbs of Beirut, a known Hezbollah stronghold, for fear of a renewed Israeli assault on the capital.In Israel, local leaders in communities along the northern border announced that schools would be shut on Tuesday and until further notice, with most studies shifted to distance learning. The decisions were taken independently and without instruction to do so from the IDF Home Front Command.A senior US official indicated on Monday, amid a surge in drone attacks targeting Israel, that Washington could soon greenlight a larger Israeli operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon.Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have continued to trade blows despite an April 16 truce aimed at halting the deadliest spillover of the US-Israeli joint war on Iran. However, Israel has avoided targeting the terror group in Beirut and other locations beyond southern Lebanon, facing pressure from Washington amid the talks with Iran. Tehran has demanded a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon as a condition in talks with the US aimed at ending the broader war.The IDF has struggled to counter the daily threat of Hezbollah drone attacks on troops in Lebanon and on communities in northern Israel.Netanyahu said Israel would begin intensifying its operations in Lebanon again, after incidents on Monday in which an unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into a home in the northern border community of Metula, and an explosive drone damaged a school bus stop in the border village of Shomera. A soldier was also killed by a suicide drone on Sunday, the latest in a line of servicemen recently killed in such attacks.“Hezbollah has ignored repeated requests to stop firing at Israel, including a recent ultimatum,” the senior US official told The Times of Israel. “Israel will never be expected to passively absorb attacks on its forces and civilians. This is not the Biden administration.”The official noted that over the past eight days, Hezbollah had fired over 1,000 drones and more than 700 rockets at Israel, in an apparent bid to derail talks between Jerusalem and Beirut, several rounds of which have been held in Washington.“It broke the ceasefire on March 2 and is now intent on denying the Lebanese people a path to peace and reconstruction,” the official said, referring to Hezbollah’s decision to join Iran in attacking Israel days into the joint US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic.The Iran-backed terror group sees the talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington as “an existential threat,” the official said, and fears a ceasefire that would strip it of its “power and narrative.”DF struggles to contain Hezbollah drone threat-Hezbollah, in recent weeks, has been steadily increasing the number of drone, UAV and rocket attacks on Israeli troops deployed in southern Lebanon and on northern Israel communities, apparently undeterred by the ostensible US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.In a rare public acknowledgement, an IDF official told Channel 12 on Monday that Israel has found itself “defenseless” against the drone threat posed by Hezbollah, with the terror group increasingly deploying first-person view drones guided by fiber-optic cables, which are largely immune to electronic jamming.“At the moment, we are defenseless in the face of this deadly reality,” said the unnamed official, whom Channel 12 described as someone involved in security cabinet discussions.The official said that Israel was using makeshift methods to defend against the surge in drone use. Jerusalem is “without solutions on the diplomatic stage,” the official said, referring to Israel being limited in its ability to carry out widespread offensive operations in Lebanon due to pressure from the US.“The truth is our hands are tied, and that needs to change soon,” the official said, adding that civilian areas were sitting ducks to the cheap Hezbollah attack drones.Appearing to suggest that the IDF had run out of patience with Hezbollah, the chief of the IDF Northern Command Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo said on Monday evening that the military was “at war” in Lebanon, and would “not tolerate fire on the home front.”“Harm to civilians and the civilian sphere is not a reality we can accept or treat as routine,” Milo said at a ceremony for the 474th “Golan” Regional Brigade in Katzrin, a city in the Golan Heights, accusing Hezbollah of deliberately escalating the security situation in the north through direct attacks on civilians.Channel 12 also reported that the IDF has thinned out troops in southern Lebanon to avoid exposing them to the drones, after a string of deadly attacks in recent days.The report said the IDF was pushing the government to authorize a wider operation.‘Intensify the blows’To that end, Netanyahu announced in a video statement on Monday night that he had instructed the IDF to “press the pedal even harder” against Hezbollah.“We are at war with Hezbollah. Just in recent weeks, our brave fighters have eliminated more than 600 terrorists,” said the premier. “But we are not taking our foot off the gas. On the contrary, I have instructed them to press the pedal even harder.”“We will strike them,” he reiterated. “Yes, they are attacking us with drones, cyber-enabled drones, and we have a special team working on this — and we will solve that too. But what this requires of us now is to intensify the blows, increase the force,” Netanyahu said, vowing to “strike them decisively.”His comments came hours after far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich both separately called for a return to full-fledged fighting in Lebanon, with the former demanding that Israel expand deeper into the country and the latter declaring that “for every explosive drone, 10 buildings in Beirut must fall.”Shortly after the prime minister’s statement, the IDF announced that it had launched a wave of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley, in eastern Lebanon, and other areas of the country.The strikes followed an earlier wave targeting infrastructure in the southern city of Tyre.Those strikes came after Israel issued evacuation orders for 10 villages earlier in the day.Amid the fresh strikes, Lebanon’s National News Agency said on Monday night that a man and a woman had been killed in a strike on their home in Arabsalim, southern Lebanon. Earlier in the day, it reported that three people had been killed in southern Lebanon in strikes targeting two cars and a motorcycle.In a statement following the new strikes, the IDF said it had struck more than 70 Hezbollah sites across Lebanon in the past 24 hours, including around 10 command centers and weapons depots in Tyre.The military said it used more than 85 munitions to target the sites, which were “used by Hezbollah to advance attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.”The IDF also said the air force struck and killed Hezbollah operatives riding motorcycles in an area where troops were operating in southern Lebanon. It was unclear whether the incident was the same one reported by the NNA.Northern mayor warns ‘war will intensify’ in coming days-Earlier on Monday, following the UAV strike in Metula and a host of other drone incursions, northern council heads and mayors met with the IDF’s Milo to demand answers on the risk posed to their communities by Hezbollah and the future of the IDF’s operations in Lebanon, according to Ynet.Following the meeting, Shlomi Mayor Gabi Naaman warned residents that “the war will intensify even more tonight and in the coming days.”“We must be more vigilant than usual,” he added.Naaman said he requested that the Home Front Command and Education Ministry shut down the education system and move to distance learning amid the re-escalating conflict.The IDF’s move to ramp up its offensive in Lebanon comes even amid concern in Israel that an emerging deal to end the US-Iran war will also force it to halt operations against Hezbollah.Jerusalem, which launched the war in Iran together with the US, has been almost entirely locked out of the negotiations between Washington and Tehran, according to media reports.Separate from the US-Iran negotiations, Lebanon and Israel began landmark US-brokered talks last month and are preparing for a fourth round in early June, preceded by a meeting between military delegations at the Pentagon on May 29.The talks have been vehemently rejected by Hezbollah, with the terror group’s leader, Naim Qassem, reiterating his opposition to them on Sunday evening and repeating his refusal to allow Hezbollah to disarm.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned his remarks, accusing him of calling for the “overthrow” of the Lebanese government and of wanting to “plunge Lebanon back into chaos.”In response to Rubio, Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar called on the US administration on Monday to stop “interfering in Lebanese affairs and destabilizing the country.”
I HOPE JUDGEMENT ON MONTREAL WILL BE THAT THE CANADIENS GET BLASTED OUT BY CAROLINA IN THE NEXT 2 GAMES.THAT'LL TEACH THESE ISRAEL HATERS A LESSON IN MONTREAL.DEAR FATHER GOD I PRAY YOU WILL TAKE THE HOCKEY WORSHIP OUT OF MONTREAL BY LETTING THEM BE ELIMINATED 4 GAMES TO 1. AND THE NEXT 2 I PRAY CAROLINA WINS BY SCORES OF 6-3 AND 8-2. AND I PRAY THIS FATHER IN JESUS" OUR JEWISH MESSIAHS PRECIOUS NAME.AMEN AND AMEM.IT IS DONE.
Anti-Israel protesters hang effigies of Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, Trump at Montreal rally-Canadian politicians call the display at demonstration on Sunday ‘disgusting, antisemitic and clear incitement’By Zev Stub-Today, 3:06 pm-MAY 26,26
Protesters at an anti-Israel event in Montreal this week displayed effigies of Israeli and American politicians hanged with a rope, video showed.Footage shared on social media showed that figures representing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and US President Donald Trump hanging from nooses at a protest that took place Sunday in the center of the Canadian city, organized by the extremist group Montreal4Palestine.Other videos that were more widely shared on social media seemed to indicate that the figure of a Jew wearing a kippah was hanged. Viewed from the front, it was evident that the figure was a depiction of Ben Gvir.Scenes of the display were included in a video montage the group posted on social media after the event.The display also appeared to include the flag of the local hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens. No reason has been given.Canadian MP Anthony Housefather called the display “disgusting, antisemitic and clear incitement,” while city councilor Leslie Roberts said the incident is “unacceptable.” Both said the police should investigate.???????? Montreal, Canada, May 2026: The pro-Hamas group “Mtl4Pal” has been displaying effigies of Jews wearing kippas, Israeli politicians, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Donald Trump hanging from nooses at protests. pic.twitter.com/nTYaAXjPOR — Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) May 26, 2026-The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, meanwhile, said in a statement that the incident “evokes some of the darkest antisemitic imagery in history and is completely unacceptable.”“This is not ‘peaceful activism.’ It is the promotion of hatred and the incitement of violence that fuels the radicalization of our social climate,” the organization wrote on X. “What will it take for authorities to treat these acts as the serious threat they are?”The incident comes amid skyrocketing levels of antisemitism in Canada. Last year, Canadian Jews experienced a record 6,800 antisemitic incidents, B’nai Brith Canada said in a recent report.Since then, attacks have seemingly increased, including a wave of shootings at synagogues. Less than five months into 2026, the country has seen more violent incidents against Jews than in all of last year, B’nai Brith Canada said earlier this month.The 400,000-strong Canadian Jewish community has been among the hardest hit by antisemitism since the Hamas terror group launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023.The most violent incidents have included a Toronto Jewish girls’ school hit with gunfire in overnight shootings three times, two Jewish institutions in Montreal hit by firebombings, three men attempting to kidnap Jewish women, antisemitic graffiti daubed on three synagogues in Nova Scotia, and a Jewish man in Montreal beaten in front of his children.
Man killed in car blast in Afula, woman found dead in Haifa as crime wave sweeps Israel-Police don’t suspect nationalistic motive in Afula; husband of woman found dead in Haifa apartment reportedly among those arrested in suspected homicide case By Charlie Summers-Today, 11:16 am-MAY 26,26
A man was killed in a car explosion in Afula, in northern Israel, and a woman was found dead in an apartment in nearby Haifa on Tuesday, both of them apparently the latest victims of an unrelenting crime wave that has swept Israel in recent months.The Magen David Adom emergency service said it received a report at 8:40 a.m. about a vehicle that had exploded in Afula, and dispatched medics to the scene.Medics found the man in his 30s unconscious and suffering from multi-system injuries. They attempted to resuscitate him en route to HaEmek Medical Center, but he succumbed to his wounds.At the same time, police officers arrived at the site of the blast and opened an investigation, while the Fire and Rescue Service worked to extinguish the blaze caused by the explosion and prevent it from spreading to nearby houses.Police suspect the motive behind the blast is criminal, rather than nationalistic.Elsewhere in northern Israel, a woman, aged around 50, was found dead in an apartment in Haifa, in an incident police are treating as a suspected homicide.Three residents of the city have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the woman’s death, police said. According to Channel 12, the woman’s husband is one of three detained suspects.The two incidents were the latest in a deadly wave of crime that has predominantly impacted Israel’s Arab community, but which has claimed Jewish lives as well.Government critics have blamed National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the Israel Police for failing to tackle the out-of-control violence. Justice Minister Yariv Levin has also been criticized for refusing to fill dozens of empty judicial posts, hampering enforcement efforts.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Gaza smuggling ring was allegedly aided from within Israeli security forces – report-Suspect operating from Ramallah accused of working with Gazan who enjoyed ties with police; contraband operation believed to have run alongside legitimate goods deliveriesBy ToI Staff Today, 9:08 am-MAY 26,26
A major smuggling operation that brought banned goods into the Gaza Strip during the war with Hamas was, in part, allegedly cooperating with Israeli security bodies, according to an indictment filed last month.The details came to light from charges filed last month against a Gaza man accused of operating the smuggling ring alongside work with Israeli authorities to bring goods into Gaza, Haaretz reported Monday.Charges were filed at the Ofer Military Court against Ramallah resident Rajab Salim, 35, who worked with a figure in Gaza dubbed “Abu Basel.” Salim, formerly from Gaza, has a permit to be in Israel and was in the West Bank on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led its invasion of southern Israel, triggering the war. He remained there ever since and allegedly established a smuggling network with Abu Basel, while working with Israeli security bodies to bring goods into Gaza, including humanitarian aid. The smuggling side of the operation was said to have netted tens of millions of shekels.The indictment noted that Abu Basel had “many ties to the Israel Police,” which he used to obtain the release of suspects arrested on suspicion of smuggling.A source familiar with the case confirmed the details to Haaretz.The case was first reported last week by the Posta judicial news outlet.According to the indictment, goods that were smuggled to Gaza were seized by Hamas.Salim’s attorney said his client denies smuggling, that all his actions were coordinated with security bodies, and that “security entities were involved in some of the smuggling, so that there was a mix of black and white — with a large gray area,” leaving Salim to believe he was acting with approval.The operation continued from 2024 and throughout 2025, with a total of 16 smuggling trucks entering the Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza. Among the goods smuggled in were cellphones, computers, tobacco, solar panels, batteries, generators, electric bicycles and washing machines. In addition, according to the incident, Abu Salem brought heavy construction machinery into Gaza.On one occasion, in December 2025, Israeli authorities raided a site in Beit Haarava, where smugglers were loading goods onto trucks to be sent to Gaza. However, Salim allegedly contacted Abu Basel, who used his ties with Israeli security services to secure the release of the smugglers.At the end of April 2026, an officer with the rank of major in the Israel Defense Forces was indicted for smuggling contraband into Gaza as well as bringing an Israeli civilian into the Strip. Haaretz did not specify if the two cases were linked, but many details appeared to overlap.In a separate case last month, a lieutenant in the IDF was indicted for smuggling contraband into the Gaza Strip in exchange for millions of shekels.And in February, state prosecutors filed charges against 15 suspects, among them IDF reservists, accused of taking part in a major smuggling ring that trafficked goods into the Gaza Strip.That alleged smuggling ring is linked to Bezalel Zini, the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini. Bezalel Zini is thought to have helped the network’s members smuggle cigarettes, taking advantage of his IDF reserve service in Gaza.
One arrested as Gaza flotilla activists face rowdy welcome on return to Austria-Video shows man pinned to ground as he chants ‘Free Palestine’; others march through Vienna airport chanting ‘From the river to the sea’; police say they used ‘proportionate force’By ToI Staff and Agencies 25 May 2026, 8:41 pm
Austrian police arrested one person as three activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla returned home on Sunday and were greeted by a rowdy welcoming from supporters.A video showed the man being manhandled to the floor as police confronted the activists, along with a crowd of their supporters who greeted them at Vienna International Airport.It came a day after Spanish police arrested four people during a clash at Bilbao Airport when four flotilla activists returned to that country.In the Vienna video, supporters were seen marching through the airport waving Palestinian flags.They chanted “From the river to the sea,” which is seen by some as a call to wipe Israel off the map.Police officers arrived as the group became loud and obstructed the area, according to a Monday report from the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper.An Austrian Flotilla member was just assertively ARRESTED as soon as he landed in Vienna airport. Seems he’s been a very naughty boy. pic.twitter.com/DUxZ0Yl7av — Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) May 24, 2026-The man who was arrested was seen being pushed to the ground with his arms behind his back as he chanted “Free Palestine.”In the video, the man can also be heard saying to police, “I’m just coming back from your role models,” an apparent reference to alleged rough treatment by Israeli authorities.He later identified himself in a separate video he posted to social media as former Austrian pro-skier Julian Schutter.“I was arrested because I was apparently too loud and lying in the way in the terminal,” Schutter said.He also showed his arm with two bruises, claiming one was caused by Austrian police and the other by the IDF, the Mail reported.Austrian police said in a statement that they used “proportionate force,” according to the report.The incidents came after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked a diplomatic incident on Wednesday over a video he released showing him taunting the activists as they were forced to kneel on the floor with their hands bound. The video triggered an international outcry, with dozens of countries condemning Israel’s treatment of the detained activists.Israel intercepted the flotilla last week and detained 430 activists from 40 countries, who were brought to Israel and then deported.Organizers, the Global Sumud Flotilla, said they aimed to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian assistance.Israel has dismissed the flotilla as “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas.”Organizers have alleged abuse, sexual assault, and beatings that left some detainees in the hospital.Israel’s prison service has strongly denied the allegations, which Reuters could not independently verify.Eleven Australians were among the volunteers on 50 boats intercepted in international waters last week by Israeli forces.One activist reached Melbourne on Sunday evening, while others arrived in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane on Monday.Juliet Lamont, an Australian activist and documentary filmmaker, told Reuters on Monday that she was dragged, sexually assaulted, and beaten when she was detained.“That was just the beginning of four days of absolute hell. I’ve looked into the eyes of the most soulless people in the universe, and nothing came back. These people need to be stopped,” Lamont said.Another Australian activist, Sam Woripa Watson, said he sustained a fractured rib along with bruises and cuts across his body. Watson also said he had witnessed activists being tasered and shot with rubber bullets, with stun grenades thrown at them.Global Sumud Flotilla, the organizer of the aid shipment, said it had documented at least 15 cases of sexual abuse, with the worst occurring on one Israeli landing craft, which had been converted into a makeshift prison with barbed wire and shipping containers.The statement was released after the Israeli prison service’s blanket denial of mistreatment, rape, and sexual assault allegations.Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the Ben Gvir footage as “shocking and unacceptable.” Australia imposed a travel ban and financial sanctions on Ben-Gvir last year for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.Israeli forces began stopping the boats around 268 kilometers (167 miles) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website. Israel also stopped 20 boats from the flotilla on April 30 near Crete.A live feed on the Global Sumud Flotilla’s website showed IDF soldiers boarding the vessels as activists in life vests put their hands up. Soldiers then destroyed cameras mounted on the vessels.
10-day search for missing Toronto Jewish girl intensifies as safety concerns mount-Community members have offered a $25,000 reward for info about 14-year-old Esther, on the autism spectrum, who has been missing since May 15-By Zev Stub-25 May 2026, 10:23 am
Hundreds of Canadian volunteers and police officers continued searching across Toronto over the weekend for a missing 14-year-old Jewish girl whose disappearance has sparked growing concern and a large-scale community response.The teenager, Esther, also known as Esti, has been missing since May 15, when she reportedly fled after a family argument near Earl Bales Park in the city’s North York district. Police said she left home without her cellphone, shoes or a coat.The girl is on the autism spectrum, prompting police to activate a Level 1 search response, a relatively uncommon measure in missing-person cases.A $25,000 reward was announced over the weekend for information leading to the teenager’s safe return. Organizers declined to identify the donor behind the reward but said the family approved the initiative.Toronto police also released updated information over the weekend, including new surveillance images believed to show the girl inside a fast-food restaurant several hours after she disappeared. Authorities said she was later spotted around midnight on May 16, marking the last confirmed sighting in the case.There is currently no evidence that the girl was abducted, meaning the case does not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert under Canadian guidelines, police noted.????????????????????????: ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? (????????????????????????) Esti, may be going as Sylvia, remains missing. Toronto Police have advised about a confirmed sighting on May 16, 2026, at approximately 12:01 AM in the Bathurst Street & Hotspur Road area. Police remain concerned for her… pic.twitter.com/0Rt0TeCe4T Advertisement — Shomrim Toronto (@Shomrimtoronto) May 24, 2026-The search effort has intensified as concern grows for Esther’s safety. Community patrol group Shomrim Toronto said it is coordinating volunteers to distribute updated missing-person posters across the city, and is working alongside police to gather information. Hundreds of people have participated in the effort, they said.Toronto police respond to over 4,000 missing persons cases every year, but rarely attract such a broad response, local reports noted.Toronto police also launched a dedicated website and tip line to collect photos, video footage and information from the public. Authorities urged anyone who may have seen Esther or encountered her on public transit to come forward.Community members have complained that posters around the city have been torn down, conjuring up similarities to the tearing down of posters of Israeli hostages in Gaza in recent years.Posters torn down for a missing 14 yr old Jewish girl in North York in one of the most Jewish neighborhoods in Canada & reportedly happened across the city of Toronto. Advertisement Reminiscent of the disrespect of the Hostage Posters. The same exact Jew hate. Be ashamed, ???????? Canada pic.twitter.com/c5kG9XVCpQ — Dan Levy ✡ דניאל אליהו בן מאניש דוד (@TheDanLevy) May 23, 2026-At a press conference last week, Esther’s mother, Shira, described Esther as kind, friendly and smart. She made a heartfelt call for her daughter to return.“We love you so very much. We miss you terribly,” she said. “You’re not in trouble. Nobody is angry with you, no matter what has happened. All we care about is knowing that you are okay.”Shomrim is now working to expand the search to additional neighborhoods, they said.
Hajj pilgrims brave sweltering Mecca heat with ice cream and giant fans-Millions of Muslims from around the world flock to Saudi Arabia’s holy city, though summer scorcher raises heatstroke risk as authorities look to cool down the massive crowds By Haitham el-Tabei 25 May 2026, 10:04 am
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — To avoid the punishing sun, Inas Gamal abandoned her ambitious plan of spending the days ahead of the hajj praying in Mecca’s Grand Mosque and retreated to the comfort of an air-conditioned hotel room to perform her daytime prayers.Despite traveling all the way from Egypt for the annual pilgrimage, Gamal said it was just too hot to spend much time outside during the day, where temperatures crossed 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).“It’s very hot, much hotter than I imagined,” the mother of four, who is performing the hajj for the first time, told AFP.“I can’t adapt,” she added while adjusting her sunglasses to protect her eyes from the harsh glare of the sun.“I had planned to perform all my prayers at the Grand Mosque, but I couldn’t go down for the prayers held during the day.”Pilgrims perform most of the hajj’s rites outdoors where more than a million devotees gather in stifling conditions, with many attendees succumbing to heatstroke, fainting spells and even cardiac arrest triggered by the heat.Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology predicted daytime temperatures this week would hover between 107-116°F (42-47°C) in Mecca during the hajj, which officially begins on Monday.For pilgrims travelling from outside the region, the harsh desert climate can be brutal.“I make sure to drink large amounts of water and beverages rich in salts and minerals, because we sweat constantly and are always on the move,” said Imad Ahmed, visiting from Britain.‘Really hot’To protect worshippers from the extreme heat, authorities rely on one of the most powerful air conditioning systems in the world to cool the Grand Mosque’s courtyards, according to Saudi state television.Other areas have huge fans, mist sprayers and cooled flooring systems to mitigate the searing heat.Trucks are also continuously distributing free bottles of ice-cold water to pilgrims.But even with these measures, the unrelenting sun continues to bake the white marble surrounding the grounds of the Grand Mosque, where most pilgrims have congregated in recent days.“It’s really hot,” said Mohamed Nabil, who hails from the Algerian coastal city of Oran, where temperatures are currently around 77°F (25ºC).The 43-year-old professor said he regularly pours water on his face to stay cool, while racking up 30,000 steps a day as he explores Mecca.Heatstroke risk-Ice cream stands are often mobbed by pilgrims, while others seek shelter in the shade of buildings near the mosque or in indoor galleries, where they lie on carpets beneath enormous fans while waiting to perform their prayers.When the hajj begins, pilgrims will be forced to beat the heat for many of the rites, including the pilgrimage’s climax at Mount Arafat on Tuesday where there is little if any shade to be found on the rocky hill.More than 50,000 healthcare staff and 3,000 ambulances are on hand to help pilgrims in need, the Saudi health ministry said.On Saturday, the ministry said its medical teams had already treated 144 people suffering from heatstroke.In 2024, more than 1,300 pilgrims died as temperatures crossed 50 degrees Celsius, according to authorities.Speaking from a hospital room in the Mina camp, where authorities treat pilgrims for heat exhaustion, the health ministry’s Jameel Abualenain said he was mainly concerned “about rising temperatures” affecting pilgrims.To protect against heatstroke, he said people must “drink enough water, use umbrellas and avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.”
Thousands protest in Bilbao over Spanish police’s abuse of Gaza flotilla activists-Some 2,000 march in Basque city after cops filmed beating returning activists at airport; Israel summons Spanish diplomat for explanation of Madrid’s ‘hypocrisy’By Reuters, Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff 24 May 2026, 9:26 pm
Around 2,000 protesters took to the streets of the Spanish city of Bilbao on Sunday to condemn the Basque police’s abusive treatment of activists from a Gaza aid flotilla on their return from detention in Israel.Police were filmed hitting people with batons and dragging them across the floor, before detaining four of them.Video of the incident showed supporters gathered in the arrivals hall to welcome six of the anti-Israel campaigners as they arrived on a flight from Turkey after having been detained and deported by Israeli forces. Police then began striking people with batons and pinning others to the ground while onlookers jeered.At Sunday’s march, pro-Palestinian demonstrators carried banners criticizing the Basque police force and accusing the local government of being “complicit with Zionism.”The Basque regional police force said in a statement on Sunday that it had launched an investigation to determine whether officers had complied with procedures. The Spanish government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the investigation.Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories, has called for those responsible for events at Bilbao airport to be held responsible, while Amnesty International has demanded a thorough investigation.Breaking: Huge protests erupted in Bilbao, northern Spain, against the Basque police assault on Sumud Flotilla supporters who returned yesterday through Bilbao Airport, after shocking footage of the attack spread widely online. pic.twitter.com/sUsbpMp4Ul — Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) May 24, 2026-The incident came after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked a diplomatic furor on Wednesday with a video he released showing him taunting the activists as they were forced to kneel on the floor with their hands bound. The video triggered an international outcry, with dozens of countries condemning Israel’s treatment of the activists.Spain, which has led Europe in anti-Israel policy and rhetoric over the past several years, issued one of the sharpest condemnations of Ben Gvir’s behavior and called on the European Union to suspend its trade agreement with Israel.The Israeli embassy in Spain demanded an “explanation” from the Spanish government over the events at Bilbao airport.Basque police (Ertzaintza) ATTACKED and ARRESTED Flotilla activists at Bilbao Airport in SPAIN as they returned from ISRAEL. They were still in prison clothes when police moved in BEFORE they could even reunite with their families and friends. pic.twitter.com/XmE2BkMfAJ — Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws1) May 23, 2026-Israel on Sunday also summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Spanish embassy to demand clarification on Spain’s treatment of the activists. Spain permanently recalled its own ambassador to Israel in March 2026, making the chargé d’affaires the highest-ranking Spanish diplomat in the country.During the meeting with Francisca Pedrós, Foreign Ministry Political Director Yossi Amrani “pointed to the hypocrisy of the Spanish government, which sends its provocateurs to Israel and then condemns Israel for its lawful actions to enforce a legal naval blockade — while at the same time Spanish authorities employed severe violence against those same flotilla participants,” according to a Foreign Ministry readout.Amrani demanded an explanation as to why Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez or any Spanish ministers “have still not seen fit to condemn the Spanish authorities’ violence, while they are always quick to condemn Israel on any pretext whatsoever,” the ministry’s statement added.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned Ben Gvir for the incident, and were joined on Sunday by President Isaac Herzog, who issued a tacit denunciation of the far-right minister, saying: “We are exposed to barbaric acts by a handful of people who think that detainees, those under investigation, or suspects have no human rights whatsoever.”
'Quad' ministers 'seriously concerned' over South, East China Seas.
New Delhi, May 26 (AFP) May 26, 2026-The United States, India, Japan and Australia voiced joint concern on Tuesday over the South and East China Seas, warning Beijing without naming it against any assertive moves."We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. We reiterate our strong opposition to any destabilising or unilateral actions including by force or coercion that threaten peace and stability in the region," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his three counterparts said in a joint statement after talks in New Delhi.In clear but unstated references to China, the foreign ministers criticised "dangerous manoeuvres by military aircraft" and "ramming and blocking actions in the South China Sea", and said they were "seriously concerned by the militarisation of disputed features" in the waters where Beijing stakes wide claims.Separately, the ministers condemned Iran's planned imposition of tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, part of its retaliation for a US-Israeli attack, and called for "uninterrupted flow of global commerce through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea"."We reiterate the importance of adhering to international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," the ministers said of the treaty, which the United States has refused to join.
Xi urges greater cooperation with Serbia in meeting with Vucic.
Beijing, May 25 (AFP) May 25, 2026-Chinese President Xi Jinping called for greater cooperation with Serbia on artificial intelligence, energy, and infrastructure during talks with Aleksandar Vucic on Monday.The Serbian president is the latest in a string of foreign leaders to make the pilgrimage to Beijing in recent months as the world grapples with the economic fallout from the war in the Middle East.Serbia has maintained close ties to Beijing and benefited from a boom in Chinese investment over the past decade."The two sides should increase cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, green energy, and advanced manufacturing," Xi said during talks with Vucic at the Great Hall of the People, Chinese state media reported.They should also cooperate on transportation and energy infrastructure through China's Belt and Road Initiative, he said.Xi also called for "genuine multilateralism" in the face of "turmoil" in international affairs.The two signed a slew of bilateral agreements on trade, technology, and education, and released joint statements.China is among Serbia's top five investors, and Chinese projects currently underway include Belgrade's metro system, a major road tunnel in the city and several bridges, according to Serbia's finance ministry.China also built a high-speed rail line, which opened in October 2025.While Vucic has been to China several times for various international summits and forums, this latest trip marks his first official state visit to the country.Xi also awarded Vucic China's "friendship medal" during his visit on Monday, in a sign of their close ties.
THE FALSE VATICAN POPE LEO 14TH
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:(VATICAN)
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.(THATS PEDOPHELIA-FORNICATION IS SINGLES HAVING SEX OUT SIDE OF MARRIAGE)(AND SINCE PREISTS CAN NOT MARRY IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS FALSE CHURCH GOES AGAINST THE BIBLE.THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BECOMES A HOMOSEXUAL HAVEN OF PEDOPHILIAS FACTORY).
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:(THE VATICAN GOES AGAINST A PRIEST MARRING A WOMAN-LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS-AND WHATS AN ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD-HOMOSEXUALITY AND PEDOPHILIA JUST LIKE THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS-FORNICATION IS THE SINGLE HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVING UNMARRIED FORNICATION OR SEX WITH SINGLES-IN THIS CASE ITS SEX WITH CHILDREN OR PEDOPHILIA)
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(GOD HIMSELF GIVES THE OK TO NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.(VATICAN)
HOW THE FALSE POPE IS ELECTED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj3Qnr_30Z4
POPE FRANCIS SISTER (PEDOPHILIA WAY WORSE THEN THOUGHT) (CARDINAL MATEO TERESCO-THE NEXT COVERUP POPE OF PEDOPHILIA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usFshfmBPmY
FALSE POPE LEO 14TH 2012 INTERVIEW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXVkJ5TQi1s
POPE 14TH WILL BE WORSE THAN FRANCIS.
https://banned.video/watch?id=681cf97a22a2c8ae0e09b5d0
Cardinal Parolin urges Europe to renew its commitment to peace-At a European Parliament awards ceremony, Cardinal Pietro Parolin conveyed Pope Leo XIV’s call for renewed efforts to safeguard peace amid rising global tensions.Vatican News
Bringing the greetings of Pope Leo XIV to the European Union Parliament’s plenary assembly, Cardinal Pietro Parolin delivered a speech noting that harmony among peoples is “a promise founded” on the Union’s values and “must be constantly nourished” through concrete choices aimed at protecting peace.The Cardinal Secretary of State was at the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, having been selected to receive the inaugural “European Order of Merit” awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to European integration and the promotion and defence of European values.At the foundation of the bloc’s “shared conviction” of the need to promote and protect peace, the cardinal said, lie values deeply rooted in the Christian history of Europe that can still offer eloquent testimony today.“Among these,” he added, “is first and foremost the affirmation of human dignity, which is inviolable and must always be protected at every stage of life.”In conclusion, Cardinal Parolin reaffirmed the Holy See’s willingness to cooperate with European institutions to be “artisans of peace” together.The Order of Merit-The European Order of Merit was launched on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration - the starting point of European unity.As stated on the European Parliament website, it is the first European distinction of its kind granted by EU institutions, and it complements national distinctions and decorations by recognising efforts that strengthen Europe as a whole.At a time of global uncertainty, its goal is to reaffirm shared values by honouring those who defend peace, democracy, and human dignity.Among the twenty recipients of the award, alongside Cardinal Parolin, were former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Polish President Lech Wałęsa, and former Portuguese Prime Minister and President Aníbal Cavaco Silva.
Pope criticizes Trump administration over ‘outdated’ idea of a ‘just war’Leo XIV uses first encyclical to push anti-war message that has angered Washington, warning against falling into a ‘violent culture of power’By AFP and ToI Staff 25 May 2026, 3:49 pm
Pope Leo XIV on Monday labelled “outdated” the concept of a “just war” put forward by US President Donald Trump’s administration, warning that “humanity is slipping into a violent culture of power.”In his first encyclical, a sort of manifesto, US-born Leo focused mainly on the rise of artificial intelligence but also returned to an anti-war message that has caused tensions with Washington.“Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self-defense in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the ‘just war’ theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated,” he wrote in Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity).“Humanity possesses far more effective and capable tools for promoting human life and resolving conflicts, such as dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness,” he wrote.The pope has been a high-profile critic of the Middle East war, which started with US and Israeli air strikes on Iran in February.He condemned Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as “truly unacceptable” and urged Americans to demand that US lawmakers “work for peace.”Trump slammed the pontiff as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” — to which Leo replied that he had a “moral duty to speak out.”The Trump administration has argued that its attacks on Iran, which it launched jointly with Israel on February 28, are necessary to prevent the country from developing a nuclear weapons capability.Iran, which is avowed to destroy Israel, has a stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium in its possession, which Israeli officials have said is sufficient for 11 nuclear bombs if enriched further.US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, has used the “just war” argument and has urged the pope to be “careful” on theological matters.In an interview earlier this month, Trump again criticized the pope, alleging that Leo believes it is “OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”“I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people,” Trump said.Asked about the comments, Leo said that the Catholic Church’s mission was to “preach peace” and the Gospel.“If anyone wishes to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully,” he told reporters.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the pope earlier this month in an attempt to repair relations.
Think, collaborate, learn: How to preserve our humanity in the time of AI-Key speakers at the afternoon session of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in the Vatican paint a sobering picture of what could be a dystopian future for humanity as AI increasingly shapes our reality. They also convey hope and optimism as men and women of goodwill are called to take action in the service of the common good.By Linda Bordoni
Pope Leo’s upcoming encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence” and his recent Message for the "World Day of Social Communications" on the theme “Preserving human faces and voices” are a clear indication of the significance he places on what increasingly appears to be the defining issue of our time: Artificial Intelligence and the need to steer it for the good of humanity.Analysing AI's impact on media, communities and inequalities“Preserving human faces and voices” was also the title chosen for an international Conference at the Pontifical Urbaniana University on Thursday, which saw an impressive line-up of key speakers from the world of digital technology, education, and culture reflecting on the impact of AI on society and on the three pillars indicated by the Pope in his Message.The 3 pillars: Responsibility, Cooperation, Education-The afternoon focused on how the three pillars indicated by the Pope in his Message - Responsibility, Cooperation, and Education - must be practically applied to ensure technology remains an instrument of human domain rather than of human subservience.Responsibility: Ethical guarantees over profit-We are at a crossroads where the human face must not be replaced by an algorithm, nor the human voice silenced by synthetic echoes, said Neil Lawrence, DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge."Responsibility means choosing accountability at every stage of development, ensuring AI serves human dignity rather than exploiting it," explained Daniel Dzuban, Acting Chair of the Coalition for Content Providence and Authenticity and Head of Strategic Partners, Content Authenticity, Sony Electronics.The dystopian future painted by some panellists - one of extreme surveillance, deepfakes, and deep social alienation - is not an inevitability, but a warning, they agreed. To counter it, speakers called for an alliance between tech giants, policymakers, theologians, and civil society.They also agreed that algorithmic progress must be matched by moral progress, noting that no single nation or corporation can steer Generative Artificial Intelligence alone.Global cooperation rooted in solidarity is necessary, they said, to ensure that the digital divide does not become an unbridgeable chasm.Education: Forming minds and hearts-The final pillar, Education, was upheld as the ultimate defence mechanism for preserving humanity. Education in the age of AI cannot merely be about teaching technical skills or coding, they explained; it must be focused on fostering critical thinking, empathy, and spiritual discernment."To think, network, and learn in the time of AI means teaching our youth not just how to use these tools, but how to remain profoundly human while doing so," professors and UNESCO representatives agreed, highlighting the need to provide Media and Information Literacy (MIL) so that the future generations are able to recognise truth from fabrication, and presence from mere connectivity.A call to action-Despite the warnings of algorithmic bias and the erosion of authentic human interaction, the overarching sentiment of the conference remained one of optimism and hope. The consensus of the afternoon was clear: the future is not yet written.By centring our technological advancements on the authentic preservation of human faces and voices, humanity, participants agreed, can navigate this digital frontier. The conference concluded with a collective echo of the Pope's appeal - a reminder that men and women of goodwill hold the ultimate power to shape a future where technology must be “steered” to serve the common good.The power of human agency-Speaking at the conclusion of the conference, Bishop Paul Tighe, Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, which organised the event in conjunction with the Dicastery for Communications, shared his takeaways from the event.For Bishop Tighe, the most vital revelation of the day was a rejection of passivity. "There’s so much information, it’s almost like we’re overwhelmed," he observed, noting how easy it is to adopt a fatalistic 'wait and see' attitude in the face of such rapid change. "I think the top takeaway for me is that this is a conference that reminded us that there's nothing inevitable about the future of AI."Instead, the Bishop pointed to a single, defining word: Agency.He introduced a concept raised during the proceedings - "We-gency" - which he described as "the agency that comes when people work together to build communities." The conference itself served as a living example of this collective power."It brought people from tech, people from the education establishment, and people from more marginal parts of our world into a discussion about how we, the people, we humanity, can make sure that this wonderful new technology will actually serve to progress the interests of all of us."Asked how the speakers unified around the three pillars highlighted in the Pope's message, Bishop Tighe mapped them directly back to this urgent need for human agency:"When to AI and when not to AI"The Bishop linked responsibility directly to intentionality. "It’s related to that agency thing," he explained, "where the different responsibilities we all have - from engineers to entrepreneurs to the public consumers - [require us] to be attentive and intentional about what we're doing in terms of our use of AI."Ultimately, he explained, responsibility forces us to confront a fundamental question: "when to AI and when not to AI, just to keep alive our own agency."Developing critical awareness-Education naturally flows from this ethical responsibility. According to Bishop Tighe, it isn't just about technical literacy, but cultivating a deeper understanding."It's to educate people about how AI works so that they can have a critical awareness of its strengths and its weaknesses, and educate themselves in terms of the best uses."A transversal alliance-Finally, addressing the pillar of cooperation, the Bishop stressed that because AI touches every facet of human life, isolated solutions are useless."We need to build an alliance between various constituencies to ensure that we have an adequate response to something that is transversal,” he said.His Dicastery, he concluded, is looking forward to working with the new Interdicasterial Commission on Artificial Intelligence recently established by the Pope.“I think that will be very helpful because the issues of AI are issues that cross life: economic issues, war and peace issues, educational issues and communications issues. No one dicastery", he reiterated, "can do this. We have to do this together!”
Analysing AI's impact on media, communities and inequalities-The conference “Preserving Human Voices and Faces,” organized by the Dicastery for Communication and inspired by Pope Leo’s message for the World Day of Social Communications, brings together international academics, tech experts, journalists and more to discuss the impact of AI on relationships, the media, societies and communities.By Isabella H. de Carvalho
A few days before the publication of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, on preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication gathered international academics, technology experts, journalists, and more to reflect and discuss on this very topic.The theme of the international conference, “Preserving Human Voices and Faces,” echoes Pope Leo’s message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications (celebrated Sunday, May 17) and focuses on the impact of AI on the lives of individuals, communities and nations.The event was held on May 21 at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome and was organized in collaboration with the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education and the John XXIII Foundation.What does preserving mean today-“Preserving” is a word that challenges us, it means “taking care of someone with love and responsibility,” said Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, in his introductory remarks.“The greatest danger,” he continued, “lies in passively accepting the idea that knowledge no longer belongs to us; and that something we ourselves have built—algorithms, platforms, or automated systems—can then be entrusted with thinking for us, with completely programming our lives and even the way we communicate with others.”Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, highlighted in his introduction how the theme “preserving human voices and faces” is “a program—indeed, a profession of faith in humanity—at a time when the boundaries between reality and simulation are becoming increasingly blurred.”“Human beings can never be reduced to a statistic, a profile, or an algorithm. What is human is always something more, a mystery, a call,” he said.The Cardinal emphasized that “preservation isn’t about locking something away in a display case,” but rather about “protecting what is fragile so that it may continue to flourish,” such as human voices and faces that can be “cloned, manipulated, silenced,” but also “reborn in every genuine encounter.”AI’s impact on journalism, society and community-The morning sessions were focused on the topic “To be or not to be: simulating relationships and reality,” with the first panel reflecting on AI’s impact on journalism, society and community.Marijana Grbeša Zenzerović, a Professor at the University of Zagreb and Vice-Chair of the Committee of Experts on Online Safety and Empowerment of Content Creators and Users (MSI-eSEC) at the Council of Europe, underlined how artificial intelligence has disrupted journalism, how people consume their news, and political communication, through phenomena such as disinformation, rage baiting or others.She noted how we are already in what years ago seemed like the “darkest scenario,” as people do not trust anyone or anything anymore, but she added that she believes the only solution lies in the three pillars identified in Pope Leo XIV’s message for the World Day of Social communications meaning education, responsibility and cooperation.Eli Pariser - co-founder and co-director of New_Public, a nonprofit dedicated to building digital public spaces where people can flourish, thrive and connect – insisted in his address that “there is another path available to us” today when it comes to AI as it “can be engineered to be parasitic or pro-social.”“We need a positive vision of human sociality that co-exists and is supported by a world with powerful AI,” he said. He highlighted that this idea can bring together policy makers from across the political spectrum, as well as religious institutions and other actors.Then, Kashmir Hill, a Tech reporter for The New York Times, shared how through her reporting she has seen how many people have lost touch with reality by entertaining relationships with AI chatbots. She underlined however that the risks that come with not being able to tell what is real or true extends to all users of these systems.Lastly, Vineet Khosla, Chief Technology Office of The Washington Post, shared instead how they are trying to do “ambitious journalism” by creating AI tools that can support their reporters and enhance their jobs. This means offloading certain tasks or helping readers find reliable information produced by the media outlet.“There is already a generation of users who have gone to ask AI for news,” he said. “We want to be there where our next generation of news consumers already are and show them there is a right way" to consume news. The speakers during the conference-Are AI models intensifying social inequalities and injustices? The morning’s second panel, instead, reflected on the question of whether AI models are intensifying social inequalities and injustices. Paola Ricaurte Quijano, Professor at the Department of Media and Digital Culture at Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), explained “how the dominant model of AI development reproduces structural violence and inequality at the macro, meso and micro level,” which affects disproportionately communities and countries on the margins.She noted for example how an AI chatbot could not write something in Mixe - an indigenous language spoken in Mexico by over 100,000 people – when asked, so “a millenary language, knowledge and community that did not exist for this system.”“Who is harmed by AI, how, and whose lives, bodies, faces, voices and knowledge count?,” she asked.Benjamin Rosman, a Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics and Director of the MIND Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, emphasized instead how the world is currently experiencing a race when it comes to AI development and that the real inequality for him lies not “in those who have it and those who don’t” but rather those who have the opportunity to shape it.He noted he is trying to build grassroots initiatives and movements in Africa across countries that can involve people and make them participate in the global conversation on AI.“If the future of communication, trust and simulated relationships is shaped only by a handful of companies, countries and world views then the result will not reflect the richness of humanity,” he said.Lastly, Joy Buolamwini, Founder of the Algorithmic Justice League and an activist and poet, underlined the plight of the “excoded,” a term she uses to define “those who live the nightmares of AI discrimination and exploitation.”This ranges from artists whose works are being stolen, to people being killed due to military systems using AI to identify targets, to those being misidentified through AI identification.“It is not too late to unmask AI and protect what is human in a world of machines,” she said.
Synod releases document on path toward 2028 Ecclesial Assembly-The General Secretariat of the Synod publishes a document outlining stages, criteria, and tools to guide local Churches toward the Ecclesial Assembly set for October 2028.Vatican News
Remembering, interpreting, orienting, celebrating. These are the four key stages accompanying local Churches, Bishops' Conferences, and continental groupings towards the Ecclesial Assembly that will take place in October 2028 in the Vatican.They are proposed by the General Secretariat of the Synod in support of the implementation phase through the document Towards the 2027–2028 Assemblies: stages, criteria, and tools in preparation for the 2027–2028 Assemblies, published on 20 May.The text defines the calendar, methodology, and criteria through which local Churches throughout the world and their national and continental groupings are called to share the fruits of the journey begun after the Final Document of the 2021–2024 Synod, leading up to the Ecclesial Assembly of October 2028.The journey-The process, which will lead to the celebration of an assembly at each stage, unfolds in four progressive moments, marked by key verbs that highlight their ecclesial and spiritual purpose.The first half of 2027 is dedicated to Remembering. Evaluation assemblies in dioceses and eparchies are called to reread the experience of implementing the Final Document through a narrative report and a letter to the other Churches.In the second half of 2027 comes the time to Interpret. Assemblies of Bishops' Conferences (national or regional) will prepare a theological-pastoral report and a letter addressed to the other local Churches.Orienting-Orienting will be the stage of the first four months of 2028, when continental Assemblies will produce a forward-looking report capable of identifying shared priorities and orientations.October 2028 will then be the moment to Celebrate. The ecclesial assembly of the whole Church will gather in the Vatican together with the Holy Father. In this way, the journey undertaken will be brought into unity and entrusted to the discernment of the entire Church.At every level, the Assembly does not represent the final stage of the process, but rather a celebratory moment of evaluation, synthesis and, above all, renewed impetus for the Church’s synodal conversion.Safeguarding-A common question safeguards the unity of the process, adapted at each stage: in light of the journey undertaken since the conclusion of the 2021–2024 Synod, and with a view to offering its fruits as a gift to the other Churches and to the Holy Father, what concrete face of a missionary synodal Church and what new paths of synodality are emerging in your community? The document clarifies that this is not a repetition of the Synod consultation, nor the addition of further tasks to the life of communities, but rather a rereading of what has already been experienced, recognizing its fruits and difficulties, and making the experience gained available within a logic of exchange of gifts among the Churches.Report of the continental Assemblies-The first two Assemblies—those at local and national level—will prepare two complementary texts: a reflection document (the narrative report for dioceses and eparchies, the theological-pastoral report for Episcopal Conferences) and a letter to the other local Churches, drafted during the Assembly itself.It is this latter document that becomes the concrete instrument of the exchange of gifts: every community offers what it has matured and becomes ready to receive what is offered by other Churches.The continental Assemblies, meanwhile, will prepare a forward-looking report that will serve in drafting the Instrumentum laboris for the 2028 Ecclesial Assembly.All materials will be sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod according to the following timetable: by 30 June 2027 for the diocesan and eparchial stage; by 31 December 2027 for the Episcopal Conferences stage; and by 30 April 2028 for the continental stage, in preparation for the Ecclesial Assembly of October 2028.Cardinal Grech: a time of shared discernment-“We are proposing to local Churches not an additional task,” says Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, “but rather a time of shared discernment and thanksgiving, in which to reread together what the Spirit is causing to grow in the Church and to recognise the steps we are called to take. The Assemblies are not sociological consultations, deliberative processes, or technical evaluations. Rather, they are a profound ecclesial and spiritual experience of discernment: a moment of synthesis and renewed impetus, so that the exchange of gifts among the Churches may become a concrete experience and synodality may increasingly be translated into the ordinary style of ecclesial life at the service of mission.”The document underlines that the composition of the Assemblies must be consistent with their purpose and that the selection of participants should ensure appropriate attention to the relationship between men and women and between different generations, to cultural and ecclesial diversity.These include priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, members of associations, movements, and new communities, and faithful not belonging to organised structures, as well as the presence of people living in situations of fragility or marginalization.Responsibility for the process belongs to the diocesan or eparchial bishop for local Assemblies, to the president of the Bishops' Conference for national or regional Assemblies, and to the heads of continental bodies for that level. Synodal teams, established at every level, will oversee organisation and coordination.
Bank of Israel cuts borrowing costs, while flagging geopolitical risks-Local manufacturers attack Governor Yaron for doing too little, too late, as the mighty shekel hurts competitiveness and profitability of exporters By Sharon Wrobel-25 May 2026, 9:57 pm
The Bank of Israel on Monday decided to lower interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, citing a strong shekel and stable inflation environment, but warned that geopolitical uncertainty over the war with Iran remained “significant.”As was widely anticipated, the central bank, led by Governor Amir Yaron, trimmed borrowing costs from 4% to 3.75%, marking the second rate cut this year. In its previous two rate decisions in March and February, the Bank of Israel left borrowing costs on hold, after two cuts in November and January.“With the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran in February, the central bank paused rate cuts because of the uncertainty around defense spending and the impact of hostilities on the economy and inflationary pressure,” IBI investment house chief economist Rafi Gozlan told The Times of Israel. “With the talks over an agreement to end the war indicating a decline in geopolitical risk, and a strong shekel curbing price increases, keeping inflation stable, the central bank felt comfortable adjusting interest rates downwards.”US President Donald Trump declared over the weekend that the US and Iran were on the cusp of finalizing a deal to end the war launched jointly by the US and Israel against the Islamic Republic on February 28. However, Iran and the US on Monday played down hopes for an imminent signing of an agreement to end the war, which has been in a fragile ceasefire since early April.“There is still significant geopolitical uncertainty, both domestically and globally,” the central bank said in a statement. “Operation Roaring Lion had an impact on real economic activity, and the most recent data show a recovery.”The central bank noted that “inflation in Israel remains around the midpoint of the target,” while the shekel appreciated by 8.3% against the dollar since the previous interest rate decision. The most recent data showed the annual inflation in April was steady at 1.9%, and remained well within the government’s target range of between 1% and 3%.The overly strong shekel has a deflationary force, as it makes imports cheaper, restrains price increases and credit costs for consumers, and enables the Bank of Israel, which is concerned about price stability, to lower interest rates. Meanwhile, the shekel’s 20% appreciation against the dollar over the past year has been hurting exporters’ competitiveness and profitability as they earn in dollars but pay expenses in shekels. Exports make up as much as 40% of Israeli economic activity.Local manufacturers and exporters accused Yaron for doing too little too late to help moderate gains in the shekel, which has been trading at a 33-year high against the US dollar. Exporters have been warning that the local currency’s strength poses a risk to growth prospects in the economy, and are calling for a bigger interest rate cut and intervention in the foreign exchange market.“The Bank of Israel is losing credibility by ignoring the inflation situation, the decline in the risk premium, and exchange rate movements,” the Israel Manufacturers’ Association said. “Israel has become an island of high interest rates in a global reality of falling interest rates, and the real interest rate differentials attract a heavy flow of foreign capital, which injects more dollars into the local market and fuels the destructive appreciation of the Israeli currency.”In recent months, Yaron has come under fierce criticism from politicians and manufacturers for hesitating to take immediate action to lower high borrowing costs more aggressively and ease the plight for exporters, households, and businesses.“A 3.75% interest rate still reflects a relatively high real interest rate,” Leader Capital Markets macroeconomist Jonathan Katz said. “At this stage, it does not appear that the Bank of Israel will combine a rate cut with intervention in the foreign exchange market, although that remains a possibility.”“If the ceasefire is implemented, we expect another cut in July,” Katz said.Gozlan noted that while lower interest rates make the currency less attractive to investors seeking high returns, the central bank “understands that by lowering interest rates, it will not be able to change the shekel trend.”“The strength of the shekel is driven mainly by a globally weak dollar, the strong correlation between global equity prices and the exchange rate, and an influx of large foreign investments into Israel,” he said. “As US stock markets have been rising in the past year, the value of assets of Israeli institutional investors in major Wall Street stocks increases, which in turn means that they are required to balance the increase by selling dollars and increasing their exposure to the shekel, which strengthens the local currency.”“Without a change in this trend, the shekel will continue to strengthen,” said Gozlan.
DISEASES-ANIMAL TO HUMAN ( 500 million Dead )
REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 billion) of (8 billion) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS)(500 million) and with hunger,(FAMINE)(500 million) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES)(500 million) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE)(500 million).
DRUG PUSHERS AND ADDICTS
1 PET 5:8
8 Be sober,(NOT DRUGED UP OR ALCOHOLICED) be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
REVELATION 18:23
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries (DRUGS) were all nations deceived.
REVELATION 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders,(KILLING) nor of their sorceries (DRUG ADDICTS AND DRUG PUSHERS), nor of their fornication,(SEX OUTSIDE MARRIAGE OR PROSTITUTION FOR MONEY) nor of their thefts.(STEALING)
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda has resulted in over 900 suspected cases and more than 100 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared this a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Outbreak Specifics-Virus Strain: The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare species of Ebola.Affected Areas: Primarily concentrated in the Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces of the DRC, with additional confirmed cases in Kampala and other regions of Uganda -Key Stats: Regional health authorities report more than 900 suspected cases (over 100 confirmed) and over 100 confirmed/suspected deaths across both countries. Health Context-Vaccines: There are currently no licensed species-specific vaccines or approved therapeutics available for the Bundibugyo strain. Standard vaccines designed for the Zaire strain are generally ineffective against this virus.Current Risk: While the WHO assesses the global risk as low, the risk at the regional and national levels remains very high. For verified up-to-the-minute epidemiological data and travel advisories, consult the WHO Ebola Outbreak Dashboard or the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. If you are planning immediate travel to the region, check the Government of Canada Travel Advice platform for entry requirements and safety warnings.
Ebola needs swift response to prevent catastrophe - DR Congo governor-5 hours ago-MAY 26,26-Hafsa Khalil
The military governor of the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province, the epicentre of the current Ebola outbreak, has likened the struggle to contain the spread of the virus to a "war" for which they are lacking resources to fight."People in affected areas are not receiving enough food," Johnny Luboya Nkashama told French broadcaster RFI, adding that "other diseases" and "overcrowding" are also issues.He called for a "swift response", including strengthening the capacity of staff to prevent Ituri "from descending into catastrophe".Officials say there are more than 900 suspected cases of Ebola, and 223 suspected deaths, since the outbreak was declared on 15 May.The World Health Organization (WHO) said the disease may be spreading faster than originally thought and has declared a public health emergency of international concern.On Monday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is due to travel to DR Congo, has said the Ebola outbreak is outpacing urgent efforts to scale up a response adding that responders were "playing catch-up".Ebola has also been reported in DR Congo's North and South Kivu provinces, as well as in neighbouring Uganda, where there have been seven confirmed cases.Elaborating on what his province needs, Kashama explained "qualified personnel" should be deployed as soon as possible and "secure treatment centres" established.Angry relatives trying to claim the bodies of loved ones who had reportedly died of Ebola have targeted two treatment centres."Our existing resources were dedicated to the war, and this second war that is now upon us demands even more," he said on RFI.What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult? Ituri has been under military rule since 2021, when the civilian authority was replaced by a military general in an attempt to neutralise dozens of armed groups which have operated in the area for many years. These include the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), affiliated to the Islamic State group."And lastly, we need to mobilise financial resources - they must be made available," the governor said. "The more time we lose, the closer we come to disaster."On Saturday, the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), met with health ministers from DR Congo and Uganda and South Sudan to finalise their cross-border co-ordination in response to the outbreak.Africa CDC director-general Dr Jean Kaseya said they also agreed on a $319m (£236m) budget to stop the outbreak from spreading.He told BBC World Service's Newsday on Monday, that 10% of the money had been secured from the affected countries.Map of eastern DR Congo and Uganda showing areas affected by an Ebola outbreak. Shaded red regions mark locations with reported cases, concentrated in Ituri province, including Mongwalu, Rwampara, Nyakunde, and nearby Bunia, identified as the site of the first suspected case. Additional smaller affected areas are shown around Butembo, Goma near the Rwanda border, and a location near Kampala in Uganda, where cases were confirmed in travellers from DR Congo. A locator inset highlights the region within Africa.On the same day, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged an initial $5m to support the plan.Kaseya added that African businessmen will be meeting later this week to "raise additional funds", while international partners were also "committing funds".Africa CDC has warned that other countries on the continent - namely Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia - were at risk from an outbreak.This outbreak is the 17th to have emerged in DR Congo since Ebola was discovered in 1976.It is only the third worldwide of the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has not been seen in over a decade.There are currently no vaccines or medications that target Bundibugyo, but vaccines are currently in development.Last week, the WHO said it could take up to nine months for a vaccine to be ready.
OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
EZEKIEL 32:6-9
6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9 I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator and baby murderers by abortion) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION-HEAVENLY OBJECTS) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
The UK recorded its hottest May day in history when temperatures provisionally reached at Kew Gardens in west London. This exceptional heat shattered the previous long-standing May national record of ,which was originally set in 1922 and equaled in 1944.
Additional milestones achieved during this historic heatwave include:Hottest Bank Holiday: The day officially became the hottest public holiday recorded since UK-wide records began in 1884, surpassing the previous record of set in August 2019.Wales Record: Wales also experienced its highest May temperature, hitting at Hawarden Airport in Flintshire.Warmest Night: The UK recorded its warmest May night on record, with temperatures in London remaining as high as For further updates and ongoing weather forecasts, check the official Met Office or read the full coverage of the event on the BBC News report.
Hottest May day on record in UK as temperatures pass 34C-19 hours ago-MAY 26,26-Henry MooreBBC News
The UK has recorded its all-time highest May temperature as part of London reached 34.8C on Monday.That provisional figure, recorded in Kew Gardens, also surpassed the hottest bank holiday Monday on record - 33.3C on the August bank holiday in 2019.Wales has also experienced its hottest May day, reaching 32.2C at Hawarden Airport in Flintshire."This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone in May", the Met Office said.The mercury is expected to rise further on Tuesday, with forecasters warning of possible 35C heat in parts of England.The UK recorded its warmest May night on Sunday, with highs of 19.4C in London.This week's weather means more than half of the monthly record highs - seven out of 12 - have been set since 2003, according to the Met Office.These exceptionally high temperatures have been caused by "the influence of warmth building under an area of high pressure near the UK", Met Office chief operational meteorologist Dan Suri said.The average temperature for the end of May is 14-20C.On Friday, the UK Health Security Agency issued its first amber-heat health alert of 2026, covering much of England, including the West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South East and London.The North East, North West, South West, Yorkshire and Humber regions are under a yellow alert. Both alerts will remain in place until 17:00 BST Wednesday.In Ashford, Kent-Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded their highest temperatures for 2026 so far on Monday - 25.5C in Charterhall and 25.8C at Derrylin in County Fermanagh respectively.Around 500 properties in Sussex and Kent were left without water, or had intermittent supply due to "increased demand", on Monday afternoon.Apologising for the disruption, South East Water said it was working "as quickly and safely as possible" to resolve the issues.Across the UK a number of bank holiday events were cancelled because of the extreme heat.In Surrey, Leatherhead Lions Club said its annual bank holiday donkey derby would no longer include the donkeys or a dog show "for the welfare and comfort of the animals".Despite these cancellations, thousands of people gathered in the baking heat to watch competitors from all over the world battle it out at the Gloucestershire cheese-rolling race.German YouTuber Tom Kopke, known online as Tooleko, beat local competitor and Guinness World Record holder Chris Anderson in the first race of the annual event on Cooper's Hill in Brockworth.As the hot weather continues, England could see some thunderstorms on Tuesday evening, forecasters have said.Temperatures are expected to hit 30C on Wednesday and Thursday in England and Wales before dipping into the high 20s on Friday.Heatwave conditions were met in eight parts of England on Sunday - Heathrow in Greater London, Benson in Oxfordshire, Brooms Barn in Suffolk, High Beech in Essex, Kew Gardens and Northolt in London, Santon Downham in Suffolk and Writtle in Essex.The AA has warned drivers "not to drop their guard" when setting out on long journeys this week, with vehicle interiors possibly reaching 60C when in the sun."Drivers should never leave children, vulnerable passengers or pets inside a parked vehicle, even for a short time," the breakdown service said.Age UK recommended staying inside between 11:00 and 15:00, and taking regular cold baths and showers.Climate change is believed to have played a role in such hot spells as this.According to the Met Office's State of the UK Climate report, the number of days in the UK with temperatures above 28C has more than doubled and the number of days with temperatures above 30C has more than trebled in the most recent decade, compared with the 1961-1990 average.It is not just the UK experiencing this historic heatwave, with several European countries seeing May heat records broken over the last few days.In Spain, 38C was recorded on Sunday. Across France and Germany, with temperatures climbing into the mid-30s, hundreds of localities saw records for May being broken.Temperatures across France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and northern Italy have been 10 to 15C above average for late May - and with the unprecedented heatwave expected to last for most of the week, it is likely more local records will be broken.
Exceptionally early heat wave shatters records and brings deaths in Europe-London recorded a rare “tropical night” on Monday, with temperatures in Britain and France breaking records for the month of May.May 26, 2026, 4:00 AM EDT / Updated May 26, 2026, 7:02 AM EDT / By The Associated Press
Firefighters battled a grass fire in Edinburgh and temperature records toppled as a spring heatwave scorched parts of Western Europe, triggering government warnings about risks to life.London recorded a rare “tropical night,” defined as one in which the temperature does not fall below 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit), and Britain’s Met Office weather service said the temperature in southern England could hit 35 C (95 F) on Tuesday.A 13-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a reservoir in Halifax, northern England, on Monday, police said.In France, temperatures have broken records for the month of May, soaring well over 30 C (86 F) in many parts of the country.Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said there have been reports of at least seven deaths potentially related to high temperatures, including five drownings and two deaths in sports competitions.Monday was the U.K.’s hottest May day on record, with the temperature hitting 34.8 C at Kew Gardens in London, smashing the previous record of 32.8 C (91.4 F) set in 1922 and 1944.After a U.K. long weekend that sent people flocking to beaches, pools and shady parks, London commuters sweltered on Tuesday in unairconditioned subway carriages. Trains running to and from the city’s busy Waterloo station were disrupted by a report of smoke on the tracks.Firefighters worked through the night to douse a fire that sent plumes of smoke billowing from Arthur’s Seat, the rocky hill that looms over Edinburgh.The U.K. Health Security Agency issued an amber health alert for much of the country through Wednesday morning, warning of a potential health risk, particularly among the elderly, at the hottest times of the day. The U.K. is used to moderate temperatures, and many homes, schools and businesses do not have air conditioning.First Heatwave Of 2026 In London-The early heatwave has struck before the annual summer window when lifeguards watch over bathers at popular beaches, increasing risks.On France’s Atlantic seaboard, where magnificent beaches also have powerful riptides, officials reported a rash of emergencies in the surf with two drowning deaths on Sunday at popular resorts in the Gironde region in the southwest.The top regional administrator, Sophie Brocas, urged beachgoers “to exercise the utmost caution.”Unpredictable and extreme weather becoming more frequent as Earth’s warming builds. Experts say unprecedented and deadly weather extremes that sometimes strike at abnormal times and in unusual places are putting more people in danger.
Los Angeles-area wildfires left lead in soil, but how much and where remains contentious-An EPA study found most properties have lead levels below what federal regulations say is dangerous. Some scientists worry that’s not the whole picture.May 20, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT / Updated May 21, 2026, 5:17 PM EDT-By Evan Bush
After testing soil from about 1% of the homes burned down in the Eaton Fire, the Environmental Protection Agency said residents should feel assured that most properties cleared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers don’t have hazardous amounts of lead. At least one outside scientist is skeptical.The Eaton Fire destroyed 9,400 homes and structures in the Altadena area in January 2025 and sent smoke containing lead, arsenic and asbestos into the air and to settle nearby. Lead is a potent neurotoxin associated with developmental problems in children.The EPA tested 100 homes selected at random from the debris cleanup zone and found that only five lots exceeded EPA screening standards for lead, according to a report the agency provided to NBC News. Seventeen lots exceeded California’s more stringent standards. Overall, the median concentration of lead across all of the properties was well below state and federal levels of concern, according to an EPA news release published Tuesday.“That should really give residents confidence that the work that the Army Corps did addressed the fire-related contaminants, particularly lead,” said Michael Montgomery, director of the EPA Region 9 Superfund and Emergency Management Division, which conducted the testing. “The Army Corps did remove ash and debris and the soil beneath that ash and debris to an adequate level.”Montgomery said the EPA believes the results can be applied across the burn zone.“We can say with 95% confidence that the homes that were addressed, or that burn areas that were addressed in Altadena and Pasadena, were below both the California and the federal screening level,” he said.The EPA said that overall, it views the Army Corps cleanup methods as science-backed and that the efforts successfully addressed contamination.“The Trump EPA engaged in this proactive exercise to ensure our partners have verified, science-backed EPA cleanup protocols that will inform responses to future wildfire disasters,” Acting EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Martucci said in a news release.Contamination, and fears of it, have taken hold in Altadena, where many lots were covered in soot, ash and char from the Eaton Fire. The area has older houses built before lead was phased out of building supplies like pipes and paint. The Army Corps removed debris from about two-thirds of lots where homes burned down, but the agency did not perform soil testing, leaving residents unsure about potential risks.Consultants for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and private groups have been testing soil in the area. Results were scattered, with many prompting concern.Andrew Whelton, a professor of civil, environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University in Indiana, said that the EPA analysis was not definitive and that the agency used methods that are designed to assess average risk but don’t pinpoint particularly hazardous areas.“The results they have are not representative of the Eaton Fire area,” Whelton said. “They were collected in a way that cannot be compared to existing data other organizations are collecting or to what Californians or California businesses have come to expect for property safety.”The debris removal process — in which the Army Corps scraped up to 6 inches of soil away — has been under scrutiny since it started in 2025. Recently, two whistleblowers told NBC News the cleanup was inconsistent and rushed. One said workers left behind more debris than during previous wildfires. Both said they worried residents would continue to deal with contamination problems.“It’s so incomplete,” one said.Montgomery said the Federal Emergency Management Agency asked the EPA to test to address concerns voiced by elected officials and residents. The EPA has not performed this kind of work on past wildfires, he said.The EPA designed its study to provide a broad understanding of contamination levels across the Eaton burn area. The agency randomly selected properties and then went to sites where residents agreed to testing and where access was feasible.At each property, the agency collected soil at two different depths from 30 locations within the “ash footprint” where the Army Corps chose to remove debris and scrape soil.The agency then pooled soil from the 30 locations to produce two composite samples for the property — one at the surface level and another about 6 inches below the surface.The median concentration of lead in surface soil was 31 milligrams per kilogram of soil, which is below the levels California (80 mg/kg) and the EPA (200 mg/kg) say are worthy of concern. Below the surface, that median concentration was 43 mg/kg.The EPA’s results show five surface samples tested above federal screening standards, including one that was 705 mg/kg.Whelton said the EPA’s decision to pool soil from 30 different locations is likely to produce average figures that obscure hot spots of contamination at particular locations on the property.“We know, based on prior experiences in California, that hot spots are real after debris removal — where contractors fail to remove ash and debris,” Whelton said. “Even individuals that pass this individual testing may have lead levels that exceed lead levels on parts of their property, but this testing wasn’t designed to figure that out.”Whelton noted that the EPA only tested within the ash footprint, which means the results don’t apply to parts of the property that the Army Corps chose not to scrape.He said the property with the most contamination — an average of 705 mg/kg of lead — was worrisome. Levels above 1,000 mg/kg are considered hazardous waste that must be deposited in a special landfill.“That means the entire property came back hot,” Whelton said. “There were likely portions of that property much higher.”
Saudi Arabia turns to drones to shield pilgrims from extreme heat.
Mount Arafat, Saudi Arabia, May 26 (AFP) May 26, 2026-With temperatures hitting 45C in Mecca this week, Saudi health workers have increasingly relied on drones to supply a vast array of medical clinics treating heat-stressed pilgrims during the hajj.The rituals at the hajj have been a constant for centuries.But technology is rapidly changing the experience for pilgrims and officials alike -- with AI, UAVs and mobile apps providing crucial services, logistical support and helping manage the mammoth crowds.Rather than relying on congested roads filled with over 1.5 million pilgrims, drones in particular have proven to be a technological remedy for helping keep the 127 clinics spread across Mecca, Mina and Arafat adequately provisioned."The main goal is to provide fast service to the guests of God during the season," Fahd Al-Bathi, the chief operating officer at the National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO), told AFP.Preparations for the medical needs of the hajj season began nine months ago.Standing before a colour-coded map of medical centres dotting the area, the NUPCO operations officer Turki Al-Obaidi said his teams work around the clock during the hajj."Our teams must ensure we reach patients as quickly as possible. This is a crucial factor with these extremely large crowds," he added.Before the adoption of drones, drivers could spend over an hour en route to clinics running low on supplies.Now, authorities have centralised operations around a sprawling centre that supplies drones with medications and other necessities."We are seeking to integrate new innovations through which we can ensure that medical supplies arrive safely, as quickly as possible, and with the highest quality," said Bathi.In the operations room -- equipped with a giant data screen -- staff carefully track drone deliveries, while other employees use electric scooters to get around faster.Drones are part of a growing arsenal of technology-led solutions aiming to better manage the hajj and the challenges presented by the searing desert climate.Artificial intelligence has been deployed to help monitor the footage from thousands of cameras in and around the holy city of Mecca.The new solutions help supplement more traditional methods to manage the heat, which include giant fans, trucks distributing free water and mist systems that help cool crowds."Heat exhaustion is one of the main issues" during the hajj, said Saudi health official Jamil Abu Al-Aynayn."We maintain a high and rapid level of readiness."
Strong earthquake hits Chile, no injuries reported.
Santiago, Chile, May 25 (AFP) May 25, 2026-A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Chile on Monday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.It hit in the Atacama desert approximately 31 kilometers from the town of Calama at a depth of about 100 kilometers (63 miles), the US agency said.Chile's National Disaster Prevention and Response Service said there was no risk of tsunami and no reports of injuries or serious damage.Local media reported that the quake was felt in the regions of Arica, Tarapaca, Antofagasta and Atacama.The broadcaster TVN showed images of goods crashing off supermarket shelves onto the floor.This South American country is one of the world's most earthquake-prone.Chileans view quakes of less than 7.0 magnitude as being of little cause for concern.Three tectonic plates converge within Chile's territory: the Nazca, the South American, and the Antarctic plates.In 1960, the southern city of Valdivia was devastated by a magnitude 9.5 earthquake, considered the most powerful ever recorded, which killed 9,500 people.In 2010, an 8.8 magnitude quake off the coast of central Chile triggered a tsunami and left more than 520 dead.
Magnitude 6.0 earthquake hits Hawaii.
Los Angeles, United States, May 23 (AFP) May 23, 2026-A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Hawaii on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said.The tremor occurred at a depth of 22.4 kilometres (14 miles), around 12 kilometres south of Honaunau-Napoopoo on Hawaii's main island, USGS said.It struck at 09:46 pm (0746 GMT Saturday), it said.There was no danger of a tsunami, the National Tsunami Warning Center said.There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.Hawaii is a seismically active part of the planet despite being in the middle of a huge tectonic plate.It is home to six active volcanoes including Kilauea, which regularly wows helicopter-riding tourists who come to see its red-hot shows.It is also the location of Mauna Loa, the world's biggest volcano.
Floods kill 24 across Afghanistan in recent days.
Kabul, May 22 (AFP) May 22, 2026-Heavy rain and floods have killed at least 24 people in the past 48 hours across Afghanistan, local and disaster officials said on Friday.In the last 24 hours, 15 people were killed in the northern province of Baghlan, two in northeastern Badakhshan and one in central Wardak due to flash floods."Fifteen people have lost their lives, and dozens more have been injured due to the floods," said Farooq Akhplawak, spokesman for the Baghlan governor.A local official in Badakhshan said: "Two people have died, two others are missing, more than 100 residential houses have been destroyed."Heavy rain has battered much of Afghanistan since Wednesday, causing floods in multiple provinces.Another six people were killed on Thursday in several provinces of the country."In the past 24 hours... six people were martyred, and eleven people were injured," Afghanistan's disaster management authority (ANDMA) spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Hammad said on Thursday.Stormy weather has brought rain across Afghanistan since late March, causing floods and landslides and damaging homes and crops.The latest casualties followed the deaths of at least 148 people, as well as 137 wounded, across the country owing to flooding and rain in April.Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly floods, landslides and storms, particularly in remote areas with fragile infrastructure.Among the poorest countries in the world after decades of war, Afghanistan is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, which scientists say is spurring extreme weather.
US expects 'below normal' Atlantic hurricane season.
Washington, United States, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2026-US forecasters on Thursday predicted the Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be "below normal" in 2026, but cautioned that "it only takes one."Data on the eastern and central Pacific meanwhile shows a 70 percent chance of "above normal" activity.An expected El Nino weather pattern is largely driving the forecast, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) head Neil Jacobs.Atlantic hurricanes are more dangerous to human life and property as they are generally closer to more heavily populated areas.Even a "below normal" season could include eight to 14 named storms, Jacobs said, and at least one to three are likely to be considered major, meaning with winds above 111 miles (178 kilometers) per hour."Don't let words like below average... change the way you're prepared," urged Ken Graham, National Weather Service director.The forecast does not include predictions on whether or not storms might make landfall.NOAA officials said the last time they put out a similar forecast was in 2015.The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November. The Pacific season began in mid-May and also runs through November.El Nino -- a natural climate cycle phase -- influences global weather and increases the likelihood of drought, heavy rainfall and other climate extremes.It generally supports fewer tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic, because it can create strong vertical winds there that can tilt or tear those systems before they strengthen.El Nino has the opposite effect in the Pacific, meaning places like Hawaii and Mexico could potentially suffer more impacts from storms.And in a world warmed by fossil fuel pollution, Atlantic sea surface temperatures could have the potential to play spoiler to El Nino's impact.Following the briefing, Graham said in a statement "there is still uncertainty in how each season will unfold."The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season included four major hurricanes ending with Melissa, which struck Jamaica as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded.Fueled by abnormally warm Caribbean waters, it exploded into a Category 5 storm and moved across the region at little more than a strolling pace, amplifying the danger of relentless rain, storm surge and wind while unleashing catastrophic damage.A study from the Imperial College London said the massive storm was made four times more likely because of human-caused climate change.Scientists say both rapid intensification and stalling storms are on the rise in a warming climate.
Spain to launch biggest forest fire campaign after record losses: PM.
Madrid, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2026-Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday presented what he called Spain's biggest-ever campaign against forest fires after deadly blazes devoured a record amount of land last year.Spain is one of the southern European countries on the front line of climate change as higher average temperatures stoke heatwaves, droughts and forest fires.The country sweltered through its hottest summer on record in 2025, when almost 400,000 hectares of land went up in smoke, the highest figure registered by the European Forest Fire Information System."We will put in place all the resources" available to the government "to mitigate this emergency situation as much as possible and to prevent it happening again on this scale", Sanchez said at the Torrejon airbase outside Madrid.He described the preparations as "the state's largest deployment for an anti-fires campaign... because we are also aware that, unfortunately, this threat is growing".The tools include new helicopters and planes, amphibious aircraft, drones, vehicles, heat cameras and advanced surveillance systems to tackle blazes that strike "with greater force, greater virulence" and are harder to extinguish, Sanchez said.The interior ministry said the official forest fire season would be brought forward by two weeks to June 1 for the second year running to respond to the danger.Sanchez also announced greater coordination between levels of government to respond more effectively to fires, a frequent source of political friction in Spain's decentralised system as regions are primarily responsible for emergency management.The worst-affected regions during last summer's blazes -- Galicia, Castile and Leon and Extremadura -- are run by the right, sparking recriminations with the leftist central government."This battle... is won together with unity, with institutional loyalty, and not with confrontation," Sanchez said."Fire does not distinguish between administrations, it does not ask who governs," the Socialist leader added, reiterating a plea for "a national pact against the climate emergency".
Report demystifies India’s unique face biometrics market beyond the benchmarks-May 25, 2026, 4:26 pm EDT | Chris Burt
Biometric authentication is taking off in India as the country’s government and market align around identity as a trust layer for payments, public services, travel, commerce and more. This is the thesis of a new “Market Guide for Facial Biometrics in India” from Demystify Biometrics.Demystify Biometrics is a market analysis and strategic intelligence firm founded last year by Ashok Singal, whose resume includes current roles as VP of Digital Identity and Biometrics for JPMorgan Chase & Co., advisor at Peak IDV and co-chair of the FIDO Alliance’s Biometrics Working Group. The firm built the “Biometrics Intelligence Hub” as a platform for comparing biometric performance across various benchmarks and reports.The Market Guide for Facial Biometrics in India examines the interaction between the country’s regulations, like the DPDA Act 2023, digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar digital IDs, UPI payment rails and DigiLocker, and adoption drivers like behavioral familiarity with biometrics and increased market penetration of devices and connectivity. The report considers the market segments for both 1:1 facial authentication and 1:n facial recognition.“India’s face biometrics market is unique because it sits at the intersection of massive scale, digital public infrastructure, and diverse real-world deployment environments,” Singal told Biometric Update in an emailed statement. “Few markets combine this level of population diversity, rapid digital adoption, and high-volume use cases across travel, financial services, government services, and public safety — making India one of the most important proving grounds for face biometric technologies globally.”Businesses should select a face biometrics vendor for the Indian market based on the specific considerations of their use case and the mix of matching accuracy, liveness detection, injection attack resilience, deployment environment, regulatory compliance and scalability considerations they involve.The report compares 32 vendors, who are competing in a dynamic market that is evolving toward scenario-driven leaders rather than a winner-takes-all landscape, according to Demystify Biometrics. The debut report from the company makes the case that India’s facial recognition market is best understood as an interconnected ecosystem, rather than a single vendor category.Like other national and regional markets for biometrics, the core of value within the stack for face biometrics in India is shifting from capture and matching algorithms to trust orchestration and compliance.India’s face biometrics market is analyzed according to six clusters of use cases, three control layers, selected performance evaluations for both authentication and identification scenarios, and national growth drivers. It includes guidance for vendors competing in the market, and for buyers choosing from among them.
Trust inevitable in building human rights-sensitive digital ID systems-May 25, 2026, 4:22 pm EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Some digital rights advocates who spoke at the recent ID4Africa 2026 AGM in Abidjan emphasized that for African governments to build rights-respecting national digital ID systems, they must establish a strong foundation of trust with their citizens through transparency and robust legal protections.This was the thrust of the argument put forth by Thandeka Chauke, Director of human rights and social justice consultancy, Catalysts for Change, in South Africa, and Mustafa Mahmoud, Director of Citizenship at human rights organization, Namati Kenya. Namati has been involved in advocacy for human rights and privacy improvements in Kenya’s Maisha Namba digital ID system launched in September 2023. It had also been vocal about shortcomings in the previous Huduma Namba system.In a co-presentation that dwelled on the human rights side of digital identity, the duo thoroughly examined the human rights risks associated with the implementation of mandatory digital ID systems.Chauke and Mahmoud noted that this infrastructure can sometimes lead to function creep, structural discrimination and the exclusion of vulnerable groups like stateless or undocumented people, if not properly designed and deployed. At the same ID4Africa event, speakers also made the case for identity inclusion in favour of stateless persons and refugees.The rights advocates argued that requiring digital identification for essential services such as healthcare and education, which is the case in some African countries, threatens fundamental rights when people lack the necessary documentation to enroll for such systems in the first place.To them, this can be a worrying situation given that digital ID systems must be designed to serve as inclusive enablers rather than barriers, such that the transition to digital identity does not leave behind those already marginalized either by geography or lack of birth registration.Chauke outlined that identity systems that are prone to exclusion or human rights issues are those that are foundational or meant for multi-purpose uses, systems that are linked to nationality and legal identity, as well as those that rely on biometrics like fingerprints, iris scans, and facial recognition.“While we’re highlighting them as three separate categories, of course, they overlap. And when they overlap, then the risks compound; the concern isn’t just one of these types in isolation. We’re looking at exclusion, surveillance and discrimination that is structural and baked into the infrastructure,” she said.According to her, it is the duty of the state to ensure that the right systems are in place: “It remains the obligation and duty of public institutions to ensure that digital ID systems comply with human rights. It’s important to look at the aspect of legality, of proportionality, and even of necessity. That all has to be clearly articulated in order to justify the adoption of a digital ID system.”She went on: “I think the common ground for us is to build trust. First, we should know that you cannot compel trust, you cannot police trust, but trust is built by conversations, and by sharing the purpose so that people will understand why they need a digital ID. Basically, the biggest problem that we have is trust. So, we need to have systems that are built on trust.”Digital ID should not be mandatory-Mahmoud for his part pointed out that making digital ID mandatory, expressly or otherwise, can negatively affect multiple human rights.“When you deny people access to services because of an ID, you put them in situations whereby not only their human rights, but also their life is impacted. For example, if you tell someone that without an ID, they cannot even be admitted to hospital, it’s not only impacting their right to health, but also the right to life,” Mahmoud remarked.He said they believe public institutions should not require mandatory enrolment in to digital ID systems.“Why should we compel people to produce a digital ID when we already have ID systems where, maybe, the penetration level is still wanting?” he asked.“Public institutions should not require mandatory use of digital IDs to access public services or privately provided public services,” Mahmoud strongly advised.He suggested however that in cases where digital ID systems already exist or are being developed, “we should have a guarantee mechanism that allows us to be able to include people who have been left out through systemic discrimination or even geographical discrimination.”The speakers also advised that conversations and investments regarding digital ID should not happen in isolation. According to them, governments must prioritize civil registration, put in place guardrails to protect the right to birth registration, and take concrete steps towards addressing the issue of statelessness.Integrating civil registration and national identity systems was emphasized as a priority during another conversion in Abidjan.
Nepalese raise concerns over new DPI loans amid previous project failures.May 25, 2026, 4:10 pm EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Some experts have expressed apprehensions that the government of Nepal has contracted a new loan for the implementation of a digital public infrastructure (DPI) project without proper diagnoses of previous similar projects that witnessed some failures.Last month, Nepalese authorities signed a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) amounting to $40 million, in addition to a $50 million loan which had been approved by the World Bank for the country in February.Dubbed the Nepal Digital Transformation Project, the new initiative, to run for the next five years, is designed to strengthen the country’s essential DPI architecture in order to streamline access to government and private sector services for at least seven million citizens.Before this new project, there were the Digital Nepal Acceleration (DNA) Project and the Digital Nepal Project (DNP) which ended, reportedly without effectively meeting the objectives for which they were designed.The projects were said to have been plagued by structural inefficiencies which included government red tape, procurement challenges, and weak capacity for proper inter-agency coordination.The collapse of the DNA project particularly exposed a pattern of administrative inertia where different ministries spent critical time blaming one another rather than executing the plan, according to The Kathmandu Times.Political pressure from various provinces regarding infrastructure distribution further helped paralyse the project. As a result, the DNA project was cancelled 18 months after approval, with no progress registered and not a single rupee spent within that period.Nepal’s Former Communication Minister, Rekha Sharma, is quoted by The Kathmandu Post as remarking that part of the failure of the project stemmed from fundamental disagreements with the funders over spending priorities, specifically regarding grants meant for the Nepal Telecommunications Authority for rural broadband expansion.The Kathmandu Post echoes concerns about the new project, quoting digital economy expert Bibek Rana as asserting that such important projects must be based on “a strategic anchor.”To Rana, the government must treat DPI projects as a broader economic reform endeavor, and not a routine IT project treated with levity. The official warns that proceeding without a strategic anchor risks the same fragmented and isolated results seen in the past, especially since donor agencies are currently financing nearly a dozen different digital programs across Nepal with unsatisfactory progress.Some recent studies on Nepal’s DPI progress highlighted several drawbacks including interoperability issues.Some of the officials quoted by The Post cite examples like Egypt, Georgia, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia where donor-funded projects of the same nature proved successful because these nations showed sufficient proof of skill, coordination, and implementation capacity.In a bid to address these challenges which have bedevilled Nepal’s digital transformation projects, the country’s Finance Minister disclosed that corrective efforts are underway. He mentioned at the Kantipur Economic Summit that work is afoot to bring all IT-related aspects under one coordinating agency, which shall be placed under the authority of the Prime Minister’s Office to break down bureaucratic silos and enforce data interoperability.As a result of the institutional transition, the implementation of the new project has been put on hold, amid calls from experts and other stakeholders to consolidate the legal and governance frameworks needed for effective implementation of the new project in order not to repeat past mistakes.Meanwhile, there have also been calls for the government to better negotiate loan deals for such projects in the future, and to ensure that capable and technically sound teams represent Nepal in a way that government priorities can be given the necessary attention.
EES records 66M border crossings in first six months despite rollout friction-Commission says biometric checks are improving security, but airlines, border experts and travelers continue to report delays and operational strain-May 22, 2026, 4:21 pm EDT | Masha Borak
During its first six months of operation of Europe’s biometric-based Entry-Exit System (EES), daily fingerprint checks against EU databases rose from approximately 17,000 to around 87,000, according to new figures published by the European Commission.The figures mark the first large-scale operational test of Europe’s biometric border infrastructure, which combines facial recognition and fingerprint verification to track non-EU travelers entering and exiting the Schengen zone.Overall, 66 million entries were recorded by the biometric border scheme since the rollout began in October 2025, the newest State of Schengen report revealed on Monday. The system records third-party nationals by registering their facial and fingerprint data.The system refused entry to 32,000 people into the Schengen zone. Among them, nearly 800 individuals were considered threats to internal security, while almost 7,000 travelers were denied entry for overstaying their Schengen visas.“During the six-month progressive start, the system has shown clear benefits for the security of EU citizens by stopping criminals, impostors, and document fraudsters from crossing borders under false identities or with fake documents,” says the report.Despite reports of hours-long queues and technical issues at border checkpoints, the Commission says the “vast majority” of Schengen states have implemented the EES effectively.“Overall, the EES has been operating efficiently, bringing visible benefits to EU security,” the document says.During the next year, Schengen countries will need to reduce processing times for EES, add more automated border control solutions and improve the registration and the quality of biometrics, the report concludes. The continent will also need to prepare for the introduction of ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System).EU is disconnected from the reality of EES: report-Not everyone agrees with the EU’s assessment of the EES deployment. The Commission’s portrayal of the rollouts shows a disconnect with reality on the ground, Davide Colombi, a researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies, told The Times.The EES was first envisioned in 2008: It took 17 years and five delays to turn it into reality.“The EC is portraying the implementation of the rollout as a successful one. But it’s been postponed for many years, so clearly something was not working,” says Colombi.Many of the issues with EES, including missed flights and boarding delays, were already predicted in 2013 in a report published by the European Parliament, which studied how the U.S. introduced its own border systems.These problems became apparent when the system was put into full force during Easter holidays, with wait times at airports extending between two and three hours. One flight from Milan to Manchester only boarded 34 of 156 passengers, as the majority could not reach the plane on time.Some experts are blaming delays on individual countries: Local border forces have not provided enough staff to guide people through the new system, according to the CEO of travel agency consortium Advantage Travel Partnership, Julia Lo Bue-Said.The EU’s response to these complaints has been to allow countries to partially suspend EES operations where necessary for an additional 90-day period after launch, with a possible 60-day extension to cover the summer peak.Airlines, including Ryanair, as well as major airport organizations such as Airlines for Europe (A4E) and Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, say this is not enough. With the summer travel season approaching and British tourists reconsidering vacation plans, UK-based organizations are calling for more exemptions.The European Commission should drop the requirement for fingerprinting and exempt British passport-holders, as they generally do not represent a “high-risk,” says Tony Smith, chairman of the London-based International Border Management and Technologies Association (IBMATA) and former director general of UK Border Control.
Greece unilaterally announced in April that it would suspend EES checks for British tourists due to long queues, with rumors swirling that Portugal and Italy could follow suit.British travelers to France taking the Channel routes are still mostly exempt from biometric border checks. The rollout of the EES at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel was pushed back after French authorities reported technical setbacksAs EES expands toward full operational scale and prepares for integration with ETIAS, Europe’s biometric border infrastructure is increasingly becoming both a security project and a stress test for cross-border travel logistics.
Ethiopia moves to expand Fayda enrollment with $54M Super Agent procurement.Aims to accelerate registrations in underserved communities as the country pushes toward 90 million digital IDs-May 21, 2026, 10:44 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Ethiopia’s Digital ID for Inclusion and Services Project is in urgent need of “Super Agents” to facilitate large-scale registration and help the project reach people who are currently underserved.The push reflects broader efforts by Ethiopia to scale Fayda from a foundational identity system into national digital public infrastructure supporting service delivery, inclusion and authentication across sectors.This is one of the recommendations of a report after an evaluation mission conducted by World Bank in March.In its second year, the project has surpassed 39 million Fayda enrollments, integrated more than 100 public and private institutions and recorded over 78 million authentications. The total project financing is $350 million.While the issuance of digital IDs is progressing with more than nine million cards delivered so far, the project has also successfully integrated over 100 public and private institutions, and more than 78 million authentications recorded.A joint task force has also supported approximately 190,000 refugee registrations and 170,000 ID issuances alongside more than 200,000 host community registrations.The ID project has also made some gains in strengthening cybersecurity infrastructure, with the ongoing development of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) to achieve ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, with the process expected to be initiated in July.Despite the progress, the evaluation mission said procurement, operational and implementation bottlenecks still threaten enrollment targets.One of the urgent actions is to speed up registration, especially in hard-to-reach communities, notably as the project has a target of reaching 60 million enrollments by June, and 90 million by September.To get this done, some Super Agents will have to be recruited. The Super Agents would function as front-end enrollment partners, deploying staff and infrastructure to underserved and hard-to-reach communities.The $54 million procurement has completed evaluation and is awaiting World Bank clearance before contract awards can proceed.General procurement regarding the project is rated “satisfactory” but there was a recommendation for more action over the next six months, especially for the 43 planned activities for which procurement has not yet started.Other recommendations include the recruitment of a contract manager, clearance of delays in performance guarantees for signed IT infrastructure contracts, and addressing minor inconsistencies between the Project Implementation Unit’s internal reporting and World Bank STEP data,The report also calls for accelerated deployment of “FaydaVerse,” the business layer of the national ID program, deeper integration of ID services across government systems and continued development of Ethiopia’s broader digital public infrastructure roadmap.
South Africa Home Affairs seeks $828M budget for digital ID, biometric visa projects-May 20, 2026, 5:08 pm EDT | Ayang Macdonald
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has tabled a budget of 13.8 billion Rand (about US$828 million) in parliament for the 2026/2027 financial year to support the expansion of Smart IDs, the digital visa system, and the imminent launch of a national digital ID.Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber made the announcement in a recent budget vote speech in which he chronicled the successes which his department has achieved in the last two years under the ‘Home Affairs @ Home’ initiative. This is a drive that was launched with the aim of transforming how South Africans access identity services.South Africa is currently implementing a digital transformation program guided by the MyMzansi DPI Roadmap which aims to dramatically streamline public service delivery in the country.Palpable digital transformation gains-Schreiber noted that the successes of their reform initiatives so far have been strong and palpable.He cited the new model partnership with banks which is facilitating access to Smart IDs with a record four million of them issued in 2025, the success recorded with the pilot phase of the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system which involved four countries, and the release of the digital ID draft regulatory framework for public comment.According to the minister, Home Affairs intends to build on this progress by intensifying efforts deployed for these core projects that underpin the department’s ongoing digital transformation agenda. In the last financial year, Home Affairs had requested $615 million to drive its digital transformation vision.“Given the astonishing success of this project, we have raised our ambitions accordingly. I can announce today that, by the end of 2026, we aim to roll this [Smart ID application]service out to at least 750 bank branches, extending them into every corner of South Africa,” the minister told parliament.“Over the next few weeks, we will also roll out first time Smart ID and Passport applications through this new system. And we will introduce doorstep delivery of IDs and Passports for the first time in South African history.”With regard to the digital visa program, Schreiber said its early success after it was open to nationals from China, India, Mexico and Indonesia, is pushing government to expand the service in the near future to many more countries and all visa categories.“With final technical work currently underway, we will shortly expand the ETA to tourists from many more countries. This will unlock entire new growth markets for our tourism sector in ways that were unimaginable under the previous manual and paper-based system,” he assured.As concerns the digital ID, he called on South Africans to submit their comments before the June 6 deadline so that “we can implement an appropriate and fit-for-purpose regulatory framework for this new system that will enable South Africans to securely access Home Affairs services in the palm of their own hand.”Biometric voter registration from May 27-Apart from the three core digital transformation projects, Schreiber disclosed that part of the budget will be dedicated to the organization of upcoming local elections for which a national biometric voter registration exercise will commence soon.“The national voter registration campaign will officially launch on 27 May 2026 under the message: ‘Get Up, Show Up, Vote.’ This is preceded by a targeted voter communication and registration campaign that is currently being rolled-out across 212 municipalities until the end of this month,” the minister stated.Meanwhile, Schreiber also tabled Home Affairs budget proposals for the 2027/2028 financial year which stands at R12.8 billion (US$770 million), and that for the 2028/2029 fiscal year which amounts to R13.3 billion (US$801 million).
