LIVE: Global Security Forum in Doha, Qatar
Reuters
Qatar holds the annual Global Security Forum in Doha, where Qatar's PM, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, is expected to give the opening speech
Showing posts with label WAR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WAR. Show all posts
Monday, October 19, 2026
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Zohran Mamdani Condemns Israel’s Gaza Genocide, Says New York Taxes Fund War Crimes
Gaza Genocideupdated 31m ago2 min read
New York mayor says U.S. tax money funds war crimes in Gaza On the third anniversary of Oct. 7, he highlighted U.S. complicity in Gaza genocide
Compared
Friday, October 02, 2026
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Poland warns people to ready ‘evacuation backpacks’ over rising Russia threat
Nato fighter jets were dispatched after the incursion (Picture: Getty)
Sarah Hooper | Live News Reporter
Published September 24, 2026 9:34am Updated September 24, 2026 10:40am
A Russian Mi-8 helicopter crossed 1,000 feet into Nato airspace this week, prompting warnings to residents about preparedness.
The helicopter came from the heavily militarised Kaliningrad region close to the Polish town of Braniewo.
It flew above Polish territory for around 42 seconds, triggering Nato fighter jets to scramble in response.
Poland saw the move as a deliberate transgression to test Nato defences, but also a sobering warning to residents to be prepared in case of a needed evacuation.
The country’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Radosław Sikorski revealed he had an evacuation backpack ready amid fears of full-scale war.
The Russian Mi-8 helicopter prompted Nato jets to respond (Picture: Getty)
Friday, September 11, 2026
Mistakes, mistrust and misdirection: 25 years after 9/11, its dark legacy continues to unfold
The initial heroism, goodwill and unity of 9/11 gave way to discord at home and diminished moral authority abroad.’ Illustration: Guardian Design
The world’s most powerful country responded to the worst terrorist attack in its history by inflicting terror of its own – around the world, and at home
David Smith in Washington
The world’s most powerful country responded to the worst terrorist attack in its history by inflicting terror of its own – around the world, and at home
David Smith in Washington
Fri 11 Sep 2026 02.00 EDT
As clear as that cloudless September morning, Jenna Jacobs McPartland remembers the moment everything changed. “I was cleaning the bathroom and watching the Today show in the background and nine months pregnant,” the 52-year-old recalls by phone. “I think they were showing ‘Today throws a wedding’ when the news broke in.”
A plane had hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York. McPartland did not know that her husband, Ariel Jacobs, was attending a conference at its Windows on the World restaurant. “I called his office to say, ‘Hey, turn on the TV. Do you guys know what’s going on?’ His assistant said, ‘Oh my God, Jenna, he’s there.’ The whole world disappeared and there was this sort of hollow collapsing feeling.”
Ariel Jacobs did not live to see his son, Gabriel, born six days after September 11, 2001. McPartland, then living in Briarcliff Manor, New York, would marry twice more, set up a grief support charity, and become a chef and restaurateur. Each 9/11 anniversary, she has a picnic at the cemetery where a few pieces of bone from her late husband are buried.
Speaking from Fairfield, Connecticut, McPartland says: “Ari was an incredibly joyful person who cherished his life. I made a conscious choice to honour him by living as joyfully as I can. It’s not always easy. I still cry pretty frequently. If there’s a movie with a building getting blown up, or if I’m reading a book and they casually mention ‘post 9-11 this’ or whatever, it catches me off guard. The grief finds a place to live in the heart, and you visit it.”
As clear as that cloudless September morning, Jenna Jacobs McPartland remembers the moment everything changed. “I was cleaning the bathroom and watching the Today show in the background and nine months pregnant,” the 52-year-old recalls by phone. “I think they were showing ‘Today throws a wedding’ when the news broke in.”
A plane had hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York. McPartland did not know that her husband, Ariel Jacobs, was attending a conference at its Windows on the World restaurant. “I called his office to say, ‘Hey, turn on the TV. Do you guys know what’s going on?’ His assistant said, ‘Oh my God, Jenna, he’s there.’ The whole world disappeared and there was this sort of hollow collapsing feeling.”
Ariel Jacobs did not live to see his son, Gabriel, born six days after September 11, 2001. McPartland, then living in Briarcliff Manor, New York, would marry twice more, set up a grief support charity, and become a chef and restaurateur. Each 9/11 anniversary, she has a picnic at the cemetery where a few pieces of bone from her late husband are buried.
Speaking from Fairfield, Connecticut, McPartland says: “Ari was an incredibly joyful person who cherished his life. I made a conscious choice to honour him by living as joyfully as I can. It’s not always easy. I still cry pretty frequently. If there’s a movie with a building getting blown up, or if I’m reading a book and they casually mention ‘post 9-11 this’ or whatever, it catches me off guard. The grief finds a place to live in the heart, and you visit it.”
View of smoke from the collapse of the World Trade Center’s South Tower, in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, as seen from Exchange Place, Jersey City, New Jersey, September 11, 2001. Photograph: Michael J Powell/Getty Images
McPartland and other victims’ families have learned to live with that grief over the past 25 years. But America writ large has struggled to carry the weight of the worst terrorist attack in its history. The world’s most powerful nation responded by inflicting terror of its own, betraying its history as a safe harbour for immigrants, and pitting Americans against one another. The initial heroism, goodwill and unity of 9/11 gave way to discord at home and diminished moral authority abroad.
McPartland adds: “It makes me incredibly sad and bordering on angry that the death of my husband has been invoked to cause more violence. It is the othering of people that got him killed in the first place and, when we Americans fail to learn that lesson and choose collectively as a nation to other people, whether it’s immigrants or other nations, that is a deepening of that tragedy that is sickening and unfathomable to me.”
McPartland and other victims’ families have learned to live with that grief over the past 25 years. But America writ large has struggled to carry the weight of the worst terrorist attack in its history. The world’s most powerful nation responded by inflicting terror of its own, betraying its history as a safe harbour for immigrants, and pitting Americans against one another. The initial heroism, goodwill and unity of 9/11 gave way to discord at home and diminished moral authority abroad.
McPartland adds: “It makes me incredibly sad and bordering on angry that the death of my husband has been invoked to cause more violence. It is the othering of people that got him killed in the first place and, when we Americans fail to learn that lesson and choose collectively as a nation to other people, whether it’s immigrants or other nations, that is a deepening of that tragedy that is sickening and unfathomable to me.”
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
CIA director makes an unannounced trip to Moscow for talks, source says
NBC News
Aug 25, 2026
The CIA director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced flight to Moscow for talks, according to a source. This is Ratcliffe's first trip to Moscow since he began his tenure as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency.
***
CIA Director Suddenly In Moscow As NATO Prepares For Russian Attack
Rebel HQ
Aug 25, 2026
Watch: Ukraine Pounds Russia, Prompting Angry Putin To Threaten U.K.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a rare, unannounced trip to Moscow for meetings with Russian officials, raising questions about what the Trump administration is discussing behind closed doors. The mysterious visit comes as U.S.-brokered efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine remain stalled and tensions between Washington and Moscow continue to run high. David Shuster breaks it down on Rebel HQ.
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Why the CIA chief might have made a secret Moscow visit | DW News
DW News
Aug 25, 2026
Reports in US media suggest that America's top spy, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, made a rare, unannounced trip to Moscow on Tuesday. Neither the CIA nor the Kremlin has commented on the reports. If confirmed, it would be Ratcliffe's first known visit to Russia since becoming CIA Director, and the highest-level intelligence trip between the two countries since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. So what could be behind this mysterious mission? DW speaks to Russia analyst Angela Stent to explore the possible reasons for the trip.
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Iran looks to ramp up economic alliance with BRICS nations as war with U.S. drags on
Published Thu, Aug 13 2026 8:48 AM EDT
Chloe Taylor@ChloeTaylor141
Key Points
- Iran is set to join the BRICS New Development Bank, the country’s central bank chief said Thursday.
- Iran would have to move through the NDB’s accession process before it can become an official member country.
- The war with the U.S. and Israel has further ramped up the pressure on the Iranian economy, with inflation surging, growth plummeting and its currency in freefall.
A woman and a child walk past Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles displayed at Azadi Square in Tehran on July 24, 2026.
Afp | Getty Images
Iran is set to join the BRICS New Development Bank, the country’s central bank chief said Thursday, as Tehran seeks to shore up its economic alliances almost six months into its war with the U.S. and Israel.
The BRICS alliance was set up in 2006 by founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010.
It has since expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia, with various other nations — including Belarus, Cuba and Nigeria — joining as partner countries.
Iranian state media reported Thursday that Abdolnasser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, had announced Iran would soon become a member of the BRICS Bank. Hemmati is currently in India ahead of next month’s BRICS Summit, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
“We are seeking to establish bilateral and trilateral monetary cooperation with member states,” Hemmati said, per Tasnim’s report.
The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to help mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries.
A spokesperson for the NDB told CNBC the bank cannot confirm information regarding Iran’s membership.
Afp | Getty Images
Iran is set to join the BRICS New Development Bank, the country’s central bank chief said Thursday, as Tehran seeks to shore up its economic alliances almost six months into its war with the U.S. and Israel.
The BRICS alliance was set up in 2006 by founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010.
It has since expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia, with various other nations — including Belarus, Cuba and Nigeria — joining as partner countries.
Iranian state media reported Thursday that Abdolnasser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, had announced Iran would soon become a member of the BRICS Bank. Hemmati is currently in India ahead of next month’s BRICS Summit, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
“We are seeking to establish bilateral and trilateral monetary cooperation with member states,” Hemmati said, per Tasnim’s report.
The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to help mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries.
A spokesperson for the NDB told CNBC the bank cannot confirm information regarding Iran’s membership.
Wednesday, August 05, 2026
Friday, July 10, 2026
Rubio speaks with Vatican secretary of state about escalation of Russia-Ukraine war, peacemaking efforts
The conversation comes days after Russia launched one of its largest combined missile and drone attacks since the start of the war.
The Vatican's Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin attends a plenary session at the Summit on peace in Ukraine, at the luxury Burgenstock resort, near Lucerne, on June 16, 2024. The two-day gathering brings together Ukrainian President and more than 50 other heads of state and government, to try to work out a way towards a peace process for Ukraine -- albeit without Russia. (Photo by ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
July 9, 2026
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a conversation July 9 with the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin regarding the war between Ukraine and Russia and efforts to achieve peace.
“The two leaders discussed efforts to achieve a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine war,” U.S. Secretary of State spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a July 9 statement.
No additional details were provided.
The war in Ukraine saw a dramatic surge of violence earlier this month when Russia launched a missile and drone attack overnight, killing at least 21 people and injuring more than 80 in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials, as Zeale News reported. This attack marked one of Russia’s largest combined missile and drone attacks since the war began, according to the report. More than 52,000 people sheltered overnight in Kyiv’s metro system the night of July 1 following a warning from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to seek shelter ahead of impending Russian strikes.
Reuters reported July 9 that Russian military experts have also been discussing escalation of the conflict, including potentially striking European targets “such as NATO bases in Baltic countries.”
“Such a step would risk drawing Russia into direct confrontation with the U.S.-led alliance, testing the NATO commitment that an attack on one member nation constitutes an attack on all,” Reuters added.
However, Ukraine has recently carried out strikes on oil refineries, storage depots and ports in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine, causing Russian civilians to bear stark fuel shortages, according to Reuters. A source that regularly meets with President Vladimir Putin told Reuters that “Ukraine's recent successes, however, have made Putin more angry and more determined to give a tough response,” the outlet reported.
Two sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters on the condition of anonymity that Putin was more likely to escalate the war in the upcoming months rather than negotiate peace. President Donald Trump has had separate phone calls with Putin and Zelenskyy within the past week. Trump also met with Zelenskyy in person July 8 in Turkey during the NATO summit.
Rubio met Cardinal Parolin at the Vatican in May 2025 and communicated with him earlier this year about international situations. In January, the two had a conversation about promoting peace and religious freedom around the globe and efforts to improve humanitarian situations particularly in Venezuela. Pigott said at the time that during that conversation, the two leaders also “reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation between the United States and the Holy See in addressing shared priorities around the world.”
July 9, 2026
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a conversation July 9 with the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin regarding the war between Ukraine and Russia and efforts to achieve peace.
“The two leaders discussed efforts to achieve a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine war,” U.S. Secretary of State spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a July 9 statement.
No additional details were provided.
The war in Ukraine saw a dramatic surge of violence earlier this month when Russia launched a missile and drone attack overnight, killing at least 21 people and injuring more than 80 in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials, as Zeale News reported. This attack marked one of Russia’s largest combined missile and drone attacks since the war began, according to the report. More than 52,000 people sheltered overnight in Kyiv’s metro system the night of July 1 following a warning from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to seek shelter ahead of impending Russian strikes.
Reuters reported July 9 that Russian military experts have also been discussing escalation of the conflict, including potentially striking European targets “such as NATO bases in Baltic countries.”
“Such a step would risk drawing Russia into direct confrontation with the U.S.-led alliance, testing the NATO commitment that an attack on one member nation constitutes an attack on all,” Reuters added.
However, Ukraine has recently carried out strikes on oil refineries, storage depots and ports in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine, causing Russian civilians to bear stark fuel shortages, according to Reuters. A source that regularly meets with President Vladimir Putin told Reuters that “Ukraine's recent successes, however, have made Putin more angry and more determined to give a tough response,” the outlet reported.
Two sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters on the condition of anonymity that Putin was more likely to escalate the war in the upcoming months rather than negotiate peace. President Donald Trump has had separate phone calls with Putin and Zelenskyy within the past week. Trump also met with Zelenskyy in person July 8 in Turkey during the NATO summit.
Rubio met Cardinal Parolin at the Vatican in May 2025 and communicated with him earlier this year about international situations. In January, the two had a conversation about promoting peace and religious freedom around the globe and efforts to improve humanitarian situations particularly in Venezuela. Pigott said at the time that during that conversation, the two leaders also “reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation between the United States and the Holy See in addressing shared priorities around the world.”
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
The Vatican vs. Mar-a-Lago
ByKevin Gallagher
Pope Leo XIV is making it impossible to reconcile MAGA politics with Catholic faith.
Within the US Catholic church, Leo’s interventions may decisively undercut those who have argued for a “seamless garment” of Catholic faith and MAGA politics. (Alberto Pizzoli / AFP via Getty Images)
Jacobin‘s special spring issue, “Teen Jacobin,” is out now. Follow this link to get a discounted subscription to our beautiful print quarterly.
“Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.” As thousands of believers filled St Peter’s Square in the Vatican for the rites of Palm Sunday this year, Pope Leo XIV chose to include in his homily these words that God speaks at the beginning of the Book of Isaiah. In the context of his brief homily, it was the last of several Bible verses Leo chose to illustrate the idea of “Jesus, King of Peace.” But in the context of the Trump administration’s ongoing war on Iran, it was immediately understood as a direct rebuke to a prayer service led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon a few days earlier, in which he had besought the Almighty for “overwhelming violence.”
Leo may not have intended his words as a direct response to Hegseth — a pope hardly needs a special excuse to preach about peace at Easter time — but Leo did nothing to discourage that interpretation. A few days later, when asked about Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization, Leo unequivocally rebuked such threats as “unacceptable,” and directly asked that Americans call their congresspeople to demand an end to hostilities.
This was not the first time Leo had chosen to venture into American politics in this first year of his papacy. He had previously made public comments against the mistreatment of immigrants and against the occupation of Minneapolis. But this time, the Trump administration’s response has been far more aggressive. President Trump made a rambling late-night post on his Truth Social network to announce that “Leo should get his act together as pope”; Vice President J. D. Vance chided the Supreme Pontiff to “be careful” about what he says; and a whole series of lesser officials and right-wing media personalities lined up to denounce the pope’s statements.
When asked about these attacks by the press, Leo stated, “I have no fear of the Trump administration,” and he has gone on to show himself uncowed. At a recent prayer meeting on his tour through several African countries, Leo returned again to the theme of his Palm Sunday homily — this time not quoting the Bible but speaking in his own words: “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
Sunday, April 05, 2026
Pope Leo’s Easter message to the world: ‘Let those who have weapons lay them down!’
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — As wars intensify across the globe, Pope Leo XIV used his first Easter address to deliver a stark warning against growing indifference to violence, urging both world leaders and ordinary people to reject fear and choose peace through dialogue.
Pope Leo XIV addresses the faithful after delivering the Urbi et Orbi blessing - Latin for "to the city of Rome and to the world" - from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica at the end of Easter Mass he presided over in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Claire Giangravé
April 5, 2026
VATICAN CITY (RNS) – During his first Easter address on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV made an impassioned global appeal to end wars and embrace dialogue, following a series of celebrations leading up to Easter in which the pope emphasized the theme of peace.
“Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!” Leo said in his Urbi et Orbi address, Latin for “to the city and to the world,” as 50,000 gathered in the square beneath him, according to Vatican News.
Recent popes have made the traditional Easter address an occasion to call out injustices and conflict in the world. Leo’s Holy Week celebrations, including a prayer vigil on Saturday to “make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts,” kept that focus — with added urgency as conflict escalates in the Middle East.
Saturday, April 04, 2026
Hegseth Says U.S. Troops Are Fighting for Jesus. The Pope Disagrees.
In sharp contrast to the Trump administration’s calls for Christian prayers for the war effort, Pope Leo XIV says military domination is “entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”
By Motoko Rich
Reporting from Rome
April 3, 2026
Pete Hegseth, the U.S. defense secretary, has asked the American people to pray “every day, on bended knee” for a military victory in the Middle East “in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff, has a starkly different take on what should be done in Jesus’s name.
In a homily during a Mass on Thursday morning before Easter, the pope said that the Christian mission has often been “distorted by a desire for domination, entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”
Since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran in late February, the pope has consistently called for an end to the violence and a return to dialogue to resolve the conflict. But without naming Mr. Hegseth, he has also pointed out the ways in which Christianity has been marshaled for purposes that the pope says do not align with Catholic teaching.
Pope Leo, during the Holy Thursday Mass in Rome, said the Christian mission had often been “distorted by a desire for domination.”Credit...Vincenzo Livieri/Reuters
By Motoko Rich
Reporting from Rome
April 3, 2026
Pete Hegseth, the U.S. defense secretary, has asked the American people to pray “every day, on bended knee” for a military victory in the Middle East “in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff, has a starkly different take on what should be done in Jesus’s name.
In a homily during a Mass on Thursday morning before Easter, the pope said that the Christian mission has often been “distorted by a desire for domination, entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”
Since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran in late February, the pope has consistently called for an end to the violence and a return to dialogue to resolve the conflict. But without naming Mr. Hegseth, he has also pointed out the ways in which Christianity has been marshaled for purposes that the pope says do not align with Catholic teaching.
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Sleeper Cells in the USA - Chris Pinto
NOISE OF THUNDER RADIO - 03.26.2026
Today's Show: SLEEPER CELLS IN THE USA
Chris discusses the reports of sleeper cells in the USA and how they may choose to launch attacks on citizens in retaliation for the war in Iran. The sleeper agents are said to be the result of illegal immigration during the Biden administration, and even before. This warning happens in conjunction with an identical alert given by Nigel Farage in the United Kingdom, where several terror attacks have already taken place. The agents are said to be special operators from Iran and could, in theory, be anywhere. They could also be from other Islamic countries, working as part of the International Jihad against the West. In the Bible, God charges the watchman over a city to keep watch and to sound the alarm if an enemy is seen approaching. But what happens when government officials choose to ignore the warnings?
Today's Show: SLEEPER CELLS IN THE USA
Chris discusses the reports of sleeper cells in the USA and how they may choose to launch attacks on citizens in retaliation for the war in Iran. The sleeper agents are said to be the result of illegal immigration during the Biden administration, and even before. This warning happens in conjunction with an identical alert given by Nigel Farage in the United Kingdom, where several terror attacks have already taken place. The agents are said to be special operators from Iran and could, in theory, be anywhere. They could also be from other Islamic countries, working as part of the International Jihad against the West. In the Bible, God charges the watchman over a city to keep watch and to sound the alarm if an enemy is seen approaching. But what happens when government officials choose to ignore the warnings?
Saturday, March 28, 2026
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Pope Leo suggests Christian leaders who start wars should go to confession
Mar 13, 2026
Pope Leo XIV said Christian leaders who bear responsibility for armed conflicts should examine their consciences and seek confession. "Do those Christians who bear serious responsibility in armed conflicts have the humility and courage to make a serious examination of conscience and to go to confession?" Leo said during a speech on Friday.
The pope did not name any specific conflict or individual, but he has repeatedly appealed for peace in Iran and the Middle East, describing the situation as "deeply disturbing." In January, Leo lamented that "war is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading."
via CNN
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