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Oh dear, the Trump fanboys club has been fooled again. When will they learn? I suggest posters read https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce81334je72o Fact Checking Trump's Oval Office confontration with Ramaphos The rows of white crosses along a rural road which Trump claimed were burial sites of over a thousand white farmers were in fact a temporary memorial in protest against the murder of one white farming couple Glen and Vida Rafferty, who were ambushed and shot dead on their premises in 2020. The crosses are no longer there. Out of a total of 26,232 murders in South Africa last year, 44 were killings of people within the farming community and of those, only eight were of farmers. Hardly figures of genocide! The image Trump showed which he claimed was evidence of white farmer killings in South Africa isn't from South Africa - it's actually from a report about women being killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo!

An Italian doctor based in the UK but working in a Gaza hospital describes what life is like at present. An extract below: Dr Roggio, who has been working 12-hour shifts at Nasser hospital treating 10 to 12 people every day, described working with severely malnourished patients and having limited antibiotics. “All the patients we treat are severely malnourished and this is a problem for us plastic surgeons, because all the wounds are not going to heal,” she said. “If the patient is not on adequate nutrition, the infection rate is really high.” UK surgeon treating patients in Gaza warzone says population ‘at its last limit’

Ireland’s deputy premier has accused the Israeli government of “genocidal activity” in Gaza. Tanaiste Simon Harris said it was “clear” that Israel wants to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip as part of what he said was “a consistent pattern of war crimes”. He said the world had “not done enough” to put pressure on Israel to change course, and said he would look to draft a Bill that would ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. Ireland’s deputy premier accuses Israel of ‘genocidal activity’ in Gaza

Russian officials say they intercepted a major Ukrainian drone attack overnight into May 22, with 105 drones reportedly shot down over 11 Russian regions, including 35 aimed at Moscow. The strike is being described as one of the largest Ukrainian drone assaults in recent weeks, coming just one day after an attack on a Russian semiconductor plant tied to missile and aircraft production As the drones approached the capital, all four of Moscow’s international airports — Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky — were temporarily shut down. Mass Drone Strike Targets Moscow, Russian Airports Shut Down

Trouble at t' mill. Eh up, these boys of Trump just can't get along. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent repeatedly shouted “F*** you!” at Elon Musk during a nasty West Wing brawl that unfolded within earshot of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, according to a report. The escalating verbal dispute through the West Wing began because Musk had attempted to select Gary Shapley to lead the IRS – without first getting Bessent’s approval. In response to his profanity-laced outburst, Musk began to taunt Bessent, calling him a "Soros agent" and accusing him of having run "a failed hedge fund.” Bessent shouted profanities at a goading Elon Musk in West Wing after Trump told warring pair to ‘have at it’

Speaking to the Israeli public radio station Reshet Bet, Golan — a former general — said Israel was becoming a pariah state and cautioned that “a sane country doesn’t engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill babies as a hobby and doesn’t set for itself the goals of expelling a population.” After the outcry, he said he was referring to the conduct of Israel’s far-right government in his remarks, not of its soldiers. Israeli politician critiques the Gaza war's toll on Palestinians and sparks an outcry

Trump couldn't handle reporters' questions as usual. Talk about thin skinned. During a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump did not hold back when NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander pressed him on his refugee policy. Alexander asked: "Mr. President, you’ve welcomed white Afrikaner refugees here, can you explain to Americans why it’s appropriate to welcome white Afrikaans here when other refugees like Afghans, Venezuelans, Haitians have all had their protective status revoked?" Trump snapped back and told the NBC reporter, "Well, this is a group, NBC, that is truly fake news. They ask a lot of questions in a very pointed way. They’re not questions, they’re statements." Donald Trump Melts Down as He Hurls Insults at Reporters Come on Mr Trump, admit it. You can't answer the question, as usual!

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the U.K. Parliament Tuesday that "opposing the expansion of a war that has killed thousands of children is not rewarding Hamas." He called Israel's aid blockade "cruel and indefensible" and said "the world is judging" Netanyahu's government. Israeli opposition lawmaker Yair Golan told Israeli public radio Tuesday that unless it starts "behaving like a sane country" again, "Israel is on the path to becoming a pariah state." Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation

Donald Trump has ambushed South Africa's president during a White House meeting by playing a video purportedly showing evidence of a "genocide" of white people in the African country. The US president, who was hosting leader Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, said the footage showed the graves of thousands of white farmers. After an initial friendly chat where Mr Trump complimented South African golfers in the room, a montage of videos was played as Mr Ramaphosa sat quietly and mostly expressionless. Trump ambushes South African president at White House meeting

A British doctor working in Gaza has described it as a "slaughterhouse" as Israel intensifies its attacks on the enclave. Surgeon Tom Potokar compared the situation in Khan Younis to Stalingrad due to the "massive extent of destruction." "Because of the blockade, there's so little stuff getting in. There's no food getting in, so people are starving. There's very little medical supplies coming in," he added. British surgeon in Gaza compares Palestine to ‘slaughterhouse’ as Israel intensifies its attacks

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has written to Sir Keir to express her “deep concern regarding the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza”. She said she acknowledged the joint statement issued by the British, French and Canadian governments, but said there is now an “urgent responsibility on world leaders to take serious action”. “We need an immediate and meaningful escalation in political and economic sanctions to pressure Israel to halt its military operations and comply with international humanitarian law,” she said. Starmer pressed to ‘impose the strongest possible sanctions on Israel’

Let's see, so far the British PM and Foreign Minister, Spanish PM, Canadian PN and French President have criticised Israel's actions in Gaza strongly. Thousands of demonstrators marched through London last weekend and The Hague. Israel's actions of mass bombings resulting in huge civilian casualties, plus the seemingly deliberate policy of starvation under Netanayu, has resulted in Israel's reputation taking a nosedive. Once seen as a civilised nation, with respect earned as a nation born from the Holocaust, it is now seen as no better than Hamas, brutal and merciless.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday appealed for Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza strip, calling the situation in the Palestinian enclave "yet more worrying and saddening". "I renew my appeal … to allow for the entry of fair humanitarian help and to bring to an end the hostilities, the high price of which is paid by children, the elderly and the sick," the pope said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. Pope Leo appeals for Israel to allow humanitarian aid in Gaza

Two of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals have been encircled by Israeli troops, preventing anyone from leaving or entering the facilities, hospital staff and aid groups said this week, as Israel pursued its renewed offensive into the devastated Palestinian territory. The Indonesian hospital and al-Awda hospital are among the region's only surviving medical centers. Both hospitals as well as another and three primary health care centers are within the evacuation zone, though Israel has not ordered the evacuation of the facilities themselves. Two of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza are encircled by Israeli forces, staff say

During the Ukraine war, which has lasted more than three years, at least 49,000 soldiers have deserted from the Russian army, according to journalists from "Important Stories," who accessed lists of military personnel accused of desertion. This number is equivalent to the strength of a military corps comprising several divisions. By the end of 2024, two extensive lists of alleged deserters appeared online—referred to as "five-hundredth" in the Russian military. Journalists from "Important Stories" verified this data and concluded that at least 49,000 soldiers of the Russian Federation Armed Forces were considered deserters or individuals who left their units without permission. Russian desertion crisis: 49,000 troops abandon the frontlines

In a ranking of the country’s 100 most visible brands, Tesla fell to 95th, while SpaceX clocked in at 86, according to the 2025 Axios Harris 100 poll. The rankings represent steep declines from the companies’ previous perches at 8th and 5th, respectively, in the 2021 poll. The plunge in reputation came even as competitors like Microsoft, Samsung, Nvidia, and Apple all made the top 10 for 2025. Elon Musk’s companies see reputations crumble as backlash from his work with DOGE hits his ventures

North Korean soldiers deployed to support Vladimir Putin’s army are reportedly sowing chaos on the battlefield, with Russian troops expressing fear that they could be shot by their own allies. Last year, Pyongyang sent a contingent of 11,000 troops to help Moscow retake the Kursk region, parts of which remain under Ukrainian control following a surprise counteroffensive. A leaked message from a private communication among Tuvan units claims that the North Korean troops have lost discipline and are behaving unpredictably. Putin fuming as North Korean soldiers wreak havoc in Russian army

The British government says it is suspending free trade negotiations with Israel and has levelled new sanctions targeting West Bank settlements as it criticizes Israel's military actions in Gaza. Foreign Secretary Lammy said the persistent cycle of violence by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank demanded action. “The Israeli government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions,” Lammy said. “Their consistent failure to act is putting Palestinian communities and the two-state solution in peril.” U.K. suspends free trade talks with Israel and announces sanctions over West Bank settlers

Ibiza resident Erika Barrachina shared a TikTok video of British travellers screaming and chanting “come on Ibiza” in the cabin on Saturday (17 May). She captioned the footage: “My trip yesterday London-Ibiza with easy jet was a real horror!! I was scared, a plane full of real English animals!!” According to Erika, during the almost two and a half hour flight from Luton, passengers prevented flight attendants from working by “standing, screaming, kids hitting each other, drinking little bottles of alcohol one after the other”. ‘A plane full of English animals’: Passenger describes horror flight to Ibiza as police intervene Unsurprisingly Airbus A320 from Luton was met by local police after landing in Ibiza at around 11.30pm!

The recent protests by various Western leaders: Canada, UK, France and Spain are a protest about Israel's actions, especially the food blockade leading to starvation of the population. And then there's the bombing with thousands of civilian casualties.

The ongoing war in Gaza has fundamentally challenged Forensic Architecture's approach to its work, agency founder Eyal Weizman says in this interview. London-based investigative agency Forensic Architecture specialises in using 3D digital modelling to scrutinise incidents in which people have been killed in contentious circumstances involving states or corporations. It attempts to show that Israel has sought to systematically displace Gaza's population by destroying buildings and infrastructure – including food and water sources – in combination with dividing the territory into humanitarian zones and safe routes. Forensic Architecture's normal approach "meaningless" in face of Gaza war says Eyal Weizman An interesting article above in which Israeli born Weizman considers if Israel's systematic destruction of Gaza is in fact a form of genocide.

As negotiations loom, the Russians are attempting to gain more territory in Ukraine. But on the Ukrainian side, they're not backing down. Zelensky's armed forces have developed sharp expertise in the use of drones, and this latest event is further proof of that. In a Facebook post, the 412th Nemesis Regiment claimed to have destroyed "an enemy Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system in the Luhansk region". "Intelligence services tracked the target’s route, pinpointed its exact location and, working together with other units of the Ukrainian defence forces, attacked the enemy air defence system." Ukraine causes major damage: 100 million dollar Russian missile system destroyed

The UN’s humanitarian chief has warned 14,000 babies in Gaza could die within 48 hours if more aid does not enter the territory. Tom Fletcher said five aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday, a “drop in the ocean” after an 11-week blockade by Israel, and were yet to reach the communities in need. “There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them,” he said. UN warns 14,000 babies could die within 48 hours under Israel siege of Gaza

The US Senate has confirmed Charles Kushner, the father of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. The 70-year-old real estate developer, who received a presidential pardon from Trump in December 2020 over convictions for witness tampering and tax evasion, was confirmed by a 51-45 vote in the Senate on Monday. At his confirmation hearing on 1 May before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kushner was asked about his criminal past. He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison after pleading guilty to 18 counts. Charles Kushner, father of Trump's son-in-law, confirmed as US ambassador to France

The text was about the Spanish PM wishing to ban Israel from cultural events, not only the Eurovision song contest. Indeed you seem to be the one following it , giving details about points awarded by Spain. This led me to assume you were a follower of the noted contest. Protests against the current Israel policy in Gaza include not only the Dutch but also several other Western countries, the latest being the leaders of the UK, France and Canada. The topic could be considered to be Western opposition to Israeli policy in Gaza. Incidentally there was a large demonstration in London at the weekend too. Tens of thousands join pro-Palestine protest in London for Nakba anniversary | UK News | Sky News