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Two Russian men jailed in Angola for terrorism and spying
The men were convicted over alleged plan to stage coup and organise deadly demonstrations over fuel prices last yearTwo Russian men have been found guilty by an Angolan court of terrorism and spying after being accused of planning a coup and helping to organise deadly demonstrations in the southern African country last year.Lev Lakshtanov and Igor Ratchin were sentenced to eight and 11 years in jail respectively. They had denied the charges, claiming they were in Angola for cultural and business activities. Continue reading...
MoD cancels army training in Kenya over powers to prosecute British soldiers
September exercise called off after Kenya raises concerns over funding and jurisdiction for criminal offencesThe British army has been forced to cancel training for its troops in Kenya after the Kenyan government refused to ratify a bilateral defence agreement.While the UK government wanted to renew the existing agreement, Kenyan lawmakers had sought changes to give local authorities greater powers to hold British soldiers accountable for any offences committed in the country. Continue reading...
'No enrichment!': Saudi deal reportedly threatened by Trump's sudden Truth Social demand
President Donald Trump's controversial nuclear deal with the leadership of Saudi Arabia is now in doubt after the president threw the Middle Eastern nation a curve on Thursday morning.Trump abruptly inserted a bombshell condition into a nuclear agreement that was supposedly finalized just 24 hours earlier: Saudi Arabia must normalize relations with Israel to receive U.S. nuclear technology, The Washington Post is reporting.The move has thrown the entire agreement into chaos, according to the report. Trump announced via Truth Social that the civil nuclear deal—which would allow Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear power plants and pursue enrichment programs—is "totally subject" to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, the initiative from his first term designed to normalize Israeli-Arab relations.“The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday. “But is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.”The problem is monumental: Saudi Arabia has consistently refused to join the Abraham Accords and shows no signs of capitulating now.According to the Post, "That attaches a major string to the deal. Saudi leaders were nearing a normalization agreement with Israel in 2023, just before the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 of that year. Since then, however, talks have been paused. Saudi leaders have said they would want guarantees of an eventual Palestinian state, and Saudi public opinion has soured toward Israel because of its handling of Gaza. Any nuclear deal tied to Saudi-Israel diplomatic breakthroughs has seemed remote."The nuclear technology deal itself has generated controversy in Congress. Lawmakers worry that expanding enrichment programs across multiple nations increases proliferation risks and could eventually result in more countries possessing nuclear weapons capabilities.Trump's sudden new condition transforms an already contentious agreement into a political landmine—potentially derailing both the nuclear deal and his broader Middle East diplomatic agenda.
'Conspiracy of silence' critics urge CIA director to 'stand up to Trump' or 'resign'
President Donald Trump's election theft speech put his CIA director in the spotlight — and now calls are mounting for him to push back, according to a new report. Questions are being raised about Director John Ratcliffe's conduct during the initial investigation into foreign election tampering and his silence now as the president fires off "Looney Tunes" accusations, MS NOW's David Rohde reported Thursday. Ratcliffe's complicity—or silence—has become impossible to ignore, according to Rohde.As Trump's current CIA director, Ratcliffe served as Director of National Intelligence from May 2020 through January 2021, controlling what intelligence reached the president's desk and what remained hidden.The timing, Rohde argued, is damning.Trump claimed in his recent speech that U.S. intelligence agencies discovered Chinese interference in the 2020 election but deliberately concealed it from him.Yet Ratcliffe was the gatekeeper deciding what Trump saw and didn't see during that exact period, Rohde noted.Trump's declassified documents, released to support his election fraud narrative, claim U.S. intelligence learned in 2020 that China had "bought, stolen or hacked" tens of millions of Americans' voting records. According to Trump, spy agencies kept this bombshell secret.But Ratcliffe was one of the officials who decided what warranted inclusion in Trump's daily briefings, Rohde wrote. He argued if the intelligence existed as Trump claims, then Ratcliffe bore responsibility for either including or excluding it."Critics say that Ratcliffe should stand up to Trump and threaten to resign — or actually resign — as cabinet members did in his first term, including former Defense Secretary Gen. Jim Mattis, former Attorney General Bill Barr, and former CIA director Gina Haspel," Rohde wrote.Instead, Ratcliffe has maintained silence—enabling what former CIA analyst Julia Curlee describes as a "conspiracy of silence" enveloping Washington.Curlee, who recently resigned after 20 years of service, told MS NOW, "To me, it was crossing a Rubicon where the institution itself was being conscripted into the creation of a product to reinforce the president's messaging. I never thought that I would see the CIA participating in a presidential effort to delegitimize elections in the eyes of Americans."Former senior CIA official Marc Polymeropoulos acknowledged Ratcliffe's impossible position: protecting both his job and the CIA's institutional integrity while serving a president hostile to both."Ratcliffe certainly does need to play it both ways in some respects, as he's got a workforce at CIA that will not react well to sources and methods being compromised based on cherry-picked intelligence to promote Looney Tunes conspiracy theories," Polymeropoulos, an MS NOW contributor added. "But at the same time, he's gotta protect his job from the mercurial Trump. So far, he's managed to successfully dance through the raindrops on this issue."
White House insiders panic as Trump pushes 'the bad things': 'Ugly phase'
White House insiders fear one of President Donald Trump's obsessions will make things worse for the GOP ahead of the midterm elections, Politico reported Thursday. Trump's decision to start ramping up his highly unpopular tariffs again is adding to Republican woes at a time when they need to have something to offer voters who are frustrated with the president's economy, according to Politico."Everything that you do that's not focused on affordability is not helpful," an administration official confided to Politico. "Anything that you're doing that is not on the plus side of the scale is a problem. When you announce new tariffs, it's not like, okay, well, let's see what they do. It's, 'Oh c---, those are the bad things.'"The administration's tariff threats are detonating inside the White House, according to the report. Republicans worry that new levies on Canadian goods and generic medications will inflame voters already blaming tariffs for persistent inflation as the midterm election approaches.Proposed tariffs could drive up prices on items Americans buy regularly—"alcohol, bacon, heart medication"—exactly the kind of consumer pain Republicans cannot afford heading into November when economic anxiety dominates voter concerns, insiders told Politico. Republican strategists think tariffs are electoral poison unless they're being reduced and expansion sends the wrong message to exhausted voters, Politico reported. A White House insider told Politico they are comfortable with the threat — with a caveat. "But actual revenue coming away from people's pocketbooks is not what Republicans are happy with," said the insider. "Any conversation about tariffs, unless it's reducing them, is a bad conversation for Republicans."White House officials are attempting damage control, arguing the tariffs are "surgical and narrowly targeted," with enough lead time before implementation to minimize consumer impact before voters head to the polls, according to Politico. They contend real affordability concerns center on housing and fuel costs, not sporting goods and spirits.However, Canadian Senator Peter Boehm, chair of Parliament's Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, expressed doubt that lower tariffs would reverse consumer behavior anyway. "I think we’re getting into an ugly phase, if there are concessions about getting U.S. alcohol back on the shelves," he told Politico. "There’s no guarantee that the consumer is going to go out and buy them.”Maine business leaders warn of broader consequences. Peter Woodcock, CEO of the Maine Chamber of Commerce, cautioned that tariffs on Canadian goods—paper, wood products, and other essentials—would ripple through Maine's economy regardless of administration assurances."We do not go unscathed from this," Woodcock warned. "There are hundreds of Maine companies that will be reviewing this and assessing its own impact on them today. If this escalates and starts encompassing additional products that would be particularly concerning."
Total solar eclipse books out hotels two years in advance in New Zealand city
Dunedin will be the focal point, having last experienced such an eclipse in 1163 – before any humans reached New ZealandHotels are booking out two years in advance in the New Zealand city of Dunedin as it prepares for the region’s first total solar eclipse in more than 850 years.At 4.17pm on 22 July 2028, the moon will pass in front of the sun, casting a roughly 100km-wide shadowy band across parts of southern New Zealand. Everywhere within that band – from tourist hotspot Queenstown in the west to Dunedin city in the east – will be plunged into daytime darkness for 2 minutes and 51 seconds. Continue reading...
Questionable Trump insider's rise began with a 3 a.m. ham-and-swiss sandwich: report
President Donald Trump's relationship with peace envoy Steve Witkoff started in an unusual way — over a deli sandwich, according to a Slate report on Wednesday.Journalist and author Andrea Bernstein described her encounter with Witkoff, the Trump insider, whose financial ties have come under scrutiny as he works as "Special Envoy for Peace Missions." "He looks like a grandpa, and sounds a little like a Jewish sidekick in a Pixar movie," Bernstein wrote. "I’d known of him as a New York real estate mogul from covering Trump’s first presidency, and New York politics and real estate before that, but only vaguely. One day, I leaned forward to ask Witkoff what brought him to the courtroom that day. He told me he’d come for his friend. That word stuck with me: friend."That friendship started in the 1980s, around 3 a.m. in New York City, Witkoff has said.“And he was—I knew who he was. He didn’t know who I was. And he didn’t have any money with him, and I was ordering from a local delicatessen for the people who were on my team. And he asked me if I would order him a ham-and-Swiss sandwich,” according to the report. "Witkoff did. Years later, when the two ran into each other again, Witkoff said, 'he actually remembered who I was, and remembered the sandwich incident. And we just, you know, had just developed a, you know, a friendship as a result of it.'”That relationship eventually led him into Trump's administration. Since then, a number of questions have surfaced over Witkoff's business dealings amid his negotiating role representing the Trump administration with Ukraine and Russia, and in the Middle East."The Iranians see Witkoff’s business ties to the UAE, and Jared Kushner’s ties to the Saudis, not to mention Israel, as cause for deep suspicion as well, people familiar with Iranian negotiators told me," Bernstein wrote. "Saying that Kushner 'is a volunteer' with a 'record of success in helping the President,' Kelly maintained that 'his private business activities have nothing to do with the President or the administration.'""Even in Witkoff’s earliest encounters, 'there were concerns about Witkoff business ties,' including his earlier dealings with Qatar and the UAE, said Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat who moved to the U.S. and became a scholar at Princeton University," Bernstein wrote. "'They knew he had close ties to Netanyahu.' The Iranians believed that 'Witkoff had meetings with high-level Israelis before and immediately after' he met with them, Mousavian said."The White House has denied any conflicts of interest."Mr. Witkoff, like all Administration officials, takes seriously his compliance with the government ethics rules," the White House counsel, David Warrington, told Slate. "As Special Envoy for Peace Missions, he has not and does not participate in any official matters that could impact his financial interests. He has also divested from World Liberty Financial, notwithstanding his ability and willingness to recuse."
Disagreements rage as White House contemplates risky strikes in country with Russian ties
Already mired in a war with Iran that has cost him support with the Republican Party and his most avid base of voters, President Donald Trump is being pressured internally towards a military intervention in Mali.The administration is preparing plans to strike an al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group operating across West Africa, according to current and former U.S. officials, The Washington Post is reportingIf approved, Mali would become the eighth nation where Trump has authorized military operations since taking office—a stark contradiction of his campaign promises of ending America's endless wars.The proposal has sparked internal debate among senior officials. National Security Council counterterrorism director Sebastian Gorka is pushing hard for military action, while others within the administration urge caution.The target is JNIM, or Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaeda-aligned group that has transformed into the region's most formidable militant force. Operating from Mali, JNIM has expanded its reach across coastal West African nations, establishing itself as one of the world's most heavily armed insurgent organizations.Mali, a landlocked nation of nearly 25 million, has "in recent years been plagued by violence by Islamist militant groups — and by Mali’s own junta government and the Russian mercenaries whom it hired to get the situation under control," the report notes.According to the Post, "Any direct U.S. military involvement in Mali runs the risk of hostilities with Russian forces in the region. It also could require deconfliction efforts between Washington and Moscow akin to ones that existed in Syria during that country’s civil war."The timing is catastrophic for Trump politically. His Iran war has already fractured his base. Adding an eighth military engagement while Americans struggle with inflation and rising costs could accelerate the political erosion already evident in recent polling.
'To be honest': MAGA lawmaker sparks fury with shrugging statement on dead troops
A Republican's shrugging comments about fallen U.S. military service members were criticized on Wednesday amid growing unpopularity over the Iran war.Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) was talking to CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer about recent polling showing that Americans are opposed to the conflict, despite President Donald Trump's remarks that Americans are in favor of the war. Trump had defended the military strikes before heading to the dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base for four military members killed in recent days.Journalist Aaron Rupar shared the exchange on X and quoted Gimenez in a manner highlighting a significant word in his statement: "My heart goes out to the families of those four, but ... "That "but" rankled with Rupar's readers. Patric Reynolds, comic book artist and progressive political commentator, wrote, "There should be no 'but' after that,"Liberal political commentator Trish Crawford raised her concerns over what Gimenez said."I’ve started to view all of the words in a sentence that come before 'but' as untruthful" Crawford wrote on Bluesky. "The heart of the statement comes after."Giminez followed up his comment by explaining, "At the end I think the best way to honor the dead... is to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Anything short of that, for me, is failure, to be honest with you." Georgetown professor and political commentator Steve Vladeck took a sarcastic tone when he quoted a famously inaccurate speech in the movie "Animal House" meant to inspire drunken frat boys to sabotage a parade. "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?'” he wroteMason, a political commentator and user who self-describes as a veteran and an independent, wrote on X."We just need a Hiroshima or a Nagasaki, right Carlos?" he wrote.BLITZER: How do you explain the disconnect between what the president says and how Americans feel according to almost all of these most recent polls?REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ: Prior to World War 2, 85% of Americans were not in favor of entering that war, and then it all changes pic.twitter.com/iwmzGQStEk— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2026
'Resign!' Dem rains hell on Trump official over 'wrong' answers on troop casualties
A fight erupted on Capitol Hill Wednesday when U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz reported a wounded-troop count that enraged Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). Waltz faced questions about fatalities linked to daily strikes in Iran during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing. Eighteen U.S. service members have been reported killed and 447 wounded — including a third soldier from a July 17 Iranian missile strike in Jordan whose death the Pentagon has not yet formally confirmed, according to KCRA. That death toll hung over the hearing room when Lieu opened his questioning."How many U.S. troops have been wounded in the Iran war?" Lieu asked."My understanding from the Defense Department's latest numbers is over a hundred," Waltz replied."That number is wrong," Lieu fired back.Lieu cited the Defense Casualty Analysis System — the Pentagon's own database tracking casualties for Congress and the president — putting the wounded count at 482. CBS News reported the system has lagged events by days or weeks throughout the war.Lieu then referenced Waltz's previous position as national security adviser, which he lost after accidentally adding The Atlantic's editor-in-chief to a Signal chat discussing imminent military strikes."The reason you are here today and in your position is because you were fired by the president from your former position as national security adviser," Lieu said."The president never said a negative word about me!" Waltz shot back.Lieu moved on to the war itself. Trump declared on March 16 that Iran's military was "literally obliterated," according to PolitiFact. Lieu wanted to know how that squared with the body count."You need to explain to the American people how an Iranian military that's been purportedly obliterated killed 18 U.S. service members and wounded 482 U.S. service members," Lieu said."The Iranian Navy, Air Force, air defense system, and industrial capacity have been massively damaged, if not completely ineffective," Waltz replied."[U.S. troops] are exposed right now in the Middle East — repeatedly being exposed to Iranian missiles!" Lieu pressed. "You should be ashamed! You don't know basic facts!" "Because it's not our problem!" Waltz replied."You should resign! You don't even care about the number of U.S. troops that were wounded!" Lieu said.A Republican colleague moved to have Lieu's words stricken from the record, calling him out for dishonoring "the distinguished ambassador.""He lied to Congress!" Lieu said. "November is coming for you and this administration!"
British woman jailed in Hong Kong for blackmail after accusing banker of rape
Isabel Rose, 26, sentenced to six years for blackmail and perverting course of public justice over her allegations against British manA British woman who reported being raped to police in Hong Kong has been sentenced to six years in prison for blackmail and perverting the course of public justice.Isabel Rose, 26, from south-east London, travelled to Hong Kong in early 2024 to visit a British banker she had met while travelling in south-east Asia. Continue reading...
Australia to warn China it won’t be bullied by ‘provocative‘ actions as it builds military and nuclear arsenal
Foreign minister Penny Wong will deliver speech criticising China’s recent launch of a nuclear-capable submarine-launched missileGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPenny Wong will warn China that Australia and other neighbouring nations will not be bullied by its “provocative” actions, after its involvement in another “destabilising and dangerous” incident this week.The foreign affairs minister – who will deliver the address on Thursday in the Philippines, where the 59th Asean foreign minister’s meeting is being held – will also caution world leaders against placing a toll on the strait of Hormuz after both Iran and the US threatened to do amid the protracted conflict. Continue reading...
