Ex-Mossad Head: We've 'Boobytrapped And Manipulated' Equipment in 'All Countries You Can Imagine'

Chris Menahan | InformationLiberation

Ex-Mossad head Yossi Cohen boasted during a recent podcast that Israel has "boobytrapped" and "manipulated" equipment like that used in their pager attack in Lebanon in "all countries that you can imagine."

He said he "invented" the "manipulated equipment method" in 2002 to 2004 and had already used it in the "Second Lebanon War" back in 2006.

WATCH

Cohen's comments were made on the Oct 16 episode of the Zionist propaganda podcast The Brink.

I said after the pager and walkie talkie attacks on Lebanon that "any goods connected to Israel must now be assumed to be rigged with explosives until proven otherwise."

For a country that's so obsessed with getting laws passed in America and throughout the West to ban engaging with BDS, the decision to rig consumer goods with explosives and then boast about having boobytrapped and manipulated equipment throughout the world is truly remarkable.

This clearly represents a global security threat. 

Read more

Miles Harris: The Coming CBDC Unified Ledger or Global Digital Gulag

  

Geopolitics & Empire 

Miles Harris discusses the state of the global financial system, China’s role in the economy, how we’re due for a reset, the intricacies of the coming CBDC Unified Ledger or Global Digital Gulag, and why we must resist and slow down its implementation.

Are the U.S. and E.U. Governments Satanic?

John leake | Focal Points

As we related in our book, The Courage to Face COVID-19, just before Dr. McCullough departed to Washington D.C. for his Senate testimony on November 19, 2020, he had a disturbing conversation with his church pastor, Andrew Forrest.

“We don’t understand what’s happening in our world,” McCullough explained. “My YouTube videos about early treatment were taken down, and then my planned WebEx conference with an Australian MP about treatment was hacked. Now my hospital administrators are acting like I’m out of line for accepting a U.S. Senator’s invitation to testify about the disease. It’s as though, for the first time in history, our medical system is opposed to caring for the sick. What on earth is going on?”

Andrew wasn’t at all surprised.

“There are times when evil prevails over good in a large way,” he said. “We know from the dark periods of history that this has happened before, and now it’s happening again. What you describe is Satan working in the hearts and minds of people, sowing fear, confusion, and anger. All you can do is keeping trying to do good until it turns the tide. For your Senate speech, your message must be joyous and happy and clear, uncluttered by negative emotion. That way you will let the light of God shine forth in this darkness.

At the time Dr. McCullough told me this story, I thought that Pastor Forrest was being melodramatic. Surely, I thought, what he was describing was ordinary human fear and stupidity, and not the work of a supernatural being—a malevolent spirit called “Satan.”

Since then, I have been increasingly drawn to the conclusion that Pastor Forrest was onto something.

Even if one rejects the idea of the devil as a supernatural spirit that actually exists, a rational and impartial observer will still marvel at how large masses of humans will suddenly—as if infected with a spiritual contagion—participate in an irrational and highly destructive enterprise.

In researching my forthcoming book, Mind Viruses: America’s Irrational Obsessions, I examined how the “Devil” has been depicted in literature going back to the Bible.

The Greek word for devil, diábolos, means “the one who divides.” The English word “diabolic” comes from the Greek verb diabollein, which means “to tear apart.”

Read more 

The CIA as Organised Crime - Douglas Valentine

 

 The CIA as Organised Crime PART 1

 The CIA as Organised Crime PART 2

Leaked emails expose top Tories’ historic relationship with Israel

Martin Williams and JOHN McEVOY | Declassified UK

The historic relationship between top Tories and the Israeli government has been laid bare in a remarkable cache of leaked emails seen by Declassified.

Over several years, senior figures within the party exchanged strikingly friendly correspondence in private with Ron Prosor, the former Israeli ambassador to the UK.

In one email, a Conservative lord wrote simply: “If you don’t call me while you are here, I will cry.”

Another Tory grandee told Prosor: “You still have friends close to number ten!!!”

The correspondence was discovered by Declassified after thousands of Prosor’s private emails were published by the file sharing website Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoS).

In one case, in 2016, the director of a right-wing British think-tank boasted to Prosor about playing a “key role” in orchestrating critical news coverage about then Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Tory Lord Dean Godson, director of Policy Exchange, said: “We played the key role in organising and placing this excellent double page spread in the Daily Mail, and the quotes inside from some dear comrades.”

The article’s headline accused Corbyn of backing “terrorists who bomb Israel”, and included quotes from the likes of Dave Rich from the Community Security Trust, Labour MP John Mann, and journalist Tom Gross.

Godson attached the article, saying he was “delighted” with it. Prosor responded with a “big hug”, adding: “Phone me today”.

Read more

Taming the sound and fury of the Empire of Chaos

Pepe Escobar | Strategic Culture Foundation

 

Close the door, put out the light
You know they won't be home tonight
The snow falls hard and don't you know
The winds of Thor are blowing cold

Led Zeppelin, No Quarter

In a matter of less than a year, Russian scientific know-how came up with four bangers:

1. Oreshnik: hypersonic missile, already tested in the Ukraine battleground.

2. Burevestnik: Or "Stormbringer", with that nice Deep Purple ring. Nuclear cruise missile with unlimited range.

3. Poseidon: nuclear-powered torpedo, capable of loitering underwater, undetected, for unlimited time; then, at a command, strikes enemy coasts with a nuclear payload, provoking a radioactive tsunami. Largely exceeds the destructive power of the Sarmat, Russia's largest ICBM.

4. Khabarovsk: nuclear sub. Call him The Messenger of Doom: capable of delivering at least 6 Doomsday-enabling Poseidons.

President Putin was crystal clear when detailing some key facts. The "compact nuclear systems" used in the Burevestnik and the Poseidon "can also be adapted to create new energy sources, including for the Arctic."

Putin also stressed how both Burevestnik and Poseidon "use only Russian-made parts". Praise the Lord for those chips from upgraded Soviet washing machines.

And there's a lot more to come following the tracks of Burevestnik and Poseidon: "I'm talking about...the Avangard system, or the serial production of the Oreshnik missile system...soon the heavy intercontinental Sarmat missile." 

 

Read more

They Are Planning A Complete FINANCIAL LOCKDOWN" - Whitney Webb's 2026 Warning

 

Comment: Disregard the "most people won't make it" comment which is clickbait. The video is well worth watching however. 

 

---------- 

 

Jamie Tree YouTube Channel: 

 

One blink, and your identity unlocks a programmable wallet. That’s the latest message from writer and journalist Whitney Webb.

Governments and global institutions are standardizing digital IDs built on biometrics, then wiring those IDs to your money. In this model, your face, fingerprints, or iris confirm every transaction and gate access to basic services. 

The stated goal is inclusion through Know Your Customer or KYC rules and safer payments. The design also concentrates power, since the same ID can switch your wallet on or off. But it doesn’t end there. The next phase links identity, wallets, and policy in one infrastructure. More

Disgraced ex-Prince Andrew had 40 prostitutes brought to Thailand hotel on taxpayer-funded trip, biographer says

New York Post

Disgraced Prince Andrew allegedly once had 40 prostitutes brought to his five-star hotel during a taxpayer-funded trip to Thailand, his biographer has claimed.

Andrew, who was officially stripped of his titles on Thursday and evicted from his royal residence in a humiliating fall from grace, engaged with the bevy of women over a four-day stretch, royal historian and author Andrew Lownie alleged.

“There was a famous trip to Thailand — for the birthday celebrations of the King. Andrew is representing his country and insists on staying in a five-star hotel rather than the embassy, which he always did,” Lownie told the Daily Mail’s “Deep Dive: The Fall of the House of York” podcast.

“Andrew had 40 prostitutes brought in the space of four days. This was all enabled by diplomats and others.”  Lownie said multiple sources, including a member of the Thai royal family, had backed up the allegation.

Read more 

Dick Cheney Dead At Age 84

Comment: If ever there was a person that merited the world dancing on his gave - its Cheney. Roll out the brass bands in celebration. 

-------

Zero Hedge

Former U.S Vice President Dick Cheney died on Monday night at the age of 84, according to Punchbowl News reporter Jake Sherman.

Sherman posted on X what appears to be a statement from the family, in which it explained that Cheney "died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease."

Here's the full statement:

"Richard B. Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, died last night, November 3, 2025. He was 84 years old. His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed. The former Vice President died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.

"For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming's Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States.

"Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing. We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man."

Comment: Creating millions of dead across the world is a close second to his hobby of fly-fishing. And Judging by these delusional statements it looks like the apples haven't fallen far from the tree.

Read more 

See: Darth Cheney: Pure Evil, or Just 99 Percent Evil? 

Mossad had ‘some 100 agents’ on the ground in Iran on June 13, Israeli officials claim

IntelNews.org

THE MOSSAD, ISRAEL’S PRIMARY covert action agency, had “some 100 agents” on the ground in Iran at the start of the Twelve-Day War, according to senior Israeli government officials who participated in a television documentary. The documentary was aired last week on Israel’s Channel 13 television channel. It features interviews with senior Israeli government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Israel Katz, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar, and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.

According to the documentary, several new intelligence units focusing on Iran were established across the Israeli military establishment in the summer of 2023, in anticipation of a war with the Islamic Republic. These units acted in coordination with the Mossad in the lead-up to June 13, when Israel launched the opening salvos of the Twelve-Day War. The documentary claims that around 100 Mossad agents were active on the ground in the early hours of June 13. It appears that the term “agents”, as used in the documentary, refers primarily to Iranian Mossad assets, rather than Mossad officers.

Read more

Israel Arrests Ex-Army Lawyer Over Leaked Video Showing Palestinian’s Abuse

Al Jazeera

Israeli police have arrested a former military prosecutor after she leaked a video appearing to show soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee.

Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi was detained overnight on Monday, according to the country’s national security minister, following a scandal that erupted after she leaked a video, resigned and then disappeared.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the leaking of the video perhaps the most “severe public relations attack” on Israel since its founding.

Reporting from Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said the arrest of Tomer-Yerushalmi has created “a political and legal storm in Israel”, noting the spotlight on the leaker has overshadowed attention to the original crime.

“There is so much focus on the fact that this video was leaked, at the expense of discussing how this crime actually happened – and the fact that the UN says that these kinds of crimes are being committed in a systematic manner,” Odeh said.

“In one way, it’s a way to shift attention from the fact that these crimes are happening, by focusing on this woman and the fact that she leaked the video.”

Read more

Trump is secretly rebuilding a US base in the Caribbean in another move against Venezuela

Canary News

US President Donald Trump has refused to confirm he’ll strike Venezuela as the clock runs out on his 60 day war powers. And as an aircraft carrier group heads to the Caribbean, old bases are being reopened and rebuilt.

A major open source investigation by Reuters shows how the abandoned Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico is being fixed up. Runways are being repaired and a military ‘tent city’ has even sprung up. Located on the eastern coast of the island the re-opening suggests a sustained presence is being planned.

The base was shuttered two decades ago. And the military seems to be building out facilities in the nearby US Virgin Islands too.

Speaking on 60 Minutes on 2 November, Trump was careful not to commit – but suggested Venezuelan leader Maduro’s days were numbered:

    🚨🇺🇸🇻🇪 | President Trump refuses to rule out regime change in Venezuela, and possible "land strikes" on Venezuelan soil in tonight's 60 Minutes interview:

    Norah O'Donnell: "Are Maduro's days as president numbered?"

    Trump: "I would say so, yeah, I think so." pic.twitter.com/npmaWPycNI

    — Sociedad (@sociedadmedia) November 3, 2025

Either way, the signs of a major militarisation in Puerto Rico are clear from satellite imagery.  

Read more

Macron's popularity sinks to record low of 11%

Comment: Good riddance. 

---- 

RT

 The French president is facing a deepening political crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron's popularity has hit a record low, with his approval rating falling to just 11%, according to a new poll published by Le Figaro on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Macron avoided impeachment despite accusations that he bears responsibility for France's deepening political crisis. His government has lacked a parliamentary majority for two years, since his decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June 2024. The move, prompted by his coalition's defeat in the European Parliament elections, was widely seen as a gamble that backfired, producing a hung parliament and halting much of the country's legislative work.

Since taking office in 2017, Macron has seen seven of his prime ministers resign, including Edouard Philippe (July 2020), Jean Castex (April 2022), Elisabeth Borne (January 2024), Gabriel Attal (July 2024), Michel Barnier (December 2024), and Francois Bayrou (September 2025). The current office holder, Sebastien Lecornu, was reappointed by Macron after resigning in October due to a split in parliament over the government's efforts to pass a budget aimed at curbing the nation's rising debt.

The 11% approval mark echoes the nadir reached by Macron's predecessor Francois Hollande, who also saw his rating fall to similar depths in late 2016, shortly before announcing that he would not seek a second presidential term.

According to the Verian Group, which carried out the survey of a thousand respondents, Macron has tied Hollande as France's least popular president since the polling organization and its predecessors began tracking public opinion in the early 1970s.

Previous surveys showed a steady decline in Macron's approval. His satisfaction rating in January 2025 fell to just 21%. A survey conducted last month showed that the president's rating had slipped further to 15%, with 80% of respondents saying they do not trust him.

Scientist finds evidence of 'alien DNA' in humans

Rob Waugh | Daily Mail

 

Scientists claim to have found evidence of alien genetic manipulation in human DNA, with large sections of genes seemingly 'inserted' into people, potentially affecting millions of humans.

If confirmed, the discovery could fundamentally alter our understanding of human evolution and the future of the human race, said lead researcher Dr Max Rempel, the founder and chief executive of the DNA Resonance Research Foundation.

The study, which has not yet undergone peer review, analyzed DNA from both ordinary people and self-reported alien abductees.

In an examination of 581 complete families from the 1,000 Genomes Project, Rempel found 'large sequences' of DNA in 11 families that appeared to match neither parent.

These anomalies include a cluster of 348 non-parental genetic variants, some of which were from children born before 1990, ruling out human gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR, which only emerged in 2013.

Rempel cautioned that his findings are preliminary and require more rigorous analysis.

'No conclusive evidence yet, because we need better datasets, which are available only on approval. That takes time and effort,' he said.

Nevertheless, he believes the implications could be staggering. 'Humanity may be undergoing genetic transformation. If confirmed, it could be possible to detect which humans carry alien DNA, essentially identifying hybrids,' he explained.

The researcher's hypothesis resonates with fringe theories long circulating among UFO enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists.

Some have suggested that alleged alien-human hybrids exist, citing examples such as the so-called Nazca mummies, which purportedly contain both human and alien DNA.
 

Read more

Experts See a Technological Turf Battle Brewing Between Quantum Computing and Classical AI In Chemistry, Materials Science

Quantum Insider

Insider Brief

• Recent research suggests AI could outperform quantum computing in simulating certain complex materials and chemical reactions, raising questions about quantum’s potential advantage in these fields, according to MIT Technology Review.
• AI models trained on vast data sets are now able to simulate large, weakly correlated systems, making them a practical and cost-effective tool for industries like drug discovery and materials science.
• However, advances in quantum hardware and algorithm development could still allow quantum computers to reclaim ground, especially for tasks that demand precise simulations of strongly correlated quantum systems.

Progress in artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm development could outpace quantum computing in tackling some of its most promising applications in chemistry and materials science, according to an MIT Technology Review article. This shift in competitive advantage could significantly how companies invest in cutting-edge computing technologies.

Tech giants and new startups have injected billions of dollars into the development of quantum computing, anticipating it would be a natural fit in fields such as finance, drug discovery and logistics. The high expectations have been especially prominent in areas like physics and chemistry, where the unique properties of quantum mechanics hold the potential to solve complex problems beyond the reach of classical computers. But while quantum computing’s potential has been widely touted, its hardware challenges have left room for AI to make unexpected inroads, the review reports.

A recent paper in Science co-written by Giuseppe Carleo, a professor of computational physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), highlights the advances of neural-network-based AI in modeling materials with strong quantum properties.

“The existence of these new contenders in machine learning is a serious hit to the potential applications of quantum computers,” Carleo said in MIT Technology Review. “In my opinion, these companies will find out sooner or later that their investments are not justified.”

Carleo’s skepticism centers on how rapidly AI is advancing in simulating quantum systems, where quantum computers were once expected to hold a decisive advantage.

Read more

US strategy of 'regime change' is over - Gabbard

RT

Venezuela earlier this year accused the US president of plotting a coup, while Trump himself has floated the idea of overthrowing Iran's leadership.

US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard has acknowledged Washington's history of regime change but said it ended under President Donald Trump - despite his recent remarks on Iran and accusations about Venezuela.

The US has long faced criticism for pursuing policies aimed at overthrowing governments under the banner of promoting democracy or protecting national interests - from Iraq in 2003 and Libya in 2011 to backing "color revolutions" such as Ukraine's 2014 Maidan coup. Speaking at the 21st Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on Saturday, Gabbard claimed that, unlike its predecessors, the Trump administration prioritizes diplomacy and mutual deals over coups.

"The old Washington way of thinking is something we hope is in the rearview mirror and something that has held us back for too long: for decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation building. It is a 'one-size-fits-all approach' of toppling regimes, imposing US governance models, and intervening in 'poorly understood' conflicts, only to walk away with more enemies than allies."

Gabbard said the strategy drained trillions of US taxpayer dollars, cost countless lives, and fueled new security threats, but noted that Trump was elected "to put an end to this."

"And from day one, he has showed a very different way to conduct foreign policy, one that is pragmatic, that is deal-driven. This is what President Trump's America First policy looks like in action - building peace through diplomacy."

Since his inauguration in early 2025, Trump has repeatedly portrayed himself as a global peacemaker, boasting of brokering international deals and saying he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. Critics, however, argue his pressure campaigns on Venezuela and Iran mirror Washington's regime-change playbook.

Caracas last month accused the US of plotting a coup against President Nicolas Maduro under the guise of its ongoing anti-drug campaign off the country's coast. Trump himself hinted at "regime change" in Iran after US strikes in June, posting on truth Social: "Why wouldn't there be a Regime change???" Tehran, which has long accused Washington of trying to destabilize it through sanctions and covert actions, denounced the strikes as proof of renewed efforts to undermine its government.

Top IDF lawyer quits over video leak of detainee sexual abuse

Comment: Even among their own, their pathology is beginning fracture the collective...

-----

RT

The footage reportedly shows Israeli soldiers at a military base assaulting a Palestinian prisoner.

The Israel Defense Force's (IDF) top military lawyer has quit after admitting she approved the leak of a video allegedly showing Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian prisoner at a military base.

Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi announced her resignation on Friday, saying she had authorized the release of surveillance footage from Sde Teiman near the Gaza border, which also serves as a detention site. The video, filmed in early July 2024, showed soldiers taking aside a detainee lying face down, then surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility as they allegedly carried out the abuse. The man was later taken for treatment for severe injuries. The leaked clip was aired by Israel's Channel 12 news that August.

In her resignation letter published by The Times of Israel on Friday, Tomer-Yerushalmi said she approved the release "in an attempt to counter the false propaganda directed against the military law enforcement authorities."

She wrote that while those detained at Sde Teiman "are terrorists and terror operatives of the worst kind," that does not diminish the duty to investigate when there is "reasonable suspicion of violence against a detainee."

Commenting on her resignation, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, "Anyone who spreads blood libels against IDF soldiers is not worthy of wearing the IDF uniform."

Following the Sde Teiman incident, five reservists were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to a detainee, which they have denied. The case sparked outrage among coalition politicians and right-wing activists. Dozens of protesters stormed the military base in an attempt to block the arrests.

The facility, partially converted into a detention camp for Palestinians suspected of militant activity, has faced allegations of widespread torture and abuse. Over 1,000 detainees from Gaza have reportedly passed through the base, including men accused of taking part in Hamas' October 7 attack, which left some 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health authorities, Israeli military action has killed over 68,000 Palestinians since.

The resignation adds to growing scrutiny of Israel's conduct in Gaza, as both sides say they remain committed to a US-brokered truce.  

See also: Israel's Undeniable War Crimes in Gaza

IDF's top lawyer quits; says she approved leak of detainee abuse video

The Most Courageous Woman in the World

Gumshoe News

Working in the so-called child-protection arena — the “child-removals business” — you encounter some of the most cowardly people imaginable. Those in power shrink from responsibility (and truth); no minister, commissioner, or so-called leader seems willing to stand up and be counted when it comes to rescuing a child.

So today, I found inspiration in someone who does stand up — and is willing to be counted. Candice will not be silent — and become Charlie Kirk’s “David.”

I’ve followed Candace Owens for quite some time, but today she rose to the very summit of courage — the Olympian of bravery — for just not being silent and challenging all for the truth.

https://youtu.be/c5BcKF91iec 

Read more 

The Rubio Doctrine: Neocons are back!

Ron Paul | Mises Institute

According to several recent news reports, the two major Trump foreign policy shifts last week are the handiwork of Marco Rubio, the President's Secretary of State and (acting) National Security Advisor. As with all neocon plans, they will be big on promises and small on delivery.

First up, according to Bloomberg it was Rubio who finally convinced President Trump to take "ownership" of the US proxy war on Russia, and for the first time place sanctions on Russia. Up to this point President Trump chose to portray himself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia. But with this move against Russia's oil sector he can no longer credibly claim that this is "Joe Biden's war."

The Trump move followed a confusing few weeks since the Trump/Putin Alaska summit in August. After that meeting Trump dropped the neocon position that a ceasefire in the Russia/Ukraine war must occur before any peace negotiations. It was a sign that Trump was looking more realistically at the war. He also said he did not think Ukraine would win, which is pretty obvious.

A surprise call to Putin the day before Ukrainian president Zelensky was to arrive in town just over a week ago reinforced that position and Zelensky left Washington empty-handed. He was seeking Tomahawk missiles that could strike deep into Russian territory.

Then out of the blue President Trump last week announced through his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the US would be sanctioning Russia's two largest oil companies until Russia declares a ceasefire in the war before negotiations. That won't happen, but what it does mean is that Rubio and the neocons have successfully gotten Trump to step on the escalation escalator. That is what they always do. It will be much harder to back down now.

At the same time the US Administration was jumping deeper into the Russia/Ukraine war, a long-time neocon dream was suddenly back in play. Although in Trump's first term a "regime change" operation was attempted against Venezuela, it failed spectacularly. But the neocons have long dreamed of overthrowing the Venezuelan government - they almost got their way back in 2002 - and suddenly after several weeks of extrajudicial murder on the high seas in the name of fighting the drug war, President Trump announced that land strikes on Venezuela would begin soon. 

Read more

Poland, Slovakia, Hungary Defy EU By Keeping Bans On Ukraine Imports

ZeroHedge

 

A new European Union deal to liberalize trade with Ukraine took effect Wednesday, but Poland, Hungary and Slovakia are defying it, maintaining their protectionist bans on imports from the country. Their defiance comes amid mounting grievances over EU prioritization of the West's proxy war on Russia over the prosperity of EU member states and their citizens.

Approved on Oct 13, the new EU arrangement expands tariff-free Ukrainian access to European markets, replacing a temporary lowering of trade barriers adopted after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. "We believe (the agreement) is a stable, fair framework, that can be reliable both for the EU and for Ukraine, to ensure a gradual integration in our single market, while providing stable trade flows," said European Commission spokeswoman Ariana Podesta. The European Commission (EC) is the EU's principal executive branch.

Rebelling against the Brussels regime, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia say they will maintain the bans on agricultural imports from Ukraine they put in place in 2023. The three countries' bans were a reaction to a wartime glut of Ukrainian products, which resulted from Black Sea ports being disrupted by the war with Russia. The glut sank prices and hammered domestic producers.

 

Read more

Prince Andrew latest: New Epstein emails released day after Andrew stripped of titles by King

The Independent

The former prince will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, effectively having the status of a commoner

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor told disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein it would be “good to catch up in person” after the paedophile was released from prison for prostituting minors, an email from 2010 has revealed.

The email chain shows Epstein suggested the then-prince should meet American banker Jes Staley and Andrew responded saying he would try to “drop by” New York later in the year.

The two were later pictured together in Central Park in New York in December 2010 in a meeting Andrew claimed in his 2019 Newsnight interview was to break off their friendship.

It comes as calls mount for Andrew to answer questions in the US over his ties to Epstein. Multiple members of a US congressional committee investigating the financier’s crimes have made fresh appeals for the disgraced royal to come forward.

On Thursday, the King took the dramatic decision to officially remove Andrew’s Prince and Duke of York titles and HRH style. He will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, effectively having the status of a commoner.

It comes after Virginia Giuffre’s devastating posthumous memoir was published, detailing fresh accusations about his ties with Epstein. Andrew denies the accusations.

He will now move to a property on the Sandringham Estate, which will be privately funded by the King.

Read more 

Lavrov talks Russia-NATO relations, arms control and dialogue with US: Key takeaways from the foreign minister’s speech — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union

RT

Moscow has no intention of attacking the US-led military bloc and is prepared to give official guarantees to that effect, the top diplomat has said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has outlined Moscow's vision of relations with an increasingly belligerent NATO, US President Donald Trump's administration, and the security architecture in Eurasia.

Lavrov touched on these and other topics at an international security conference in Minsk, Belarus on Tuesday. Here are the key takeaways from his address:

Russia-NATO relations

Moscow "has repeatedly said that we have had no intention of attacking any of the current NATO and European Union member states," Lavrov stressed. He added that Russia is prepared to give official guarantees to this effect as part of a future security architecture in Eurasia.

According to the foreign minister, EU leaders are studiously avoiding these discussions, aiming instead for "security guarantees against Russia, as opposed to with Russia."

Lavrov claimed that the West is openly preparing for a "new big European war" against Russia and key ally Belarus. He said there is ongoing militarization across most European NATO member states.

"NATO's expansion has not stopped for a single minute, despite assurances not to move eastward by an inch given to Soviet leaders," he said, accusing the West of seeking to preserve its "global dominance" despite the dawn of a new era.

The Western military bloc is attempting to establish a foothold as far afield as the Asia-Pacific, with a view to containing China, North Korea, and Russia, Lavrov stated.

Russia-US dialogue

Russia needs "guarantees" that a potential summit between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, "will yield a concrete result," the foreign minister explained.

Tentative discussions on a meeting in Budapest, Hungary began after the two presidents spoke by phone earlier this month. Last week, Trump clarified there are no plans for talks in the near future, as he wants to make sure it would not be "wasted time" in terms of resolving the Ukraine conflict. On Sunday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov similarly said that both Moscow and Washington have to do a substantial amount of "preparatory work before top-level negotiations can take place."

Moscow hopes that the US president "really wants a stable peace," Lavrov said. He expressed incredulity at the apparent change in Trump's rhetoric in recent days, as the US president called for an immediate ceasefire along the current front lines. Moscow has rejected this scenario, insisting that the root causes of the Ukraine conflict should be addressed first. 

Read more