03 World

Islam’s Quiet Takeover: How Britain’s Prisons Became Dawa Centers * The Gateway Pundit * by Peter McIlvenna– www.thegatewaypundit.com
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Nick Timothy MP, Britain’s shadow justice secretary, just put numbers on something that’s been muttered about for years. Ministry of Justice data shows one in five Muslim prisoners in England and Wales is white. That’s nearly four times the rate in the general population. White Muslim inmates went from 2,767 in 2022 to 3,218 by June 2025. Overall, Muslim numbers in prison rose from 14,037 to 16,051 in the same stretch. They’re now about 18 percent of the prison population in a country where Muslims are only 6.5 percent of everyone else.

Timothy says the gap “raises serious questions.” Experts have been warning for a long time about Muslim gangs pushing conversions behind bars. He wants the Labour government to look into it properly. The Ministry of Justice’s answer is the usual line: they don’t tolerate intimidation or faith-based coercion. Okay. That still doesn’t explain the figures.

Not every conversion is forced, of course. Some guys convert for the structure, the food, or just to have people watching their back. Some white Muslims grew up in the faith. Fair enough. It still doesn’t account for the size of the shift.

Jonathan Hall KC, who reviews terrorism legislation, found Muslims running parts of prisons as self-styled “emirs.” They pull in lonely or vulnerable inmates with food, advice, small gifts — and sometimes the threat of violence.

The Myanmar Junta’s military chief, General Ye Win Oo, met with Thailand officials to warn them about their porous borders. The Junta is accusing Thailand of allowing arms to reach the resistance to its military rule. The junta held an election January of this year, but that election was not recognized as being legitimate, for only Junta-approved candidates were allowed to run in the election.

One of the resistance leaders, Min Thway Thit, responded to the action, declaring “The junta is making every effort to cut off the flow of weapons across the border under the pretext of holding talks with neighboring countries. Our resistance forces must stay alert, plan alternative routes, and call for stronger international pressure on the regime.”

Myanmar Military Chief Urges Thailand to Sever Border Arms Flow to Resistance – Burma News International
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Myanmar’s new military chief, Gen. Ye Win Oo, met with senior Thai defense officials in Bangkok this week to push for a crackdown on cross-border arms smuggling to anti-regime resistance groups.

During his visit for the ninth Thai-Myanmar High-Level Officials Meeting on August 19, Ye Win Oo held separate talks with Thailand’s defense minister and commander-in-chief. He recently assumed leadership of the armed forces after his predecessor, Min Aung Hlaing, transitioned to the presidency following an election widely condemned by the international community.

The Junta pushed for stronger border stability to crack down on illicit arms smuggling, mirroring a request made earlier this month by regime leader Min Aung Hlaing to Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

A Federal lawsuit against social media giant Meta has been settled. Meta has agreed to pay $16.7 billion in an agreement with multiple states Attorney Generals. California is one of the states, but Texas and other large states are not. The lawsuit charged Meta with facilitating childhood social media addiction.

California State AG Rob Bonta said of the settlement, “Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families,” Bonta said in a statement. “Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms — and will do it within months.”

Meta settles social media addiction case for $16.7 billion– www.cnbc.com
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Meta and a coalition of state attorneys general have settled a major federal case centering on allegations that the social media giant misrepresented the extent of child-related mental health harms caused by apps like Facebook and Instagram.

The settlement was revealed in a court filing released Wednesday that details several requirements Meta must make to its apps as part of a proposed “consent judgement.”

Those changes include daily usage limits and “nighttime blocks” for teenagers that use the company’s apps like Facebook and Instagram, “enhanced age assurance measures” that would prevent children from using the apps, and the creation of additional tools for parents and guardians.

Thailand’s Prime Minister held an emergency meeting after a coordinated series of attacks by Islamist terrorists in the nation’s southern-most province. The attacks come at a time when Thailand is still dealing with a major flood crisis in the north. There were 51 reported attacks that included bombings, arson, and property damage. No security or police forces were targeted. The attacks appear to be aimed at damaging infrastructure and causing disruption.

Thai PM meets security chiefs after coordinated attacks in three southern provinces– www.euronews.com
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Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, already facing a flood crisis in the country’s north, held an urgent meeting on Sunday with high-level security officials in response to coordinated violence overnight in three southern provinces where a small-scale Muslim insurgency is active.

The meeting, held shortly before Anutin flew north to inspect the badly flooded province of Nan, followed 51 incidents on Saturday night in the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.

The attackers did not engage with military or police forces. Only three civilians were known to have been wounded and they were reported to be recovering on Sunday.

The violence primarily involved small bombs, arson and other forms of property damage. The highest-profile target was a 7-Eleven convenience store in Pattani.

A video circulating on social media appeared to show armed men stalking outside the store while customers and workers fled before it was set on fire.

A bomb that damaged rail tracks in Narathiwat forced the suspension of local and long-haul services. It was not clear when they would be restored due to the uncertain security situation.

Canada Announces Major Retaliatory Measures Against the US– www.westernjournal.com
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Canada escalated its brewing trade conflict with the United States on Tuesday by issuing retaliatory tariffs that match America dollar for dollar, while also raising rates on steel products.

Minister of National Revenue of Canada François-Philippe Champagne announced the tariffs, saying, “Canada must respond, and today we are, in a proportionate, targeted, and strategic way. Today I’m announcing that Canada will match the United States’ tariffs, dollar for dollar, rate for rate.”

“Effective Sept. 8, Canada will impose counter-tariffs of up to 15, 25, or 50 percent on $27.6 billion in imports from the United States of America,” he added.

Canada’s Department of Finance said on its website that the tariffs will “focus on sectors such as steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.”

India police clash with protestors over jobs and exam transparency– www.channelnewsasia.com
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PATNA, India: Indian students and unemployed youth clashed with police on Tuesday (Aug 25) as they marched towards the residence of the chief minister of the eastern state of Bihar, demanding access jobs and transparency in recruitment exams.

Police in Bihar, home to about 130 million people, used water cannons as a few thousand protestors broke through security barricades in the regional capital Patna, an AFP reporter saw.

The protests came a month after massive youth-led demonstrations in New Delhi forced the ouster of India’s education minister over alleged irregularities in conducting key competitive examinations.

Footage from local media showed demonstrators in Patna demanding access to government jobs, the cancellation of a key recruitment exam and changes to the examination format announcement by the government.

Local police accused some protestors of attacking security personnel.

“Police will identify those involved in stone pelting at police and will take action against them,” Patna police superintendent Kartikeya K Sharma told reporters on Tuesday.

The protests began last week with unemployed youth demanding jobs, but they later expanded to include calls for education reform.

 

Iran War Updates: Trump says U.S. “achieving a very big victory,” war “will continue for as long as necessary”– www.cbsnews.com
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Long lines formed at gas stations in Tehran Tuesday after the United States announced fresh sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran into submission.

Washington has turned to pulling economic levers six months into a war on Iran that has ground to a stalemate militarily, with peace talks stalled and most traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz blocked.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday laid out plans for the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran, saying the “objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime.”

Though Iran’s leaders have shrugged off the tough talk, having already endured sanctions for decades, some residents of the capital feared that they would feel the pinch.

“Naturally, sanctions affect people’s lives,” realtor Mehdi Yazdian, 55, who urged the authorities to control prices, told the AFP news agency. “People are being hurt, both those who are financially well-off and those who are financially weak.”

“Yes, these sanctions are having an effect,” he said. “But naturally, our people are resilient. These sanctions have been in place for 47 years.”

NAACP denounces supreme court decision to allow Trump administration to restrict mail-in voting – live | Trump administration– www.theguardian.com
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The president of the NAACP, which sued Donald Trump in April to block his order to restrict mail-in voting, denounced the supreme court decision that allows the order to be implemented, despite claims that it is illegal and unconstitutional.

The NAACP president, Derrick Johnson, said in a statement:

“Let this ruling be a reminder that democracy is never, ever, guaranteed. We have to fight for it, we have to fight to keep it, and we have to protect the rights we do have within it. Those in power know full well that they are unpopular and will lose in a free and fair election, and so they are trying to do everything they possibly can to make it difficult for you to vote.

Trump’s order has nothing to do with election integrity. It has everything to do with maintaining power at all costs.”

Houthis claim strike on Saudi tanker in latest Red Sea escalation– www.euronews.com
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Yemen’s Houthis said on Monday that their forces hit a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea with a ballistic missile, as the Iran-backed group continues to pursue a maritime blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, another crucial artery for global shipping.

“The strike was accurate and direct, resulting in a fire breaking out aboard the vessel and causing a number of other ships that were present in the target area to flee,” the Houthis said in a statement.

“This targeting comes as part of the implementation of the Armed Forces’ decision to ban maritime navigation by the Saudi enemy.”

The Houthi claim came hours after a British maritime agency said a tanker struck by an “unknown projectile” caught fire off Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.

“The Company Security Officer reported a tanker has been struck by (an) unknown projectile causing a fire to the vessel on the main deck,” said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

“All crew are safe and accounted for and no environmental impact has been reported,” it added.

China’s New Missile Can Target Planes Flying Near US: Report– www.ndtv.com
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Beijing:

China has developed hypersonic glide vehicles that can launch air-to-air weapons targeting high-value targets such as command-and-control aircraft thousands of miles away, Bloomberg reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The new addition to Beijing’s arsenal comes at a time when the US is struggling with supplies of crucial air defence missiles and long-range strike weapons following the six months of war with Iran.

It can be a threat to aircraft such as aerial refueling tankers, airborne early-warning and control jets and flying command posts, including the US Air Force’s E-4B Nightwatch.

The Chinese military has also added air-to-air capabilities to some hypersonic cruise missiles and built anti-ship capabilities into several types of missiles, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.

China is the only country publicly known to operate and develop hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) capable of launching air-to-air missiles. The developments mark a significant expansion of the country’s efforts to use its growing missile arsenal — largest in the world at more than 3,150 ballistic weapons — for a wide range of military missions, sources said.

Mideast live: Oil tanker struck by projectile in Strait of Hormuz off Oman– www.france24.com
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German GDP growth revised upwards, defying Iran war turmoil

German growth rose faster than previously thought in the second quarter thanks to strong exports, official data showed, as Europe’s biggest economy defied the turmoil unleashed by the Iran war.

Gross domestic product grew 0.3 percent from April to June compared with the first three months of the year, according to revised data from the statistics office Destatis. A first estimate in July had put growth at 0.2 percent.

What could new US sanctions on Iran entail?

The US says it is preparing to announce new sanctions on Iran. It’s been billed an “economic D-day” and is expected to add further pressure on the country’s economy that’s already been battered from previous sanctions and a US naval blockade.

The renewed economic pressure would not be the first time the US has used economic tools at its disposal to corner Iran.

US sanctions oil trader Wellbred over Iran links

The US imposed sanctions ​on Singapore-based Wellbred Capital and its trading firms in the ​United Arab Emirates and Switzerland, citing links with Iran, as it steps up measures to target Tehran’s global financial links.

The company ​had ties ‌to Iranian oil shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein ⁠Shamkhani, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said on its website ‌on Monday.

“Shamkhani built Wellbred as a company outside ⁠the network’s Iranian business, though Shamkhani is ultimately responsible for Wellbred’s operations,” it added in a statement ​outlining the measures targeting nearly 60 companies, individuals ‌and ships.

Six months of war: 20 dead in 68 incidents near Hormuz, IMO says

The Strait of Hormuz has been the main focus of the six-month war between Iran and the US and Israel, with many commercial vessels targeted in the vital conduit for oil and gas shipments.

In total, 68 incidents have been confirmed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in the Gulf and neighbouring bodies of water, the equivalent of one every 2.6 days.

Across all incidents, at least 20 seafarers or port workers were reported killed, 35 wounded and one missing, the UN maritime agency said.

About half of the incidents have involved tankers, 20 percent container ships and 15 percent bulk carriers.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) classified 47 of the incidents as attacks.

Liberia-flagged vessels have been most affected, being involved in 13 incidents, followed by 10 vessels each from Panama and the Marshall Islands.

Iran-flagged vessels were reported as being involved in four incidents.

Pakistan says army chief held talks with Iran focussed on preventing further escalation of Middle East conflict

Pakistan’s ​army chief ​Asim Munir held discussions with Iran that ​were ‌focussed ⁠on measures including the ‌prevention of a ⁠further escalation of the conflict and ​the reopening ‌of the Strait of Hormuz, ‌the Pakistani military said ​in a statement on Tuesday.

Munir discussed ​regional peace ​and ways ​to reach a negotiated ​settlement to disputes, the statement added.

Commodity vessel transits through Strait of Hormuz fall to three-month low, data shows

Only one ​commodity vessel transited ​the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the ​lowest ‌number since ⁠May 7, preliminary ‌shipping data showed on ⁠Tuesday.

One very large gas carrier entered ​the strait ‌from the Gulf of Oman on Monday, ‌initial data from ​shiptracker Kpler showed at 0251 GMT, compared with six ​vessels of ​all types ​on Sunday. The figures could ​change as some ships had switched off transponders on their ⁠way through.

Oil tanker struck by projectile off Oman

An oil tanker was struck and disabled by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, causing damage but no casualties, a British maritime agency said early Tuesday.

“The Master of an oil tanker reports the vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile causing damage to the engine room and disabling the vessel,” with the crew reported as safe, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.

The incident occurred nine nautical miles (16.7 kilometres) northeast of Ash Shishah in Oman, it said.

The online statement did not specify the vessel’s nationality or direction of travel.

Oil prices steady as investors weigh impact of expanded US sanctions against Iran

Oil prices steadied on Tuesday, after falling more than 2% in the previous session, as investors assessed the impact of harsher US secondary sanctions against Iran.

Brent crude futures were down 9 cents, or 0.1%, at $92.16 by 0104 ​GMT, while US ‌West Texas Intermediate crude was up 1 cent at $85.02 a barrel.

Both contracts fell ⁠more than 2% on Monday with US crude oil falling to a one-week low on profit taking after prices rallied over the previous two weeks.

 

‘Not an isolated incident’: Russian drones stalk Ukraine’s civilians in ‘human safaris’– www.france24.com
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First, he freezes, caught off guard. Then the young Ukrainian cyclist begins to backpedal awkwardly, his eyes never leaving the Russian drone that hovers ahead of him. It moves closer, and he swings his leg over the bike and tries to run. He doesn’t make it.

Even though the footage, posted Friday on the official Telegram account of the 3rd Army Corps of the Russian armed forces, cuts off before the moment of impact, the video’s description leaves no doubt of the outcome. The Russian soldiers congratulate themselves on having taken out an “enemy combatant” in the Ukrainian district of Kramatorsk, not far from the front line in the northern Donetsk region.

Two years of ‘human safaris’

But the cyclist was visibly unarmed, wearing civilian clothes and looked like any other young man riding his bike down a country road. Independent Russian media outlet Astra quickly accused the Russian military of trying to pass off an unarmed cyclist as a Ukrainian combatant.

The video spread swiftly across social media as influential accounts, including prominent Kremlin critic and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, reposted the footage to denounce the Russian military’s apparent cruelty.

Approval of Iran war hits record low– www.washingtontimes.com
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Americans’ support for the war with Iran has fallen to the lowest level since the conflict began, helping keep President Trump’s approval rating at a record low.

Support for U.S. military action against Tehran dipped to 31%, down 3 points from earlier this month and down 6 points since the start of the war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week.

This drop is attributable to fewer self-identified Republicans supporting the war. Roughly 69% of Republicans backed the Trump administration’s actions against Iran, compared with 77% in March, just after the U.S. and Israel first launched strikes on Iran.

The war’s unpopularity mirrors Mr. Trump’s approval numbers.

Another Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed Aug. 17 put Trump’s approval at 33% and disapproval at 64%, the lowest of his second term and tied with the low point of his first term.

The poll also found 80% of Americans, including 71% of Republicans and 87% of Democrats, believed the Iran conflict would drag on for an extended period.

The poll out this week put that figure at 83%.

Sudanese medical group accuses rebel group of killing 27 people– abcnews.com
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Ethnic clashes in southern Sudan have killed 27 people, including four children, a local medical group said

CAIRO — Four children were among at least 27 people killed in the latest ethnic clashes in southern Sudan, a local medical group said on Tuesday.

The killings were carried out by the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) in Qardud and Abu Hamama, areas inhabited by the Otoro tribe in South Kordofan, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, which monitors casualty numbers in the war-torn East African country.

Earlier this year, intense fighting erupted between forces linked to SPLM-N and the Otoro tribe, which is a minority group in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan.

The ethnic standoff, first instigated by land disputes, adds another layer to the country’s ongoing civil war which broke out in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The attacks have forced many people to flee toward Abu Hitan, a nearby village and Kadugli, the largest town in South Kordofan, said the doctors.

The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement on Facebook that it stressed “that targeting unarmed civilians, including women and children, on ethnic grounds constitutes an explicit violation of international humanitarian law.”

U.S.-Canada talks fail; Carney says retaliatory tariffs start Sept. 8– www.cnbc.com
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The U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian products on Saturday after trade talks between the two countries fell apart on Friday.

In response, Canada said it would impose its own retaliatory tariffs beginning on Sept. 8.

Negotiators for both sides had been working on a deal all week, at times signaling that an agreement was near. President Donald Trump had postponed the original deadline of Wednesday just hours ahead of it being imposed, saying that there was a soon-to-be finalized deal. Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s trade minister for the U.S., told reporters on Thursday that a deal was “very close.”

However, both sides blamed the other for not reaching a deal as the tariffs, impacting roughly $20 billion in Canadian exports, including wine, furniture, dairy products, cement, clothing, fishing rods, hockey equipment, went into effect on Saturday morning.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a post on X early Saturday morning, that “Canada declined to finalize the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement released on Friday that despite working toward a deal, “that progress has not been enough to meet our objectives for Canadians,” saying that “last-minute changes in the U.S. proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal.”

Iran’s rial currency hits new record low as US prepares to announce more sanctions– abcnews.com
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TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s currency hit a record low Monday as Washington prepared to announce new sanctions it said would add further pressure on an economy already battered by previous sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade.

The rial dropped to 2.02 million to the U.S. dollar as trading opened on currency markets. Iran’s official Central Bank rate stood at around 1.5 million rial to the dollar, but the market rate is what most Iranians pay.

The currency had already been under pressure before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, as Iran faced double-digit inflation and negative growth, but has repeatedly hit new lows as nearly six months of war have taken an even greater toll.

Iranians find daily staples increasingly unaffordable. Since the war began, rice is up some 60% and prices of beef are more than 150% higher. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that GDP will contract more than 5%.

Still, economic pressure has not yet translated into political pressure. Iran retains a key strategic advantage: Its attacks and threats on ships in the Strait of Hormuz have brought traffic in the vital waterway to a near halt, damaging the world economy and heaping pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of congressional elections.

South Korea says US cancels joint marine drill over Iran war– www.channelnewsasia.com
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SEOUL: South Korea said on Monday (Aug 24) that the United States had cancelled a large joint amphibious landing exercise scheduled for next month due to constraints on force availability caused by the war with Iran.

The biennial Ssangyong drills involve marine forces from South Korea and the US and are designed to strengthen combined operations, typically involving warships, aircraft and ground forces rehearsing amphibious landings.

The cancellation follows US President Donald Trump’s order last week to scale down the separate annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, cutting the joint drills from 11 days to five.

Trump at the time cited their high cost and said they sent an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea, while highlighting his relationship with its leader, Kim Jong Un.

“The US Marine Corps formally notified our forces in June that its ability to deploy forces during this year’s Ssangyong exercise would be constrained due to the situation in the Middle East,” Han Seung-jeon, a spokesman for the South Korean Marine Corps, told reporters at a news briefing.

Seoul and Washington were continuing consultations on resuming the amphibious exercise, he said, without giving details.

Iran faces ‘greatest financial offensive ever’, says US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent– www.bbc.co.uk
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The US announced a host of sanctions against Iran and threatened its supporters in what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was “the single greatest financial offensive ever”.

Labelling it an “economic D-Day” for Iran, Bessent said the US would sever all economic ties with the country and added that any nation financially partnering with Iran would also be isolated.

However, the latest threat to the Iranian regime follows several U-turns and extended deadlines from the White House in its efforts to end the conflict.

The war has led to hikes in global oil prices, and in response to the latest threat Iran warned it would shut down all oil exports from the region if the war continued.

The Iranian regime has also issued a fresh warning to shipping to not pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission, according to Reuters.

One fifth of the world’s oil and gas usually passes through strait, a narrow waterway south of Iran, but the flow has been effectively blocked by the country since the conflict began at the end of February, leading to higher oil prices globally.

Netanyahu claims ‘Iran tried to murder one of my sons’ — RT World News– www.rt.com
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The Israeli leader offered no evidence or specifics as his coalition trails in polls ahead of October’s election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran attempted to assassinate one of his sons, making the explosive allegation without saying which of his children was allegedly targeted, when the supposed plot took place or how close it came to being carried out.

The bombshell came almost in passing during a telephone interview with Israel’s Channel 14 on Monday about security arrangements for Netanyahu’s political rival Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief who is challenging him ahead of the October 27 general election.

“This is an unbelievable case. Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to murder him, tried to murder one of my sons,” Netanyahu said, arguing that round-the-clock protection for Eisenkot was “not a luxury” and warning that without it, the Iranians “will succeed.”

Netanyahu has two sons, Yair and Avner. He did not identify which one he was referring to, nor did he say where or how Iran allegedly planned to attack him.


 

Israeli media have separately reported that Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, and both sons were granted expanded state protection in July. Channel 12 reported that the alleged Iranian plot had been known to Israel’s security establishment for several months but had been subject to a military gag order.

The claim comes as Netanyahu faces a difficult reelection campaign. Successive surveys have put his governing bloc short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority, while polls have shown Eisenkot competing closely with or overtaking Netanyahu and his Likud party. Reuters reported in July that surveys were pointing to a defeat for Netanyahu’s coalition, although the fragmented opposition also lacks a straightforward path to forming a government.

US President Donald Trump also claimed that Tehran had repeatedly tried to kill him – even before the initial salvo of US-Israeli strikes on February 28 killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.


 

“I got him before he got me,” Trump boasted in an interview with ABC News shortly after the strike that also killed Khamenei’s daughter Boshra and 14-month-old granddaughter Zahra, as well as a son-in-law and daughter-in-law.

During the NATO summit in Türkiye in July, Trump was secretly removed from Air Force One and transferred inside a catering truck to another military aircraft after Israel relayed intelligence about another alleged Iranian assassination threat. The extraordinary operation was concealed even from some members of his traveling party.

US intelligence reportedly assessed the Israeli-supplied information with “low confidence,” while Tehran has denied broader accusations that it sought to assassinate Trump or other American officials.

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Trump launches ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ on Iran as he tries to isolate regime with damaging new sanctions– www.thesun.co.uk
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DONALD Trump has launched his crushing “Operation Economic Outcast” on Iran by threatening crippling sanctions on any country propping up the regime.

The US president last week vowed to unleash the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN” to strong-arm Tehran into accepting his peace terms.

Donald Trump has vowed to unleash an ‘economic D-Day’ on Iran Credit: Reuters
Severe sanctions and months of bombing have plunged the regime into an economic crisis Credit: AP

Washington has now upped the ante with a new plan to slap severe sanctions on any country maintaining economic ties with the regime.

Iran has meanwhile vowed it will retaliate against any country participating in the US-led isolation campaign.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe took trip to Moscow aboard C-17– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly visited Moscow aboard a not-so-secret C-17 Globemaster to engage in high-level discussions with Russian officials.

His visit was reported by CBS News and was cited by Russian state media, including TASS. U.S. and Russian officials both declined to comment or claimed ignorance. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he wasn’t aware of any visit or meetings. If confirmed, it would be Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia.

The use of the U.S.’s largest aircraft to visit Moscow stirred widespread speculation. The flight was viewed by both air traffic monitors and filmed by locals. In one of the most widely circulated videos on social media, a local was heard joking, “We are under attack!”

The flight remained a mystery for several hours. A convoy of vehicles with U.S. diplomatic plates was recorded in the streets of Moscow shortly after.

Ratcliffe’s visit was soon confirmed by other outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Axios, and several Ukrainian outlets. The last known trip by a CIA director to Russia was by former President Joe Biden’s CIA Director William Burns, who visited in November 2021 to warn against an invasion of Ukraine.

Nigeria’s president orders rescue operation after mass kidnapping at mosque– www.france24.com
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Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered the military ​and other security agencies on Tuesday to launch an immediate rescue operation after scores of people were kidnapped by gunmen in north-central Niger State last week.

An armed group posted a ​video on ‌Facebook and WhatsApp showing what residents said were about 600 ⁠women, children and older people abducted during an attack on a mosque in the state.

Reuters could not independently verify ‌the figure, but if confirmed it would rank among Nigeria‘s largest and most audacious ⁠mass kidnappings in recent years.

Watch more308 abductees freed from separate attacks in northern Nigeria

An official from Borgu district, where the attack happened, said 30 people had been killed during the attack and were ​buried on Sunday.

The official, who declined to be identified because she ‌was not authorised to speak to the media, said villagers from the communities of Dakera, Gidan-Zana and Sabon Gida were affected.

Trump Announces New Development in Strait of Hormuz– townhall.com
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President Donald Trump says that there are no more mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as he warns that any “new mines” will result in a military response.

Both the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran have said they are in charge of the strait, which has global significance for cargo transportation, but the U.S. currently has the upper hand by a wide margin, according to CNN.

The comments come as the president said earlier this month that there no longer talks occurring between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic, as the war now shifts to an economic focus.

Dozens of co-ordinated arson attacks hit southern Thailand– www.bbc.co.uk
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More than 50 co-ordinated arson and incendiary attacks “aimed at creating unrest” have been carried out across Thailand’s insurgency-hit south, the Thai military has said.

At least two people were injured, with a local government office building, a convenience store, and a stolen vehicle among the targets set on fire.

The incidents took place across the country’s southern border provinces between 20:00 local time (13:00 GMT) and midnight on Saturday, the military’s Internal Security Operations Command said in a statement.

Most were reported in Narathiwat province, with others occurring in neighbouring Yala and Pattani.

According to the Bangkok Post, two women were injured when a bomb exploded in Muang district in Narathiwat province.

Telecommunication towers were set on fire in several locations, and security officials warned residents not to touch suspicious objects.

Authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the Narathiwat province that was lifted on Sunday morning. No further attacks had been reported on Sunday.