03 World

Christian school chaplain wins settlement after firing over LGBTQ sermon – Fox News
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A school chaplain in the United Kingdom who was fired and blacklisted after preaching a sermon on LGBTQ issues has reached a confidential settlement with his former employer, ending a seven-year legal battle.

The Rev. Bernard Randall, an ordained Church of England minister, worked for five years as chaplain at Trent College, an independent school for K-12 students in Derbyshire, England. In 2018, Randall grew concerned when the school partnered with Educate and Celebrate, an outside group whose stated goal was to “smash heteronormativity” and embed queer theory in school culture. The group has since dissolved.

“I objected to [it] at the time it started, and tried to discuss it with the senior leadership, [but] they weren’t interested,” Randall told Fox News Digital.

The following year, a student asked Randall why pupils were required to accept LGBTQ ideology at a Christian school. Randall said that question, along with similar concerns raised by other students and staff, prompted him to deliver a sermon on freedom of belief and conscience.

Berlin Pride suspect shot dead by police after man ‘rams van into crowd with 1 killed and 16 injured’– www.mirror.co.uk
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German police have shot dead the man suspected of driving a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival, killing a woman and injuring at least 29 people.

Alleged terrorist Abdul Ballout, 21, rushed at police with a weapon before being shot by cops, officials said. The suspect was tracked down to an allotment garden in Spandau, West Berlin.

Authorities had previously issued a wanted notice and warned people against approaching Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots, saying he may be armed and dangerous.

Polizei Berlin said last night: “At around 6pm, the suspect in yesterday’s attack in the Grosser Tiergarten was located in an allotment garden in Spandau.

“He is said to have rushed toward our emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, after which police firearms were used.

Iran’s new supreme leader ‘more driven than ever’ to create nuclear bomb after Trump’s strikes, US intelligence fears– www.thesun.co.uk
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IRAN’S new Ayatollah is even more determined to develop a nuclear bomb than his late father, Washington fears.

Fresh US intelligence suggests the killing of the former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February has led to the intensification of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Mojtaba Khamenei (C), son of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran Credit: AFP
An Iranian nuclear programme could bolster the case for further US strikes Credit: AFP

The Iranian program could bolster President Donald Trump’s case for actioning further strikes in the region.

For years, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s 2003 religious ban on weapons of mass destruction tempered global concern regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.

Zelensky says Russia seeks 30,000 extra North Korean troops for Ukraine war– www.channelnewsasia.com
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KYIV: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia has sought an extra 30,000 troops and missile launchers from North Korea to fight his country.

Preparations for the extra troops are being made in Russia’s Voronezh region near the frontier with Ukraine, Zelensky said in a social media post late Saturday (Jul 25).

North Korea sent thousands of troops to help Russia fight off a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kursk region in 2024. It has also provided arms to help Russia’s invasion since 2022.

According to South Korea, some 2,000 North Korean troops have been killed in the war.

“Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea. Since June, preparations have been underway in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive them,” Zelensky said on X.

“North Korea is also preparing to transfer additional launchers for ballistic missiles to Russia. This is a threat not only to Ukraine. Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them,” he added.

Israeli settlers set fire to West Bank mosques after deadly clash– www.channelnewsasia.com
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The Palestinian Authority, which has responsibility for the section of the West Bank where Friday’s shootings took place, said the incident was part of a broader assault on Palestinians.

“Israeli state-backed settler terrorism is intensifying into systematic pogroms across the occupied West Bank,” the Palestinian prime minister’s office said in a statement on X.

The Israeli military said troops sent to Qusra, which sits near several large Israeli settlements, had found graffiti and signs of arson and were searching for suspects. Police officers would be sent to collect evidence, it said.

“The security forces strongly condemn incidents of this kind, including harm to religious sites, and will continue to act decisively to maintain security and public order in the area,” the military said.

An Israeli military official said such violence by Israelis diverted the defence force’s attention from its primary mission of defence and counter-terrorism in a complex environment. The official said, however, that over the weekend troops arrested more than 130 individuals, including weapons traffickers, Hamas operatives, individuals involved in incitement and people planning imminent attacks.

In separate incidents, Palestinian officials said settlers had also tried to burn a mosque near Kour, southeast of Tulkarm, and attacked Palestinian workers at a stone-cutting facility in the town of Kafr Malik, near Ramallah.

Farid Jiyousi, a member of the Kour village council, said three settlers had tried to set the mosque ablaze at dawn but worshippers had put out the fire before it reached the mosque’s main area. “This is the first attack our village has experienced,” he said, adding that the attackers had also sprayed Hebrew graffiti on the mosque walls.

Burnham to Host Zelenskyy in Signal of Continued UK Support– financialpost.com
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In his first week in office, Burnham has focused on domestic issues, announcing a raft of cost-of-living measures, from capping bus fares to helping households with energy bills. His relationship with Zelenskyy will be a test of how decisively he is prepared to step onto the international stage.

Pentagon lists 4 killed in Iran war under “Overseas Operations Casualties” on website– www.cbsnews.com
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The Pentagon website that informs the public about the dead and wounded in military conflicts now lists four service members killed in Jordan and Iraq in July under “Overseas Operations Casualties” — separate from 14 other service members who have been killed during the war with Iran.

The other 14 appear in th

Multiple Jewish Bakeries SHOT AT, Attacked with Gunfire and Vandalism in Antisemitic Attacks– gellerreport.com
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Multiple Jewish-owned Toronto bakeries targeted in antisemitic attacks

Toronto police are investigating after two locations of Jewish-owned Kiva’s bagel bar were targeted in separate incidents Sunday morning, including one where a window was struck by gunfire.

In multiple posts to social media, police say officers were first called to the Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue West area at around 8 a.m. after reports that a window at a Jewish-owned bakery had been struck by gunfire.

Investigators located evidence of a firearm discharge at the scene. However, no injuries were reported.

Roughly 20 minutes later, officers responded to another location of the “same Jewish owned bakery chain” near Bathurst Street and Steeles Avenue West after receiving reports of a broken window.

“We don’t know when the shooting occurred. Both incidents occurred sometime overnight,” police told CP24 in an email.

At this time, no suspect descriptions have been provided.

Romania summons Russian envoy as it shoots down third intruding drone | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com
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Romania has summoned Russia’s ambassador as it has reported that it shot down three drones in as many days.

A Romanian plane shot down a drone after an incursion into the country’s airspace on Sunday morning, the Ministry of Defence reported. The incident followed similar interceptions on Friday and Saturday.

Concern that Moscow’s war on Ukraine risks entangling neighbouring NATO states is on the rise. Romania is one of several alliance members to confront repeated stray drones recently, as Russia and Ukraine launch hundreds of the unmanned aircraft daily.

Following Sunday’s incident, Bucharest summoned Russia’s ambassador to complain about the “repeated violations”, Foreign Minister Oana Toiu wrote on social media.

Romania intercepted a Russian drone for the first time on Friday. That followed a similar incident on Saturday. An F-16 fighter jet then shot down an unmanned aircraft over the Black Sea on Sunday.

President Nicusor Dan reported that an investigation had found that Friday’s drone was a “Shahed model, used by the Russian Federation in its war of aggression against Ukraine”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has chosen Major General Ihor Skybyuk to become the new chief of the General Staff of the Armed Force. The move follows numerous shake-ups in military leadership that are leading to street protests from Ukrainians.

Zelensky said of the appointment, “We determined the order of further steps. Today, decisions regarding the replacement of the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be formalized — the relevant decrees are being prepared. Together with Mykhailo Drapatyi and Yevhenii Khmara, we determined that the new chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Major General Ihor Skybyuk — a very experienced military officer, with whom the new commander-in-chief defended Ukraine side by side.”

Zelensky names new armed forces chief in sweeping Ukraine military shake-up, following days of street protests– rmx.news
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Major General Ihor Skybyuk as chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces as part of a major overhaul of the country’s military leadership.

The decision follows the appointment of Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi.

“We determined the order of further steps,” Zelensky said after the announcement. “Today, decisions regarding the replacement of the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be formalized — the relevant decrees are being prepared.”

“Together with Mykhailo Drapatyi and Yevhenii Khmara, we determined that the new chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Major General Ihor Skybyuk — a very experienced military officer, with whom the new commander-in-chief defended Ukraine side by side.”

Zelensky said the new command structure must ensure that every part of the military continues to operate as a unified force. “It is important that all components of our army continue to function absolutely cohesively,” he said.

The president added that decisions had also been made on how Syrskyi would continue serving Ukraine’s defense, although he did not disclose his future position.

Zelensky said discussions with the new leadership covered the development of Ukraine’s cyber forces, troop training, military mobilization, strengthening frontline units, and expanding the corps system.

“The priority for the real ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to carry out defense tasks is a practical, effective mobilization process,” he said.

Another heavyweight CCP member found himself purged from power by Chairman Xi. Former Politburo member Ma Xingrui was the latest high-profile leader removed under Xi’s anti-corruption operation. The move shows Xi has still not consolidated power after the attempted coup from within last year.

China expels Ma Xingrui in fresh politburo purge as Xi Jinping tightens grip amid mounting internal challenges – organiser.org
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The expulsion of former Politburo member Ma Xingrui from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has become the latest chapter in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, but the significan…

President Donald Trump has announced an historic multi-billion-dollar deal with Saudi Arabia. The deal will result in U.S. firms being contracted to help the Saudis build a nuclear power plant. Critics warn the Saudis will develop a nuclear arms program through the civil program the U.S. will help it build.

Trump Seals Saudi Nuclear Pact, Handing Russia and China a Defeat › American Greatness– amgreatness.com
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President Donald Trump has signed off on a sweeping 30-year civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, a deal administration officials say will lock American companies into the kingdom’s energy future and keep Moscow and Beijing on the sidelines.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright is expected to formally sign the accord alongside Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, capping months of negotiations that began during Wright’s first foreign trip to the region in April 2025. The pact, valued at tens of billions of dollars, still must clear a congressional review period before taking effect.

Under the agreement, U.S. firms, led by Westinghouse Electric and its AP1000 reactor capable of powering a midsize city or a large artificial-intelligence data center, would build out Saudi Arabia’s nuclear infrastructure. A joint two-year study will examine whether the kingdom should eventually host its own uranium-enrichment facility, built and operated by American companies under a tightly controlled “black box” structure meant to keep sensitive technology out of Saudi hands. If Washington decides against enrichment, Riyadh would be barred from pursuing it alone or with another country for a decade.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is reporting numerous Canadians have already been contacted by police about their social media posts in response to the new “Combatting Hate Act” becoming law. Currently, the UK is number one in social media arrests worldwide, which is worth noting because Canada’s anti-speech laws are similar to the UK’s anti-speech laws.

Canadians contacted at home by gov officials over social media posts after hate speech law passes: JCCF | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com
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“If you believe your rights have been infringed or that you have been unfairly targeted, we encourage you to submit a case application through the Justice Centre’s online portal.”

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms says it is receiving reports that some Canadians have been contacted at their homes by government officials over social media posts made months or even years earlier, following the passage of Canada’s new hate speech legislation.

The organization said the reports come after Parliament passed Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, which expands Canada’s hate speech laws by creating new offences, increasing penalties, and removing certain legal safeguards that previously limited prosecutions for hate-related expression. The group said Canadians who are contacted by government officials over online posts should consider recording the interaction.

“If you believe your rights have been infringed or that you have been unfairly targeted, we encourage you to submit a case application through the Justice Centre’s online portal,” the organization said.

The Justice Centre provides legal representation to Canadians who believe their constitutional rights or freedoms have been violated by federal, provincial, or municipal governments or government entities, including universities, human rights commissions, professional associations, and public school boards. It said applications for legal assistance must be submitted online.

#Ukraine’s controversial top general replaced amid mass #protests– www.france24.com
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The far-left government o0f Nicaragua has announced to the country that elections are now over. The Co-President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, declared, “there will be no elections.” Ortega and his wife have ruled Nicaragua through the Sandinista Party for nearly 20 years, though not with the total rule they now possess, at all levels of government, including local government.

UN rights chief condemns Nicaragua’s decision to abolish elections | Elections News– www.aljazeera.com
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UN rights chief condemns worsening repression in Nicaragua, urging the restoration of freedoms and the rule of law.

The United Nations human rights chief has condemned Nicaragua’s escalating crackdown on civil and political rights, days after President Daniel Ortega announced a plan to block elections and shut out the opposition.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Wednesday that the “latest developments further deepen the severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms, the dismantling of civic space, and the steady erosion of the rule of law” in the Central American country.

Ortega, a former leftist fighter who has ruled Nicaragua for almost two decades alongside his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, said on Sunday that “there won’t be elections” in the country, a move that would remove any prospect of a challenge to the couple’s rule.

General elections were due in November, but constitutional reforms passed 18 months ago extended the presidential term from 5 to 6 years, pushing the vote back to 2027.

Turk said power in Nicaragua was increasingly being concentrated “under the co-presidency”, with the ruling Sandinista party already holding full control over parliament, all municipalities and the regional councils on the North and South Caribbean Coast.

Trump Vows to Bomb One Iranian Bridge or Power Plant for Every Ship Targeted in Strait of Hormuz › American Greatness– amgreatness.com
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday vowed to attack critical Iranian infrastructure ‌every time Tehran targets ​a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Trump declared on Truth Social.

Trump has previously refrained from targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran, though he did warn in April that the “whole civilization” would die if the regime refused to agree to a cease-fire.

Iran recently declared the Strait of Hormuz closed “until further notice” after stopping a vessel it accused of using an unauthorized route.

Since then, the IRCG has reportedly attacked two commercial vessels transiting the waterway, including a Cyprus-flagged ship.

Earlier this month, Trump floated the idea of the United States taking control of the strait, which normally sees around one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies flow through it.

Oil prices jump 4% as Rubio says Iran ‘not serious’ about peace talks– www.cnbc.com
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Oil prices were about 4% higher on Wednesday morning following the eleventh consecutive round of U.S. strikes against Iran overnight, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Strait of Hormuz remains a sticking point between the two sides.

Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, traded about 4% higher at $94.76. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 3.9% to trade at $87.61.

Russian AI-assisted Geran UAV swarms manage to overload Ukrainian air defenses by 400% – Military & Defense– tass.com
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MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Swarms of Russian-made Geran attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) outfitted with artificial Intelligence algorithms managed to ‘overload’ Ukrainian air defenses by 400%, according to an article published in the Russian Defense Ministry’s magazine Military Thought and obtained by TASS.

“Geran-2 autonomous swarm groups with AI algorithms for role distribution (reconnaissance, decoy targets, strike). In February 2026, cases were registered when a swarm of 20-30 UAVs overloaded Ukrainian air defenses by 300-400%,” says the article titled: ‘Ways of Increasing the Effectiveness of Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Through the Use of Artificial Intelligence.’

Today the technical implementation of artificial intelligence technologies in UAV control systems “has reached a level allowing for their mass use, which boosts the effectiveness of operations by 40-60% while considerably reducing losses among personnel,” the authors of the article say.

Further development is linked with swarm technologies – “the highest form of implementing AI in UAVs,” they say.

China Explores Elevating Cognitive Effects into Its Vision of Warfare– warontherocks.com
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In March 2025, China’s military researchers published a concept describing how to rapidly capture and subdue the city of Taipei. Distributed in restricted military channels, this approach argues Beijing can achieve victory “by blocking the city’s ability to receive external assistance, restricting its ability to enable operations, breaking its operational system, collapsing cognitive cohesion, and eliminating its ability to recover.” Its objective is to break the Taiwan people’s will to fight.

While this concept is not yet doctrine, it is an important and rarely seen example of how China’s military strategy and research inform the way it plans to fight a war over Taiwan. The authors’ framework operationalizes China’s new military strategy of “national total war,” referring to whole-of-nation mobilization, and “cognitive domain operations,” referring to influencing the mental space where people and organizations make decisions. Details on both remain sparse, particularly in the context of how they may support the Chinese military’s primary mission of capturing Taiwan.

“All-domain megacity incapacitation warfare” (大型城市全域失能战) describes in remarkable detail how China’s military might capture Taipei by integrating military firepower with cognitive effects. An article from the March 2025 edition of Military Art, China’s leading internal journal on military theory, proposes this idea. The Central Military Commission oversees and approves this journal, and its official circulation is limited to restricted military channels. Because the journal is closely held within China’s military, the article’s authors have liberty to speak in specifics and without varnish as they inject their concept into China’s internal debate on how to plan a war on Taiwan.

Nicolas Maduro to face trial on U.S. drug trafficking charges in June 2027 – National– globalnews.ca
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Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife will go on trial on drug trafficking charges next June, a judge said Wednesday, as their lawyers continue to object to the U.S. military action that snatched them from power.

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein set the June 1 trial date at the request of lawyers on both sides. Under the approved schedule, defense lawyers will begin filing requests in early September to challenge the indictment and the couple will return to the courtroom Nov. 17 for oral arguments on the motions.

Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, have been held at a Brooklyn jail since U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas home in a middle-of-the-night raid and brought them to New York in early January.

Neither spoke during Wednesday’s 15-minute hearing as each sat separately at a defense table, surrounded by their lawyers. Both have pleaded not guilty. They face potential life prison sentences if a jury agrees that they were part of a conspiracy to send cocaine into the U.S.

Investigation: Hamas Planned Massive October 7th Attacks All Across Europe– gellerreport.com
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This is who the Democrats support.

Investigation: Hamas planned massive October 7th attacks across Europe

Investigation: Hamas planned massive October 7th attacks across Europe

Swiss newspaper reports Hamas had a years-long plot to carry out an October 7-style wave of coordinated terrorist attacks across Europe, targeting Israeli, Jewish, and Western institutions.

By: Israel National News, Jul 21, 2026:

A Swiss newspaper has uncovered what it describes as a years-long Hamas plan to carry out an October 7-style wave of coordinated terrorist attacks across Europe, targeting Israeli, Jewish, and Western institutions.

According to an investigation published by Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Hamas built a covert terrorist infrastructure across the continent years before the October 7 massacre, including hidden weapons caches, smuggling routes, logistical networks, and dormant terror cells ready to be activated on orders from the organization’s leadership.

Thousands of idle ships trapped near the Strait of Hormuz could become floating nurseries for invasive marine species and spread them worldwide when trade resumes |– timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Having escalated into open hostilities on February 28, 2026, the current United States and Iran war has been going on for nearly five months. In this period, the Strait of Hormuz, the only open-ocean exit for major producers like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and the UAE has been in chokehold. The strait is the world’s most critical maritime energy chokepoint, facilitating the passage of roughly 600 billion worth of energy trade annually. According to estimates, about 1,500 vessels are stuck in the Persian Gulf, and several hundred more are stuck in the adjacent Gulf of Oman.Now according to new research, something growing on the hulls of these ships could spread worldwide when the trade resumes. The study published in Biological Invasions, was led by an international team of 24 marine scientists, led by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), and including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).The team cautioned that thousands of commercial vessels stranded for months in the Persian/Arabian Gulf following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz could unintentionally trigger a massive marine invasive species event. The study titled, “Closure of the Strait of Hormuz May Trigger a Bioinvasion Super-Spreader Event,” highlighted how prolonged periods at anchor allow ship hulls to accumulate dense communities of marine organisms including algae, barnacles, mussels and other invertebrates which can be transported across the globe when trade resumes.

Trump Issues Order to Protect Defense Supply Chains Amid Iran War › American Greatness– amgreatness.com
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Good Tuesday morning.

Here is whats on President Trump’s agenda today:

8:00 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time

10:00 AM THE PRESIDENT greets Denison University Student Athletes

11:00 AM THE PRESIDENT greets the President of the Republic of Lebanon

11:15 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the President of the Republic of Lebanon

4:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting

5:00 PM THE PRESIDENT greets House GOP Members