x01 Archives

Bahrain Arrests 41 Suspected Iranian Military-Linked Operatives Amid Escalating Crackdown– slaynews.com

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

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The government of Bahrain announced Saturday that security authorities arrested 41 individuals allegedly tied to a network linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), marking one of the kingdom’s largest recent crackdowns on suspected Iranian influence operations.

According to a statement from Bahrain’s Interior Ministry, the detainees were identified as central members of the organization’s “main structure” operating inside the country.

Authorities said the arrests followed intelligence operations and investigations conducted alongside public prosecutors into alleged espionage activities involving foreign entities and support for Iranian aggression.

Britain’s Starmer fights for his job as calls for his ouster grow after local election losses– japantoday.com

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his job after devastating local election results for his Labour Party spurred dozens of lawmakers to call for his resignation.

Starmer plans to use a speech on Monday to argue that he can change tack and revive his government’s fortunes. But his position is fragile as rivals weigh their options. One lawmaker, Catherine West, said she will try to trigger a leadership contest if she doesn’t like what she hears in the speech.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, often seen as a potential challenger, said the party “needs to change,” though she did not explicitly call for Starmer to go.

Donald Trump Heads To China With Xi Jinping Holding The Upper Hand– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

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US President Donald Trump will arrive in China from May 13 to May 15 for a closely watched state visit that could shape the next phase of relations between Washington and Beijing. The trip marks the first visit by a sitting American president to China in nearly a decade and the first since Trump’s own 2017 visit during his first term.

Despite years of harsh rhetoric on China, Trump has continued to publicly praise Chinese President Xi Jinping. Just last week, he described Xi as a “good man” and a “smart man” with whom he has “a very good relationship”.

But behind the warm language lies mounting pressure. The summit comes at a moment when Washington is struggling to convert its military and economic power into diplomatic outcomes, particularly in the Middle East.

The Trump-Xi Summit Could Be a Positive Paradigm Shift • Stimson Center– www.stimson.org

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

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When Donald Trump visits Beijing this week, the focus of think tankers and pundits will largely be on what the policy outcomes will be, and there is a tendency to lean towards the negative. Will China deepen the trade war? Will Trump bristle at Xi’s stance on the war against Iran?

But for the trajectory of the relationship between China and the United States, the summit could play a constructive role, facilitating a peaceful recognition of the shift in power dynamics between the two countries and globally. Perceptions in both countries of one another, and of the role each seeks to play in the world, will be shaped by the art of the summitry and what the meeting between the two leaders conveys.

Historically, high-profile summits have proven to be important turning points in U.S. foreign policy by mediating enduring tensions in bilateral relations. The 1959 US-Soviet summit humanized the Soviet Union and Nikita Khrushchev in the eyes of some Americans. The 1972 Nixon visit to China allowed pro-rapprochement sentiment to emerge and circulate in American public discourse, contributing to ongoing discussions and debates on diplomatic normalization for years following the summit. The 1985-87 US-Soviet summits between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev were crucial for transforming bilateral distrust into trust.

Confident in China’s power, Xi is ready to host an unpredictable Trump – The Washington Post– news.google.com

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

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  1. Confident in China’s power, Xi is ready to host an unpredictable Trump  The Washington Post
  2. As Trump Heads to Beijing, China Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ for a Fight  The New York Times
  3. US standoff with Iran deepens and strait remains closed after Trump rejects latest proposal  AP News
  4. Trump and China’s Xi set for talks spanning Iran, nuclear, trade and AI  Reuters
  5. Iran, China and AI collide in Trump’s legacy-defining week  Axios

 

Fears of an AI breakthrough force the U.S. and China to talk– www.latimes.com

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

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CHONGQING, China — Three years ago, in the idyllic town of Woodside south of San Francisco, the United States and China held their first high-level talks on the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. President Xi Jinping and his longtime foreign minister appeared serious in their conviction that a channel should be a established between Beijing and Washington — a red phone for AI in case of emergencies.

They authorized a diplomatic effort that would begin in 2024 in Switzerland, only months before the U.S. presidential election. A large U.S. delegation arrived with high hopes that were abruptly dashed, according to four sources who attended the talks. The Chinese contingent dismissed American concerns over runaway AI as academic, almost theoretical, quickly turning the conversation to export controls seen in Beijing as yet another U.S. effort to hold China back.

UK PM Starmer fights for his political future in pivotal speech– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to “face up to the big challenges” facing the U.K. in a make-or-break speech on Monday, amid mounting pressure on his leadership.

Starmer cited growth, national defense, the U.K.’s relationship with Europe and energy needs as key issues that must be tackled urgently, in an attempt to convince Labour Party colleagues to keep him in the job.

“To meet the challenges that our country faces, incremental change won’t cut it,” he said, recognizing that “some people are frustrated with me” and acknowledging that he has “doubters.”

“I know I need to prove them wrong and I will,” he told an audience of supporters.

Starmer Pushes Spectre of Supposed ‘Far-Right’ in Bid to Save His Job– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

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Labour’s political opponents are un-British, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said as he made a final Hail Mary speech to save his job on Monday, while attempting to use boogeyman scare tactics over the so-called “far-right” to justify his continued presence in Number 10.

The answer to the country rejecting his Labour party at the ballot box with its worst election results in a century is simply to be more Labour than ever, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at yet another ‘reset’ speech on Monday morning. Even as coup plotters break into the open to challenge his position, Starmer said clinging on to power rather than accepting his time is up is his “responsibility” while criticising people who notice the problems the country has, vowing to crack down on the right wing, and vowing to nationalise the steel industry.

Trump rejects Iran’s response to US peace proposal as ‘unacceptable’– www.france24.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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Democrats Move To Remove and Replace the Virginia Supreme Court– gellerreport.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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Democrats want to rewrite the Virginia Constitution because the State Supreme Court rejected their unconstitutional maps.

The New York Times reports that Hakeem Jeffries and top Democrats in D.C. are considering asking Virginia legislators and Governor Spanberger to pass legislation to “retire” the members of the Supreme Court and then replace them en masse.

New York Times: The conversation reflected the desperation and fury that have gripped the party after the state Supreme Court struck down a favorable map that had been ratified by voters. The most dramatic idea they discussed — which would involve an unusual gambit to replace the entire state Supreme Court, with a goal of reinstating their gerrymandered map — drew mixed reactions on the call, said the people, and it was not clear that it would even be viable, or palatable to Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly. (NYT).

Death toll rises to 14 in Pakistan suicide attack. Taliban splinter group claim blast– abcnews.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The death toll from a suicide attack on a security post in northwest Pakistan rose to 14 police officers, authorities said early Sunday. A self-proclaimed breakaway group of the Pakistan Taliban has claimed the attack.

A suicide bomber and several gunmen detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the post in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, late Saturday, said senior police official Sajjad Khan. The attack triggered an intense shootout, and some officers were killed in the exchange, while others died later after the building collapsed.

Rescuers conducted an hourslong search operation using heavy machinery to retrieve bodies from under the rubble, Khan said, adding that three police officers were wounded in the attack.

London election results: Sadiq Khan warns Labour faces ‘existential threat’ as Greens make gains across capital– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a change of direction for Labour after the party suffered heavy setbacks in London’s local elections, saying the results reflected a “far-reaching disillusionment” among voters and an “existential” threat if it fails to change course.In a strongly worded statement following the results, Khan described the outcome as “bitterly disappointing for Labour in London” and acknowledged that many traditional supporters had turned away from the party.“Many people who voted Labour at the last general election clearly feel angry, disappointed and let down,” the London Mayor said, adding that voters were frustrated by the “slow pace of change” under the current leadership.

Hegseth calls for Kelly to be investigated for ‘blabbing’ about classified briefing– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called for Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) to be investigated over his public comments about a classified briefing.

In a Sunday appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation, Kelly said it was “shocking” how deeply the U.S. tapped into its interceptor missile stockpiles in the war with Iran, along with other criticisms based on the classified briefing. Hegseth suggested that the senator may have violated the law over his comments.

“‘Captain’ Mark Kelly strikes again. Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a *CLASSIFIED* Pentagon briefing he received. Did he violate his oath…again?” Hegseth said in a post on X, adding that the Pentagon’s legal counsel would launch a review.

Kelly retorted in a post on X, saying his own comments reflected those made by the Secretary of War at a hearing last week.

Britain’s Starmer fights for his job as calls for his ouster grow– abcnews.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his job after devastating local election results for his Labour Party spurred dozens of lawmakers to call for his resignation.

Starmer plans to use a speech on Monday to argue that he can change tack and revive his government’s fortunes. But his position is fragile as rivals weigh their options. One lawmaker, Catherine West, said she will try to trigger a leadership contest if she doesn’t like what she hears in the speech.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, often seen as a potential challenger, said the party “needs to change,” though she did not explicitly call for Starmer to go.

Ukraine, Russia trade accusations of violating US-backed ceasefire– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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One person each in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions were killed in Russian drone attacks, regional governors and police said in separate reports on Sunday.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, governor Oleh Syniehubov said eight people, including two children, were wounded in drone strikes on the regional capital and nearby settlements.

Seven people, including a child, were also wounded in the Kherson region in drone or artillery attacks since early Saturday, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Sunday.

The State Emergencies Service said Russian forces attacked one of its rescue vehicles in the Dnipropetrovsk region with a drone, wounding a 23-year-old driver.

Kyiv’s air force said Russia had launched 27 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight – a lower number than usual – but that air defences had downed all of them.

Ukraine’s General Staff said on Sunday afternoon that nearly 210 clashes had taken place along the sprawling, 1,200-km front line since early Saturday.

Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra released from prison on parole– www.france24.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose 21st-century political odyssey sharply divided Thai society for decades, was released from a Bangkok prison on Monday after serving eight months of a one-year sentence for a corruption-related charge.

A crowd of about 300 supporters and political allies gathered outside the Klong Prem Central Prison to greet the 76-year-old billionaire populist.

Thaksin was a telecommunications magnate who founded his own political party in 1998 and served as prime minister from 2001 until a military coup ousted him in 2006 while he was abroad. His ouster triggered nearly two decades of deep and sometimes violent political polarisation, while his political machine staged several comebacks even as Thaksin himself stayed in self-imposed exile to escape what he said was political persecution through the courts.

His three children, including former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and other family members also arrived early to welcome him.

France’s Digital ID System Hacked, Sensitive Data of 19 Million Citizens Sold on Dark Web– slaynews.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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France’s push toward centralized digital identity systems has suffered a devastating blow after hackers breached a government-run ID platform containing highly sensitive personal information tied to millions of citizens.

The compromised system is operated by France Titres, formerly known as ANTS.

The system handles some of the most sensitive government services in France, including passports, national ID cards, residency permits, driver’s licenses, and vehicle registrations.

Now, critics say the breach has exposed exactly why handing governments vast centralized databases of citizen identity information creates a dangerous single point of failure.

AI tool poisoning exposes a major flaw in enterprise agent security– venturebeat.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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AI agents choose tools from shared registries by matching natural-language descriptions. But no human is verifying whether those descriptions are true.

I discovered this gap when I filed Issue #141 in the CoSAI secure-ai-tooling repository. I assumed it would be treated as a single risk entry. The repository maintainer saw it differently and split my submission into two separate issues: One covering selection-time threats (tool impersonation, metadata manipulation); the other covering execution-time threats (behavioral drift, runtime contract violation).

That confirmed tool registry poisoning is not one vulnerability. It represents multiple vulnerabilities at every stage of the tool’s life cycle.

There’s an immediate tendency to apply the defenses we already have. Over the past 10 years, we’ve built software supply chain controls, including code signing, software bill of materials (SBOMs), supply-chain levels for software Artifacts (SLSA) provenance, and Sigstore. Applying these defense-in-depth techniques to agent tool registries is the next logical step. That instinct is right in spirit, but insufficient in practice.