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The US and its allies are afraid of Moscow losing the war, the Ukrainian leader has said

Ukraine’s president has claimed Kiev’s forces would be more successful on the battlefield if they were not banned from using Western-supplied weapons to hit targets in Russia.

Russia’s ability to strike Ukraine from its own soil is giving Moscow the edge in the conflict, Vladimir Zelensky said during an interview with AFP news agency on Friday.

“They can fire any weapons from their territory at ours. This is the biggest advantage that Russia has. We can’t do anything to their systems, which are located on the territory of Russia, with Western weapons,” he explained.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Kiev earlier this week, said Washington has “not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it’s going to conduct this war.”

However, on Thursday Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh clarified that Washington’s position that Kiev should not target Russia with US-supplied weapons remains unchanged. Such arms can only be used to “take back Ukrainian sovereign territory,” Singh stressed.

Earlier this month, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron insisted Ukraine has the “right” to use UK-supplied weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia, if it decides to do so. Moscow reacted to the statement by warning that if such an attack were to take place it could target British military facilities “on the territory of Ukraine and beyond” in response.

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Kiev has urged Washington to provide intelligence on targets on Russian soil amid setbacks in Donbass and Kharkov Region. According to the NYT, US officials are currently reviewing those requests, despite previously turning them down.

Zelensky said Kiev now finds itself in a “nonsensical situation” due to the stance of the West, which “is afraid that Russia will lose the war. And it does not want Ukraine to lose it.”

“Ukraine’s final victory will lead to Russia’s defeat. And the final victory of Russia will lead to Ukraine’s defeat,” he added.

The Ukrainian authorities “want the war to end with a fair peace for us. Of course, the West wants the war to end. Period. As soon as possible. And, for them, this is a fair peace,” the president stated.

On Friday, Russia President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow “never rejected negotiations unlike the Ukrainian side,” referring to a 2022 decree by Zelensky, which officially forbade him from talks with his Russian counterpart.

However, Putin stressed that Russia will not yield to “ultimatums” from Kiev and its Western backers as they try to gain though diplomacy what they have failed to gain on the battlefield.

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Israeli Plan to Force All Gazan Survivors Onto US Ships Exposed

Chopper goes down in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran in foggy conditions

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi went down in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.

The incident occurred when Raisi was returning from an inaugural ceremony for a new dam constructed on the border with Azerbaijan, Tasnim News Agency reports.

The presidential convoy included three helicopters, two of which – all carrying government ministers and officials – managed to reach their destination safely.

The exact status of the presidential helicopter and those on board was not immediately clear, the media outlet notes, adding that rescue teams from the Red Crescent Society of Iran, the military and the law enforcement have been sent in.

The foggy weather in the area where the helicopter went down also makes assessing the situation problematic, local residents reportedly said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was among the passengers of the presidential helicopter, Iranian media point out.

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Israeli Plan to Force All Gazan Survivors Onto US Ships Exposed

Meanwhile, US defense officials say alert in place through May 26 because of the re-entry of a “Russian space launch booster.”

There’s been quite a stir on X as some users speculate that a NOTAM, or aviation notice to airmen, suggests a potential Russian Navy hypersonic missile test off the coast of Southern California.

However, that’s not the case. According to The War Zone, the NOTAM is actually in anticipation of a Russian space booster splashing down in the Pacific. 

Let’s begin with the misguided hype on X about the threats of Russian missile testing off the California coast. These posts collectively have generated more than a million views. 

Meanwhile, two US defense officials told TWZ the NOTAM is in place through May 26 because of the re-entry of a “Russian space launch booster.” 

“It is not for a launch or a military exercise,” the officials said, commenting on the social media hype. 

Concerns about the Russians in the Pacific surfaced earlier this week in a NOTAM posted on May 13 advising pilots to avoid a large block of airspace between May 16 and May 26 “for Russian Federation impact area by at least 50 nautical miles.”

“This notice is for all aircraft transiting from Hawaii to North America and North America to Hawaii. The following restrictions are due to the Russian Federation rocket firing impact area,” the NOTAM read, which sparked mass confusion. 

US defense officials weren’t entirely sure which Russian rocket booster would splash down in the Pacific. However, Russian media outlet TASS reported earlier today that a Soyuz-2.1b rocket equipped with satellites launched Friday. 

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Israeli Plan to Force All Gazan Survivors Onto US Ships Exposed

The EU’s new migration pact “has to be applied” by all member states and the European Commission will be “making sure it is,” its spokesperson said in response to Dutch conservative Geert Wilders’ plans to opt out of the scheme

The European Commission has hit out against plans by the new Dutch coalition government to opt out of the EU migration pact.

Speaking in The Hague on Thursday, Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders, the largest party in the Dutch parliament, announced the new right-wing administration agreed upon by four coalition partners will seek to release the country from the grip of Brussels on matters relating to asylum and migration.

“A lot is going to change. There will be an asylum crisis law. There will be border controls. There will be a ban on the priority of social housing for status holders,” Wilders told the Dutch press.

He then hinted at Dutch opposition to the EU’s migration pact and vowed to “fight for an opt-out on asylum in the European Union.”

It took a matter of hours, however, for the European Commission to put a dampening on the plans, signaling its intent to ensure all member states play by the new rules.

“We have a new pact on migration and asylum, which has been voted upon and confirmed and therefore has to be applied,” EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said at a press briefing in Brussels.

“This legislation will be applied and the commission will play its role in making sure it is,” he added.

The outgoing liberal administration in the Netherlands voted for the asylum pact adopted by the European Council on Tuesday by way of qualified majority voting. Only Hungary and Poland opposed the pact in full, while Czechia, Austria, and Slovakia voted against particular regulations within the legislation.

Under the new scheme, EU member states will be required to accommodate a set number of migrants with the quota set each year by Brussels. Failure to comply with the demands will see member states fined €20,000 for every individual they refuse.

Wilders is a longstanding critic of Western Europe’s liberal approach to mass immigration and has campaigned for tougher border controls for decades. With public opinion across the Netherlands now aligning with his party’s values and the electorate propelling the PVV into power, he remains intent on delivering what he described as the “strictest-ever asylum policy” in the Netherlands.

The new Dutch coalition may find allies in the Visegrád nations, all of whom have expressed at least some opposition to the plans.

After its adoption, Hungarian Finance Minister Mihály Varga told journalists during a visit to the de facto EU capital that Budapest would not play ball.

“Hungary does not accept the imposition of migrant quotas,” Varga said.

“It is particularly harmful and unreasonable that, based on the provisions of the new EU asylum package, a penalty of €20,000 per migrant must be paid by those countries not willing to accept migrants to their territory according to the mandatory quota.”

The new left-liberal government in Poland also reiterated its intention to refuse migrant quotas, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk telling journalists on Tuesday that Poland would “be a beneficiary of the migration pact.”

“We will not pay for anything, we will not have to accept any migrants from other countries. The EU will not impose any migrant quotas on us,” he said.

However, conservatives in Poland are skeptical of Tusk’s true intentions, believing him to be paying lip service with his opposition and thinking he will eventually fall in line.

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Israeli Plan to Force All Gazan Survivors Onto US Ships Exposed

State Department’s advisory says “foreign terrorist organizations” could strike during upcoming Pride month celebrations

There is an increased risk of terrorist attacks at LGBTQ events worldwide in the coming weeks, the US Department of State has warned. Earlier this month, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a similar advisory regarding potential security risks during June, the month of Pride celebrations.

Having started out back in 1970 in the US as marches for gay rights, Pride month celebrations have since spread to many other countries, mostly European ones. Nowadays, such events promoting same-sex relations enjoy varying degrees of government support in most Western nations. However, in Muslim countries, in Russia and in other states professing to espouse conservative and religious values, such gatherings are banned under local laws.

In an advisory released on Friday, Washington urged “U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution” in light of the “potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.” According to the document, foreign terrorist organizations could target “LGBTQI+ persons and events.”

American nationals should be particularly alert at “pride celebrations and venues frequented by LGBTQI+ persons” as well as tourist attractions.

On May 10, The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security also issued a warning, claiming that “foreign terrorist organizations or supporters may seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month.” The US authorities did not provide details about any particular at-risk locations and regions, or the specific nature of the presumed threats.

The release pointed out that LGBTQ-themed events have in the past been targeted by terrorists, including the deadly mass shooting at Pulse gay club in Florida in June 2016. 29-year-old Omar Mateen, who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist organization, mowed down 49 revelers, also leaving 53 wounded.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security also noted that Austrian authorities detained three suspected Islamic State sympathizers in Vienna last June who were suspected to have been planning an attack on a Pride event there.

The advisory urged US nationals to look out for any violent threats related to LGBTQI+ events posted online.

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Israeli Plan to Force All Gazan Survivors Onto US Ships Exposed

Asthma is estimated to have an annual cost in the US of $300 billion

A significant link between use of e-cigarettes and earlier onset of asthma has been discovered in US adults, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

The study showed that adults who were asthma-free at the beginning of the study and reported use of e-cigarettes within the last 30 days increased their risk of developing asthma by 252%.

The researchers used secondary data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, a national long-term study of tobacco use and its health effects on adults and youths in the U.S.

“While previous studies have reported that e-cigarette use increases the risk of asthma, our study was the first to examine the age of asthma onset,” said the study’s lead author Professor Adriana Pérez.

The health burden of asthma in the US is massive. The condition is estimated to cost $300 billion a year alone in losses due to missed school or work, mortality and medical costs.

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Israeli Plan To Force All Gazan Survivors Onto US Ships Exposed

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