Federal troops entered the South West State city of Baidoa after Mogadishu rejected the reelection of Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen
Somalia’s national army has taken control of Baidoa, the administrative capital of South West State, forcing regional leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen to resign after a confrontation with the federal government over constitutional changes and elections.
Laftagareen was reelected on Saturday for another five-year term as president of South West State, despite opposition from federal authorities. The Somali Interior Ministry denounced the vote as “a clear act of illegality and premeditated self-appointment,” saying it violated national electoral laws and the constitution.
Mogadishu said the process was completed within 24 hours and lacked transparency, free competition and legitimacy, describing it as “a blatant attempt to manipulate the democratic process and impose a predetermined outcome.”
The federal government announced last week that Laftagareen was “no longer recognized” as the leader of South West State and that all decisions issued by his administration were “no longer valid.”
The move came days after the South West State administration said it was severing ties with Mogadishu, accusing it of arming militias and attempting to oust the regional leader. Tensions have been building in recent weeks after authorities in Baidoa rejected constitutional amendments approved at the federal level.
Federal troops moved into key parts of Baidoa on Monday as civilians fled and some aid agencies suspended operations over fears of wider unrest, according to locals cited by Reuters. The city is one of Somalia’s most sensitive political centers, serving as the seat of South West State and as a base for federal forces, peacekeepers and humanitarian operations.
Somalia’s federal information ministry said the army arrived in Baidoa “in response to the will of the people to fulfill their mandate” and to address political instability created by “the former administration.”
On Monday, Laftagareen announced on Facebook that he was resigning with immediate effect.
He first became president of South West State after a disputed 2018 regional election in which Mukhtar Robow, a former deputy leader of the militant group Al-Shabaab and a leading challenger, was arrested in Baidoa. The arrest triggered protests in which at least 11 people were killed.
Iran has restricted transit through the strategic strait in response to the US-Israeli regime change war
Restoring free shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, currently blockaded by Iran, is not among American military objectives, according to statements by US officials and media reports. Instead, Washington has indicated it expects other nations to tackle the issue.
Tehran throttled maritime traffic through the key waterway in retaliation for the US-Israeli attack aimed at toppling the Iranian government, launched over a month ago. Reduced flows of hydrocarbons and other essential commodities from the Persian Gulf have pushed global prices higher, raising the risk of significant economic disruption.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the idea that Iran would continue to take tolls from ships it allows through the strait, but said that securing free transit was not part of Washington’s war objectives. The US is focused on degrading Iranian military capabilities and is “well on our way or ahead of schedule,” Rubio claimed.
“When this operation is over, it will be open, and it will be open one way or another,” he added. Should Iran insist on its terms, “a coalition of nations from around the world and the region, with the participation of the United States, will make sure that it [the Strait of Hormuz] is open.”
The administration of President Donald Trump believes that attempts to secure the chokepoint “would push the conflict beyond his timeline of four to six weeks” and intends to “press allies in Europe and the Gulf to take the lead on reopening the strait,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
NATO’s war after all?
Previously non-involved nations have refused to deploy their militaries to help the US unblock the Strait of Hormuz. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said of Trump’s call for participation: “It is not our war; we did not start it.”
The US leader responded by threatening to call off US support of Ukraine, saying Kiev’s conflict with Russia “isn’t my war.” After taking office, Trump refused to donate weapons to Kiev, forcing European nations to pay for them, while continuing to share crucial intelligence with Ukrainian military commanders.
When asked about sentiments among European NATO members that the US is not reliable and could pull the plug on the military bloc, Rubio said being “an alliance means it has to be mutually beneficial” and not a one-way street.
US risks losing more than China in oil crisis
Rubio insisted that “very little of American energy comes through the Straits of Hormuz” and that Washington’s opposition to the Iranian claim is principled rather than pragmatic. If the precedent is set of a nation seizing an international trade route, “the Chinese could do it in the South China Sea” while the US could make claims of its own, he warned.
Washington’s assumption that, as an energy exporter, the US is largely insulated from the economic blowback of the Middle East crisis was challenged this week by Goldman Sachs. The Chinese economy “appears better positioned amid oil supply shock than its global peers,” strategist Kinger Lau wrote on Monday.
This is pretty ironic: Goldman Sachs estimates that the US economy will be *twice* more affected (negatively) than the Chinese economy by the oil supply shock.
"The Chinese economy appears better positioned amid the oil supply shock than its global peers [...] Due to the oil… pic.twitter.com/619wH1oiNM
Beijing has boosted the share of non-fossil energy sources in its mix from 26% a decade ago to 40% now, the analysis said. It also possesses large strategic reserves and diversified import routes, including from Russia, Australia, and Malaysia. US economic growth could be impacted twice as much as China’s, the note predicted.
Foreign Minister Lavrov and Deputy PM Manturov are planning to visit New Delhi as the countries increase energy cooperation
Moscow has announced several high-level engagements with New Delhi in the coming weeks as tensions in the Middle East continue to squeeze energy supplies.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov will visit India, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said following Russian‑Indian inter‑ministerial consultations in New Delhi on Tuesday.
While the dates for Manturov’s visit are not clear, Lavrov will be in the Indian capital on May 14-15, where he will participate in the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting.
Tehran has formally requested that New Delhi use its BRICS chair to call for a consensus on the US-Israel war on Iran. Iran and the UAE, both full members of BRICS, no longer have diplomatic relations.
Sergey Lavrov to Visit New Delhi for BRICS Meeting in May
The Russian Foreign Minister will be in the Indian capital on May 14-15 to participate in the meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers.
Lavrov's participation was confirmed by Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko… pic.twitter.com/Mv6QYC3grs
India has increased its purchases of Russian oil since US President Donald Trump temporarily waived sanctions on crude from Russia. “Our Indian friends really consider this period, which began on March 12, as an opportunity to replenish those reserves [of energy resources] that have been depleted,” Rudenko said, according to TASS. “We are talking about spot supplies, on ships that set sail before March 12. Oil is sold at the market price.”
India, which became one of the largest importers of Russian crude after March 2022, was purchasing the oil at heavily discounted rates until earlier this year. It bought almost 2 million barrels per day in 2024 and nearly $44 billion of crude from Moscow last year.
India scaled back purchases late last year under pressure from Washington, turning instead to Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Much of this Middle Eastern oil subsequently became trapped in the Persian Gulf after the US and Israel started their war against Iran, squeezing availability and pushing Brent crude prices to as high as $120 per barrel earlier this month.
New Delhi is now importing around 1.5 million barrels of Russian oil per day, a 50% increase from February.
India and Russia are also discussing the resumption of the direct sales of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the first time since the Ukraine conflict escalated.
American forces reportedly fired a missile that disperses small tungsten pellets at the city of Lamerd
The US struck a school and sports hall in the southern Iranian city of Lamerd with a ballistic missile previously untested in combat, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing its own analysis of footage and weapons experts.
The attack occurred during the first wave of US and Israeli strikes on February 28 – the same day an American missile destroyed a girls’ elementary school in the Iranian city of Minab, killing 175 people, most of them children. According to Iranian officials, at least 21 people were killed in Lamerd.
The NYT said the damage from the strike is consistent with the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which explodes above its targets, dispersing small tungsten pellets. The weapon completed its prototype phase only last year, according to the Pentagon.
As in Minab, the targeted school and sports hall in Lamerd were located directly next to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility, the NYT said. The newspaper added that archival satellite imagery shows the school and hall have been walled off from the IRGC site for at least 15 years and were listed as civilian facilities on popular online mapping services, including Google Maps.
The NYT said that, since the missile is new, it is more difficult to assess whether the PrSM strikes were “intentional” or stemmed from a design flaw or faulty intelligence.
More than 1,000 civilians have been killed by US and Israeli strikes in Iran, according to official data. Although US President Donald Trump has refused to admit responsibility for the attack on the school in Minab, the Pentagon has opened an investigation into the incident.
Living conditions in Syria have “fundamentally improved,” the German chancellor has said
The vast majority of Syrian migrants currently residing in Germany should return to their home country over the next three years, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said.
The influx of asylum seekers from war-torn Syria to the European Union peaked in 2014–2015, with Germany being one of the top destinations thanks to the welcoming policies of former Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nearly a million Syrians are now living in the country, according to estimates.
German authorities have since gradually tightened asylum laws following a string of terrorist attacks and pressure from the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is now the second-largest force in the Bundestag.
On Monday, Merz hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist forces toppled the country’s longtime leader Bashar Assad in December 2024. Speaking during a joint press conference, Merz argued that “conditions in Syria have now fundamentally improved” and that the protection of refugees “must therefore be reassessed.”
“We therefore need a reliable return option… especially and first and foremost for those who abuse our hospitality,” the chancellor said, adding that skilled Syrians would “bring valuable experience to the reconstruction of their homeland.”
When pressed by a journalist for details, Merz said that “over the next three years… around 80% of the Syrians currently residing in Germany should return to their home country.”
According to the BBC, al-Sharaa said his government was working with Germany on a “circular migration model” that would “enable Syrians to contribute to the reconstruction of their homeland without giving up the stability and lives they have built here, for those who wish to stay.”
Despite al-Sharaa’s pledge to promote an inclusive society, his rule has been marred by renewed sectarian violence, including massacres of Christians, Alawites, and Kurds.
The war in Syria began with anti-government protests in 2011 and evolved into a multi-sided conflict; the jihadist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), controlled large parts of eastern Syria from 2014 to 2017.
Al-Sharaa’s group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which ultimately gained control of Syria, originated as Jabhat al-Nusra in 2012, a local offshoot of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda. In 2016-2017, it publicly broke ties with Al-Qaeda and merged with several other smaller Islamist factions to form HTS.
Spain has denied its skies and bases to American military aircraft involved in the ‘illegal’ operation
Spain has closed its airspace to aircraft linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran, deepening a rift with Washington over the month-long conflict sweeping the Middle East.
On Monday, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that aircraft taking part in operations against Iran will not be allowed to operate in the country’s airspace, including US jets based in other NATO countries such as the UK or France.
Madrid had already barred the use of the jointly operated Rota and Moron de la Frontera bases in southern Spain for strike missions.
Robles told reporters that Spain would not “participate in or contribute to a war that was initiated unilaterally and against international law,” echoing Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who branded the US-Israeli campaign an “illegal, reckless and unjust war.”
Around 15 US KC-135 tanker aircraft have been relocated to bases in France and Germany, Spanish media reported. With Spain’s airspace off-limits, long-range B-52 and B-1 bombers operating from the UK’s Fairford airbase must now fly longer routes, reducing operational efficiency and forcing trade-offs between fuel and payload.
Madrid’s decision, first reported by El Pais, is the most significant public break with Washington by a major Western ally since the 2003 Iraq invasion, when Spain allowed US use of its territory despite domestic opposition, the newspaper wrote.
Spain has been among the most outspoken EU countries in opposing the Iran war, withdrawing its ambassador from Israel and downgrading diplomatic relations. Sanchez has repeatedly urged an end to hostilities, warning last week that it could have “much worse” consequences than the campaign in Iraq.
Spain’s defiance has drawn criticism from US President Donald Trump, who has threatened trade measures and recalled Madrid’s failure to meet NATO’s 5% defense spending target.
While closing its airspace and bases for missions against Iran, Spain says it remains committed to its broader NATO obligations and continues cooperation within the military alliance and the EU on other security issues. US military aircraft can still use Spain’s facilities under existing bilateral agreements for logistics and support for some 80,000 American troops based in Europe.
The vessel experienced a devastating “laundry fire” during the US-Israeli attack on Iran and is now expected to undergo lengthy repairs
The nuclear-powered USS Gerald R. Ford, the most advanced aircraft carrier in the United States Navy and the only vessel in its class, is presently anchored in Croatia’s port of Split for repairs and maintenance. Media reports have indicated the ship is there to stay, since repairs after a major “laundry fire” and prolonged deployment could take between 12 and 14 months.
Delivered years behind schedule in May 2017, the Ford was by far the most expensive American warship ever constructed, costing $13.2 billion. The latest prolonged deployment of the ship began on June 24 and included combat operations during the US raid on Venezuela to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro, as well as in the ongoing US-Israeli attack on Iran.
The supercarrier ended up hastily withdrawn from the Middle East theater in mid-March, having suffered a supposedly non-combat-related fire. The ship briefly moored at Crete for damage assessment before heading to Croatia for maintenance.
Laundry fire?
The deployment exceeded 260 days and ranks as one of the longest carrier patrols since the Vietnam War, ending on March 12 shortly after the ship transited the Suez Canal and entered the Red Sea. According to official statements from US Central Command, it was then that the vessel “experienced a fire that originated in the ship’s main laundry spaces.”
“The cause of the fire was not combat-related and is contained. There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational. Two sailors are currently receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition,” CENTCOM stated at the time.
The incident prompted a range of speculation, with the Iranian military claiming the carrier’s laundry room was deliberately set on fire by war-weary crewmembers.
Western media reports indicated the fire raged on board for some 30 hours before being extinguished – longer than the devastating 1967 USS Forrestal carrier fire, which burned for about 24 hours. If true, it raises questions about the state of supposedly sophisticated firefighting systems on the Ford, particularly given that the Forrestal fire was aggravated by explosions of munitions stored on the flight deck and burning fuel seeping into compartments.
More than 600 out of nearly 4,500 sailors, tech personnel, and pilots lost their bunks in the fire, ending up forced to sleep on tables and floors, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous crewmembers. Moreover, the crew has been unable to do laundry since the fire, which reportedly ended up being airlifted to other ships for washing.
Damage assessment
Upon arrival in Crete last weekend, the aircraft carrier appeared to show no superficial signs of damage, apart from looking heavily weathered from its prolonged deployment all over the globe.
The ship’s flight deck, however, appeared to be abnormally crowded with aircraft, potentially indicating issues with internal hangars and aircraft-lifting mechanisms.
A recent assessment from the Pentagon testing office indicated that the military was somewhat aware of deeper problems with the Ford class, but even nine years after the vessel was commissioned, it still had “insufficient data” to determine its “operational suitability.”
The report also raised concerns about the reliability of key systems, including the radar, jet aircraft launch and recovery systems, and its lifting mechanisms for aircraft and munitions, as well as the general ability of the vessel to continue operations in case of combat damage. The assessment also noted that the ship was short at least 159 bunks to properly accommodate the crew, with the issue potentially getting even more severe should more aircraft be added to the carrier’s air wing. The lack of sleeping space could negatively affect the morale of the crew on lengthy deployments, the testing office noted.
Plumbing woes
Prior to the Red Sea fire, the most notorious technical issue with the Ford was its faulty toilet system, with repeated fecal overflow reported on board the state-of-the-art carrier.
The vessel is known to have so-called “eco-toilets” installed that rely on a vacuum collection, holding, and transfer (VCHT) system, originating in the cruise ship industry. The technology turned out to be not exactly Navy-grade, being prone to clogging and requiring heavy maintenance.
Numerous photos and videos believed to be taken on board the ship and circulating online show toilets overflowing with fecal matter, murky waters spreading across compartments and unlucky sailors on latrine duty attempting to clean up the mess.
The issue with the toilets, said to affect some 600 units on the ship, has persisted for years. A 2020 report from the General Accountability Office indicated the faulty system required “onerous” extra daily maintenance to unclog narrow pipes while each “acid flush” of the system needed when it ended up clogged completely incurred an additional $400,000 in costs instead of being eco-friendly and cost-effective.
Broader implications for the US Navy?
Should the Ford stay out of commission for months, it is bound to put further strain on US strike groups, likely leading to longer deployments for older Nimitz-class carriers. The US Navy currently has 11 active-duty carriers, including the Ford, but it is rare for more than six to be deployed simultaneously.
The maiden vessel of the older series, the USS Nimitz, is presumably on its last deployment, since it is scheduled to be decommissioned next year and replaced by the Ford-class USS John F. Kennedy. Given the repeated delays and apparent issues with the Ford-class, however, the decommissioning could be postponed.
Another Nimitz-class ship, the USS John C. Stennis, is likely to spend most of the year in port. The carrier has been undergoing its mid-life Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) since 2021, a years-long process costing billions of dollars. The Stennis was originally scheduled to undergo its RCOH by August last year, but the deadline was missed and extended by 14 months.
The White House press secretary has claimed that public statements are “much different than what’s being communicated to us privately”
Talks between the United States and Iran “are continuing and going well,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has insisted, while Israel continues its strikes against Iran.
Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, has dismissed Trump’s claims that Tehran is negotiating with Washington, calling them “completely false.” In an interview on RT’s ‘Sanchez Effect’ on Monday, he said Iranian officials have repeatedly denied any talks and added that, as some Americans have sarcastically written, US President Donald Trump is “almost sitting in front of a mirror negotiating with himself.”
Leavitt, however, claimed that what’s being said publicly is “much different than what’s being communicated to us privately.”
Here are the latest developments:
The Israeli military has completed a wave of strikes across Iran’s capital, Tehran, targeting what it says is “infrastructure” of “the Iranian regime.”
Esmaeil Bagaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, has said there have been no negotiations with the United States since the start of the war.
While Washington says talks continue, the US is sending thousands of paratroopers to the region. Over the weekend, about 2,500 Marines arrived in the Middle East, according to reports. Trump is considering a military operation to seize the enriched uranium held at Iranian nuclear sites, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing sources.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
Kazem Jalali has stressed Tehran is a “rational player” that is “not looking for war”
Iran does not currently need negotiations but remains a “rational player” that is “not looking for war,” Tehran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, has said. Speaking on RT’s Sanchez Effect, Jalali said Iran has “never denied peace talks” but insisted there must be “proper conditions” before any dialogue can begin with the US.
The Iranian diplomat dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims that Tehran is negotiating with Washington, calling them “completely false.” He noted that Iranian officials have repeatedly denied any talks, adding that, as some Americans have sarcastically written, Trump is “almost sitting in front of a mirror negotiating with himself.”
Jalali argued that Washington is talking up negotiations to undermine Iran’s internal unity and “control energy prices,” while at the same time Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are “planning how to strike Iran.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted on Monday that talks between the US and Iran “are continuing and going well.” Speaking to reporters,Leavitt claimed that what’s being said publicly is “much different than what’s being communicated to us privately.”
Jalali outlined Tehran’s minimum conditions for talks as a “sustainable peace” to start negotiations, clear identification and punishment of the aggressor, and compensation for wartime damage, saying that some losses, such as the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “cannot be compensated.”
The ambassador also told RT that Israel had informed Russian President Vladimir Putin it did not intend to attack Iran but then “didn’t keep its word,” and accused Washington of striking Iran twice during previous negotiation rounds.
Intruders broke into the Magnani Rocca Foundation villa, taking works by Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse
Four masked thieves stole several valuable paintings from a museum in Italy earlier this month, local authorities have reported.
The haul includes ‘Fish’ by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, ‘Odalisque on the Terrace’ by Henri Matisse, and Paul Cezanne’s ‘Still Life with Cherries’, with the works estimated to be worth around $10 million, according to Italian media.
On Monday, Italian police said the intruders forced entry into the villa housing the Magnani Rocca Foundation near Parma on the night of March 22. Museum representatives told local outlets the heist lasted less than three minutes and appeared highly coordinated.
Investigators believe the group accessed the grounds through a rear gate before prying open the entrance door with a crowbar, fleeing shortly before officers arrived at the scene.
The brazen raid adds to a string of high-profile art thefts across Europe, highlighting the persistent vulnerabilities of museums.
Last October, the Louvre Museum in neighboring France fell victim to a daring jewel heist. Four masked men armed with a chainsaw broke into the iconic Paris museum, using a crane to reach the second floor. Two of them forced their way into the Apollo Gallery, where they smashed a display case and fled with jewelry pieces reportedly worth $100 million. The theft quickly earned it the moniker “the heist of the century” in local media.
French police arrested four suspects by late November, though the stolen jewelry has yet to be recovered.
Following the incident, Louvre director Laurence des Cars resigned, calling his decision an “act of responsibility.”
Speaking to France Inter on Monday, newly appointed Culture Minister Catherine Pegard said plans for a major renovation of the museum would be revised to place greater emphasis on security.
Many aspects of the US-Israeli aggression look like attempts to fulfil biblical prophecies
The current conflict between Iran and Israel isn’t a classic war driven by strict geopolitical interests. Certainly, the rivalry between the two countries is very well known and everybody focuses on the Strait of Hormuz and the dramatic economic consequences of its disruption. Of course, a lot of people rightly observed the timing: this sudden turn of events has been perfect to bury the Epstein scandal under Palestinian, Lebanese, and Iranian (and even Israeli) rubble. But aren’t these considerations purely temporary?
The conflict initiated by Israel (and into which it drew the US, as Joe Kent explained when he gave his resignation as director of US counterterrorism) can be seen as a completely irrational religious and eschatological adventure driven by Hebraic mythology. Let’s try to take a look at three of its main pillars.
Amalek
In the Book of Exodus, Amalek is the name of the founder of a nation of the same name, who attacks the Children of Israel after they leave Egypt. Apparently for no specific reason. Consequently, the Amalekites are considered as the staunchest and most persistent enemy of Israel and Jehovah gave a clear order.
Deuteronomy 25:17-19: “Don’t forget what Amalek did to you on the road after you left Egypt, how he attacked you when you were tired, barely able to put one foot in front of another, mercilessly cut off your stragglers, and had no regard for God. When God, your God, gives you rest from all the enemies that surround you in the inheritance-land God, your God, is giving you to possess, you are to wipe the name of Amalek from off the Earth. Don’t forget!”
Samuel 15:3: “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”
At this stage, it’s even beyond genocide. One could say that it’s just biblical mythology. But in October 2023 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoked the Amalek story when the IDF went into Gaza, and once again in March 2026 concerning Iran: “We read in this week’s Torah portion, ‘Remember what Amalek did to you.’ We remember – and we act.” Nothing could be clearer.
Esther
Then we have to move on to the Book of Esther.
The thing is, the Israelis did wipe out the Amalekites – except one. And his descendant, Haman, became grand vizier at the court of the Persian Empire (based in the Iranian plateau). Esther is a Jewish orphan adopted by her cousin Mordecai, who also holds a position at the court. She becomes the King’s new Queen. And here we go again, Haman (that is, Amalek) wants to get rid of the Jews. Exterminate all of them. For no other apparent reason than because Mordecai refused to bow down to him. Mordecai urges Esther to convince the King to foil Haman’s plot. The King gets mad at Haman, and eventually the course of events is reversed and the Jewish population is able to exterminate its enemies in the Persian Empire. That’s what Jewish people celebrate annually during the Purim holiday.
One can only think about the level of contemporary Iran infiltration by Israeli secret services. Otherwise, Israel wouldn’t have been able to act so effectively against Tehran.
Gog and Magog
Next, the Book of Ezekiel.
The Prophet Ezekiel had some visions. One of them is that ‘Gog and Magog’ will attack the rebuilt state of Israel but eventually will be destroyed by Jehovah. Consequently, we know the idea, a new temple will be built, the ‘Messiah’ will appear, and Israel will reign supreme. As to what are exactly ‘Gog and Magog’, the pilpul is literally endless. But according to the Book of Revelation, they are supposed to be a coalition of hostile pagan nations going against the Israelites.
Now, if we look at the current conflict, we have on one side Israel backed by Christian Zionists, and on the other side Iran, mainly backed, though quietly, by Russia and China. Russia is a multi-confessional state where Orthodox Christianity is the majority. In China, the primary belief system is Buddhism. Iran is an Islamic Republic, yes, but as it is one of the oldest cradles of civilization, it kept elements of its ancient religion, Zoroastrianism. For example, Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, is a Zoroastrian tradition, and the Strait of Hormuz is named after Hormoz, the Zoroastrian god of wisdom, light, and cosmic order.
We see here the biblical pattern: a coalition of countries with various beliefs in an existential fight against Israel. This is, of course, an extremely simplistic conception: a final battle between Gog and Magog (i.e. Iran, China, and Russia) and Biblical Israel (i.e. Zionist Israelis and Americans). However, the Chinese are highly pragmatic, and a lot of Russian Jews live in Israel, so Beijing and Moscow won’t act against Israel directly. But the Israelis and American Zionists seem to be convinced by this mythological interpretation. Just remember that Pete Hegseth, the incumbent American Secretary of War has been calling every step of the creation of the state of Israel a “miracle.” Or think about Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, who was saying in an interview with Tucker Carlson concerning Israelis and the Middle-East: “It would be fine if they took it all.”
Western mainstream media constantly call Iran a “theocracy” and Israel the “only democracy in the Middle-East.” But as current geopolitical events mirrored by biblical stories show, the US-Israel side is moved by a religious vision with three goals: the foundation of Greater Israel (from the Nile to the Euphrates), the reconstruction of the temple, and the coming of the Messiah. Because, even if a large chunk of the Torah (let alone the Talmud) looks more like a political project than like a religious textbook, Israel is indeed a theocracy in disguise. Therefore, even if Iran should prevail in the current conflict, the Israelis will keep looking at other nations not fully supporting them as Gog and Magog.
Russia has agreed to extend a contract on gas supplies to Serbia, according to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to extend a gas supply contract with Serbia amid the worsening global energy crisis due to the war in the Middle East, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced after his phone call with Putin on Monday.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has sent global gas and oil prices skyrocketing as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint, have dwindled.
Serbia, which has historically maintained close ties with Russia, has consistently resisted EU pressure to join sanctions or to cut energy ties with Moscow over the Ukraine conflict.
The conversation between Putin and Vucic focused mainly on the “strategic partnership” between the two nations, most notably with respect to energy supplies, the Kremlin confirmed. The Serbian president reportedly expressed gratitude for the continuation of “stable gas deliveries” from Russia.
After the call, Vucic told Serbian media that Putin had agreed to a three-month prolongation of a gas contract that was due to expire March 31. According to the Serbian president, Belgrade secured favorable terms, with prices far lower than in most of Europe.
According to the Kremlin, Putin and Vucic also exchanged views on the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, the Ukraine conflict, and security in Kosovo, as well as neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Russia’s IT Olympiad wins stem from strong math, free prep clubs, and team-focused training, says Central University educator
Russian school teams have topped recent global contests in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and one of the people behind the effort says the formula blends strong math, early training, and disciplined preparation. Ekaterina Protsko – a member of the councils of international Olympiads in AI and cybersecurity, and head of admissions and the Olympiad track at Russia’s Central University – outlined how the pipeline works.
Central University is a STEM-focused university that centers on IT, data science, business analytics and design. Under its coordination, Russia’s national teams won the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) in 2024 and 2025, and the International Cybersecurity Olympiad (ICO) in 2025.
Protsko credits a strong school-based mathematics culture and free extracurricular Olympiad clubs for building depth.
Training also mirrors international formats. Russian Olympiads are largely individual, while global contests include team rounds. Central University, she says, bakes collaboration into preparation and shields coaches from red tape so they can focus on talent development. The university runs dedicated coaching, administrative, and international support teams.
“To get into an international Olympiad, you have to know people in industry and in the international Olympiad community, be able to negotiate with them, and defend your rights – the rights of the team and the country. At the same time, you need to develop a selection system and make sure people hear about us,” she said.
Recognition now extends beyond medals. Protsko notes that national teams from CIS, BRICS, and European countries approach Central University experts for methodological support.
“We see this from Central University students at Olympiads: our undergraduates are in no way inferior and are sometimes even stronger than students from leading foreign universities. We invest a great deal in education because we want talented students to stay in Russia,” she said.
The university offers grants, access to research labs, flexible schedules, and Olympiad clubs in cybersecurity, AI, economics, and software development, with biotechnology and design clubs planned. Participation is open even to students without prior Olympiad experience. “We want the opportunity to compete at the student level not only for Olympiad winners and medalists, but also for those who, for various reasons, did not have the chance to take part in such school competitions,” Protsko noted.
There has been a 650% increase in the number of trained exorcists in the country, Father Chad Ripperger has said
The demand for exorcisms in the US has skyrocketed in recent years, leading to a significant increase in the number of priests trained to perform the ritual, a leading Catholic exorcist has revealed.
Speaking to the New York Post, Father Chad Ripperger of the Archdiocese of Denver stated that the Catholic Church currently has around 150 priests in the US who can perform exorcisms. In 2020, there were only about 20 priests trained in the practice, marking a whopping 650% increase in just a few years.
However, Ripperger argued that the phenomenon reflects a rise in human sinfulness and occult involvement rather than an increase in demonic activity.
“The demons are empowered as more and more people commit evil deeds,” the priest said, pointing to voluntary engagement in Satanism or witchcraft as a key factor making individuals susceptible to demonic influence. At the same time, he noted that only “about 10% of cases are as dramatic as portrayed in Hollywood.”
Reverend Dan Todd, a trained exorcist in New Jersey, also told the New York Post that while “the devil is out there,” about 99% of cases are due to mental illness, adding that psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder can often mimic demonic possession.
The surge in demands for exorcisms has become so pronounced that Pope Leo XIV convened a summit of the world’s most senior exorcists at the Vatican earlier this month. At the meeting, the International Association of Exorcists warned the pontiff of a global rise in “occultism, esotericism, and Satanism” and called for every diocese worldwide to have trained exorcists.
More than 300 exorcists gathered last year for the 15th International Conference of Exorcists, reflecting what participants describe as a coordinated and expanding international ministry.
The trend has not been limited to the US. In Russia, the occult services market has recently ballooned to an estimated $24 billion annually, with Russians spending as much on “sorcerers” and fortune-tellers as on groceries.
The Russian Orthodox Church has warned against performing or seeking such rituals, demanding that Satanism be legally prohibited as well as the advertisement of “occult magic services.” Last year, the Russian Supreme Court officially banned the ‘International Satanist Movement’ as an extremist organization.
The cost of petrol and diesel could rise from April 1, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said, ordering ministers to find ways to reduce the impact
South Africans will face higher petrol and diesel prices from April 1, President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned, citing ongoing conflicts and geopolitical tensions, as he directed ministers to take urgent measures to soften the impact on consumers.
Speaking at the closing of the Limpopo ANC’s 11th provincial conference on Sunday, Ramaphosa said the global economic and geopolitical environment is placing immense pressure on South Africa’s economy.
”The world economy is shifting beneath us. We are witnessing slower global growth and tighter economic conditions. There’s rising geopolitical tensions, protectionism, and a global contest for industrial advantage where nationalism has become the order of the day,” Ramaphosa said.
IOL previously reported that South Africa is facing record petrol and diesel price increases, with petrol set to rise by R5.31–R5.82 per litre and diesel by over R10.
Recent fuel taxes add another 21 cents per litre, pushing prices to around R25.50 for 95 Unleaded at the coast, R26.33 inland, and diesel up to R29.08 in Gauteng. The hikes are driven by surging international oil prices following the Middle East conflict and a weaker rand.
Ramaphosa noted that climate pressures are reshaping systems such as energy and infrastructure, citing recent floods in parts of the country as an example of immediate challenges South Africans face.
He emphasised the effect of international conflicts on domestic prices, pointing to the war in the Middle East and the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe as key drivers of rising energy and food costs.
”By 1st of April, we’re going to see prices of petrol and diesel going up, driven largely by the conflict that is going on,” he said.
He explained that these developments would increase the cost of living, creating hardships for ordinary South Africans and reducing fiscal space for government programs.
Ramaphosa added that “higher inflation is now going to be seen going up and we’re also going to see interest rates also falling in tandem,” warning that this would further increase the cost of living for South Africans.
He said he had directed government to take urgent action. Ramaphosa said, “As the ANC, we are saying we direct government to address this matter, to see how best we can address the challenges that South Africans are now going to face as the price of petrol and diesel go up.”
Ramaphosa acknowledged the pressure on his ministers, saying that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana had told him he was “having sleepless nights over what is happening.” He added, “I am not sleeping at all because of this challenge that our people are now facing.”
“I have instructed Minister Godongwana and his colleagues to address this matter and develop solutions,” Ramaphosa said.
He also highlighted South Africa’s stance on international issues, condemning what he called “the illegal war that is being waged by the United States and Israel” and reaffirming the country’s support for nations struggling for self-determination, including Palestine, Cuba, and Western Sahara.
The president praised the recent People’s March at Constitutional Hill as a demonstration of South Africans’ commitment to sovereignty, noting that Limpopo had sent up to 50 buses to participate.
”A clear signal by our people that as South Africa we will not be bullied, we will not be pushed around and we stand firm on our sovereignty because our sovereignty is sacrosanct,” he said.
Ramaphosa stressed the need to tackle long-standing economic and social challenges. He outlined priorities such as economic growth, job creation, reducing the cost of living, fighting crime and corruption, and strengthening state capacity.
He said government would focus on unlocking infrastructure investment in energy, logistics, water, and roads, while supporting industrialisation and small and medium enterprises in both townships and rural areas.
”This moment requires that we must build domestic industrial strength, we must improve our logistics so that we can export more goods that are made in South Africa and we must improve our energy security as well,” Ramaphosa said.
He highlighted the importance of trade and resilience, noting that these steps are essential to addressing the challenges facing South Africans.
Ramaphosa also emphasised the progress South Africa has made since the advent of democracy, highlighting constitutional mandates to redress past inequalities, expand access to basic services, empower women, protect workers’ rights, and advance black economic empowerment.
”The gains that we have had over the last 30 years are important because we have sought to improve the lives of our people,” he said.
The move restores dignity but lack of reparations commitments risks limiting real progress, Madaraka Nyerere has said
African nations should view the latest UN resolution on slavery as a platform for tangible change rather than symbolic recognition alone, Tanzanian politician Madaraka Nyerere has said.
Speaking to RT, the chairman of Culture and Development East Africa and son of Tanzania’s founding president, Julius Nyerere, said the UN recognition “restores dignity,” but warned that the lack of firm commitments to reparations “highlights the limits of global consensus.”
“This resolution matters because it finally recognizes slavery as a system, not just a historical tragedy whose effects still shape inequality today,” Nyerere stressed.
Addressing the stance of the UK – which abstained from the UN vote – Nyerere said acknowledging historical harm is only a “necessary first step” and warned that recognition without meaningful adjustment risks remaining symbolic.
He argued that the issue should not center on assigning blame but on determining a fair and practical response, including investments in education, technology, research partnerships, and economic opportunities that can correct longstanding imbalances.
Last week, the UN General Assembly adopted a Ghana-sponsored resolution recognizing the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity.” The measure secured support from 123 countries, including Russia and China, while the US, Israel, and Argentina voted against it, and 52 nations – among them the UK and EU members – abstained.
Nyerere’s remarks came after UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch criticized the outcome on X, saying Russia, China, and Iran had joined others in pushing for “trillions in reparations from UK taxpayers,” while the Labour government chose to abstain. She also posed a question over why Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s representative did not oppose the resolution, asking whether this reflected “ignorance… or cowardice,” and insisted that Britain should not “be paying for a crime we helped eradicate and still fight today.”
Echoing this broader debate, Southern Africa Times CEO Farai Ian Muvuti told RT that Western countries’ reluctance to support the resolution may stem from fears over legal precedent and economic implications, but warned that abstaining “loses the particular opportunity for dialogue” and undermines a collective effort to address structural inequalities that persist today.
Former PM K.P. Oli has been arrested for his alleged role in the deaths of ‘Gen Z’ protestors
Newly-elected Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah has launched an anti-corruption clampdown just days after being sworn in as the Himalayan country’s head of government.
On Monday, Nepal’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it has begun investigating the assets of four former prime ministers: K.P. Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Oli, along with former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, were arrested in pre-dawn raids on Saturday after a commission recommended that several officials be prosecuted for failing to stop security forces from opening fire on demonstrators during last year’s ‘Gen Z’ protests.
After the violent uprising left 77 dead and more than 2,000 injured, the nation’s parliament was dissolved.
On Sunday, Shan unveiled a 100-point reform plan that focuses on anti-corruption efforts and reforming the bureaucracy.
Kathmandu also said it would rehabilitate and provide job opportunities to people affected by last year’s protests.
Under the 100-day plan, the new government said it would ban politics in universities and reform the school and education system.
The new government has also said it will implement a digital ID project.
In January, Nepal’s former Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali told RT India that external deep state forces were instrumental in instigating the September 2025 violence in Nepal that led to the ouster of the Oli government.
”Those elements who were actively engaged with the deep state, who used the cross-border misinformation and disinformation to instigate the violence, they were active,” he said.
The Grayzone website has cited leaked documents that reveal that the US government’s National Endowment for Democracy (NED) had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars tutoring young Nepalese to stage the protests, in order to neutralize Chinese and Indian influence over Kathmandu.
EU countries have been hunting for alternative supplies because of the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, De Telegraaf has reported
Nigeria’s Dangote refinery is ready to expand fuel exports to Europe, including the Netherlands, amid the disruption in global oil markets linked to the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported on Monday.
The paper cited Anthony Chiejina, a spokesperson for the Dangote Group, as saying the refinery is in a position to supply countries beyond Africa after already exporting 450,000 tons of fuel to 12 African states facing shortages.
“We are ready for increased demand from Europe,” Chiejina said, adding that the refinery produces and supplies both gasoline and diesel in equal measure.
European Union (EU) countries have been hunting for fuel supplies less exposed to disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, with demand across the bloc topping 10 million barrels a day, De Telegraaf reported. Road traffic accounts for more than five million barrels a day, the paper said, while aviation and shipping consume nearly two million combined and industry and petrochemicals another 3.5 million. In the Netherlands alone, daily demand is close to half a million barrels, led by road traffic and industry, it added.
The Dangote refinery, located in Lagos, has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, making it Africa’s largest refinery. In 2024, it reportedly shipped jet fuel to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as EU buyers sought alternatives to Russian refined fuel supplies.
Sjaak Poppe, a spokesperson for the Port of Rotterdam Authority, described the scale of the plant as “impressive” but noted that it would not be enough to meet overall European demand.
“It is one and a half times the size of Shell Pernis. Their contribution provides relief, but is unfortunately small compared to the total demand from the Netherlands and Europe. Everyone is looking for fuels,” Poppe told the De Telegraaf.
Last week, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Algeria would increase gas and energy supplies to Spain, with markets unsettled by the war in Iran. Algeria is Spain’s main gas supplier through the Medgaz pipeline, which runs across the Mediterranean. Bloomberg data shows the pipeline has a nominal capacity of 32 million cubic meters a day, with flows averaging about 28 million in January and February.
The US-Israeli war on Iran risks a region-wide freshwater crisis if desalination infrastructure is compromised
Kuwait has accused Iran of carrying out a “heinous attack” on one of its combined power and desalination plants on Sunday. Like much of the Middle East, the nation depends heavily on industrial production to meet its freshwater needs.
What happened?
The purported Iranian strike killed one worker – an Indian national – and caused extensive damage to a service building, according to Fatima Abbas Jawhar Hayat, spokeswoman for Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy.
The authorities have not disclosed which facility was struck or whether electricity or water production has been disrupted. The spokeswoman said emergency teams are still assessing the damage and urged residents to ignore speculation.
NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System detected multiple heat signatures indicating fires at the Sabiya West thermal power plant in Kuwait.
Tehran has not responded to the accusations. However, Iranian media reported a fire at the Sabiya Power Plant detected by NASA satellites, mistakenly identifying it as the Doha West facility – another combined power and desalination plant located roughly 50 km away.
How crucial is the Sabiya facility?
Kuwait operates six government-owned thermal plants that produce both electricity and desalinated water.
The Sabiya plant, launched in 1998 and expanded multiple times, with the most recent upgrade announced last year, generates about 5,300 megawatts of electricity per hour and produces roughly 340,000 cubic meters of water daily, according to official data.
For comparison, the country’s largest single water producer, the Al-Zour South plant, has a capacity of about 670,000 cubic meters per day.
When did the Middle East become dependent on desalination?
Water scarcity is a defining challenge across the region, but Kuwait is particularly constrained. According to UN data, it has access to just 4 cubic meters of naturally renewable freshwater per person annually – compared to 296 cubic meters in relatively water-rich Oman.
Modern living standards require around 1,700 cubic meters per person each year, accounting for all needs from quenching thirst to growing food.
Desalination supplies a large share of drinking water – ranging from about 42% in the UAE to nearly 99% in Qatar. Industrial operations such as data centers and petrochemical facilities further drive demand.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries began heavily investing in desalination after the 1979 oil crisis created a significant surplus of wealth. While thermal desalination remains important, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) – which uses membranes to remove salt – has become the dominant technology.
Today, more than 3,400 desalination plants operate across the Gulf, producing over 22 million cubic meters of water daily – about one-third of global capacity, according to a study published in Nature Clean Water in January.
Have water facilities been targeted before?
The region’s reliance on desalination, combined with limited water storage – especially in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar – makes these systems highly sensitive to disruption. Major damage can quickly escalate into a humanitarian emergency.
The US-Israeli regime change war against Iran has already seen incidents affecting critical infrastructure. Debris from intercepted Iranian drones and missiles reportedly caused unintended damage at the UAE’s Fujairah F1 plant and Kuwait’s Doha West facility.
Iran has also accused the US of striking its desalination plant on Qeshm Island, saying the attack threatened water supplies for 30 villages. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called it a precedent and “a dangerous move with grave consequences.”
The following day, Bahrain reported that an Iranian drone hit one of its desalination sites, though water production was not affected.
The incidents coincided with a major emergency in Tehran after Israeli strikes hit oil storage sites. Residents in the Iranian capital reported breathing difficulties due to toxic smoke, while environmental groups also raised concerns about potential groundwater contamination.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to obliterate Iranian civilian infrastructure, including water plants, as he claims to be seeking a negotiated capitulation of Tehran.
What about earlier conflicts?
During the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi forces damaged Kuwaiti water facilities before being driven out by US-led forces. Offshore oil spills – believed to have been deliberate – also threatened filtration desalination intake systems, which are more vulnerable to pollutants than their thermal counterparts. Kuwait was forced to impose water rationing and import supplies.
In Yemen, Saudi-led military operations in the 2010s included strikes on desalination facilities. Meanwhile, Iran-aligned Houthi forces targeted Saudi plants with missile attacks in 2019 and 2022.
More recently, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the 2023 Hamas attack caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, including desalination systems.
Login
