Keir Starmer is too stubborn to resign, but too weak to govern The prime minister’s authority within his own cabinet is rapidly draining, yet there is no indication that he is about to leave office any time soon

Starmer symbolises Britain's timidity, regionally and globally.

What a perfect match!

www.thetimes.com/comment/the-...

‘Lawrence is karma’: the gangster who became an icon of Modi’s India The long read: Lawrence Bishnoi has been in high-security custody for more than a decade. During that time, he has been linked to multiple high-profile killings, both in India and as far afield as Can...

The #Modi|nation

Lawrence Bishnoi has been in high-security custody for more than a decade. During that time, he has been linked to multiple high-profile killings, both in #India and as far afield as #Canada. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Pilot’s selfie led to mid-air collision in F-15K fighter jet, says South Korea’s air force One pilot ordered to repay some of the $600,000 of damage caused by collision in 2021

How not to take high-speed selfies:

Two South Korean aviators to run courses

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Singapore Airlines is putting some of its executives and staff into key roles at Air India to help stem record losses and address safety lapses. bloom.bg/3Qo3xuZ

📷: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg

More than two dozen #Iraq|i banks, many with close ties to the #militias, were banned in 2023 and 2024 by the Treasury for siphoning off dollars from Iraq’s Fed accounts, using fraudulent wire transfers, acquired huge quantities of MasterCards and Visas loaded with funds in Iraq.

Iraq’s most potent militias, including the Badr Brigade, Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, have enormous influence within #Iraq’s govt and financial sectors. Baghdad's in the midst of choosing a new PM and the militias, as well as #Iran, are pressing for their candidates.

“The #Iraq|i government’s failure to prevent these attacks while some elements associated with the Iraqi government continue to actively provide political, financial and operational cover for the #militias adversely impacts the #US-Iraq relationship.” #Iran

The US has informed Baghdad that it was also suspending funding for some counterterrorism and armed forces training programs until the militia attacks stop and Iraqi officials take steps to dismantle the #Iran-run militias, the #US and #Iraq|i officials said.

Exclusive | U.S. Blocks Iraq’s Dollar Shipments to Squeeze Its Iran-Backed Militias The Trump administration also suspended security cooperation with Baghdad in an escalating pressure campaign.

#Iraq suffer if it stays #Shiite #alQaeda's HQ .

"A cargo-plane delivery of nearly $500m in #US banknotes, the proceeds from Iraqi oil sales from Federal Reserve Bank was blocked recently by the Treasury for concerns about the financing proxy militias.

www.wsj.com/world/middle...

He also played a role in 2018 in persuading Trump to pull out of it. Most of #Iran’s 440kg HEU, enough for around 10 nuclear devices, was enriched since then. If #Trump fails an indefinite suspension of enrichment and missile program, #Netanyahu will hate it almost as much.

The next act will be Trump’s efforts to find a way out of Epic Fury. It is hard to see how he will get a US-Iran settlement that is much better than what Obama negotiated in 2015. Netanyahu broke precedent by telling Congress that the Iran-US nuclear deal was “very bad”.

Anyone who implies that a prominent Jewish American's ties to both the US and Israel risks being accused of antisemitism by AIPAC and Neanyahu allies. Yet when a Jewish American figure such as Emanuel has a diverging take on US interests, they are branded as disloyal or worse.

Emanuel’s middle name is “#Israel” and he was briefly a civilian volunteer in the IDF only reinforces the shift. But #Netanyahu's made the bed that he may yet have to lie in. When Emanuel was Obama’s chief of staff in 2009, Netanyahu reportedly called him a “self-hating #Jew”.

As boomers die off, America’s anti-Israeli tilt is likely to harden. Fewer and fewer #America|ns think of #Israel as David standing up to the Arab world’s Goliath. More and more associate it with heavy-handed militarism.

www.ft.com/content/353e...

He Wrote a Book About Interviewing. Here’s His Interview. In an interview with Andrew Marantz, the novelist and poet Ben Lerner discusses how smartphones “charge the air around us,” what fiction can record that a transcript can’t, and why the book is also a handheld device.

In an interview with Andrew Marantz, the novelist and poet Ben Lerner discusses how smartphones “charge the air around us,” what fiction can record that a transcript can’t, and why the book is also a handheld device. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/bvN4bC

Which Iran is America dealing with? Rivalries in the Iranian leadership could stymie a truce

"Their arguments were so ferocious that #Pakistan|i mediators are reported to have spent as much time refereeing among the #Iran|ians as engaging the #America|ns. When tempers frayed, the hosts called a pause." www.economist.com/middle-east-...

Whenever #Iran's Shahed drones are mentioned, their cost is exaggerated by 300% besides ignoring its origin and history. For those interested
bsky.app/profile/nave...

How Cheap Drones Are Changing Wars Like the Ones in Ukraine and Iran The United States and its allies have historically prioritized accurate but expensive defense solutions. Drones challenge that math.

In just the first six days, the #US spent $11.3b on the war with #Iran. The White House and Pentagon have not provided updated estimates, but the AEI estimated in early April that the US had spent between $25 and $35b on the war. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

New article - China Is Years Ahead In Heavylift Cargo Drones
-> www.hisutton.com/Chinese-Carg...

The Dangerous Quest of Syria’s Desert Truffle Hunters East of Deir ez-Zor, impoverished communities risk landmines and the remnants of militia rule to harvest one of the region's most prized delicacies

"Pro-#Iran militias and the regime used ISIS fighters’ clothing. When #Assad fell, those outfits were found in several bases. Everything was orchestrated. The areas where attacks occurred were very close to sensitive regime sites." #Syria #Landmines newlinesmag.com/reportage/th...

One person familiar with the situation said the #US had seen indications that #China was considering providing Iran with the kind of shoulder-fired missiles that #Iran recently used to shoot down an F-15 jet. The CIA declined to comment on the situation, first reported by CNN.

Emposat, the Chinese company providing the ground infrastructure for the system, has been identified in a report by the House #China committee as having close ties to #PLA Aerospace Force, including personnel linked to key satellite launch command centres.

“#Iran has human intelligence assets around the region surveilling #US military bases. So if you are an Iranian military planner having a satellite like this available to combine with that, and also with #Russia|n satellite imagery, is a powerful tool.”

In September 2024, the #IRGC Aerospace Force — which oversees Iran’s ballistic missile, drone and space programmes — agreed to pay about Rmb250mn ($36.6mn) to acquire control over the satellite system, according to the documents seen by the @FT.

Earth Eye Co says on its website that it has carried out one “in-orbit” transfer to an unnamed country that was part of #China’s Belt and Road Initiative. As per the website the satellite was intended to be used for “agriculture, ocean monitoring, emergency management etc.

#IRGC Aerospace Force’s previously most advanced military satellite — the Noor-3 — was estimated, based on Iranian claims, to capture imagery at about 5 metres resolution, an improvement on the Noor-2 system’s 12-15 metre imagery but still less precise than the Chinese-built sat.

TEE-01B is capable of capturing imagery at roughly half-metre resolution, comparable to high-resolution commercially available western satellite imagery. It represents a significant upgrade on #Iran’s domestic capabilities, allowing to identify aircraft, vehicles etc.

Time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery and orbital analysis show that #Iran|ian military commanders later tasked the satellite to monitor key #US military sites. The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations.

Iran used Chinese spy satellite to target US bases Leaked documents show IRGC secretly acquired system and used it to guide strikes during war in March

Leaked #Iran|ian military documents show the satellite, known as TEE-01B, was acquired by the #IRGC’ Aerospace Force in late 2024 after it was launched into space from #China. www.ft.com/content/1fdd...

If the #US begins taking control of tankers, it may need a captain and crew to drive the vessels if the current crew doesn’t comply. The US would also need a place to park the tankers, former officials said. #Iran