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Massive explosion hits Israeli arms facility in Beit Shemesh

Press TV – May 17, 2026

A powerful blast shook the Beit Shemesh area west of occupied al-Quds on Saturday night, with Israeli media confirming loud explosions that sent tremors across the occupied territories and triggered panic among settlers.

The Israeli regime’s Tomer company, a key player in developing rocket and missile systems for the Israeli occupation forces, rushed to issue a statement claiming the detonation was nothing more than a “preplanned test” carried out “according to plan.”

The statement, relayed by Kan news, attempted to downplay the incident at one of the regime’s sensitive military sites.

Yet dramatic videos rapidly spreading across social media tell a different story. Footage shows a massive explosion producing a towering mushroom cloud that billowed high into the sky, visible from a considerable distance and resembling the aftermath of a major mishap at a weapons development facility.

The scale of the blast has raised serious questions about the true conditions inside Israel’s military-industrial complex, which has come under increasing strain as the Zionist entity continues its aggressive campaigns across the region.

Such facilities, responsible for producing propulsion systems for missiles and interceptors, operate under heavy secrecy precisely because of recurring safety concerns and the constant pressure from the Axis of Resistance.

The Israeli regime’s military and police maintained silence for some time before the carefully worded statement from Tomer was released.

George Washington, Father of the Country, Killed by Doctors

By Jeffrey A Tucker | Brownstone Institute | May 16, 2026

The grim circumstances behind the death of George Washington (1732-1799), America’s first president and popularly known as the Father of the Country, are not wholly unknown. The details have been reported by historians for more than two centuries.

What’s strange about this dry biographical knowledge is that it is not reported with shock and alarm and hence never conveyed to popular culture with lessons for our lives. This is because Washington’s physicians were following standard protocols when they bled him to death.

The facts: Washington came down with a throat infection. Three doctors, all convinced of the settled wisdom of the healing arts deployed since the Middle Ages, participated in draining blood from his body, to the point that they took 5 pints or fully half his blood, while giving him an enema on top of it all.

They literally drained the life out of him, not from malice but simply by following the established protocols as recommended by the best physicians at the time.

To invoke a popular phrase, where is the outrage? Nineteenth-century biographies reported the details but celebrated Washington for his bravery in enduring the treatment, then called phlebotomy, which was considered the best science. […]

What’s happening in medicine right now is a massive rethinking of many conventional practices coming out of the allopathic monopoly that is a century old. In pursuit of keeping an orthodoxy in place, how many healthy practices have been left behind from other traditions such as Chinese medicine, homeopathy, chiropathy, or naturopathy, all of which are discouraged by conventional insurance and disparaged by pharma-funded media? How many practices today called the Standard of Care will in a generation or two be regarded as obviously horrible as the practice of bleeding?

George Washington’s terrible fate ought to have sounded a national alarm to ring through our long history. The lesson should be never to replace epistemic humility in medicine with institutionalized dogma. That lesson did not stick because then and now, the prevailing medical wisdom gets a pass even when it kills people. Even the Father of the Country. – Read full article

EBM: Evidence-Biased Medicine

An Essay on the Machinery That Decides What Counts as Knowing

Lies are Unbekoming | May 16, 2026

The 1992 Inversion

In November 1992, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a paper titled “Evidence-Based Medicine: A New Approach to Teaching the Practice of Medicine.”¹ The authors, the Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group at McMaster University, led by Gordon Guyatt, announced a paradigm shift. The first paragraph named what was being replaced: “intuition, unsystematic clinical experience, and pathophysiologic rationale.”¹ The replacement was a hierarchy in which the randomised controlled trial sat at the top and clinical observation sat near the bottom.

The paper was not modest. It described its proposal in Kuhnian terms and predicted that the old approach — the physician’s accumulated judgement, the recognition of patterns across thousands of patients, the reasoning from mechanism and first principles — would be superseded.¹ Within a decade, the framework had been adopted across major medical journals, accreditation bodies, and clinical guideline organisations. In a 2007 BMJ poll of more than 11,000 readers asked to name the most important medical milestones since 1840, the sanitary revolution placed first, antibiotics second, anaesthesia third; evidence-based medicine appeared on the shortlist of fifteen.²

What was elevated to the top of the hierarchy was the one form of evidence pharmaceutical companies could afford to manufacture at scale. What was demoted to the bottom was everything they could not control. This was not the discovery of how medicine should be practised. It was the redefinition of what counted as knowing. The framework called itself evidence-based. What it actually was, was evidence-biased — a hierarchy in which what counted as evidence was determined, first, by who could afford to produce it.

The essay examines what that redefinition did, who it served, and the cost in lives. … continue

US tech firm Cisco has deep ties with Israeli military, leaked documents show

Press TV – May 16, 2026

Leaked documents have revealed the US tech firm Cisco Systems’ deep relationship with the Israeli regime in its continuous wars in West Asia, which the United States backs.

The papers leaked by Drop Site News on Friday reveal that Cisco has a deep illegal relationship with the Israeli regime and supported Tel Aviv forces in their atrocities against the people of Palestine, and beyond.

The Silicon Valley-based company, which produces hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, and other high-technology services used in networking, cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, provided support and infrastructure to Israel in its genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and also ran unlawful operations in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. … continue

Palestinian families forced to demolish homes for Israeli theme park

Al Mayadeen | May 16, 2026

Residents of the al-Bustan neighbourhood in Silwan, located in occupied al-Quds just below the walls of the Old City, are being forced to demolish their own homes to make way for “Israel’s” expansionist project in the area, The Guardian reports.

Palestinians have been forced to demolish their own homes for decades as a form of “collective punishment” in an effort for the Israeli entity to continue its settlement expansion.

The coercive mechanism that “Israel” is employing in Silwan is not only meant to dehumanise the families, but is laced with financial threats as well.  The Guardian reports that residents are being told that if municipal workers demolish the homes, the cost would reach approximately 280,000 shekels.

One resident, Jalal al-Tawil, described to The Guardian the feeling of watching a hired tractor dismantle the home built by his father, which itself stood on the foundations of his grandparents’ house. “This is something really hard. This is something bitter,” he said, noting that it meant erasing multiple generations of family history in a single act.

He also left the remains of a 35-year-old grapevine until the end, recalling that it once produced fruit for the entire neighbourhood. The vine, like the house, was ultimately destroyed as part of the demolition. … continue

IOF kill two, including child, in West Bank as settler violence rises

Al Mayadeen | May 16, 2026

Israeli aggression increased across the occupied West Bank on Saturday following a series of attacks carried out by Israeli settlers targeting mosques, homes, and worshippers in al-Quds, Ramallah, and Nablus, alongside the killing of two Palestinians by occupation forces.

The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that Nour al-Din Fayyad, 34, was martyred after being shot by occupation forces in Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. Separately, 15-year-old Fahd Zidan Owais was martyred in the town of al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, after being shot by Israeli soldiers, who subsequently withheld his body.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, occupation forces prevented ambulance crews from reaching the site where the child was shot and physically assaulted medical teams attempting to assist and treat him.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that settlers stormed several Palestinian villages near Nablus, torching vehicles and attacking homes after forcing entry, causing widespread panic among residents.

Israeli settlers assault worshippers, set mosque on fire

In occupied al-Quds, Israeli settlers assaulted residents and worshippers in the al-Wad neighborhood adjacent to al-Aqsa Mosque ahead of Friday prayers. Israeli occupation forces later detained nine Palestinians following the assault and transferred them to the al-Qishla interrogation center.

Settlers also reportedly attacked elderly residents and worshippers at multiple locations throughout the Old City. … Full article

Israeli Colonizer Shoots a Palestinian Near Hebron

IMEMC | May 16, 2026

Illegal Israeli colonizers shot a Palestinian young man on Friday night in the town of Ath-Thaheriya, southwest of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank. Israeli forces invaded the Dheihesh refugee camp, Beit Fajjar and Nahalin, in the Bethlehem governorate.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that its ambulance crews transported a citizen to the hospital after a settler shot him in the thigh with live ammunition in Ath-Thaheriya town.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces stormed the town of Nahalin, west of Bethlehem, on Friday night, and detained a number of Palestinian citizens.

Media sources reported that occupation soldiers detained citizens and stormed into several homes and commercial shops in the center of the town.

South of Bethlehem, the army stormed the Dheisheh refugee camp and deployed infantry units on the main Jerusalem-Hebron Road and the bridge area. … Full article

Al-Qassam leader Ezzeddin al-Haddad martyred in Israeli attack on Gaza

Al Mayadeen | May 16, 2026

The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced the martyrdom of its Chief of Staff, Ezzeddin al-Haddad “Abu Suhaib,” stating that he was killed alongside his wife, daughter, and several Palestinians in an Israeli assassination in central Gaza City.

In its statement, al-Qassam slammed the killing of its senior commander as a “cowardly assassination” carried out by the enemy in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, adding that targeting him would only reinforce the Resistance’s determination to continue its path of struggle.

Al-Qassam stated that his martyrdom would further strengthen the resolve of the steadfast Palestinian people to continue confronting the occupation, reaffirming their commitment to the path of resistance despite continued assassinations and ongoing Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip.

Sources within the Palestinian Resistance had confirmed to Al Mayadeen that al-Haddad was martyred in an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip earlier today.

The Israeli occupation forces had carried out a massacre in the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, killing eight Palestinians and wounding over 40 others by targeting a residential building. Local sources reported that the attack struck a populated residential area, causing significant destruction and casualties among civilians. … continue

While Zionists Deny Raping Palestinians In English, They Argue For The ‘Right To Rape’ In Hebrew

The Dissident | May 15, 2026

Over the course of the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, pro-Israel Zionists had two different narratives, one said in English and the other said in Hebrew.

The narrative said in English was that Israel was not killing Palestinian civilians, and that they were being used as “human shields”.

In Hebrew however, Israeli Zionists, including top level political and military officials openly boasted about killing Palestinian civilians, repeatedly saying that there are “no innocents” in Gaza, and referring to the Palestinians as the Amalek , a reference to the Hebrew bible verse calling to “attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey”.

No case better underscores this than the case of Israel’s mass rape of Palestinian detainees.

In English, Zionists and the Israeli government are attempting to deny the recent New York Times article reporting on Israel’s mass rape of Palestinian detainees in torture dungeons, labeling the report as a “blood libel”.

In Hebrew-language media and parliament, however, the use of mass rape against Palestinian detainees is widely acknowledged, and even debated as a legitimate tactic. … Full article

‘Israel’ welcomes ‘truce’ with killings of Lebanese medics, civilians

Al Mayadeen | May 16, 2026

“Israel” has continued its widespread aggression on Lebanon, targeting both medical teams and residential areas, committing a harrowing massacre in Harouf, South Lebanon.

The Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health issued a statement confirming that an Israeli airstrike on the Islamic Health Authority–Civil Defense center in Harouf, Nabatieh district, resulted in the killing of six Lebanese citizens, including three paramedics, and the injury of 22 others. The strike targeted a medical emergency facility.

The Ministry further stated that an Israeli aggression on the primary healthcare center in Tyre struck a medical facility and resulted in 17 injuries, including paramedics. It described the attack as a violation of the Geneva Conventions, which ensure the protection of medical personnel, units, and hospitals.

It condemned the ongoing series of Israeli attacks, stressing that it continues to raise its voice and will not remain silent in the face of such brutal attacks.

Israeli warplanes carried out a series of heavy airstrikes across multiple districts in southern Lebanon. A strike on a building in the city of Tyre injured several civilians and paramedics due to falling debris and rubble caused by the bombardment.

The attacks also targeted the towns of al-Marwaniyeh in the Saida district, Arab Salim and Kfar Tibnit, targeted twice in the Nabatieh district, as well as al-Khraibeh, Bayt Yahoun, al-Bazourieh, and Ayta al-Jabal. In the Bint Jbeil district, the National News Agency reported that two Lebanese people were killed in an airstrike on the town of Tebnine.

As the aggression intensified across the Tyre district, Salman Ideibi, chairman of Hiram Hospital, confirmed earlier today that two nurses were wounded after an Israeli strike targeted the Popular Relief Center adjacent to the hospital.

Ideibi said the hospital’s emergency department received seven injured people suffering from varying wounds, while the force of the explosion shattered windows throughout the hospital and damaged sections of its ceilings, underscoring the scale of the blast and the growing pressure on Lebanon’s strained medical sector. … Full article

Israeli forces raid villages in Syria’s Quneitra, ransack houses

Press TV – May 16, 2026

Israeli occupation forces have carried out new ground incursions into the countryside of Syria’s southwestern province of Quneitra, amid heightened military activity near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Local sources reported that Israeli forces, on board four military vehicles, stormed the village of Saida al-Hanout on Saturday, broke into a number of houses, and violently ransacked them.

There were no immediate reports of injuries and abductions in the area.

Separately, three Israeli battle tanks were deployed on the outskirts of the Tel al-Dari’yat region near al-Ma’alaqah village. They retreated from the district after a couple of hours.

The developments came a few days after Israeli artillery units shelled the Yarmouk Basin area in the western Syrian province of Dara’a.

The shelling was accompanied by Israeli military overflights in the region.

The Israeli army also targeted the suburbs of the towns of Saisoun, Jamla and Aabdyn with barrages of artillery rounds. No reports of casualties were quickly available.

According to local human rights activists, Israeli occupation forces executed 254 incursions into several areas inside Syria during March, recording the second month after February with the highest number of ground offensives.

The incursions have taken place without any response, amid a suspicious silence from the Syrian regime regarding these violations. … Full article

IAEA Secretariat Ignores Daily Ukrainian Attacks on Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant – Rosatom Chief

Sputnik – 16.05.2026

MOSCOW – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Secretariat is effectively ignoring daily Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and the killing of Russian citizens by Ukrainian forces, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said on Saturday.

“The IAEA Secretariat is effectively ignoring daily Ukrainian attacks on the ZNPP, civilian infrastructure, and the killing of Russian citizens by Ukrainian forces, limiting itself solely to public statements about the threat of drones flying at a distance from Ukrainian nuclear power plants,” he said.

He added that the topic of escalation in the ZNPP area will be key during upcoming consultations with IAEA leadership, tentatively scheduled for mid-July.

“Regarding the issue of ensuring reliable power supply to the power units, let me remind you that for more than two months now, the plant has been supplied via only one power line instead of two. During this time, we have repeatedly faced situations of complete blackout of the ZNPP and the launch of reserve, or in other words, emergency, diesel generators,” the Rosatom CEO said. … continue

AOC Can’t Be Trusted on Foreign Policy

The rising progressive darling is a wolf in sheep’s clothing

José Niño Unfiltered | May 16, 2026

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) refuses to work with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on opposing funding for Israel but she had no problem joining Republican superhawks to take punitive action against China. That contradiction showcases the fake nature of AOC’s progressive dissent. […]

AOC will build coalitions with neoconservative hawks to pressure a geopolitical rival, but refuses tactical alliances with Republicans who might actually reduce military aid to Israel. This selectivity is not incidental, as it reflects a decade-long record in which AOC’s most consequential foreign policy votes have aligned with the foreign policy uniparty rather than the anti-war Left she claims to represent. … Full article

Trump’s Failed Mission to China

By Larry C. Johnson | SONAR21 | May 15, 2026

The Beijing circus is over and Donald Trump’s talks with Xi Jinping produced nothing more than some pleasing photo ops and some performative diplomacy with no substantive accomplishments.

There was no final communique at the end of Trump’s two days of meetings with Xi Jinping. Instead, we are left to rely on the statements from each government. When you parse the two statements, the two readouts diverge significantly, and the gaps are as informative as the overlaps. When you compare what each side claims was discussed you can see what actually transpired at the summit.

The divergence between the two readouts is stark and strategically deliberate. Here is a precise accounting of what the White House emphasized that China’s Foreign Ministry either omitted entirely or mentioned only in the vaguest terms… continue

Iranian military official warns ‘safe’ US targets now within range

Al Mayadeen | May 16, 2026

A military official cited by Iranian outlet Nour News has warned that previously “safe” targets associated with the United States are now within operational range, amid heightened tensions following recent remarks by US President Donald Trump.

The statement followed comments made by Trump to reporters on Air Force 1 after his visit to China, where he suggested that the US “wiped out their armed forces, essentially.”

The US president added that Washington “may have to do a little cleanup work” in Iran, which the official described as part of escalating threats against the country.

According to the official, Iran’s armed forces have notified all operational units of a “comprehensive immediate response plan” designed to deliver a rapid and forceful reaction to any US military action. The official told Nour News that any “miscalculation or hostile action” would be met with “heavy and simultaneous fire” targeting a broad range of US interests and infrastructure in the region.

The report also stated that targets previously excluded from engagement considerations during earlier conflict periods have now been placed under operational review. … continue

US’s war of choice on Iran imposed avoidable costs on Americans: FM

Press TV – May 16, 2026

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the US’s unprovoked aggression towards Iran has burdened ordinary Americans with avoidable economic costs.

“Americans are told that they must absorb rocketing costs of war of choice on Iran,” the top diplomat wrote in a post on X on Saturday.

“Put aside gas price hike and stock market bubble. Real pain begins when US debt and mortgage rates start to jump. Auto loan delinquencies are already at 30+-year high,” he added. “This was all avoidable.” … continue


Full transcript of Iranian FM Araghchi’s press conference at the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi, May 15, 2026:  Iran is ready for full-scale war

US Funded Network of High-Security Biolabs in Ukraine

Sputnik – 16.05.2026

The United States helped design and equip at least 13 high-security biological laboratories across Ukraine, establishing a specialized network to handle dangerous pathogens, according to a Sputnik analysis of public records released by the US Embassy in Kiev.

The network cost more than $24.8 million to establish as part of a broader $200 million investment supporting 46 biological sites since 2005. … continue

Intelligence Agency Investigating CIA Whistleblower Allegations, Official Confirms

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D. | The Defender | May 15, 2026

An official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) today told The Defender that the Intelligence Community Inspector General is aware of allegations by a CIA whistleblower that the agency obstructed a task force investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and is investigating them, along with ODNI and other agencies.

In written testimony provided to the U.S. Senate this week, James E. Erdman III told a Senate committee that the CIA obstructed the work of the CIA’s Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG), an agency task force investigating the origins of COVID-19, and retaliated against those in the group who believed the virus may have leaked from a lab.

Erdman worked for the DIG between March 2025 and April 2026. The group, created by Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, was ordered to start winding down in January and has since been dissolved.

Soon after the group started to wind down, “the CIA retaliated” against members who supported the lab-leak hypothesis, Erdman wrote.

Erdman, one of the earliest members of the DIG, said he was hired due to his “many years of experience at the CIA and my knowledge on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

But during his year with DIG, “the CIA obstructed lawful oversight related to the DIG’s work and retaliated against the DIG with what I believe were illegal investigations into DIG members.” … continue

Ofcom and the Fantasy of Global Speech Control

By Al Loxley | Reclaim The Net | May 15, 2026

Ofcom appears to believe that a website is a kind of television channel. This would explain a lot about what happened on Wednesday, when Britain’s speech regulator fined an American mental health and suicide discussion forum £950,000 ($1.3 million) for hosting speech that is legal in America, on servers in America, operated by Americans.

The site had already blocked British visitors from accessing it, voluntarily, as a gesture of goodwill, despite having no legal obligation to do so and despite Ofcom having no jurisdiction to demand it. Ofcom fined it anyway. The fine is unenforceable.

The site owes Ofcom nothing under American law. And even if the site had never blocked a single British visitor, Ofcom’s case would still make no sense, because a British regulator cannot fine an American citizen for legal American speech on an American server any more than the French postal service can fine you for what you write in your own diary.

Ofcom is the Office of Communications, the British government’s speech regulator. Americans don’t really have an equivalent because most Americans would never stand for one. The closest thing is the FCC, except imagine the FCC could also decide what you’re allowed to say on the internet and fine you if it disapproves. … continue

Mainstream US media complicit in selling Gaza genocide, sweeping new analysis finds

MEMO | May 15, 2026

US media is systematically biased in favour of Israel, an analysis by The Intercept has uncovered. Investigation of more than 12,000 articles and 5,000 TV segments found mainstream US coverage was “one-sided, racist and dehumanising”, helping Israel justify its genocide in Gaza.

The investigation, published this week and drawn from research for a forthcoming book, examined more than 12,000 articles from the New York Times, the Washington PostCNN.comPoliticoAxiosUSA Today and The Associated Press, alongside 5,000 television segments aired on CNN and MSNBC.

The focus is on centre-left outlets influential with the Biden administration during the first year of Israel’s assault on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The analysis identifies seven recurring patterns that, taken together, document the US media’s role in selling Israel’s narrative to the American public as the death toll in Gaza mounted into the tens of thousands. … continue

AIPAC Favorite Ed Gallrein Wants to Bring Back the Draft

By Kurt Nimmo | Another Day in the Empire | May 15, 2026

Ed Gallrein is running against Thomas Massie in Kentucky. Trump hates Massie because he opposes the Iran boondoggle war. Massie has also demanded the release of the Epstein files. Ed has received a whopping $11,824,741 from the Israel lobby. That’s on the high end of donations, so you get an idea how important it is to defeat Massie and gain another voice for Israel in Congress.

There is one issue at the top of Gallrein’s list. Ed mentioned it during an interview with USA Cares, a veterans organization in Kentucky. The reimplementation of a military draft. Ed says we need it for “national security.” Considering the hefty sum donated by the lobby, it is natural to conclude much of that “national security” concerns Israel. … continue

Israeli Forces Kill a Palestinian Child Near Nablus

IMEMC | May 15, 2026

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child, on Thursday night, for allegedly throwing stones near the village of Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.

Media sources reported that one Palestinian was killed and another was injured after occupation forces shot them with live ammunition near Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya.

The slain citizen was identified as 16-year-old Fadi Zidan Oweiss, according to the Quds Press and Palestine TV news outlets. … Full article

Israeli settlers torch mosque and vehicles, scrawl racist slogans in Jibiya village

Palestinian Information Center – May 15, 2026

RAMALLAH – Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and several vehicles, and sprayed racist slogans on walls in the village of Jibiya, north of Ramallah, at dawn Friday in a new attack targeting Palestinian property in the West Bank.

Local residents reported that settlers infiltrated the outskirts of the village during the night, igniting the mosque and multiple cars, which were burned and sustained extensive damage. They also wrote inciting, hostile slogans on walls and property. … Full article

Israeli minister announces illegal settlement plans in Lebanon, displacements in Gaza, West Bank

MEMO | May 15, 2026

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Thursday that the government plans to establish illegal settlements in Lebanon and displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

The remarks came during Ben-Gvir’s participation in an event in Jerusalem marking the anniversary of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem according to the Hebrew calendar, Israel’s Channel 7 reported.

“We have more plans to encourage migration from Gaza, encourage migration from Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), and settlement in Lebanon, and we will not fear eliminating everyone who rises up to kill us,” Ben-Gvir said.

Israel continues daily violations of the ceasefire in Gaza, in effect since October 2025, where at least 857 people have been killed and 2,486 others injured. Israel also keeps breaching a truce in Lebanon, which runs through May 17, killing 2,896 and injuring 8,824 others since March 2.

Ben-Gvir also boasted about the harsh restrictions he imposed on Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons after referring to legislation he promoted in March allowing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners. … Full article

US Overseas Biolabs Probe Aims to Rein in ‘Deep State’ Bureaucracy

By Ekaterina Blinova – Sputnik – 15.05.2026

The announced investigation into secret US overseas biolabs by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) could end up being more of an internal compliance review than a sweeping exposé, experts told Sputnik.

“This is less about legal prosecution and more about the administration asserting control over the ‘Deep State’ bureaucracy  and signaling a broader rapprochement with Moscow by validating some of their long-standing security grievances,” says London-based foreign policy analyst Adriel Kasonta.

When it comes to accountability, the development, spearheaded by DNI Tulsi Gabbard, “suggests a move toward ‘America First’ oversight rather than an admission of criminal activity by previous officials,” the pundit believes.

“If the ODNI review reveals that US agencies lacked sufficient oversight, failed to properly manage the security risks of funding pathogen research abroad, or lacked transparency, ‘accountability’ will likely take the form of domestic policy adjustments, congressional hearings, and stricter funding guidelines,” says Marco Marsili, associate researcher at the Center for International Studies (CEI-Iscte).

Earlier this week, Tulsi Gabbard announced an investigation into more than 120 US biolabs operating across 30-plus countries, including 40 in Ukraine, with a focus on potential “gain-of-function” research.

The probe came on the heels of the indictment of a former advisor to top US health official Anthony Fauci, accused of unlawfully concealing federal records tied to the origins of COVID-19.

Ukrainian arms firm linked to graft probe says NATO member froze factory project

RT | May 15, 2026

The Danish government has suspended plans for a solid rocket propellant facility intended to supply Fire Point, a Ukrainian defense company facing allegations of involvement in high-level corruption, according to one of the firm’s executives.

Originally operating as a film scouting agency, Fire Point emerged as a major player in Ukraine’s defense sector last year, receiving strong public backing from Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and reportedly securing contracts worth up to $1 billion.

The Danish government had used national security provisions to bypass potential legal objections surrounding the construction of a facility in Vojens, southern Jutland, where fuel for Fire Point’s missile systems was expected to be manufactured. However, the project announced last September was quietly halted earlier this month, Fire Point chief designer and co-owner Denis Shtilerman told the Financial Times on Thursday.

Leaked surveillance recordings published by Ukrainian media since April indicated that businessman Timur Mindich – who is wanted in Ukraine over an alleged $100 million corruption scheme in the energy sector – effectively controlled Fire Point during 2025. The recordings also suggested he enjoyed preferential treatment from then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who now serves as secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. … Full article

Ukrainian drones kill four in attack on apartments in Russia – governor

RT | May 15, 2026

Ukrainian drones have killed four people, including a child, in the Russian city of Ryazan after striking high-rise residential buildings, regional Governor Pavel Malkov said on Friday.

Ryazan, the capital of the eponymous region located 210 km (130 miles) southeast of Moscow, was targeted overnight, with the UAVs damaging two apartment complexes.

Malkov said a total of 99 kamikaze aircraft were involved in the raid on the region. Multiple people were injured, including seven whose wounds are serious enough to demand treatment in hospital. The governor’s initial preliminary account reported three fatalities and a dozen other casualties. … Full article

China’s position on Iran, Hormuz remains unchanged

Al Mayadeen | May 15, 2026

China moved on Friday to publicly reaffirm its longstanding position on Iran after speculation and conflicting reports circulated regarding Beijing’s stance during recent regional tensions, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry publishing a full statement outlining its official position.

Asian diplomatic sources told Al Mayadeen that Washington is expected to continue promoting claims that it succeeded in persuading Beijing to pressure Iran, particularly following recent US-China discussions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian nuclear file.

The sources said that the growing American rhetoric regarding “the Iranian nuclear issue” or claims of an agreement with Beijing on keeping the Strait of Hormuz open “without fees” are merely “attempts at media flooding and covering up the essence of the matter.” … continue

‘Death to Arabs’: Settler mobs storm Jerusalem’s Muslim, Christian quarters for ‘Flag March’

The Cradle | May 14, 2026

Tens of thousands of Jewish settlers descended on occupied Jerusalem on 14 May to celebrate the so-called ‘Flag March,’ beating Palestinian residents in the Muslim Quarter of the city, damaging storefronts, and shouting anti-Arab slogans.

The event, also known as the Flag Dance, commemorates the Israeli conquest of East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Even before the parade began, Zionist youths pushed and cursed Palestinian residents and activists from “Standing Together,” an Israeli-Palestinian group established to protect Palestinians during the parade.

“When we put our bodies on the line, it oftentimes reduces the violence because settlers are less willing to attack when there are Jews there or when we document what’s going on,” stated Ori Shaham, the group’s international spokesperson.

The parade has long been marked by violence, extreme racism, and hate songs directed against the Palestinian residents of the Old City. … continue

Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from Türkiye with 54 vessels to challenge Gaza blockade

Palestinian Information Center – May 14, 2026

ISTANBUL – The Global Sumud Flotilla is set to depart on Thursday from the Mediterranean coastal city of Marmaris in a renewed international attempt to break the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, with the participation of 54 vessels and more than 500 international activists and solidarity campaigners.

The announcement came during a press conference held by several members of the fleet’s board of directors in Marmaris, including Saif Abu Kishk, who stressed that global efforts to challenge the blockade would continue despite repeated Israeli threats.

Abu Kishk said Israel “does not respect human rights or international law,” adding that activists had decided to continue organizing missions to break the siege after considering the scale of suffering endured by Palestinians over recent years.

He stated that 54 ships would depart from Marmaris toward Gaza, including five vessels affiliated with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, carrying participants from multiple nationalities. … Full article

Colonizers Injure Palestinian, International Activist in Masafer Yatta

IMEMC | May 14, 2026

Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers injured a Palestinian man and an international peace activist on Wednesday evening after attacking residential structures in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron.

Activist Osama Makhmara stated that a group of armed colonizers hurled stones at the home of Mohammad al‑Jabarin in the eastern part of Shu’ab al‑Batem.

Makhamra added that the colonizers injured al‑Jabarin’s son Fadi and an international activist and caused property damage to the home.

In a related development, Israeli occupation forces stormed the southern area of Hebron, deployed across several roads, and surrounded Palestinian homes.

The soldiers also detained several Palestinians, subjected them to harassment while interrogating them, and later released them. … Full article

Sharp rise in solitary confinement of Palestinian child prisoners inside Israeli jails

Palestinian Information Center – May 14, 2026

RAMALLAH – New Israeli data has revealed a dramatic surge in the number of Palestinian prisoners, particularly minors, placed in solitary confinement inside Israeli prisons since 2023, amid growing warnings from rights groups over the psychological and physical impact of the practice.

According to figures published by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, obtained from the Israeli Prison Service through a freedom of information request, the number of Palestinian minors transferred to solitary confinement in Israeli jails rose from just one child prisoner in 2022 to 50 in 2023, before soaring to 290 minors during 2024.

The data also showed that the number of adult Palestinian prisoners placed in isolation nearly tripled in 2024 compared with the previous year, reaching 4,493 detainees. The number of female prisoners held in solitary confinement also climbed sharply, from two women in 2022 to 25 in 2024.

Israeli prison authorities classify solitary confinement into two categories: punitive isolation, officially limited to 14 days, and “deterrent” isolation, which can last for six months and be repeatedly renewed. … Full article

Four killed, several injured by Israeli fire in northern Gaza

Palestinian Information Center – May 15, 2026

GAZA – Two Palestinians were killed and several others were injured on Thursday evening by Israeli occupation forces in northern Gaza, raising the number of people killed since the morning hours to four.

A local source said two civilians were killed and others wounded after Israeli aircraft targeted a group of residents on Al-Nuzha Street in Jabalia al-Balad, north of Gaza.

Sources confirmed the killing of young Palestinian Tamer Iyad al-Matouq in the Israeli strike on Jabalia, just two days after his father was killed.

Earlier, another Palestinian was killed after an Israeli quadcopter drone dropped a bomb on him on Old Gaza Street in Jabalia al-Balad in northern Gaza.

Another Palestinian also died after suffering critical injuries from Israeli sniper fire near a UNRWA clinic in Jabalia refugee camp.

Meanwhile, another Palestinian was injured by Israeli gunfire in the Al-Salatin area west of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

Two more people were injured earlier Thursday in an Israeli strike near the Bani Suheila roundabout east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Israeli forces also demolished several homes east of Gaza City, while Israeli artillery shelling targeted the northern parts of the city.

In central Gaza, Israeli tanks opened fire east of the Bureij refugee camp as artillery shelling struck the town of Juhr al-Dik. … Full article

Israel’s 7 October narrative under fresh scrutiny after army accused of deleting footage

MEMO | May 14, 2026

The Israeli army secretly seized and deleted parts of the 7 October security camera footage, according to a report published by Israel Hayom yesterday, in the latest revelation to deepen suspicion over the official Israeli account of the events of that day.

The Hebrew-language daily reported that on the evening of 9 October 2023, a classified reserve unit operating under the Israeli army’s Ground Forces Command arrived at Kibbutz Be’eri and asked members of the kibbutz’s rapid-response squad to hand over the device storing all the community’s security camera recordings. The unit commander told the exhausted residents that he needed the material “to bring the hostages home” and promised it would not be shared and would be returned in full.

No written commitment was given. By the following morning, the officer had left Be’eri with the recordings and headed to the Kirya, the Israeli army’s headquarters complex in Tel Aviv. … Full article

Netanyahu Threatens to Sue NYT for Reporting on Rape of Palestinians

By Kurt Nimmo | Another Day in the Empire | May 14, 2026

The Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, put into force in 1949, prohibits “cruel treatment and torture” for prisoners of war, while the Fourth Geneva Convention states civilians must be treated humanely and protected from violence, torture, and inhumane treatment. Israel and the United States, however, don’t obey or respect international war.

Following revelations, published in of all places in The New York Times, of sadistic sexual torture, Bibi Netanyahu threatened the newspaper and the journalist Nicholas Kristof. “Today I instructed my legal advisers to consider the harshest legal action against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof,” Netanyahu posted to X. … continue

France investigates possible Israeli company interference in local elections

MEMO | May 14, 2026

French authorities are investigating whether an obscure Israeli company called BlackCore played a role in a foreign interference campaign targeting the hard-left party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed – LFI) ahead of local elections held in March.

According to Reuters, citing two sources, French intelligence services are investigating who allegedly hired BlackCore to carry out a smear campaign against three party candidates through deceptive websites and social media accounts.

The campaign reportedly included false accusations of criminal behaviour and disparaging digital ads.

On its website, BlackCore describes itself as “an elite influence, cyber, and technology company built for the modern era of information warfare.”

According to French authorities and the candidates involved, the campaign targeted Marseille mayoral candidate Sebastien Delogu, Toulouse candidate François Piquemal and Roubaix candidate David Guiraud.

French newspaper Le Monde first revealed details of the operation in March, based on a report by the agency Viginum, which referred to a limited “foreign digital interference” scheme targeting a French political party and several of its candidates in Marseille, Toulouse and Roubaix.

Guatemala Admits U.S. Pressure Over Cuban Doctors

teleSUR | May 14, 2026

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez acknowledged Tuesday that the country has faced pressure from the United States regarding the presence of Cuban medical brigades, as the government moves to end a long-standing healthcare cooperation agreement with Havana.

Asked whether Washington had requested that Guatemala terminate the program a year earlier than planned, Martínez said that “there has always been pressure surrounding the Cuban medical brigades,” though he stopped short of directly confirming U.S. involvement in the decision.

Cuban medical personnel first arrived in Guatemala in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch devastated the country and caused nearly 300 deaths. The administration of President Bernardo Arévalo has now decided to end the agreement with Cuba after almost 30 years of uninterrupted collaboration.

“It is an agreement that is 27 years old and was established under a formula created 27 years ago. There is no government hiring process; the Cuban doctors are hired individually, and the Ministry of Health pays each of them,” Martínez said. … continue

Mark Rutte wants to triple military aid to Zelensky, with Western taxpayers footing the bill

RT | May 14, 2026

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte wants NATO members to cough up 0.25% of their GDP for Ukraine. This figure seems minuscule, but how much hard-earned taxpayer money does it add up to?

Rutte floated the idea at a closed-door meeting of NATO ambassadors last month, and will likely be raised at the bloc’s annual summit in Ankara in July, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed NATO diplomats. … continue

NATO member’s government collapses after Ukrainian drone incident

RT | May 14, 2026

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has announced her resignation amid a government crisis caused by an incident involving Ukrainian kamikaze drones hitting an oil depot near the Russian border.

Silina announced the decision at a press briefing on Thursday. Just hours earlier, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis, a member of Silina’s liberal-conservative Unity party, stated that the prime minister has no intention of leaving office. Meanwhile, the opposition was planning a procedural maneuver to circumvent the five-day pause required under Latvian law before a request for a no-confidence vote is granted.

The crisis in the Baltic state was triggered by an incident last week in which two Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones hit an empty oil depot near the town of Rezekne, around 40 km from the Russian border. No casualties were reported on the ground. … continue

UAE launches Muslim Shia crackdown under cover of ‘Iran-linked terror’ claims

By Robert INLAKESH | MintPress News | April 22, 2026

The United Arab Emirates says it has dismantled an Iran-linked “terrorist organisation” targeting the Muslim Shia community of the UAE. But the evidence made public so far tells a different story — one that raises serious questions about whether these arrests are part of a widening crackdown on dissent against the US-Israeli backed war against Iran which the UAE is involved in, masked as counterterrorism.

Despite presenting itself on the international stage as a victim, the UAE is quietly participating and aiding the US and Israel in its war against Iran. Yet, Abu Dhabi has enforced draconian censorship laws that carry lengthy prison sentences for those posting or even privately forwarding videos of Iranians munitions impacting targets in the UAE.

This week, the UAE’s State Security Department announced the arrest of 27 individuals, described by state-run WAM media as members of a “Shia terrorist group” allegedly linked to Tehran. Yet despite the severity of those accusations, none of the detainees appear to be facing formal terrorism charges.

Instead, those arrested are accused of spreading “misleading ideas,” maintaining “foreign allegiances,” and forming a secret organization — vague allegations that critics say are often used to justify political repression. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, rejected the arrests outright, calling them “baseless and unfounded.”

Even Emirati state media reporting reveals inconsistencies. While headlines such as “UAE dismantles terrorist cell and arrests members” suggest a major security operation, the details within those same reports make no mention of terrorism-related charges, focusing instead on loosely defined political and ideological offenses.

However, within the article itself, there is no mention of any terror related charges, only that they were detained for spreading “misleading ideas”, have “foreign allegiances”, in addition to being accused of establishing a secret organisation and managing its activities.

The case has also raised concerns of a sectarian dimension. … continue

Iran opens Strait of Hormuz route for Chinese ships under rules: Fars

Al Mayadeen | May 14, 2026

A decision has been issued permitting a number of Chinese vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz following an understanding over Tehran’s management protocols for the strategic waterway, the Iranian news agency Fars reported, citing an informed source.

The facilitation of Chinese shipping followed sustained diplomatic engagement by China’s foreign minister and Beijing’s ambassador in Tehran, reflecting the depth of bilateral relations and the strategic partnership between the two countries, as per the same source.

In detail, the source added that an agreement was reached allowing the requested vessels to pass after reaching mutual understanding on Iran’s regulatory framework, confirming that transit operations have already begun as of last night.

It further emphasized that the measure is grounded in the Islamic Republic’s internal protocols and is intended to prevent the political exploitation of the strait’s maritime importance for external pressure, while reinforcing Tehran’s “smart and precise management” of this critical shipping corridor.

In a related development, Iranian state television reported that 30 vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since last night under the supervision of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy. … Full article

Netanyahu ‘monster, disgrace to humanity’: Pakistani minister

Press TV – May 14, 2026

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has described Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “monster” and a disgrace to humanity for patronizing and promoting rape of Palestinian detainees.

‎In his interview with CBS News earlier this week, Netanyahu accused Pakistan of running a coordinated anti-Israel campaign to damage ties between the United States and Israel, alleging that Islamabad also provided refuge to Iranian military planes to shield them from US-Israeli attacks.

‎In reaction to the accusation against Islamabad, Asif lambasted Netanyahu for his appalling crimes, including patronizing and promoting rape of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

“Look who’s talking! A monster who patronizes and promotes the rape of Palestinian prisoners — women, men, and children — by Israeli soldiers, prison guards, and dogs. Humanity’s head hangs in shame,” the Pakistani defense minister said in a post on his X account on Wednesday. … Full article

Aafia Siddiqui and Pakistan’s bargain with American gulags

By Junaid S. Ahmad | MEMO | May 14, 2026

The Pakistani security state possesses an almost supernatural ability to discover “sovereignty” whenever cameras are rolling in Washington and to lose it entirely the moment the name Aafia Siddiqui is mentioned.

Apparently, the Field Marshal can help broker ceasefires, whisper into the ears of presidents, posture as a grand strategist of West Asian stability, and market Pakistan as the indispensable hinge of global diplomacy — yet cannot perform the infinitesimally smaller task of demanding the return of a Pakistani woman whose suffering has become one of the ugliest symbols of the War on Terror.

How extraordinary. A nuclear state that can allegedly influence the architecture of regional conflict suddenly develops the political helplessness of a hostage whenever Aafia enters the conversation. But this silence is not weakness. It is guilt.

Because Aafia Siddiqui is not merely a prisoner. She is evidence. Living evidence. Evidence of what Pakistan’s military establishment became during the War on Terror: a comprador security apparatus that rented out sovereignty to Washington in exchange for dollars, weapons, diplomatic indulgence, and the right to rule Pakistan without accountability.

The Pakistani security state did not merely cooperate with America’s post-9/11 imperial machinery; it became one of its most enthusiastic subcontractors. … continue

Pakistani war chief says deal to bring Turkiye, Qatar into Saudi defense pact ‘being finalized’

The Cradle | May 13, 2026

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif revealed during an interview with Hum News on 11 May that a deal to bring Turkiye and Qatar into the mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia is being “finalized.”

“If Qatar and Turkiye also join the existing agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, it would create significant cooperation in both the economic and defense spheres in our region and reduce external dependence,” Asif told Pakistan-based Hum News, adding that their inclusion would be “a welcome development.”

The agreement with Riyadh is still being finalized, Asif noted, adding that a wider arrangement could strengthen regional cooperation.

The defense minister said the initiative is not aimed at any specific country, but is intended to create a broader platform among “like-minded” states for regional stability and collective security. … Full article

Central Asia Alternative Fertilizer Source for Pakistan amid Strait of Hormuz Crisis – Expert

Sputnik -14.05.2026

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed government ministries and other bodies to develop plans for sourcing fertilizer imports from Central Asian states in order to protect the farming sector from potential shortages.

While this represents strategic diversification for now, it could evolve into a long-term shift toward Central Asian markets, argued Amir Jahangir, co-founder and CEO of Mishal Pakistan.

He explained:

  • Agriculture is not immediately at risk, but the danger is there: if fertilizer supplies are disrupted during the Kharif cropping period, crop yields could drop and food prices could rise.
  • Trading with Central Asian states such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan reduces dependence on the Strait of Hormuz — and also strengthens regional commerce and economic ties.
  • In the long term, this can help make supply more secure, lower transport costs, and boost regional trade.
  • Pakistan should also prioritize securing natural gas supplies for fertilizer plants. Islamabad needs to boost local gas production, reform pricing, and reduce losses.

“Qatar is one option, but Pakistan should explore new markets and regions. I think for that Central Asia can be one of the options for gas procurement,” Jahangir said. … Full article

West Freezes About $590 billion Belonging to Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea – Shoigu

Sputnik – 14.05.2026

BISHKEK – Western countries, according to the most conservative estimates, have frozen about $590 billion belonging to Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Libya and Afghanistan, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday.

There is currently a clear lack of financial resources to normalize economic life in Afghanistan, the official said, adding that one of the reasons is the blocking of Afghan assets by the United States, the UK and Germany and the total amount of frozen funds is about $10 billion.

“According to our most conservative estimates, the Westerners have frozen about $590 billion in total belonging to Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Libya and Afghanistan. I am convinced that all sensible leaders will draw the right conclusions regarding the storage of national savings in the West,” Shoigu said at a meeting of the secretaries of the Security Councils of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in Bishkek.

The steady degradation of international relations continues, primarily due to the desire of the United States and its allies to maintain their dominant position, Sergei Shoigu said.

“International relations continue to steadily deteriorate. The root cause of the current turmoil is the desire of the United States and its allies to maintain their dominant position,” Shoigu said.

Various methods are being used to achieve this, from using military force and unleashing trade wars to provoking regional crises, the official added.

The return of third-country military infrastructure to Afghanistan or the deployment of new military installations in neighboring countries is unacceptable, Sergei Shoigu said.

The situation in Afghanistan is of particular importance for ensuring security in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization space, the official said at a meeting of the secretaries of the Security Councils of the SCO member states in Bishkek.

“We consider unacceptable the return of the military infrastructure of third countries to the territory of Afghanistan or the deployment of new military facilities in neighboring countries,” Shoigu said.

The combined potential of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization allows it to become one of the pillars of the multipolar world order and a key element of the security architecture, Sergei Shoigu said. … Full article

Trump Visits Beijing In a World Washington No Longer Controls

By Joseph Solis-Mullen | The Libertarian Institute | May 14, 2026

When President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing yesterday for his summit with Xi Jinping, much of the American foreign policy establishment framed the meeting through the familiar lens of “great power competition.” Analysts will scrutinize every handshake, communiqué, and trade announcement for signs that Washington is either “standing up” to China or “conceding” ground to its principal rival.

But the more important reality is that the summit will likely underscore just how much the balance of leverage has shifted over the past several years—and how little appetite Beijing has for rescuing Washington from the consequences of its own strategic blunders.

The prevailing assumption in Washington remains that China is an aggressive revisionist power poised to overturn the international order through military expansion and economic coercion. Yet the actual picture is considerably more complicated. Beijing’s posture today looks less like that of a state eager for global confrontation and more like that of a rising commercial empire patiently exploiting American overextension.

That overextension is now impossible to ignore. … continue

Return of the Next Pandemic Script

By Yaffa-Shir-Raz | Brownstone Institute | May 14, 2026

… an international cruise ship experiencing serious illnesses and deaths during a voyage would seem destined to become an immediate global news story. But that did not happen.

Only weeks later, on May 1, the story suddenly received intense international coverage. Within a short time, headlines around the world warned of a “plague ship” at sea, passengers from 23 countries under monitoring, quarantine measures, and fears of human-to-human transmission. […]

… the timing is particularly striking. On May 1, three days before the MV Hondius story received widespread international media attention, the World Health Organization announced yet another one-year delay in negotiations over the PABS – short for Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing – annex of the Pandemic Agreement.

On the surface, this may appear to be just another technical delay within a cumbersome diplomatic process. In reality, however, it reflects one of the most significant crises the WHO has faced in the post-Covid era.

The dispute over PABS is far more than a bureaucratic disagreement. It is a symptom of a much broader and deepening crisis of trust surrounding the very idea of centralized global pandemic governance.

The WHO’s Deeper Crisis

To understand why the timing of the MV Hondius story is so striking, one first has to understand the position in which the World Health Organization now finds itself.

The WHO’s May 1 announcement of yet another one-year delay in negotiations over the PABS annex was far more than a routine diplomatic setback. It amounted to an acknowledgment that one of the organization’s central post-Covid projects – a project with enormous international implications, has become stalled in a deep political and institutional deadlock. … Full article