TikTok bars calling Israeli forces ‘terrorists’ after hiring ex-soldier
Press TV – August 24, 2025
TikTok updated its content guidelines to prohibit labeling Israeli forces as “terrorists,” shortly after appointing a former Israeli soldier and self-described “proud Zionist” to oversee its so-called “anti-Semitism” policies.
TikTok appointed Erica Mindel as its new Public Policy Manager for Hate Speech 15 days before the ban was announced, according to users on X.
They also pointed out that the guidelines previously prohibited “all racial supremacy” but have now been narrowed to exclusively address “White supremacy.”
According to her LinkedIn profile and job description, Mindel is tasked with shaping the company’s hate speech policy and serving as TikTok’s internal and external expert on anti-Semitism.
Mindal spent two and a half years in the Israeli military as a madrichot shirion – an instructor in the occupation army – and also worked with the US State Department.
“I am a proud American Jew,” she once said.
She was hired following pressure from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a notorious Zionist lobby group in the US. She is based in New York City and is reported to earn an estimated £280,000 annually.
Her two-and-a-half years as an Israeli military instructor, coupled with her work for US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt, suggest that her role is aimed at censoring pro-Palestinian content while amplifying Israeli narratives amid the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza.
The move comes as the Israeli regime persists in its systematic oppression of Palestinians by worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Disturbing images and videos depicting emaciated children, relentless bombardments, and widespread destruction continue to surface on social media platforms, shedding light on the dire situation faced by Palestinians in the region.
Backed by the US, Israel launched its onslaught on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Palestinian resistance fighters waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the Zionist entity in response to the regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.
The Israeli military has so far killed more than 62,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Bands boycott UK festival after Irish group ‘cut off’ for waving Palestinian flag
Press TV – August 24, 2025
Several bands have pulled out of a major UK music festival after an Irish folk band said organizers cut their set when they displayed a Palestinian flag and chanted “Free Palestine.”
The Mary Wallopers were performing at Victorious Festival in Portsmouth on Friday when organizers accused them of using a chant “widely understood to have a discriminatory context.”
The Mary Wallopers dismissed the allegation as “misleading,” saying, “Our video clearly shows a Victorious crew member coming on stage, interfering with our show, removing the flag from the stage and then the sound being cut following a chant of ‘Free Palestine’.”
Organizers first claimed the set was stopped over a chant, but later admitted the sound was cut after the flag was shown. They apologized “to all concerned” and pledged a “substantial donation” to humanitarian relief for Palestinians.
In protest, The Last Dinner Party, The Academic and Cliffords announced on Saturday that they would boycott the festival over censorship.
“We are outraged by the decision to silence The Mary Wallopers,” The Last Dinner Party wrote on Instagram, calling it “political censorship.”
The Academic said they could not “in good conscience” perform at a festival that silences free speech, while Cliffords said they “refuse to play if we are to be censored for showing our support to the people of Palestine.”
The festival, which continues through Sunday with headliners including Kings of Leon, Bloc Party and Gabrielle, now faces growing backlash over silencing pro-Palestinian protest.
Ukraine Holding Captive Over 20 Russian Civilians Kidnapped From Kursk Region – Presidential Aide
Sputnik – 24.08.2025
MOSCOW – Ukraine has been holding captive more than 20 Russian civilians kidnapped by Ukrainian troops during a 2024 raid in the western Russian border region of Kursk, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Sunday.
“They have been de facto abducted and are being held hostage. Russia has been painstakingly bargaining for these civilians to be returned home. Many have been brought back, including the eight returned today. More than 20 others are estimated to remain [in captivity],” he said on Telegram.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that 146 Russian servicepeople and eight Kursk residents were brought back from Ukraine in a swap on Sunday mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
Medinsky, who was Russia’s chief negotiator at the talks with the Ukrainians in Istanbul, said that most of Kursk residents abducted by Ukrainian troops were the elderly. He said the Ukrainians were handing them back in small groups, “literally trading them” for servicepeople in Russia’s custody that they need the most.
Israel Bombs Presidential Palace in Sanaa, Prepares For Large-Scale War in Yemen
By Kyle Anzalone | The Libertarian Institute | August 24, 2025
Israel conducted dozens of strikes in Yemen, including striking the presidential palace. Tel Aviv is collecting a large bank of targets for a widespread bombing campaign in Yemen.
On Sunday, the IDF said more than ten Israeli warplanes dropped 35 bombs in Yemen. Along with the presidential palace, Israel targeted the Hizaz and Asar power plants.
Officials in Tel Aviv said the strikes were in response to a missile fired by Ansar Allah, or the Houthis, at Israel on Friday. The IDF reports it was a new type of missile that contained submunitions.
Ansar Allah, the group that has ruled most of Yemen since 2015, stated a blockade of Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Ansar Allah has expanded the operations to missile and drone strikes against Israel and US warships in response to Israel and the US bombing Yemen.
Ansah Allah has maintained that it will not end attacks on Israel or the blockade until Tel Aviv ends the onslaught in Gaza. Following the Israeli strikes, a Yemeni official explained that Ansar Allah will “not retreat from it until the aggression is lifted, the siege is broken, and the starvation of Gaza’s people is stopped.”
Walla, an Israeli outlet, reports that Tel Aviv is preparing for large-scale strikes against Yemen. “A very large effort is underway by the Intelligence and Security Service (MNA) and the Mossad to build a broad target bank in order to strike the Houthis’ centers of gravity,” the outlet explains.
Israeli political officials told Walla, “We need to simultaneously hit their military intelligence system, ports, military capabilities, and defense industry.”
From March to May, President Donald Trump ordered the military to attack Yemen to break the blockade of Israeli-linked shipping. Over ten weeks, the US dropped over 1,000 bombs on Yemen, killing hundreds of civilians.
However, the strikes failed to break the blockade. Ansar Allah downed seven US drones and caused an F-18 to fall off an aircraft carrier. Trump agreed to a truce with Ansar Allah in May to end the attacks on American warships in the Red Sea. The ceasefire did not expand to Israel.
The officials argued to Walla that the Israeli strikes on Yemen must do more damage than the American operations. “It is necessary to accumulate many targets whose combined effects can cause very heavy damage, unlike the American operation that failed to defeat them,” they said.
Russia Recognizes Zelensky as De Facto Head of Regime, Ready to Meet With Him in This Capacity
Sputnik – August 24, 2025
MOSCOW – Russia sees Volodymyr Zelensky as the de facto leader of the current Ukrainian administration who has the legitimacy to negotiate on Kiev’s behalf but not to sign a truce, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
“We recognize him as de facto head of the regime. And in this capacity, we are ready to meet with him… When we come to a stage where you have to sign documents, we would need a very clear understanding by everybody that the person who is signing is legitimate. And according to the Ukrainian constitution, Mr. Zelensky is not, at the moment,” Lavrov told NBC in an interview.
Here are the highlights of the interview:
🟠 The goals of the special military operation in Ukraine will be achieved, Russia must eliminate any security threats coming from there
🟠 The reaction of European representatives to the meeting in Alaska, their visit to Washington, and subsequent actions indicate that they do not want peace
🟠 We have no interest in the territories, we are interested in the fates of the people living in Donbass and Novorossiya
🟠 On Ukraine’s security guarantees, there should be a consensus that takes Russia’s interests into account
🟠 Putin and Trump discussed practical steps and serious issues related to security in Alaska
🟠 Zelensky is not currently a legitimate figure who could sign legal documents when it comes to that
🟠 Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky on the condition that the meeting will truly have a presidential agenda. It is unreasonable to meet with him just for another opportunity to be in the spotlight.
🟠The meeting between Putin and Zelensky was not discussed at the Russia-US summit in Alaska, this topic was raised later, “spontaneously”
🟠 Ukraine and Europe are trying to distort what Putin and Trump discussed in Alaska, especially the issue of security guarantees
🟠 The Russian and Ukrainian delegations have met and will continue to meet in Istanbul to discuss specific military and humanitarian issues
🟠 Russia has never, under any circumstances, deliberately targeted objectives not related to Ukrainian military forces
🟠 The West wants security guarantees for Ukraine to come at Russia’s expense, in violation of the indivisible security principle, and is ready to deploy troops on Ukrainian soil to deter Russia
🟠 Russia has never deliberately targeted sites that are not associated with the Ukrainian military
🟠 Ukraine’s right to exist is contingent on it allowing regions to secede where populations voted for independence in referendums
🟠 Foreign capital in military plants in Ukraine does not grant them immunity from potential attacks or consequences
🟠 The delegations of Russia and Ukraine have met and will continue to meet in Turkey’s Istanbul to discuss military and humanitarian issues
Full interview:
Indian FM pushes back on US pressure, stands by Russian oil imports
Press TV – August 24, 2025
Indian Foreign Minister has defended New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil despite US tariffs on Indian goods, saying that if others “don’t like it, don’t buy it.”
Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum (ET WLF) on Saturday, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said there are some “red lines” in the India-US trade deal negotiations.
He underscored that amid strained relations with the US over several aspects in bilateral trade, India refuses any concession to US President Donald Trump.
“It is funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business,” he said.
“If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, do not buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it. Europe buys, America buys, so you do not like it, do not buy it,” he added.
He asserted that India’s purchase of Russian oil serves both its national interest and contributes to global market stability.
He reiterated that New Delhi would continue to make decisions independently.
The US imposed punitive tariffs on India after Trump claimed that the country’s purchase of Russian crude indirectly funded the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Tensions in US-India trade relations extend beyond energy, with multiple rounds of negotiations for an interim trade agreement failing to produce a breakthrough.
“Where we are concerned, the red lines are primarily the interests of our farmers and, to some extent, of our small producers,” Jaishankar said.
The United States has pressed India to open its markets to American dairy, poultry, and agricultural products such as corn, soybeans, wheat, ethanol, fruits, and nuts.
But India, an agrarian economy, has resisted, particularly on genetically modified (GM) crops, which it considers harmful to human health and the environment.
Dairy remains a particularly sensitive issue as well, as millions of small and landless farmers depend on the sector for survival, especially during poor monsoons or agricultural downturns.
In a clear message to Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has publicly declared that India will not compromise on the interests of farmers.
“Modi is standing like a wall against any harmful policy related to farmers, fishermen, and cattle rearers of India,” he said in his Independence Day speech.
US approves sale of cruise missiles to Ukraine – WSJ
RT | August 24, 2025
The US has approved the sale of 3,350 air-launched ERAM cruise missiles to Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing two unnamed US officials.
The munitions, which have a range of up to 280 miles, will reportedly arrive in Ukraine within six weeks. Several US officials told the WSJ that Ukraine would have to seek the Pentagon’s approval when using them.
While US President Donald Trump had criticized the previous administration of Joe Biden for its unconditional aid to Kiev, he said earlier this week that Ukraine has “no chance of winning” unless it is capable of striking targets in Russia. Ukrainian troops have been steadily losing ground to Russian forces over the course of 2025 and struggled to replenish their ranks.
After months of uncertainty over America’s commitments, Trump said in July that any additional weapons delivered to Ukraine would be paid by NATO members in Europe.
Ukraine’s key European backers, including France and Germany, are increasingly pushing for further weapons deliveries as part of security guarantees to be provided to Ukraine after the end of the conflict. Russia, however, maintains that Western military aid is an obstacle to reaching a peace deal.
UK Ramps Up Ukraine Training as Europe’s War Hawks Push ‘Security Guarantees’
Sputnik – 24.08.2025
The British-led Operation Interflex, a multinational military initiative to train and support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has now been extended to at least 2026, Bloomberg reports.
Over 50,000 Ukrainian recruits have already received both combat and leadership training in the UK.
A further element of the plan involves a so-called US backstop, providing intelligence, border surveillance, weapons, and potentially air defenses, Bloomberg says.
Meanwhile, a UK and France-led “Coalition of the Willing” plans to station European forces in Ukraine as European war hawks push “security guarantees” tied to a potential peace deal.
Russia insists that any security guarantees for Ukraine must reference the 2022 Istanbul talks, and discussions about a security framework without Russia lead nowhere.
In essence, Europe is proposing foreign intervention on part of Ukrainian territory, which is absolutely unacceptable for Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed.
Russian Air Defense Shot Down Ukrainian Drone Near Kursk NPP, Radiation Unchanged
Sputnik – 24.08.2025
Russian air defense shot down a Ukrainian drone near the Kursk nuclear power plant, the downed drone damaged an auxiliary transformer, the press service of the Kursk NPP said.
“On August 24 at 0:26 Moscow time [21:26 GMT Saturday], near the Kursk NPP, an air defense shot down a combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Ukrainian armed forces. When it fell, the device detonated, as a result of which the auxiliary transformer was damaged,” the NPP said on Telegram.
As the plant clarified, the local fire had been extinguished, as a result of which the third unit had been unloaded by 50%. There were no casualties.
“Currently, the third power unit is in operation at the Kursk NPP. The fourth power unit is undergoing scheduled maintenance. The first and second power units are in operation without generation,” the plant’s press service added.
The radiation background at the industrial site of the Kursk NPP and the adjacent territory has not changed and corresponds to natural values, the press service concluded.
Russia requests UN Security Council meeting on Nord Stream sabotage
RT | August 24, 2025
Russia has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting following the arrest of a Ukrainian man allegedly involved in the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage.
In September 2022, explosions disabled three of the four lines carrying Russian gas to Germany through the Baltic Sea. Moscow has repeatedly accused Germany and neighboring countries of delaying the investigation and excluding Russia from the probe.
“We will highlight the delays in the German investigation and the absence of transparency,” Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyansky wrote on Telegram. He added that the meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.
On Thursday, Italian police detained a Ukrainian citizen, later identified in the media as former military officer Sergey Kuznetsov. Prosecutors allege he coordinated a team that rented a yacht and planted explosives on the pipelines using commercial diving gear.
German investigators reportedly believe a small group of Ukrainians was behind the attack, a claim Moscow dismissed as “ridiculous.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested the US likely orchestrated the sabotage. Last year, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed it had “credible information” that US and British agents were involved in the plot.
60% SAY NO TO FULL VACCINE SCHEDULE
The HighWire with Del Bigtree | August 21, 2025
A new JAMA study highlights declining confidence in America’s vaccine program, finding that only 40% of parents intend to follow the full childhood schedule. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics has broken sharply from HHS guidance, now recommending the COVID vaccine for infants and children.
Algeria demands UNSC stop ‘Greater Israel’ project, end Gaza famine
Al Mayadeen | August 23, 2025
Algeria has held the UN Security Council responsible for thwarting the “Greater Israel” project and for safeguarding the foundations of the “two-state solution”, which it described as “the cornerstone of any just, lasting, and final settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian struggle.”
Regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip, Algeria’s Foreign Ministry affirmed that the United Nations’ official declaration of a state of famine in the Strip constitutes an extremely dangerous precedent and a first of its kind in the history of the Palestinian cause and the history of the region.
The Ministry added in its statement on Saturday that the most condemnable and reprehensible aspect is that this full-fledged famine is not a product of unavoidable circumstances, but is rather a deliberate political choice and a result of planning and orchestration by the Israeli occupation.
Famine consistent with ‘Greater Israel’ project
It further clarified that this declared famine is entirely consistent with, and inseparable from, the project of forced displacement, the project of reoccupying Gaza, and what has come to be known as the “Greater Israel” project.
Algeria strongly condemned these policies and practices imposed on the Palestinian people as part of the ongoing war of annihilation in Gaza and, as a Security Council member, stressed its commitment to continuing its diplomatic efforts to support the Palestinian people and work toward ending this unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
Furthermore, Algeria called for “action to expedite the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State with al-Quds as its capital.”
This comes as the Israeli occupation forces continue their genocidal war and deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip, with the latest figures from the Health Ministry reporting that the aggression has now claimed 62,622 lives and caused 157,673 injuries since October 7, 2023.
Moreover, 281 people, including 114 children, have perished due to starvation, while an additional 2,076 were killed and more than 15,308 were injured by the occupation’s targeting of civilians awaiting aid at various distribution points throughout the Strip.
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The run up to the Iran war exposes inner workings of the US/Israeli deep state
By Justin K.P. | The Dissident | June 9, 2026
Taking a careful look at the run-up to the U.S./Israeli war on Iran exposes the inner workings of the U.S./Israeli deep state and the covert operations that the CIA and Mossad carry out around the world to lay the groundwork for war.
In this article, I will detail how the U.S. and Israel astroturfed protests in Iran, infiltrated them with rioters, and ran an atrocity propaganda campaign about Iran massacring protestors to manufacture consent for war.
This article will be an examination of the deep state’s war on Iran, prior to the full-scale U.S. invasion.
This article will be specific to Iran, but should be seen as a case study for how American, Israeli, and often British intelligence lay the groundwork for targets of empire around the world. … continue
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- UK judge brands Palestine Action activists ‘terrorists’ for storming Israeli weapons company
- Report: US military building new base near Gaza border to support post-war plan
- Hamas: Israeli shift of Gaza’s “Yellow Line” constitutes blatant ceasefire violation
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- Iranian media reveal details of potential Iran-US draft MoU
- Iranian Media Publishes 14-Point Iran-US Deal Draft, Revealing Tehran’s Key Conditions
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- Watching the World Cup from Gaza
- Israel to Blame for 56% of 22,600+ Civilians Killed by Explosive Weapons Globally Last Year
- Tucker Carlson and John Mearsheimer on Gaza, Ukraine, Iran, Russia & a Potential Nuclear Strike
- 88 attacks against Palestinian Christians recorded since start of year
- US administration investigating Iran war critic Trita Parsi, says report
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- New Study: Significant CO2 Fluxes From Non-Volcanic Sources Are Largely Neglected In Carbon Budgets
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- Germany’s Die Welt: “Too Much Is Too Much” … Green Energies Are Cannabalizing Each Other!
- Germany’s Ecological Holocaust… Once Fairy Tale Forests Getting Cleared For Wind Turbines
- A Grand Solar Minimum Has Arrived…Global Cooling Of At Least 1°C Is Expected By The 2030s, 2040s
- European “Expert Commission” Urges COVID-19-Like Global Climate State Of Energency!
- Real-World Observations Do Not Support The Position That Climate Change Is Human-Caused
- Germany’s AfD Party Calls Debunked Climate Scenarios “Greatest Fraud In Human History”
Aletho News 