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Bird Flu Outbreak 40 Miles From Wisconsin Lab Sparks Concern About Gain-of-Function Experiments

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

bird flu outbreak in a Wisconsin dairy cattle herd has fueled speculation that gain-of-function research at a nearby university lab — where scientists are working to develop a bird flu vaccine for cattle — may have played a role in the outbreak.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) identified what it said was the first known case of highly pathogenic bird flu in a Dodge County, Wisconsin, dairy cattle herd.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) characterized the outbreak as a new “spillover” event — from wildlife to cattle.

The two scientists who conducted the whole genome sequencing for APHIS and identified the virus responsible for the Dodge County outbreak work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, the university confirmed.

Those same scientists — Keith Poulsen, DVM, Ph.D., and Yoshihiro Kawaoka, DVM, Ph.D. — have also co-authored studies on gain-of-function research, including studies related to the H5N1 virus.

One of the scientists, Kawaoka, directs the university’s Influenza Research Institute, known to conduct gain-of-function research on H5N1. Kawaoka was director of the high-security lab in 2019, when it came under scrutiny for a safety breach.

The institute’s lab is about 40 miles from the bird flu outbreak in Dodge County.

Kawaoka is also the co-founder of flu vaccine manufacturer FluGen. And he is among a group of scientists working on the development of a bird flu vaccine for livestock.

Will Cushman, with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Office of Strategic Communication, confirmed that virologists Poulsen and Kawaoka are performing H5N1 research. However, he denied that it is gain-of-function research.

The research, partially funded by the federal government, is aimed at better understanding the H5N1 strains spreading from wild animals and circulating on farms in the U.S., Cushman told The Defender. … continue

Portugal Runs H5N1 Bird Flu Outbreak Simulation – Echoing Pre-COVID Pandemic Exercises

Patients refusing to use personal protective equipment, like masks, defined as “threats.”

By Jon Fleetwood | January 13, 2026

Portuguese health authorities conducted a formal avian influenza (H5N1) simulation exercise in early 2025 to test how primary health care units would respond to a bird flu outbreak, according to a study published last week in Acta Médica Portuguesa and indexed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

The exercise comes as bird flu is simultaneously being advanced through expanded PCR surveillance, laboratory-engineered H5N1 research, and revived mRNA vaccine programs, raising questions given the similar convergence of testing, research, and preparedness measures that preceded COVID-19. … continue

Autistic “Barbie” Doll Celebrates Neuropsychiatric Illness Among Children

Can the autism epidemic be worsened by normalization?

By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH | FOCAL POINTS | January 14, 2026

“Normalization” is a process where something that is not normal is fashioned and presented in a way in which over time the public accepts it as usual and more conducive to business activities. This is exactly what’s happening with autism spectrum disorder. Alter AI is on the assist with this story.

Mattel has launched its first autistic Barbie doll, part of its ongoing Fashionistas line that promotes “diversity and inclusion.” The doll, unveiled in January 2026, was designed in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and aims to reflect how autistic individuals experience and process the world. […]

The social normalization of autism, though well‑intentioned, raises complex ethical and sociological concerns. On the one hand, representation combats stigma and may comfort diagnosed children. But on the other, equating a neuropsychiatric pathology—often involving severe sensory dysfunction, social withdrawal, gastrointestinal disorders, and cognitive impairment—with mere “personality difference” blurs critical distinctions between acceptance and indifference.

From a societal standpoint, excessive normalization can dull urgency for researching underlying causes, removing pressure from regulatory agencies and vaccine developers whose negligence may have contributed to the surge in cases. It also risks redefining developmental injury as identity or “neurodiversity,” thereby discouraging early intervention, biomedical research, or detoxification studies. When a major toy company reframes a medical epidemic as a lifestyle brand, public attention shifts from prevention to performative empathy—a psychological anesthetic for collective guilt.

Inclusivity should never mean complacency. True compassion lies not in prettifying pathology, but in seeking transparent inquiry into its origins and creating conditions that prevent further harm. … Read full article

As Private Equity Cashes in on Autism Epidemic, Kids End Up ‘Big Losers,’ Experts Say

By Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D. | The Defender | January 13, 2026

Private equity firms acquired more than 500 U.S. autism therapy centers in the last decade, according to a peer-reviewed study published last week in JAMA Pediatrics.

The study is one of the first national assessments of private equity’s growing role in autism therapies and services, according to a press release.

The authors determined that, as of 2024, private equity firms owned 574 autism therapy centers across 42 states.

Nearly 80% of therapy center acquisitions by private equity firms happened between 2018 and 2022, coinciding with the large increase in U.S. childhood autism spectrum disorder diagnoses.

The prevalence of autism in U.S. children in 2022 was 1 in 31 kids, a roughly 17% increase from 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest report.

The trend worries Daniel Arnold, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at Brown University’s Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research and the study’s lead author.

“I want the public — and particularly families with autistic children — to realize that optimal care quality in this setting is likely not aligned with companies’ financial interests,” Arnold told The Defender.

Private equity has a bad track record in other areas of healthcare, Arnold said. “Their acquisitions have generally been associated with price increases, and staff and quality decreases.”

After private equity took ownership, the quality of care diminished in nursing homespsychiatric facilitiesdental officeshospitals and prisons, research shows.

Yet private equity continues to make acquisitions in the healthcare sector. In 2025, global private equity investments in healthcare soared to a record-breaking $191 billion, according to a new report by Bain & Co. … continue

The West vs. the Rest

How developing countries took control of climate negotiations and what that means for emission reduction

By Robin Guenier | Climate Scepticism | December 8, 2025

The main reason why, despite countless scientific warnings about dangerous consequences, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to increase is rarely mentioned. Yet it’s been obvious for several years – at least to anyone willing to see it. It’s this: most countries outside Western Europe, North America and Australasia are either unconcerned about the impact of GHGs on the climate or don’t regard the issue as a priority, focusing instead for example on economic growth and energy security. Yet these countries, comprising about 84 percent of humanityi, are today the source of about 77 percent of emissions; 88 percent if the United States, which has now joined their ranks, is included.ii Therefore, unless they change their policies radically – and there’s no serious evidence of their so doing – there’s no realistic prospect of the implementation of the urgent and substantial cuts in GHG emissions called for by many Western scientists.

To understand how this has happened, I believe it’s useful to review the history of environmental negotiation by focusing in particular on six UN-sponsored conferences: Stockholm in 1972, Rio in 1992, Kyoto in 1997, Copenhagen in 2009, Paris in 2015 and Belém (Brazil) in 2025. … continue

Israeli settlers burn Palestinian home near Jericho amid rising West Bank attacks

MEMO | January 16, 2026

Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian home on Thursday in the Al-Murashahat area near Aqabat Jabr refugee camp, northwest of Jericho, in the eastern West Bank, completely destroying the property.

The house belongs to the Mleihat (Kaabneh) family. The Al-Baydar Human Rights Organization said the attack caused fear and panic among family members and nearby residents, amid an escalation of repeated assaults targeting Bedouin communities in the area.

The group said the attacks form part of a systematic policy of intimidation aimed at forcibly displacing residents from their land. … Full article

IOF detain international activists, children during West Bank raids

Al Mayadeen | January 16, 2026

Israeli occupation forces abducted three Palestinian children from Kafr Malik, a village in east Ramallah, after raiding and searching their family homes as part of a detention campaign across the West Bank.

In ‘Azbat Abu Hammam, south of al-Mughayyir, occupation soldiers detained four international solidarity activists attempting to document settler attacks and offer support to locals. The arrests came as occupation forces increased their presence in the area, reinforcing settler attacks. … Full article

Israeli forces kill Palestinian child, assault worshippers in occupied West Bank

MEMO | January 16, 2026

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child on Friday during a raid on the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, and assaulted worshippers as they left prayers, Palestinian media reported.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli forces entered Al-Mughayyir from the al-Khalayel area and opened heavy live fire toward residents, killing a 14-year-old child.

Israeli forces later attacked worshippers as they exited the western Al-Mughayyir mosque after Friday prayers, firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters at them, the agency added.

The village has been subjected to ongoing attacks by illegal Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, WAFA said. Illegal settlers stormed the al-Khalayel area south of the village early Friday, fired live fire in its surroundings and carried out repeated assaults targeting residents and their property. … Full article

Figures behind massacre of starving Gazans now shaping US Gaza plan

Press TV – January 16, 2026

Many of the figures now being elevated as key figures in Washington’s proposed postwar administration for Gaza were architects of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-Israeli aid operation under which Palestinian civilians were repeatedly killed while attempting to access food.

According to the Financial Times, individuals shaping the new Gaza executive committee were directly involved in designing and promoting GHF, a scheme that operated for months inside Israeli-controlled areas of the strip. … continue

Gaza: Woman killed, others injured as IOF fires indiscriminately at tents

Palestinian Information Center – January 16, 2026

GAZA – A Palestinian woman was killed and several others were injured when the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired indiscriminately at tents in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, at dawn Friday.

The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reporter said that 62-year-old Sabah Ahmad Abu Jami was killed when Israeli military vehicles opened random fire towards the west of Khan Yunis, with bullets striking tents sheltering displaced families.

The PIC reporter added that the Israeli army also carried out artillery and shooting attacks in other areas of southern Gaza.

On Thursday evening, several Palestinians were killed and others were injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes in different areas of the Gaza Strip.

‘Israel’ moves ‘yellow line’ deeper into Gaza, expanding occupation

Al Mayadeen | January 16, 2026

“Israel” is gradually expanding its occupation of Gaza by pushing the blocks meant to mark the so-called “Yellow Line,” beyond which Israeli occupation forces are restricted from operating.

Recent satellite imagery and field reports taken by the BBC indicate that “Israel” has been shifting its physical presence deeper into the Gaza Strip, in a breach of the post-ceasefire line of control established under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian Resistance Hamas.

Under the terms of the October deal, “Israel” is required to withdraw its forces behind a line illustrated by yellow markers: concrete blocks placed on the ground and reflected on Israeli military maps. However, analysis by BBC Verify has found that in at least three areas, Beit Lahia, Jabalia, and al-Tuffah, occupation forces initially placed the blocks, only to return later and move them further into the Strip.

In total, 16 concrete positions were shifted deeper into Gaza, with satellite imagery confirming movements averaging 295 meters inward in some cases. […]

The implications of the shifting lines are stark. A 23-year-old man near Khan Younis, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, said the sudden repositioning of markers left him trapped between the mapped line and newly moved blocks.

“We are now living inside the Yellow Line, but behind the yellow blocks, with no idea what our fate will be,” he said. “We hear shells exploding, soldiers advancing, gunfire, and drones buzzing overhead without pause. We are also being shot at directly.” […]

Satellite images and verified videos also show IOF bulldozers, tanks, and fortification works beyond the mapped boundary. In Khan Younis and Beit Lahia, armoured vehicles were observed operating up to 400 meters past the line, with further demolitions of buildings following in some cases.

In parts of eastern Gaza City and Jabalia, the IOF levelled dozens of structures, some located beyond the first position of the concrete blocks, after which the markers were repositioned even further inwards. … Full article

Two Lebanese citizens martyred in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon

Palestinian Information Center – January 16, 2026

BEIRUT – Two Lebanese citizens were killed on Thursday morning following Israeli bombardment of the towns of Mansouri and Meidoun in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that the two citizens were martyred as a result of two Israeli airstrikes on Mansouri and Meidoun.

Despite the implementation of a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon on November 27, 2024, Israel has committed thousands of violations, leaving hundreds of martyrs and wounded.

“Real men go to Tehran” — The Zion-Con fantasy of regime change in Iran

By Junaid S. Ahmad | MEMO | January 16, 2026

“Anyone can go to Baghdad. Real men go to Tehran.”

It is difficult to imagine a sentence that more perfectly distils the arrested adolescence of American neoconservatism. Equal parts locker-room bravado and imperial hallucination, the phrase belongs to the same intellectual ecosystem as Rambo sequels, Tom Clancy paperbacks, and the enduring belief that history naturally submits to men armed with air superiority and a television-ready talking point.

The slogan has circulated for decades among Washington’s most aggressively incurious minds. Iraq was merely the appetizer. Tehran was always the entrée — the Everest of regime change, the final boss in a video game played by men who have never once paid the price of defeat.

Iran is not different merely because of its size, its population, or its terrain — though the Zagros Mountains are far less forgiving than the streets of Fallujah. Iran is different because it has refused, stubbornly and at enormous cost, to internalise the post–Cold War catechism: accept American primacy, subcontract your sovereignty, and call the arrangement “integration into the international order.”

For the ‘Zion-Cons’ — Zionist neoconservatives — this refusal is not simply strategic defiance. It is psychological heresy. … continue

South Korean court sentences former president Yoon to five years in prison over martial law bid

Press TV – January 16, 2026

A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison in the first of several trials stemming from his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024.

On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court handed down a five-year term after finding Yoon guilty of obstructing justice, including ordering Presidential Security Service agents to block authorities from arresting him following his impeachment, as well as fabricating official documents and bypassing required legal procedures for imposing martial law, such as convening a full cabinet meeting.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun stated that Yoon had abused his authority and showed no remorse, repeating only “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” … continue

Why are EU leaders suddenly being nice to Russia?

By Tarik Cyril Amar | RT | January 16, 2026

Sometimes a surprising statement made almost in passing on a minor occasion can pack a lot of political oomph. And sometimes, it’s just a slip and won’t tell you much about either the present or the future. But how do you know?

That is the challenge posed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent – and very unusual – talk about a “compromise”  (“Ausgleich” in German) with Russia, which, he also stressed, is “a European country,” indeed “our greatest European neighbor.” … continue

France Escalates Warmongering by Expanding Intelligence Support for Ukraine

Sputnik – 16.01.2026

While last year, Ukraine was overwhelmingly dependent on American intelligence, today “two-thirds of those capabilities are provided by France,” revealed French President Emmanuel Macron speaking to BFMTV.

France has readily stepped in to make sure the West’s proxy war doesn’t lose steam — even if the US hesitates.

Last November, reports indicated that US officials had warned the Zelensky regime that intelligence support could be halted if Ukraine rejected Donald Trump’s proposed peace framework.

While Western leaders talk relentlessly about “peace,” in reality France and its allies in the so-called Coalition of the Willing are doubling down on escalation, doing everything to keep the conflict kept alive.

In the event of a ceasefire, Europe’s hawks are planning ‘military hubs’ in Ukraine – even though Russia has repeatedly emphasized any NATO troop presence there is unacceptable and would be viewed as a direct threat.

UK urges Western Europe to arm Ukraine instead of talk to Russia

RT | January 16, 2026

Western Europe must increase support for Ukraine rather than restart direct talks with Russia, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Politico on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have previously argued it is time to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They are reportedly concerned EU interests will be sidelined in US-mediated Ukraine peace talks and are pushing to create a special diplomatic envoy role for the bloc to engage Russia.

In the interview, Cooper said she sees no sign that “Putin actually wants peace” and urged more weapons for Ukraine and continued sanctions on Russia. Western Europe must “put increased pressure, economic pressure, and also through the military support to Ukraine, that military pressure on Russia as well,” she added.

Russian officials have accused the UK of prolonging the Ukraine conflict for its own geopolitical aims. … Full article

Attacks in the Black Sea aim to destabilize relations between Russia and the Turkic world

By Lucas Leiroz | Strategic Culture Foundation | January 16, 2026

The recent indirect offensive against vessels and assets belonging to Russia’s partner countries in the Black Sea reveals a strategy that goes far beyond the immediate military dimension of the Ukrainian conflict. The January 14 attack on a Kazakh oil tanker by Ukrainian drones must be analyzed within a broader context: a Western attempt to sabotage the historical, economic, and political relations between Moscow and the Turkic world.

The vessel that was struck was operating on behalf of KazMunayGas, transporting oil from the Russian port of Novorossiysk as part of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). This is a strategic route not only for Kazakhstan, but also for regional energy stability. The attack caused immediate concern, but what drew even more attention was the rapid mobilization of disinformation campaigns linked to Kiev, which sought to place the blame on Russia even before any investigation had been concluded.

This pattern has already become recurrent. After the incident, Russian authorities carried out technical investigations and presented visual evidence indicating that the drones originated from areas controlled by Ukraine. In light of this, the silence of the Ukrainian government was telling. Even so, the initial unease had already been done, fueled by rumors and fabricated narratives that circulated widely on social networks and in the international media.

The case of the Kazakh oil tanker is not an isolated one. … continue

Venezuela Has Right to Have Relations With China, Russia, Cuba, Iran – Acting President

Sputnik – 16.01.2026

Venezuela has the right to relations with all countries of the world, including China, Russia, Cuba, and Iran, and will exercise this right in compliance with international norms, Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday.

Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the country’s energy dialogue with the United States is not new, but stressed that it is now taking place amid “aggression and a fierce threat.”

“Venezuela has the right to relations with China, with Russia, with Cuba, with Iran — with all the peoples of the world,” Rodríguez said while presenting the government’s 2025 annual report.

She said Caracas is shaping energy cooperation based on “decency, dignity and independence,” rejecting both internal and external constraints aimed at influencing Venezuela’s foreign policy.

‘Israel’ Urged US to Delay Iran Attack over Fears Its Missile Defense is Overstretched: Report

Al-Manar | January 16, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged US President Donald Trump to delay a planned strike on Iran in part out of concern that Israeli missile defense systems were overstretched, CNN reported overnight Thursday.

According to the report, Israeli officials warned that the Zionist entity’s air defense systems had been used extensively during last year’s war on Iran and that ‘Israel’ did not believe the Iranian regime would collapse quickly without a prolonged military campaign.

That assessment was one of several factors that led Trump to postpone an attack that many in ‘Israel’ and abroad had expected to take place between Wednesday and Thursday night. […]

Military analyst Ben-Yishai wrote that from the Israeli perspective, the timing was unfavorable. Officials in the Zionist entity, as well as in other Middle Eastern capitals, “feared that an attack might fail to topple the regime while exacting a heavy price on Israel’s home front and imposing enormous economic and security costs from another prolonged confrontation with Iran — one for which Israel was not fully prepared.” … Full article

US Sending Troops to Middle East Over Trump’s Threats Against Iran – Reports

Sputnik – 16.01.2026

WASHINGTON – The United States is sending troops to the Middle East over the consideration of potential strikes on Iran by President Donald Trump, Fox News reported on Thursday, citing military sources.

At least one US aircraft carrier is moving toward the region amid the growing tensions, the report said.

“US military assets are preparing to move to the Middle East, likely to include at least one aircraft carrier and additional missile defense systems that will operate from air, land and sea,” Fox News’ Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin said on air.

However, it is unknown whether it is USS Abraham Lincoln, which is currently operating in the South China Sea, or one of the two carriers that left US bases earlier this week, the report added.

President Donald Trump has been presented with military options and favors any action being “swift and decisive,” while avoiding a wider regional war, according to the report.

Iranian state media, cited by Fox News, issued a warning to Washington: “You hit. We hit.”

The anti-Iran human rights bazaar

By Karim Sharara | Al Mayadeen | January 16, 2026

Mainstream media’s reliance on US-funded “Iranian human rights” NGOs reveals a recycled regime-change pipeline, where anonymous activists are used with opaque finances to treat propaganda like facts.

“2,000 protesters killed, activists say.”

My, my, it seems anonymous activists are really all the rage in Western media, with this headline being parroted (in multiple forms, no doubt). Because if it’s in The GuardianBBC, and CNN, among others, it has to be “true”, particularly when it’s Iran they’re talking about.

But really, journalistic integrity is about citing sources, and if these “unbiased”, “professional”, and “objective” outlets are good at anything, it’s choosing the proper organizations to cite, which are in no way affiliated with suspect sources.

After all, it’s not suspect if it’s the CIA or the US federal government, right? … continue

New Study: Species Extinction Rates Declining Since 1980 – ‘Climate Change Is Not An Important Threat’

By Kenneth Richard | No Tricks Zone | January 15, 2026

… a 2025 study published in The Royal Society finds (a) “climate change is not an important threat to biodiversity,” (b) species-level extinction rates “peaked many decades ago,” and (c) there has been no significant increase in climate-related extinctions in the last 200 years.

Ongoing habitat loss and the introduction of invasive species (primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries) on islands remain the two most predominant extinction threats in recent centuries. The authors express surprise that the threat from climate change (surface air temperature warming) has remained insignificant throughout the modern era.

“Extinctions from invasive species and (surprisingly) climate change did not change significantly over time.”

“[P]ast extinctions strongly suggest that climate change is not an important threat to biodiversity.”

“[T]hese past extinctions do not show biodiversity loss as rapidly accelerating, but instead show extinction rates that generally peaked many decades ago, and that declined in some important groups (arthropods, plants).”

“Most groups showed declining extinction rates after peaking in the 1980s.”

Full article

Climate alarmism’s credibility sinks under weight of ecological evidence

By Vijay Jayaraj | BPR | January 10, 2026

The house of cards built on computer models and manipulated emotions is collapsing under the weight of a stubborn, inconvenient reality. The “climate emergency” exists only in the frantic press releases of a movement that knows its time is up.

For decades, activists have anchored their case in dramatic warnings about species extinction, melting ice caps and the end of polar life, failing ecosystems and vanishing biodiversity.

The goal was always the same: spread fear, drive policy, accumulate power, and if sufficiently clever or corrupt, make money. But what is the actual evidence telling us now?

Some of the world’s largest nations have actually expanded their forest area significantly, even as alarmists predicted ecological disaster. Between 2015 and 2025, China added approximately 4 million acres of forest. In the same period, Russia gained more than 2 million acres and India gained nearly a half million. The list goes on. Turkey added almost 300,000 acres. Australia, France, South Africa, and Canada all posted significant increases.

Perhaps the starkest example of failing prediction is the so-called extinction of species. For 20 years, images of healthy polar bears on melting summer ice were used to manipulate emotions. Yet, reports from 2025 show that bear populations are stable and even booming compared to the 1950s. Bears have not declined in numbers over the past 10 to 15 years, and populations demonstrate resilience even as summer sea ice oscillates. … continue

Congratulations On Your Diagnosis

A welcome letter

By Dr. Roger McFillin | Radically Genuine | January 12, 2026

Dear Valued Patient,

Welcome.

We’re so pleased you found us. Or rather, that we found you, though you may not remember exactly how it happened. Perhaps you mentioned sadness that lasted more than two weeks. Perhaps you admitted to worry. Perhaps a teacher noticed your child had too much energy, or not enough, or the wrong kind at the wrong time. No matter. You’re here now. That’s what counts.

First, let us assure you: this is not your fault. You have a condition. A real, medical condition, confirmed by a checklist, validated by a billing code, and now officially part of your permanent record. You’re not weak. You’re not broken. You’re sick. Doesn’t that feel better already?

We know you may have once believed that your suffering had meaning. That grief was love’s receipt. That anxiety was wisdom trying to speak. That your child’s wildness was life itself looking for room to move. We’ve heard all of this before. We’ve noted it in your file. It falls under “Resistance to Treatment” and “Poor Insight,” both of which, interestingly, are also symptoms. But here’s what science has discovered: feelings that persist are symptoms. Experiences that disrupt are disorders. And the body’s ancient signaling system, the one that kept your ancestors alive long enough to produce you? A chemical error. Fortunately, we now have chemicals to fix the chemicals. You’re welcome. … continue

Researchers Find Residual DNA, Not Detected by Standard Tests, in mRNA COVID Vaccines

By Brenda Baletti, Ph.D. | The Defender | January 12, 2026

A new laboratory analysis of commercially available mRNA COVID-19 vaccines found that residual DNA fragments — including sequences linked to the spike protein gene — remain in the final vaccine products.

According to the researchers, the DNA fragments exist in forms that standard regulatory testing methods don’t typically detect.

The researchers concluded that commonly used quality-control tests can underestimate total residual DNA by more than 100-fold, because the tests fail to detect DNA bound in RNA:DNA hybrid structures.

The study, published in a preprint authored by Kevin McKernanCharles Rixey and Jessica Rose, Ph.D., examined unopened, “cold-chain compliant” Pfizer and Moderna vaccine vials using multiple analytical techniques.

Brian Hooker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer for Children’s Health Defense, which partially funded the research, told The Defender that having this type of genetic code in the vaccines’ lipid nanoparticles, which can easily cross cell membranes, is “dangerous indeed.”

When the vaccines were designed, the code for the spike protein was meant to express itself in the body in a targeted location for only about two weeks, Hooker said.

“However, this exogenous DNA can more easily disperse through the body and continue to both replicate and express episomally, making humans into genetically modified spike protein production factories,” Hooker said.

Hooker said the study may help explain some widespread clinical findings, “given that some vaccinated patients have been reported to continue to produce spike protein for periods as long as two years following their last COVID shot. This doesn’t even include the insertional effects that this additional exogenous DNA may have, leading to many different disorders, including cancer.” … continue

WHO VigiAccess Lists 5.8 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Event Reports

World Health Organization data show system-wide adverse event reports spanning neurological, cardiac, immune, gastrointestinal, and reproductive categories.

By Jon Fleetwood | January 12, 2026

The World Health Organization’s VigiAccess pharmacovigilance database currently lists 5,811,685 individual adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports associated with COVID-19 vaccines as an active ingredient.

A Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare/HHS study confirms fewer than 1% of vaccine adverse events are reported, meaning the number could be closer to half a billion.

These reports are submitted by national drug regulators worldwide and categorized by affected body system.

Below is the full numerical breakdown exactly as listed in the database. … continue

Scott Ritter says he was ‘de-banked’

RT | January 15, 2026

Scott Ritter, a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, RT contributor and critic of American foreign policy, has said he has been “de-banked” and that US federal authorities are likely behind his bank’s decision.

Ritter served as a UN weapons inspector in Iraq in the 1990s. He opposed the 2003 US invasion, arguing that Saddam Hussein’s government did not possess weapons of mass destruction, contrary to Washington’s now-debunked claims. He later became an independent journalist and political commentator and has cooperated with international media, including RT.

On Thursday, Ritter wrote on his website that “today my banking institution of 26 years, Citizens Bank, declared that they were ending their banking relationship with me.”

“My accounts were zeroed out without explanation,” he added.

Ritter said the move may have been a unilateral de-risking decision by Citizens Bank, but that it “does not preclude federal involvement.”

He noted that the “Northern District of New York empaneled a Grand Jury targeting me back in August 2024,” on suspicion of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. He believes federal authorities had obtained all his banking information through Grand Jury subpoenas. … continue

Neither Russia, Nor China Ever Announced Aggressive Plans to ‘Capture’ Greenland – Moscow

Sputnik – 15.01.2026

MOSCOW – Neither Russia, nor China have ever announced any aggressive plans to “capture” Greenland, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

“Neither Russia, nor China announced any such plans [claims to capture Greenland]. There is no factual information that could support such an accusation in any way… At the same time, both Russia and, by the way, China have recently said that they want to develop this region, I mean to develop relations with this region of the world,” Zakharova told a briefing, answering a question about statements by US President Donald Trump about the intention to establish control over Greenland to protect it from Moscow and Beijing.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland should become part of the US, citing its strategic importance for national security and the defense of the “free world,” including from China and Russia. Denmark and Greenland’s authorities warned the US against seizing the island, noting that they expect respect for their shared territorial integrity.

Colonizer Attacks Escalate Across the Occupied West Bank

IMEMC | January 15, 2026

Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers carried out multiple attacks across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, targeting education staff, agricultural land, and residential areas in Tubas in the northeastern West Bank and Ramallah in the central West Bank.

Local officials warned that the incidents reflect a continuing rise in organized colonizer violence carried out under the protection of Israeli forces.

In Tubas, a group of Israeli colonizers assaulted two employees from the Directorate of Education.

Director Azmi Balawna said the attackers targeted the school services officer at Ibziq School and the directorate’s driver, smashing the windows of the official vehicle.

Ibziq School has faced repeated colonizer attacks, creating fear among students and staff and disrupting its ability to operate safely.

Also in Tubas, Israeli colonizers invaded Palestinian lands and uprooted several fruit‑bearing olive trees in the Khirbet Yarza area. … Full article

Palestinians detained, one injured in Israeli raids in West Bank

Palestinian Information Center – January 15, 2026

WEST BANK – Dozens of Palestinian citizens were detained or kidnaped and one was injured when the Israeli occupation forces stormed different areas of the West Bank last night and on Thursday morning.

According to local sources, clashes broke out between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces in the town of Teqoa southeast of Bethlehem, Qalqilya City, and the town of Idhna west of al-Khalil.

One citizen was reportedly injured in his leg when Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition at citizens in an-Naqqar neighborhood in Qalqilya. […]

PPS said that at least 80 citizens were detained or kidnaped during the campaign, which involved interrogations and different abuses. – Full article

Daily Gaza toll: Two martyred, five injured as victims remain trapped

Al Mayadeen | January 15, 2026

At least two Palestinians were martyred, and five others were injured in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours amid the ongoing Israeli aggression, local health authorities reported. Medical teams said that several victims remain trapped under rubble and on the streets, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them so far. […]

The continued killing of Palestinians comes as the United States unveils the second phase of its 20-point plan to end the Israeli war on Gaza, shifting focus from ceasefire maintenance to the demilitarization of the territory, technocratic governance, and reconstruction. … Full article

Leaked files tie Epstein to Israel-UAE backchannel and possible kompromat

MEMO | January 15, 2026

The notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, widely believed to be an Israeli intelligence asset, played a behind-the-scenes role in nurturing the secret relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) years before the 2020 Abraham Accords, newly leaked communications reveal.

The revelations emerge from newly obtained material published by Drop Site News as part of an ongoing investigation into Epstein’s political and intelligence connections. The documents, spanning more than a decade, shed light on Epstein’s long-standing friendship with Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the powerful head of the UAE’s DP World, and suggest that Epstein used his connections to promote Israeli commercial, military and surveillance technology in Emirati‑controlled logistics hubs.

Leaked emails show that Epstein not only facilitated strategic ties between Israel and the UAE, but also operated in a context ripe for the gathering or circulation of compromising material—so-called kompromat—on powerful elites. In one exchange, Sulayem joked about wanting “some PUSSYNESS” rather than “BUSINESS” in reference to a mutual female contact. Epstein responded approvingly: “praise Allah, there are still people like you.”

Epstein, who was later found to have registered a neighbouring private island in Sulayem’s name, also forwarded sexually explicit material from a separate scandal involving a Liberian official to JPMorgan executive Jes Staley—further showing his role in distributing content of a compromising nature among political and financial elites. … continue

Washington deploys aircraft carrier to West Asia as Iran tensions simmer

The Cradle | January 15, 2026

Washington has redirected its aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, from the South China Sea toward West Asia, multiple media reports have confirmed – coinciding with growing tensions between Iran and the US.

The transit across the Indian Ocean to the Arabian Sea is expected to take around a week, with the aircraft carrier set to arrive at its destination by late January.

The carrier is accompanied by three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers – USS Spruance, USS Michael Murphy, and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr, according to Defense Security Asia.

“You don’t reposition an entire carrier group from the Pacific for a symbolic one-night strike. The Lincoln’s deployment signals Washington is preparing for something prolonged, not just a message,” a defense official is cited as telling the media in a briefing.

This redeployment comes at a time when no US aircraft carriers were previously positioned in West Asia or Europe, after the Gerald R. Ford carrier group was sent to the Caribbean last year as part of a pressure campaign against Venezuela, limiting immediate carrier assets near Iran.

The development also came hours after it was reported that Iran had temporarily closed its airspace, and coincided with reports of heavy fighter jet activity over Iraqi territory – prompting speculation that a US attack on the Islamic Republic was about to begin. … Full article

Alleged Ukrainian plot to influence Hungarian elections claims postal vote fraud and even a false flag attack

Remix News | January 14, 2026

A report from the Serbian website Vaseljenska has published two leaked documents, purportedly from the Security Service of Ukraine (SZBU), detailing a high-stakes plan to manipulate the upcoming Hungarian elections in favor of the Tisza Party.

According to the report, the Zelensky government established a “Special Working Group for Hungarian parliamentary elections” as early as September 2025 to ensure a victory for the opposition at any cost.

Notably, Hungarians living abroad can vote in Hungary’s national elections, and among those voters are ethnic Hungarians who live in Western Ukraine. This group may play a key role in the upcoming national elections. … continue

UK to list 65-year-olds as reservists amid Russia threat claims – Telegraph

RT | January 15, 2026

The UK government is preparing to expand the call-up age for reservists to ready the army for a potential war with Russia, The Telegraph reported on Thursday, citing sources.

According to the newspaper, the plan would raise the maximum age at which retired soldiers can be recalled from 55 to 65. Veterans would form part of a strategic reserve that could be mobilized to support regular forces.

The proposed reform would also change the conditions under which retired personnel can be summoned back to service. Current rules allow call-ups only in cases of “national danger, great emergency or attack,” but the new framework would lower the threshold to “warlike preparations.”

The measures are reportedly part of a new armed forces bill due to be introduced in Parliament. They are expected to expand the pool of service personnel by tens of thousands. … Full article

When Miscalculation Becomes the Greatest Threat

By Alice Johnson | The Libertarian Institute | January 15, 2026

Wars don’t usually start with someone deciding to unleash chaos. They start with confidence—a belief that risks are manageable, responses predictable, consequences containable. History tells a different story. The most destructive conflicts emerge not from clear intent but from quiet assurance that this time will be different.

Today’s danger isn’t a conscious rush toward war. It’s the growing faith in strategic assumptions that underestimate how quickly force escapes control. Policymakers convince themselves escalation can be calibrated, that pressure can be applied without triggering retaliation, that deterrence will function exactly as planned.

These assumptions are comforting. Lethal too. … continue

Australia to fund Philippine military bases near Taiwan in 2026

Al Mayadeen | January 15, 2026

Australia will begin funding infrastructure development at five Philippine military bases on Luzon Island, near Taiwan and the South China Sea, starting in 2026, a spokesperson for the Australian Department of Defense told ABC on Thursday. “Work on this defence infrastructure will commence in 2026, and will be consistent with Philippine sovereignty and ownership,” the spokesperson said.

The Australian government has “identified opportunities to develop military facilities at five locations” on Luzon, the largest and northernmost island in the Philippines. The bases are positioned close to two of the region’s most sensitive flashpoints, Taiwan and the South China Sea, where tensions have intensified in recent years.

The announcement comes as part of a broader effort to strengthen Australia–Philippines defense cooperation. A new agreement on expanded military ties between the two countries is expected to be signed soon, according to ABC.

“Australia is committed to strengthening our defence relationship with the Philippines and supporting the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including defence infrastructure, in areas such as logistics, training, and fire safety,” the spokesperson added.

The five bases selected for development on Luzon are strategically located near key maritime routes and contested waters, underlining the importance of the Philippines in regional defense planning. The cooperation with Australia adds to a growing list of international military collaborations involving Manila.

The funding initiative follows several recent moves by Canberra to expand its regional defense footprint. In October 2025, Australia signed a mutual defense treaty with Papua New Guinea. A month later, it concluded a reciprocal access agreement with Indonesia, establishing provisions for joint military responses in case of an attack on either country. … Full article

Australia’s New Hate Speech Bill Is Reckless, Contradictory, and Repressive

Australia’s hate law rewrites justice into a guessing game where imagined offense can cost you five years of your life

By Christina Maas | Reclaim The Net | January 13, 2026

On January 12, Australia’s Attorney-General Michelle Rowland stepped to the podium and announced what she called “the toughest hate laws Australia has ever seen.”

The government plans to push its Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026 through Parliament on January 20, turning Australia’s speech laws into something that reads more like a psychological test than a criminal code. […]

This legislation normalizes the management of thought through regulation. The state positions itself as the final arbiter of acceptable speech, using fear as both the metric and the motive. … Read full article

Lucy Connolly Warned Over Joke on X

By Cindy Harper | Reclaim The Net | January 15, 2026

Lucy Connolly, a 42-year-old former childcarer who served more than a year in prison for a social media post, says she has been warned she could be sent back to jail over her recent online activity.

She revealed on the Dan Wootton Outspoken show that probation officials have issued her a “warning letter” accusing her of “not good behavior” for posts they considered inappropriate under the terms of her release.

“I generally don’t know what is okay by their standards to say and what is not,” Connolly said. “I’ve been pulled up for several things last week with a warning letter, which is telling me that [the posts] are not of good behavior. And none of which I’m in agreeance with.”

The incident centers on a reposted comment on X that jokingly referred to President Donald Trump “taking” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the same way the United States targeted Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

Connolly said the remark was clearly “tongue-in-cheek” but that someone reported it to probation as “inciting violence.” … Full article

Dutch Starmer critic barred from UK

RT | January 15, 2026

Dutch political commentator and activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek (Vlaar) has been banned from entering the UK after criticizing Prime Minister Keir Starmer for neglecting migrant crime.

Vlaar, with over 2 million followers on X and Instagram, is a former right-wing Forum voor Democratie (FvD) politician who has built an international audience criticizing mass migration and European policies.

On Wednesday, Vlaar announced she had received official notice that her UK ETA – a pre-travel entry clearance for visa-exempt foreigners – had been revoked. The notice stated her presence in the UK is not “conducive to the public good” and that the decision could not be appealed.

The ban followed a post criticizing Starmer’s claim that Britain’s social media crackdown, including on X, was about “women’s safety.” She called Starmer “an evil, despicable man” for ignoring “the ongoing rape and killing of British girls by migrant rape gangs,” referencing the UK grooming gangs scandal. The scandal, involving groups of men of mostly foreign origin sexually exploiting children, first drew attention in the early 2010s, but Starmer’s government only launched a formal probe in mid-2025, after a private inquiry by MP Rupert Lowe. […]

The ban comes amid controversy over Britain’s hate speech and online safety laws, which critics say target political dissent and social commentary that challenges government policies rather than harmful content. Vlaar’s case adds to a growing list of high-profile figures denied entry on public good grounds, including French novelist Renaud Camus and South African opposition leader Julius Malema. Vlaar later wrote on Instagram that her travel ban “indisputably proves the UK is no longer a free country.” – Full article

Report: Kurdish Fighters Have Been Entering Iran From Iraq and Clashing With the IRGC

By Dave DeCamp | The Libertarian Institute | January 14, 2026

Turkish intelligence has warned Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that Kurdish fighters have been entering Iran from Iraq amid protests inside Iran, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

An unnamed senior Iranian official speaking to the outlet said that the IRGC has been clashing with armed Kurdish fighters dispatched from both Iraq and Turkey. The Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, a Kurdish Iranian separatist group mainly based in Iraq, has been claiming that its armed wing has been conducting operations against Iranian forces.

On Tuesday, the PAK claimed its forces launched an attack on an IRGC base in western Iran. The Reuters report and claims of Kurdish attacks come as Tehran is accusing the US and Israel of arming “terorrists” inside Iran who have attacked Iranian security forces.

The US has a significant presence in Iraqi Kurdistan, including a military base and an $800 million consulate compound that it opened in December. … continue

Trump’s Options in Iran Limited By Military Buildup in Latin America

By Kyle Anzalone | The Libertarian Institute | January 14, 2026

President Donald Trump has a more limited range of options for attacking Iran now than he did in June. The US has moved military assets out of the Middle East in recent months, including moving an aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean.

Since the US and Israel’s war against Iran last year, the US has moved two aircraft carrier strike groups out of the Middle East. The USS Nimitz is now at a US port, and the USS Ronald Regan is in Latin America.

An advanced American air defense system that was deployed to the Middle East in June is now back in East Asia. Politico notes, “The Trump administration also has been eating away at dwindling US weapons stockpiles with the fast pace of military operations in the Red Sea, Iran and Venezuela.”

Trump has made several pledges to back Iranian protesters and attack Iran. The lack of available military resources in the region could limit Trump’s operations for attacking Iran, although the US still maintains the capability to strike the Islamic Republic.

Over the past decade, the pace of US military interventions has spread across the globe. Under President Joe Biden, the US flooded weapons to Ukraine and Israel. President Donald Trump has bombed seven countries. Additionally, the US used a significant portion of its arsenal of interceptors to defend Israel from Iranian retaliation in June.

Why Washington will take Greenland

By Timofey Bordachev | RT | January 14, 2026

American political culture is drifting openly toward the annexation of Greenland. This may sound surreal to European ears, but it is not an exotic idea in Washington. It follows a logic that is deeply rooted in how the US historically became a great power and how it still proves its strength today.

The United States rose through territorial expansion at the expense of weaker neighbors. It seized land from those who could not defend it. There is no serious reason to assume that this instinct has disappeared. The only reliable guarantee of borders is the ability to fight for them. And history shows something very simple: the US does not attack those who can resist.

Modern world politics suggests that Western Europe is no longer among those who can resist.

That is why, from Washington’s point of view, the real question is not whether Greenland will eventually be absorbed into direct American control, but when. Western European states, and Denmark specifically, are among the least dangerous targets imaginable. They are harmless not only militarily, but psychologically: they are unlikely to respond in any serious way. … conrinue

Villains of Judea: Paul Singer’s Empire of Debt & Demographic Replacement

Paul Singer is the embodiment of Jewish plutocracy

José Niño Unfiltered | January 12, 2026

Paul Elliott Singer stands as one of the most influential figures in global finance. The Jewish billionaire hedge fund manager has amassed a fortune estimated at $6.2 billion to $6.7 billion by purchasing distressed sovereign debt and corporate bonds at deep discounts, then pursuing ruthless legal campaigns to extract full repayment plus interest.

Born August 22, 1944, in Teaneck, New Jersey, Singer transformed a $1.3 million startup in 1977 into Elliott Management, a hedge fund empire managing approximately $65.5 billion to $72 billion in assets.

Yet Singer does more than just make financial moves. He has emerged as a kingmaker in Republican politics, becoming the second-largest GOP donor in 2016, and a major force behind AIPAC, immigration reform, and LGBT rights advocacy. His business model has devastated entire communities from Sidney, Nebraska, to Buenos Aires, Argentina. His political activism spans seemingly contradictory causes, supporting both hawkish pro-Israel policies and same-sex marriage rights. His most recent venture, the $5.9 billion purchase of Venezuela’s Citgo assets, positions him to reap billions from the Trump administration’s military intervention in Venezuela. … continue

Iran FM warns Trump against Israeli push to drag US into war on its behalf

Press TV – January 14, 2026

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has issued a warning to US President Donald Trump, urging him to resist long-standing Israeli efforts to manipulate the United States into direct military conflict with Iran.

In an X post on Wednesday, Araghchi highlighted a historic pattern of behavior by the Zionist regime, which has consistently sought to achieve its regional objectives through American blood.

Araghchi noted a shift in the transparency of these efforts, saying that while Israel has “always sought to drag the US into fighting wars on its behalf,” the regime is now “saying the quiet part out loud.”

The minister pointed to recent admissions by Israeli figures regarding the orchestration of internal instability within Iran.

He specifically cited reports that the Israeli regime has played a direct role in militarizing riots, leading to significant loss of life.

“With blood on our streets, Israel is explicitly gloating about having ‘armed protesters with live weapons’ and [claiming] ‘this is the reason for the hundreds of dead,'” Araghchi said.

He was specifically referring to a Tuesday tweet by senior Israeli journalist Tamir Morag, in which he suggested that Israel and the US have been arming the rioters.

“We reported tonight on [Israel’s] Channel 14: foreign actors are arming the protesters in Iran with live firearms, which is the reason for the hundreds of regime personnel killed.”

The minister said these admissions expose the true source of the violence that has recently affected Iran. … Full article

Militant Zionist Group Ceasing Operations In New York Following Settlement with Attorney General

Betar U.S. has deemed it cannot continue to operate if it is unable to engage in terroristic tactics

blueapples on X | January 14, 2026

By virtue of its standing as the global center of the Jewish diaspora, New York City emerged as the main battleground in the United States for the fight between American Zionists and their opponents amid the deterioration of public support for Israel accelerated by its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

While critics of the State of Israel participating in widespread protests across the city have been branded as Jihadists by their opponents for protesting against the slaughter of innocent Palestinians at the blood-stained hands of the Israel Defense Forces (”IDF”), it is a pro-Israel group that has been exposed for engaging in a campaign of terrorism in the latest fallout from that ideological conflict.

Betar U.S., the American chapter of an international militant organization created by the founder of the Zionist paramilitary the Irgun, has chosen to cease its operations in New York following a settlement with the office of the state’s attorney general after an investigation uncovered systemic campaigns of harassment, intimidation, and political violence led by the group.

In the wake of political unrest across the U.S. beginning in 2024 centered around protests against Israel on the campus of Columbia University, Betar U.S. engaged in organized harassment campaigns of pro-Palestinian protesters and activists, culminating in an investigation against them. … Full article

The Gaza ceasefire’s Phase 2 only exists in the media and at UN meetings

Al Mayadeen | January 14, 2026

Robert Inlakesh argues that Gaza’s so-called Phase 2 ceasefire exists only in headlines and UN chambers, while on the ground it has stalled into a US-Israeli regime-change project that risks renewed war. … Read article

We must act before Palestinian hostages are executed in the world’s worst prisons

By Adnan Hmidan | MEMO | January 14, 2026

Warnings are no longer enough. Condemnation alone no longer carries any weight. We are standing at a moment that will be remembered, not for what was said, but for what was done. Today, in Israeli prisons, Palestinians are not simply being detained. They are being pushed, step by step, towards a reality where death itself is written into law, where execution is no longer a crime but a procedure, no longer an exception but a policy.

This is no longer just about harsh detention conditions or even about the routine violation of prisoners’ rights. The danger now runs deeper. What is unfolding is a systematic attempt to reshape justice to fit the needs of occupation, to turn trials into formalities before punishment and to reduce the law to a tool of retaliation rather than protection. New legislation, exceptional legal routes and an openly hostile political discourse now speak of execution not with embarrassment but with confidence, pride even. In such a climate, every legal fig leaf has fallen away and every moral mask has been removed.

Human rights organisations across the world have issued clear warnings about this direction, especially the push to establish “special” courts for Palestinians alone. These courts do not merely breach the principle of equality before the law; they destroy the very idea of justice. They operate outside internationally recognised standards and function in a space dominated by security priorities rather than judicial independence. When a person stands before a court designed especially and exclusively for him or her, not to offer fairness, but to ensure conviction, justice ceases to exist. It is a performance where the ending is known before the first word is spoken. … continue

UN peacekeepers send ‘stop fire request’ to Israeli army after shells hit position in southern Lebanon

MEMO | January 14, 2026

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Tuesday that it sent a “stop fire request” to the Israeli army after two illuminating flare mortar rounds struck the helipad and main gate of a UN position in the country’s south, Anadolu Agency reports.

“Last night, two possible illuminating flare mortar rounds hit the helipad and main gate of a UN position southwest of Yaroun,” the mission said in a statement.

It added that peacekeepers immediately took shelter and no injuries were reported.

UNIFIL reiterated its call on the Israeli army “to ensure the safety of peacekeepers and to cease activities that endanger them and their positions.”

It stressed that any actions putting peacekeepers at risk “are serious violations of Security Council resolution 1701, and undermine the stability we are working to achieve.” … Full article

Israel–Syria security pact stumbles as Tel Aviv rejects withdrawal: Report

The Cradle | January 14, 2026

Israel has refused any withdrawal from Mount Hermon and the other areas of Syria it occupied after the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s government, while rejecting Russian patrols in the country’s south and demanding that Damascus be prohibited from ever possessing air defenses, Hebrew media revealed.

“The Israeli position is clear and non-negotiable: there will be no withdrawal from Mount Hermon,” an Israeli official was cited as saying by Hebrew newspaper Maariv on 14 January.

According to the report, talks are stalling due to Damascus’s demand that a security agreement with Tel Aviv be linked to a withdrawal of Israeli army forces from Syria.

The Israeli report added that Tel Aviv is concerned with a Syrian attempt to re-establish a Russian military presence in southern Syria. Israel considers this move a direct threat to its “freedom of action,” Maariv claimed.

The source told the newspaper that Israel is obstructing plans to deploy Russian forces in southern Syria, and that Tel Aviv has conveyed to Damascus, Moscow, and Washington that it will not allow a Russian presence. … continue

Personnel advised to leave Al Udeid Base in Qatar in ‘posture change’

Al Mayadeen | January 14, 2026

Personnel at the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar have been advised to leave by Wednesday evening, three diplomats told Reuters, as Washington issues warnings that it could interfere in Iran.

The US embassy in Doha had no immediate comment, while Qatar’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to Reuters’ request for confirmation. One diplomat emphasized that the guidance reflects a “posture change and not an ordered evacuation,” adding that no specific reason for the change was provided.

Earlier, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran had warned regional countries it would target US military bases if Washington carried out an attack, following President Donald Trump’s threats of intervention in Iran. … Full article

Former Head of Israeli Military Intelligence: There’s a ‘very significant influence operation by the US’ in Iran

The Dissident | January 14, 2026

Recently, the Israeli newspaper Maariv interviewed the head of the Military Intelligence Directorat in Israel from 2018-2021, Tamir Hayman, who revealed that the United States currently has a “Significant Influence Operation” on the ground in Iran.

In the interview, Hayman said, “If the question is, is there zero operation right now? The answer is no, because there is already an operation. There is currently a very significant influence operation by the US” referring to the current unrest happening in Iran.

He added, “The sequence of news that is received from within Iran, rumors that are coming, videos that are coming, there are many things that are happening that have no explanation. It could be a coincidence, and it could be something else. Simply put, an influence effort is an effort that operates primarily in the cyber realm, and in the realm of local disruption and subversion, and there are some.”

Along with this, Tamir Hayman, acknowledged that U.S. sanctions were the cause of the economic issues that in Iran that sparked the initial protests in Iran which are apparently being exploited by American and Israeli intelligence, saying, “there is the attempt, as we heard tonight from Trump, that this is a path of negotiation with the Americans, that this is really the only thing that can save the Iranian economy, the lifting of sanctions”.

This comment comes at the same time that Tamir Morag, the Diplomatic Correspondent for the Netanyahu-linked Channel 14 in Israel, reported that “foreign actors are arming the protesters in Iran with live firearms, which is the reason for the hundreds of regime personnel killed.” … continue

China orders domestic firms to stop using US, Israeli cybersecurity software citing ‘national security concerns’

The Cradle | January 14, 2026

Chinese authorities instructed domestic companies to stop using certain US and Israeli cybersecurity software, citing national security concerns and the risk of sensitive data being transferred overseas, according to informed sources cited by Reuters on 14 January.

Chinese officials, speaking through the sources – who spoke in anonymity – said the notice was issued in recent days and targeted software produced by roughly a dozen foreign firms.

The move affects Chinese companies operating across multiple sectors, although Reuters said it could not determine how many received the directive.

Among the firms named were US companies Broadcom-owned VMware, Palo Alto Networks, and Fortinet, as well as Israeli firm Check Point Software Technologies, according to the sources. … Full article

US operation in Venezuela a ‘flagrant violation’ of international law – Lavrov

RT | January 14, 2026

The US attack on Venezuela earlier this month in which President Nicolas Maduro was abducted was a blatant violation of international law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference after meeting with Namibian Foreign Minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Lavrov stated that Moscow’s assessment of the US operation in Caracas remains unchanged. He added that the condemnation is shared by the overwhelming “global majority,” including the Global South and East.

”Only Western Europeans and other allies of Washington try to shamefully avoid the principled assessments, although everybody understands that we’re talking about a flagrant violation of international law,” the foreign minister said.

Speaking at the UN Security Council last week, Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia described Maduro’s abduction as “a cynical crime that cannot be justified.” Chinese envoy Sun Lei also condemned the US, saying the military intervention in Venezuela threatens peace and security in the region. … Full article

France ‘uneasy’ over German rearmament – Bloomberg

RT | January 14, 2026

France is growing increasingly concerned over Germany’s military buildup, fearing it will tilt the military and political balance in Europe and undermine its influence on the continent, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

According to the agency, France is “watching with both awe and unease” as Germany has embarked on a “historic” rearmament campaign, committing to spend more than €500 billion ($582 billion) on defense by 2029. For 2026 alone, the German military budget is expected to reach about $127 billion. Berlin has also eased borrowing limits, meaning that few other European countries would be able to match its buildup speed due to fiscal constraints.

While NATO has welcomed Germany’s plans, many in France have had more mixed feelings. While Paris has long urged Berlin to shoulder more of the defense burden, four French officials told Bloomberg that “there is a general unease about Germany’s growing military power and the political influence that comes with it.”

“France is in a fragile situation, and the fact that Germany is committing with such determination will of course create a dynamic that could leave us on the side of the road,” French lawmaker Francois-Xavier Bellamy told the agency.

Tensions have also surfaced in joint defense projects, with France feeling sidelined by Germany’s European Sky Shield Initiative for missile defense and by Berlin’s decision to buy US-made F-35 fighter jets rather than European-made aircraft, the article said. A joint European sixth-generation fighter program is also at risk due to longstanding disputes between French and German companies over production shares. … Full article

EU at odds over Ukraine loan terms – media

RT | January 14, 2026

EU nations are clashing over how Ukraine can spend the loan they greenlit to support its collapsing economy and war effort against Russia, Politico and The Telegraph reported on Tuesday, citing diplomats and policy papers circulated to member states.

Last month, the bloc agreed in principle to borrow €90 billion ($104 billion) against its common budget to finance Ukraine, after failing to agree to use frozen Russian assets for the purpose. The controversial proposal – which EU members Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic refused to join – earmarks two-thirds of the funds for weapons for Kiev, with the rest covering its budget gap.

The European Commission is set to formally present the loan terms on Wednesday, but reports claim the bloc has so far failed to agree on arms procurement. France is reportedly pushing to bar Ukraine from buying US weapons with the loan, insisting funds earmarked for arms be spent in the EU. Germany and the Netherlands argue it would hinder deliveries to Kiev.

“Germany does not support proposals to limit third-country procurement to certain products and is concerned this would impose excessive restrictions on Ukraine,” Berlin wrote in a paper sent to EU states. It suggested giving preferential treatment to manufacturers in countries providing the most financial aid, framing it as “rewarding strong bilateral support.” Berlin is Kiev’s second-largest donor after the US. … Full article

The Ukraine Snare Still Beckons

By Ted Galen Carpenter | The Libertarian Institute | January 14, 2026

Despite the widespread expectation that President Donald Trump would end Washington’s entanglement in NATO’s proxy war using Ukraine against Russia, it is increasingly evident that the fundamental features of U.S. policy remain unaltered. Trump personally has sent an array of mixed signals about his intentions. Although he has pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept the reality that Kiev must be willing to make territorial concessions to Moscow in any peace accord, he also has been receptive to Zelensky’s demand that Ukraine be given reliable “security guarantees” in such a settlement. Indeed, during the recent summit meeting between the two leaders, the main point of disagreement appeared to be that Zelensky wanted a commitment lasting fifty years, whereas Trump was prepared to offer only fifteen years.

Not only is Kiev insisting on a firm, detailed guarantee of protection, but also Ukraine’s European supporters in NATO are doing so. Worse, Trump seemed to sign onto a new 20-point “peace plan” being pushed by Zelensky and his European backers. Only Russia’s curt rejection of the scheme has so far prevented it from further consideration.

A potentially deadly snare lies in wait for the United States which our leaders must avoid at all costs. … continue

Italy and the drone that isn’t there

By Lorenzo Maria Pacini | Strategic Culture Foundation | January 14, 2026

Damn: it was all so well orchestrated that it seemed authentic. But no. The story of Russian drones flying over Italy – and in particular the Joint Research Center (JRC) in Ispra – has been revealed for what it was: a grotesque fabrication, devoid of any real basis. Sergio Barlocchetti had already written about the absurdity of it all, well in advance, in Dronezine Magazine (issue 66). Now comes the official confirmation: the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office has asked the investigating magistrate to close the investigation into serious allegations ranging from political and military espionage to terrorism and subversion.

To tell the truth, we Italians were never particularly impressed by this narrative of Russian ‘hybrid attacks’, with Moscow invading Europe inch by inch with drones that were never identified or shot down. But then the so-called Drone Zero entered the scene, the progenitor of all drones, naturally sent by Putin directly to Italy. In the spring, according to reconstructions, the powerful security system of the JRC in Ispra – apparently more vigilant than Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas – intercepted it repeatedly: nine times between March 20 and April 14 and thirteen times between April 16 and May 27. What was the purpose of its presence? According to the media and television news, the aircraft was spying with ill-concealed eagerness on both the European Union laboratories and Leonardo’s helicopter unit, the pride of the national military industry, located nearby. … continue

One Child, Three Others Injured in Ukrainian Attack on Russia’s Rostov-on-Don – Governor

Sputnik – 14.01.2026

At least four civilians, including a four-year-old child, were injured in the Russian southern city of Rostov-on-Don as a result of a Ukrainian air attack, the Rostov Region’s acting Governor Yury Slyusar said.

“As a result of the air strike, four residents of Rostov and the Myasnikovsky district were injured, including a four-year-old child… Medics assess the condition of the victims as moderate,” Slyusar wrote on Telegram.

In an earlier post, the acting governor said that multiple apartment buildings were damaged in Rostov-on-Don as a result of the Ukrainian attack. There was also a fire at one of the industrial facilities in the western part of the city.

In a later post on Wednesday, Slyusar said that two apartments were damaged in Rostov-on-Don as a result of the Ukrainian attack, while two private homes burnt down. The roof of another private house was damaged.

A total of ten districts of the Rostov Region came under attack overnight, Slyusar specified.