Hi there, !
Today Wed 05/28/2025 Tue 05/27/2025 Mon 05/26/2025 Sun 05/25/2025 Archives
Rantburg
557284 articles and 1923570 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 66 articles and 115 comments as of 4:09.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Opinion    Local News    Politix   
Somali forces launch an anti-Al-Shabaab offensive outside Aadan Yabaal
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 3: Non-WoT
1 18:47 Pancho Poodle8452 [74] 
5 13:00 swksvolFF [166] 
0 [45] 
2 13:36 swksvolFF [79] 
0 [57] 
0 [42] 
12 23:16 swksvolFF [210] 
9 14:14 swksvolFF [166] 
2 19:17 Pancho Poodle8452 [88] 
2 19:53 Rambler [77] 
1 12:38 Skidmark [55] 
7 19:54 Rambler [202] 
1 12:50 Abu Uluque [66] 
2 14:12 swksvolFF [90] 
1 13:51 mossomo [87] 
7 13:44 Abu Uluque [179] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
3 21:54 trailing wife [117]
0 [91]
1 22:20 DooDahMan [90]
0 [86]
0 [83]
0 [72]
0 [90]
0 [63]
0 [76]
0 [76]
1 02:04 Grom the Affective [82]
0 [60]
0 [58]
0 [54]
0 [61]
0 [89]
Page 2: WoT Background
0 [65]
0 [66]
8 18:19 Angstrom [197]
0 [63]
4 11:55 Grom the Affective [177]
6 15:26 trailing wife [160]
0 [48]
0 [48]
4 14:27 NoMoreBS [91]
0 [48]
0 [42]
1 11:07 Angstrom [62]
0 [47]
0 [42]
1 07:42 Procopius2k [55]
0 [49]
3 16:08 Beavis [119]
Page 4: Opinion
1 03:23 Besoeker [95]
1 08:52 Matt [78]
0 [59]
Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
1 12:49 Skidmark [49]
0 [45]
0 [40]
0 [42]
0 [35]
0 [42]
0 [45]
0 [53]
Page 6: Politix
3 07:22 NN2N1 [191]
5 15:52 Lord Garth [109]
3 17:09 BrerRabbit [89]
10 17:48 49 Pan [193]
0 [44]
7 16:13 Pancho Poodle8452 [156]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Meth-crazed Florida man is bitten by alligator, charges at cops before he's shot dead
[NYPOST] A meth-crazed Florida man survived getting bitten by an alligator — just to be fatally shot when he charged at cops trying to help him.
"Ow! [BANG!] [THUD!]"
The wild scenes erupted after Timothy Schulz, 42, was spotted swimming in an alligator-infested lake in Lakeland, south of Orlando, early Monday, authorities said.
"Outta the way, gators! I'm goin' fer a swim!"
Schulz, who cops said was high on drugs,
Surprised, ain'tcha?
had growled at good Samaritans trying to toss him a life vest just moments before one of the gators bit his right arm.
"Ow! My arm! Daggone gator!"
''The fact that he was bitten by an alligator and still continued his rampage is shocking,'' Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Yup. Floored me, too.
''But if you're on enough meth, then the person you see is not the person that's attacking.''
"Outta my way, whoever you are!"
The horror only continued when Schulz suddenly emerged from the lake soon after being bitten and grabbed a pair of garden shears from a nearby home, authorities said.
"I'm gonna chop youse up!"
As deputies arrived on the scene, Schulz then charged at them with the shears.
"Arrrr! Outta the way, deputies!"
One of the officers fired off their stun gun in a bid to thwart Schulz — but the taser had no effect, authorities said.
"[BZZZZDAP!"
''They were still trying to take him peacefully into custody,'' Judd said.
"Try to take him peacefully, Clancy!"
"[THUMP!]"

The crazed man then tried to jump into the patrol vehicle and remove one of the firearms, according to authorities.
"Gimme dat firearm!"
''At that time our deputies shot multiple times,'' the sheriff said. ''As a result, Timothy is deceased.''
"[BANG! BANG! BANGETTY BANG!]"
"Aaaiiieee! I am undone!"
"He's dead, Jim!"

Schulz, who had a lengthy drug-packed rap sheet, had only just been cut loose from the county jail on May 20 following a methamphetamine bust.
"Yer free to go, Schulzie. Try to stay outta trouble!"
"Yeah. Sure. Know where I can get some meth?"
"Don't ask me. I'm a cop!"

The deputies involved in the shooting will be put on administrative leave as the ordeal is investigated, the sheriff said.
"Take a coupla weeks off, Clancy!"
"Thanks, Chief!"

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [166 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Is the alligator okay?
Posted by: EMS Artifact || 05/28/2025 0:22 Comments || Top||

#2  SO Florida man is dead??? Damn.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 05/28/2025 1:26 Comments || Top||

#3  #1 NAILS it. Aaand beat me to it. Well done 49 Pan. Also, great in-line Fred.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 05/28/2025 5:13 Comments || Top||

#4  Darn! Sorry, got 49 Pan confused with EMS Artifact. (It's early) Apologies.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 05/28/2025 5:15 Comments || Top||

#5  Sheriff Judd probably would have had a spicier briefing...
Posted by: HeavyG || 05/28/2025 11:05 Comments || Top||

#6  Meth + Florida =
Posted by: Angstrom || 05/28/2025 11:10 Comments || Top||

#7  Did anyone ask the alligator if Florida Meth Man tasted like chicken?
Posted by: Regular joe || 05/28/2025 13:12 Comments || Top||

#8  ^ The gator can't quit grinding its teeth
Posted by: Frank G || 05/28/2025 13:26 Comments || Top||

#9  Momma says alligators are ornery because they have all those Florida Man and no narcon.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/28/2025 14:14 Comments || Top||


60-year-old woman beaten in break-in at Beanie Babies founder''s California mansion
[NYPOST] A violent mostly peaceful maniac is behind bars for savagely beating a woman into a coma after breaking into the Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, mansion of Beanie Babies founder Ty Warner, state prosecutors announced.

Russel Maxwell Phay, 43, of Nevada, was charged with first-degree attempted murder and related offenses for invading the Ty Inc. billionaire's Montecito home and viciously attacking a 60-year-old woman who was inside on May 21, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office, NBC News reported.

The victim, Linda Malek-Aslanian, a financial services expert, was found battered outside the ritzy estate and taken to a nearby hospital, where she remains comatose due to a brain injury, court documents obtained by local station KSBW showed.

The alleged dipshit assailant, who has had previous run-ins with the law, was featured in a 2014 San Francisco Chronicle column about a specialized court system created for military veterans where he boasted his ability to “eliminate” anyone.

“I am fully trained for combat,” Phay told the Chronicle.

“I have been trained to eliminate you. I know that sounds crazy, but it is true.”
The famously reclusive 80-year-old CEO — who is worth a staggering $6.1 billion, according to Forbes — was home during the alleged home invasion and assault but was not harmed.

Aslanian and Warner have known each other for 25 years and are rumored to be romantically involved, sources familiar with both told The Post.

Police responded to the Fairway Road home at 4:31 p.m. and found the suspected attacker barricaded inside a second-floor bathroom, according to the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office.

A crisis team tried to coax the brute from the bathroom before he jumped out of a window and was immediately taken into custody.

Phay, an Army combat veteran, was also charged with kidnapping, burglary and assault.

The alleged assailant, who has had previous run-ins with the law, was featured in a 2014 San Francisco Chronicle column about a specialized court system created for military veterans where he boasted his ability to “eliminate” anyone.

“I am fully trained for combat,” Phay told the Chronicle.

“I have been trained to eliminate you. I know that sounds crazy, but it is true.”

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [88 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Love the title...so alliteravtive...
Posted by: HeavyG || 05/28/2025 11:07 Comments || Top||

#2  That pictured perpetrator [POW!!!] could be the half-weight little brother of one of my neighborhood's merry band of homeless whom I happened to pass this morning as he and a pal were cackling and hooting and spittle-spraying about somebody or other. About me, I thought at first, which would've been waaay weirder than anything I'd have expected from them. But no. Just some lucky lady of their acquaintance. Civility survives.
Posted by: Pancho Poodle8452 || 05/28/2025 19:17 Comments || Top||


Victims of random punchings in NYC blast NYPD response
The watchamacallum game is fashionable again? Joy.
[NYPOST] Victims of violent mostly peaceful random sucker punching assaults in the city say they are being left gobsmacked a second time by the NYPD's response to them.

Four people who suffered random attacks told The Post they didn't feel police took their cases seriously — even though two resulted in arrests.

Last Wednesday author and influencer, Kindra Hall, 44, got punched in the head by a person she did not know on the Upper East Side.

She managed to get iPhone footage of the violent mostly peaceful brute walking away and called cops, but maintained it took officers took more than 30 minutes to arrive. She also claimed they appeared disinterested when they got to her.

“Even after showing the video with the guy shouting threats, [NYPD] acted like it wasn’t a big deal. I remember saying, ‘So since I’m not bleeding, a punch to the head is ok?!’” she wrote on Instagram.

Officers were thankfully able to track down and arrest the man who allegedly punched her, later IDed by police as 43-year-old Yao Reed. Police told The Post officers were under duress at the time and responding to multiple calls, including shots fired.

Others who’ve endured irrational attacks have not fared so well in terms of resolution.

Sarah Harvard, a 31-year-old stand-up comic and writer, was walking on Delancey Street in her Lower East Side neighborhood. Then, “All of a sudden, I felt a huge whack to the back of my skull. Obviously, it hurt. My brain felt rattled.”

The 2024 incident happened in front of Mt. Sinai Hospital and, after filing a police report, Harvard asked the responding detective to obtain footage of the assault.

“He said, ‘Well, it’s going to be a huge process; we’ll have to get a warrant,’” Harvard recalled to The Post. “Then they were hard to get a hold of. A couple weeks later, or a month later, I got a call from the District Attorney’s office. They said they caught the guy and wanted me to testify.”
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [77 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Keep voting for Democrats and win stupid prizes.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/28/2025 12:43 Comments || Top||

#2  And if any bystander dares to intervene, the police will arrest HIM.
Posted by: Rambler || 05/28/2025 19:53 Comments || Top||


Secret Service Fracas Outside Obama Residence
[X]
… physical fight outside former President Obama's D.C. residence while guarding it. The fracas occurred at roughly 2:30 a.m. early Wednesday morning, according to two sources in the Secret Service community.

The lack of professionalism was on display during the fight and in a call one of the women made on a recorded Secret Service line to request a supervisor to come to the scene "immediately before I whoop this girl's ass." The woman officer who made the call was upset that her shift replacement was late and assailed her verbally and physically when she finally did arrive to relieve her. Audio of the early a.m. call is now circulating among agents and officers and is attached to this X post.

It's unclear whether either woman was injured or whether they will be disciplined over the altercation. The fight did not wake anyone in the Obama residence or the surrounding neighborhood, the sources said.

The incident is raising new concerns among fellow Secret Service agents and officers about the agency's lowering of hiring standards during years of a major DEI push to add more minorities and women to the ranks under previous Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.
Where better to post them?
Cheatle resigned under a cloud after the J13 assassination attempt against Donald Trump. The Secret Service for years has experienced low morale and a severe manpower shortage, which is also contributing to lower hiring standards as the agency works to increase its agents and officers.

(continued)


Susan Crabtree
@susancrabtree
·
6h
📢UPDATE: SECRET SERVICE TAKES ACTION AGAINST WOMEN AGENTS WHO GOT INTO A FIST-FIGHT outside former Pres. Obama's D.C. residence last week.

@SecretService
spokesperson to
@RCPolitics
:
"The U.S. Secret Service is aware of an on-duty altercation that occurred between two Uniformed Division officers at approximately 2:30 a.m. on May 21. The individuals involved were suspended from duty, and this matter is the subject of an internal investigation. The Secret Service has a very strict code of conduct for all employees, and any behavior that violates that code is unacceptable."

"Given this is a personnel matter, we are not in a position to comment further
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [202 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sigh.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 05/28/2025 5:18 Comments || Top||

#2  Well, at least they were stationed at a place that fit their character. Kudos for who is ever running the duty roster.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 05/28/2025 7:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Both DEI hires, supposedly.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 05/28/2025 9:43 Comments || Top||

#4  Sounds like a DEI hire to me. Sleep well, Baraq.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/28/2025 12:17 Comments || Top||

#5  Top women on the job. Top. Women.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/28/2025 12:19 Comments || Top||

#6  Now now now, remember your DEI training, being on time is White Power.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/28/2025 13:11 Comments || Top||

#7  At least it was Barack's detail, not somebody important.
Posted by: Rambler || 05/28/2025 19:54 Comments || Top||


-Great Cultural Revolution
Russia, China, North Korea trash Trump''s $175 billion Golden Dome missile shield as ''dangerous''
But not Brazil, Eritrea, or Australia...
[NYPOST] The U.S.'s chief adversaries, Russia, North Korea
...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche...
and China, all of which are nuclear-armed nations, have condemned President Donald Trump
...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party...
's space-based defensive plan he dubbed the ''Golden Dome'' as ''dangerous'' and a threat to global stability.

The president discussed his $175 billion plan, which will use satellites and other technologies to detect and intercept a missile strike ''even if they are launched from other sides of the world,'' Trump said last week.

The defensive plan, though it is believed to be years away before being fully operational despite Trump's three-year goal mark, sparked stiff backlash from the U.S.'s top competitors, who took direct aim at what they called Trump's ''arrogance.''

North Korea's foreign ministry, whose leader shared an uncommonly cordial relationship with Trump during his first term, called it the equivalent of an ''outer space nuclear war scenario'' that supports the administration's strategy for ''uni-polar domination.''

According to local media outlets, the ministry on Tuesday said it was a ''typical product of 'America first', the height of self-righteousness, arrogance, high-handed and arbitrary practice.''

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News' Digital's questions regarding the reactions to the plan, intended to resemble Israel's ''Iron Dome'' defensive capability.

But the North Korean foreign ministry claimed the defensive strategy was actually an ''attempt to militarize outer space'' and ''preemptively attain military superiority in an all-round way.''

Similarly, on Tuesday, Russian foreign minister Maria Zakharova said the strategy would undermine the basis of strategic stability by creating a global missile defense system, reported Rooters.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [55 views] Top|| File under: Commies



Population collapse is a massive crisis

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [179 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Back in 1970 we had around 200 million people rather than the 350 million we have now. Somehow the country continued to exist. Somethings will have to be adjusted but its no more the end of world than Paul Ehrlich's opposite fear mongering on population explosion.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 05/28/2025 7:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Just call it something snappy like 'Redistribution' or 'Reset' and over-educated morons will sing its praises.
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 || 05/28/2025 9:07 Comments || Top||

#3  Elon of course, is doing his part to stop the collapse...
Posted by: HeavyG || 05/28/2025 11:11 Comments || Top||

#4  Oh, there will be plenty of people. It's just that most won't speak the language.
Posted by: Bobby || 05/28/2025 12:44 Comments || Top||

#5  Colony Collapse Disorder

Colony Collapse Disorder is the phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen.

Any inferences to Hillary are your own.
Posted by: Skidmark || 05/28/2025 12:46 Comments || Top||

#6 

The CCP population has dropped, way, way below its own planned growth. Part of the reason thet have torn down 100's of Apartment complexes. An it is maybe using the Return to the Farm agenda to hide it.

The EU is seeking the same Massive influx from the Middle East/Asia as we are seeing for it and South America is doing so well, that we have 10.5++ Million of their overflow.


What do all these countries have in common?
Maybe too industrialized and the husband and Wife both working just to make ends meet?
But let us not forget the late 60's hippie and NOW Sexual revolution and the 35+ Million Abortions since 1973 here, in just the USA.

OR, birth control pill and other industrial residues that have made their way in the water supplies.

and the LEFTS AGENDA at feminization of Men and more.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 05/28/2025 12:48 Comments || Top||

#7  By the time young people are done with college, they're in their mid-twenties which is past their sexual prime. And they still don't have any marketable job skills, not to mention the job market in EU countries is probably not all that hot anyway. They're in their mid-thirties before they can even consider getting married and having children.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/28/2025 13:44 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Video: Paraglider Is Sucked Into a ‘Cloud Vortex', Gets Covered Head-To-Toe in Ice, Almost Freezes to Death Drifting at Five Miles High
[GatewayPundit] Still, the paraglider said he miraculously remained conscious the entire time and eventually was able to stick a safe landing.
...

[the pilot] suffered extensive frostbite and is recovering in a hospital, but is now under investigation since air traffic authorities hadn’t approved his flight.


Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [210 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Authorities (faceless). What would we do without them.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 05/28/2025 5:08 Comments || Top||

#2 
I have to say I am suspect of the video.

One issue, despite all the ice everywhere, the camera lenses remained crystal clear of any ice or moisture is one.

The background look generated.

Posted by: NN2N1 || 05/28/2025 7:10 Comments || Top||

#3  I agree..AI can generate (almost) lifelike realism.
Posted by: Warthog || 05/28/2025 9:27 Comments || Top||

#4  And where was the camera? Did he have a selfie stick?
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/28/2025 12:15 Comments || Top||

#5  Imma gonna call Bullshit.

To add to NN2N1, no vapor, or if the wind is too hard to see it nothing else reflects a high wind. Plus, the mouth is weird.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/28/2025 12:31 Comments || Top||

#6  five miles high? What did he breathe?
Posted by: Bobby || 05/28/2025 12:41 Comments || Top||

#7  Gateway is known for clickbait. You get the good with the bad, and this looks like their bad.
Posted by: mossomo || 05/28/2025 13:36 Comments || Top||

#8  going from 3km to 8.6km he would have lost 60% of the atmospheric pressure he started with

that plus being frozen would kill him

fairly obviously false info

Posted by: Lord Garth || 05/28/2025 17:38 Comments || Top||

#9  Not just Gateway, but NY Post as well.

Layers, and layers, of fact checkers.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/28/2025 21:05 Comments || Top||

#10  Geez. I' beginning to feel like the NORK Chief Boat Launcher. ;-)
Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 05/28/2025 21:25 Comments || Top||

#11  @#7 - Absolutely. Hyperbole is TGP's middle name...maybe its first name. I quick reading TGP ages ago.
Posted by: DooDahMan || 05/28/2025 22:21 Comments || Top||

#12  @10
Saw a deal out there ratio 1:whatever NORK destroyer - just a bunch of blue painter's tape, maybe over a Battleship destroyer, same difference, I laughed.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/28/2025 23:16 Comments || Top||


Boat with 13 people on board explodes in Florida
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A boat with 13 people on board, including two children, exploded in the US state of Florida, there are casualties. This was reported on May 26 by the US Coast Guard on the social network X.

It is specified that the vessel exploded on May 26 at about 17:45 local time (00:45 Moscow time on May 27). The emergency occurred near a yacht club in the city of Fort Lauderdale. According to the Coast Guard, there were 13 people on board the boat at the time of the explosion. The victims, including two children, were taken to the hospital, one person with multiple burns was taken by helicopter to a trauma center in Miami.

Information about the condition of the victims is not specified. According to the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, some people were thrown into the water by the explosion, and some received burns. An investigation into the incident is underway.


Continued on Page 47
Posted by: badanov || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [87 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Weird. Another boat in Fort Lauderdale exploded this morning. Does someone have blackmarket torpedoes?
Posted by: mossomo || 05/28/2025 13:51 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
At least six killed as heavy rains, dust storms hit parts of Pakistan
[GEO.TV] At least six people, including two children, bit the dust and more than two dozen sustained injuries as heavy rains and dust storms battered parts of the country on Tuesday, causing widespread damage to homes, crops, and infrastructure.

According to Pakistain Meteorological Department (PMD), moist currents were continuously penetrating the upper and central regions, and a westerly wave was expected to enter the upper parts of the country on May 28.

As a result, windstorms, rain, and isolated heavy falls with possible hailstorms were anticipated in a wide range of areas, including Kashmir
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad
...formerly known as Lyallpur, the third largest metropolis in Pakistain, the second largest in Punjab after Lahore. It is named after some Arab because the Paks didn't have anybody notable of their own to name it after...
, Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire...
, Swat, and several other cities and districts across Punjab
...1. Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2. A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3. A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots
...
.
, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
.

The advisory warned that windstorms, dust-thunderstorms, hailstorms, and lightning may damage loose structures such as electric poles, trees, vehicles, and solar panels.

In Muzaffarabad, a cloudburst struck the Bhalgran area, killing three people and leaving one person missing, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) in a statement.

Initial assessments revealed that 30 to 35 houses were completely destroyed. Relief goods have been dispatched to the affected population.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [42 views] Top|| File under:


New Covid Variant -- coming from China
[Yahoo] A new COVID-19 variant sweeping through China has yet to make a sizable footprint in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.

In January, a new COVID-19 variant known as NB.1.8.1 was first detected in China. On May 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified NB.1.8.1 as a variant that public health officials "may require prioritized attention and monitoring."

As of Tuesday, May 27, less than 20 cases of NB.1.8.1 had been reported in the U.S., a CDC spokesperson told USA TODAY.

--------------
China used a China-made vaccine and took severe population control steps during infection outbreaks, so their vulnerability may be different than ours.

In any case the general vector of variants has been trending toward less lethality. Of course you never know.


Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Lord Garth || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [66 views] Top|| File under:

#1  And every year we get a new variation of the flu...from China.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/28/2025 12:50 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
The T-90 in Ukraine is a failure
[Small Wars Journal] Success in Syria, Failure in Ukraine: The Russian T-90 Main Battle Tank in Combat

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: 3dc || 05/28/2025 08:34 || Comments || Link || [166 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Well this makes the Trifecta, along with the articles that say the M1 Abrams and the Challenger failed as well. Next up, China. Whacha got?
Posted by: Mercutio || 05/28/2025 9:11 Comments || Top||

#2  It is a glorified T-72 with all of its problems and turrets joining the space race.
Posted by: DarthVader || 05/28/2025 11:06 Comments || Top||

#3  Let me start this discussion ...

Is the day of the tank in demise given the growth of the POV drone capabilities?
Posted by: Skidmark || 05/28/2025 12:30 Comments || Top||

#4  The battleship became obsolete as well. Next up, drone wars, AI, Skynet.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 05/28/2025 12:52 Comments || Top||

#5  It appears all ground units in their current form are obsolete vs. a drone capable opponent.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/28/2025 13:00 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Who Is “Evergrande 2.0” in China’s Auto Sector?
[X]
That question has been making waves across Chinese business circles. The chairman of Chang’an Auto—China’s third-largest carmaker—recently stated that an “Evergrande” already exists within the auto sector. His comment points to deeper concerns about inflated sales figures and unsustainable financial structures in the country’s booming electric vehicle (EV) industry.

https://yicaiglobal.com/news/changan-autos-chief-says-claims-of-evergrande-like-risks-in-auto-sector-highlight-need-for-stronger-control

Evergrande Group, once China’s largest property developer, collapsed under the weight of excessive leverage and was later found to have committed one of the most significant corporate frauds in Chinese history—artificially inflating revenues by approximately USD 78 billion over two years. The fallout triggered widespread panic and continues to ripple through the property market.

A similar debt-fueled reckoning may now be brewing in the auto sector. Many of China’s leading EV players operate with alarmingly high debt-to-asset ratios, far exceeding those of global peers. For context, Germany’s auto giants—Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen—maintain debt ratios of 20–40%. Tesla, the global EV benchmark, sits at just 7%.

By contrast, here’s how China’s major automakers stack up:

Company Debt (USD B) Debt Ratio (%)
NIO 13.1 87.0%
Li Auto 12.6 56.1%
XPeng 7.1 62.2%
Seres 11.3 87.4%
Geely 70.2 88.0%
Chery 24.3 88.6%
Chang’an19.2 62.2%
BYD 82.7 77.9%

These figures raise serious concerns. Companies like Geely, Chery, and BYD are operating with debt ratios that approach levels typically considered unsustainable—especially in an industry prone to economic cycles and rapid technological change.

Conclusion:

The warning signs are hard to ignore. A sector flush with state subsidies and political momentum can still derail without financial discipline and credible oversight. Inflated figures, weak governance, and unsustainable borrowing led to Evergrande’s collapse. The risk now is that China’s EV industry—driven by ambition and national pride—could be repeating the same costly mistakes.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: 3dc || 05/28/2025 08:53 || Comments || Link || [74 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Dragon Wagons,

Or, short tale of far future Cathay
Where their Wheelchairman Xi decree, "Nay!
Magic 8 Ball? Tee-hee!
We shall dig up EV
To see what its charred carcass may say!"

Kind of a long title, though.

Posted by: Pancho Poodle8452 || 05/28/2025 18:47 Comments || Top||


Europe
'Lovers quarrel.' The French are thinking about who will replace Macron
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Olesya Orlenko

[REGNUM] The start of French President Emmanuel Macron's Asia-Pacific tour was positioned as a continuation of the head of state's wise strategy in the region and pursued ambitious political goals. But it began with a scandalous scene of a family squabble.

The reaction of both Macron himself and his administration has only worsened the situation. It will not remain without political consequences.

Official events within the framework of Emmanuel Macron's visit to Vietnam began on May 26. This is the fifth visit of the head of the French Republic to this country, diplomatic relations with which were established in 1973.

During all previous visits, the parties concluded profitable contracts for investments by French businesses related to the purchase of civil aircraft, urban transport, construction of railways and highways, etc.

This time, a contract was also signed with private airline Vietjet to purchase aircraft from Airbus. And the French delegation includes representatives of such major companies in the energy, trade and defense sectors as EDF, Dassault Aviation, Naval Group and CMA GCM.

However, Vietnam is not the same as it was ten years ago.

Now it is one of the most dynamically developing countries in the Asian region. Vietnam is diversifying its relations, building partnerships with many countries, including Russia.

France is undoubtedly an important partner for him, but its influence has declined in recent years. The main foreign investments in the country come from Singapore and China.

Moreover, the share of French investments among EU countries is far from leading. France is in fourth place, behind even the Netherlands and Denmark.

The former colonizer's cultural influence has also fallen significantly: today, less than 1% of Vietnam's population speaks French. It is no surprise that Vietnamese media, covering Macron's visit, note that this time it is France that needs Vietnam, rather than the other way around.

On May 28, Macron is expected in Indonesia, and on May 30, he will attend the largest Shangri-La Dialogue forum, which is taking place in Singapore and is dedicated to defense issues.

During all his visits, the French President intends to promote two ideas: to convince his partners of France's decisive role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and to persuade them to actively take Ukraine's side in the war that has now lasted 11 years.

The Middle East issue is likely to be a hot topic in Indonesia, whose predominantly Muslim population sympathizes with the humanitarian tragedy of the people of Gaza. But, apart from Macron’s declarations about the need to create a Palestinian state, France has taken no steps to resolve the conflict. And the main actor in the peace process is the United States.

As for the Ukrainian issue, it is obvious to everyone that Europe, having exhausted its resources, is looking for new sources of financing military actions. Countries whose main task is their own development do not benefit from interfering in a confrontation that requires huge expenditures and brings only damage, not dividends.

Moreover, France’s weight and Macron’s authority in the region leave much to be desired.

The termination of the contract with Naval Group for the construction of submarines for the Australian Navy in 2021 and the internal problems of New Caledonia, where a civil war has been going on for more than a year, which the French authorities are unable to stop, also had an impact.

A logical question arises: is Macron aware of how those around him perceive him?

The scene, caught on camera by journalists, of the French president being beaten by his wife before exiting the plane, has flown around the world. But the main thing was not even the incident itself, but the fact that both the president and his administration initially denied the authenticity of the video. And only then did such explanations as "relaxation", "foolishness", etc. follow.

Macron's recent rise in ratings after record lows has undoubtedly had a dizzying effect on him. It has affected his foreign policy activities, particularly in the Ukrainian direction. But the overall picture remains dismal.

His exclusive interviews, presented as a high-profile media event, are spoken of in the spirit of "the president spent three hours saying that nothing would change." And some publications directly call the president a laughing stock. In this situation, the question inevitably arises of who could replace Macron at the head of France.

The French press has become increasingly frequent in publishing articles about the participants in the next presidential campaign. And although there are still two years left until the election of the country's leader, potential candidates are declaring their intentions and trying to work on their image.

The Ipsos polling institute has published a study according to which the French prefer the classic right and center. Among the most popular candidates for the post of president are the head of the pro-presidential party "Renaissance", former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, the mayor of Le Havre and the founder of the "Horizons" party Edouard Philippe, the Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin, as well as the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retaillo.

By the way, Retaillo's intentions are more than serious. After all, he already allows himself to speak publicly on issues that are beyond the competence of his department. An example is his statements about diplomatic relations with Algeria, which caused indignation on the part of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

One can also recall his behavior after the report on the penetration of the Muslim Brotherhood (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) into France, which was heard by the Defense Council under the presidential administration on May 21.

Following this report, Retailo spoke to journalists, where he assessed the seriousness of the problem and made public some of the text's points without coordinating this with the president and without waiting for the official publication of the document.

Another Ipsos study shows the possibility of a scenario where a National Rally candidate will enter the second round with one of the above-mentioned candidates. Moreover, both Marine Le Pen and the current party leader Jordan Bardell have equal chances of this.

Parties that identify themselves as left-wing are expected to field Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Raphaël Glucksmann, with some on the left calling for primaries next year to determine candidates that will attract the support of a majority of the left.

However, oddly enough, even Macron himself has political ambitions.

Of course, he can't run for a third term. But he told reporters a few weeks ago that after the end of his second term he would "think about" running in the 2032 campaign.

This assumption may cause laughter now, but French history knows various examples. When François Hollande left the presidency in 2017, everyone considered him a political corpse, so disastrous was his rule. And yet, in the last snap parliamentary elections in 2024, he won in his district. And now he gradually appears in the media, commenting on the current political situation.

It’s not that he has “reformed.” It’s just that the situation in France is so bad that even his leadership over time seems tolerable compared to what is happening now. It’s entirely possible that in seven years, the French will look back with nostalgia on Macron, too.


Continued on Page 47
Posted by: badanov || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [90 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Replace? Hell, he lost the last election but is still in power. Who needs elections? We've had life appointed individuals decide we don't need to change here either after a major election.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 05/28/2025 7:36 Comments || Top||

#2  What? She was just wiping the coke cheese off of him.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/28/2025 14:12 Comments || Top||


Government Corruption
Pro-Life Groups Press US Attorney Jeanine Pirro To Investigate 5 Late-Term Abortions In DC
[The Federalist] A coalition of nine pro-life organizations led by Advancing American Freedom sent a letter on Tuesday to interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro pressing her to investigate the suspected infanticide of five babies at the hands of a Washington, D.C., abortionist.

Members of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising recovered the tiny victims, often referred to as the "D.C. Five," from late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo’s Washington, D.C., facility.

The 2022 discovery of the preemie-sized dead babies, which were held at PAAU Director of Activism Lauren Handy’s house, should have prompted an investigation into "possible violations of the Partial-Birth Abortion Act and the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act." Instead, the letter notes, "the Biden Administration worked to sweep the allegations under the rug and silence the individuals involved by prosecuting them."

It was under Biden’s Department of Justice that Handy and nine other advocates for life were charged with allegedly violating the unconstitutional Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and participating in a Conspiracy Against Rights. The defendants faced up to 11 years in federal prison, an extreme expansion of the punishment other pro-lifers faced.

Trump eventually pardoned 23 of the pro-lifers targeted by the Democrat regime for their peaceful opposition to abortion, including Handy and her fellow PAAU activists. Damage to the D.C. Five’s chance at justice, however, was already done.

"President Biden’s Department of Justice allegedly ordered the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department to incinerate the evidence," the letter adds. "Thankfully, Members of Congress took shrewd steps to protect the evidence through preservation of evidence requests."

According to the signees — Advancing American Freedom, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Students for Life of America, Family Research Council, Live Action, Concerned Women for America, Human Coalition, Catholic Vote, and the American Family Association — the next step is for Pirro to "defend the rule of law and the sanctity of human life in Washington, D.C."

"As the Interim United States Attorney for Washington, D.C., it is your responsibility to follow the facts where they may lead and enforce federal law to protect those most vulnerable in our nation’s capital: the unborn," the letter concludes.

The pro-lifers’ request builds on an effort from Republican Reps. Chip Roy and Andy Biggs, who asked the FBI to investigate "the Biden Administration’s coverup of later aborted babies" in April.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/28/2025 02:47 || Comments || Link || [45 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Politix
RFK Jr. Announces Major Change to COVID Vaccine Guidance
[RedState] Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be required for healthy children's immunization schedule, a victory for the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement.

In a clip posted on Tuesday on X, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, and FDA commissioner Dr. Marty Makary together announced the following major change at the CDC.

"I couldn't be more pleased to announce, as of today, that the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule," RFK Jr. said.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Besoeker || 05/28/2025 02:34 || Comments || Link || [79 views] Top|| File under:

#1 

When will mRNA VAX's be banned. Seriously, given the truck loads of actual factual data, showing such Vax's can end up resulting in more harm & deaths than the C-19 itself.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 05/28/2025 7:03 Comments || Top||

#2  The story about Bill Gates wanting to mRNA dairy cattle should be investigated and if found to be true, shut down and made quite clear there will be real consequences if done anyways.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 05/28/2025 13:36 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Teenage domestic worker ''tortured'', murdered in Jhelum
[GEO.TV] A murder case has been registered against a man, his wife, and two domestic employees after the body of an 18-year-old maid was discovered in a private housing society home in the Kala Gujran area of Jhelum.

According to police, the young woman, originally from Okara, was found dead inside the house and was immediately shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital. The initial post-mortem revealed visible torture marks on various parts of the body.

The girl's father, who filed the complaint, alleged that his daughter had been physically assaulted over allegations of jewellery theft. He said she was falsely accused and subjected to abuse.

A case of murder has now been registered based on the father's complaint, naming the homeowner, his wife, and two staff members as accused.

Police have taken a woman and two others into custody for investigation and are conducting raids to arrest the remaining suspects.

They added that further investigation is underway to determine the full circumstances behind the girl's death. The family has since transported the body to Okara for burial.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred || 05/28/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [57 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies



Who's in the News
36[untagged]
7Hamas
2Islamic State
2Hezbollah
2Houthis
2Boko Haram (ISIS)
2Commies
1Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)
1Moslem Colonists
1Muslim Brotherhood
1Palestinian Authority
1PLO
1Sublime Porte
1[untagged]
1al-Qaeda
1al-Shabaab (AQ)
1Govt of Iran
1Govt of Pakistain Proxies
1Govt of Pakistan
1Govt of Syria/HTS

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2025-05-28
  Somali forces launch an anti-Al-Shabaab offensive outside Aadan Yabaal
Tue 2025-05-27
  Gaza round-up: Over 200 Hamas positions were destroyed in the last 48 hours
Mon 2025-05-26
  IDF aims to capture 75% of Gaza Strip in 2 months in new offensive against Hamas
Sun 2025-05-25
  
Sun 2025-05-25
  Hamas fighters not paid in three months due to IS restrictions
Sat 2025-05-24
  At least 12 injured in knife attack at Hamburg train station: emergency services
Fri 2025-05-23
  Report: Hamas and Islamist leaders to leave Lebanon for Qatar and Turkey
Thu 2025-05-22
  2 people with Israeli embassy ties shot dead near DC's Capital Jewish Museum, murderer shouted “Free Palestine” as arrested
Wed 2025-05-21
  The first 'Project Homecoming' self-deportation flight took off Monday for Honduras and Colombia
Tue 2025-05-20
  Fierce Clashes Between Local Militia and Al-Shabaab in Central Somalia
Mon 2025-05-19
  Israel announces military operation in north and south of Gaza Strip
Sun 2025-05-18
  21 suspects held by Lebanon for spying on Hezbollah, in what has become ‘nightmare’ for terror group — report
Sat 2025-05-17
  'Israel' bombs Yemen's Hodeidah - both al Saif and al Hodeidah ports - at least 1 toes up; 15 IDF jets drop 35 bombs Friday a.m.
Fri 2025-05-16
  Israeli attacks on Gaza kill 84 over 100 as ceasefire talks continue, IDF hits dozens of terror targets, Gazans whine
Fri 2025-05-16
  Israeli attacks on Gaza kill 84 over 100 as ceasefire talks continue, IDF hits dozens of terror targets, Gazans whine
Thu 2025-05-15
  Large number of prisoners escape from prison in Libya amid clashes
Wed 2025-05-14
  Israel intercepts Houthi ballistic missile; 2 hurt running for shelter


Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
216.73.216.223
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Operations (16)    WoT Background (17)    Opinion (3)    Local News (8)    Politix (6)