“Trump and Netanyahu could not topple Iran’s regime. Instead, they ended up strengthening it – by allowing Tehran to deploy its geographic control of the Strait of Hormuz into a weapon that could instigate a global energy crisis and a worldwide recession” — my latest for @theguardian.com

I'm curious to see how many can actually afford to show up/attend matches for this summer's World Cup.

👌🎬

Tonight's viewing. 🎥🎬 Dir: Martin Scorsese DP: Michael Ballhaus (1990) @moremovies.co.uk @letterboxd.social Amazon Prime Video

Rest in Peace. @variety.com

US 30-year Treasury yields just hit 5.2% — the highest level since July 2007. UK gilt yields are at levels not seen since 1998. Japanese bond yields are at record highs. Something is happening in global bond markets, and it's not just about inflation. Patrick Boyle via YouTube

When audience members shouted in support of full Israeli control over Gaza, Netanyahu replied: “We’re going in order. First 70 percent… we’ll start with that.” @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social

"Regarding the understanding, as I said while speaking to you, exchanges of messages are continuing, but no final agreement has been reached yet," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state media. @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social

"SRMG is a publicly traded company in Saudi Arabia that operates over 30 media companies and news outlets, including ASharq Al-Awsat, Arab News and Asharq News, which has a partnership with Bloomberg." @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social

"...the proposal appears to reflect an earlier idea floated by US Mideast envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are both real estate investors, and, according to some mediators, had suggested promoting real estate projects and an investment fund in Iran if a final deal were reached."

I would like to announce that I will not be performing at the Great America State Fair. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Tonight's viewing. @pbs.org @frontlinepbs.bsky.social

Eid Mubarak to my Muslim friends!

"The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it." @npr.org @apnews.com

"Instead of allowing citizens to vote for their representatives, Syria’s constitutional declaration — in practice, its interim constitution — relies on electors chosen by a set of committees." FDD

"The measure, which goes against World Health Organization guidance, underscored growing fears of contagion in this East African country that, like Congo, has experience responding to Ebola outbreaks but faces a type this time, Bundibugyo, with no approved medicines or vaccines." @apnews.com

"As Iran continued attacks in northern Iraq, the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, traveled to Baghdad to hold talks with Iraq’s prime minister on May 24." FDD Long War Journal

"But in a region undergoing a dramatic strategic reconfiguration, the Abraham Accords are increasingly seen as a US-imposed framework. Some countries are trying to reshape the region in ways that would benefit them instead." @theconversation.com

Maleeha Lodhi, an international affairs expert and former Pakistani ambassador to the US and the UN, told DW that Islamabad could only consider it "if an independent and contiguous Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital." DW News

“The administration’s shameful approach to refugee resettlement is organized around prioritizing white-only Afrikaners and betraying everyone else, including thousands of Afghan allies who risked their lives for our nation, and thousands of other approved and vetted refugees twisting in the wind,”

"Beirut has so far been spared Israeli strikes since the start of the ceasefire, but the prospect of an escalation of the offensive has caused widespread concern." @theguardian.com

NEWS: Trump threatens to 'blow up' Oman as US-Iran talks stall www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

Did the Quran once contain additional suras that are no longer part of the standard text? In this video, we explore reports about the codex of Ubayy ibn Ka'b and examine claims about “lost” or excluded suras during the Uthmanic recension. @itsfilipholm.bsky.social via YouTube

Picked up some light reading for my Kindle library today.

"One of the things this traveller has learnt is that those who have least are prepared to give most." - Michael Palin - "Around The World In 80 Days."

"...many Kurds fear that the focus on military and administrative arrangements could postpone the more fundamental question: their status in Syria’s future constitution and the extent of recognition for their language, culture and local self-governance." @alhurranews.bsky.social

"We have consistently advocated for a peaceful solution... ​but it's very clear from the actions taken most recently by the Israeli government (...)that they have no desire to take this particular road," McEntee told reporters." @reuters.com

"The present crisis is compounded by the weakening of the Malian state following the 2021 coup and foreign intervention. In the absence of any serious effort to address it, instability could spill over across the whole Sahel region." @aljazeera.com

"A 2025 Pentagon report to Congress on military and security developments related to China revealed that Egypt has expressed interest in fourth-generation J-10C and even stealthy fifth-generation FC-31 (J-35) fighter jets." @forbes.com

Saudi Arabia will only normalize relations with Israel if an “irreversible pathway” to Palestinian statehood is established, a Saudi source tells international outlets, following US President Donald Trump’s insistence that Riyadh and other Muslim-majority and regional states join the Abraham Accords

Özel said on Sunday: “Erdoğan has lost all restraint. Just as he imprisoned the presidential candidate who could defeat him, he is now effectively shutting down the political party that could defeat him. Turkey has ceased to be a modern democratic republic and has turned into a one-man regime.”

Pakistan ⁠also reaffirmed its commitment to the one China principle, calling the democratically-governed island of Taiwan, claimed by China, an “inalienable” part of China and saying it opposed any form of Taiwan independence. @aljazeera.com

"Body counts alone do not lead to victory — a lesson that reaches back to Vietnam — and neither do “decapitation” strikes necessarily make insurgencies crumble. In fact, they can worsen the problem." Responsible Statecraft

A tabulation of United States military casualties of war.

Happy 49th birthday, Star Wars!

The Trump administration negotiations with Iran inch closer to a 60 to 90 day extension of stock market manipulation.

"Human Rights Watch says that the justice system has been weaponised against the opposition. A mass corruption trial opened in March, with defendants including the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested last year on the day that he was chosen as the CHP’s presidential candidate."

Noir classique 👌🎬

Tonight's viewing. 🎥🎬 Dir: Jacques Tourneur DP: Nicholas Musuraca (1947) @moremovies.co.uk @letterboxd.social @criterionchannl.bsky.social @criterion.bsky.social

Tonight's viewing. 🎥🎬 Dir: Shōhei Imamura DP: Shinsaku Himeda (1961) @moremovies.co.uk @letterboxd.social @tcmtv.bsky.social @criterion.bsky.social @criterionchannl.bsky.social

Trump regrets he can't attend Don Jr.'s wedding due to pressing matters of state. Those matters have included: an AI golden dome, a Photoshopped image of himself looming over Greenland, and a video of himself throwing Stephen Colbert into a dumpster. The president is very busy, very presidential.

One of the greatest directors. 👌🎬

Remember, folks, the atom is your friend!

Tonight's viewing. 🎥🎬 Dir: Agnès Varda DP: Claude Beausoleil Jean Rabier (1965) @moremovies.co.uk @letterboxd.social @criterionchannl.bsky.social @criterion.bsky.social