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Scores of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday and held prayers for US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed earlier this month.

The Hebrew-language site Srugim reported that the ritual was led by far-right Rabbi and former Knesset member Yehuda Glick, a prominent advocate of expanding Jewish access to the site.

On Saturday, Israeli forces said they would send reinforcements to the occupied West Bank amid heightened alert ahead of the holidays.

According to Jerusalem’s Islamic Endowments Directorate, violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque have escalated sharply since far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir became Israel’s national security minister in late 2022.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world’s third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community.

Palestinians see the settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque as part of efforts to Judaise occupied East Jerusalem and erase its Arab and Islamic identity. They insist occupied East Jerusalem is the capital of a future Palestinian state, in line with international resolutions rejecting Israel’s 1967 occupation and its 1980 annexation of the city.

Since October 2023, at least 1,042 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

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On Sunday, Trump warned that if Afghanistan doesn’t give the facility back, unspecified “BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” The US leader had earlier lamented Washington’s loss of the base, noting its proximity to China.

Later that day, Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman of the Taliban-run Afghan government, noted that Kabul has made it clear to the US in all negotiations that the country’s “independence and territorial integrity are of the utmost importance.”

“It should be recalled that, under the Doha Agreement, the United States pledged that ‘it will not use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor interfere in its internal affairs,’” he said, urging the US to honor its pledge.

“Rather than repeating past failed approaches, a policy of realism and rationality should be adopted,” Fitrat stressed.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu's comments prompt a fierce backlash; critics call his remarks immoral, dangerous, and damaging to Israel’s global standing

The moonies have also been found to be deeply embedded in the coup-attempting former president's party making up just shy of 15% of the reactionary party's membership.

https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20250920049500004

[Exclusivep Unification Church President Han Hak-ja to be detained on the 22nd amid allegations... A turning point in the special prosecutor's investigation.

For the first time since becoming president in 2012, a former chief of staff is also under arrest. "Accomplice" Rep. Kwon Seong-dong arrested... Investigating the connection between Yoon and his wife remains a challenge.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Koh Ga-hye = The special prosecutors' team investigating suspicions related to Ms. Kim Kun-hee is rushing towards the peak of suspicions of 'religious collusion' between the political world and the Unification Church.

In particular, following the arrest of People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong last week on charges of receiving money from the Unification Church, attention is focused on whether President Han Hak-ja, who is at the center of the suspicions, will be arrested this week, which will determine the direction of the special prosecutor's investigation.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the special prosecution team requested an arrest warrant for Unification Church President Hak Ja Han and former Chief Secretary to the President, Mr. Jeong, on the 18th on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

After questioning President Han, who had appeared voluntarily on the 17th, for about 9 and a half hours, the special prosecutors moved to secure new recruits just one day later.

This appears to be due to the judgment that President Han has no intention of cooperating with the investigation, as he refused to appear three times despite the special prosecutor's repeated summons, and only voluntarily appeared after his accomplice, Rep. Kwon, was arrested on the 16th, and that there was a high risk of destruction of evidence.

Mr. Jeong, who was also requested for arrest, is known to be the vice-chairman of Cheonmuwon, the highest administrative organization of the Unification Church, and former chief of staff to Chairman Han, and is listed as an accomplice in most of Chairman Han's charges.

The suspect interrogation (substantive examination of the warrant) prior to the arrest of President Han and Mr. Jeong will be held at 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM respectively on the 22nd under the supervision of Judge Jeong Jae-wook, who is in charge of issuing warrants at the Seoul Central District Court.

The charges listed on their warrants are largely four: violation of the Political Funds Act, violation of the Prohibition of Solicitation and Bribery Act, instigation of destruction of evidence, and embezzlement.

First, Chairman Han is accused of colluding with former Unification Church global headquarters director Mr. Yoon to deliver 100 million won in political funds to Rep. Kwon in January 2022, requesting support for the Unification Church from the Yoon Seok-yeol government (violation of the Political Funds Act).

He is also accused of being involved in requesting a favor on a religious issue from April to July 2022 by giving an expensive necklace and a Chanel bag to Ms. Kim Gun-hee through 'Geonjin Beopsa' Jeon Seong-bae (violation of the Anti-Bribery Act).

He is also accused of using church funds to purchase items such as a necklace and bag to be given to Ms. Kim (embezzlement), and of instructing Mr. Yoon to destroy evidence in preparation for a police investigation into his alleged gambling trip abroad in October 2022 (incitement to destruction of evidence).

However, the suspicion that the Unification Church had recruited a large number of its followers to the party in order to support Rep. Kwon as the party leader ahead of the People Power Party's national convention (violation of the Political Party Act) was not specifically stated in the arrest warrant.

The special prosecutors explained that although they succeeded in securing a list of approximately 110,000 Unification Church believers through a search and seizure of the People Power Party headquarters and the party membership management company on the 18th, it is realistically impossible to analyze this over the weekend and present it immediately for the warrant review on Monday.

The charge related to the suspicion that he handed over a shopping bag containing valuables to Rep. Kwon, who visited him in February and March 2022, was also omitted from the arrest warrant.

This is the first time that a president has been placed under arrest since he took office alone in September 2012.

The Unification Church issued a statement immediately after the arrest warrant was requested, strongly condemning the special prosecutor's action, saying, "This action is an unjust suppression of an international religious leader."

In particular, the special prosecutors' request for an arrest warrant for former President Han, despite him voluntarily appearing for questioning while in poor health, was criticized as a measure conscious of public opinion and performance, citing concerns that he might flee.

At the warrant review on the 22nd, it is expected that President Han's side will argue that there is no risk of flight, citing his advanced age and heart disease.

He is expected to emphasize that he did not avoid legal proceedings by voluntarily appearing for questioning, despite undergoing a heart procedure earlier this month, which has not returned his oxygen saturation to normal levels and there are concerns about complications.

On the other hand, the special prosecutors are expected to raise concerns about additional destruction of evidence, citing the fact that President Han has been uncooperative with the investigation, such as by refusing to appear in court on the 8th, 11th, and 15th, and that he is already under investigation for instigating destruction of evidence.

Previously, the Unification Church maintained its position that the acts of solicitation and provision of money were Yoon's personal deviant actions.

However, the indictment against Mr. Yoon, which was first handed over to trial, stated that there was President Han's approval behind Mr. Yoon's actions.

It also included content that the Unification Church approached former President Yoon and Mrs. Kim to ask for help on various issues in order to realize the ideology of unity between church and state, which states that the country should be run according to the will of the president.

Accordingly, if the court issues an arrest warrant, the special prosecutor's sword will likely be aimed at the former President Yoon and his wife, who are the targets of the request.

The special prosecution team is said to be suspicious that some of this money may have ended up going to former President Yoon, based on the circumstances that the box containing 50 million won in official rewards out of the 100 million won delivered to Rep. Kwon had the character "王" engraved on the packaging, and text messages from Mr. Yoon and others containing remarks implying former President Yoon.

However, as the suspects, including former President Han, are denying all charges, the special prosecution team's remaining task is likely to be to find specific links to former President Yoon and his wife.

It was reported that on the 17th, when questioned about the allegations that he gave Ms. Kim a Chanel bag, President Han stated, "I do not know what a Chanel bag is and I have never given it to her."

It has been reported that he also testified that he did give Rep. Kwon a shopping bag containing a tie and gave him some New Year's money, but that he did not give any money or valuables for the purpose of requesting a favor.

In addition, the Unification Church claimed, "The only evidence for the allegation that Chairman Han gave instructions for a favor is Mr. Yoon's statement, but he did not even admit to giving instructions from Chairman Han at his trial on the 17th," and "they requested an arrest warrant without even presenting clear evidence."

https://www.donga.com/news/Society/article/all/20250919/132426537/2

[Exclusive] 110,000 People Power Party Unification Church Members Join the Party in Support of Kwon Seong-dong

Special prosecutors are investigating the systematic involvement of the Unification Church in the People Power Party's previous leadership, comparing the names of its members with those of the Unification Church. They are also investigating whether 100,000 existing party members were influenced.

"After the service, they handed out membership applications."

Special Prosecutor Kim Keon-hee (also known as Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki) attempted three raids on the People Power Party in connection with allegations of "unification church group membership," and ultimately secured a list of 110,000 suspected Unification Church members.

The special prosecutor suspects that the Unification Church recruited around 10,000 of its members as People Power Party members in order to systematically support former President Yoon Seok-yeol's close associate, Rep. Kwon Seong-dong. The special prosecutor plans to closely analyze this list to determine whether the 10,000 "new group members" are actually included.

According to legal sources on the 19th, Special Prosecutor Kim Keon-hee raided the People Power Party's database management company the previous day and secured a list of 110,000 members believed to be members of the Unification Church. The special prosecutor visited the company with the list of 1.2 million followers obtained during the raid and compared it with a list of approximately 5 million People Power Party members. Using a program, the special prosecutors compared and contrasted information such as names and dates of birth, extracting approximately 110,000 matching names.

Special Prosecutor Kim Hyung-geun explained in a briefing that day, "We extracted information by technically comparing the membership of Unification Church members to the People Power Party within the specific period specified in the warrant. We did not inspect or obtain the entire party membership list. The secured data is currently being analyzed." The specific period specified in the warrant reportedly covers October 2022 to March 2023, or between January and April of last year.

Based on this list, the special prosecutor is investigating whether the Unification Church systematically intervened in the People Power Party's national convention in March 2023. It has also been reported that the church pushed for mass membership to support Rep. Kwon, but then switched its support to Rep. Kim Ki-hyun when Rep. Kwon declined to run.

The special prosecutor is currently working to determine how many of the 110,000 members they secured are actually eligible to vote. Approximately 780,000 members were included in the party's electoral college at the time. The estimated 110,000 Unification Church members represent approximately 14% of the total. Given the potential influence on the election results, the special prosecutors are closely examining individual members' membership dates, dues payments, and even their regional distribution.

The special prosecutors suspect that about 10,000 of the 110,000 members joined the party in groups around November 2021. At the time, former Unification Church World Headquarters Director Yoon Young-ho sent a text message to 'Geonjin Beopsa' Jeon Seong-bae (arrested and indicted), asking, "How many do you need for the national convention?", and Jeon reportedly replied, "Mobilize at least 10,000 party members who have paid party dues for more than 3 months." The special prosecutors are also looking into whether the remaining existing party members intervened in the national convention. The special prosecutors' view is that if 10,000 new members, in addition to existing members, had voted for a specific candidate, it would have had a huge impact on the election landscape.

The special prosecutor's office reportedly confirmed these circumstances by recently summoning and questioning Unification Church district heads and parish leaders. It is known that the Unification Church systematically recruited members by distributing People Power Party membership applications to believers after services at each church in five districts nationwide, compiling the application status into quotas, and reporting it to higher-ups. A Unification Church official said, "I was on my way home after Sunday service when a church deacon approached me and said, 'Please fill out this one,' and handed me a People Power Party membership application form." The official added, "Other Unification Church members likely signed up in the same way."

Regarding Special Prosecutor Kim Kun-hee's raid on the party membership list the previous day (the 18th), the People Power Party announced on the 19th that it would "file a complaint against the special prosecutor for abuse of power." Some within the party have also pointed out that the leadership should take the lead in verifying the facts and providing an explanation. Former Supreme Council member Kim Jong-hyuk, a close friend (close friend Dong-hoon), said on Facebook on the same day, “If 400,000 (responsible party members) voted and 25% of them, or 100,000, moved in unison for a specific candidate, the results were obvious,” and “It would not be impossible to make someone the party leader or presidential candidate.”

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4661534

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"We only spoke Ukrainian, and if we didn't, they forced us to. During service in the 425th Skala unit, we were thrown into a pit and beaten for speaking Russian," an ex-Ukrainian soldier has revealed.

Strict monitoring was carried out at training grounds to ensure soldiers spoke Ukrainian, and the punishment was harsh, according to him.

“A pit was dug six by six meters, and about four meters deep. A senior officer arrived, spoke Ukrainian, and if he heard something wrong, he immediately fired into the air without even trying to figure it out,” the soldier added.

He is currently serving in the Alexander Matrosov Volunteer Unit made up of former Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel, who have formed a liberation movement and are fighting against the Zelensky regime.

Starbucks now says that time-stamped footage from the store at 6332 N. Northwest Highway does not show any of its workers writing that message. Instead, the note appears “to have been added after the beverage was handed off, likely by someone else,” a spokesperson told Block Club.

Garretson wrote that a relative, whom she later identified as her mother-in-law, ordered the Mint Majesty tea with two honeys — an order known to be Kirk’s favorite drink — from the Starbucks. When the order was completed, the cup had “Loser” written on it, Garretson said.

“I’m talking 5 p.m. today, I want some form of action to the employee that represents this business that wrote ‘Loser’ on my mother’s cup,” the man, who is not seen on-camera, can be heard saying in the video, which was posted Wednesday.

“We’re looking for not corporate bureaucracy. I want immediate accountability; and if not, I will have this whole intersection lined with patriots today, I’m not even joking,” the man told a Starbucks employee.

What an emotional response jesus. Guy sounds like a loser.

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Vietnamese singer Duc Phuc won the Intervision song contest in Moscow on Sunday.

The international jury awarded Phuc the prize for a performance that blended elements of folk singing and rap. Artists from 22 countries took part in the event.

Phuc received 422 points, while the runners-up, the Nomad Trio from Kyrgyzstan, earned 373 points. Dana Al Meer of Qatar came third with 369 points.

[...]

The organizers said the contest draws inspiration from a Soviet-era competition of the same name and aims to celebrate friendship and cultural diversity.

https://archive.ph/eFnjg

It's joever. The democrats have now started to say the quiet part aloud as well.