cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/43663114

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, together with our partners at Global Sumud Flotilla and Thousand Madleens to Gaza, is assembling the largest flotilla in history to confront and break the illegal siege of Gaza. This Spring 2026 mission represents a powerful act of international solidarity and resistance against Israel's 20-year hermetic closure of Gaza, and other criminal policies that have devastated Gaza, denied freedom to Palestinians for decades, and laid the groundwork for a live-streamed genocide.

The Moment Calls for Bold Action For more than 7,000 days, Gaza has endured a suffocating siege that has destroyed lives, shattered families, and systematically denied basic human rights to over two million Palestinians. The world has watched in horror as Israel has escalated its repression of the Palestinian people, from occupation and slow ethnic cleansing to a full-blown, live-streamed genocide. We refuse to be silent witnesses to this injustice.

Our Spring 2026 flotilla will be a concrete act of resistance that:

• Challenges the illegal naval blockade
• Breaks through the walls of deadly siege and imprisonment
• Delivers human and material assistance to Palestinians in Gaza to help them rebuild
• Amplifies the call for Palestinian liberation
• Creates international pressure to end the siege permanently

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/43644795

Brad Reed
Feb 24, 2026

The Canadian government on Monday announced plans to send aid to Cuba, which is currently being squeezed economically by a US oil embargo.

As reported by the Associated Press, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand revealed that the government is “preparing a plan to assist,” adding that “we are not prepared at this point to provide any details” of what it will entail.

A Canadian aid package to Cuba would be the latest rebuff to US foreign policy. The two long-time allies have been at odds since President Donald Trump took office last year and slapped hefty tariffs on Canadian products, while also vowing to make the country into the “51st state” of the US.

Canada wouldn’t be the first US ally to step up help for Cuba, as Mexico earlier this month sent two ships loaded with more than 2,000 tons of goods and food to the island nation.

The US president—who blew up a landmark diplomatic agreement with Iran during his first term—added that if a new deal with the Iranian government doesn’t materialize, “it will be a very bad day for that Country and, very sadly, its people, because they are great and wonderful, and something like this should never have happened to them.”

Trump’s acknowledgment that a US military assault would likely be devastating for ordinary Iranians runs counter to the narrative pushed by supporters of war, who claim conflict and regime change is necessary to aid Iran’s population.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/43645598

[a video about Cuba from the news collective Belly Of The Beast]

Is Cuba really a threat to U.S. national security?

The U.S. recently escalated its pressure on Cuba when President Trump threatened tariffs on any country that provides the island with oil. He justified the blockade by declaring a “national emergency” over Cuba. But the facts tell a different story.

In this explainer, we break down Washington’s claims. The narrative that portrays Cuba as a threat leans on three main ideas: alleged Russian spy bases on the island, claims that Havana shelters groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, and accusations that Cuba exports an authoritarian communist model across Latin America.

The arguments being put forth are misleading. Where does that leave the U.S.’ actions? Are they legal?

Watch our full video.

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Iran is close to a deal with China to purchase anti‑ship cruise missiles, according to six people with knowledge of the negotiations, just as the United States deploys a vast naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic.

The deal for the Chinese‑made CM‑302 missiles is near completion, though no delivery date has been agreed, the people said. The supersonic missiles have a range of about 290 kilometres and are designed to evade shipborne defences by flying low and fast. Their deployment would significantly enhance Iran’s strike capabilities and ~~pose a threat to~~ provide protection against U.S. naval forces in the region, two weapons experts said

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/43639744

Israeli strikes continue across Gaza, killing one. Flooding hits displacement camps in Gaza. Board of Peace explores dollar-pegged stablecoin. Israel approved tens of thousands of settlement homes while Palestinian construction was largely blocked. Military and intelligence officials size up U.S. operation against Iran. Iran nears deal to acquire Chinese anti-ship missiles. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will brief House and Senate leaders on Tuesday afternoon ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. U.S. military kills three in Pacific vessel strike. Supreme Court weighs scope of Helms-Burton Act in Cuba property claims. Former ICE instructor alleges training standards were slashed amid deportation surge. U.S. orders partial embassy drawdown in Lebanon. Islamic State kills four Syrian security personnel; U.S. expects to fully withdraw within a month. Mexico says cartel unrest has eased. RSF attack in North Darfur kills 28. Over a dozen killed in attack in South Sudan. Gulf states back Kuwait after Iraq submits new maritime claims to the United Nations. Attacks on southern Ukraine and possible Ukrainian military advances. Thai Navy seizes Cambodian fishing boat. Former UK ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson released on bail.

There should be a Marxist-Leninist Greenland, a Marxist Leninist Denmark, and a Marxist-Leninist America.

https://globalnews.ca/news/11679160/greenland-rejects-donald-trump-hospital-ship-offer/

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would deploy a hospital ship to Greenland, alleging that many people there are sick and not receiving care, even though both of the U.S. Navy’s hospital ships are currently docked at a shipyard in Alabama.

Trump’s announcement prompted a defence on Sunday of Denmark and Greenland’s health-care system from their leaders, and it was the latest point of friction with the American leader, who has frequently talked about seizing the massive Arctic territory.

“It’s a no thank you from here,” said Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

Trump’s social media post about a hospital ship came after Denmark’s military said its Arctic command forces on Saturday evacuated a crew member of a U.S. submarine off the coast of Greenland for urgent medical treatment.

The Danish Joint Arctic Command, on its Facebook page, said the crew member was evacuated some 7 nautical miles (13 kilometres) off Nuuk — the capital of the vast, ice-covered territory — and transferred to a hospital in the city. The crew member was retrieved by a Danish Seahawk helicopter that had been deployed on an inspection ship.

Deepak Chopra could be a pedophile.

Also, I support Jeff Brown. Jeff Brown is better than Deepak Chopra.

https://jeffbrown.co/grounded-spirituality-2/

In this courageous, groundbreaking book, author Jeff Brown takes us on the spiritual ride of a lifetime. The book opens with the author’s compelling journey through a variety of spiritual approaches. Through decades of dedicated exploration and discernment, Brown exposes the transcendent notions of spirituality that limit our human experience. In his fiercely authentic, no-holds-barred style, Brown reveals that what we view as ‘spiritual’ is often devoid of the gift that makes us most alive—our precious and unique selfhood. He demonstrates that true spirituality is a whole-being awakening, one that heartfully embraces our entire human experience: our feelings, our stories, our bodies, our relationships with others, and the earth that houses us. Brown then engages in a riveting dialogue with a fictitious spiritual seeker named Michael. Their conversations unfurl in warmth and humor, threaded with cutting truth and inspiring realization. Hands-on exercises throughout provide a direct experience of a vital new model. In Grounded Spirituality, the author lays down the tracks for an embodied way of being—one that leaves us ‘enrealed,’ integrated, and purposeful. Not awakened—but awakening. Not transcending our humanness—but finding meaning and spirituality within it, right in the heart of our imperfect daily lives. At long last, we can lay down our weary heads, burdened by the impossibility of transcending our human experience. Back to our roots, back into our bodies, back into all that makes us magnificently human. Home at last…

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/23/politics/deepak-chopra-jeffrey-epstein-files

When the Justice Department publicly released millions of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, bestselling author and wellness guru Deepak Chopra was one of the many prominent individuals to distance himself from his onetime friend.

“I was never involved in, nor did I participate in, any criminal or exploitative conduct. Any contact I had was limited and unrelated to abusive activity,” Chopra wrote on X earlier this month.

But Chopra’s contacts with Epstein were hardly limited, with hundreds of messages between the two men in the Justice Department’s “Epstein Library.” And a CNN review of their correspondence reveals they shared a far more intimate friendship than was previously known, having frequent contact between 2016 and 2019 — the year that Epstein was arrested on charges of operating a sex-trafficking ring and of sexually abusing underage girls.

The revelation marks just one more example of how Epstein had long tentacles into the worlds of entertainment, academics and high society, even after he served jail time following his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Chopra joins the ranks of other high-profile figures now trying to recast the nature of their relationship with Epstein by downplaying just how close they had once been.

CNN found that Chopra and Epstein communicated regularly over email and text messages, and on multiple occasions arranged to see each other in person. Messages indicate that Chopra visited Epstein at the convicted child sex offender’s New York City townhouse, South Florida home and Paris apartment.

Over several years, the two men bantered about topics such as spirituality, health, wellness and mutual friends, with Chopra often expressing warmth and affection toward Epstein by signing some of his messages with “Love” or “XO.” Chopra once declared to Epstein: “I’m deeply grateful for our friendship.”

Chopra, who emigrated from India to the US more than 50 years ago to practice medicine, describes himself on his website as a “Consciousness Explorer and a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine.” He is the author of dozens of books — many of them bestsellers — on topics ranging from spirituality and health to quantum physics, and he is a high-profile figure in the transcendental meditation movement. Oprah Winfrey helped introduce him to an American audience in the 1990s.

Peter Mandelson could be a pedophile.

British police on Monday arrested Peter Mandelson, a former U.K. ambassador to the United States, in a misconduct probe stemming from his ties with Jeffrey Epstein. It came days after a friendship with Epstein landed the former Prince Andrew in police custody.

The arrest occurred as revelations continue from the trove of more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents released by the U.S. Justice Department.

London’s Metropolitan Police force said “officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office” at an address in north London. He was taken to a police station for questioning.

The man was not named, in keeping with British police practice, but the suspect in the case previously was identified as the former diplomat, who is 72. Mandelson was filmed being led from his London home to a car by two plainclothes officers on Monday afternoon.

Under U.K. law, police can hold a suspect without charge for up to 24 hours. This can be extended to a maximum of 96 hours. Mandelson could be charged, released unconditionally or released while investigations continue.

There should be a Marxist-Leninist Ukraine and a Marxist-Leninist Russia.

Also, if there was a Third Korean War between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea/DPRK and Republic of Korea/ROK, I hope the Russian Federation will support the People's Republic of Korea/DPRK.

Additionally, comrade Kim Jong Un looks awesome.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/19/asia/north-korea-multiple-rocket-launchers-intl-hnk-ml

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un took the wheel of a nuclear-capable multiple rocket launcher at a ceremony in the capital Pyongyang, according to the country’s state media, and touted the weapon as among the most powerful of its type in the world.

North Korean state media routinely puts out eye-catching images of its leader as a way to bolster his reputation domestically – and send threatening messages to perceived enemies.

The authoritarian one-party state is preparing for a key party congress this month, a time when North Korea’s propaganda machine and displays of its military often kick into overdrive.

Wednesday’s display comes as North Korea continues to support Russia in its illegal invasion of Ukraine, supplying Moscow with missiles and thousands of troops.

Analysts say the experience North Korea’s military is gaining in the fight against Ukraine – along with possible technical know-how from Moscow – can help it refine its weapons and tactics.

Israeli soldiers fired nearly a thousand bullets during the massacre of 15 Palestinian aid workers in southern Gaza on March 23, 2025—with at least eight shots fired at point blank range—according to a joint investigation by the independent research groups Earshot and Forensic Architecture. The report, based on eyewitness testimony and audio and visual analysis, shows that a number of aid workers were executed and that at least one was shot from as close as one meter away.

In Tel al-Sultan that day, Israel killed eight aid workers with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), six from Palestinian Civil Defense, and a UN relief agency staffer. It immediately triggered international condemnation and was described as “one of the darkest moments” of the war by PRCS.

The Israeli military was forced to change its story about the ambush several times, following the discovery of the bodies in a mass grave, along with their flattened vehicles, and the emergence of video and audio recordings taken by the aid workers. An internal military inquiry ultimately did not recommend any criminal action against the army units responsible for the incident.

Bash the fash.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/22/europe/france-bans-us-ambassador-deranque-death-latam-intl

The US ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, has been blocked from directly accessing French government ministers after he failed to appear to a summons by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

Kushner had been summoned over comments made about the death of a French far-right activist earlier this month, but “did not appear” on Monday, a statement from France’s foreign affairs ministry, the Quai d’Orsay, said.

“Faced with this apparent misunderstanding of the basic expectations of an ambassador’s mission, the Minister has requested that he no longer have direct access to members of the French government,” the statement said.

Kushner will still be permitted to carry out his duties and have “diplomatic exchanges” with officials.

CNN has reached out to the US embassy in France and the US State Department for comment.

Quentin Deranque, 23, died two days after suffering severe head injuries in a brawl in the city of Lyon on February 12, drawing comment from the Trump administration which described the death as the result of left-wing violence.

On Friday, the US embassy in France shared an X post from the US State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau which said reports that Deranque “was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all.”

“Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety,” the X post said.

The fatal brawl was caught on video, which showed several masked people kicking and punching a man on the ground, causing widespread shock and anger in France.

The French foreign minister said Sunday he would summon Kushner after he labeled his comments about the incident as “interference.”

“We are summoning the US ambassador to France because the embassy issued a commentary on this event which concerns the national community. We reject any interference in this event,” Barrot said in an interview with radio station France Inter.

Authorities have charged two people with murder in connection with Deranque’s death, and altogether 11 have been arrested.

The incident has also sparked a diplomatic spat between France and Italy, after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Deranque’s death was caused “by groups linked to left-wing extremism” and condemned “a climate of ideological hatred sweeping several nations.”

This is not the first time that Kushner, father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has failed to appear after being summoned amid criticism from the French authorities.

In August 2025, the Foreign Ministry summoned Kushner after he accused the French government of a “lack of sufficient action” in confronting antisemitism.

A French diplomatic source told CNN that the US Chargé d’affaires was summoned to the ministry’s headquarters in Paris in Kushner’s absence, as he was not in Paris.

Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain
Feb 23, 2026

The U.S. and Iran are headed to a new round of talks in Geneva aimed at averting a conflict this week—as the U.S. continues to surge military forces to the region in its largest military buildup since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Although talks are scheduled for Thursday, the prospects for a deal that would halt the U.S. drive to war remain fragile. The U.S. has demanded sweeping concessions, including the cessation of all nuclear enrichment on Iranian soil, the end of Iranian support for regional armed resistance movements, and strict limits on the Iranian ballistic missile program—the only meaningful deterrent that Iran was able to employ during its conflict with Israel last year.

In a post on Truth Social on Monday, President Donald Trump wrote, “I am the one that makes the decision, I would rather have a Deal than not but, if we don’t make a Deal, it will be a very bad day for that Country and, very sadly, its people, because they are great and wonderful, and something like this should never have happened to them.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/43592707

Israeli attacks on Gaza intensify, killing at least three. Gaza toddler dies after being blocked from medical evacuation. Teen killed in Israeli raid near Nablus as settler violence spreads across nearby towns. Trump continues to weigh Iran strikes. Pezeshkian says Tehran is committed to peace. Araghchi announces further talks with U.S. envoy in Geneva. Trump raises global tariff rate to 15%. Trump says U.S. will send hospital ship to Greenland. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tells Tucker Carlson that Israel has a right to the entire Middle East: “It would be fine if they took it all.” Gaza policy hurt Kamala Harris with young and progressive voters, Democratic election review finds. Cuban security presence in Venezuela shrinks, as U.S. escalates its interdiction of oil shipments to Cuba. Mexican forces kill cartel leader El Mencho in Jalisco raid; organized crime groups respond with violence. Israeli strikes kill 12 in Lebanon, Hezbollah leader says it has no option “but resistance.” Islamic State launches a new phase of attacks on Syrian forces. In Darfur, RSF seizes border town of Al-Tina. Russia launches massive missile and drone barrage across Ukraine, while terrorist attack cripples Lviv. Somaliland offers U.S. mineral and base access as it seeks recognition.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — School was canceled in several Mexican states and local and foreign governments alike warned their citizens to stay inside, as widespread violence erupted following the army’s killing of the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho” was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, notorious for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against government officials who challenged it.

He was killed during a shoot-out in his home state of Jalisco as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. Cartel members responded with violence across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles.

Ahmad, 28, goes around houses in Hisar, a city in northern India’s Haryana state, selling shawls and other handicraft items – like thousands of other itinerant traders from Indian-administered Kashmir, who crisscross the country on foot or bicycles.

But a spate of hate attacks faced by the shawl sellers in recent weeks has forced them to rethink and strategise what was once a common, winter-time sight across Indian cities: Kashmiris lugging large wraps holding shawls and other wares.

Ahmad now runs a WhatsApp group in which nearly two dozen members share information as they guide each other on areas to avoid.

Ahmad formed the WhatsApp group late last month after a Hindu shopkeeper in northern India’s Uttarakhand state hit Tabish Ahmad Ganie, an 18-year-old Kashmiri shawl seller, with an iron rod.

“This is a Hindu village. Kashmiri Muslims won’t work here at all,” the shopkeeper was heard shouting in a viral video of the attack, which left Ganie unconscious, while his elder brother Danish, who was also attacked, suffered minor injuries.

There should be a Marxist-Leninist Ukraine, a Marxist-Leninist Russia, and a Marxist-Leninist America.

Also, the United States of America wants the Russian Federation to annex eastern Ukraine.

https://www.cp24.com/news/world/2026/02/23/zelenskyy-pleads-to-trump-stay-on-our-side/

Kyiv (CNN) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a plea to Donald Trump on Monday, telling CNN he wants the U.S. president “to stay on our side.”

Speaking at the Presidential Palace in Kyiv on the eve of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said the United States is far too big and too important to walk away from the conflict. And he hopes that Trump, during his State of the Union address Tuesday, will back Ukraine as it fights back against the Russia of President Vladimir Putin.

“They have to stay with … a democratic country which is fighting against one person. Because this person is a war. Putin is a war. It’s all about himself. It’s all about one person. And the country, all his country is in the prison,” Zelenskyy told CNN.

“If they really want to stop Putin, America’s so strong,” he said. Asked if he believes Trump is putting enough pressure on Putin, Zelenskyy said, “No.”

In a wide-ranging and — at times — emotional interview, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukrainians are exhausted by the conflict. But giving in to Putin’s demands is simply not an option, he said.

This is the first time, however, that it has reached a conclusion on genocide, the most serious crime under international law.

Rishmawi says el-Fasher has witnessed a more severe form of criminality than earlier RSF campaigns in Darfur, which had also prompted determinations of genocide from human rights groups and the US government.

“In places like Nyala and el-Geneina, there was widespread killing. But in our assessment, there seemed to be an intention to push the Massalit out,” she explained, referring to the non-Arab communities previously targeted by the RSF, whose fighters mostly come from the Arab tribes of western Sudan and Chad. “There was a lot of rape and killings on the way, but not at this level.