With Catholicism suffering from the death of the Pope and undergoing the whole succession ritual now, let's talk about a different religious group that will undergo the exact same process probably very soon. Shia Islam works remarkably similar to Catholicism, where the position of Grand Marja occupies a similar standing to the Pope within the faith. To summarise the position of the Grand Marja to anyone that haven't heard about it, Shia Islam has a lot of small Popes that reach that status after at least 30-40 years of studying theology, the Grand Marja is the biggest Pope out of the them all. A Shia Muslim can follow the rulings of any of the small Popes, but there's an implicit understanding that everyone respects the big Pope and his word is in the end the most important. The Grand Marja right now is a very old and sick Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who coincidentally is the first ever Shia Grand Marja to meet the Catholic Pope, after a historic meeting in Najaf, Iraq a few years ago.

The discussion within Catholic circles right now is about the conservatism of the next Pope, where Catholics discuss if the next Pope should be woke or not. The discussion around the next Grand Marja is a bit more multifaceted than that even within normie circles that aren't really into theology. I like Catholicism even as a Muslim dude, but the truth is that Catholicism in Europe is basically dead as a relevant political force, while Shia Islam is alive and still very energetic as a political and societal force. The first point of discussion is "how political should the next Grand Marja be?". Sistani is remarkable as the first modern Grand Marja with an active website and everything, but at the same time he's also remarkably media shy and there's still not even a recording of him actually talking. He's also very apolitical, he stood silent during the American invasion of Iraq, he offers no political commentary when it comes to the internal politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and his only outwardly political position was taken during the ISIS campaign across Iraq in 2014, when he declared lawful jihad against ISIS and asked young Shias to join the fight against ISIS, which later led to the creation of the Iran-aligned Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq.

Now we come to the more woke second discussion point, "should the next Grand Marja be Arab or Persian?". This is basically the eternal Shia idpol dilemma. Sistani is Iranian from the city of Sistan, but has basically lived his entire life in Iraq. The last important Marja before him, Ayatollah Abulqasim Al Khoei was also Iranian, and we have to go back to the 60s to Muhsin Al Hakim, to find a Grand Marja that is considered Arab. Al Hakim is coincidentally the most political Grand Marja in modern history, with his rulings against Arabism and Communism still being debated today and his sons Abdulaziz Al Hakim and Muhammed Baqir Al Hakim were instrumental in the founding of the current Iraqi state after the American invasion. Maybe the Marja shouldn't be Arab if the result is such comprador sons, but that's just my commentary.

We move on to the next discussion point, "should the next Grand Marja be sympathetic to the Sadrists or not?". A short summary of the Sadrist movement coming now. Big family in Iraq and Lebanon, Musa Al Sadr in Lebanon is the spiritual father of all Shia Lebanese, Muhammed Baqir Al Sadr in Iraq basically creates Shia Islamism in Iraq, he also founds the Dawa Party (biggest Shia Islamic political movement in Iraq during the 80s and later), Muhammed Baqir gets executed by Saddam in the early 80s, Dawa Party moves to Iran, regular Shia proletariat in Iraq starts following his cousin Muhammed Sadiq, Muhammed Sadiq gains popularity as a pretty good preacher who says the anti-Saddam stuff without really saying it, he gets assassinated in the late 90s, the preaching stops after his death but his following moves to his surviving son Muqtada Al Sadr, these Muqtada followers later form the backbone of Iraqi resistance to the Americans, at the same time Sadrists slowly start resembling a cult around the image of the Muhammed Sadiq and Muqtada, big clash between the Iraqi government and Sadrists first in 2008, then it turns bloody again in 2022, but doesn't escalate. There were already some rumblings that Sistani's influential son was trying to move certain pieces in order to create an anti-Sadrist camp in 2022, with him reportedly saying that the Sadrists would be considered soon outside the realm of Shiaism. So question remains, does the next Grand Marja exclude Sadrists from the bigger Shia umbrella, or maybe tries to steer them away from the cult and back into normal religion?

I have two or three more points to bring up but my attention span is failing me, so I'll bring them soon in a different comment inshallah 🙏. No proofreading of course, please notify me if something is completely incomprehensible. If you've made this far, congrats!

I know we don't agree with the pope on everything, but NOBODY deserves one of their last moments to be with JD Vance.

I am hearing that on his deathbed Pope Francis received the light of Islam and unhesitatingly recited the Shahāda. Even now he looks down on the Ummah from the gardens of Jannah. Truly there is no god but God, and Mohammed is his prophet!

They dismiss every material explanation for the war in Ukraine as Putin Apologia. And if there is no material cause there can be no material solution. So the Euro libs call for war and call everybody against this 'idealist.' I AM LOSING MY FUCKING MIND.

shot:

chaser:

BREAKING: The Education Department will begin collection on student loans that are in default next month, including garnishing wages for up to 5.3 million borrowers.

Damn. Another curse of the Biden bankruptcy bill, without it student loans would also be discharged in bankruptcy.

2 days after Brazil's Supreme Court filed charges against Jair Bolsonaro he was hospitalized with a bowel obstruction. 9 days later he started doing live interviews from his hospital bed. Today, the Supreme Court announced if he's healthy enough for that, he's ready for trial.

Bolsonaro's legal team has 5 days to prepare its defense.

• Twitter

BREAKING: Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan arrested by the FBI for obstructing ICE arrest

https://bsky.app/profile/bnonews.com/post/3lnngf2twys23

Pope Francis survived pneumonia, report reveals likely cause of death. It wasn't pneumonia that Pope Francis battled for months that might be the cause of his death. Italian news agency ANSA reported, quoting sources, that the likely cause of his demise was a stroke, and not respiratory illness. An official confirmation will only come from the Vatican.

I would also have a stroke if I had to talk with JD Vance

The Islamic Resistance Movement in Lebanon, Hezbollah:

'Hezbollah extends its sincere condolences to the Vatican, the followers of the Catholic Church around the world, and all Christians, especially our Christian brothers in Lebanon and the Papal Mission, on the passing of the Pope of the Catholic Church, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis.

Pope Francis believed in peace, called for the rejection of wars, and worked with deep faith to instill the values of love and tolerance, and he worked hard to build bridges between religions, civilizations, and peoples in order to establish dialogue, understanding, and justice.

Through his inspiring stances, Pope Francis embodied the spirit of interfaith dialogue. His prominent meetings with Islamic authorities in Najaf (Iraq) and Al-Azhar (Egypt) were milestones that ignited the flame of love and the message of human fraternity.

His frank positions calling for an end to the Israeli aggression on Gaza until the last moments of his life, his condemnation of the massacres of our people in Palestine, his demand for the provision of humanitarian aid, his official recognition of the State of Palestine, and his support for the Palestinian cause, in addition to his constant support for Lebanon at all stages and his condemnation of the Israeli aggression against us, embody the sincerity of his call and his commitment to human values that reject injustice anywhere.

The Lebanese, regardless of their religious sects and ethnic backgrounds, are called upon to recall the words of Pope Francis, who described Lebanon as the following: 'A message of great meaning that expresses a model of coexistence and national unity'.

And we call upon everyone to draw from his spirit the wisdom and strength to face challenges, and to counter attempts to sow discord and division in our beloved country, Lebanon.

VLADIMIR STOP

Bye bye ceasefire

Russian general killed in Moscow car blast on day of Trump envoy visit

Link

https://archive.is/JAMSx

https://xcancel.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1915255707571831151

Apple aims to source all US iPhones from India in pivot away from China

Apple plans to shift the assembly of all US-sold iPhones to India as soon as next year, according to people familiar with the matter, as President Donald Trump’s trade war forces the tech giant to pivot away from China.

Only the assembly stage is being moved to India, internal components will still be manufactured in China

So nice of the pope to die on a Monday so that the megathread topic writes itself

Former Nestle CEO appointed Chairman of the World Economic Forum

Former Nestle CEO, Vice Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe; was, during an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Trustees, appointed WEF Chairman ad interim. This comes after the 87 year old Klaus Schwab resigned from the position.

In 2017, the businessman infamously stated that, and I quote:

Humans have no right to access free water.

Nestle has been embroiled in numerous controversies in recent years; namely, their usage of child slavery.

Indian, Pakistani troops exchange fire as UN urges 'maximum restraint' | The Cradle

Garnishing wages of people with student loan debt is just another tax draining demand for real goods. Good job.

I'm not used to writing long posts here but since the French communist youth (MJCF, Mouvement jeunes communistes de France) held its 44th congress recently I thought I might share some takeaways from it. Note however that I am not in France at the moment, nor was I there during the whole run-up to the congress itself, so I am sharing what I've been told by other comrades and what I can gather from the new texts that have been voted on.

According to our general secretary, the number of members doubled since the last congress in 2022.

Speaking of doubling in size, since the last congress in 2022 the size the MJCF's policy text grew from 37 pages to 56. Generally, it seems that this new text confirms the return to Marxism-Leninism that had been started by the previous congress, and clarifies many things that have been left merely implied or glossed over. One part of the text that I want to highlight is the way that the text lists the historical and philosophical foundations that make up the MJCF's understanding of Marxism-Leninism:

"It [the MJCF] draws from the French Revolution the aspiration to truly popular sovereignty, which only the emancipation of the proletariat can achieve. It rejects the bourgeois confiscation of the Republic and human rights, and asserts that only a society free of capitalism will enable the people to exercise their sovereignty fully. It also draws on universalism, the foundation of equality in rights and a necessary step towards genuine equality. It draws on French history to build its political project around the demand for a Social Republic, as opposed to a bourgeois republic.

It adopts the work of Marx and Engels to analyse and change the social relations of production. It affirms the revolutionary role of the proletariat in opposition to ["antagoniste à" in the original] the bourgeoisie, whose political and economic goal is the abolition of private ownership of the means of production and the need to socialise those means.

It appropriates Jaurès' contributions to socialist ideas in France, as well as his fights for peace and secularism ["laïcité" in the original]. He saw capitalism as incompatible with any aspiration for peace between peoples.

It draws from the work and life of Lenin his conception of organisation and the seizure of power. Without a party and without organisation, there can be no revolution and no seizure of power by the working class. It embraces Lenin's analysis of imperialism. It defines imperialism as the supreme stage of capitalism.

This is what the MJCF calls Marxism-Leninism."

Contrast this with the policy text of the 43rd congress, where the only mention of Marxism, Leninism or the rest of the movement’s historical roots was this single short sentence:

"The MJCF embraces Marxism-Leninism as the historic political current to which it belongs."

But the text doesn't just mention Marx, Engels and Lenin here and leave it at that. Indeed, another change from the previous policy text is that there are now proper definitions of the socialist revolution, of the dictatorship of the proletariat (as part of the new definition of socialism) and of democratic centralism (which has a whole section dedicated to it). They are as follows:

"Socialist revolution consists of the overthrow of capitalist social relations through democratic control of economic, social and political institutions by the working class and the abolition of bourgeois property. […] The French Socialist Revolution will take a form which is appropriate to the material conditions of the country. It is a long-term construction which requires the structuring and strengthening of the organisation."

"Socialism is a phase in which the working class has taken control of the state and the economy, but where the reminiscences of capitalism and the reaction of the bourgeoisie remain strong. It is a phase in which workers are learning to manage society themselves, with the defence of their long-term interests at its heart. The dictatorship of the proletariat, i.e. the total exercise of power by the proletariat, is necessary to prevent the counter-revolution of the bourgeoisie and to bring the revolution to a successful conclusion."

"The MJCF does not operate on the basis of factions. It does not tolerate any strategy of entryism by other organisations into its midst and does not practise entryism in other organisations. Each level of the MJCF respects the decisions taken by the higher level. In return, the higher echelon must take into account the opinions and feedback of grassroots activists, thus guaranteeing that decisions are rooted in the reality on the ground. This ensures the unity of the movement, while guaranteeing that debates take place within the framework provided. The democratic nature of the movement is at the heart of the democratic centralism that the MJCF embraces.

Democratic centralism can be summed up as follows: ‘total freedom in discussion, unity in action’. The democratic aspect ensures collective decision-making: freedom of debate in the bodies set up for this purpose within the MJCF and constant feedback from members based on their experiences. The centralist aspect ensures unity of action, by respecting the decisions of the higher echelons and ensuring that they are strictly applied, as well as respecting the governing bodies and their members, and respect for national and federal bodies and executives. It implies a permanent link with the movement's management, particularly through regular monitoring in each federation.

Once a decision has been taken democratically, all members must respect and defend it publicly and show discipline, even in the event of disagreement. In the event of disagreement, it is essential not to express criticism in public, but to discuss matters internally in order to preserve the unity and cohesion of the organisation.

The NC [National council] is responsible for ensuring the ideological, organisational and militant coherence of the movement at national level. The monitoring system, a prerequisite for mass organisation. Monitoring members of the NC occupy a key position within their federations. They must be able to go there face-to-face several times a year and be available to federal executives, with weekly telephone calls. Executives must be particularly attentive to the profiles of comrades with experience who could be relevant for the monitoring role but who sometimes do not dare to apply to the NC. This issue is linked to the wider issue of under-candidacy for the NC, particularly among our female comrades."

There are also a lot of other important changes which I'll summarise now. There is a renewed emphasis on class struggle, the need to abolish private propriety and establish a planned economy. On class struggle, that is also shown in the updated section on the European Union, which in addition to being much longer also focuses for a big part of it on the role the EU plays in the domination of capital. Additionally, France's own role as an imperialist power is criticised more in the new text, not only within the EU and NATO but also in relation to former colonies in Africa as well as Kanaky-New Caledonia. And finally, the section on LGBTI rights is also greatly expanded in the new text, with an interesting passage on transition (defined in the text as three things: social transition, administrative transition and medical transition) as well as on the mutilation of intersex people; in contrast, the old text only had once sentence regarding LGBTI people, about how anti-LGBTI discrimination was a cause of patriarchal ideology. Here is what the new text has to say on transition:

"Transition paths must be facilitated. It is essential that these paths be supported medically and socially.

It must be possible to change one's marital status at the town hall on simple request, and the process must be streamlined. The use of hormones, regardless of the method used, must be fully reimbursed by Social Security.

A better understanding of transition paths is needed to provide this support. By transition we mean 3 different things: social transition, i.e. changing first names and pronouns in everyday life and wearing gender-affirming clothing; administrative transition, i.e. changing first names and sex on the civil register; medical transition, ranging from hormone treatment to surgery. A transgender person may undergo some or all of these transitions, sometimes without the support of family and/or friends, leading to social insecurity."

Overall I'm very happy with my comrades' work and I'm hopeful about the future of the MJCF. I'm a bit bummed out now that I still won't be in France for the next few years to see how these changes will be put into practice concretely within the movement.

ain't that some shit linky to thread

Comrades, a little breakdown on Pakistan vs India please. Shit appears to be kicking off and I don't trust either government. All I know is that India is basically fascist with those Hindutva freaks in power, and Pakistan has always been a CIA infested state. Where do we stand from an anti-imperialist standpoint, and who's benefiting from this uncertainty right now.

https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarsteve.bsky.social/post/3lncv7i2ql222

there has been some noises about this for a week (from this account on twitter, majority of tweets are in arabic tho) , moroccans are protesting shipping to pisrael of weapons linky to dropsite twitter thread (morocco normalized with entity on first trumpo iteration and got western sahara in reward)

they find some dignity, because christ it's bleak in the region

Israel [sic] Is Using Suicide Drones to Target Displaced Palestinian Families Sheltering in Tents | The Cradle

Israel [sic] has deployed SkyStriker drones manufactured by Elbit Systems in several attacks in Gaza over the past week, killing at least 30 Palestinians sheltering in tents, including 14 children

Has it ever been more over for Zelenskyy? His delegation can chat as much as he likes with the useless Europeans, but that will not accomplish much.

this is a really good editorial from a palestinian-canadian

As a Palestinian Canadian, Gaza feels like the best test I can use to gauge a politician’s actual commitment to human rights. The core principle behind human rights is that they are universal (apply to everyone) and inalienable (cannot be taken away). Over the past 18 months, I have watched Israel violate just about every human right that I learned about in school, while so many Canadian politicians stayed silent. If a politician isn’t willing to fight for the human rights of Palestinians, how can we trust they’ll defend Canadian rights? You might think our existing laws safeguard your rights against those who would take them away, but I’m sure many Americans thought the same thing about due process, too. Things can change fast.

Supporting politicians who defend Palestinian human rights doesn’t mean I don’t still care deeply about domestic issues. In fact, I would argue a politician’s stance on Gaza says volumes about their commitment to a range of domestic issues, and not just Canada’s responsibility to uphold international law.

the star is generally on the good end of lib media in Canada but seeing them publish something this strident is a surprise

oh as a general canada poli post, canada's federal election is 4 days from now. carney and the LPC have very good odds to form a majority government. carney strikes me as similar to starmer for western libs, a technocrat banker that's likely to govern as a right wing neoliberal rather than a white nationalist timbit trump like poilievre

U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, ordered the Pentagon to brief Elon Musk on approximately 20 top secret China-related issues, without the approval of a legal advisor or the President – CNN

While Gutting USAID, Marco Rubio Quietly Saved Cuban Regime Change Programs

The longtime anti-communist saw programs that support overthrowing the Cuban government restored after they were initially cut off.

https://prospect.org/world/2025-04-24-gutting-usaid-marco-rubio-saved-cuban-regime-change-programs/

Have no idea who this is, but it is funny how someone on Twitter has to be on call for Elon Musk to deprioritize users in the algorithm.

Hamas has released a statement mourning Pope Francis

'The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the Catholic Church worldwide and to all Christians on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, Pope of the Vatican, who passed away after a distinguished career in the service of human and religious values.

The late Pope Francis was a noted advocate of interfaith dialogue, calling for understanding and peace among peoples, and rejecting hatred and racism. On more than one occasion, he expressed his rejection of aggression and wars in the world, and was one of the prominent religious voices to condemn the war crimes and genocide being perpetrated against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

While we, in the Hamas movement, value his moral and humanitarian stances, we emphasize the importance of continuing the joint efforts between the bearers of divine messages and people of living consciences to confront injustice and colonialism, and to support the causes of justice, freedom, and the rights of oppressed peoples.'

How self-described ‘proud ally’ Keir Starmer turned his back on the trans community (cw transphobic statements)

Pink News holding Queer Harmer to account for his hypocrisy.

Four-and-half years ago, the then leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, took to the podium at the PinkNews Awards and told the LGBTQ+ community that there was a “desperate need” to reform the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) and to introduce self-ID for trans people.

The Swiss under-23 fencing team turns its back on the Israeli team during the medal ceremony of the European Fencing Championship in protest against genocide.

• Telegram

Super long article about how US intelligence is completely embedded within private security that corps like ebay, Microsoft, and sport franchises use to protect CEOs from getting Luigied:
https://www.valueaddedresource.net/cia-to-silicon-valley-ebay-cyberstalking-scandal/

Juicier bits:

Recently released documents expose new details about the eBay cyberstalking scandal, Senior Security Director Jim Baugh's alleged CIA past and how the revolving door between Big Tech and the US national security apparatus threatens free speech and press freedom.

At her criminal sentencing, Security contractor Veronica Zea called the culture at eBay under Baugh cult-like, toxic and abusive, weaving a stomach-churning story about how a carefully selected group of mostly young female analysts (nicknamed "Jim's Angels") were systematically broken down through coercive control techniques, sexual harassment and assault, sleep deprivation, and routine exposure to graphically violent content.

While Zea's letter to the court contains the most shocking revelations about the toxic culture at eBay, Baugh's sentencing letter gained even wider attention due to explosive claims that he had previously served in the National Clandestine Services - the undercover arm of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Baugh's letter to the judge was surprisingly candid about his government intelligence background - including claims that he worked for the CIA after a stint at Microsoft and that he assisted the CIA and FBI with intelligence gathering activities on a voluntary, unpaid basis after returning to the private sector as an independent security consultant on high-profile protection details including guarding then-Vice President Joe Biden at the 2016 Oscars.

The letter also revealed Baugh's supposed CIA and FBI code names as well as claims that during his private sector career, he assisted with recruitment of foreign agents and electronic surveillance of foreign leaders; reported observations from international travel and business meetings; and recruited colleagues (including a CEO) to assist the government by allowing the use of their private sector resources.

Other documents from the criminal sentencing which have not been sealed show that Baugh contends he was hired by eBay specifically for his prior government experience which demonstrated an "ability to solve difficult problems through unconventional means" and that this practice is not uncommon in corporate America, citing a New York Times article about a former CIA officer who was employed by Uber as one example.

During the time between Microsoft and bgC3 in which Baugh claims to have been working for CIA Clandestine Services, his resume shows he was a Strategic Planner at defense contractor Northrop Grumman, lending plausibility to the idea that he may have at least been contracted to the CIA during this time, if not directly employed by the agency.

Well I’m back from El Salvador and my break. Hadn’t been in a while because Bukele fans said they’d hang me from a tree with a fork up my ass lol but that clearly didn’t happen. I ended up meeting with leftists in the country who are concerned with him. Bukele is a clever person who is a good example of a competent fascist. You don’t gain control of a country as fickle as El Salvador for as long as he has without having some level of competency.

My own family are mixed on him. The men are unsurprisingly die hards who see him as some sort of tough guy while most of the women respect him cracking down on crime but want him to leave migrants alone.

You have to remember that the things he’s doing didn’t start with him but he’s making the largest spectacle out of it. The whole targeting people with tattoos was a thing that started with Honduras and Guatemala has a long history of disappearing people in US backed prisons, including American citizens.

CECOT is a big concern as well just for what it means. This sort of thing was expected with Bukele and it didn’t take long for him to lock up leftists and indigenous he has issues with. Now I said before that CECOT conditions aren’t the worst and superficially that’s true. Smaller prisons are even worse with cells that look like they haven’t been touched since being built in the 50’s. What makes CECOT stand out is the idea of nobody ever being able to get out. Guard brutality is a common thing and it’s assumed for now that prisoners either just stay until they die from the conditions (which are considered the best but still far from being good compared to even US prisons) or face some kind of death penalty. A lot of the details are murky because of how secretive CECOT is but for now it’s not quite on the same level of notoriety within the country as Izalco while still being a major concern. Even bigger is how other countries are responding. Every country in Central America did their own version of Bukele when it came to cracking down on crime. From the same people who used to always call Nicaragua authoritarian when it never went as far as Bukele did.

We have to also remember that climate change is hitting El Salvador hard. Harder than it is with Guatemala. I think Guatemala will survive by the end of the century in a very fractured state but I think El Salvador will be one of those countries that will no longer exist. This is going to make people like Bukele more common in the region as climate refugees and emigrants become more common.

Also WWE is one of the US’s strongest cultural exports. It’s pretty popular in Guatemala but the kids in El Salvador love it as well. They were talking about John Cena, Cody Rhodes, and Rey Mysterio constantly and trying to act out their moves. I would love to dissect the global presence of WWE because I’ve been to small villages in Central America where their TV’s only had three channels and one of them played WWE all the time.

India has suspended the 1960 'Indus Water Treaty' with Pakistan. Additionally, India has closed the Wagha-Attari and the Amritsar-Lahore border crossings with Pakistan.

India has announced it is withdrawing all its diplomatic staff from Islamabad, and has ordered all Pakistani diplomats to leave New Delhi. There is a full-blown Pakistani-Indian war ongoing in Wikipedia, with Indian editors changing many articles, and Pakistani editors changing them too

One Pakistani editor managed to change the main front page of the Indus Water Treaty, stating that the suspension by India is a 'publicity stunt by the Modi govt.' and can lead to 'catastrophic nuclear war'. India orders all Pakistani nationals with SAARC visas to leave the country within 48 hours.

Iran states it considers India's diplomatic actions against Pakistan to be 'regretful', and that it hopes India will take a 'responsible' position.

• Telegram

Trump and Powell can agree on one thing: destroying the American economic empire by any means necessary

massive port explosion in iran, Shaheed Rajaee Port which is a large container port. Over 500 reported injured, unknown number of casualties. If you watch the videos it is strikingly similar to the Beirut explosion a few years ago

Investigations and recovery are still ongoing

BREAKING | A massive explosion has been reported at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, one of two parts of the port of Bandar Abbas, located on the north shores of the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran.

According to Mehr News, a fuel tank in the port exploded for an unknown reason, and rapid response teams were immediately dispatched to the area.

Port activities have now been suspended so that the situation can be quickly brought under control by security and relief forces.

The number of casualties from the explosion has yet to be determined.

UPDATE | The number of injured in the Shahid Rajaee port explosion has risen to at least 516.

Source- the Cradle

Great post by Comrade Anas Al-Qadhi, member of the Yemeni Socialist Party:

“Militias? We socialists were the first to theorize this concept in Yemen, and the first to practice it as a path to liberation and struggle.

Comrade Abdel Fattah Ismail was among the first to develop an ideological vision of the revolutionary militia.

Our National Front, which defeated the British Empire, was not a regular army but a fighting popular militia. The National Front, the Popular Militia, the Revolutionary Resistance, and the Revolutionary Democratic Party—all were armed revolutionary formations born from the people.

And comrade Yahya Abu Asba' was the commander of the People's Liberation Army—let’s not forget.

To the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, these militias were "terrorist" communist heretics who cursed capital, the Gulf rulers, and imperialist circles!

But to the people, they were the spark of revolution and the voice of liberation.

And so are the scruffy Ansar Allah today—those who carry the banner of sovereignty and reject submission.

The name is no slur, no stigma—it is a badge we wear with pride.

It is our revolutionary history. This is the people's war, waged by the free, left or right.

Under Marx’s banner or Ali’s sword, the battle is the same: dignity and sovereignty.

And you, gentle ones and sons of vipers, have the Americans, Saudis, Emiratis, and British fighting for you!

You beg the “international community” to return you to Sana’a, to restore your state, to build you a liberal paradise on our land!

You are rootless, You fled the land when war broke out, and took refuge in hotels and capitals,

And when the Gulf remittances stop, Your camps collapse into chaos, shouting, and collective breakdown!”

TSLA 2025Q1 results are out. Keep in mind that "estimated" comes from Tesla-friendly analysts who waited until the last two weeks before the earnings to suddenly drop their estimates, making Tesla look closer to estimates than it was not so long ago. Even so, results are not good. And this is before all the tariff stuff that should seriously hit Tesla's energy business, since they import the majority of the cells and solar panels for their battery storage and solar division.

Earnings per share adjusted: 27 cents vs. 43 cents estimated

EPS: 12 cents vs 34 cents y/y

Revenue: $19.34 billion vs. $21.11 billion estimated

Automotive revenue dropped 20% to $14 billion from $17.4 billion in the same period last year.

Earlier this month, Tesla reported a 13% decline in deliveries to 336,681.

They "achieved" $660 million in free cash flow, but their accounts payable are up by $1 billion (despite lower production), this means that they are probably delaying payments to their suppliers until the end of the quarter to make this quarter look better. Despite the fact that Tesla is supposedly developing all this new stuff - robotaxis, FSD, autonomous robots and so on, their capital expenditures are down by like 50%. It looks like they are already trying to conserve spending.

[edit] Naturally, the stock is up by 0.5% on this terrible news. The Tesla piggies are going for the worst price/earnings ratio in history.

China made a non-nuclear hydrogen bomb

Palestinian resistance forces released more recent combat footage of RPG strikes on Zionist armored vehicles in northern Gaza:

https://s5.cdnstatic.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/video_2025-04-20_19-14-37.mp4

Think I’m out after today. Been a good five years news heads. Maybe I’ll jump back in if WWIII starts. Cheers