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🇺🇸 #US: A former mayor of Arcadia, California, has plead guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government, according to the US Department of Justice. Eileen Wang, 58, allegedly worked with individuals linked to Beijing between 2020 and 2022 to distribute pro-PRC propaganda through a Chinese-language media platform, targeting the local Chinese-American community. Prosecutors stated that some of the content promoted narratives approved directly by Chinese officials, including propaganda denying genocide and human rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Wang resigned from both the Arcadia City Council and her position as mayor shortly after the charges were announced. She now faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison. (via BBC)

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🇨🇺 #Cuba: Footage released by Cuban media shows artillery units of the FAR (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba) carrying out combat drills involving howitzers and multiple rocket launcher systems (MRLS). (via @war_noir)

🇸🇴 #Somalia: Somali security forces have opened fire on protesters in Mogadishu’s Daynile district as demonstrations intensified over the past week following the government’s decision to evict residents from low-income areas. (via @Terroralerts007)

🇵🇰 #Pakistan: At least seven people, including two policemen, were killed and more than 20 others injured in an explosion targeting a police vehicle in the Serai Naurang area of Lakki Marwat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to local authorities, the blast occurred in a crowded market area during a routine police patrol, causing multiple civilian casualties and extensive damage to nearby shops and vehicles. The exact nature of the explosion remains under investigation. However, the attack follows a recurring pattern in the region of TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) militants specifically targeting police and security force vehicles. Meanwhile, roughly 30 km away, TTP militants blew up the Lora Fateh Khel bridge in Bannu district, effectively isolating multiple nearby areas. Just days earlier, another police checkpoint in the region was targeted in a suicide attack. (via @TKCkhyber)

🇱🇧 #Lebanon - 🇮🇱 #Israel: Aerial footage reportedly shows an explosive-laden Hezbollah drone striking the door of an IDF APC somewhere in Bayada on May 3rd. The drone was reportedly fiber-optic-guided and had an RPG warhead attached underneath it. (via @war_noir)

🇨🇳 #China: Footage reportedly shows the PLA experimenting with “cope cage” protection on unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) used for frontline logistics and supply transport, including water and other essential supplies. According to a Chinese defence blog aligned with PLA analysis, Chinese military observers have studied the war in Ukraine, particularly the growing dominance of FPV drones over battlefield logistics. The report notes that the traditional way of moving supplies under the cover of darkness is becoming obsolete, as thermal-equipped drones now allow both sides to detect and strike targets even at night. The report further describes the emergence of large “kill zones” behind the front line, where conventional resupply vehicles and personnel are highly vulnerable to drone attacks. As a result, the PLA is reportedly exploring unmanned transport systems fitted with cage armor to improve survivability against FPV strikes.

🇹🇭 #Thailand: A Chinese national was arrested on May 8th in Chon Buri province after a car crash led Thai police to what local media described as an entire “war arsenal” hidden inside his rented home. Thai police seized a massive cache of weapons and explosives, including M4-style rifles, Glock pistols, hand grenades, anti-personnel mines, detonators, sticks of dynamite, C4, tactical gear, fuel containers, and large quantities of ammunition. At least one tactical vest rigged with C4 charges and remote detonators was also found. Thai media further reported that investigators found alleged discussions related to sabotage and explosives on the suspect’s phone with ChatGPT, along with videos showing him training with firearms and grenades in Cambodia. Authorities have not publicly confirmed any links to militant organizations. During questioning, the suspect reportedly claimed he suffered from depression and intended to use the explosives in a suicide attack. (via Thai Examiner, Bangkok Post & amarintv)

🇺🇦 #Ukraine – 🇷🇺 #Russia: Helmet-cam footage shows a Ukrainian soldier from the Seraphim Drone Unit narrowly escaping a drone strike on a pickup truck, jumping clear at the exact moment of the explosion. The soldier appears to be armed with a Turkish-made bullpup shotgun, the HATSAN BTS-12, reportedly used by anti-drone units for its effectiveness and accuracy at ranges of up to 120 meters with 12-gauge loads.

🇵🇸 New @PopularFront_ podcast episode out now, speaking to journalist Talah Kaddourah about the hellish aftermath of Israel's unrelenting war on Gaza... ‣ Listen: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the… ‣ Support: patreon.com/popularfront

🇱🇧 #Lebanon - 🇮🇱 #Israel: Footage released by Hezbollah shows the militants using a fiber optic FPV kamikaze drone hitting an IDF armored vehicle somewhere in Bint Jbeil recently. (via @war_noir)

🇨🇴 #Colombia: FARC dissidents targeted the police station in the town of Suárez, Cauca, yesterday by dropping explosives on the building. The attack lasted more than an hour, with reports that FARC militants also fired at the station. Footage recorded by nearby civilians allegedly shows the drones used in the attack. (via BLUpacifico & ColombiaOscura)

🇳🇱 #Netherlands: A firework bomb was thrown through the mail slot of D66’s headquarters in The Hague yesterday, causing an explosion during a meeting of the youth wing of the progressive liberal party. A 37-year-old man was arrested following the incident, but Dutch police have not released any further details. The same headquarters were also targeted in September last year during a right-wing rally, when alleged football hooligans smashed the building’s windows and set fire to a police car near the offices. (via Dutch News & Reuters)

🇮🇶 #Iraq: Hajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti, widely known among survivors as "Saddam Hussein’s personal butcher" was brought before the Rusafa Criminal Court in Baghdad over crimes linked to the Anfal genocide against the Kurds. A former warden at the notorious Nugra Salman prison in Iraq’s southern Muthanna province, he is accused of overseeing torture and carrying out executions, forced disappearances, starvation, and the abuse of thousands of Kurdish detainees during the late 1980s. Since his arrest on July of last year, after decades in hiding, al-Tikriti has appeared multiple times before the Rusafa Court in connection with atrocities committed at Nugra Salman prison. Around 221 relatives of Anfal victims from several Kurdish regions attended the court session wearing traditional Kurdish clothing, demanding justice for the massacres and crimes committed against the Kurdish population. Attached footage shows Hajaj in handcuffs next to the Nugra Salman Prison. (via Rudaw & @kurdishactivism_ on IG)

🇮🇷 #Iran - 🇺🇸 #US: The Iranian Broadcasting Agency has released footage showing the IRGC launching drones and missiles at US warships overnight during brief clashes in the Strait of Hormuz between the US and the IRGC Navy.

🇺🇸 #US - 🇮🇷 #Iran: The US military struck two empty Iranian tankers earlier today that were allegedly violating the ongoing US blockade. CENTCOM later released footage on its X profile showing three Iranian-flagged tankers being struck, with the third vessel having been hit two days earlier.

🇺🇦 #Ukraine - 🇷🇺 #Russia: Ukraine has launched a wave of drone strikes across Grozny, Chechnya. Regional reports indicate that the base of the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division, along with the local FSB headquarters, was struck.

🇲🇲 #Myanmar: Helmet cam footage showing People's Defence Forces (PDF) rebels ambushing Junta troops somewhere in Dawei. (via @war_noir)

🇺🇸 #US - 🇮🇷 #Iran: CENTCOM has confirmed that US naval forces exchanged fire with Iranian units while transiting the Strait of Hormuz toward the Gulf of Oman earlier today. According to the US military, Iran has launched a wave of missiles and drones against three warships, the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason, during the incident. While the US claims that all incoming attacks were intercepted, the IRGC Navy released a statement alleging that three American vessels were damaged and forced to change course. The US further stated that it later carried out retaliatory strikes on Iranian military infrastructure allegedly involved in the attack, including the Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Minab, as well as Qeshm Port and Bandar Abbas. (via @CENTCOM)

🇮🇷 #Iran - 🇺🇸 #US: Iranian state media reports that the IRGC launched missile strikes against US Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, allegedly in response to a US attack on an Iranian oil tanker. The claims come after conflicting reports emerged regarding several explosions near Iranian ports, with some IRGC-affiliated sources initially blaming the UAE. Those statements were later retracted, with the same sources claiming that the reported explosions were actually caused by IRGC “warning shots” fired at a commercial vessel. Shortly afterward, Iranian sources stated that the IRGC had in fact engaged US naval units that were attempting to enforce Washington’s naval blockade, resulting in a brief confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz. The claims were also mentioned in parts of the Israeli press; however, the US military has not officially confirmed that such an incident took place.