[REPORT] Iran’s so-called ‘supreme leader’ seriously ill...
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's second son is a possible successor.

The 85-year-old supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is gravely ill, adding to the uncertainty of an Iranian response to Israel’s weekend attack on their military installations, a report published Saturday in The New York Times said. According to the report, the most powerful political authority in the Islamic Republic is seriously ill, and there is internal turmoil over the possibility that his second son, Mojtaba, 55, might succeed him. The younger Khamenei served in the Iran–Iraq War from 1987 to 1988, and reportedly took control of the militia that was used to suppress the protests surrounding the result of the 2009 elections, which demonstrators said was rigged.

His prospects for the position rose following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash earlier this year and replacement by President Masoud Pezeshkian. Khamenei’s father has held the life position for the last 35 years since his appointment in 1989, following the death of the first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini with whom he was closely allied, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.

‘Incoherent pandering’: Joe Biden roasted online following graduation

#Biden was blasted online following “incoherent pandering” at a #graduation ceremony on Sunday at Morehouse College in Atlanta. The 81-year-old received an honorary degree from the college located in Atlanta and conducted a speech.

X users roasted The oldest-ever sitting president after his early exit from Morehouse’s ceremony.
“Biden bails on the rest of the ceremony after he finishes his incoherent pandering at Morehouse College,” wrote RNC Research.

University students protested Biden’s appearance during the graduation ceremony as many turned their backs on him.
One of the students at the ceremony, DeAngelo Fletcher, believed the President's appearance was to appeal to young black voters. “I think it's kind of insulting that our star alumnus is Dr. King, but Biden has been on a tirade in the Middle East. Bringing him here, especially during an election year to get the young Black vote especially, it's kind of insulting,” he said.
Transcript

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usAvsHPGPE4

Polish Farmers to Celebrate Spring !


#Polish farmers have initiated a general strike. Protests will occur nationwide: around 580 locations have been officially registered for #farmers to hold rallies . The #strike, organized by the farmers' union Solidarity, aims to "paralyze the country."

Anticipate challenging traffic conditions in most cities across the country. However, some mayors, like Bydgoszcz and Lublin, have prohibited the strike. Farmers have appealed and are awaiting court rulings on these matters. An estimated 70 thousand people are expected to participate in the strike.

The protesters’ demands remain unchanged: revisions to the #European Union’s Green Deal and a prohibition on importing products from #Ukraine.

U.S. Navy warship shoots down Iranian drones, Houthi missiles, over Gulf of Ade

The USS Carney shot down three Iranian drones and one anti-ship ballistic missile Wednesday launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The Houthi missile was headed toward the Gulf of Aden at about 8:30 p.m. local time. Forty minutes later, the USS Carney shot down three Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) nearby.

The U.S. Central Command said there were no injuries or damage reported. The attack comes amid an uptick in tensions in the region. Houthis have been targeting commercial ships and vessels in the Red Sea, prompting U.S. forces to respond with a series of precision strikes.

The Houthis say the attacks, which began in November, are intended to protest the Israel-Hamas war in the region, but many of the recent attacks have no clear ties to Israel. As a result, shipping companies have been forced to find alternative shipping routes, driving up oil prices and delaying the delivery of goods, raising concerns about the effect on the global economy.

U.S. officials said earlier this week that U.S. troops have come under fire from Iranian-backed groups more than 160 times since late October. The attack also comes just a few days after three U.S. service members were killed and about 40 others injured in a deadly drone strike in Jordan Sunday.

Biden has pledged to respond to the attack in a “time and manner of our choosing,” but he has also made clear he does not seek a larger war.

#Macron feasts with Swedish royalty as French #Farmers camp on motorway

President and his wife enjoyed a banquet at Stockholm Palace while farmers cooked sausages on open fires near Paris in protest over low pay

French Farmer Protest /Paris Blockade

Farmer protests are continuing to erupt in Europe: In addition to Poland, Germany, and Romania, the situation has also worsened in France. Main roads have been blocked for the second day in a row, and the press reported on "the first transportation collapse in the country's history caused by strikes."

The French are demanding more favorable conditions for the development of national agriculture, including a reduction in the volume of imported food products and being exempt from transport taxes.

The government is still inactive: On Thursday, Prime Minister Attal held a meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Environment, where they allegedly discussed options for resolving the current situation.

There is no reason to expect the unrest to subside, either in France or in other European countries. On the contrary, protests are likely to increase: farmers may be joined by other citizens dissatisfied with the actions of the authorities (as happened, for example, in Germany). And clashes with the police may not be far off.

Now - French PM Attal delivers speech to Framers.....

North Korean missile travels 500 km, reaches maximum altitude of 50 km, reports Japan's top brass

The ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Sunday flew 500 km and reached a maximum altitude of 50 km, the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"The missile traveled at least 500 km and reached a maximum altitude of 50 km and fell into the Sea of Japan outside our country's exclusive economic zone," the ministry said, adding that Japanese authorities had "lodged a strong protest with North Korea over the incident."

According to the statement, Japan "will continue to collect and analyze information in close cooperation with the United States and South Korea." North Korea fired a missile for the first time since the beginning of the year.

Biden Pushed Operation Prosperity Guardian Despite Strong Objections

🔶️ A constant throughout the discussions: The difficulty in finding an off-ramp once hostilities began.

🔶️ The meeting set in motion twelve days of diplomacy and military planning that culminated in the airstrikes on 70 Houthi targets — all while trying to avert a wider Mideast war. The pre-dawn strikes Friday followed by a follow-up strike on a radar installation a day later, were by far the most wide-ranging military action undertaken by the US since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel ignited its operation to eliminate militants in Gaza. Biden said the military action sent a “clear message.”

🔶️ In the hours that followed, the president’s national security team received no back-channel messages from Iran or the Houthis indicating a desire to deescalate. But within hours, protesters holding Palestinian and Yemeni flags had gathered in Sanaa to denounce the US and Israel. A Houthi commander said retaliation was “imminent.”

🔶️ About 24 hours later, the US followed with another strike, described as a follow-up action, against a radar installation that hadn’t been fully destroyed the night before, US officials said. It signaled Biden would not stop hitting the Houthis to degrade their capabilities even without retaliation.