₦airaland Forum

If Nigeria were to achieve 90% literacy rate for women in 40 years under toughest sanctions in the world, would it not still be an achievement??

Ofodirinwa:
this is not a major achievement, rather it's a sign of male entitlement in islamic society. I live in the US and every university you visit, when you meet a muslim 7 out of 10 times she's a woman. Why? Because the value of women is low in islamic society, and the value of men is automatically high. The result is the women understand they have to try much harder to be taken seriously or respected. They also want to have a plan B so that their husband doesn't control them too much because they understand their religion well. Parents only invest their energy in regulating the behavior of the female child because the male is perfect in their eyes from birth.

the result is not that Iran or any of the muslim countries are investing in women, rather, men don't feel the need to try and don't have the discipline to try because they are already entitled to a superior status. When muslim societies notice this, their next move is to ban women from going to school to sustain the control even through in the quran there's not strict prohibition of education for women.

Most of islam is about regulating young girls. Everyone else can run wild.

Before this country is destroyed, I hope the world remembers the great achievement it made for its citizens despite 47years of economic sanctions

How do you define a terrorist

Ewedegubbler:
So what? He is a terrorist. Terrorists must go to join uncle moh in hell

What is the meaning of world police, under what treaty is that established?

Stephen0mozzy:
Very well said. Duff my hat for you.

MOSSAD is not as mighty as it may appear however far reaching their tentacles may appear - the thing with intelligence is that it can be poisoned with falsehood too.

May the best world police win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojTF6wy1O5E

Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian boy and stood around as he bled to death, video shows


This story contains details and video that some readers may find distressing.

Last November, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy named Jad Jadallah was shot at close range by Israeli soldiers in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

As Jad lay collapsed in an alley, the soldiers created a cordon around him and blocked two Palestinian ambulances from reaching him.

According to video footage and eyewitness testimony, the soldiers – 14 in total – then stood around Jad casually for at least 45 minutes while he bled from one or more gunshot wounds.

All Israeli soldiers receive training in trauma treatment, and any Israeli combat unit should contain a specifically trained medic, but none of the soldiers appeared to give Jad life-saving medical aid. At points, they appeared to ignore repeated attempts from Jad to get their attention.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) told the BBC that soldiers had provided "initial medical treatment", but a spokesperson refused to give any details about the nature or timing of the treatment.

The IDF has also accused Jad of throwing a rock, which, under their rules of engagement, can permit soldiers to use lethal force.

But the footage of the incident shows an IDF soldier dropping an object next to Jad after he was shot, then taking a photograph of it – an action Jad's family and a leading human rights group say appears to be an attempt to frame him.

The soldiers eventually loaded Jad into the back of an Israeli military vehicle, but at some point, either before or after they did, he died. It is still unclear where on his body or how many times he was shot, because the Israeli military has refused to return his body to the family and declined to answer any questions about his injuries.

Jad's mother, Safa, said: "They dropped a stone next to his hand to frame him"

Shot from close range

Jad was born and raised in al-Far'a, a refugee camp in the West Bank that is home to about 10,000 Palestinians. Along with other similar camps in the occupied territories, it is subject to frequent Israeli military raids, which Israel says are necessary to counter armed groups operating there.

In many respects, Jad's death was not unusual. According to the UN, 55 children were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank last year and 227 have been killed there since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

But two things stand out about this case. The first is that Jad lay on the ground untreated for so long, with so many soldiers around him, while he died. The second is the emergence of a significant amount of video footage of the incident, which the BBC has verified.

The exact moment of the shooting was captured by a CCTV camera in the camp. The footage shows three boys standing on the corner of an alley. First they peek to their right, where, according to eyewitnesses, Israeli military vehicles had moments earlier driven away towards the exit of the camp.

The shooting was captured on CCTV

One of the two friends with Jad at that moment told the BBC the boys had gone outside after a post on a messaging group for the camp said the Israeli units were leaving, and the boys were peeking around the corner to check.

Unknown to Jad and his friends, a group of four Israeli soldiers had waited behind and were standing just metres away, to their left, tucked behind the wall. Jad's friends spotted the soldiers first and ran away up the alley. Jad either didn't see them or saw them too late.

The CCTV footage shows the lead soldier enter the frame less than three metres from Jad, then appear to raise his rifle and open fire. Jad makes a movement that suggests this is the moment he is hit. In the camp, bullet holes can be found raking the wall in this exact spot.

Jad, likely already wounded, then runs up the alley and the Israeli soldier appears to turn, arcing his or her rifle after Jad. The CCTV footage shows dust being kicked up in the alley ahead, suggesting that the IDF soldier kept firing at Jad from behind as he ran away.

A young boy from al-Far'a camp stands in front of bullet holes, raking the wall at the place Jad was shot by an Israeli soldier

In the footage, you see Jad collapse after just a few metres, disappearing out of the frame as he falls. Shortly after, bystander footage, discreetly filmed by a camp resident, picks up from the other direction to the CCTV. This footage would capture some of the final moments of Jad's life.

It shows the teenager appear to make repeated attempts to get the soldiers' attention, by waving his arms and throwing his hat towards them. The soldiers appear to ignore his efforts and kick the hat back.

Alerted to the shooting, Jad's mother attempted to reach him on foot but was blocked by the Israeli soldiers, she and other eyewitnesses said. Another resident made an emergency call and an ambulance was dispatched immediately, arriving at the scene eight minutes later, according to call logs provided to the BBC by the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The lead paramedic, Hassan Fouqha, said his team was stopped by Israeli soldiers at gunpoint and prevented from reaching Jad, who was just a hundred yards or so away, in their sight.

Paramedic Hassan Fouqha said two Palestinian ambulances were blocked by Israeli soldiers, leaving the medics to watch on helplessly

Fouqha and his ambulance crew were then forced to watch on helplessly as Jad lay bleeding from his wounds. The paramedic said they watched for at least 35 minutes, unable to do anything. Fouqha called a second ambulance to come from a different direction, but it was also stopped by the soldiers.

"​​We tried to advance several times, tried signalling to them to let us reach the child, but we were completely blocked," Fouqha said. "We could have reached him and provided medical aid but we were prevented. The purpose of this, we do not know, but this is what happened."

The IDF told the BBC that it had provided "initial medical treatment" to Jad after verifying that he was not wearing a hidden explosive device. Footage of the incident, as well as separate close-up CCTV footage of Jad leaving home beforehand, shows that he was wearing only a T-shirt and jeans.

Asked to explain what wounds Jad sustained and what medical treatment was provided, the IDF declined to answer.

Accused of planting a rock

The IDF has said that Jad threw a rock and was a "terrorist" who "attempted to attack the force".

But Jad's family has accused the soldiers of trying to frame her son, after footage emerged showing one of the soldiers entering the scene from out of shot, dropping a heavy object next to Jad, then taking a picture of the object next to him.

IDF soldier drops object next to boy

"They dropped a stone next to him so they could frame him, and make it look like he threw stones at them," Jad's mother, Safa, said. "You can see it in the video," she said. "Anyone who watches the video will see."

Human rights groups say that Israeli soldiers in the West Bank operate with a permissive "open fire" policy under which they frequently shoot people who do not pose an immediate threat to their lives, including children who throw stones in their direction.

Shai Parnes, from the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, told the BBC that the footage of Jad appeared to show a soldier planting a rock next to him in order to justify the shooting.

"It is hard to determine for certain what we're seeing – whether it's a rock and whether they are trying to frame him with it," Parnes said. "But I think anyone who watches it with an open mind will probably come to that conclusion."

Such an action would be "abysmal", Parnes added. "But we have found other cases where Israeli forces, in one way or another, tried after the action to frame a Palestinian. It would not be the first time we've seen that on camera."

When asked specifically about the allegation that the soldier had planted a rock next to Jad, the IDF ignored the question.

A large poster of Jad hangs from the ceiling of his family home in the camp

Many of the exact circumstances of Jad's death, including how many times he was shot and when and where he died, remain unclear, because the IDF has refused to return the body and to answer detailed questions about the incident.

It is not uncommon for Israel to refuse to return the bodies of people killed by the IDF – Israeli authorities are reportedly currently withholding the bodies of 776 Palestinians or other nationals accused or suspected of committing attacks.

When asked by the BBC, the IDF declined to say why it was withholding Jad's body. Jad's mother, Safa, said the force was either trying to hide something, or simply exercising a form of deliberate cruelty.

"Maybe it is only to provoke our nerves, to exhaust us, to kill our patience," she said. "But we are patient, and we have hope, and we will keep waiting. Today, tomorrow, or after a hundred years, we will get him back. God willing, we will get him back."

Alaa Badarna contributed to this report. Photographs by Joel Gunter.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqwv9vvzx9o?at_link_type=web_link&at_link_id=25D0069E-1314-11F1-B2C0-B7F8CC02F5D8&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_link_origin=BBC_News&at_campaign_type=owned&at_medium=social&at_format=link&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_ptr_name=facebook_page&fbclid=IwY2xjawQNbntleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR4ymJcB0ZWd1XEhPV4rPoFnFn0wo7_fV--DoKYr4_ZX5AK-r7LPxRVUHarkXQ_aem_0-KwC1rKJoTtKSP2ftJhUw



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r-s81d7GyQ?si=W0wR_1D7iDR3z42_

Senior advisors to US President Donald Trump would prefer if Israel struck Iran first, believing that such a move would provide better optics and help muster voter support for a US strike, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the discussions.

“There’s thinking in and around the administration that the politics are a lot better if the Israelis go first and alone and the Iranians retaliate against us, and give us more reason to take action,” the sources told Politico.

The motivation behind the idea centers on Iran’s retaliation, the sources claimed, as “more Americans would stomach a war with Iran if the United States or an ally were attacked first.”

According to them, the line of thought around Trump is “we’re going to bomb them [Iran].”

However, other considerations are also being taken into account, according to the sources, including the risk of potentially depleting the US’s munition stockpiles, which could give China an opening to take Taiwan. Potential American casualties are another consideration.

“If we’re talking about a regime-change scale attack, Iran is very likely to retaliate with everything they’ve got," Politico quoted one of the sources as saying. "We have a lot of assets in the region, and every one of those is a potential target, and they’re not under the Iron Dome. So there’s a high likelihood of American casualties. And that comes with lots of political risk.”

Next round of US-Iran talks to commence in Geneva

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to meet Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in Geneva on Thursday for what has been described as a “decisive” meeting.

The talks are expected to determine whether there is still a path to an agreement between Tehran and Washington, or whether the likelihood of a US military strike will rise significantly.

International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi and Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi are also expected to participate.

Sources familiar with the contacts between Iran and Washington told The Jerusalem Post that while the chances of reaching an agreement are slim, the possibility cannot be ruled out.

Before departing for Geneva, Araghchi said Iran would never abandon its nuclear activities “for peaceful purposes.” He also warned that if the United States attacks Iran, American bases in Arab countries would become “legitimate targets.”

Amichai Stein contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-888044?fbclid=IwY2xjawQNVt9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR5-5-ms7wAMvDhjClyo1iwhxpK1NZuNvLVW5t6OcoTCANbHCGpLRig1NNsp7w_aem_enRARs6RpkmxjyM_mNFfPQ

David Broder
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans rioting in Amsterdam chanted slogans like “There are no schools in Gaza, as there are no children left.” Far from just extremist provocations, their slogans tell the truth about Israeli war aims.


Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv stage a pro-Israel demonstration ahead of a match with Ajax in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 7, 2024. (Mouneb Taim / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Jacobin‘s special spring issue is out soon. Follow this link to get a discounted subscription to our beautiful print quarterly.

After Thursday night’s events in Amsterdam, many commentators were remarkably uninterested in the truth of what had happened. The clashes between Israeli football hooligans, Dutch fans, and local, often ethnic-minority men had turned into an international incident — and it was obvious enough what side most of our leaders would pick. The language of “anti-racism” was marshaled to tell us who was guilty and who was good.

Joe Biden described a wave of “antisemitic attacks . . . echo[ing] dark moments in history.” The Dutch king spoke of how his country had failed Jews “like during World War II,” no less. The word “pogrom” spread across Western media, with most outlets suppressing basic facts about the events.

Violence is bad and has no place in or around a football stadium. Luckily, no one actually got “abducted,” as was initially reported. Responding to provocation is often a terrible idea, and any instances of anyone being harassed because of their nationality or religion ought to be examined. Still, it is hard to remember a similar time when hooligans showed up looking for a fight and were treated as heroes. This is indeed what at least several hundred Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters did in Amsterdam.



Many spent the last day picking fights with people they saw as Muslim, calling for the collective murder of Arabs, ripping down at least one Palestinian flag from a personal residence on the street, and even protesting a minute of silence for victims of last week’s flooding in Valencia, Spain. This latter incident, in the stadium, was broadcast on live TV; the whole story was amply documented on social media well before many of the most screaming headlines and po-faced political statements.

Many journalists thus ignored basic information about what the Israeli fans did in Amsterdam. Perhaps this was because the chanting hooligans actually told a lot of truth about the war on Gaza, which Western governments support and fund.

Many journalists ignored basic information about what the Israeli fans did in Amsterdam.
Slogans like “Let the IDF win, Bleep the Arabs” are not, at this point, to be considered jokes or extremist provocations. They are the reality of what Israel is doing and what is supported by most of Israeli society, bar a brave minority of critics. Even such a figure as recently sacked defense minister Yoav Gallant — this week widely presented as a rare “moderate” in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government — labeled Israel’s enemies “human animals” and insisted that a “complete siege” should cut off “electricity, fuel, and food.”

One of the more vile slogans chanted by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was “There are no schools in Gaza, as there are no children left.” Proud in its genocidal intent, this line is only half true. According to UNICEF, some 625,000 Palestinian children have now gone over a year without attending class. Six hundred and twenty-five thousand. Forty-five thousand first-graders, or at least kids who ought to be in first grade, didn’t start the school year in September; thanks to Israel, thousands never will. “Only” a minority of children are dead (at least tens of thousands are).



But Israel has damaged or destroyed around 90 percent of Gazan schools. With the mass bombing of homes and ethnic cleansing of whole swaths of territory, even the buildings that are still standing are used by the displaced as a simple refuge.

Our political leaders might have devoted more words to this vast, unconscionable suffering than to a rabble spewing racist bile in the streets of Amsterdam. Perhaps the journalists who present themselves as crusaders against “fake news” and “disinformation” might have looked up some sources other than government Twitter/X accounts.

But the good news is that fewer people are buying the Israeli narrative. Only last week, one hundred BBC staffers criticized their own employer’s biased, baseless reporting for uncritically parroting Israeli claims about the war and dehumanizing Palestinians. Even in Germany, whose political class is among the world’s most extreme in its support for Israel, more citizens don’t trust media reporting on the war than do trust it.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam showed ordinary TV viewers and social media users who they really are. Listen to them and believe them.


Source:

1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDXBGIKWzpU?si=3nBvoTUBFnmtRBUC

2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFxL0G5C1e8?si=KLsalIQtEcK6eN5l

3. https://youtube.com/shorts/_HRUV86bVa0?si=yMT_LMBtDXR4KRrC

4.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xLpXuZjIvI?si=naoENHTWYQhHZPmd

5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE30r9Ox4jQ?si=f3FhA1cCgXckPXSd

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that the world has not loved "the Israelis" for 3,000 years, continuing to the present day.

This came during a speech Bennett gave at the conference of leaders of American Jewish organizations, where he stressed that what is needed now is for Israel’s enemies to fear it, for its friends to respect it, and for everyone to need it. He added: "We tried that the world would love us for about 3,000 years, and we did not succeed."

On the domestic front, Bennett criticized the current Israeli government, stating that he will not allow failed leadership to continue. According to Channel 14 Hebrew, he said: "The current leadership has divided the people more than ever, and the greatest disaster in Israel’s history occurred under its supervision… I intend to lead Israel stronger in the next stage."

Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMY7gfl7rNU?si=Ntyb1kd2BYqCUQdI

Nancy Scheper-Hughes, who conducted the interview, told Al Jazeera on Monday that Hiss had said the “body parts were used by hospitals for transplant purposes – cornea transplants. They were sent to public hospitals [for use on citizens].

Guidelines ‘not clear’

“And the skin went to a special skin bank, founded by the military, for their uses”, such as for burns victims.

The practice is said to have ended in 2000.

The interview was also reported on Israel’s Channel 2 television, which quoted an Israeli military statement that said: “This activity ended a decade ago and does not happen any longer.”

Israel’s health ministry said in the Channel 2 report that at the time the guidelines for transplants “were not clear” and that for the last 10 years “Abu Kabir has been working according to ethics and Jewish law”.

Scheper-Hughes, who is a professor of anthropology at the University of California-Berkeley, said that she made the interview public because of the controversy last summer over allegations of organ harvesting made by a Swedish newspaper.

In August the Aftonbladet newspaper ran an article alleging that the Israeli army had stolen body organs from Palestinian men after killing them.

Israel denied the claims, calling them anti-Semitic, and the incident raised tensions when Sweden refused to apologise for the article, saying that press freedom prevented it from intervening.

‘Conflict deaths’

Donald Bostrom, the journalist who broke the story in Aftonbladet, told Al Jazeera: “UN staff came to me and said that you have to look into this very serious issue. Palestinian young people were disappearing in the areas and five days later they appear back in the villages with an autopsy done on them against the will of the families.

Bostrom said that there is no proof that people were killed for their organs but that an investigation is needed to find out whether there was a policy in place or if the bodies used were random.

Bostrom added that Hiss is the “main key” to solving such unanswered questions, but that there would also be other people involved who could help uncover the truth.

Scheper-Hughes said that some of the dead Palestinians from whom organs were harvested were killed during military raids.

“Some of the bodies were definitely Palestinians who were killed in conflicts,” she told Al Jazeera.

“Their organs were taken without consent of families and were used to serve the needs of the country in terms of hospitals as well as the army’s needs.”

‘Technically illegal’

She said that Hiss told her “that the people who did the harvesting were sent by the military. They were often medical students”.

“He did it informally and without permission, and it was technically illegal,” she said.

The military establishment gave their “sanction and approval” to the procedures, according to Scheper-Hughes.

During his interview with Scheper-Hughes, Hiss said that the eyelids of bodies were glued shut to prevent the removal of corneas being found out.

Hiss was dismissed as head of Abu Kabir in 2004 over irregularities in the use of organs, but charges against him were eventually dropped. He still holds the position of chief pathologist at the institute.

Source:
ABC News: https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.com/amp/International/israel-harvested-organs-permission-families-dead/story%3fid=9390407

NBC News https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/wbna34503294


https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2009/12/21/israel-admits-to-organ-thefts

https://share.google/DygnBR9jhLlWxSMIz

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has claimed that Washington engineered a dollar shortage in Iran to send the rial into freefall and cause protests on the streets.

In December and January, Iran was faced with one of the biggest antigovernment protests the country has seen since the Islamic revolution of 1979, prompted by the severe economic crisis.

Protests over soaring prices in Iran began with shopkeepers in Tehran who shuttered their shops and began demonstrating on December 28, 2025, after the rial plunged to a record low against the US dollar in late December. The protests then spread to other provinces of Iran.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s government responded with force. More than 6,800 protesters, including at least 150 children, are thought to have been killed in a sweeping crackdown by the government on the protest movement.

So, how did Washington create a “dollar shortage” in Iran, ultimately causing the rial to tank? And what effect has that had on the Iranian people?

What is a ‘dollar shortage’?

A “dollar shortage” refers to when a country does not have enough US dollars to pay for things it needs from the rest of the world.

The US dollar is the main currency used in global trade, especially for oil, machinery and loan repayments, which means countries need a steady supply of it.

If exports fall and sanctions block access to the US financial system, dollars can become scarce. As a result, the local currency weakens, prices of imported goods rise, and inflation worsens.

In Iran, a “dollar shortage” was engineered by simultaneously blocking the two main channels of foreign exchange (FX) inflow: Oil exports and international banking access, said Mohammad Reza Farzanegan, an economist at Germany’s Marburg University. The US did this by imposing sanctions on Iranian oil, meaning anyone buying or selling it would be subject to punitive measures.

Given Iran’s dependence on oil for revenue, economic sanctions on its oil can create a severe FX constraint.

“By using secondary sanctions to threaten any global entity trading in dollars with Iran, the US traps Iran’s existing reserves abroad and prevents new dollars from entering the domestic market,” Farzanegan told Al Jazeera.

What has US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said?

Replying to a query about dealing with Iran at a Congressional hearing last week, Treasury Secretary Bessent described the US strategy to send the Iranian currency plunging.

“What we [have done] at Treasury is created a dollar shortage in the country,” Bessent said, adding that the strategy came to a “grand culmination in December, when one of the largest banks in Iran went under … the Iranian currency went into freefall, inflation exploded, and hence, we have seen the Iranian people out on the street.

“We have seen the Iranian leadership wiring money out of the country like crazy,” Bessent added. “So the rats are leaving the ship, and that is a good sign that they know the end may be near.”

Before this, speaking with Fox News at the World Economic Forum last month in Davos, Bessent explained the role US sanctions played in driving the recent nationwide protests.

“President Trump ordered Treasury … to put maximum pressure on Iran, and it’s worked,” he said. “Because in December, their economy collapsed. They are not able to get imports, and this is why the people took to the streets.”

In both instances, Bessent referred to his earlier remarks at the Economic Club of New York, in March last year, when he outlined how the White House would leverage President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign to collapse Iran’s economy.

In his address there, Bessent said the US “elevated a sanctions campaign against [Iran’s] export infrastructure, targeting all stages of Iran’s oil supply chain”, coupled with “vigorous government engagement and private sector outreach” to “close off Iran’s access to the international financial system”.

What effect did the dollar shortage have in Iran?

In January, the Iranian rial was trading at 1.5 million to the dollar – a sharp decline from about 700,000 a year earlier in January 2025 and about 900,000 in mid-2025. The plummeting currency triggered steep inflation, with food prices an average of 72 percent higher than last year.

In 2018, during his first presidency, Trump withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a deal between Iran and global powers limiting Tehran’s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

Since re-election last January, President Trump has doubled down on his so-called “maximum pressure” to cripple Iran’s economy and corner Tehran to renegotiate its nuclear and regional policies. Last month, Trump threatened a 25 percent tariff on countries doing business with Iran.

Through the rigorous blocking of Iran from the global financial system by creating a dollar shortage, the US pushed Tehran towards a severe “import compression, [and as a result, Iran] cannot pay for the intermediate goods and machinery required for domestic production”, said Farzanegan, the economist.

The US strategy, he said, “is particularly devastating because it leverages commercial risk management against humanitarian needs”. In short, Washington’s strategy “makes the small Iranian market a commercial liability” for any company, even if they are only dealing with medicine, for instance, Farzanegan added.

A research paper published by Farzanegan and Iranian American economist Nader Habibi last year found that the size of Iran’s middle class would have expanded by an annual average of approximately 17 percentage points, between 2012 and 2019, if it were not for US action.

In 2019, the estimated size of loss in the middle-class share of the population in Iran was 28 percentage points, the research found.

“People lost their purchasing power, and savings were wiped out,” the economist told Al Jazeera. “This is a long-term destruction of the country’s human capital.”

Besides the US action is the existing vulnerability of Iran’s economic structure, with factors like long-term mismanagement, high rates of corruption and over-reliance on oil revenues making it fragile.

While the US sanctions created external shock, a lack of domestic structural reforms left the government with “no fiscal space to cushion the blow”.

What is the US’s endgame here – and will it succeed?

Bessent’s admission that Washington deliberately created a “dollar shortage” signals the US’s shift towards a total economic warfare narrative.

“This is economic statecraft; no shots fired,” Bessent said at the WEF in Davos last month.

“This admission may complicate the US’s diplomatic standing, as it confirms that the humanitarian channels for food and medicine are often rendered useless if the entire banking system is being targeted for collapse,” Farzanegan said.

Bruce Fein, a former US associate deputy attorney general who specialises in constitutional and international law, told Al Jazeera that this type of economic coercion is “as common as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west”, pointing to economic sanctions against Russia, Cuba, North Korea, China and Myanmar.

However, unlike in other cases where the US has applied economic pressure, Farzanegan said Iran’s case is “a unique experiment due to the duration and intensity of the pressure”.

Unlike Russia, which has a more diversified export base and larger reserves, Iran has been facing varied forms of sanctions for decades since the supreme leader took power in 1979.

“Iran has a sophisticated internal mechanism for sanctions circumvention that makes the ‘dollar shortage’ a game of cat-and-mouse rather than a one-time shock,” the economist said.

With a US armada currently stationed in the Arabian Sea, the US and Iran are in talks to defuse tensions. The US wants three key things from Iran: To stop enriching uranium as part of its nuclear programme, to get rid of its ballistic missiles and to stop arming non-state actors in the region.

Ultimately, observers say, the US wants regime change in Iran.

But Fein said his experience shows that economic sanctions alone “seldom, if ever, topple regimes … Regime change comes externally only with the use of military force.

“Iran’s dollar shortage will not oust the mullahs or Revolutionary Guard,” he said, referring to Iran’s current administrative structure.

The impoverishment of Iranians will diminish, Fein told Al Jazeera, “rather than promote the likelihood of a successful revolution because day-to-day survival will be the priority”.

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/economy/2026/2/13/us-says-it-caused-dollar-shortage-to-trigger-iran-protests-what-that-means

Fatemeh Orooj Alian, associate professor at North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, excels as a devoted mother and a top scientist.

Her achievements place her among the world's top 1% researchers.

Dr. Fatemeh Oroojalian received her Ph.D. degree in Nanobiotechnology in 2017 from the University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. In 2015, She joined a visiting scholar program at the College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, USA. She has been listed among the world's top 2% of the most-cited scientists in 2022 and 2023. Her current research interests focus on the design of smart hybrid material nanostructures and their application in targeted drug and gene delivery systems, tissue engineering.

FBI operatives with profiles similar to Monteilh's – of a lengthy criminal record, desire for cash and a flexibility with the truth – have led to high profile cases of alleged entrapment that have shocked civil rights groups across America.

In most cases the informants have won their prosecutions and simply disappeared. Monteilh is the only one speaking out. But whatever the reality of his year undercover, Monteilh is almost certainly right about one impact of Operation Flex and the exposure of his undercover activities: "Because of this the Muslim community will never trust the FBI again."
circumstances that remain murky Monteilh then sued the FBI over his treatment, claiming that they abandoned him once the operation was over.

He also ended up in jail after Irvine police prosecuted him for defrauding two women, including a former girlfriend, as part of an illegal trade in human growth hormone at fitness clubs. (Monteilh claims those actions were carried out as part of another secret string operation for which he was forced to carry the can.)

What is not in doubt is that Monteilh's identity later became public. In 2009 the FBI brought a case against Ahmad Niazi, an Afghan immigrant in Orange County.

The evidence included secret recordings and even calling Osama bin Laden "an angel". That was Monteilh's work and he outed himself to the press to the shock of the very Muslims he had been spying on who now realised that Farouk Aziz – the radical they had reported to the FBI two years earlier – had in fact been an undercover FBI operative.

Now Monteilh says he set Niazi up and the FBI was trying to blackmail the Afghani into being an informant. "I built the whole relationship with Niazi. Through my coercion we talked about jihad a lot," he said. The FBI's charges against Niazi were indeed later dropped.

Now Monteilh has joined an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against the FBI. Amazingly, after first befriending Muslim leaders in Orange County as Farouk Aziz, then betraying them as Craig Monteilh, he has now joined forces with them again to campaign for their civil liberties.

That has now put Monteilh's testimony about his year undercover is at the heart of a fresh legal effort to prove that the FBI operation in Orange County unfairly targeted a vulnerable Muslim community, trampling on civil rights in the name of national security.

The FBI did not respond to a request from the Guardian for comment.

It is not the first time Monteilh has shifted his stance. In the ACLU case Monteilh is now posing as the sorrowful informant who saw the error of his ways.

But in previous court papers filed against the Irvine Police and the FBI, Monteilh's lawyers portrayed him as the loyal intelligence asset who did sterling work tackling the forces of Islamic radicalism and was let down by his superiors.

In those papers Monteilh complained that FBI agents did not act speedily enough on a tip he gave them about a possible sighting of bomb-making materials. Now Monteilh says that tip was not credible.

Either way it does add up to a story that shifts with the telling. But that fact alone goes to the heart of the FBI's use of such confidential informants in investigating Muslim communities.

FBI operatives with profiles similar to Monteilh's – of a lengthy criminal record, desire for cash and a flexibility with the truth – have led to high profile cases of alleged entrapment that have shocked civil rights groups across America.

In most cases the informants have won their prosecutions and simply disappeared. Monteilh is the only one speaking out. But whatever the reality of his year undercover, Monteilh is almost certainly right about one impact of Operation Flex and the exposure of his undercover activities: "Because of this the Muslim community will never trust the FBI again."

Source: https://guardian.ng/news/militia-funding-us-bill-targets-illegal-chinese-mining-in-nigeria/

In a seismic shift for the South Asian nation, Tarique Rahman is set to become the next Prime Minister of Bangladesh following a landmark election on February 12, 2026. His journey from a 17-year exile in London to the corridors of power in Dhaka marks not only a personal comeback but also the country’s hopeful—and fragile—return to democratic governance after years of authoritarian rule.

This election was no ordinary vote. It was the first general election since a youth-led, Gen Z uprising overthrew long-time autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 . For a generation of Bangladeshis, it was their first experience of casting a ballot in a contest deemed free and fair. "I am excited, this is the first time I am freely taking part in an election," one Dhaka voter told reporters .

The Making of a Leader

Rahman, the 60-year-old chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is the scion of the country's most prominent political dynasty. He is the son of Ziaur Rahman, a independence hero and former president, and Khaleda Zia, a three-time prime minister . However, his path to leadership has been anything but easy.

For 17 years, Rahman watched his country from a distance. After being arrested on corruption charges in 2007 during a military-backed crackdown, he was released in 2008 and left for London, reportedly for medical treatment . From his exile, he witnessed his party being systematically marginalized, with its leaders jailed and its offices shuttered under Hasina's rule. Despite the distance, he continued to shape BNP strategy remotely.

His return on Christmas Day in 2025 was dramatic. Just five days later, his mother, Khaleda Zia, passed away, officially passing the torch of the BNP leadership to her son .

A "Reinvented" Statesman

Those who have observed Rahman over the decades note a significant transformation. Once dogged by allegations of wielding undue influence as a "parallel power centre" during his mother's tenure in the early 2000s—earning him the moniker "Dark Prince" in some circles—the Rahman who returned to Dhaka projects a markedly different image .

He has adopted an understated, conciliatory tone, explicitly renouncing the politics of revenge. "What does revenge bring to someone? People have to flee from this country because of revenge," Rahman said in a recent interview. "What we need at the moment in the country is peace and stability" .

Even his family's fluffy Siberian cat, Jebu, has helped soften his image, becoming a viral sensation on social media .

The Mandate and the Mission

The BNP secured a landslide majority in the parliamentary elections, with the Election Commission reporting a turnout of nearly 60% . Simultaneously, voters backed sweeping constitutional reforms in a referendum, including a proposed two-term, 10-year limit for prime ministers—a direct response to the autocratic tendencies of the past .

Rahman’s to-do list is daunting. He inherits a nation of 170 million people facing severe economic strain. He has described the economy, health system, and energy sector as "destroyed" by the previous administration . His economic plan focuses on diversifying beyond the garment industry, creating jobs for a massive young population, and expanding financial aid for poor families .

On the political front, he has pledged a "top-down, no tolerance" approach to corruption and a restoration of institutional integrity .

The Challenges Ahead

While his victory is decisive, the road ahead is fraught with challenges.

· Healing a Divided Nation: Rahman must unite a country still reeling from the violent crackdown on the 2024 protests that left an estimated 1,400 people dead .
· Navigating Islamist Politics: The election also saw the resurgence of the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami as a major political force. Rahman must balance the country’s secular traditions with the rising influence of religious politics .
· Mending Foreign Ties: Crucially, he must repair strained relations with neighboring India, which was Hasina's closest ally and is now hosting her in exile. Rahman has called for a "relationship of mutual respect, mutual understanding" with New Delhi .

Tarique Rahman may be a product of dynastic politics, but his stated priority is to transcend it. "Only by practicing democracy can we prosper and rebuild our country," he has insisted . As he prepares to take the oath of office, the world watches to see if the man who spent nearly two decades in exile can guide Bangladesh toward a stable, prosperous, and truly democratic future.

You don't deserve a response, but I'll just educate you briefly. Are you aware Arabs worship Idols before islam came through prophet Muhammed? He brought islam and was fought in several battles just because he said they should stop worshipping idols. If Islam is idolatry, why were they fighting him?

Fathai:
Allah is a deity. It is been worship in Saudi arabia the same way ogun and songo is been worship in Nigeria (Yoruba land). The Quran contains story that does not concern us as a Nigerian. Have you ask yourself why you can't pray to Allah in your native language? It is because Allah does not understand any language apart from Arabic. They said Allah is every where, but I have to face one particular place to pray to him, I have to speak in it's language.

When you go to mecca, you have to walk round one particular place 7 times which is called tawaf in Arabic, you have to stone one particular place, you have to kill ram in mecca that you will not even eat. Why do I need to follow all those procedure if Allah is truly every where.

merits:
Aliamdulilahi 🤲all glory be to almighty Allah 🤲

Alhamdulillah for the light and blessing of Islam

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that President Isaac Herzog “should be ashamed of himself” for not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is standing trial for alleged fraud, bribery and breach of trust.

Trump has been calling for Netanyahu to be pardoned since June 2025, but Monday was the first time he attacked Herzog for not granting one to the premier.

The comments came a day after Trump met Netanyahu in the White House, leading to speculation that the Israeli premier raised the issue during their sit-down.

Asked by reporters at the White House whether Netanyahu is responsible for the security failures that allowed Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack to unfold, Trump responded, “I guess everybody’s responsible,” before noting that it was a “sneak attack” that “nobody else would have seen coming.”

He went on to again hail Netanyahu as “a very good wartime prime minister,” touting their joint successes against Iran before turning his aim to Herzog.

“You have a president [who] refused to give him a pardon… [He] should be ashamed of himself,” Trump said.

“The primary power he’s got is… to give pardons, and he’s not. He said he’s given it five different times, but he doesn’t want to do it because, I guess he loses his power,” Trump said, without elaborating or explaining.

“I think the people of Israel should really shame him. He’s disgraceful for not giving it,” the US president added.

Herzog’s office quickly responded, saying that — contrary to Trump’s claims — the Israeli president has not decided on whether to grant Netanyahu a pardon.

This is because the matter is still being reviewed by the Justice Ministry, which has to provide a legal opinion before the president can make a decision, the statement from Herzog’s office said.

“Only upon completion of that process will President Herzog consider the request in accordance with the law, the best interests of the State of Israel, guided by his conscience, and without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind,” the statement added.

“President Herzog deeply appreciates President Trump for his significant contribution to the State of Israel and its security. Israel is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law,” the statement added, cautiously suggesting that Trump was trying to infringe on Israel’s sovereignty, while insisting that Herzog would not allow that to occur.

While hosting Netanyahu in December, Trump claimed that he spoke with Herzog about the issue and that the Israeli president told him a pardon was “on its way.”

The claim was quickly denied by Herzog, who said the pair had not spoken recently and that no decision about a pardon had been made.

Herzog’s office said at the time that he spoke several weeks earlier with “a representative on behalf of President Trump, who inquired about the US president’s letter,” referring to a November letter Trump sent to Herzog formally urging him to pardon Netanyahu.

During that conversation, “an explanation was provided regarding the stage of the process in which the request currently stands, and that any decision on the matter will be made in accordance with the established procedures,” Herzog’s office added.

Trump has waged a very public campaign on Netanyahu’s behalf, publicly urging Herzog to pardon the prime minister during a speech at the Knesset in October 2025.

Weeks later, Trump sent a letter to Herzog in which he formally made the request, dismissing the legal case against Netanyahu and insisting that pardoning him would unite the country.

Herzog then reiterated that he could only consider a pardon if Netanyahu submits a request, leading the premier’s lawyers to do so at the end of November in a filing that notably did not include any admission of guilt.

Speaking a day after receiving the request, Herzog said that he would handle it “in the most proper and precise way. I will consider only the good of the country and Israeli society.”

While Herzog reportedly planned to decide on pardoning Netanyahu within weeks, urgency on the matter has appeared to wane.

Given that the trial is still ongoing, some legal experts argue that Herzog does not even have the authority to grant a pardon at this stage.

But the trial against Netanyahu has gone on for nearly six years and is expected to last several more, not including a likely appeal.

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.timesofisrael.com/trump-says-herzog-should-be-ashamed-of-himself-for-not-pardoning-netanyahu/amp/

A new bill in the United States House of Representatives seeks to have the US Secretary of State collaborate with Nigeria to counter what lawmakers describe as the destabilizing impact of illegal Chinese mining operations in the country.

The “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026” was introduced on Tuesday by five Republican lawmakers: Chris Smith, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga. The sponsors allege that some Chinese mining companies operating in Nigeria have been paying protection money to Fulani militias, fueling local violence and insecurity.

Under the proposed legislation, the Secretary of State would provide technical support to Nigeria aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating militia-related violence, including through disarmament programs and comprehensive counter-terrorism cooperation. The bill also calls for coordination with international partners such as France, Hungary, and the UK to advance religious freedom and peace.

Clauses 10 and 11 of the bill specifically direct:

“The Secretary of State should work with the Government of Nigeria to counteract the hostile foreign exploitation of Chinese illegal mining operations and their destabilizing practice of paying protection money to Fulani militias.”

The legislation also tasks the Secretary of State with determining whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias qualify as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The bill references a 2023 report by The Times, which alleged that Chinese nationals in Nigeria’s mining sector were indirectly funding militant groups in the northwest to secure access to mineral resources. According to the report, some miners in Zamfara acted as runners for militant groups, raising concerns that “Beijing could be indirectly funding terror in Africa’s largest economy.”

If passed, the bill would represent a significant US intervention in Nigeria’s mineral sector and security landscape, linking foreign mining operations to militia activity and underscoring broader concerns about regional stability, counter-terrorism, and governance.

Source: https://guardian.ng/news/militia-funding-us-bill-targets-illegal-chinese-mining-in-nigeria/

What's the wickedness of the IRIran??

freeborn02:
God doesn't bless wickiiedness

Can I give you more?? I'm sure it scares you.

NNEVERAGAINN:
All these are engineered pictures. It not real

Pls understand Iranians, they're the people of over 5000 years history. The land of Alexandria and Cyrus the great who rescued news from Babylonian and defeated Romans. It's great civilization and people. They won't allow invaders because they know what it means.

dalass:
See confused people.

So they have, " the plummeting value of Iran’s currency, the rial, and high inflation.
yet they're still showing support for an incompetent leader because of religion

Their only obsession is their kinsmen from Israel and death to this, death to US, death tondeath, yen, yen yen! .. E be like say their only focus na to kill, steal and destroy.... .... Continue

But that's the devil's ministry! You can't ever find the religious followers demonstrate for good government even in Nigeria but they'll support bandits who destroy school system, abduct and kill legit business men, hardworking farmers just for religious ideology to put others under jizia, taxing them, destroying everything in sight.

They never try to provide solution, fix anything, build anything good, or just allow peace to reign so that they can prosper
Their generation have shouted death to 2 nations because of religion o, yet they're defeated . They no get sense ni

They only want your life, your prosperity, your established systems

Until they realize that you can't truly prosper from the money you don't work for, it doesn't last

Ohun tí a kò jìyà (ṣiṣẹ́) fún kìì tó ọjọ́, ohun tí a fi ara ṣiṣẹ́ fún ló ńpẹ́ lọ́wọ́ ẹni

favour32:
I beg tell us the original jew.
So,the fake Jew still speak Hebrew?
How?

So they were speaking Hebrew in Germany, Poland and other countries they came from?

Iranians have commemorated the 47th anniversary of the Islamic revolution with mass rallies nationwide.

Crowds flooded Tehran and other cities on Wednesday to celebrate the Islamic Republic’s establishment and show solidarity with the government during one of the most tumultuous periods in Iran’s recent history.

Demonstrators packed the streets carrying portraits of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founder, along with Iranian and Palestinian flags. Many in attendance chanted, “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

The commemorations prominently featured anti-American and anti-Israeli imagery, including the burning and trampling of both countries’ flags.

Iranian media showcased mock coffins draped with US flags bearing American military commanders’ names and photographs while also displaying Iranian missiles and fragments of downed Israeli drones from June’s 12-day conflict.

While the rallies were organised to show public support for the government, that backing is hardly unanimous. Demonstrations broke out at the end of December over the plummeting value of Iran’s currency, the rial, and high inflation. The protests spread across the country and evolved into antigovernment demonstrations before a deadly crackdown by security forces.

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/gallery/2026/2/11/iranians-mark-47th-islamic-revolution-anniversary-with-nationwide-rallies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sara mistreated household staff, a labour court has found, in a case brought by a former caretaker.

The court accepted Meni Naftali's claim that he had been insulted and verbally abused, and awarded him 170,000 shekels (£30,200;$43,700) in compensation.

The ruling said Mrs Netanyahu's angry outbursts and demands had created "abusive" conditions for employees.

Sara Netanyahu had called the claims lies, saying she was civil with staff.

The prime minister's office did not offer any immediate comment on the ruling.

It has rejected past allegations of abuse against Mrs Netanyahu as "evil, skewed gossip".

An earlier case, where Mrs Netanyahu was accused of being abusive towards a housekeeper, was settled out of court.

'Flowers not fresh enough'
In its ruling on Wednesday, a labour court found that testimony by Mr Naftali and other employees, alleging mistreatment by Mrs Netanyahu, had been credible.

The testimony pointed to "abusive employment conditions at the prime minister's residence as a result of Mrs Netanyahu's behaviour and her attitude," the court said.

"These included exaggerated demands, insults, humiliation and angry outbursts," according to the 40-page verdict.

Mr Naftali said Mrs Netanyahu had once called him at 03:00 on one occasion to scold him for buying milk packaged in a plastic bag rather than a carton.

On another occasion, he said, she threw a vase of day-old flowers on the floor, telling him that they were not fresh enough, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Mr Naftali resigned in 2012 after working at the Netanyahus' Jerusalem home for 20 months.

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35543995.amp

Lebanon says it has compiled documentation showing Israeli aircraft sprayed toxic substances over farmland and residential areas in southern border villages, causing crop damage and raising serious concerns about public health, environmental safety and food security. Officials say this is not the first such incident, warning of a repeated pattern that could lead to long-term harm to soil, water sources and agricultural production.

Samples have been collected and cross-ministerial assessments are underway as Beirut prepares a formal complaint to the UN Security Council, describing the spraying as a grave violation of Lebanese sovereignty and international law.

And destroy the country or have it over to isis as they did to Syria

dederocs:
Good one. Anywhere Isis and jihadists terrorists networks are, US goes.

Existential "100-Year" Warning: Retired Major General Itzhak Brik warns that ‘Israel’ faces a "looming doom" and may collapse before its 100th anniversary due to "abysmal hatred" and internal polarization.
Brik criticizes the current political leadership for prioritizing survival over the national good, leading to a "brain drain" and international isolation.
Retired ‘Israeli’ Major General Itzhak Brik, one of ‘Israel’s’ most vocal military critics, has issued a warning: ‘Israel’ is on a path toward "doom" and may collapse before reaching its 100th anniversary.

In an opinion piece published in Maariv, Brik questions whether the the modern ‘Israeli’state' can survive the internal and external pressures currently tearing at its fabric.

His warning centers on a looming "100-year barrier," a milestone he fears ‘Israel’ will not reach if it continues its current trajectory.

‘Israel’ Divided Against Itself
Brik identifies internal strife as the primary engine of Israel’s potential downfall. He describes a society consumed by "abysmal hatred" between different sectors: right vs. left, and Jewish vs. Arab.

This internal erosion, he argues, is more dangerous than any external military threat.

"Israel has become a country conflicted within itself," Brik writes. He laments that this polarization is seeping into every part of ‘Israel’ life, "consuming every good part" of the social and cultural foundations.

The Crisis of Leadership
The General spares no criticism for the current political echelon, which he describes as a "short-sighted leadership" that has lost its way.

He accuses officials of prioritizing political survival over the common good and failing to build the necessary tools to address modern challenges in security, the economy, education, and health.

According to Brik, this leadership vacuum has not only weakened ‘Israel’s’ internal resilience but has also damaged its standing on the world stage.

He notes that ‘Israel’ is increasingly viewed with "disgust and distance" by the international community, leading to a "brain drain".

"If the young generation can succeed in converting despair into responsibility and polarization into partnership," Brik concludes, "Israel will not only cross the 100-year line but will become a beacon of resilience for the entire world."

Source: https://en.royanews.tv/news/67557/Retired-general-warns-%E2%80%98Israel%E2%80%99-may-not-reach-its-100th-anniversary

According to your claim, what country is not a Terrorisr in the region?? Name it.

When your discouver everyone is wrong except Israel, then maybe it's you something si wrong with.

Freshandfitpod:
mossad is the world best intelligence network working to dismantle terrorist states in the middle East

Can you. Please dispute the claims in the post without being emotional about the truth.

"Facts don't care about your feelings"

That is IDF official website quoted for claims here, you're saying something else. I challenge you to dispute the facts. I DARE you.

Elusive001:
When una go ever take responsibility for una actions? Always looking for whom to blame.

Everyone except una dey use islam to commit atrocities. Why must it be islam? Why not Hindus, Buddhists, pagans, etc

Na one thing remain make una talk say na israel dey sponsor Khamenei, Hezbollah, hamas, etc

With ISIS, giving them money and medical treatment.

erniok2:
I guess Israel was simply playing the enemy of my enemy is my friend as long as I'm not directly threatened.

Israel has always been a Terrorist state for long