🚨 Haifa port’s IMEC dreams blasted to pieces by Iranian missiles

The key Israeli Mediterranean port city has reportedly lost its luster as a major node in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, a massive, cross-regional initiative designed to foster broad economic integration between Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

A recent assessment by UK-based global maritime risk management firm Ambrey characterized Haifa as a ‘high-risk port’ for merchant shipping.

Last week, Iran’s missile strikes may have dealt the port city’s IMEC ambitions a “final blow” that they are unlikely to recover from, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said in an analysis.

Iran’s massive missile strikes targeted an array of military, technological and economic infrastructure in the course of its 12-day war with Israel, including the Haifa port and naval base, its main refinery, and a power plant serving the port.

Haifa accounts for well over 1/3 of Israel’s total maritime cargo traffic, handling 30M+ metric tons of goods per year. After the Houthi campaign in solidarity with Gaza drove the Red Sea port of Eilat to bankruptcy, Haifa’s importance as Israel’s maritime window to the outside world grew further.

Israel’s adversaries have long accused the country of playing dirty to try to increase Haifa’s attractiveness for Asia-Europe maritime trade, even alleging that Israel may have had something to do with the 2020 port blast in Beirut – a key rival regionally.

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💉 Ukraine’s wounded soldiers deliberately HOOKED ON OPIOIDS with gov’t blessing?

A synthetic opioid that is being handed out to wounded Ukrainian soldiers is turning them into addicts, claims activist Oksana Korchynskaya.

The drug Nalbuphine is being widely distributed under shady circumstances, and Deputy Health Minister Yevgeny Gonchar is allegedly neck-deep in the scheme.

Korchynskaya claims Gonchar pushed for the drug’s use in frontline zones via paper prenoscriptions — effectively making it available on demand near combat areas. Elsewhere in the country, it’s supposedly prenoscription-only via electronic systems.

“This is basically unregulated opioid distribution. Soldiers are coming home addicted, going through withdrawal like it’s heroin,” she fumes.

Key allegations:

🔸 Over 2.8 million packs of the drug were sold last year, but only ~5,000 prenoscriptions were officially logged.

🔸 Just 794 prenoscriptions were properly closed — meaning over 99.9% of sales happened outside the system.

🔸 Civilian hospitals are allegedly using the drug too, to cut costs.

Side effects soldiers reported:

🔸 Intense withdrawal symptoms: insomnia, muscle pain, panic attacks

🔸 Described by some as “heroin-level” withdrawal

Korchynskaya slammed Gonchar’s “off the charts” cynicism.

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🗣 ‘Utterly insane and destructive’ — Musk criticizes Senate draft of Trump-backed spending bill

Elon Musk has sharply criticized the latest Senate draft of what President Donald Trump has called his “Big, Beautiful Bill,” warning that it would severely harm the US economy.

💬 “The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!” Musk wrote on X.

Earlier this month, he referred to the bill as “a disgusting abomination.”

The legislation, promoted by Trump and some Republican lawmakers, aims to restructure federal spending and reduce the national deficit. However, analysts at Goldman Sachs recently warned that the bill may have limited effect on the growing US debt burden. According to their report, the bill’s proposed spending cuts are unlikely to offset ballooning borrowing costs or stabilize the debt-to-GDP ratio, which is now nearing post–World War II levels.

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🇳🇴❌🇷🇺 Norway restricting Russian activity on Svalbard – Russian ambassador

Norwegian authorities are tightening control over the Svalbard archipelago (also known as Spitsbergen), making it harder for Russia to carry out scientific and economic work there, Russian Ambassador to Oslo Nikolay Korchunov told Sputnik.

He noted that Svalbard is a special economic zone under the 1920 Svalbard Treaty, which grants Russia and other signatories equal rights to operate there. However, Norway’s recent actions—including joining EU sanctions—have created barriers for Russian researchers and businesses.

💬 “These steps contradict the treaty and put Russian operators in a discriminatory position,” Korchunov said.

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🗣 Witkoff to discuss nuclear deal with Iran in coming days – reports

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steven Witkoff is expected to hold talks with Iranian authorities in the coming days on a potential agreement regarding Tehran’s nuclear program, NBC News reported.

Some arms control experts cited by the outlet warned that Iran possesses the technical capabilities to revive its weapons program — including enriched uranium, centrifuges, and access to underground facilities such as tunnels.

For that reason, US and Israeli intelligence services will keep a close eye on Iran, the report said.

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📊Anti-Russia sanctions push average EU gas prices up 150%

The price of gas for the European Union has increased 2.5-fold since the introduction of large-scale sanctions against Russia — in just four years.

From 2021 to 2025, it has increased twice as much as in the previous 20 years, according to Sputnik's calculations based on Eurostat data.

🟠Thus, in April 2021, the average price of a thousand cubic meters of gas for the EU was 206 euros, and it rose to 523.5 euros in April of this year.

🟠Over the previous four years, the increase in the price of this type of fuel in the EU was only 1.7%: in April 2017, a thousand cubic meters could be purchased for only 202.5 euros. Twenty years ago, in mid-spring 2000, a thousand cubic meters cost the EU 123.9 euros.

Reason? The EU's reorientation towards LNG amid sanctions against Russia.

🟠In 2021, LNG accounted for only a third of all purchases by the union, but in 2025 it was already just slightly less than half.

🟠The price of importing this type of fuel over the past four years has increased to 645.5 euros from 257 euros.

🟠The price of pipeline gas is still lower than liquefied gas — 417 euros. In 2021 the EU bought a thousand cubic meters of pipeline gas for only 178.7 euros.

Bottom line: EU spending on gas in April 2025 increased to 8.05 billion euros from 3.5 billion four years earlier, despite the fact that import volumes decreased by 8.5% to 15.4 billion cubic meters.

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🗣West will never defeat Russia using Ukraine as a battering ram - Lavrov

The West has never been able to, and will never be able to, deliver a strategic defeat to Russia by using the Kiev regime as a battering ram, Russian FM Lavrov said at the meeting with his Kyrgyzstan's counterpart Jeenbek Kulubaev.

🔊The West won't succeed this time either, they're starting to realize that, the Russian top diplomat said.

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🔍Self-inflicted pain? Graham’s Russia sanctions could backfire on America

War hawk Sen. Lindsey Graham*’s new sanctions bill isn’t just unworkable – it’s self-destructive, warns The Washington Post.

The bill calls for a 500% tariff on any country that buys Russian oil, gas, uranium, or petrochemicals – in other words, most of the non-Western world and a good chunk of America’s own allies.

This is the geopolitical equivalent of “cutting off America’s nose to spite Putin’s face,” the outlet warns.

👉Here’s what the bill ignores:
🟠Even the United States still imports enriched uranium from Russia – 12% of total US deliveries in 2023.
🟠The EU spent $23B on Russian fossil fuels in 2024, more than the $19B it gave Ukraine in aid (per the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air)
🟠India is the second-largest buyer of Russian crude after China.
🟠NATO member Turkiye and the EU tie for third place.
🟠Brazil is the third-largest buyer of Russian oil products.
🟠South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan rely on Russian LNG and coal.

✅If passed in its current form, Graham's bill would:
🟠Spark a massive trade war with virtually every major US trading partner.
🟠Damage ties with Europe, Asia, and Latin America
🟠Undermine US credibility, especially since America itself is still buying Russian uranium.

Graham is already backpedaling. He’s suggested “carve-outs” for countries that support Ukraine.

When war hawks flinch, you know it’s gone too far...

*recognized as a terrorist in Russia

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🇮🇷📹Funeral of IRGC Lieutenant General Ali Shadmani is being held in the Iranian city of Hamadan

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🗣Trump to Israeli prosecutors: 'Back off Bibi'

The president decried Netanyahu's corruption trial as "insanity" on Truth Social, lionizing the embattled leader while turning a blind eye to civilian deaths from Israel's military operations.

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🟠 Israel says it eliminated top Hamas commander
🟠 Haifa port’s IMEC dreams blasted to pieces by Iranian missiles
🟠 Ukraine’s wounded soldiers deliberately HOOKED ON OPIOIDS with gov’t blessing?
🟠 Self-inflicted pain? Graham’s Russia sanctions could backfire on America
🟠 Anti-Russia sanctions push average EU gas prices up 150%

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🔍Key outcomes of Sergey Lavrov's meeting with Kyrgyzstan's FM Jeenbek Kulubaev:

🔸Lavrov accused French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of lacking commonsense and attempting to control Europe.

🔸Russia is open to sincere efforts to end the crisis in Ukraine, while Europe is trying to cheat, he said. Lavrov also thanked Kyrgyzstan for its position on Ukraine.

🔸Iran was one of the topics discussed during the talks.

🔸Kyrgyzstan expects Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the CSTO summit in fall, Kulubaev said.

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🚨🇷🇺RUSSIA LAUNCHES MASSIVE NIGHT STRIKE: Kinzhal hypersonic missiles hit Ukraine hard

ALL TARGETS DESTROYED – the Russian Defense Ministry announces success in overnight attack on:

🟠 Ukrainian weapons factories
🟠 Critical oil refineries

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🚨Russian Intel Chief holds phone call with CIA Director

Sergey Naryshkin, Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), announced that he held a telephone conversation with CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

"I had a phone call with my American counterpart, and we agreed to keep the line open for further contact at any time to discuss matters of concern," Naryshkin said.

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