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Alaska GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan can’t shake his same-name challenger.

Retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan punched a ticket out of the state’s top-four, all-party primary early Wednesday morning. He could now play spoiler in a high-stakes Senate clash between the Republican senator and former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola that could help swing control of the upper chamber.

Republicans fought and failed to keep Dan J. Sullivan off the primary ballot, arguing he was a Democratic plant designed to boost Peltola. Both Dan J. Sullivan and Peltola’s campaign have denied any coordination.

The senator’s allies have already taken steps to mitigate the second Sullivan’s potential vote siphoning, in some cases running ads using the senator’s middle initial to help differentiate between the same-named candidates.

Supporters of the state’s ranked-choice voting system, which kicks in for the general election, argue the process helps curtail the spoiler effect. But the presence of other candidates could still skew the results of the battleground race. Outside groups flooded the primary with more than $2 million to boost myriad fringe candidates — and could do so again ahead of November.

It’s not smooth sailing for Peltola, either, as she wages an uphill battle to flip a red seat in a state President Donald Trump won by 13 percentage points in 2024. She recently replaced her campaign manager in a staffing shakeup ahead of the primary, among other internal moves.

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President Donald Trump notched a major win on Tuesday night. Republicans in battlegrounds wonder if it was the best use of his time and money.

Sen. Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in South Carolina’s snap Senate GOP runoff, handing Trump a revitalizing win after several of his endorsed candidates fell in recent primaries.

It was a victory that Graham, a complete political unknown six weeks ago, could not have pulled off without Trump’s steadfast support, underscoring just how much his influence still matters among the Republican electorate in the deeply conservative state.

But South Carolina’s Senate seat will not dictate the balance of power in Washington, and GOP strategists working on critical swing state campaigns are eager for Trump to finally direct his attention to them.

“The message coming out of this is that obviously the president’s support is still super powerful. The president’s operation still has the ability to move the needle in a lot of these states,” said a Republican strategist working on several battleground races, including in Georgia, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about Trump’s involvement. “Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come that the president is willing to get involved and really start to move the needle in some other places that obviously matter a little bit more than South Carolina.”

Trump’s persistent backing of Graham defined the race: He championed her appointment to her late brother Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat, he coaxed her into the race with an early endorsement, stood by her as she stumbled on the debate stage, and flew down to Myrtle Beach for a rare political rally that few of his chosen candidates have enjoyed this cycle. MAGA Inc., Trump’s behemoth super PAC, even spent a slice of highly sought after cash from its $400 million stockpile in the closing days of the race.

And yet, the president hasn’t taken a meaningful step into the states that will matter in a few short months — even as battleground Republicans have been clamoring for him to spend his MAGA Inc. money.

“It’s now or never. It’s put up or shut up time, and it’s really time to start to see if he’s going to get serious,” the GOP strategist said. “You’ve got September and October to really move the needle here, and it just doesn’t seem like there’s any sense of urgency, or like we understand that we are down big in some of these states.”

During her victory speech in Columbia, Graham acknowledged Trump’s heavy hand: “Our victory would not have been possible without you, and we are truly grateful,” Graham said of the president. “South Carolina is truly Trump country.”

Norman’s take on the president’s participation was not as rosy: “The president got involved. He has that right. That’s his prerogative,” Norman said in his concession speech Tuesday, prompting jeers from the crowd at his election night watch party. “Y’all,” he continued, “his policies are good. I never understood why he got in this race. It is what it is, and I’ll accept it.”

Norman’s bewilderment reflected several national and South Carolina Republicans’ confusion as to why the president would expend energy for the safe Republican seat when his MAGA allies like Mike Collins in Georgia, scandal-plagued Ken Paxton in Texas and Michael Whatley in North Carolina are facing tough Senate battles against Democratic opponents.

“There’s the principle,” said a North Carolina-based GOP strategist who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the battleground picture. “If you’re not Trump and you have these people shoved down your throat, you’re like, ‘Okay, are you gonna help?’”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some Republicans are worried that though Trump helped power Graham’s win, the president’s overall unpopularity may be more of a curse than a boon in any highly competitive battleground state. A series of Trump-backed candidates lost gubernatorial and congressional primaries in recent weeks, including in Georgia and Iowa.

Republicans overall are facing a tough election environment given the ongoing and unpopular war in Iran, backlash to the administration’s highly-visible deportation agenda and voters’ persistent cost of living concerns.

“You have a president and maybe even a vice president that are just so underwater politically in the polls, that they might be a help by not intervening,” said Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and former State Department official in the first Trump administration.

Still, Trump swept the battlegrounds in 2024, and his ability to boost Graham despite her foreign policy debate gaffe and questions about her political inexperience serves as a reminder of his electoral prowess to campaign officials.

The question remains when — or if — he’ll throw them a presidential life raft.

“I wouldn’t count on the money if I were in these states,” said the North Carolina-based Republican strategist. “He still could. I’m just saying, I wouldn’t count on it. We’re not dealing with somebody that’s, you know, super calculated in the way they plan.”

For months, Republicans across the country have watched on as the president has continued to amass a remarkable pile of cash — and many have implored him to empty his pockets in their races. The president told reporters last week that he’ll spend “a lot of that money” to boost “Republican candidates that I think are good,” without being specific.

However, what some saw as a distraction from the greater Republican cause this year, others read as the first few drops of Trump’s cash flood.

“If they’re going to spend 800 grand in South Carolina, they’re going to spend in the midterms,” said Matt Mackowiak, a Republican strategist based in Texas who worked on Sen. John Cornyn’s failed reelection campaign and is now backing the GOP ticket. “It signals they’re going to make a substantial investment in the midterms because you don’t make an 800-grand investment in South Carolina and say, ‘Yeah, we’re going to let everybody do their own thing.’ This was in some ways a test case.”

Trump’s targeted support for Graham — the kind that some Republicans are banking on to shift the dial later this fall — paid off for her in dividends on election night. Horry County, the site of the president’s marquee rally with the candidate late last week, resoundingly broke for Graham.

Trump’s backing also helped open the door to endorsements from key South Carolina Republican figures, including fellow GOP Sen. Tim Scott, who helped Graham shore up support in his Charleston-area home base, Gov. Henry McMaster, and two members of the state’s congressional delegation, Reps. Russell Fry and William Timmons.

Outside spending also proved crucial to Graham’s success. Her campaign and its allies outspent Norman by more than $5 million in the runoff alone, according to AdImpact.

Trump’s allies took a victory lap after Graham’s victory was confirmed Tuesday evening.

“The power of the Trump endorsement is alive and well in South Carolina,” said Mike Hahn, a GOP strategist involved in the midterms. “A good opening salvo for the team at MAGA Inc. and the president ahead of the midterms.”

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Former state Sen. Mike Mazzei narrowly won Oklahoma’s GOP gubernatorial primary Tuesday, boosted by President Donald Trump’s endorsement, a significant personal loan and a host of outside money.

His defeat of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Tuesday is a victory for Republican leaders in the state and Trump, who had endured a recent string of uncharacteristic primary losses, particularly in gubernatorial primaries. The president’s preferred picks for governor in Wyoming, Iowa, Georgia, Minnesota and South Carolina all lost their races, and a trio of Trump-backed House candidates fell in Michigan and Florida earlier this month.

Trump endorsed Mazzei in May, ahead of the state’s open primary, but the race remained competitive. Drummond beat Mazzei by 0.3 percentage points in the first round on June 16, forcing Tuesday’s runoff. And the race was defined by massive levels of self-funding in a historically expensive primary for the state.

Mazzei loaned his campaign $11.6 million, while Drummond loaned himself $3 million, according to campaign finance records. But Mazzei was also aided by outside money: The conservative group Club For Growth spent $8 million on TV ads boosting Mazzei and attacking Drummond, per the tracking firm AdImpact.

Ahead of the runoff, the state senator earned endorsements from Gov. Kevin Stitt and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who represented Oklahoma in Congress for 13 years.

Mazzei served in the state senate for 12 years before being term-limited in 2016. He joined Stitt’s administration for a year in 2019 as budget secretary. He’s the overwhelming favorite in a general election matchup against Democratic state Rep. Cyndi Munson in a state Trump won by 34 points in 2024.

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Pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino is spreading beyond football’s governing bodies. A group of prominent former players has now joined the growing backlash. As a result, they are calling for major changes to the way the global game is run.

In a joint statement, the football legends accused FIFA of drifting away from the values at the heart of the sport. Furthermore, they criticised major decisions being made without meaningful input from players and fans.

Frenchman Mikaël Silvestre, the former Manchester United defender and a member of FIFA’s ‘Players’ Voice’ committee, was the first to publish the statement. It quickly spread across social media and international media. As a result, a group of high-profile former players was added to the growing list of critics of Infantino.

Football legends aren’t holding back

The group includes some of the biggest names in recent football history. Among them are Emmanuel Petit, Juan Sebastián Verón, Robert Pirès, Mikaël Silvestre and Lucy Bronze.

Their message starts with what football gave them: some of the greatest moments of their careers and the pride of representing their countries. However, they stressed that none of this would have been possible without the fans. They described the fans as the true foundation of the game.

Then came the blunt conclusion: “Enough is enough.”

The players argued that silence is no longer an option. This is because football moves further away from the values on which it was built.

The statement does not name Infantino or explicitly demand his resignation. But its criticism of FIFA’s current leadership is unmistakable. The signatories argue that those in power have become unable to separate their own interests from what is best for football.

“Change is essential”

The former players are not simply objecting to individual FIFA policies. They are demanding a different relationship between football’s decision-makers and the people who actually make up the game — on the pitch and in the stands.

They argue that major decisions have too often been made without consulting players or properly listening to supporters. Both groups, they say, need a “genuine, direct and audible” voice in the governance of world football.

The call extends beyond players and fans. Clubs and football governing bodies must also have a role in deciding what comes next, the signatories argue, with major changes needed to rebuild trust.

They ended with an unmistakable warning:

The football community has remained silent for too long… We will no longer remain silent.

Infantino dwindling popularity

The intervention comes at a difficult moment for Infantino. He has faced increasing criticism from within the football establishment over a range of commercial and political issues surrounding FIFA.

The pressure is also building ahead of the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, continental and domestic federations are exploring ways to challenge the FIFA president. UEFA, meanwhile, has increasingly opposed his proposals over the commercial rights to the World Cup.

The former players’ intervention changes the character of that dispute. What was once largely an argument between football’s governing institutions is becoming a wider fight over who gets a say in the game’s future.

Players and fans, the statement makes clear, do not want to simply watch those decisions being made for them.

Statements alone will not remove Infantino from FIFA’s presidency. But if the growing criticism from players, associations and governing bodies begins to converge, it could develop into a much more serious political challenge ahead of the elections.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

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Tantrum prone US president Donald Trump is threatening to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. It’s a repeat of his weird 2025 decision to rename The Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America’. Trump is currently in the process of starting a trade war with Canada, a major ally and trading partner. These are classic Trump tactics.

He has pushed to rename the Gulf as soon as he took power in January 2025. At the time, CNN reported:

He has also used his power to make changes that were never mentioned on the campaign trail, like renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.” Most Americans, 71%, oppose the name change, according to a recent Marquette University poll.

Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes, straddles the transcontinental border between Canada and the US. Trump even posted a revised map on social media:

Trump posts a graphic showing Lake Ontario renamed as "Lake America" pic.twitter.com/1YaOdH2b6F

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 25, 2026

ABC reported:

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday morning that he is giving “serious consideration” to renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” — mirroring his move to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America early in his second term.

The president also claimed Canadian PM Mark Carney had falsely claimed Trump would interfere with French Canadians right to speak their language:

I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing. This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec. I love French Canadians!

French is spoken across Canada, particularly in Quebec, and is an official language in the country. Carney had warned as trade talks collapsed last week that the Trump administration had wanted to make changes to Canada’s use of French.

Carney said:

This was not our choice. We were ready and close to having a comprehensive agreement that would be fair to both countries. But they made changes, including threats on the French language and Quebec culture and Canadian culture. That is not acceptable. That would never be acceptable.

Earlier in 2026, as Trump launched attacks in Latin America and threatened to annex Greenland, there were reports Canada was making plans for a US invasion:

Two Canadian government officials have told reporters that a secret ‘model’ is being developed to fight a guerrilla war — against the US!

The unnamed Canadian officials were quoted in the Globe and Mail — Canada’s leading liberal paper — as saying that its government had:

modelled a hypothetical U.S. military invasion of Canada and the country’s potential response, which includes tactics similar to those employed against Russia and later U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.

Trump’s belligerence in the region and globally seems to be accelerating. He has attacked multiple countries and openly threatened allies. In Iran alone, these bully boy tactics have failed. Other countries need to start stepping up and speaking the only language the president understands.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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UN members have failed to name the UAE as the driving force behind the Sudan war despite ample evidence. At a long UN security meeting on 24 August, only Sudan’s national government named the Gulf state as the culprit. The rest — including the UAE itself — referred only to ‘external actors’ fueling the war.

Yet the UAE is widely accepted to be arming and supplying the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia which has been linked to various atrocities.

In a three-hour UN Security Council briefing on Sudan, convened to weigh expanding the arms embargo across the entire country, not a single speaker other than the representative from Sudan itself named the United Arab Emirates as the principal party arming the genocidal… https://t.co/GJ5CtZmshS

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) August 25, 2026

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The UK is deeply implicated in the horrors. Drop Site News reported:

The United Kingdom’s representative said fighting was “fueled by armed supplies from within and beyond the region,” naming no one.

In a bizarre twist, the UAE representative also called for an end to external interference, urging an end to:

all forms of foreign support to the belligerent parties, without any exception.

Drop Site New added:

Every weapon that enters the Sudan keeps it away from peace and from the protection of civilians.

Sudan’s grinding war

The three-year war has killed thousands and displaced millions. The RSF, backed by the UAE, is fighting the Sudanese government, with gold interests and regional influence at stake.

Numerous foreign actors, including the UK, have caused the war to fester through active participation and/or outright passivity. Israel, too, is a major player in the war.

The war in Sudan is theoretically between the Arab-majority RSF and the Sudanese government. But foreign states pursuing their own interests are backing the combatants.

Egypt backs the government, alongside Russia, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Israel has backed both sides at different times.

The RSF has killed Sudanese civilians in vast numbers. Some estimates say 150,000 people have died and more than 10 million civilians have been displaced by fighting.

Fighting continued as the UN session took place. Sudan-based reporter @BSonblast reported that both government forces and RSF deployed drones – which have become a major feature of the war – in strikes across the country.

Today's quick update [Aug 24]:

– SAF drone strikes reported in Nyala, South Darfur, targeting RSF positions in the area.

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– RSF drone shot down over Kurmuk, Blue Nile State. #KeepEyesOnSudan pic.twitter.com/BpKnHkia5S

— Munchkin (@BSonblast) August 25, 2026

In March the Canary reported that the UK downgraded and sidelined its own atrocity monitoring protocols with regard to Sudan. This helped compound what is now clearly an active genocide. That genocide is largely being carried out by a militia backed by the UK’s Gulf ally and arms trade customer UAE.

One day, somewhere down the line, the UAE-UK relationship will come under closer scrutiny. The Sudanese people remain trapped between competing regional and global forces with few places to turn.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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On 24 August, southern France experienced a powerful supercell thunderstorm. This resulted in a significant number of lightning strikes; it also saw a tornado touching down in the village of Verzeille, France:

South of France today

An incredible tornado near Carcassonne this afternoon, developing beneath a powerful supercell.

This is a reminder that severe thunderstorms in Europe can produce some seriously violent weather. pic.twitter.com/ZJnilrScMb

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— UK Weather Updates (@UKWX_) August 24, 2026

Supercell, tornado in France

Supercells are the least common of all thunderstorms, and they’re known for being intense and dangerous. These storms are characterised by a rotating updraft, leading to the circular motion that can be seen in the below video. At the point when the video was filmed, the storm was producing pretty much constant lightning:

SÚPERCELDA DE TORMENTA EN FRANCIA

Impresionante estructura en arco, tormenta en rotación, sobre el sur de Francia
Con dirección probable a Marsella, atención a lluvias intensas, granizo y fuertes ráfagas de viento.
Créditos : @NathAlie
Vía @VigipreventionM pic.twitter.com/iUB2jNHhrk

— Geól. Sergio Almazán (@chematierra) August 24, 2026

In America, supercell storms are most common in the central states, which is where ‘tornado alley’ is. Reporting on the tornado which hit France, MyRadar Weather wrote:

touched down near/northwest of Limoux and moved east toward the city. It was associated with a rotating supercell thunderstorm that formed ahead of a messier storm complex/clusters. It propagated eastward, likely gobbling up extra low-level spin north of the Pyrenees Mountains.

It was very likely a significant (EF2+) tornado, and may have caused EF3 damage. Winds probably exceeded 150 mph (240 km/h). Complete destruction of some homes has occurred.

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Videos captured the tornado from multiple angles:

America? Tornado alley?

Nope! This tornado footage is from southern France ahead of severe thunderstorms.

Other parts of France have seen severe thunderstorms causing structural damage to buildings. pic.twitter.com/5ShsqGhTVS

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— Met4Cast – UK Weather (@Met4CastUK) August 24, 2026

Here’s another angle of the tornado that developed in France today.

Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/1LEgo06Rtc

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— Met4Cast – UK Weather (@Met4CastUK) August 24, 2026

While tornados aren’t unheard of in Europe, this one does follow a run of record-breaking heatwaves. It’s understood extreme temperatures and weather events will become more common due to climate change. In other words, images like the above might lack any sort of novelty factor in years to come.

France wasn’t the only European nation being battered by lightning either:

Lightning Blitz in Europe
179,000 Bolts today. Crazy!
It’s not coincidence. The #Mediterranean is record hot. So when fronts move in, that collision of heat and energy is explosive! #Europe #Spain #France #Italy pic.twitter.com/8gqdX5DWrE

— Jeff Berardelli (@WeatherProf) August 24, 2026

BREAKING!
ABSOLUTE CHAOS IN FRANCE! IT LOOKS LIKE ZEUS HAS LANDED!
Wild severe weather is hitting France! OVER 30,000 LIGHTNING STRIKES have been recorded in just the LAST 2 HOURS across the Mediterranean coast and inland areas!
Trapped hot and humid air masses… pic.twitter.com/6LAspxGfgu

— Jeo Albant (@jeoalbant) August 24, 2026

Other videos showed the aftermath of the storm:

Bizar voor woorden! Of deze beelden ergens uit Tornado Alley zijn gemaakt, maar niks is minder waar.

Dit is de schade die de tornado kort geleden heeft achtergelaten in Pomas, Frankrijk.

Beelden via InfosFrancaises#tornado#onweer pic.twitter.com/ntyOxxq3gk

— Art of Thunders Stormchasers (@Art_of_thunders) August 24, 2026

The Mediterranean lifestyle

France wasn’t the only nation to face extreme weather; Spain also experienced violent storms. This led to criticism of the UK journalists and politicians who recently told Britons to shut up and enjoy the nice weather:

‘Britain should shut up about global warming and adapt to the Mediterranean lifestyle’ latest. https://t.co/FaJLO5vMbK

— Brendan May (@bmay) August 24, 2026

Richard Tice of Reform UK is perhaps the worst example of this, and he’s still going:

"Why would we not celebrate things that are going well?" – @TiceRichard

The deputy leader of Reform UK says he doesn't regret his comments about heatwaves this summer and the English wine industry. pic.twitter.com/Vz1yPdVHZn

— Ridge & Frost (@RidgeandFrost) August 24, 2026

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As we reported, the heatwaves we experienced this summer led to:

• Extreme and abundant wildfires (including one which burned down houses in Stourbridge).
• Suspected train derailments caused by tracks buckling.
• Ongoing crop failures which will drive food inflation.
• Water shortages.

When you “celebrate” the extreme heat caused by climate change, the above is what you’re celebrating. And while many Britons no doubt enjoyed some sun this summer, they won’t be enjoying it when they’re the ones experiencing the brunt:

“Climate change will manifest as a series of disasters viewed through phones with footage that gets closer and closer to where you live until you're the one filming it.” https://t.co/0xGbNOyclk

— Zack Bornstein (@ZackBornstein) January 8, 2025

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The extreme storms hitting France and Spain are the flip side to the extreme droughts.

It’s not that extreme weather never happened in the past; it’s that the frequency and intensity of these events will escalate until it becomes impossible to maintain the links and infrastructure that mass society relies on. And all so a few dozen centi-billionaires can continue to get wealthier than they have any need to be – billionaires who openly fund Reform UK.

Uniparty

We’re singling out Reform, but most of the major parties have their heads in the sand when it comes to climate change. A new example of this is Andy Burnham refusing to renationalise the failed private water sector despite the UK facing shortages which are a direct result of corporate greed:

This is just not good enough. Andy Burnham cannot allow Thames Water’s US hedge fund creditors to continue to hold 16 million Brits to ransom.

Failing to take Thames Water into Special Administration immediately represents a total capitulation to the blackmail of US hedge funds.… https://t.co/QqF8QSCEG3

— We Own It (@We_OwnIt) August 24, 2026

We’ve tried fighting climate change with half measures, and the problem only got worse. If we become numb to weather events like the ones we’re seeing in France, there really is no limit to how bad things can get from here.

Featured image via X

By Willem Moore

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Following on soon after activists successfully got a Peter Thiel-led conference cancelled at a Wicklow hotel, campaigners have pushed another Irish venue to shut down a genocide-linked event. The Beckett Locke hotel had been set to host ‘Israeli’ cybersecurity firm Check Point Software. However, Dublin-based activists at Your Tech Their Deaths (YTTD) got wind of the event, and pressured the hotel to terminate it.

Like many tech firms in the illegitimate settler-colony, Check Point was founded by former Unit 8200 members. Unit 8200 is one of the most vile elements of the uniquely criminal Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). They are responsible for the Lavender AI system, integral to the holocaust the IOF is still carrying out in Gaza to this day. Lavender produced vast numbers of dubious targets for Zionist war criminals to murder, resulting in countless civilians killed by the lawless land theft project.

Assisting any ‘Israeli’ company is criminal, but helping the likes of Check Point is especially egregious. According to Open Intel, Check Point participates in:

…Israel Innovation Authority R&D grants that carry mandatory revenue royalties tying company IP and revenue to the Israeli state

“We will not stop,” Palestine activists declare

That means, more so than other companies, Check Point funnels money into the Zionist entity’s coffers, allowing it to buy more weapons for its killing sprees, and pay the salaries of IOF terrorists. What else might one expect from a company named after one of the most notorious features of the apartheid entity’s system for brutalising the Palestinians they ceaselessly oppress?

Check Point had initially planned to infest the Gibson Hotel in the Irish capital. Again, the tireless YTTD leapt into action and demanded that people of conscience bombard the phone lines, email accounts and social media of the hotel. The hotel swiftly caved to the pressure, proving how rapidly people power works when mobilised effectively.

YTTD founder Jude Farrell announced that initial success by saying in a video posted to YTTD’s Instagram that there’ll be no funding of ‘Israeli’ genocide in Ireland “while the Irish people have any say in it”. She continued:

We know the Irish government don’t care. We care. We will not give a single euro to the ‘Israeli’ state. Not one euro. And we will not stop. Dialogue has been dropped. National Concert Hall has been dropped. And I’m so proud to say that Checkpoint has now been dropped from the Gibson Hotel in Dublin.

The National Concert Hall was yet another successful example of pressure from below stopping complicity with the apartheid entity of so-called ‘Israel’. The venue dropped a fundraiser for an:

…Israeli ambulance service with a documented record of denying medical care to Palestinians.

Cynical Zionist turd Alan Shatter attempted to use the now-tired conceit that antisemitism was to blame. In reality, Shatter was being antisemitic by conflating the ‘Israeli’ terror regime with Jewish people generally.

O’Driscoll destroyed his golden rep — others are thinking twice

After activists chased them out of the Gibson, Check Point attempted to relocate to the Beckett Locke. They did so via the sort of underhand methods we’ve come to expect from the Zionist entity. Beckett Locke staff told YTTD that Check Point concealed the company’s identity by using a generic Gmail account to book the venue, rather than an official Check Point one. A source with inside info informed YTTD of the booking, however, and they set to work in the same manner as they did versus the Gibson.

They also called a protest for the scheduled day of the event (25 August). When they arrived, staff informed the activists that the hotel had cancelled the event. Staff were apologetic in conversation with Farrell, saying they only became aware of Check Point’s booking when pro-Palestine callers hammered their phone lines to let them know.

Farrell celebrated the win in glorious fashion, yelling via loudhailer outside the Beckett Locke:

Check Point have admitted that this event is cancelled! Fuck ‘Israel’, fuck Zionists, and fuck anybody who helps them!

She continued:

All hotels in Ireland, all conference centres — you are on notice. If you try to hold an event with ‘Israelis’, if you try to hold an event associated with ‘Israeli’ tech, we will shut you down!

Given the numerous successes thus far, this is not an idle threat. Things have clearly shifted since last year, when former Irish rugby international Brian O’Driscoll felt confident he could get away with speaking at a Check Point event.

O’Driscoll was previously one of the most celebrated Irish sportspeople in history, but his reputation is now permanently wrecked due to his willingness to endorse ‘Israeli’ criminals two years into a genocide. It is clear Irish businesses are all now seeing the irreparable damage to their image that stems from association with the genocidal apartheid entity.

Of course, they are being pushed in that direction by relentless pressure from activists, who are setting an example for the world to follow.

Featured image via the Canary

By Robert Freeman

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Australia needed a statement after their defeat in the first Test. They delivered one with ruthless clarity, hammering Bangladesh by an innings inside two days to square the series. A performance built on pace, discipline and a refusal to let the hosts breathe turned the contest into a short, sharp demolition, restoring order after Bangladesh’s historic win in the opener.

Bowlers rip through Bangladesh on day one

Bangladesh’s decision to bat first lasted only a few chaotic hours. Australia’s attack, sharper and more controlled than in the opening Test, hit their lengths immediately. Mitchell Starc set the tone with early swing, Josh Hazlewood locked down the top order with relentless accuracy, and Pat Cummins applied pressure from the other end. The hosts never settled.

Wickets fell in clusters. Edges carried, stumps were rattled, and Bangladesh’s attempts to counter were brief. Marnus Labuschagne’s sharp catch in the cordon removed one of the few batters who looked capable of resisting. By lunch, Bangladesh were already deep in trouble; by mid‑afternoon, they were gone for a total that gave Australia complete control.

The collapse was stark. No partnership built any meaningful resistance, and Australia’s bowlers barely needed to adjust plans. Cummins’ short spells were decisive, Hazlewood’s discipline suffocated scoring, and Starc’s late swing cleaned up the tail. Bangladesh walked off knowing they had handed Australia the initiative.

Australia’s batters pile on decisive lead

With the ball having done its job, Australia’s batters approached their reply with clarity. Usman Khawaja anchored the innings with calm control, leaving well, punishing anything loose and ensuring Bangladesh’s bowlers were forced to work. His innings wasn’t flashy, but it was exactly what the situation demanded.

At the other end, Steven Smith played with typical precision, rotating strike and picking gaps. Their partnership steadied Australia and pushed the lead into commanding territory. Labuschagne added further weight with a busy contribution, keeping the tempo high without taking risks.

Bangladesh’s bowlers searched for movement but found little. The pitch, already worn from the opening day’s collapse, offered uneven bounce but not enough to trouble Australia’s top order. When wickets did fall, they came from moments of individual error rather than sustained pressure.

Australia’s middle order extended the advantage. Travis Head played positively, threading boundaries through the off side, while Alex Carey added important runs to stretch the lead beyond Bangladesh’s reach. By the time Australia declared, the margin was already decisive. Bangladesh faced a mountain.

Second‑innings collapse seals two‑day finish

Bangladesh needed resilience, time at the crease and a willingness to absorb pressure. Instead, Australia’s bowlers produced an even more ruthless display than on day one. Hazlewood struck early, removing the opener with a ball that straightened just enough. Starc followed with a delivery that tailed late and clipped the top of off stump. The tone was set.

Cummins’ spells were short, sharp and hostile. He targeted the stumps, forced batters onto the back foot and created constant uncertainty. Edges flew, lbws were reviewed, and Bangladesh’s innings unravelled quickly. The middle order, already under strain, couldn’t halt the slide. A brief partnership offered hope, but Starc returned to break it with a full ball that swung late.

Australia’s catching was crisp. Labuschagne and Smith were busy in the cordon, and Carey’s work behind the stumps was clean. Every half‑chance was taken, every loose shot punished. Bangladesh’s batters, who had shown composure in the first Test, looked rattled by the relentlessness.

The tail folded swiftly. Hazlewood trapped one lbw with a ball that nipped back, Cummins cleaned up another with a delivery that stayed low, and Starc finished the job with pace too hot to handle. Bangladesh were dismissed well short of making Australia bat again, confirming the innings victory and the two‑day finish.

Series levelled, momentum restored for Australia

Australia’s response to the opening‑Test defeat was emphatic. Their bowlers rediscovered rhythm, their batters applied pressure with control, and their fielding tightened. The innings win inside two days wasn’t just a result; it was a statement of intent.

Bangladesh, buoyed by their historic first‑Test triumph, were brought back to earth. Their batting lacked the composure and patience that had defined their earlier success, and their bowlers couldn’t contain Australia’s top order. The challenge now is to regroup quickly.

For Australia, the victory restores balance and confidence. Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins operated as a unit, Khawaja and Smith provided stability, and the team’s overall discipline returned. The series, once tilting towards Bangladesh, is now level with everything to play for.

Focus shifts to decisive final test

With the series tied, the final Test looms large. Australia will enter with momentum, clarity and renewed belief. Bangladesh must rediscover the resilience that carried them through the opener. Conditions will matter, selection will matter, and temperament will matter even more.

Australia’s challenge is to maintain the intensity shown here. Bangladesh’s challenge is to respond with the same conviction they displayed in the first Test. After two contrasting matches, the finale promises a compelling finish.

Featured image courtesy of Cric Info

By Faz Ali

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