All posts tagged: blow

Secrets of the Smithsonian museum might just blow your mind

Secrets of the Smithsonian museum might just blow your mind

Published by skeptic

alien: A non-native organism. (in astronomy) Life on or from a distant world. Antarctica: A continent mostly covered in ice, which sits in the southernmost part of the world. array: A broad and organized group of objects. Sometimes they are instruments placed in a systematic fashion to collect information in a coordinated way. Other times, an array can refer to things that are laid out or displayed in a way that can make a broad range of related things, such as colors, visible at once. The term can even apply to a range of options or choices. Atlantic: One of the world’s five oceans, it is second in size only to the Pacific. It separates Europe and Africa to the east from North and South America to the west. beetle: An order of insects known as Coleoptera, containing at least 350,000 different species. Adults tend to have hard and/or horn-like “forewings” which covers the wings used for flight. birds: Warm-blooded dinosaurs with wings that first showed up at least 150 million years ago. Birds are jacketed …

US Formally Rejects Somaliland Sovereignty In Blow To Israel

US Formally Rejects Somaliland Sovereignty In Blow To Israel

Published by Jenni Sidey

Via Middle East Eye The US has reaffirmed “the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Somalia, in a move seen as a blow to Somaliland, the breakaway region recently recognized by Israel and close to the United Arab Emirates. In a report to Congress on “Potential Areas for Improved United States Engagement with Somaliland”, the US State Department stated that Somaliland was included in the Federal Republic of Somalia. “Within that framework, the United States maintains a positive, constructive relationship with Somaliland and continues to explore additional opportunities for engagement with Somaliland authorities,” the report says. Israel became the first country in the world to formally recognize Somaliland on December 26 last year. Reuters/MEE: Somaliland military armed vehicles take part in a parade during the self-declared Independence Day, with celebrations commemorating their 1991 breakaway from Somalia, on 18 May 2026 The month before, Somaliland President Abdirahman Abdullahi Mohamed secretly visited Israel, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other “top officials”, according to multiple sources in Somalia and Somaliland.  Those other officials included Mossad chief David Barnea and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who visited Somaliland immediately after …

Prolonged energy disruption from Iran war would be severe blow to global economy: Research

Prolonged energy disruption from Iran war would be severe blow to global economy: Research

Published by Sam Flores

A new economic outlook released Wednesday indicates that a prolonged disruption of energy supplies resulting from the war in Iran would deliver a severe blow to the global economy, likely causing countries to slip into recession and leading to increased unemployment. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) described the conflict’s impact as the… Source link

House votes for measure that would end Iran war, in blow to Trump

House votes for measure that would end Iran war, in blow to Trump

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution on Wednesday to block President Donald Trump from continuing the war against Iran, reflecting growing concern among members of his party about the three-month-old conflict. The House voted 215 to 208, as four Republicans voted with Democrats in favor of the war powers resolution. It was the latest setback for Trump in Congress despite his party’s slim majorities in both the House and Senate. The vote is largely symbolic. Any resolution would also have to pass the Senate to become effective, and garner the two-thirds majorities in both chambers to overcome an almost certain Trump veto. The vote, nonetheless, reflects unease among some Republicans over Trump’s handling of the conflict and marks a rare bipartisan effort to curb presidential war powers. The war has entered a fourth month with no end in sight and after three previous war …

Rachel Reeves deals massive blow to 3 million Britons with pensions raid | Politics | News

Rachel Reeves deals massive blow to 3 million Britons with pensions raid | Politics | News

Published by Sam Flores

Rachel Reeves’s £5 billion raid on pensions will leave nearly three million workers poorer in retirement, official figures have revealed. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) estimates that around 2.9 million people will slash pension contributions once restrictions on salary sacrifice schemes take effect in 2029. Of those, 2.2 million are higher-rate taxpayers, but strikingly 666,000 are basic-rate earners on less than £50,271 a year. The data, released via a Freedom of Information request submitted by former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb, expose the wide-reaching impact of the policy announced in the Chancellor’s second Budget. Under the changes, workers will face a £2,000 cap on pension contributions via salary sacrifice before National Insurance (NI) becomes payable. The Treasury expects the move to raise £4 billion, with employers footing most of the bill through higher NI contributions — £3 billion of the total in 2029-30 alone. This comes on top of the £25 billion employer NI raid unveiled in Chancellor Ms Reeves’s maiden Budget, raising fresh concerns that the measures are becoming a stealth tax on jobs. …

Brad Pitt’s heartbreaking blow as son Maddox drops surname

Brad Pitt’s heartbreaking blow as son Maddox drops surname

Published by Daniella Wilson

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s adopted son, Maddox, has dealt a new blow to his father amid the actor’s reported estrangement from his family.  The 24-year-old, who was adopted by Angelina in 2002, and later by Brad in 2006, filed to legally remove “Pitt” from his surname on Thursday, as per the Daily Mail. He will now go by Maddox Chivan Jolie, and listed the reason for his name change as “personal”.  The eldest of the Jolie-Pitt children hinted at the major change back in February, when he was listed as “Maddox Jolie” in the credits of Angelina’s film, Couture. A year prior, he went by “Maddox Jolie-Pitt” in the credits for the actress’s 2024 film Maria.  © AFP via Getty ImagesThe 24-year-old applied to legally change his name to “Maddox Chivan Jolie” Maddox is not the first of Angelina and Brad’s six children to distance themselves from their dad. Shiloh legally removed “Pitt” from her surname after turning 18 in 2024, with her lawyer Peter Levine sharing insight into the major move. He told People that Shiloh “made an independent and significant decision following …

Bessent Warns Oman On Hormuz Toll Scheme, After Trump Threatened To ‘Blow Up’ US Ally

Bessent Warns Oman On Hormuz Toll Scheme, After Trump Threatened To ‘Blow Up’ US Ally

Published by Jenni Sidey

On an official level at least, Oman remains a close strategic partner and key ally of the United States in the Middle East; however, that relationship has been severely strained this month amid apparent Iranian-Omani cooperation regarding a potential toll system for the Strait of Hormuz. This of course flies in the face of the US posture in the region. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the latest top Trump admin official to chastize Oman: “The United States Government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said on X Thursday. “Oman, in particular, should know that the U.S. Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved – directly or indirectly – in facilitating tolls for the Strait and any willing partners will be penalized,” Bessent continued. “All nations should reject outright any efforts by Iran to disrupt the free flow of commerce. Tehran’s days of terrorizing the region and the world are over.” Sky News/Getty Images Starting a week ago, official ‘discussions’ between Oman and Iran were widely reported: …

Trump chillingly threatens to ‘blow up’ another country ‘if they don’t behave’ | World | News

Trump chillingly threatens to ‘blow up’ another country ‘if they don’t behave’ | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

Donald Trump has chillingly threatened to “blow up” Oman if they don’t “behave” in a move that risks dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East. The US President made the comments at the White House when asked about reports that Iran and Oman have struck a deal to jointly control the Strait of Hormuz. However, Mr Trump warned he would not accept any such arrangement as part of a peace deal with Iran. He told reporters following a Cabinet meeting: “No, the Strait is going to be open to everybody. It’s international waters. Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it – we’ll watch over it – but nobody’s going to get control of it as part of any negotiation. They would like to control it. Nobody’s got any control. “It’s international waters. And Oman will behave just like everybody else. If they don’t, we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.” The remarks came amid ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire and broader agreement following months of …

Poland’s right-wing topples Kraków’s liberal mayor in fresh blow to Tusk – POLITICO

Poland’s right-wing topples Kraków’s liberal mayor in fresh blow to Tusk – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Nearly 30 percent of eligible voters took part in Sunday’s referendum, which had a 26.98 percent validity threshold. Of those who voted, 97.93 percent backed removing the mayor, while just under 2.1 percent opposed it. In a post on X, Miszalski accepted the results, emphasizing “local democracy is precisely about residents having the final say.” “Not everything was achieved as I had intended,” he added. “I also know that some decisions, and the emotions surrounding them, caused many residents to lose trust in me.” The referendum results represent a major victory for PiS and Confederation, who are casting the recall in Kraków as the first in a broader campaign to challenge liberal urban governments. Tusk’s Civic Coalition party controls the capital city Warsaw and the majority of regional capitals, and by taking aim at the local administrations, Poland’s right-wing sees a way of challenging the prime minister’s rule at the national level. In a rare post on X, PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński hailed the results in Kraków, which he said were “only the beginning.” “This government is destroying …