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Samir Hulileh: The Palestinian Businessman Who Claims the U.S. Approached Him to Be the Governor of Gaza (Drop Site News, 2025-08-20)

https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/samir-hulileh-gaza-governor-palestinian-authority
———
🤷

>> The Palestinian businessman Samir Hulileh was approached by the U.S. last year as a possible candidate to lead Gaza after the war, he told Drop Site News in an interview last week.

>> Hulileh said he was first tapped by the Biden administration as a possible “post war” governor of Gaza in July 2024. A politically connected Palestinian source in the West Bank told Drop Site that at least one Biden administration official met with Hulileh last year, though what was discussed at the meeting could not be independently confirmed…

#USPol
@palestine@lemmy.ml @palestine@a.gup.pe

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4156859

Just months after ICIJ’s China Targets investigation, the country has confirmed that countering foreign influence is an “utmost priority” for the government.

Canada will appoint its first foreign interference commissioner next month as part of a package of reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s ability to fight back against transnational repression, a government minister has confirmed.

Speaking with ICIJ [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists] media partner CBC News, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree confirmed that the government has already begun vetting potential candidates for the watchdog role, and plans to present options to lawmakers for review by mid-September.

The move comes months after ICIJ and its media partners published the China Targets investigation, which showed how Beijing has used sinister tactics to silence critics of the Chinese government beyond its borders. In Canada, CBC News uncovered cases of intimidation and harassment against a Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate in exile and a pro-Taiwan activist that included the circulation of deepfake, sexually explicit images online and threats against the activist’s family members still living in China.

...

Jenny Kwan, a member of the left-leaning New Democratic Party who herself is an “evergreen” target of the Chinese government according to Canada’s intelligence agency, told ICIJ media partner CBC News at the time that countering transnational repression has become an urgent matter.

...

The new watchdog position in Canada was mandated by legislation passed in June 2024 following a public inquiry into foreign interference. The legislation also includes provisions to create a public registry of foreign agents, which Anandasangaree said would likely be ready before the end of the year.

...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/27167107

The Artificial Intelligence Unit will be made up of police officers and agents from other security forces. Its tasks will include “patrolling open social platforms, applications and websites,” where it will seek to “detect potential threats, identify movements of criminal groups or anticipate disturbances.” It will also be dedicated to “analyzing images from security cameras in real time in order to detect suspicious activities or identify wanted persons using facial recognition.” The resolution also awards it powers worthy of science fiction: “Using machine learning algorithms to analyze historical crime data and thus predict future crimes.” Another purpose will be to discover “suspicious financial transactions or anomalous behavior that could indicate illegal activities.”

The new unit will not only deal with virtual spaces. It will be able to “patrol large areas using drones, provide aerial surveillance and respond to emergencies,” as well as perform “dangerous tasks, such as defusing explosives, using robots.”

A digital policy specialist says, the initiative essentially means “illegal intelligence disguised as the use of ‘modern’ technologies.” Among the implicit risks, that there will be little control and many different security forces with access to the information that’s collected.

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Seoul (AFP) – New images released by North Korean state media on Friday showed leader Kim Jong Un kneeling before portraits of soldiers killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine, as well as hugging an emotional survivor of the conflict.

The images of an elaborate ceremony showed an overcome Kim presenting medals, placing them beside portraits of the fallen and consoling the returned soldiers, as Pyongyang's leadership hailed the soldiers as "heroes" who sacrificed their youth and lives.

At the ceremony held at the Workers' Party headquarters in Pyongyang, portraits of the fallen soldiers, along with their names, were displayed on stage, the images showed.

There, Kim praised the "admirable" troops "who returned home with great honour" after enduring the "hail of bullets and bombs of the life-and-death war in the foreign country", Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

In one of the images released by KCNA, an emotional Kim was seen embracing a returned solider who appeared overwhelmed, burying his face in the leader's chest during the ceremony.

The leader was also seen kneeling before a portrait of a fallen soldier to pay his respects, and placing medals and flowers beside the images of the dead.

Kim personally awarded the title of "DPRK (North Korea) hero", to commanding officers who fought in overseas operations and "performed distinguished feats", KCNA said.

It added that he also laid a flower at the memorial wall and met with bereaved families to console them and share "the pain of loss".

Banners and Soils Drenched in Blood

https://farid.ps/articles/banners_and_soils_drenched_in_blood/en.html

@palestine@lemmy.ml
@palestine@a.gup.pe
#Palestine #Gaza

‘I want to be buried in a land of a sovereign’ – the 95-year-old Korean POW wants to die in the North

[...]

"I just want my body to rest in a truly independent land," he said. "A land free from imperialism."

[...]

in 2000, he turned down the chance to be sent back to the North along with dozens of other prisoners who also wanted to return.

He had been optimistic then that ties between the two sides would improve, that their people would be able to travel back and forth freely.

But he chose to stay because he feared leaving would be a win for the Americans.

"At the time, they were pushing for US military governance [in the South]," he said.

"If I returned to the North, it would've felt like I was just handing over my own bedroom to the Americans - vacating it for them. My conscience as a human being just couldn't allow that."

[...]

[after being tortured in prison] "Whenever I regained consciousness, the first thing I checked was my hands - to see if there was any red ink on them," Mr Ahn recalled in his July interview.

That usually signalled that someone had forced a fingerprint onto a written oath of ideological conversion.

"If there wasn't, I'd think, 'No matter what they did, I won'. And I felt satisfied."

[...]

Mr Ahn, however, dismissed the suggestion of any humanitarian concerns in the North, blaming the media for being biased and only reporting on the dark side of the country. He argues that North Korea is prospering and defends Kim's decision to send troops to aid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

[...]

"I lived under Japanese colonial rule all those years. But I don't want to be buried under [American] colonial rule, even in death."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1jnk1dr5pgo

anything I cut out was just the BBC writer saying stuff like 'we're not sure what he meant by 'giving his bedroom over to the americans'', when his message is clear, death to imperialism!

the article does contain a video of him giving a speech

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5887056

Beany Tuesday has done it again

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/DrDoritosMD on 2025-08-22 02:38:04+00:00.

FIRST

Blurb/Synopsis

Captain Henry Donnager expected a quiet career babysitting a dusty relic in Area 51. But when a test unlocks a portal to a world of knights and magic, he's thrust into command of Alpha Team, an elite unit tasked with exploring this new realm.

They join the local Adventurers Guild, seeking to unravel the secrets of this fantastical realm and the ancient gateway's creators. As their quests reveal the potent forces of magic, they inadvertently entangle in the volatile politics between local rivalling factions.

With American technology and ancient secrets in the balance, Henry's team navigates alliances and hostilities, enlisting local legends and air support in their quest. In a land where dragons loom, they discover that modern warfare's might—Hellfire missiles included—holds its own brand of magic.

Chapter 55: Enstadt (3)

Thurman Gard led them inside, starting the tour. At first, he kept his cool – exactly what anyone would expect from the archetypal bureaucrat. Eventually, he slipped – trying a bit too hard to act casual while obviously geeking out about everything. He led them through the compound like someone who’d run through this tour in his head a dozen times, but kept stealing glances at their gear, their clothes, basically anything that screamed ‘not from here.’

Not that Henry could blame him. All the others had acted about the same, just with varying degrees of subtlety.

“The east wing shall serve as yer principal quarters,” Thurman said, gesturing down a hallway that could’ve fit a Stryker. Dude was fighting to keep his voice professional, but Henry caught him lingering, clearly hoping someone would ask about the architecture or some shit.

Still, he did his job. “The west wing holds the commons and all necessary facilities. The mansion stands fully at yer disposal. Staff remain on-hand at all hours, should ye require aught.”

Behind him, Henry noticed other staff members finding excuses to be in the hallways – same maid walking by, guards sneaking glances from their posts. First contact with Americans was probably the most exciting thing to happen here in years, but everyone was playing it cool. Or trying to, anyway.

Henry felt the same way; it was a two-way street. The compound was… honestly, it was ridiculous! The place was closer to a five-star hotel than any diplomatic accommodations he’d ever seen back home, down to the fancy environmental paintings and the decorative corbels that served no structural purpose except looking pretty.

Perry made appropriate diplomatic noises while the rest of them tried not to gawk like tourists. Even Wolcott, who’d no doubt stayed in actual embassies before, looked impressed.

“Quarters have been apportioned as per the roster entrusted to us,” Thurman continued, leading them up a staircase wide enough for three people abreast. “Each suite is appointed with its own bathing room.”

Naturally, that got everyone’s attention. After days of baby wipe baths – time at Krevath and at the inn aside, private bathrooms sounded better than hazard pay.

The tour wrapped up in the dining hall, and that was where Enstadt showed its whole ass. The table was set like someone had robbed a food photography studio. Roasted birds with skin so crispy it gleamed, arranged on platters like they were posing for portraits. Seven kinds of cheese forming some kind of gradient from pale to deep orange. Fresh fruits that shouldn’t exist in winter but clearly did – probably from those greenhouse setups they’d passed on the lower terraces.

And the pastries. Hot damn, the pastries. They were delicate little things that looked like they’d disintegrate if he breathed on them wrong, arranged in architectural spirals that were almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

Ron whistled low. “Shit, dude. And I thought Krevath was showing off.”

“A customary spread, I assure ye,” said Thurman. “The staff saw fit to prepare broadly, given the lack of formal dietary declarations.”

Customary. Right. Henry caught Sera’s expression as she examined a wine bottle; that slight upturn at the corner of her mouth, as if she was in on a joke no one else had noticed. After Krevath’s aggressive hospitality, she probably appreciated the diplomatic quarter’s decision to spare visiting dignitaries from authentic dwarven cuisine. This spread was calculated internationalism at its finest, and judging by her relief, her stomach thanked them for it.

They barely had time to sit before Ryan got recognized.

“By the Forge! It's him!”

A group of off-duty guards had materialized from somewhere, still in their lamellar but clearly a few drinks into their evening. The leader, beard braided with silver clasps, pointed at Ryan like he’d spotted a celebrity.

“The Kraggen-Slayer! Four jugs, they said! Four!”

Oh boy. 

Ryan’s face cycled through about six different emotions before landing on diplomatic amusement. “I’m honored, truly.”

His smile froze as three kitchen staff materialized with tankards. “KRAG-GEN-SLAY-ER! KRAG-GEN-SLAY-ER!”

Ryan held up his hands, laughing. “Now hold on, fellas. I ‘preciate it, I really do. But hell, tomorrow’s my first free day in a damn while, and I’d like to actually enjoy it.”

The lead guard looked personally wounded. “But… the legacy! The glory!”

Ryan scratched the back of his head. “Well, look. Here’s what we’ll do.” He leaned in like he was sharing a secret. “Let me get my bearings first. Can’t do y’all justice when I’m still walkin’ sideways from the convoy. Then, if I ain’t too busy, I’ll give y’all the full show.”

That seemed to work. The guards nodded sagely, like Ryan had proposed some ancient wisdom. They dispersed with promises to ‘prepare accordingly,’ which was either really good or really bad news for Ryan’s liver.

“Smooth,” Isaac muttered once they were gone. 

“Man, I just wanted to eat in peace,” Ryan replied, already loading his plate. “Least they bought it. Should have a quiet week now.”

The food lived up to its presentation. The roasted birds had been seasoned with herbs he couldn’t identify but definitely approved of. Even the bread was somehow elevated beyond bread, with a crust that shattered perfectly and an interior soft enough to make him reconsider every sandwich he’d ever made. Around the table, conversation died as everyone focused on the serious business of eating food that didn’t come from a pouch.

Thurman waited until they’d made decent progress on dinner before dropping the next bit of information. “As to the morrow’s engagements: Ambassador Perry, yer dinner with the Council of Masters is set for the nineteenth hour. The remainder of yer party holds no formal obligations.”

“So we're free to explore?” Dr. Anderson asked.

“Guides versed in human ways have been retained, should ye have need of ‘em. Forgemaster Balnar knows the city’s bones well enough, aye. But ye’re free to walk it alone, if ye fancy it. Just mind the terraces.”

Translation: try not to get lost and make us send search parties. Henry could get by that.

“The markets are open to all, should ye care to browse,” Thurman noted. “The lumens ye submitted have been tallied and converted into grenno at the current Commerce Guild rate.” With that, he withdrew a leather pouch from his coat. Its weight and clink spoke plainly enough.

“We appreciate the consideration.” Perry took the pouch and handed it to Henry.

And that was pretty much it. Thurman excused himself with another chest-tap salute, leaving them to work out the logistics. The moment the door closed behind him, Ron let out a snort.

“Dude was about to explode. You see how he kept staring at our gear?”

“The house staff were worse,” Isaac added. “That one maid walked by the same doorway four times.”

Perry smiled and shrugged. “First contact protocols are challenging for everyone involved. They handled it well, considering. At least no one tried to marry us off.”

That got a round of chuckles. The mood was lighter than it had been in weeks – good food, safe walls, and an actual break on the horizon. Even Perry looked less like he was carrying the weight of diplomatic relations on his shoulders.

“Well,” Perry said, pushing back from the table, “I should review my notes before tomorrow’s dinner. The Council of Masters sounds… thorough.” He stood, straightening his coat. “Enjoy your evening, everyone.”

Wolcott and the other DSS staff fell in behind Perry, following him out.

Ron stuffed his mouth with more of that bird before glancing over at Henry. “So what’s the play tomorrow, Cap? Full tourist mode?”

Henry grabbed another piece of bread, considering. “Eh, pretty much. I think I’m gonna hit the Adventurer’s Guild first; check what’s new with the Campaign and see what kinda quests they’ve got floating around.” He shrugged. “Not that we’re taking any, but it’s good to know what the local problems are.”

“I wouldn’t mind checking out their metalworking district,” Dr. Anderson said. “Their steel quality is supposedly exceptional.”

“Aw, hell yeah,” Ryan said, perking up. “Been itchin’ to see how their smithin’ stacks up. Might poke through a few weapon shops while we’re at it. Balnar, you wanna come with?”

“Aye,” the dwarven forgemaster rumbled. “I’ll show ye me pride an’ joy meself.”

“Yo, speaking of shops,” Ron pointed out, “we should prolly map out where to get supplies. Gear repair, food that won’t kill us, the essentials. Fo...

Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1mwusnt/stargate_and_gate_inspired_manifest_fantasy/

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/RecentFeature1646 on 2025-08-21 22:19:19+00:00.

Ke Yin has a problem. Well, several problems.

First, he's actually Cain from Earth.

Second, he's stuck in a cultivation world where people don't just split mountains with a sword strike, they build entire universes inside their souls (and no, it's not a meditation metaphor).

Third, he's got a system with a snarky spiritual assistant that lets him possess the recently deceased across dimensions.

And finally, the elders at the Azure Peak Sect are asking why his soul realm contains both demonic cultivation and holy arts? Must be a natural talent.

Expectations:

• MC's main cultivation method will be plant based and related to World Trees

• Weak to Strong MC

• MC will eventually create his own lifeforms within his soul as well as beings that can cultivate

• Main world is the first world (Azure Peak Sect)

• MC will revisit worlds (extensive world building of multiple realms)

• Time loop elements

• No harem

Patreon

Previous| Next

Chapter 249: Blue Sun Cultivation Methods

I took a deep breath, trying to process what I'd just read.

The implications were staggering. An entity from beyond this world had infected the minds of ancient cultivators, driving them to madness until they desperately split their sun in a failed attempt to purge the corruption.

The red and blue suns weren't natural phenomena but the result of this catastrophic ritual, both carrying the same fundamental corruption in different forms.

"The boundaries of the world are being breached," I whispered, recalling what Kal had said during his battle with the Skybound elders. "What if the 'entity' Elder Vareyn mentioned is the same thing breaching the world's boundaries now? What if it's returning, just as she feared?"

Whatever this being was, it must be beyond anything I had ever encountered or even heard of. If it could manipulate and corrupt an entire world's cultivation system, if rank 8 or even rank 9 cultivators were merely pawns in its game, then its power was truly unfathomable.

"It seems you're not the only world walker, Master.”

I nodded slowly. "Not just a world walker. This entity... it seems capable of physically traveling between worlds, not just soul traversal like I'm doing. The scale of power required for that..." I trailed off, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Let's not worry about that for now. We need to focus on what's actionable."

Turning back to the journal, I continued reading. Elder Vareyn had included sections describing Skybound cultivation, the runic system I was already familiar with from my time at the Red Sun Academy. While her observations were insightful, they contained nothing I hadn't already learned firsthand.

What interested me more were her experiments with dual cultivation, attempting to harness both sun energies simultaneously.

Unfortunately, without understanding the Blue Sun cultivation method, much of her work remained incomprehensible to me. Equations, diagrams, and technical terms specific to Lightweaver practices filled several pages.

"Is there anything about Blue Sun cultivation methods?" I asked, flipping through the journal. "I need to understand their system before I can make sense of her dual cultivation experiments."

"Several pages ahead," Azure directed. "She begins with a comparative analysis of the two systems."

Following his guidance, I found the section he mentioned. Elder Vareyn had meticulously documented the fundamental differences between Red Sun and Blue Sun cultivation.

Unlike Skybound cultivation, which relies on runes to channel and shape the Red Sun's volatile energy, Lightweaver techniques focus on spiritual refinement and the manifestation of concepts through the Blue Sun's purer essence.

Where Skybound practitioners carve runes into physical surfaces, their bodies, weapons, or surroundings, Lightweavers draw using spiritual energy directly, breathing life into their constructs. The difference is fundamental: Skybound techniques fundamentally transform what already exists, while Lightweaver methods create what was not there before.

The passage continued, describing various Blue Sun cultivation methods in detail:

The primary methods include:

1. Painting (Brushwork Manifestation): Practitioners create images, landscapes, creatures, objects, that they then breathe life into using blue sun energy. The quality of the visualization and the artist's connection to the subject determine the power and duration of the manifestation. This is considered the most versatile and creative approach, though it requires exceptional mental clarity.

My mind immediately went to Kal, who I remembered using paintings in battle. Now I understood the basis of his techniques.

2. Song (Vibrational Resonance): Some Lightweavers channel their energy through vocal or instrumental music, creating effects that ripple outward through the environment. These techniques excel at area control and subtle manipulation of emotions and perceptions.

3. Sculpture (Material Harmonization): Practitioners shape the blue sun’s energy through their hands. The resulting sculptures can be animated, serving as guardians or extensions of the cultivator's will. These techniques last longer than other methods.

4. Calligraphy (Word Binding): Similar to painting but using written language as the medium. Practitioners inscribe words of power that manifest the concepts they represent. Highly precise but limited to effects that can be adequately described in written form.

"How convenient that Lady Vareyn included such a thorough primer on Lightweaver techniques," I murmured.

"She was writing for herself," Azure responded. "As someone with dual cultivation, she needed clear references to both systems to track her experiments properly."

I nodded, setting the journal down for a moment.

The path forward was clear, I would need to pick one of the methods she mentioned, and only after sufficient mastery in both Skybound and Lightweaver methods could I hope to attempt merging them, as Elder Vareyn had done.

"Ambitious," Azure commented, sensing my thoughts.

"Necessary," I corrected. "If what Elder Vareyn discovered is true, neither path alone leads to true power, only to different flavors of madness. Had it not been for the Genesis Seed, I would have lost my sanity long ago.”

“You’re right,” Azure agreed. “But remember, even the gold sun leads to madness.”

The curse.

I stared at my hands in the dim light of the pavilion, considering my position.

I had come to this world with a singular purpose—to grow stronger, to expand my cultivation techniques, to bring back knowledge that would elevate me in the main world.

While I didn't see myself as a villain, I had never particularly thought of myself as a hero either.

Yet...

Elder Molric's eccentric face appeared in my mind, his genuine excitement when teaching me, how devastated he seemed when I was killed. I thought of Yggy, my friend, while it did return with me to the Cultivation World, the Two Sun’s world was its home. And now Lady Laelyn, with her surprising integrity despite being raised in a system built on lies.

Could I really turn my back on an entire realm being harvested by some interdimensional parasite?

I had saved Starhaven in my previous adventure, though that had been partially self-interest. This... this would be different. This would be choosing to fight an entity powerful enough to corrupt an entire world's cultivation system, a being that treated Rank 9 cultivators as mere crops to be harvested.

I wasn't a hero. But I wasn't a monster either.

If I could gain enough power through mastering both cultivation methods perhaps, I could at least disrupt whatever this entity had planned. Not out of some grand heroic impulse, but because... because I wanted to save those I cared about.

"When did I become so sentimental?" I muttered to myself, shaking my head.

The realist in me knew this was likely beyond my capabilities.

What chance did I have against an entity that had manipulated an entire world for thousands of years?

I closed my eyes, centering myself.

First things first. Learn the blue sun methods. Master them as I had the red. Then explore the integration. Only then could I even consider confronting whatever lurked beyond the boundaries of this world.

One step at a time. That was how I had survived this long. That was how I would continue.

"I've completed memorization of the journal's contents," Azure announced, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Every page, diagram, and notation has been preserved."

I closed the journal, weighing it in my hand. "Then we need to destroy this. Immediately."

"Agreed," Azure said. "Its physical presence is a liability we can no longer afford."

I considered my options.

Destroying the journal needed to be done cleanly and completely, leaving no evidence behind.

Using blue sun energy would be ideal, since we were in the heart of Lightweaver territory, but I had no idea how to channel that energy for destructive purposes yet, my understanding was purely theoretical at this point.

Red sun energy was out of the question. Even with the pavilion's privacy formations, unleashing Skybound techniques here would be like lighting a beacon for every Lightweaver in the Academy. It would be an announcement of my tru...

Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1mwp2zd/cultivation_is_creation_xianxia_chapter_249/

Just months after ICIJ’s China Targets investigation, the country has confirmed that countering foreign influence is an “utmost priority” for the government.

Canada will appoint its first foreign interference commissioner next month as part of a package of reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s ability to fight back against transnational repression, a government minister has confirmed.

Speaking with ICIJ [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists] media partner CBC News, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree confirmed that the government has already begun vetting potential candidates for the watchdog role, and plans to present options to lawmakers for review by mid-September.

The move comes months after ICIJ and its media partners published the China Targets investigation, which showed how Beijing has used sinister tactics to silence critics of the Chinese government beyond its borders. In Canada, CBC News uncovered cases of intimidation and harassment against a Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate in exile and a pro-Taiwan activist that included the circulation of deepfake, sexually explicit images online and threats against the activist’s family members still living in China.

...

Jenny Kwan, a member of the left-leaning New Democratic Party who herself is an “evergreen” target of the Chinese government according to Canada’s intelligence agency, told ICIJ media partner CBC News at the time that countering transnational repression has become an urgent matter.

...

The new watchdog position in Canada was mandated by legislation passed in June 2024 following a public inquiry into foreign interference. The legislation also includes provisions to create a public registry of foreign agents, which Anandasangaree said would likely be ready before the end of the year.

...