Vanessa (Aronthoothi) Pather

What can you do to promote world peace ? Go home & love your family. (Mother Teresa)

[Kathleen Tyson @Kathleen_Tyson_]

The Moroccan invasion of Ceuta today, a Spanish autonomous city south of Gibraltar, may be a joint operation with US-Isreal to take control of the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain.

They might seek to punish Spain for being pro-Palestine while seizing control of Mediterranean navigation, a key naval choke point.

[Al Jazeera Breaking News @AJENews]

BREAKING: NATO jets scramble as Russian missile detonates in Poland

Read more: https://t.co/olFED8PrVu

[James Melville 🚜 @JamesMelville]

European football's 55 UEFA member associations have voted to boycott World Cups if FIFA President Gianni Infantino proceeds with his plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors.

[UEFA @UEFA]

Statement on behalf of UEFA and its 55 National AssociationStatement on behalf of UEFA and its 55 National AssociationStatement on behalf of UEFA and its 55 National AssociationStatement on behalf of UEFA and its 55 National Associations

[Qaanitah Hunter @QaanitahHunter]

Recommendation from Zondo inquiry. Signed off by cabinet and enacted by the President.

[Al Jazeera Breaking News @AJENews]

BREAKING: Israeli forces stage 'mutiny' at Negev base in protest against commanders

🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/wqfbjeLrte

[Karyn Maughan @karynmaughan]

JUST IN: It has now emerged that the statement made by IDAC prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy seriously implicates former IDAC head Andrea Johnson in undisclosed conduct - which Johnson was not asked about doing her testimony. Johnson will be given the chance to respond.
@News24

[Newzroom Afrika @Newzroom405]

[BREAKING NEWS] Driving licence validity extended: Cabinet approves extension of validity period for light vehicles and motorcycle licenses to 10 years.

#Newzroom405

[Kenneth Roth @KenRoth]

Israel tries to spin the dismissal of International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan for sexual misconduct as reason to dismiss charges against Netanyahu and Gallant. It isn't. The charges were the work of a team and upheld by the ICC pretrial chamber. https://t.co/MZ0vaTAXpW

[Supriya Sahu IAS @supriyasahuias]

Here is a spectacle of grace and beauty in the wilderness that leaves you absolutely spellbound. This extraordinary moment of a tiger admiring butterflies, captured by the maverick @shaazjung, reveals a tender side of life in India’s magnificent forests. Far from the drama of the hunt, a tiger spends much of its life in stillness, resting, listening, observing and moving through the forest with effortless grace. They are not called “Striped Monks” for nothing. Happy #GlobalTigerDay #TigerDay #Tiger

[Trita Parsi @tparsi]

As news came that Trump was striking Iran in retaliation for the Iranian surprise strikes in Jordan yesterday, Zeteo published my piece explaining the likely logic behind Iran’s attack, why Iran expected Trump to retaliate - and was not deterred by it.

I explain, beyond the prevailing assessments that Iran was probing Trump’s resolve, a deeper and far more risky calculation Tehran is making.

It has everything to do with Iran believing that the path to peace is not directly through a deal, but rather first through convincing Trump he has no realistic military option. Only then will he commit himself fully to diplomacy.

Needless to say, it is an extraordinarily risky strategy. It seeks to compel diplomacy by increasing the perceived costs of military escalation. Yet it simultaneously raises the probability of the very conflict it is ostensibly designed to prevent.

But there is still a narrow path out of this disaster...

https://t.co/TfvAyQIuZj

[Shiv Aroor @ShivAroor]

Sharmila Dhankar.
Polio at age 2.
Mother blind, father farmer.
Married at 18.
Beaten for dowry.
Beaten for giving birth to 2 daughters.
At 26, beaten near fatally, thrown out.
At 34, began shotput training.
At 40, 1st 🇮🇳 para-athlete 🥇 at CWG.

[Faytuks Network @FaytuksNetwork]

Anonymous Iranian officials told the NYT that a suspected drone strike on a U.S.-owned LNG tanker in Egypt was designed to demonstrate Tehran's ability to disrupt global energy routes beyond the Persian Gulf if the conflict escalates.

[Danny (Dennis) Citrinowicz ,داني سيترينوفيتش @citrinowicz]

Saudi Arabia's expected announcement is, above all, an acknowledgment of the limits of its own military power.

The Kingdom cannot reopen the Bab al-Mandab shipping lane on its own and therefore requires a broader international coalition to restore freedom of navigation.

The challenge, however, is that such a coalition must be willing to do more than escort commercial vessels. It would have to accept the risk of direct military confrontation with the Houthis, exposing both naval forces and merchant shipping to sustained attacks, while also conducting a broader campaign against Houthi military capabilities.

Similar multinational initiatives have been attempted before, with limited success. Unless a future coalition is prepared to actively degrade the Houthis' ability to threaten maritime traffic, not simply respond defensively after attacks, it is difficult to see how it can permanently restore security in the Red Sea.

More broadly, the current crisis reinforces a recurring strategic lesson: when a well-armed, quasi-state actor controls a critical maritime chokepoint, there are ultimately only two sustainable options, meaning either accommodate its coercive leverage or remove its ability to exercise it. Maintaining the status quo effectively allows the Houthis to determine when one of the world's most important shipping routes is open or closed.

For that reason, announcing a coalition is only the first step. What ultimately matters is whether participating states are prepared to commit to a comprehensive, integrated strategy that targets the Houthis' military capabilities, command structure, and logistics but not simply deploy additional ships to patrol the Red Sea.

#IranWar‌

[Jim Beattie @JimBeattie18]

The Tangerine Hour

Oil on Canvas

Elena Wuest.

[Z ⚡ @SnapzEnt]

Nolan’s next muse 🙏

[Evolve @EvolveWildlife]

A trio of spinifex pigeons stand together in the harsh desert landscape of northern Australia.

📷 Col Roberts

[🍂 @Lovandfear]

Ernest Hemingway once said,

"In our darkest moments, we don't need advice."

What we truly need is presence, someone to sit with us in the shadows, to acknowledge our suffering without trying to fix it. In those moments, silence and understanding speak louder than words, offering a quiet strength that reminds us we're not alone. It's not solutions we seek, but connection.

[TIME @TIME]

India’s Cockroach Movement came out of nowhere to become a formidable political force in just a few weeks. TIME speaks with Indian writer and historian Mukul Kesavan about what comes next. https://t.co/oEXYeNR8xO

[Jonathan Jansen @JJ_Stellies]

Good news South Africans! More than 68000 foreign nationals processed for deportation! You should get a job any day now, a place for your child at school, and a bed in hospital. Congratulations