The Babylon Times

📜 LATVIAN DEFENSE MINISTER RESIGNS AFTER UKRAINIAN DRONES CRASH INTO OWN FUEL DEPOT Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds quit after Ukrainian drones—supposedly rerouted by Russian electronic warfare en route to Russian targets—slammed into an empty fuel storage facility in Rēzekne on the night of May 7. The drones slipped past acoustic detection, weren't downed, and public alerts came an hour late. Prime Minister Evika Siliņa called the response unsatisfactory and tapped Colonel Raivis Melnis as replacement, with opposition piling on for Sprūds' head. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 MACRON ADMITS FRANCE NEVER PLANNED NAVAL FORCES IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ French President Emmanuel Macron casually revealed France never even thought about deploying naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz. He clarified those discussions were just about a security mission coordinated with Iran. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 SAUDI PRINCE SAYS ISRAEL PLOT TO SPARK SAUDI-IRAN WAR THWARTED BY MBS Prince Turki Al-Faisal, senior Saudi official, revealed Israel cooked up a scheme to ignite war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. He stated the plot's success would've plunged the region into ruin, killing thousands of Saudi sons and daughters in a pointless scrap. Al-Faisal added Israel aimed to impose its will and dominate the region solo, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stopped Iran from splitting the brotherly Gulf states. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 JAPANESE CITIZENS PROTEST OUTSIDE US EMBASSY IN TOKYO STANDING WITH IRAN Japanese citizens gathered peacefully outside the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, placards in hand screaming "We stand with Iran." They waved Iranian flags and hoisted posters of civilian victims, while banners demanded an "immediate withdrawal from the Middle East." The demo spotlights public pushback against endless regional meddling. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 UKRAINIAN TURKISH-MADE KIRPI TANK TAKES RUSSIAN FPV DRONE HIT AND KEEPS ROLLING Ukraine's Turkish Kirpi armored vehicle shrugged off a direct smack from a Russian fiber-optic FPV drone, thanks to its anti-drone tricks. Video catches the drone slamming the side and roof, where protective netting snagged the explosive charge and neutered it before any armor breach. Vehicle stays operational, no major damage in sight. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 TRUMP SAYS US DOESN'T NEED STRAIT OF HORMUZ BUT SECURES IT FOR ISRAEL AND GULF PALS Trump claims the US has no real need for the Strait of Hormuz. Still, he's been securing it anyway—to prop up Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and assorted others. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 HEZBOLLAH RELEASES FOOTAGE OF SOUTHERN LEBANON TURNED TO THICK MUCK BY HEAVY FLOODING Hezbollah dropped footage of southern Lebanon drowned in heavy mud and flooding. Terrain's a thick sludge pit swallowing vehicles and people whole, grinding all movement to a halt. Video shows cars and folks sinking deep into the mess, slamming civilian areas amid the endless regional grind. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 WES STREETING PREPARES LEADERSHIP BID IN CASE STARTER GETS OUSTED AFTER LABOUR'S LOCAL ELECTION FLOP Labour MP and health secretary Wes Streeting eyes a leadership run if Keir Starmer gets the boot post their disappointing local election results. Streeting insists he won't challenge Starmer head-on, just positioning himself nicely if a contest pops up. The Telegraph spills the beans. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 RUSSIAN GERAN-2 LOITERING MUNITION ON DISPLAY AT PATRIOT PARK IN KRONSTADT A Russian Geran-2 loitering munition, serial number Ы80000, sits on exhibit at Patriot Park in Kronstadt. Specs laid out: empty weight 140–155 kg, or 200–250 kg loaded; max speed 190 km/h; cruise 180 km/h; range up to 1,800 km. Straightforward hardware for getting the job done. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

UPDATE:📜 IRAN ASSERTS SOVEREIGNTY OVER STRAIT OF HORMUZ AGAINST OUTSIDE MEDDLERS Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi laid it out plain: Iran, as a coastal state, gets to call the shots on the Strait of Hormuz and its legal setup.

The strait isn't some free-for-all for outside powers, but a sensitive waterway right next to coastal states.

He added that parking destroyers there under the guise of "protecting navigation" just cranks up the crisis. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRAN SLAMS DESTROYER DEPLOYMENTS AS ESCALATION PRETEXT IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi calls out destroyer deployments around the Strait of Hormuz, dressed up as "protecting navigation," as pure crisis escalation. He points out the strait isn't some playground for outside powers—it's a sensitive waterway right next to coastal states. Iran, as a coastal state, gets to exercise sovereignty and set the legal rules there. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 TRUMP SLAMS CHILDHOOD VACCINE SCHEDULE AS MASSIVE CHEMICAL DUMP INTO BABIES Trump calls the current childhood vaccination lineup a negative overkill, likening it to pumping a giant vat—like a big glass—of substances into "beautiful little babies." He pushes for smaller doses spread over just four doctor visits, insisting it'd work better and cut autism rates. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 TRUMP CALLS CHINESE BOSS XI A GOOD SMART GUY WHO LOVES CHINA Former US President Donald Trump described Chinese President Xi Jinping as a good and smart man who loves China. Just the kind of glowing endorsement from the guy who's seen it all. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 PUTIN DROPS "DRUG ADDICTS AND NEO-NAZIS" LABEL FOR ZELENSKY, NOW JUST "MR. ZELENSKY" Back in 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin pegged Ukraine's leadership as a "gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis." By 2026, he's dialed it back to calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky simply "Mr. Zelensky." @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 TRUMP VOWS TO BLOW UP IRAN'S BURIED ENRICHED URANIUM IF ANYONE GETS NEAR Trump lays out his plans for Iran's uranium stockpile, casually noting, "We will eventually be able to reach the Iranian enriched uranium buried under the rubble." He follows up with the kicker:

"If anyone approaches the Iranian enriched uranium buried under the rubble, we will know about it and we will blow it up."

@TheBabylonTimes

📜 ORBÁN WARNS HUNGARY'S NEW LEADERSHIP DOESN'T GET BRUSSELS' OVERPOWERING GRIP Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán cautioned that ditching Hungary's patriotic line for Brussels' demands spells a massive strategic blunder, leaving the country crushed and exploited. He said failing to push back lets the EU steamroll Hungary. Orbán doubts the new leadership gets it, noting zero signs of awareness so far. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 TRUMP CLAIMS VENEZUELA NOW A VERY HAPPY COUNTRY THANKS TO ENORMOUS OIL PRODUCTION Trump states Venezuela's suddenly a very happy place, unlike its prior misery. He credits the turnaround to massive oil now gushing out of the country. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRAQI MP URGES CITIZENSHIP FOR BAHRAINIS STRIPPED OF NATIONALITY Iraqi Parliament member Alaa Al-Haidari called on the Iraqi government to hand out citizenship to every Bahraini whose nationality got yanked. He figures that's the move for those targeted by Bahrain's revocation spree. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 NETANYAHU SAYS WAR ON IRAN ROLLS ON UNTIL URANIUM GONE AND PROXIES SMASHED Netanyahu claims the war with Iran keeps grinding because that enriched uranium's still sitting there, and it all has to go. He insists on dismantling more enrichment sites, Iran's proxy outfits, and their ballistic missile setups. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 TRUMP THREATENS TO SEIZE IRAN'S ENRICHED URANIUM WHENEVER US FEELS LIKE IT Trump says the US will grab Iran's enriched uranium stocks at any time, with Space Force keeping the sites under nonstop watch. He claims the surveillance is so sharp that anyone's approach reveals their identity, address, and badge number right away, cueing a strike to wipe out the threat. This follows US and Israeli boasts about operations in Iran—Trump notes 70% of targets hit, enrichment sites still standing; Netanyahu pushes removing uranium and dismantling the rest. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum