Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said the critical waterway for energy supplies is now a matter of "national security" in the aftermath of the four-month US and Israeli war on the Islamic Republic. As such, "there will be new arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz with the collaboration and cooperation of the state of Oman," he said. read more
The devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 will have long-term implications for the country's already weak government, which, in the eyes of many Venezuelans, has failed to deliver in an hour of national catastrophe. read more
Stars and Stripes has a front page like no other. On a day when the headlines on other newspapers were dominated by earthquakes in Venezuela and Supreme Court decisions on immigration, Erik Slavin, the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, put out a newspaper for the American military, with stories about new tactics involving drones, and service members and families facing food insecurity. "We want to go with something that we know will directly interest our readers right away," Slavin said.
The Atlantic on Saturday republished Vice President Vance's essay, originally published exactly 10 years ago on July 4... read more
The satirical newspaper The Onion has relaunched Infowars after securing a license to take over the conspiracy-promoting site created by Alex Jones amid an ongoing bankruptcy case. read more
Another view ...
Can Gianni Infantino keep winning over Trump without losing the world?
www.politico.com
... That success is beginning to weaken Infantino, as the third-term FIFA president faces newfound internal opposition for his over-the-top courtship of Trump. Our interviews with six international soccer officials across three continents reveal widespread frustration with Infantino's decision to side with Trump...
"The extent of this cozy relationship that we've seen and and the public character that has been assumed between Mr. Infantino and Mr. Trump is different even from what we saw in the past," said Miguel Maduro, former chairman of FIFA's governance and review committee. "It's not that things like that didn't happen in the past, but it didn't happen so obviously and so emphatically as they do now."
Our reporting found that Infantino did not inform his 37-member FIFA Council before creating the FIFA Peace Prize this year, three people familiar with the matter told POLITICO. Over the past year, at least three of FIFA's eight vice presidents have publicly or privately expressed their concerns about the lengths Infantino is willing to go to please Trump. ...
Related ...
Strait of Hormuz tanker trafficking rebounding a day after unexplained U-turns
nationalpost.com
... Of observable vessels, six navigated a route cleaving close to Oman's coast while four others sailed northward toward the Iranian route and exited the waterway ...
There was no immediate explanation for the ships that turned back on Friday and Saturday, though Iran has repeatedly said that vessels should only transit the strait through the route designated and authorized by the Islamic Republic. Naval liaison groups have yet to comment on the abrupt U-turns, although the Joint Maritime Intelligence Center repeated on Sunday that Iranian forces continue to harass shipping. ...
Happiest Countries in the World 2026
worldpopulationreview.com
...
Finland - 7.74
Denmark - 7.52
Iceland - 7.52
Sweden - 7.35
Netherlands - 7.31
Costa Rica - 7.27
Norway - 7.26
...
Top-ranked countries tend to combine strong social support systems, higher income levels, longer life expectancy, and greater personal freedom, all of which are associated with higher overall happiness scores. ...
Suicide Rate by Country 2026
worldpopulationreview.com
... 10 Countries with the Lowest Suicide Rates (per 100k)
Perhaps surprisingly, many of the most troubled nations in the world have comparatively low suicide rates. Afghanistan has 4.1 suicides per 100k; Iraq has 3.6, and Syria has just 2.0. It is not clear if the suicide statistics for these countries reflect suicides committed due to mental health problems and terminal illnesses (which are the primary reasons for suicide in most of the world) or include suicides committed as part of the ongoing conflicts in these countries. ...
Suicide in Sweden
In 2019, Sweden had 14.7 suicides per 100,000 people. Historically, Sweden has had a high suicide rate, with the most suicides in the developed world during the 1960s. That may have been due, at least in part, to cultural attitudes regarding suicide and long, dark winters, particularly in the northern regions. The government responded to the crisis with social welfare and mental health services, and the numbers have dropped dramatically. Today, Scandinavian countries " Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland -- have very high happiness rates and relatively low suicide rates. However, the dark winters -- 20 hours of darkness or more in each day in some areas " causes seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression, which has been known to correlate with higher rates of suicide. ...
Country - Suicide rate per 100k
Greenland - 75.57
Suriname - 28.69
South Korea - 28.13
Guyana - 25.36
Lithuania - 24.76
Russia - 24.28
Uruguay - 22.49
Japan - 21.46
Ukraine - 21.28
Cuba - 21.13
...
Norway - 11.11
...
Related ...
CT exhibition presents unexpected stories of the Revolutionary War
ctmirror.org
... The first thing visitors at the exhibition will likely notice is a tall blue panel featuring a framed piece of paper covered in spidery cursive. When they step closer, a label will inform them that this document is Connecticut's version of the Declaration of Independence " a resolution signed by the General Assembly 20 days before July 4, 1776.
"Connecticut's Revolution," an exhibition curated by the Museum of Connecticut History to commemorate the America's 250th year of independence, opens July 4 and will be on display until July 9, 2027. According to Jennifer Matos, the museum's administrator, it is the largest exhibition the museum has installed in decades. ...
Trump and Republicans return to communist attacks against Democrats ahead of the midterm elections
courthousenews.com
... President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans are reviving a line of attack against Democrats heading into the midterm elections: They're communists.
In just the past week, Trump has issued dark warnings that members of the Democratic Party's ascendant left are communists who want to "completely destroy the traditional American way of life" and even engage in assassinations. Vice President JD Vance has similarly called out communism as a political shift that is "something we haven't seen in the U.S." House Speaker Mike Johnson has decried "radical candidates" who are "self-described, self-identifying Marxists."
The GOP's ideological focus conflates democratic socialism, which often centers on securing universal healthcare, higher taxes on the wealthy and stricter corporate regulation, with communism, under which private ownership is largely eliminated. It has been building since Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor last year. ...
... D.C. Experiences Code Red' Air Quality After Fireworks ...
Gee, who could have ever seen this coming?