TYB
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/wally-funk-trailblazing-pilot-and-astronaut-passes-away-at-87
moar NASA
https://www.jhuapl.edu/news/news-releases/260709-dragonfly-clears-key-tests-as-assembly-comes-together
https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-changing-stance-on-ufo-full-timeline-12177664
https://www.ladbible.com/news/science/nasa-boss-admits-agency-captured-images-ufos-505423-20260710
https://x.com/SpaceApps/status/2074206748466950463
Wally Funk, trailblazing pilot and astronaut, dies at 87
July 10, 2026
Wally Funk, who flew to space at 82 after a lifetime of flying and fighting for women in aviation and aerospace, has passed away at age 87.
Born in Texas in 1939, Funk was determined to take to the skies, flying as a teenager and becoming a professional aviator at the tender age of 20.
Her dreams extended even beyond Earth, and in 1961 she joined the "Mercury 13" group of women who completed the testing given to NASA's male Apollo astronauts.
But Funk was the only Mercury 13 alum to ever reach space. After a lifetime of flying, in July 2021, the then 82-year-old Funk launched to suborbital space aboard a Blue Origin New Shepard vehicle, a trip that she described as "incredible."
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Wally Funk," Blue Origin shared in a statement on X on Thursday (July 9).
"Wally was a pioneer in every sense of the word … On NS-16, sixty years later, Wally made history as the oldest astronaut at the time and remains the oldest woman to ever fly to space.
It was a moment six decades in the making. We were humbled to be part of her journey. Her story will continue to inspire generations of future explorers. Fly Wally, Fly."
Making space history
Funk's spaceflight was historic in every sense of the word. "I've been waiting a long time to finally get up there," she said during a livestreamed postflight briefing at the time.
"I've done a lot of astronaut training through the world — Russia, America … I could always beat the guys on what they were doing, because I was always stronger. I've always done everything on my own."
At the time of her spaceflight, Funk was the oldest person to ever go to space. But she was also the only member of the Mercury 13 to ever make it there. Funk joined the group, officially called the "Women in Space" program, as its youngest member at only 21 years old.
Led by physician William Lovelace, the program put a group of young women through the same rigorous physical and mental testing as NASA's male astronauts to see how they would fare. And, across the board, the group either kept pace with or even excelled by comparison.
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While the program didn't have official government sponsorship, there was hope that success could pave the way for women to be allowed into the human spaceflight program.
(NASA astronauts were all male at the time; the agency didn't select a female astronaut candidate until 1978.) And in a way, it did, though it took far longer than the group likely expected.
Despite the group not leading to spaceflight access for women at the time, the participants proved their capability beyond doubt. In one particular test, participants were submerged in a sensory deprivation tank, a test meant to measure a participant's mental fortitude.
While famed NASA astronaut John Glenn — who became the first American to orbit Earth — lasted three hours in the tank, Funk stayed in for a whopping 10 hours and 35 minutes.
'Married to airplanes'
Though Funk was quite young when she joined the Mercury 13, she'd already racked up years of aviation experience and an impressive array of accomplishments. In fact, Funk, who never married, famously said that she was "married to airplanes."
From her teenage experience with the "Flying Susies," Funk found her way to the skies as early as possible. And following her participation in the Mercury 13 program, Funk became the first female civilian flight instructor at a U.S. military base.
Her aviation career was storied; she served as the National Transportation Safety Board's first female Air Safety Investigator, competed in air races and was even chief pilot for multiple aviation schools across the country, sharing her knowledge and expertise with countless aviation hopefuls.
But while she continued to make history and pursue her passions in aviation, her love for space never dwindled. When NASA finally began accepting women into the astronaut corps in the late 1970s, Funk was quick to apply.
She applied three separate times but was denied on each occasion. Despite these setbacks, she remained close to the space world, even attending a launch with fellow former Mercury 13 members in 1995 to see NASA astronaut Eileen Collins lift off as the first woman to pilot a space shuttle.
A dream, realized
With her spaceflight dream still aflame, Funk was once again quick to act when Blue Origin got New Shepard fully up on running.
And on July 20, 2021, Funk finally realized this lifelong goal, on the first-ever crewed flight of the suborbital spacecraft. (Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos was on that flight as well, along with his brother Mark, Funk and Dutch student Oliver Daemen.)
In thinking of her many aviation students, she said at the time, "I don't know if they're going to get to see this or not … but I felt so charged. I was just a normal person going up into space."
Funk will be remembered for her passion, her dedication and her many accomplishments across aviation and aerospace, which will continue to inspire aviators for generations to come.
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moar Wally Funk
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
Wally Funk never stopped believing that one day she would reach space. Her passion for flight, perseverance, and love of exploration will continue to inspire generations of Americans.
Godspeed, Wally.
Blue Origin
@blueorigin
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Wally Funk.
Wally was a pioneer in every sense of the word. In her 20s, she was the first female civilian flight instructor at a U.S. military base.
She became the youngest of the Mercury 13, outperforming nearly every test put in front of her, and ultimately, the only one of the thirteen to have ever reached space.
On NS-16, sixty years later, Wally made history as the oldest astronaut at the time and remains the oldest woman to ever fly to space. It was a moment six decades in the making. We were humbled to be part of her journey.
Her story will continue to inspire generations of future explorers.
Fly Wally, Fly. 🚀
11:31 AM · Jul 9, 2026
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2075286772104262136
https://x.com/blueorigin/status/2075261045858247096
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
America’s 250th birthday reminds us that every generation is called to build on the legacy of those who came before them.
@POTUS honoring Apollo 17’s Jack Schmitt alongside the Artemis II crew was a fitting tribute to America’s past…and the explorers who will help shape its future. 🇺🇸🚀
2:21 PM · Jul 9, 2026
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2075329477807063074
moar social media NASA Isaacman
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2075370776983642270
https://x.com/NASA_Marshall/status/2075278812074438815
https://x.com/EAA/status/2075312814890037687
https://x.com/KatiePavlich/status/2075247363929645183
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/supreme-court-ruling-on-mail-in-ballots-ensures-astronauts-can-vote-from-space-or-anywhere-else
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/astronautsforamerica_today-the-supreme-court-ruled-that-mail-in-activity-7477479388125622272-QazR
Supreme Court ruling on mail-in ballots ensures astronauts can vote from space — or anywhere else
July 10, 2026
A new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court protecting voter rights could extend to astronauts living and working in space and training internationally, their families, and the multitude of NASA workers who travel to support their missions.
On Monday (June 29), the Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots can be counted toward a total vote even if they arrive after election day, as long as they are postmarked by election day.
The ruling followed efforts by the Trump Administration to place restrictions on mail-in voting. In a new statement, the nonpartisan activist organization Astronauts for America spoke out in support of the Supreme Court's decision, which supports absentee voting.
"We don't want to see barriers put in place [that] make it more challenging for somebody to exercise their constitutional right of voting," retired NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence told Space.com.
Lawrence is a member of Astronauts for America, as well as a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where she served as a captain, engineer and helicopter pilot.
What happened?
An executive order issued by President Trump in March 2026 attempted to place a number of restrictions on voting in the country, including limitations on mail-in or absentee voting.
The order directed the United States Postal Service to only transmit ballots for states that compile and submit lists of eligible mail-in voters 60 days before elections, added requirements and complications to mail-in ballots and attempted to limit who receives a ballot in the mail.
This order not only added layers to limit voting access, but it conflicted with existing procedures set by states for absentee voting.
Additionally, the U.S. Constitution places the authority to change election rules and processes with Congress, not the president, though this was not the first executive order put out by Trump to attempt to change election rules, CNN has reported.
In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court blocked the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out this executive order, declaring that mail-in ballots may be counted if they arrive up to five days after election day, as long as they are postmarked by election day.
"This is key to making sure we have free and fair elections, that people have the ability to cast their vote, and it's not an overwhelming burden for them to do that again," said Lawrence.
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Astronauts vote (and so do the people around them)
In a statement shared on social media, Astronauts for America commented on the recent ruling.
"We at Astronauts for America are pleased to see the justices take this critical step toward safeguarding free and fair elections, and ensuring that every eligible voter has their ballot counted," the statement reads.
"As astronauts, some of us cast our votes from space. As military veterans, many of us relied on voting by mail. Upholding this grace period ensures that astronauts and other Americans are able to exercise their civil rights."
"Voting is the cornerstone of our American democracy, and this is an important step forward in our battle to ensure everyone has the right to vote," the statement continued.
"While the Supreme Court ruling should be celebrated, we must continue standing up for our democracy and constitutional principles."
Astronauts have used absentee voting systems for decades, and they do so regularly: Astronauts have been living in orbit on board the International Space Station continuously since November 2000.
When astronauts are going to be in space during an election, NASA has a digital system that allows them to submit absentee votes. But as the statement above suggests, astronauts don't just need absentee voting during their space missions.
Astronaut training can take place all around the world, especially if there is a mission with international collaboration.
Lawrence shared that, during her tenure with NASA's space shuttle program, there was a 16-month period when she had to live and train full-time in Russia. And, astronauts don't prepare for space in a vacuum.
Family members like spouses might travel with them for long-term training, and there are a wide variety of mission managers and support staff for crewed missions (and their families) who might have to be on long-term travel as well.
Additionally, many astronauts like Lawrence are also military veterans who, during their service, are only able to vote through absentee voting, sometimes for years on end.
While this ruling extends far past astronauts, even within the space sector, absentee voting has protected the constitutional rights of many.
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SpaceX wants to launch 100,000 Starlink satellites to orbit
July 9, 2026
SpaceX is nothing if not ambitious.
Elon Musk's company just filed an application with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate a 100,000-member constellation of "Gen3" satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
This will presumably be an updated version of SpaceX's Starlink broadband network, according to astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, who reported the news via X today (July 9).
The new plan would dramatically expand Starlink's already extensive orbital footprint. SpaceX currently operates nearly 10,800 of the internet spacecraft in LEO and has FCC approval for about 4,000 more.
And each individual Gen3 satellite will be considerably larger than its predecessors.
According to McDowell, SpaceX's FCC application states that each one will weigh 4,400 to 5,500 pounds (2,000 to 2,500 kilograms) and cover an area of 3,230 to 4,300 square feet (300 to 400 square meters) with its solar arrays extended.
For perspective: The Starlink satellite version that SpaceX is launching these days, known as the V2 Mini, weighs about 1,760 pounds (800 kg) and covers about 1,250 square feet (116 square meters), according to SpaceflightNow.
SpaceX launches V2 Minis aboard its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, generally in fleets of 29 satellites apiece.
The Gen3 is so big, however, that it will probably need to fly on Starship, the giant, super-heavy-lift rocket that SpaceX is developing to help get people to the moon and Mars, among other tasks.
Starlink Gen3 isn't even the biggest satellite assemblage that SpaceX is cooking up: The company also aims to build a million-strong AI megaconstellation called Starmind.
"Launching a constellation of a million satellites that operate as orbital data centers is a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization, one that can harness the sun's full power, while supporting AI-driven applications for billions of people today and ensuring humanity's multi-planetary future," Musk wrote in a February 2026 update about the planned AI constellation.
A number of other companies, including Amazon and Blue Origin, are also building out large constellations in LEO, or plan to do so in the near future.
A variety of people and organizations have objected to how crowded Earth orbit is becoming, voicing concerns about the effects on astronomical observations, wildlife, Earth's atmosphere and humanity's enjoyment of the night sky, among other issues.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/spacex-wants-to-launch-100-000-starlink-satellites-to-orbit
https://x.com/planet4589/status/2075205704298664206
https://www.planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html
US Space Force Adds New Weapon for Non-Destructive Satellite Warfare
10 July 2026
The US Space Force is strengthening its space warfare capabilities with a ground-based system built to detect, deny, disrupt, and degrade enemy satellites without physically destroying them.
Built by L3Harris, “Meadowlands” features multi-band, dual-polarization satellite communication antennas integrated with low-noise amplifiers, high-power amplifiers, and an antenna photonics unit.
Designed for mobility, it employs a wheeled trailer configuration that supports both road transport and airlift aboard cargo aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules.
The system works by beaming electromagnetic energy to create “reversible effects,” degrading hostile satellites through signal interference without causing physical damage.
Meadowlands achieves this by transmitting a high-power counter-signal toward an adversary satellite’s antenna to disrupt uplink communications.
As a result, the targeted satellite may lose the capability to receive commands, process telemetry, or manage the data links required for operations.
Serving as a lighter, more compact, and more easily transportable upgrade to the Counter Communications System 10.2, Meadowlands is planned to grow into a fleet of 32 systems.
“We’re continuously pursuing capability modifications to modernize our fleet and better enable our Guardians as they execute missions on behalf of the combatant command and in support of US objectives,” said Col. Angelo Fernandez, commander of the US Space Force’s Mission Delta 3.
“Continued US Space Force investment in electromagnetic warfare systems, software, and advanced training is essential to modern warfare.”
Bolstering US Space Ops
US Space Force Combat Forces Command formally accepted Meadowlands for operational use on June 8, marking a significant upgrade to its electromagnetic warfare arsenal.
The effort is tied to nearly $460 million in funding requested in the Space Force’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget to develop the system and provide the training and support needed for deployment.
Guardians from the Combat Forces Command’s Mission Delta 3 for Space Electromagnetic Warfare will operate the weapon.
“We have exceptionally trained and skilled electromagnetic warfare professionals who are highly motivated and excited about integrating this new Meadowlands capability,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Skilling, commander of the US Space Force’s 4th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron.
“This upgraded system enables us to more effectively and efficiently support the joint scheme of maneuver across the continuum of conflict.”
https://nextgendefense.com/us-space-force-satellite/
moar Space Force
https://x.com/USSpaceForce/status/2075268795954798959
https://www.spaceforce.com/news-events/experience/always-above
Making history! China lands rocket during an orbital launch for 1st time ever
July 10, 2026
China just notched a huge spaceflight milestone.
The nation has recovered a rocket during an orbital launch for the first time ever, pulling off the feat during the Long March 10B's maiden liftoff on Friday (July 10). And that recovery was unique: The rocket's first stage nestled softly into a net-like structure carried by a ship at sea.
"This mission marks my country's first successful controlled recovery of a launch vehicle and the world's first network-based recovery of a launch vehicle," the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced via social media shortly after the launch.
(Translation by Google.) "It signifies a historic breakthrough for my country in the field of reusable rocket technology and will lay a solid foundation for accelerating the improvement of my country's space access capabilities."
The Long March 10B is a two-stage rocket that stands about 207 feet (63 meters) tall, according to the state-owned CASC, the main contractor for China's space program.
The vehicle's first stage burns kerosene and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants, whereas the second stage uses LOX and liquid methane. In reusable mode, the Long March 10B can loft about 16 tons of payload to low Earth orbit.
And the rocket flew with a payload on its debut liftoff — a satellite that successfully reached "its predetermined orbit," according to the CASC update. That post did not provide any details about the spacecraft or its orbit. It did give a brief rundown of the first-stage recovery, however.
"Approximately 6 minutes after the first and second stages separated, the first stage returned vertically and was successfully recovered at a sea-based recovery platform using a net system," CASC officials wrote, noting that launch occurred from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site on Friday at 12:15 a.m. EDT (0415 GMT; 12:15 p.m. Beijing time.)
"The launch and first-stage recovery missions were a complete success."
China plans to refly the first stage by the end of the year, they added.
Until now, vertical landings of orbital-class rockets had been performed only by SpaceX, which does them on a regular basis. Indeed, Elon Musk's company has landed orbital rockets more than 600 times to date.
Such extensive reuse has allowed SpaceX to fly more cheaply and efficiently than its competitors and dominate the launch market — something that China is working hard to emulate.
The Long March 10B's "reusable configuration significantly reduces launch costs, offering advantages of large payload capacity and high cost-effectiveness," CASC officials wrote in the post-launch update.
Other partially reusable Chinese rockets are in the works as well, including CASC's Long March 12A and the Zhuque-3, a vehicle built and operated by the Beijing-based company Landspace.
Both of those rockets debuted this past December, with similar results: They reached orbit as planned, but their first stages didn't stick the landing.
The Chinese companies CAS Space, Galactic Energy and Deep Blue Aerospace are developing reusable vehicles of their own — Kinetica-2, Pallas-1 and Nebula 1, respectively.
So, before too long, Chinese rockets could be returning to Earth with a frequency that rivals SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/making-history-china-lands-rocket-during-an-orbital-launch-for-1st-time-ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCgEzKnJ3DY
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Discovery_and_Preparation/ESA_calls_for_ideas_to_give_space_robots_embodied_intelligence
extra ESA
https://www.esa.int/Education/ESA_Academy_Experiments_programme/Meet_the_Team_CAPYBARA
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/Training_while_flying_Inside_BepiColombo_s_arrival_simulations
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/07/Earth_from_Space_Great_Bear_Lake_Canada
https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Week_in_images/Week_in_images_06-10_July_2026
ESA calls for ideas to give space robots embodied intelligence
10/07/2026
A rover exploring a permanently shadowed lunar crater cannot phone home for instructions – there is no signal to phone home on. It has to sense its surroundings, decide what to do, and act, all without a human in the loop.
Today's space robots are not built for that level of independence, and ESA's new Embodied Intelligence for Autonomous Space Systems campaign is calling for ideas to change that.
Launched on 30 June 2026 through the Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP), the campaign invites researchers and industry to submit early-stage concepts, feasibility studies, enabling technologies and mission concepts that bring embodied intelligence to autonomous space robotics.
Moving beyond isolated automation
Autonomy in space has, until now, largely meant automating individual functions. This campaign asks for something more ambitious: robotic systems in which perception, decision-making, control and adaptation are tightly integrated.
"Autonomy in space is not about adding more AI components to a robot," says Lisa Denzer, AI-Lab Lead. "It's about creating integrated systems that can understand their environment, make sound decisions and act efficiently within the tight constraints of space missions – from limited power and computing to restricted communications."
The distinction matters because the environments ESA has in mind – permanently shadowed lunar craters, lava tubes, unstructured planetary terrain – often rule out teleoperation altogether.
Communication latency, blackout windows and GNSS-denied conditions mean the robot itself must close the loop between what it senses and what it does.
Three scenarios, two approaches
The campaign targets three scenarios where this kind of autonomy is needed.
The first is autonomous exploration: long-traverse science missions, surveys of permanently shadowed regions, and opportunistic science that requires a robot to spot something interesting and act on it without waiting for instructions.
The second is fully autonomous in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU), covering everything from prospecting and excavating regolith to coordinating teams of specialised robots building surface infrastructure.
The third is support for long-term human presence, where robots work alongside astronauts – inspecting habitats, maintaining life-support systems, and operating safely in close proximity to people.
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To address these, ESA has identified two complementary approaches.
The first, embodied co-design, jointly designs a robot's body – its morphology, sensors and actuators – together with its 'brain', so that physical form and cognitive capability shape and enhance each other.
The second, physical intelligence, pairs emerging robotic platforms with advanced AI techniques such as planetary foundation models, world models and multi-agent cooperative systems, giving robots the ability to reason about and adapt to unfamiliar environments.
"Through this campaign, ESA seeks to start laying the foundations for the new technologies required to realise the ESA Technology and Strategy 2040 vision," says Luis Mansilla, AI System Engineer.
"Achieving this ambitious vision demands equally ambitious technological advances that go beyond today's isolated autonomous capabilities."
From idea to activity
The campaign follows a two-step process. Ideas submitted via OSIP are first evaluated on their innovation potential – how clearly they describe a new capability and how convincingly they go beyond what has already been published or demonstrated.
The idea phase closes on 10 August 2026, with evaluation following later that month. Authors of retained ideas will then be invited to submit a full proposal, with proposal evaluation expected in October 2026.
From there, successful proposals can follow several implementation paths.
Within ESA's Discovery element, these include co-sponsored research (supporting PhD and postdoctoral work), studies of early-stage concepts, and early technology development up to Technology Readiness Level 4.
Within the Preparation element, up to two parallel small system studies can be funded to take a mission concept through pre-Phase A analysis, each lasting no more than six months.
All selected activities are expected to conclude around a common final presentation day in late 2027.
Send us your ideas
Orbital applications and function-level automation are out of scope, as are isolated AI components that are not clearly tied to a broader system-level architecture – ESA is looking for tightly integrated, system-level autonomy for lunar and planetary surface robotics, not standalone algorithms or in-orbit concepts.
Researchers and industry with ideas for embodied intelligence in space robotics can submit them via the Embodied Intelligence for Autonomous Space Systems campaign page on OSIP before the campaign closes on 10 August 2026.
"Our goal for this campaign is to lay the groundwork for intelligent, autonomous systems that will make Europe's future exploration and resource-utilisation missions safer, smarter, and inherently sustainable," says Jai Grover, Scientific Coordinator, Advanced Concepts Team at ESA.
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Russia no longer believes West wants Ukraine peace talks – Lavrov
10 Jul, 2026 04:38 | Updated 10 Jul, 2026 05:40
Moscow’s goodwill toward Western-backed negotiations has been exhausted, the foreign minister says
Moscow no longer believes the West is genuinely interested in negotiating an end to the Ukraine conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Speaking at a news conference with Mozambican Foreign Minister Maria Manuela Lucas in Maputo, Lavrov accused the West of “imitating a willingness to negotiate while openly issuing ultimatums to Russia.”
He argued that although the West has been calling for talks, it has spent more than a decade undermining every attempt to reach a peaceful resolution between Russia and Ukraine.
“In 2022, Russia and Ukraine had already reached a negotiated settlement. It was undermined by the very same West, openly and publicly,” Lavrov said.
“We will no longer believe the West when it claims to want negotiated solutions. Our reserve of goodwill and hope has been exhausted once and for all.”
Russia insists that the conflict has its roots in the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev and subsequent attempts by the new Ukrainian government to suppress the rebellion in Donbass by force.
Ukraine later failed to implement the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements, which were intended to reintegrate the breakaway regions into Ukraine by granting them broad autonomy through comprehensive political reform.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande, who mediated the Minsk talks in Belarus alongside Russia, later said that Kiev used the Minsk agreements to buy time to rebuild its military and economy. Lavrov argued that their remarks show the guarantees provided by France and Germany were “false.”
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, during peace talks in Istanbul in 2022, Ukrainian negotiators initially agreed to drop plans to join NATO in favor of neutrality and to limit the country’s armed forces, but later walked away from the negotiations under pressure from then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
While Johnson denied that he sabotaged the talks, he acknowledged in a 2024 interview with the Wall Street Journal that he had “thought that any deal with Putin was going to be pretty sordid.”
Former US Undersecretary of state Victoria Nuland similarly said in 2024 that Washington advised Ukraine to not agree to Russia’s terms in Istanbul.
US-mediated negotiations have also stalled in recent months as President Donald Trump has focused on the war with Iran. Russia has said it is ready to resume the talks at any time, provided that they are focused on addressing the “root causes” of the conflict, including Ukraine’s plans to join NATO.
https://www.rt.com/news/642822-russia-west-no-goodwill-talks/
extra RT
https://www.rt.com/russia/642827-drone-swarm-attack-foiled/
https://www.rt.com/russia/642830-anti-conscription-rioters-crackdown/
https://www.rt.com/russia/642815-donbass-family-drone-rescue/
https://www.rt.com/news/642829-monako-bombing-telizhenko/
https://www.rt.com/news/642844-trumps-cruel-gift-patriot-ukraine-useless/
https://www.rt.com/russia/642818-ukraine-ceasefire-worst-scenario/
https://www.rt.com/russia/642851-moscow-responds-german-diplomat-remark-gas-shortages/
https://www.rt.com/russia/642828-nato-summit-humiliating-zelensky/
Moscow Oil Refinery Ignites Again Following Massive Overnight Drone Attack
Jul 10, 2026 15:06 Updated Jul 10, 2026 16:07
The Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya district caught fire once again following a massive overnight drone attack, The Moscow Times reported on July 10.
OSINT monitoring channels have posted videos showing thick black smoke rising from the facility, which had an annual capacity of 14 million tons and supplied approximately one-third of the capital’s fuel consumption.
The incident followed an overnight raid in which at least 14 drones targeted the capital, The Moscow Times wrote.
In addition to the capital, the multi-wave strikes successfully targeted the Ilsky refinery in the Krasnodar region, the Kurgannefteprodukt port terminal in Taganrog, an oil depot in Azov, and the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant (AOMZ), which manufactures critical thermal imagers and optical sights for Russian missiles, aircraft, and armored vehicles.
These attacks on Moscow’s energy infrastructure align with a 40-day strategic influence operation approved by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in late June.
The Gazprom Neft-owned Moscow refinery had previously halted all production after suffering extensive damage during consecutive drone strikes on June 16 and June 18.
Industry sources previously indicated that both primary crude-refining units were severely compromised, raising concerns that technical repairs at the refinery could drag on until 2027.
Analysts at Russian investment bank Sinara have also estimated that repair costs at the Moscow facility could reach up to $1 billion under a pessimistic scenario.
A strategic milestone was also recently achieved when a Ukrainian drone strike targeted the Omsk Oil Refinery—Russia’s largest refining facility, located more than 2,500 kilometers from Ukraine’s border.
With the Omsk operation completed, Ukraine has officially struck every single one of Russia’s 11 largest oil refineries, a systematic campaign that has disabled over 42% of Russia’s total designed refining capacity and triggered severe domestic fuel deficits across the country.
https://united24media.com/world/moscow-oil-refinery-ignites-again-following-massive-overnight-drone-attack-20652
other Russia and Ukraine
https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/ukraines-drone-campaign-hits-48-russian-vessels-in-five-days-including-shadow-fleet-tankers-near-crimea-20665
https://united24media.com/world/ukrainian-drone-strikes-cut-russian-gasoline-production-to-65-of-seasonal-demand-20662
https://militarnyi.com/en/news/drone-destroyed-fuel-depot-russian-airfield/
https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/blackouts-spread-across-occupied-crimea-as-ukrainian-drones-hit-power-grid-again-20641
https://english.nv.ua/nation/fire-erupts-in-taganrog-after-drone-attack-evacuations-begin-50623298.html
https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/russian-forces-face-boat-shortage-in-kherson-after-ukrainian-drone-strikes-atesh-says-20639
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/russian-drone-strikes-evacuation-mission-1783693519.html
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-economy/4142931-germany-launches-mass-production-of-gereon-ground-drones-for-ukraine.html
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/79950
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-07-10/live-updates-902093
other Israel
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-troops-to-withdraw-from-lebanon-pilot-zones-in-coming-days-says-us-official/
https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/idf-destroys-hezbollah-tunnels-uncovers-weapons-caches-in-southern-lebanon
https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/idf-confirms-photo-of-nearly-naked-blindfolded-detainee-is-real-inquiry-opened-article-155039862
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/defense/artc-the-idf-is-building-a-concrete-wall-on-the-lebanese-border
https://www.timesofisrael.com/6-said-killed-by-idf-in-gaza-israel-tries-fails-to-assassinate-hamas-spokesman/
https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/idf-kills-oct-7-terrorist-who-abducted-israeli-civilians
Live Updates: Trump says US willing to talk with Iran but ceasefire over, IDF uncovers Hezbollah arms caches
July 2026
Lebanon pilot zone to launch in coming days, US official says • Report: Two Basij members killed in Mashhad during Khamenei's funeral • Trump briefs Netanyahu on renewed Iran strikes
July 10, 8:14 PM
Iran top negotiator Ghalibaf says conflict will not end with Iran's surrender
Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Tehran was ready for "all-out defense" if Washington betrayed last month's memorandum of understanding, and the war would never end with Iran's surrender.
Ghalibaf, speaking during a meeting with Ahmad Muzani, speaker of Indonesia's People's Consultative Assembly, said he had told the US vice president during negotiations that Tehran did not trust Washington and that, in his view, only those prepared for war could negotiate with the United States. The remarks were posted on Ghalibaf's Telegram account.
July 10, 5:42 PM
Iran has asked to continue talks and the US agreed, Trump says
US President Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. had agreed to talks with Iran after Tehran asked to continue negotiations, but he added that the ceasefire between the two nations was "over."
July 10, 4:04 PM
Trump administration doesn't want Israeli involvement in US strikes - report
The Trump administration doesn't want Israel involved in the fighting between the US and Iran, sources told CNN on Friday.
"Netanyahu would really want to join the US strikes, but the US doesn't want Israel involved at the moment," CNN cited one source as saying.
July 10, 3:33 PM
Iran: Israel will 'not be spared' in future attacks, Qatari negotiators in Iran to defuse tensions
The warning came after US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering strikes on Iranian energy and desalination infrastructure if tensions escalate.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, stated on Friday that any attacks on Iranian infrastructure will be met with retaliation, adding that "Israel will not be spared from the response," according to Iranian state media.
His comments followed a statement from US President Donald Trump indicating that Washington is considering strikes on Iranian electrical manufacturing facilities, power plants, and desalination plants if tensions escalate.
Zolghadr also referred to Trump as "the world's most hated figure" and criticized remarks he claimed were directed at the Iranian people, according to an Iran International report.
July 10, 2:29 PM
As Iran fades, Turkey emerges as Israel's biggest strategic threat
DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Netanyahu’s campaign against selling F-35s to Ankara reflects a growing conviction in Jerusalem that Turkey is shaping up to be Israel’s principal long-term challenge.
History, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recent Channel 14 interview, “teaches that when one regional power declines, another rises. Our task is to make sure Israel continues rising faster than anyone else.”
This explains why Netanyahu launched a public campaign in the US this week against President Donald Trump’s apparent willingness to sell the state-of-the-art F-35 fighter to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey, the state now furiously jockeying to replace Iran as the region’s dominant power.
Indeed, with the sun setting on Iran’s regional hegemony, despite diplomatic missteps that let Tehran off the ropes before a knockout blow, its military capabilities and web of regional proxies have been severely degraded, the sun is rising on Turkey’s ambitions.
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July 10, 2:26 PM
Israel willing to assist US against Iran if Trump requests, despite no plans to join war - report
“We’ve proved that we stand with the US. I’m not sure it will be of interest to the US that Israel will join on this - but, you know, we realize that we need to stretch our muscles,” a source said.
Israel is willing to join the United States in striking Iran should US President Donald Trump request it, sources in Jerusalem told the New York Post on Thursday.
“We’re willing to do it again, if needed,” one source said.
“We’ve proved that we stand with the US. I’m not sure it will be of interest to the US that Israel will join on this - but, you know, we realize that we need to stretch our muscles.”
July 10, 1:37 PM
WATCH: IDF kills Nukhba commander who led terror cell into Re'im on October 7
IDF strikes in the southern Gaza Strip, killing Yahya Saeed Mohammed Hamdan, a commander of the Nukhba cell in Hamas' military wing. July 9, 2026.
According to a statement released on Friday, the IDF carried out a strike in the southern Gaza Strip, killing Yahya Saeed Mohammed Hamdan, a commander of the Nukhba cell in Hamas' military wing, on Thursday.
Hamdan was involved in the infiltration of the Re'im military base during the massacre on October 7th.
In recent months, he had reportedly increased attacks against IDF troops and aimed to restore the operational capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization.
The IDF also stated that before the strike, measures were taken to minimize harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.
July 10, 10:19 AM
WATCH: IDF uncovers Hezbollah weapons facilities in southern Lebanon
The IDF located a number of weapons facilities belonging to Hezbollah during recent operations in the Security Zone in southern Lebanon, the military said on Friday.
Numerous launchers, machine guns, explosive devices, missiles, additional weapons and combat equipment were found in the cache.
July 10, 5:38 AM
Israel warns US of new Iranian plot to assassinate Trump as tensions in region grow - report
The report follows the newest bout of attacks between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel shared new intelligence with the US about a new Iranian plot to assassinate US President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday night, citing people familiar with the matter.
The report follows the newest bout of attacks between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Israel's embassy in Washington declined to comment on the matter and Iran’s Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to the outlet's request for comment.
July 10, 5:38 AM
Trump briefs Netanyahu on 'American moves in Gulf' in phone call after renewed US strikes on Iran
Netanyahu also warned Trump against approving the F-35 deal with Turkey during the conversation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump on Thursday night, the Prime Minister's Office said in a late Thursday night statement, as part of the ongoing coordination between the two countries.
Trump updated Netanyahu on current American moves in the Gulf and the United States's attacks against Iranian assets, the statement said, while Netanyahu warned Trump against approving the F-35 deal with Turkey.
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Jeb Bush Warns of Cuba's Fleet of Iranian Drones
Thursday, 09 July 2026 06:48 PM EDT
Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate, praised President Donald Trump on Thursday for crippling Iran's ability to stoke instability in the Middle East.
But Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, warned of a threat to the U.S. mainland from hundreds of drones supplied to Cuba from Tehran.
In May, classified intelligence reportedly showed that Cuba had acquired more than 300 Shahed drones and discussed potential attack scenarios involving the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels, and Key West, Florida.
The drones have a range of up to 1,500 miles and can carry up to 110 pounds of explosives. They are relatively inexpensive to produce and have been used in devastating attacks.
Florida is 90 miles from Cuba — well within range of any drone attack.
"Iran has been a consistent threat to the united security interests of our country, certainly of Israel," Bush said during a United Against Nuclear Iran event in Miami, according to the New York Post.
"And now, we see that it's not just Israel and the United States, but the Gulf region as well. "I also want to point out that the press reports that there are 300 of these [Shahed drones] in Cuba."
Iran has supplied Shahed drones to Russia, where they have become a potent weapon in the war against Ukraine.
Bush said the U.S. has "very good defense capabilities" to counter the drones, but cautioned that when they attack in clusters, they can penetrate sophisticated defense systems.
He described the drones as one of the deadliest battlefield threats faced by U.S. forces in recent years.
"Most loss of life of the U.S. military than any single weapon that exists over the last 15 years," Bush said of the drones, according to the Post, citing an interview he gave to Miami's WTVJ.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., also attended the event, echoing Bush's statements about Cuba having drones from Iran that can reach Florida "in a matter of minutes."
"This is the face of warfare," Gimenez said, according to the Post, noting how artificial intelligence is enhancing the threat. "This is how war is going to be carried out in the future, and it's being carried out right now."
Gimenez also warned that Cuba's fleet of Shahed drones, which can travel at speeds of up to 115 mph, puts the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay and cities throughout the southeastern U.S. within range of attack.
"This particular model, there is about over 100 pounds of explosives," Gimenez told WTVJ, according to the Post. "That's a pretty big bang. That's why they call them kamikaze drones — they crash into their target and they explode."
The warning comes amid turmoil in Cuba.
Trump imposed an oil blockade on the communist island earlier this year, sparking an energy crisis. Since then, Cuba has liberalized its economy by privatizing state-run companies and opening its banking and energy sectors to foreign investment.
The regime has also been hit with protests and internal strife over the energy crisis. According to the Post, Cuba suffered a nationwide power blackout Monday, its third major one of the year.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/bush-cuba-iranian/2026/07/09/id/1262362/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49ZpNUisvJc
Sacramento Used Drones to Track Illegal Fireworks, Then Hit One Home With a $100,000 Fine
Jul 10, 2026
Sacramento’s per-device penalty structure turned one Del Paso Heights backyard display into a $100,000 bill, with 70 citations issued citywide in a single night
Key Takeaways
Sacramento’s per-device fine structure turned one homeowner’s 20 illegal fireworks into a $100,000 citation.
Seven drones mapped illegal fireworks to specific addresses, enabling mailed citations to property owners.
Sacramento Fire plans to expand its drone fleet, signaling permanent municipal surveillance infrastructure.
Somewhere in Del Paso Heights, a homeowner lit up roughly 20 illegal fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Seven drones were already overhead, recording everything. The bill that arrived in the mail: approximately $100,000.
Welcome to Sacramento’s new math, where Home Security Systems are no longer the only technology watching your property.
How the Math Gets to Six Figures
A per-device fine structure turns a backyard show into a financial catastrophe.
Sacramento’s 2025 ordinance update shifted penalties from per-incident to per-device. The first illegal firework costs $1,000. The second jumps to $2,500.
The third hits $5,000, and every subsequent device adds another $5,000 to the tab — with launches near schools, parks, or the American River Parkway triggering $10,000 each.
Fire Captain Justin Sylvia told SFGate the $100K citation reflected about 20 illegal devices at a single property.
That home wasn’t alone. On July 4 alone, Sacramento Fire issued roughly 70 citations totaling approximately $300,000.
Previous years generated even steeper totals — Sylvia cited past cumulative fines of $1.2 million and $470,000, according to SFGate.
Sacramento County has exceeded $3 million in fireworks fines in a single prior year, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Here’s what the drones actually do:
Fly high-resolution cameras capable of reading house numbers from the air
Geolocate each launch site and overlay it on Google Maps
Record footage investigators review post-holiday to count individual devices
Enable mailed citations to property owners — not just whoever held the lighter
Keep firefighters away from active fireworks scenes, reducing confrontation risk
“Our drone footage is extremely clear,” Sylvia told SFGate. “There’s no trying to deny what we saw. We can cover a lot more ground, and it’s a lot safer for us.”
This was the first year Sacramento flew its own certified fleet rather than relying on contractors previously funded by TNT Fireworks.
A Regional Playbook Taking Shape
Sacramento isn’t acting alone — neighboring agencies ran parallel drone operations on the same night.
Sacramento Metro Fire, the County Sheriff, and Citrus Heights all deployed drones simultaneously. Fire-related calls reportedly dropped compared to prior years.
“We can place on a Google map exactly what house it was,” Sylvia told CBS Sacramento. Property owners bear liability even when guests light the fuse — a detail that lands like discovering your lease forbids pets after you’ve already adopted a dog.
Civil liberties questions linger around continuous aerial monitoring over residential neighborhoods, and legal observers note that aerial evidence collected above private property for administrative fines raises unresolved questions about oversight and data retention — echoing broader concerns about apps secretly tracking users without meaningful accountability. Those conversations remain quieter than the fireworks themselves.
Sacramento plans to add two more drones before next July 4. What started as holiday enforcement is quietly becoming surveillance infrastructure — and your neighbor’s backyard show already has an audience that never blinks.
https://www.gadgetreview.com/sacramento-used-drones-to-track-illegal-fireworks-then-hit-one-home-with-a-100000-fine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srfWw6YZ4TY
kek
Trump's bombshell UFO files expose creepy 8-point object that breached airspace
Updated Fri, July 10, 2026 at 11:15 AM PDT
A new tranche of documents released by the Department of War details the UFO sightings by the department and how they were investigated. The dozens of newly declassified files include a trove of pictures and videos.
A statement read, "The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government's understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.
These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation - and it's time the American people see it for themselves."
One of the most prominent revelations include a sighting of a mysterious jellyfish-like UFO over the Atlantic Ocean and eight-pointed object hovering over East Asia.
The release also includes a Department of Energy report that states how teams at the Pantex nuclear weapons plant in Texas became concerned after their radar detected a silent, diamond-shaped object drifting over the highly secured facility in 2015.
The incident was also reported to the FBI after officers found that the object hovered over 100 to 200 ft above the surface without any means of propulsion being spotted.
The COMETA report, compiled by French generals and defense experts, is also part of the documents made public. The report concludes that extraterrestrial theories are the best possible explanation for some of these UFO sightings around the world.
In the report, the authors warned that these sightings should be seen as a national security issue and urged governments to prepare for the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
Another document highlighted how an aviator saw an object in 2019 over the Eastern U.S., along with four other personnel.
"I noticed an object with flight characteristics unlike anything I had seen in my 28 years of performing for the [Air Force] and Navy," the aviator wrote. "A small object was below us and appeared to be traveling in a straight line opposite our direction at high speed.
I tracked it for ~10-15 seconds before we turned on the recorder to provide the attached video. When I zoomed in to try and achieve more resolution, the object's speed took out of my FOV and I was unable to reacquire, even at a lower zoom.
Upon analysis after the flight, the object appeared to be rectangular. Others with equal or more experience were also unsure as to what this object might be."
Some of the recent events described in the files came from China. One video shows a military sensor tracking "an area of contrast resembling a six-pointed star" over the Yellow Sea. Another can be seen tracking an object over the East China Sea for a few minutes.
Friday's release is not the last disclosure under the president's executive order. "The Department of War and our agency partners are actively working on the next release of UAP files," spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
https://www.aol.com/articles/trumps-bombshell-ufo-files-expose-181200000.html
https://www.war.gov/UFO/release/04/?releaseDate=Release+04&type=.vid
random selection of UFO Files news
https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/possible-jellyfish-ufo-atlantic-ocean/
https://www.newsmax.com/us/war-dept-ufo-files-declassified/2026/07/10/id/1262442/
https://hannity.com/media-room/star-struck-pentagon-reveals-bizarre-six-pointed-ufo-in-latest-document-dump-watch/
https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/pentagon-ufo-files-fourth-release/
https://www.wionews.com/world/unlike-anything-i-had-seen-in-28-years-pentagon-releases-fourth-tranche-of-ufo-files-1783701407921
https://www.tmz.com/2026/07/10/new-ufo-videos-released/
https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/diamond-shaped-ufo-nuclear-weapons-plant/
https://thedebrief.org/pentagon-releases-new-batch-of-uap-videos-and-historical-files-but-clarity-remains-elusive/
https://in.mashable.com/science/111832/ufo-disclosure-2026-fourth-batch-of-40-files-released-by-department-of-war-heres-how-to-download
https://brobible.com/culture/article/pentagon-4th-declassified-ufo-files-videos/
https://nypost.com/2026/07/10/us-news/haunting-video-of-six-pointed-object-in-latest-trump-ufo-file-dump-as-proof-of-alien-life-remains-elusive/
https://x.com/DrPhil/status/2075588746515505626
https://x.com/The_Astral_/status/2075595551601574036
https://www.visiontimes.com/2026/07/09/a-century-of-ufo-sightings-in-albania-from-mountain-guerrillas-to-fighter-jets.html
A Century of UFO Sightings in Albania, From Mountain Guerrillas to Fighter Jets
July 9, 2026
Reports of glowing orbs, mysterious aircraft, and unexplained lights span more than a hundred years across the Balkan country.
UFO sightings have been reported all over the world, and Albania, a country on the Balkan Peninsula, holds one of Europe’s more extensive records of them, spanning more than a century and crossing the country’s monarchist, communist, and post-communist eras alike.
The earliest recorded sighting dates back to 1907
Mihal Grameno, a journalist, writer, and figure in the Albanian national movement, recorded Albania’s earliest documented UFO sighting, from 1907 or 1908, in his memoir “The Albanian Uprising.”
Grameno was traveling with a guerrilla unit led by Çerçiz Topulli in the mountains when a glowing object suddenly appeared ahead of the group as they made camp one night. It hung in the air for several minutes before vanishing.
Airplanes had not yet come into wide use at the time, which is why later observers have argued the object was unlikely to have been a conventional aircraft. Its ability to remain stationary in the air also ruled out a meteor or comet, according to the same accounts.
Reports spread across Europe in the 1930s and 1940s
On July 8, 1933, a report sent to the provincial government of Milan, Italy, described an anomalous aerial event over the Albanian city of Vlorë.
Two flying objects abruptly changed direction in a way that exceeded the aviation technology of the era, according to the report, leading it to be classified as an anomalous incident.
Fourteen years later, on July 18, 1947, a Federal Bureau of Investigation report noted that people around the world were reporting sightings of unidentified flying objects commonly known as flying saucers.
The report listed sighting locations including Mexico City, New York, Boston, Paris, Milan, Bologna, Yugoslavia, and Albania, placing the country within the same wave of postwar UFO reports.
Fighter jets scramble to intercept a glowing sphere in the 1960s
In the early 1960s, during Albania’s communist era, the Kuçovë military air base scrambled five MiG-19 fighter jets to intercept a spherical object emitting a blinding light, an episode later known as the Mount Tomorr incident.
According to accounts of the incident, the pilots’ vision was affected by the glare as they closed in on the object, and their instruments and radios began to fail. The lead pilot, identified in accounts as Veiz Lamë, received orders to open fire, but his aircraft crashed.
Witnesses reportedly described a precise, clean cut through the rear of the cockpit, while the cockpit itself remained largely intact. Accounts differ on what ultimately happened to the pilot.
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The incident was initially suspected to involve a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation launched from the direction of Greece, but Albania’s state security agency later ruled out that possibility during its own investigation and classified the case as top secret.
In the years that followed, residents, local officials, and other officials near Mount Tomorr also reported seeing glowing round objects in the sky.
In January 1963, residents of a village in the Kurvelesh region reported a similar bright, glowing object in the sky. Amid the public speculation that followed, Albanian officials said residents had actually seen a new model of Air Force jet.
Two glowing orbs in a mountain canyon
Ilir Malindi, a lawyer, wrote in his memoir that in 1969 he and a companion saw two round, glowing objects as they left a well known cave in the Pirogoshi Canyon.
Deep in the canyon, the two orbs reflected a blinding light for about a minute before shooting into the sky and disappearing.
Malindi was not the only witness: several residents of the nearby town of Çorovodë reported seeing the same thing, sparking widespread discussion. Some speculated the lights were NATO missiles.
Soldiers, fishermen, and villagers report sightings through the 2000s
In 1990, an active-duty air defense soldier said that during a shift on duty, he saw 100 to 150 points of light arranged in a diamond formation streak across the night sky at high speed, making almost no sound.
Other air defense units reported seeing the same thing, though radar detected no corresponding target.
A glowing object moving rapidly across the night sky was reported by residents of Cërrik, a town in the Elbasan district, in 1993, disappearing around 10 p.m.
Roskovec became the site of one of Albania’s best known UFO incidents in 2006, when multiple residents said a gray, oval, disc-shaped object briefly touched down on the ground for 4 to 5 seconds.
Three black circular marks were later found on the road where it had landed, and some residents claimed that rose petals placed on the marks turned scorched black.
In 2007, two coast guard officers on duty said they watched, with the naked eye and through binoculars, a disc-shaped object hover in place for 20 minutes, its light shifting between green, blue, and red.
Four hunters walking through a forest at night in 2008 said they were struck by a blue light followed by a vertical beam of red light, and their vehicle’s engine cut out immediately after. One of the men said he initially assumed a police car was chasing them from behind.
In 2009, several fishermen who had gone out to sea before dawn said an object roughly three meters in diameter and shaped like a satellite flew past above their boat at high speed and vanished within seconds.
In 2010, a woman living in Tirana and her family said they saw three orange orbs of light hovering in the night sky. One suddenly shot off toward the northwest at high speed, and the other two disappeared shortly after.
Albania’s military did not comment on the incident at the time, and civil aviation authorities said they had received no reports of unusual flight activity.
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Cardinal reverses course on why he fired the priest who linked UFOs to demons
Friday, July 10, 2026
What to know
Cardinal McElroy fired Monsignor Rossetti over UFO-demon claims.
Rossetti's video went viral amid government UFO disclosures.
He later stated the firing was about exorcism's privacy.
Why did Washington’s cardinal fire a well-known exorcist? Cardinal Robert McElroy now says it wasn’t about UFOs — even though his own statement last month suggested otherwise.
Cardinal McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, dismissed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti in June after the priest claimed in a viral video that many UFO sightings might actually be demons.
The clip spread fast, landing amid the Trump administration’s release of government UFO files and Vice President J.D. Vance’s own March comment that “they’re demons anyway.”
In a June 3 statement, Cardinal McElroy said Monsignor Rossetti’s UFO-demon claims and social media use “gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching.”
But in a June 29 interview published this week by Catholic News Service, he shifted, saying the firing “wasn’t touching on the question of UFOs” and was really about protecting exorcism’s privacy, calling it “a very private one” and “a sacred one.”
Monsignor Rossetti, a psychologist at the Catholic University of America, did not respond to a request for comment. He has said he will continue his exorcism ministry elsewhere.
Catholics are divided. Theologian Dawn Eden Goldstein backed Cardinal McElroy’s privacy rationale, saying it aligns with Church tradition.
Others point to the cardinal’s progressive reputation and criticism of the Trump administration’s deportation policy, suspecting politics played a role in the firing.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/10/priest-who-linked-ufos-demons-really-fired-cardinal-changes-answer/
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/9/dc-cardinal-cites-privacy-exorcisms-firing-priest-who-claimed-ufos/
Nigel Farage's only by-election challenger is self-proclaimed space alien Count Binface
Jul 10, 2026 11:51 AM PDT
The U.K. Reform leader vowed to take on 'the establishment.' Instead he'll be taking on a costumed comedian
Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's populist Reform party, says he stepped down from his parliamentary seat so he could trigger a by-election and take on "the establishment."
But, so far, his only challenger is a man who wears a trash bin on his head and describes himself as a 5,000-year-old intergalactic space alien from the planet Sigma IX.
"Logically, there are only two conclusions. One, I am the establishment, I'm the embodiment of the British establishment, which is curious," the self-styled Count Binface told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
"The only other possible conclusion is that Nigel is talking out of his posterior."
Count Binface is the persona comedian Jon Harvey embodies to run in British elections for the dual purpose of skewering politicians and celebrating democracy.
Harvey used to run as Lord Buckethead, a character from the 1984 Star Wars parody Gremloids, but was forced to pivot when filmmaker Todd Durham took notice of his growing popularity and decided to seize control of his intellectual property.
As either Buckethead or Binface, Harvey has unsuccessfully challenged five U.K. prime ministers at the polls. Most recently, he lost a parliamentary byelection to Andy Burnham, who is now on track to become the U.K.'s newest Labour leader and prime minister.
"I was actually looking forward to a bit of putting my space boots up," he said, speaking to CBC in character as Binface.
But when he heard about Farage's by-election gamble, he says he "couldn't resist" throwing his helmet in the ring.
'That's a joke. Is that a joke?'
Farage, 62, is under investigation in Parliament for allegedly accepting millions of pounds of gifts from wealthy backers. He has denied any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, he resigned to trigger a by-election and vowed to run again for his seat, saying he wants voters in his Clacton electoral district to judge his actions.
"I will fight to win, I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started," he told voters. "If I win, you win. Because if I lose, they win, and we will never get the type of fundamental change that we need to fix broken Britain."
Some loyal voters in the southeast England beach town are standing behind Farage.
"Why are they going on about it?" said retiree Rosina Herriott, 78, adding that all politicians receive gifts. "It's because of him. They're scared of him, that's what it is."
Others, however, have grown tired of Farage.
Alan Jones, 57, who is unemployed, says Farage has done nothing for Clacton, and he is dismayed that the Reform leader's only challenger is Binface.
"That's a joke. Is that a joke?" he said.
Vows to build 'at least 1 affordable house'
In the hours that followed Farage's announcement, all the main political parties said they would not take part in the Clacton vote, dubbing it a "stunt" designed to distract attention from the issue of his finances.
Count Binface, however, doesn't mind a stunt. After all, he says, his whole schtick is part of a long and proud tradition of political theatrics in the U.K.
"You do get the occasional novelty candidates. For example, Liberal Democrat. I don't know if you've heard of them, or the Greens.
And that's up to them if they want to dress up in silly suits or other assorted menagerie of costumes. That's part of the rich tapestry of democracy," he said.
"That's why I'm here. Because British democracy allows even an alien who looks like a bin to take part. I mean, what's wrong with that?" He admits he doesn't have much of a connection to Clacton.
"Have I been? No. Why? Because the incumbent seems to think it's not important," he said. "So I thought I should follow the precedent set by Mr. Farage. But I might turn up. I might not. I'm a busy guy."
Binface promises there will be "something for everyone" in his election manifesto.
He says he'll be reviving many of his longstanding election promises, which include nationalizing Adele, renaming London Bridge to "Phoebe Waller-Bridge," stopping the sale of arms to repressive regimes, and "building at least one affordable house."
He admits his ambitious platform hasn't won him an election yet. He received just 95 votes in his most recent byelection and says he's tallied 117,000 throughout his nearly decade-long political career.
Asked if the losses sting, he balked.
"That shows a degree of arrogance and hubris from the international mainstream media of which you should be ashamed," he said. "No, I am proud of every single human vote."
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/nigel-farage-versus-binface-9.7264908
https://x.com/TawhakiTheGod/status/2075143816378540188
https://x.com/Nigel_Farage
Michael Jaco
@MichaelJaco9
👽 Kerry Cassidy: The Hidden Alien War Behind Iran—Anunnaki, Draco Reptilians & the Battle for Earth
What if the conflict surrounding Iran goes far beyond politics, religion, and conventional warfare?
Kerry Cassidy joins Michael Jaco to explore her research and theories surrounding the Anunnaki, Pleiadians, Draco Reptilians, Nibiru, secret space programs, and the non-human forces she believes are influencing events on Earth.
Michael shares extraordinary personal experiences and memories involving the Anunnaki, remote viewing, secret space programs, and an encounter over Lake Tahoe that he believes may connect to a much larger story.
Kerry explains why her decades of research led her down the Anunnaki rabbit hole, the ancient conflict she believes exists between powerful extraterrestrial factions, and why Iran continues to play a central role in this hidden battle.
Is humanity witnessing an ancient war playing out through modern geopolitical conflicts?
Watch the full conversation and decide for yourself.
Wakey Wakey America. Share the light. Share the love. Stay in the love vibrations. ✨
11:17 AM · Jul 9, 2026
https://x.com/MichaelJaco9/status/2075283220653097321
https://x.com/camelotQKerry/status/2075269238168973433
https://x.com/planethunter56/status/2074695996588867921
https://x.com/tpvsean/status/2074572520687092064
https://www.youtube.com/live/_23vv8YeCCs
https://kerrycassidy.substack.com/p/the-return-of-anunnaki-children-of
https://projectcamelotportal.com/2026/07/04/war-of-worlds-happening-now-the-real-disclosure/
Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
Members of Congress last week vowed to find missing files on the CIA's MKUltra mind control program.
Now, a new documentary film based on never-before-seen recordings and files suggests the CIA financed illegal tests on teens to engage in psychic warfare and/or mind control.
Government mind control is the stuff of conspiracy theories. Many homeless people suffering from schizophrenia or meth-induced psychosis claim to be victims of it.
And it is common to find people online who say they are victims of mind control, directed energy weapons, and gang-stalking by government agents.
These delusions appear to have arisen after evidence emerged in the 1970s that the CIA was engaged in mind-control efforts, the subject of a congressional hearing last week.
The CIA’s MKUltra program, for example, tested LSD on prisoners and hospital patients without their consent.
After World War II, the CIA may have continued Nazi experiments into mind control, even using former Nazi doctors and operating a black site in Germany where some victims died, testified a journalist-turned-historian.
“Kurt Blome, who was the chief of biological weapons development for the Nazi government, came to work for the CIA,” noted former New York Times reporter Stephen Kinzer, who authored Poisoner in Chief about the head of MKUltra.
“So did Walter Schreiber, who was the surgeon general of the Nazi army.”
The hearing that Rep. Anna Paulina Luna convened on June 30 did not receive much media attention, likely because some of it covered what is viewed in Washington, D.C., as old news.
The CIA released MKUltra financial files in 1977. The two witnesses, Kinzer and Tom O’Neill, both published their books in 2019. The two testified that little new information had come to light since then.
But the hearing was significant in part because O’Neill raised the possibility that the CIA’s mind control research may never have ended. “Did it continue?” O’Neill said.
“I don’t know. I can’t imagine that it didn’t, though, because the technology — that they worked to establish over 20, 25 years and spent more money on than any operation the CIA ever conducted — was successful. I imagine it’s being used.”
Jolly West, a doctor and MKUltra contractor, reported in 1956 that, through the use of LSD and other drugs, he could “speed the induction of the hypnotic state and deepen the trance,” after which he could replace “true memories” with “false ones” in people’s minds without them knowing it.
Two years earlier, a 34-year-old Air Force sergeant with no history of violent or criminal behavior murdered a three-year-old girl in an apparent trance state.
West was assigned to be the man’s psychiatric expert. It turned out that the sergeant had been, ostensibly, undergoing an experimental treatment for his migraine headaches at the base.
O’Neill points to connections between the West and the Manson Family murders without drawing definitive conclusions.
In his book, Chaos, O’Neill reveals that West visited the jail cell of Jack Ruby, who killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, just hours before Ruby had a psychotic break.
The CIA destroyed MKUltra evidence, lied to Congress about it, and fabricated false reports, including the one by West.
But there are many MKUltra files, photos, and films still out there, said the witnesses, sitting in the archives and attics of the 80 scientific, medical, and university institutions and at least 185 non-government researchers.
In fact, a large new body of documents, photographs, and films about apparent mind control and psychic warfare will soon come to light.
The son of Andrija Puharich — an American physician, scientist, and inventor who used teenagers in his psychic experiments — gave documentary filmmaker Greg Mallozzi access to his father’s archive, which includes numerous recordings.
“I worked as a consultant to the CIA,” Puharich says in one of them. “My boss was the chief medical director who’s in charge of all the dirty tricks stuff when it came to drugs and hypnosis and all the mind manipulation stuff.”
The new documentary is called “Mind Traveler” and will be released this fall….
10:05 AM · Jul 9, 2026
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https://x.com/shellenberger/status/2075265097879228598
https://www.public.news/
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I Debated President Trump's UFO Advisor (It Got Ugly…)
July 9, 2026
Our American Alchemist this week is Michael Shermer.
One of the biggest names in scientific skepticism, Michael Shermer, has come to debate the strongest UFO cases ever recorded.
More than 50 years of well documented UFO incursions at American nuclear weapon sites, the 2004 Nimitz “Tic Tac” encounter, what really crashed at Roswell, and the disappearance or deaths of a dozen scientists working on top secret technology are laid out in a tense exchange with the new member of the White House UAP Science Advisory Council. Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic Magazine, the author of more than a dozen books on belief and pseudoscience, and is betting that no major scientific institution will confirm an alien presence by the end of 2030.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:44 - Meet Michael Shermer
5:49 - Shermer's Position and Evidence Thresholds
14:04 - UFOs at Nuclear Missile Sites
21:28 - Sponsors (KetoneIQ, Raycon)
24:26 - Nuclear Accidents and Base Rates
26:28 - Explaining Away UAP Sightings
35:06 - Government Interest and Disclosure
45:06 - Nimitz Tic Tac Encounter
48:20 - Photos, Videos, and Witnesses
54:39 - Scientific Priority and SETI
57:58 - ET Discovery and New Physics
1:02:15 - Palomar Transients and Anomalies
1:06:04 - Dark Matter, Truth, and Belief
1:09:02 - Eyewitnesses and the Courtroom
1:14:05 - Missing Scientists and McCasland
1:21:10 - Strongest UFO Cases
1:23:35 - Graham Hancock and Göbekli Tepe
1:30:41 - Pyramids and JFK
1:31:52 - Sponsors (MUDWTR)
1:32:58 - Manson, MKUltra, and Oswald
1:37:44 - Astronaut UFO Sightings
1:42:07 - NASA Transparency
1:46:07 - Gary McKinnon Hack
1:48:08 - David Grusch and Magenta 1933
1:53:49 - Roswell and Crash Retrievals
2:01:11 - Contrarians and Government Files
2:04:33 - Shermer's Abduction Experience
2:08:04 - Abduction Research and Memory
2:16:12 - Havana Syndrome
2:19:51 - Shermer's Mystical Radio Experience
2:23:45 - Perception and Base Reality
2:28:20 - Remote Viewing and Stargate
2:39:40 - MKUltra and Limits of Science
2:42:04 - Non-Consensus Thinkers and Prediction Markets
2:50:17 - Varginha Brazil Crash
2:53:31 - Secrecy and Sagan
2:57:35 - Debunking, Conspiracies, and Media
3:05:14 - What Aliens Might Look Like
3:09:41 - Perception Thought Experiments
3:12:48 - Consciousness, God, and Simulation
3:17:42 - Myth and Truth
3:20:15 - Closing Thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rr_nE65KkI
https://x.com/AmericanALCHMY/status/2075334985377010084
https://x.com/michaelshermer/status/2075578068694151259
extra small extra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTlNS6ujJF4 (Journey to Truth: #440 | ARE WE ON A NEW TIMELINE? | Presidents & Portals | Cern Shutdown - Moon Monoliths & MORE!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyQiaE63DBQ (Red Panda Koala: NASA Changes it's tune and Corbell's UFO Threat)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq7GSzwaGBw (Catherine Austin Fitts: A Discussion of Open-Source AI with Travis Oliphant (Full Interview))