Zero Hedge

Nearly 2,500 Pounds Of Cocaine, 105 Pounds Of Marijuana Seized In Joint Operation By US Forces

Nearly 2,500 Pounds Of Cocaine, 105 Pounds Of Marijuana Seized In Joint Operation By US Forces

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

U.S. forces seized around 2,500 pounds of cocaine and 105 pounds of marijuana in two separate maritime operations involving foreign nations.

In one operation, the Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South and the Drug Enforcement Administration identified a drug runner from Colombia transporting narcotics. Forces from the Dominican Republic interdicted the vessel, while USS Billing secured the jettisoned cargo, JIATF South said in a May 12 post on X. Around 326 kilograms (approx. 718 pounds) of cocaine and 105 pounds of marijuana were prevented from entering American communities.

Earlier, in a May 7 X post, JIATF South said that forces from Panama intercepted a vessel near the city of Colon on May 1 under the guidance of the task force. The Panamanian forces fired warning shots, detained two smugglers, and took custody of 799 kilograms (approx. 1,761 pounds) of cocaine.

JIATF leverages its member nations’ capabilities to identify and monitor drug trafficking activity in maritime and air domains. The task force aims to interdict and seize illicit narcotics to disrupt their shipments, and diminish or destroy the transnational criminal organizations running these activities.

In a May 5 statement, the United States Coast Guard said it had interdicted a drug vessel off the coast of Haiti together with the United States Navy, taking into custody roughly 3,200 pounds of marijuana valued at roughly $3.8 million. One person was taken into custody and transferred to Haitian authorities.

Eighty percent of “interdictions of U.S.-bound drugs occur at sea. This underscores the importance of maritime interdiction in combatting the flow of illegal narcotics and protecting American communities from this deadly threat,” the Coast Guard said.

“Detecting and interdicting illicit drug traffickers on the high seas involves significant interagency and international coordination.”

Health Impacts, Legal Actions

According to a March 2024 post by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the short-term physiological effects of cocaine intake include higher body temperature and heart rate, dilated pupils, constricted blood vessels, and increased blood pressure. People may feel paranoid, irritated, restless, and experience muscle twitches and vertigo.

“Regularly snorting cocaine can lead to loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, problems with swallowing, hoarseness, and an overall irritation of the nasal septum leading to a chronically inflamed, runny nose. Smoking crack cocaine damages the lungs and can worsen asthma,” the post said.

“Cocaine damages many other organs in the body. It reduces blood flow in the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to tears and ulcerations. Many people who use cocaine chronically lose their appetite and experience significant weight loss and malnourishment. Cocaine has significant and well-recognized toxic effects on the heart and cardiovascular system. Chest pain that feels like a heart attack is common and sends many people who use cocaine to the emergency room.”

Other risks include stroke, seizure, bleeding in the brain, neurological problems, and Parkinson’s disease.

As for marijuana, short-term effects include anxiety, sleepiness, confusion, and an impaired ability to concentrate and remember. If marijuana is smoked, then blood vessels can be damaged. People may also hallucinate and suffer from paranoia, according to a March 2024 post by Health Canada.

Long-term effects include harm to memory, intelligence, and the ability to think and make decisions. The lungs may suffer from infections, bronchitis, and increased mucus buildup. Effects tend to be worse if marijuana use started during early adolescence.

The Trump administration has taken various legal actions against drug traffickers.

On May 13, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced that two illegal immigrants and two convicted felons were sentenced to prison for being part of an international drug trafficking and money laundering group whose operations stretched from Atlanta to Mexico.

The four accused were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years and five months to 15 years.

“These defendants forfeited their freedom by choosing to poison our community and enrich narco-terrorists abroad,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said.

In March, a 26-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in Houston was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 18:40

Pakistan Uses Diplomacy To Secure LNG Supply from Hormuz

Pakistan Uses Diplomacy To Secure LNG Supply from Hormuz

Submitted by Charles Kennedy of OilPrice.com

Pakistan has negotiated the passage of vessels laden with Qatari LNG out of the Strait of Hormuz in a diplomatic feat that no other energy buyer has managed so far in the Iran war.

Pakistan, which was the mediator of the U.S.-Iran talks and is passing messages from one to the other, appears to have used well its close ties with both Qatar and Iran to negotiate the successful imports of two tankers with Qatari LNG.

Pakistan has relied on Qatar's term LNG supply for years, but the war in the Middle East has led to the shutdown of Qatari LNG production and exports.

Without Qatar's LNG, Pakistan has been reeling from an intensifying energy crisis with power outages and fuel rationing.

Thanks to a bilateral Pakistan-Iran agreement, two vessels carrying Qatari LNG arrived in Pakistan in recent days after successfully passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The first LNG cargo that successfully cleared the chokepoint earlier this month was bound for Pakistan.

"Qatar-linked LNG movement through Hormuz showed a limited but significant restart," maritime intelligence firm Windward said on Thursday in an analysis on the five weeks of ceasefire.

The Al Kharaitiyat on May 9 became the first Qatar LNG cargo to clear the Strait of Hormuz since Iran closed it on February 28, headed for Pakistan. Another Qatari LNG cargo arrived in Pakistan this week after clearing the chokepoint earlier in the week.

"Pakistan will continue to coordinate closely with Qatar to ensure uninterrupted LNG supplies," Pakistan's Federal Minister for Petroleum, Ali Pervaiz Malik, said on Thursday during a meeting with Qatar's Ambassador to Pakistan, Ali bin Mubarak Al-Khater.

"Pakistan's preference is to secure supplies from friendly brotherly countries through necessary approvals, without risking any loss of life or property," the Pakistani minister said, adding that "efforts are underway to secure additional gas supplies in view of national energy requirements."

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 16:20

50 Empty Waymos Invade Upscale Tiny Atlanta Neighborhood

50 Empty Waymos Invade Upscale Tiny Atlanta Neighborhood

With Waymo robotaxis now operating in 11 major U.S. markets, these fully autonomous Jaguar I-PACE SUVs are becoming increasingly visible to everyday folks. This wider rollout means more public encounters and more viral footage capturing robotaxis in the wild.

One such incident occurred in a northwest Atlanta neighborhood this week, where residents told local media outlet WSB-TV that more than 50 empty Waymo SUVs flooded their tiny street.

"It's almost every little cul-de-sac in our area, so I think it's a problem," one neighbor on Battleview Drive told WSB's Steve Gehlbach.

The Battleview resident said, "I think yesterday morning we had 50 cars come through between 6 and 7."

It's not just Battleview; other residents in the area say empty robotaxis have been repeatedly circling their streets in growing numbers over the past several weeks.

Residents told the local outlet that the robotaxis are not picking up passengers, raising concerns that the activity is excessive and potentially dangerous, especially for families with children nearby.

Expect more stories like this as robotaxi deployment ramps up nationwide. We have provided readers with enough context about robotaxi deployments (see here and here).

Just wait until local resistance movements, similar to data centers, begin …

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 13:25

Persian Gulf Countries 'Refused' UAE Call For Joint Attack On Iran

Persian Gulf Countries 'Refused' UAE Call For Joint Attack On Iran

Via The Cradle

The UAE tried but failed to persuade neighboring states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to take part in a coordinated military attack on Iran, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ) spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and other regional leaders to propose the coordinated attacks, shortly after the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28, the sources said.

During the calls, MbZ argued that the states that formed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) must act as a bloc to attack Iran alongside the US and Israel. However, his fellow Gulf leaders told him it was "not their war," according to the report.

When Saudi Crown Prince MbS refused to go along with the scheme, already shaky ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia were further strained. The Saudi refusal also contributed to the Emirates' decision to leave OPEC and OPEC+, the oil-producing cartel, and deepen its existing ties to Israel.

The UAE ultimately carried out several strikes against Iran without support from other Gulf states in early March and in April. Iran targeted US bases and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia with drones in the first days of the war. Yet the kingdom focused its efforts on promoting Pakistani-mediated negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Qatar considered joining the UAE in an attack after Iranian missile strikes hit Doha's Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, causing extensive damage and major fires, a Gulf official said. However, Doha also ultimately chose to de-escalate and throw its support behind negotiations.

Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman joined Saudi Arabia and Qatar in rejecting the UAE plan. One source said US officials were aware of the UAE effort and that Washington pushed Saudi Arabia and Qatar to join a coordinated military response.

On Thursday, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Saudi Arabia had "floated" the possibility of reaching a "non-aggression pact" between Iran and neighboring states modeled on the 1975 Helsinki Accords, which eased tensions during the Cold War in Europe.

The Saudi-proposed pact for the day after the US-Israeli war on Iran ends reportedly has support from several European capitals, which view it as “the best way to avoid future conflict” and have urged Arab states to support it.

The British daily cites an unnamed Arab diplomat who says that such a pact would be welcomed “by most Arab and Muslim states, as well as by Iran,” although severe concerns remain about Israel's continued threats to reignite the war regardless of any deal.

Meanwhile, the two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi ended on Friday without a joint statement due to "differing views" on the US-Israeli war against Iran and the current situation in West Asia. The foreign ministers expressed "their respective national positions and shared a range of perspectives," according to a statement issued by India.

The statement added that one member state had "reservations" about issues related to Gaza, as well as security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during the meeting that "Iran is a country that cannot be divided. The era of American dominance is over." He also singled out the UAE for blocking the ministerial BRICS statement, and pointed out its “own special relationship with Israel.”

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 12:50

One Of Russia's Largest Fuel Facilities Spews 'Black Rain' Over Ryazan After Deadly Ukrainian Drone Strike

One Of Russia's Largest Fuel Facilities Spews 'Black Rain' Over Ryazan After Deadly Ukrainian Drone Strike

An early Friday drone strike triggered a major fire at the Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of Russia's largest fuel production facilities, according to local residents and Russian monitoring channels.

Residents reported multiple loud explosions after drones were seen flying over the city, with videos circulating online showing flames and thick smoke rising from the refinery.

VKontakte/Moscow Times

"An ASTRA OSINT analyst has determined that in addition to two high-rise buildings, an oil refinery in the city was damaged. Photos taken by witnesses were taken near the Olympic Town microdistrict, approximately 4 km from the Ryazan Oil Refinery," one independent Russian outlet wrote.

Two high-rise buildings in Ryazan were also struck, resulting in significant casualties:

A Ukrainian drone barrage killed at least four people and ignited a huge fire at an oil refinery in the city of Ryazan on Friday, in what appeared to be a direct retaliation for a deadly Russian strike on Kyiv a day earlier.

Ryazan region Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed the deaths in posts on Telegram, adding that dozens of people, including children, were wounded in the attack. He said drones struck two apartment buildings and an industrial site, which he did not identify by name.

There were also reports that "black rain" fell from the sky after the refinery was struck, which adds additional confirmation to serious damage at the fuel facility amid the ongoing emergency response:

The strike sparked a fire at the Ryazan oil refinery, leading to what some locals described as an "oil rain." Residents complained online of sticky black spots on their cars, windows, and building facades. 

Ukrainian sources have alleged that both the Ryazan refinery and Gazprom's Astrakhan gas plant are considered critical components of Moscow's war infrastructure.

Via Meduza

Last week a brief ceasefire held. Soon on the heels of the successful 3-day and US-backed 'V-Day' ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Russian forces went on to unleash several days of drone and missile barrages on Ukrainian cities, especially the capital. Some 1,500 missiles and drones were launched in just 48 hours.

BBC reported Thursday that "At least seven people have been killed, including a 12-year-old girl, in Kyiv after Russia launched a massive wave of drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital and other regions, officials have said."

Sadly, the tit-for-tat 'revenge' strikes are only increasing, and more and more apartment blocks and civilian neighborhoods on each side have been coming under devastating attacks.

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 12:15

Lefty Union Paralyzes Long Island Rail Road As Strike Sets Commuter Chaos Countdown For Monday

Lefty Union Paralyzes Long Island Rail Road As Strike Sets Commuter Chaos Countdown For Monday

Yet another reason for privatizing mass transportation emerged Saturday morning, after a left-wing rail union launched a strike set to snarl the nation's busiest commuter railroad network.

The labor action threatens to paralyze the Long Island Rail Road, a critical transportation artery spanning the New York City-to-Long Island corridor and linking Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens with Nassau and Suffolk counties.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET), which endorsed former left-wing and failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris, said its 3,500 members who work for the LIRR went on strike early Saturday morning.

"No agreement on wage increases was reached between a coalition of five unions, including BLET, and the LIRR. In accordance with the terms of the Railway Labor Act, the coalition's 3,500 members went on strike just after midnight," BLET wrote on X.

BLET's National Vice President Kevin Sexton was quoted by AP News as saying that negotiations between the union and the LIRR have collapsed. 

"We're far apart at this point," Sexton said. "We are truly sorry that we are in this situation."

MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said LIRR "gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay," and that to him it was apparent the unions always intended to walk out.

In fact, we detailed in August 2025 a comprehensive "Color Revolution: A Strategic Assessment (2025-2028)," outlining how left-wing unions and NGOs were planning "coordinated, targeted, and nonviolent strategic action such as national strikes and boycotts, large-scale disruption to economic activity and civil society, and other forms of mass political defiance designed to damage a government's legitimacy, authority, and capacity."

The rail strike threatens major disruption for roughly 270,000 daily riders and could cost the region an estimated $61 million in lost economic activity per day.

The labor action will likely backfire because LIRR riders are mostly middle-class, and the shutdown of the transportation network will hurt working households the most.

Limited shuttle bus service is planned beginning Monday, but capacity will cover only a fraction of normal ridership.

This is the first strike on the LIRR since 1994, and the timing could not be worse, as commuting across the service area will be a nightmare come Monday morning. This is also unfolding in a state controlled by unhinged Democrats, alongside a socialist mayor in NYC.

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 11:05

Samsung, South Korean Union Resume Talks As Strike Threat Risks Disrupting Memory Chip Fabs

Samsung, South Korean Union Resume Talks As Strike Threat Risks Disrupting Memory Chip Fabs

Heavy selling swept across Asian markets on Friday, with South Korea's benchmark KOSPI plunging 6% as traders aggressively reduced exposure to the country's semiconductor sector. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led the decline. The catalyst for the sell-off was labor action risk headlines at Samsung, where the company's union threatened a strike that could disrupt production lines at the world's largest memory chip manufacturer.

By Saturday morning, there was a major sigh of relief: Samsung and its labor union would resume government-mediated pay talks on Monday, according to a Reuters report.

The union released a statement earlier explaining that Samsung had replaced its negotiation team, and both sides would meet later Saturday for separate meetings ahead of Monday.

Chairman Jay Y. Lee issued a public apology over the labor dispute, alongside Samsung's decision to replace its lead negotiator:

"I sincerely apologize to customers around the world for causing anxiety and concern due to issues within our company," Lee said, telling reporters that he also "deeply bows in apology to the public."

South Korean officials, including the labor minister, prime minister, and finance minister, have urged both the union and Samsung to resolve their labor issues, as a strike could threaten production lines for some of the world's most advanced memory chips, which are critical for AI data center buildouts. 

The collapse in talks on Friday sparked a sharp decline in the KOSPI, ending weeks of gains. It also comes as the world is suffering from a deepening memory supply crunch (read here). 

Shares of Samsung in South Korea closed down 6.66%.

However, Taiwan-based market intelligence and research firm TrendForce wrote on X:

Samsung's strike is set to formally begin on May 21. Because the company's semiconductor fabs are already highly automated, the impact on production is expected to be limited.

However, there will likely be noticeable disruptions to packaging and logistics, R&D and design, and customer relations. In terms of unionization, about half of all employees across the Samsung Group are union members, most of whom work in the semiconductor division. Internally, management has already extended an olive branch to the DRAM division, but has not yet reached an agreement with union members in the Foundry and LSI divisions.

Given that memory is a critical component of data center buildouts, why would the union suddenly feel compelled to risk seizing up memory-chip production lines unless there was an ulterior motive?

In the U.S., unhinged socialist Bernie Sanders has pushed a data center bill moratorium, which is very suspicious because it would only allow China to catch up to the U.S.

Separately, it is worth noting that DEI has effectively been backronymed into "Data Centers, Electricity, and Infrastructure."

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 09:55

UK Moves To Ban New North Sea Oil & Gas Licenses Permanently

UK Moves To Ban New North Sea Oil & Gas Licenses Permanently

Via City AM,

  • The UK government will introduce legislation banning new North Sea oil and gas exploration licences as part of its Energy Independence Bill.

  • Critics argue the policy will increase Britain’s reliance on imported fossil fuels while damaging Scotland’s oil and gas industry.

  • Rising oil prices and disruptions tied to the Iran conflict have intensified political pressure on Labour to reconsider the ban.

The government will make it illegal to grant new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, the King said at the state opening of Parliament, in a sign ministers are refusing to buckle in the face of a barrage of criticism that the policy is depriving the UK of billions of pounds in tax receipts without helping the environment.

As part of an Energy Independence Bill announced in the King’s Speech, the government will bake into law its pre-election pledge not to explore new oil and gas fields in a bid to “take control of our energy security”.

In its 2024 manifesto, the Labour Party made a ban on all new exploration and drilling licences in the North Sea a key pillar of its promise to turn Britain into a “clean energy superpower” by 2030.

But since entering government, the party has come under growing pressure to renege on the promise, with critics arguing it strangles one of Scotland’s most vibrant industries and fails to improve the UK’s environmental footprint.

Backlash against ‘deluded’ North Sea policy

Oil and gas still accounts for three-quarters of the UK’s energy mix. And the majority of those fossil fuels are now shipped in from abroad, meaning other economies benefit from the job creation and tax receipts that are derived from the lucrative drilling and refining processes.

Calls for the ministers to rethink the ban have grown louder since the outbreak of war in Iran led the price of crude oil to nearly double in a month.

Last week, Norway, which drills for oil in the same area of the North Sea as Britain, approved plans to reopen three gasfields that had been shut for decades to help sate the global demand for fossil fuels caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.

Two of Labour’s main political opponents – Reform UK and the Conservatives – have both vowed to overturn the ban, in a move they say would help increase the UK’s tax take and inoculate it from any acute supply shocks.

The ban, which the government claims will help Britain off the “roller-coaster of fossil fuel markets”, has also drawn criticism from the US’s ambassador to the UK, who has used multiple interviews to urge Britain to make more of its reserves.

Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho accused her opposite number Ed Miliband of being “utterly deluded” for seeking to put the ban into the statute book.

“He is not making us more independent. He is making us more reliant on foreign imports,” she said.

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 09:20

Pentagon 'Blindsided' As Hegseth Pulls Plug On 4,000-Troop Deployment To Poland

Pentagon 'Blindsided' As Hegseth Pulls Plug On 4,000-Troop Deployment To Poland

President Trump's earlier previewed controversial troop cuts for the European continent may already be in progress, and could happen more rapidly than previously thought. 

The US Army has canceled the deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division to Poland, NBC reports this week. The deployment would have involved over 4,000 soldiers as well as military equipment.

Getty Images

Various reports say that top Pentagon staff were 'blindsided' by what is being characterized as War Secretary Pete Hegseth's sudden U-turn on the plan to send troops to Poland, amid Trump anger at Europe.

Politico says that troops and equipment had actually started arriving in the country:

The decision was even more surprising because troops and equipment had already started to arrive in the country. It sent fresh waves of anxiety through European capitals and inside the Pentagon on Thursday about whether such moves could embolden Russia — and which ally might turn into the next target.

“We had no idea this was coming,” said one of the U.S. officials, adding that European and American officials have spent the last 24 hours on the phone trying to understand the decision and figure out if more surprises are coming.

Some of this surprise and frustration was echoed in public, with Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, stating that the Army’s role in Europe "is all about deterring the Russians, protecting America’s strategic interests and assuring allies."

But it remains that "now a very important asset that was coming to be part of that deterrence is gone." He added: "The Poles certainly have never criticized President Trump, and they do all the things that good allies are supposed to do. And yet, this happens."

There was no command announcement, with some troops learning of the deployment cancelation by text among their friends and members of their unit.

As for Trump's plan to reduce the US presence in Germany by 5,000, this is expected to take many months - possibly over a period of six months to a year.

The large US presence hearkens back to the post WWII division of Germany and post-war order, and is also a legacy of the Cold War. Ironically at this very moment European leaders have hyped a 'new Cold War' with Russia, as the Ukraine war continues raging.

"The officials characterized the move as a signal of President Trump's discontent with the level of assistance that European allies have offered in the U.S.-Iran war," CBS has noted previously.

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 08:45

41% Of Muslim Youth In Vienna Believe Their Religious Laws Take Precedence

41% Of Muslim Youth In Vienna Believe Their Religious Laws Take Precedence

Via Remix News,

A recent study conducted on behalf of the city of Vienna highlights a concerning trend among young Muslims regarding their religious and political views. This follows the recent announcement that Muslim children now comprise nearly 41 percent of the population in Vienna’s compulsory schools, making them the largest religious group.

The study, published on May 12, 2026, was led by Kenan Güngör. He classifies the results as “very worrying,” noting that religion occupies a much larger space in the lives of Muslim youth compared to their peers.

One of the most significant findings involves the hierarchy of legal and religious authority.

Forty-one percent of Muslim youth agree with the statement that their religious laws take precedence over the laws in Austria, compared to 21 percent of Christian youth, as reported in Austrian news outlet Der Standard.

Furthermore, 46 percent of Muslim respondents believe that one must be prepared to “fight and die in defense of one’s faith,” a view shared by 24 percent of Christians.

Specifically, 73 percent of Shiite and 68 percent of Sunni Muslims identify as religious, while only 41 percent of Catholic and 38 percent of Orthodox Christian youth say the same.

The study also delves into social and everyday religious expectations, showing that 36 percent of Muslim youth believe that all people should follow the rules of their religion, and more than half believe Muslim women should wear headscarves in public.

Additionally, 65 percent say Islamic regulations apply to all areas of everyday life and must be strictly observed. Regarding these figures, Güngör speaks of social pressure within these communities.

Views on governance and social equality also show a distinct divide. While 82 percent of Austrians view democracy as the best form of government, support drops to 47 percent for Syrians, 50 percent for Chechens, and 61 percent for Afghans.

Conservative gender roles are also prevalent among these groups, where almost half think men should make important decisions and a quarter do not want a woman as a boss. Only around a third consider homosexuality to be okay.

The research, which surveyed 1,200 individuals between the ages of 14 and 21 across 10 different ethnic backgrounds, indicates that a third of Muslim youth have become more religious recently. Their identity is shaped much more by religion than for Christians, manifesting in higher rates of praying, fasting, and mosque attendance.

However, the study authors state that religion alone was not the only factor. They suggest that lower education levels, authoritarian upbringing, social isolation, and the influence of radical content on the internet also play a role in shaping these perspectives.

Austria is not the only European country dealing with the troubling views seen within a worrying number of Muslims. In Germany and France, a majority of young Muslims also put their religion above the laws of the state, as two recent studies illustrate (here and here).

The contrasting belief systems have also led to tension. For example, a majority of Germans now believe that the country should generally stop taking in more Muslim immigrants.

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 08:10

Turkey Proposes $1.2B Fuel Pipeline To Reboot NATO's Eastern Flank Logistics

Turkey Proposes $1.2B Fuel Pipeline To Reboot NATO's Eastern Flank Logistics

Just when it seemed as if the European energy landscape couldn't get any more fractured, Ankara is stepping up with a massive, off-grid proposal. Bloomberg reports Friday that Turkey has "proposed building a $1.2 billion (€1 billion) fuel pipeline for military use to help meet the energy needs of allies on NATO's eastern European flank, according to people familiar with the matter."

"Following a push by the alliance to expand its military pipeline network, Ankara is proposing that the new link be built from Turkey to Romania via Bulgaria, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity," the report adds. 

Source: Envato

Insiders claim the Turkish route could cost a mere one-fifth of the alternative proposals, amid several alternative routes being floated of late, specifically via Greece or Romania’s western neighbors.

Officials told Bloomberg that Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the escalating chaos in the Middle East - including recent supply shocks from the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz - have forced NATO to realize its current fuel supply model is dangerously brittle.

The timing of the quiet proposal comes ahead of the highly anticipated 2026 NATO Summit which will be held in Ankara on July 7-8. It will mark on the second time that Turkey has hosted the alliance's major annual summit.

Sources explicitly stated that this pipeline will be 100% restricted to military use. Exact capacity, flow rates, and technical specifications are being kept strictly classified, with no official statement out of Turkey's defense ministry.

More broadly, Turkey has long been seen as central to reducing Europe's dependence on Russian energy, with its Eurasian geography - and the fact that it has the second largest military in NATO - being key.

Turkish media and experts have been busy hyping Turkey's role in reshaping the alliance, including at an event this week in Washington:

The event, titled "The Turkish-American Alliance at the Heart of NATO's New Geopolitics," was organized by Türkiye's Directorate of Communications and the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and moderated by Kadir Üstün, executive director of SETA in Washington.

The panel came ahead of the 2026 NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara, marking the second time that Türkiye will host a NATO summit following Istanbul in 2004. Communications Director Burhanettin Duran delivered a video message at the beginning of the panel. "In our 74-year journey with NATO, we have faced many challenges and difficulties. Each time, in keeping with the principle of mutual loyalty, we have managed to overcome these tests," Duran said.

He added: "With its geostrategic position, military capacity and deterrence capabilities, our country has been an indispensable central state in NATO's collective defense architecture and a geopolitical balancing factor from the Cold War to the present day."

And of course, related to this and high on the agenda will be utilizing Turkey's strategic location and ability to provide alternative energy routes which increasingly cut out Russia's ability to influence Europe's energy policy.

Tyler Durden Sat, 05/16/2026 - 07:35

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