Press TV:
#WarData  #OrthodoxRussia ❗️"There is nothing sacred to the people who came here": AFU militants used a church in the Kursk Oblast as a strongholdMilitants of the Kiev regime turned the church into a combat position. Opposite the altar, they set up an ammunition depot, and launched FPV drones right from the gates.They had a stronghold here, from here they launched drones at both civilians and military personnel. The churches were used for the most unfavorable intention and direction,Archpriest Aleksandr, rector of the Church of the Holy Archangel Michael, said.

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The incidents are part of a worrisome trend: a noticeable rise in aviation mishaps across the #US, particularly involving small aircraft. en.mdn.tv/8PB0

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

As long as arms sales anchor #US power — and the military-industrial complex keeps its hold on Congress — the myth that the US might defend human rights remains exactly that: a myth.

#GazaGenocide
#Yemen
#Lebanon
en.mdn.tv/8PBD

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The data reveal that #Meta deleted more than 90,000 posts in compliance with temporary takedown orders from the Israeli government, often within an average of just 30 seconds.
en.mdn.tv/8PB6

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

Alexey Polishchuk, Director of the Second CIS Department at #Russia’s Foreign Ministry, accused #Ukraine of violating the 30-day moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure more than 60 times.

#Trump
en.mdn.tv/8PBL

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

Local sources informed Al Mayadeen that former Free Syrian Army commander Bilal al-Droubi died from wounds sustained two days ago after being targeted by members of the Eighth Brigade in Busra al-Sham, in eastern #Daraa.

On April 11, a Syrian local source told #AlMayadeen that al-Droubi had suffered serious injuries in a shooting incident in the city.

According to the source, al-Droubi had been affiliated with the Free Syrian Army before 2018 and had recently submitted a request to join the Syrian Ministry of Defense forces.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that residents of Busra al-Sham accused members and leaders of the Eighth Brigade of attempting to assassinate and detain individuals who had recently aligned themselves with the Ministry of Defense. However, no further details were provided.

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Esmail Baqaei, announced on X that he, along with a group of his most experienced colleagues, is heading to Muscat as part of a delegation led by the Iranian foreign minister.

He emphasized that Iran is committed to utilizing all available capacities to safeguard its national authority and interests.

Indirect talks between Iran and the #UnitedStates will begin in Oman today, April 12.

Delegations from both sides are expected to arrive in Oman's capital, Muscat, before noon, with negotiations scheduled to begin in the afternoon.

The Tasnim news agency confirmed that the Omani prime minister will mediate the discussions.

#Iran

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Muscat, #Oman, leading his country’s delegation for indirect talks with the United States.

Shortly before taking off, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmael Baqaei stressed that Iran remains committed to utilizing all available capacities to safeguard its national authority and interests.

The US delegation is headed by #US President #Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, who reportedly arrived in Oman from #Russia following a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, where Iran’s nuclear program was among the topics discussed.

Witkoff, seen as a key internal proponent of diplomacy, will be joined by State Department nuclear experts.

Republican Congressman, Greg Murphy assaults reporter Stockes for asking about the newly released documents in the JFK files implicating Israel’s involvement in JFK’s assassination
https://www.brighteon.com/8f33eb08-d957-4394-a3b6-a903fe083af1

Republican Congressman, Greg Murphy assaults reporter Stockes for asking about the newly released documents in the JFK files implicating Israel’s involvement in JFK’s assassination.

@Real World News
To survive what is coming, read/study: https://thewayhomeorfacethefire.net (https://thewayhomeorfacethefire.net/)https://christs.net/The Gibraltar Messenger : https://gibraltar-messenger.net/

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

Humanitarian organizations from across the world have been reeling since Donald Trump returned as president in January and abruptly halted most #US foreign assistance money.

#OCHA
en.mdn.tv/8PBu

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivered the Islamic Republic’s discussion points and stances to his Omani counterpart, Badr al-Busaidi, to be conveyed to the American side.

During the meeting, #Araghchi described Muscat’s hosting of the indirect talks between Iran and the US as a reflection of Oman’s responsible role in regional affairs. He emphasized Iran’s appreciation for the Sultanate’s constructive engagement on regional issues and developments.

For his part, al-Busaidi noted the distinguished nature of the Omani-Iranian relations and thanked the Islamic Republic for choosing Muscat as the venue for these important discussions.

#Iran
#US

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

For generations, #US Treasury bonds and other dollar-denominated assets have served as the world’s financial haven, but this week, global investors were confronted with the unsettling realization that these assets may no longer be as safe, nor as reliable, as once believed, Axios reported on Friday.

It emphasized that the events of the past nine days are likely to be remembered as a pivotal moment in economic history, with developments in global trade and financial markets, typically years in the making, unfolding at an unprecedented pace, reshaping expectations daily.

It is the unusual behavior in bond and currency markets that is raising the gravest concerns about global confidence in the US-led financial system that has dominated since the end of World War II, according to Axios.

Read more here: en.mdn.tv/8PBC

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

In an interview for #AlMayadeen, Principal Director at the New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs, Justin Thomas Russell, outlines why a military confrontation with Iran would pose bigger threats to the #US and its regional key partners.

From overstretched Israeli attacks on #Gaza and #Lebanon to American public fatigue over US wars in #Iraq and #Afghanistan and response from regional partners like #Egypt, #Oman, and Saudi Arabia, Russell says the risks far outweigh the gains.

France could recognise Palestinian state 'in June' — Macron
https://jordantimes.com/news/world/france-could-recognise-palestinian-state-june-%E2%80%94-macron

<!-- google_ad_section_start -->PARIS — France plans to recognise a Palestinian state within months and could make the move at a UN conference in New York in June on settling the Israel-Palestinian conflict, President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview broadcast Wednesday.
"We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months," Macron, who this week visited Egypt, told France 5 television.
"Our aim is to chair this conference with Saudi Arabia in June, where we could finalise this movement of mutual recognition by several parties," he added.
"I will do it because I believe that at some point it will be right and because I also want to participate in a collective dynamic, which must also allow all those who defend Palestine to recognise Israel in turn, which many of them do not do," he added.
Such recognition would allow France "to be clear in our fight against those who deny Israel's right to exist -- which is the case with Iran -- and to commit ourselves to collective security in the region," he added.
France has long championed a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, including after the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants Hamas on Israel.
But formal recognition by Paris of a Palestinian state would mark a major policy switch and risk antagonising Israel which insists such moves by foreign states are premature.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denounced French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that Paris could recognise a Palestinian state by June, saying it would be a "prize" for terrorism.
"A unilateral recognition of a fictional Palestinian state, by any country, in the reality that we all know, will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas," Saar said on X late on Wednesday.
"These kind of actions will not bring peace, security and stability in our region closer -- but the opposite: they only push them further away."
Nearly 150 countries recognise a Palestinian state. In May 2024, Ireland, Norway and Spain announced recognition, followed by Slovenia in June, moves partly fuelled by condemnation of Israel's bombing of Gaza that followed the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
'No one will invest a cent' 
France's recognition of Palestinian statehood "would be a step in the right direction in line with safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people and the two state solution," Palestinian minister of state for foreign affairs Varsen Aghabekian Shahintold AFP.
 
Nearly 150 countries recognise a Palestinian state. In May 2024, Ireland, Norway and Spain announced recognition, followed by Slovenia in June, in moves partly fuelled by condemnation of Israel's bombing of Gaza that followed the October 7 attacks.
But France would be the most significant European power to recognise a Palestinian state, a move the United States has also long resisted.
In Egypt, Macron held summit talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II and also made clear he was strongly opposed to any displacement or annexation in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
US President Donald Trump has suggested turning Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East" with the Palestinians moving elsewhere -- a suggestion that has sparked bitter condemnation.
Macron responded that the Gaza Strip was "not a real estate project."
"Simplistic thinking sometimes doesn't help," he added, and, in a message to Trump said: "Perhaps it would be wonderful if one day it developed in an extraordinary way, but our responsibility is to save lives, restore peace, and negotiate a political framework."
"If all this doesn't exist, no one will invest. Today, no one will invest a cent in Gaza," he said.
<!-- google_ad_section_end -->Brief:  Image: 

IRNA News Agency:
Foreign minister discusses regional developments with Egyptian counterpart

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has held a phone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty to discuss regional developments.

🖇 en.irna.ir/news/85799150/

@Irna_en

The Israeli military says one of its jetfighters crashed in Lebanon due to “a technical malfunction” on Wednesday.

@Irna_en

Press TV:
‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The call also addressed developments in the Gaza Strip, where el-Sisi reviewed Egypt’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/french--egyptian-presidents-discuss-cooperation--gaza-ceasef

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

Earlier today, CNN revealed that the military offensive against Sanaa has cost the US nearly $1 billion in less than three weeks, despite the limited impact the strikes have had on Yemeni capabilities.
en.mdn.tv/8Obo

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

When #Disney’s #SnowWhite flopped, Hollywood quickly found a scapegoat: #RachelZegler. Media outlets like Variety pushed the narrative that her pro-Palestine stance alienated audiences, while Gal Gadot, a former IOF soldier who has openly defended "Israel’s" war on Gaza, faced no backlash for starring in the same film.

The industry’s bias is glaring: Those who speak for Palestine are punished, while those who defend an apartheid regime remain untouchable. But audiences are taking notice, and the growing boycotts against Hollywood’s complicity in "Israel's" genocide on #Gaza are clear proof that the tide is turning.

Saved by @InstantMediaBot

Fraud case a “hard blow” for Le Pen’s presidential bid
Journalist Diane de Vignemont breaks down Marine Le Pen’s fraud conviction, her appeal and what it means for her future.

Sarah Wilkinson (Twitter)

Whether people are inside the buildings or not, & with laughter because killing is funny, the israelis blow up Palestinian homes in Rafah, in Gaza

Press TV:
Sarah Wilkinson (Twitter)

The israelis killed Ali Ziad Al-Hindi, & injured his wife & little son bombing their home in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza: no one was meant to survive

Sarah Wilkinson (Twitter)

Heartbreaking scenes as a father bids farewell to his daughter, killed by the israelis in an air strike in Al Zaytoun neighbourhood east of Gaza city

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

On Thursday, Macron urged national companies to halt any investments in the US until greater clarity emerges regarding the specifics of Trump's proposed tariffs.
en.mdn.tv/8ObS

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

Since the formal start of negotiations in 2005, only 16 of 35 accession chapters have been opened. In September 2023, Erdogan publicly stated that Turkey could walk away from its EU aspirations if necessary.
en.mdn.tv/8ObL

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The call also addressed developments in the Gaza Strip, where el-Sisi reviewed Egypt’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/french--egyptian-presidents-discuss-cooperation--gaza-ceasef

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

Earlier today, CNN revealed that the military offensive against Sanaa has cost the US nearly $1 billion in less than three weeks, despite the limited impact the strikes have had on Yemeni capabilities.
en.mdn.tv/8Obo

"The Egyptians who oppressed the Israelites all died—but the Israelites' story is still being told. Your enemies are temporary; your legacy is eternal."

"The Egyptians who oppressed the Israelites all died—but the Israelites' story is still being told. Your enemies are temporary; your legacy is eternal."

*The International Monetary Fund (IMF) overhauls balance of payments standards to integrate Bitcoin and digital assets*

Updated: March 22 2025
https://www.cryptopolitan.com/imf-revises-standards-to-include-crypto/?utm_source=CPTelegram

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) *has updated its payment standards to incorporate cryptocurrencies.*

The BPM7 manual grouped digital assets according to whether or not they have a corresponding liability.

The IMF also acknowledged the complexity of staking and the essential role of validators in confirming transactions.

In the newly released seventh edition of its Balance of Payments Manual (BPM7), the agency introduces comprehensive guidelines for the first time, *integrating digital assets into GLOBAL statistical frameworks.*
*------------------------------------*
IMF is an international organization that aims to promote GLOBAL economic stability, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty.

*The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a total of 191 member countries. Here's a list of some of the member countries:*

- *Africa*: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, *Nigeria,* Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- *Asia*: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
- *Europe*: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
- *North America*: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States
- *Oceania*: Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
- *South America*: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

The Egyptians you see today, you shall see tomorrow them no more

Amenra is One of Egyptian gods

the framework of ideas and practices
Fertility of agriculture, of edible animals, and of the human population was a paramount factor in the life and religion of the ancient Middle East. The forms that the fertility rites assumed varied from region to region, depending on climate and geography. Rain and dew were all-important in Canaan but of little significance in Egypt. In both areas water was crucial, but the source of the life-giving water was entirely different. The agricultural year varied in the two regions. In Egypt the year was divided into three seasons: inundation, sowing, and harvest. In Canaan there were two seasons: the winter, characterized by rain

The population desired the normal pattern of times and seasons, so that “seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). But since the seasonal pattern is not dependable, the need for order evoked a system of cycles, notably the sabbatical, or seven-year, cycle. The sabbatical year was the seventh year, and the jubilee year followed seven sabbatical cycles. This was a pervasive system in the ancient Middle East. A Ugaritic liturgical text specially designed for this phenomenon aims at terminating a sabbatical cycle of privation and ushering in one of fertility by celebrating the birth and triumphal entrance of the deities Shahar (“Dawn”) and Shalim (“Dusk”), whose advent brings an abundance of food and wine.

Related Topics: Mesopotamian religion ancient Egyptian religion ancient Iranian religion Syrian and Palestinian religion Anatolian religion
It was only natural that fertility rites should include sexual myths that were acted out dramatically. The Ugaritic text just alluded to describes El, the head of the pantheon, copulating with two human women. This has echoes in Hosea and Ezekiel where God, as in the Canaanite literary tradition, is referred to as having a love affair with two women, symbolizing Judah and Israel. The Hebrews, however, eventually eliminated sex from their official theology as well as from their religious practices. Up to the time of King Josiah’s reform (621 bc) there was a women’s cult of Asherah (under qedeshim auspices [consecrated for fertility practices], according to 2 Kings 23:7) in the Jerusalem Temple, alongside the male cult of Yahweh. Asherah’s devotees considered her the chief wife of Yahweh, even as she was the wife of El, head of the Canaanite pantheon, for in the Bible El is identified with Yahweh. But Josiah eliminated the cult of Asherah, and official Judaism has since then left no place for other gods, which meant the elimination of every goddess. Popular religion, to be sure, persisted in the female fertility principle until the destruction of the Temple in 586 bc. In Judaean excavations Astarte figurines were found in private homes down to that time. Further purification of the Hebrew religion, which was intensified by the catastrophe of 586, put an end to the practice of pagan fertility rites, including the use of goddess figurines. Without goddesses there could be no sexual activity in the pantheon, and thus Judaism has developed without a divine mother figure.

The ancient Middle East made a place for homosexuality and bestiality in its myths and rites. In the Asherah cult the qedeshim priests had a reputation for homosexual practices, even as the qedeshot priestesses for prostitution. Israel eventually banned both the qedeshim and qedeshot, while in Ugarit the qedeshim and kohanim were priestly guilds in equally good standing. Baal is portrayed in Ugaritic mythology as impregnating a heifer to sire the young bull god. The biblical book of Leviticus (18:22–27) bans homosexuality and bestiality expressly because the Canaanite population had been practicing those rites, which the Hebrews rejected as abominations.

Phoenician/Punic sites include an area called the tophet that contains large numbers of infant burials. One explanation of the tophet is that it reflects a major aspect of a fertility cult in which the first-born child belonged to the deity. The deity rewarded the parents who had sacrificed their child with future fertility. In the Hebrew Bible, just as the firstfruits of the harvest belong to God, so do the first-born of the people and their domestic animals (Exodus 13:1, 12–13, 15).

The actual cases in the literature do not always specify infant sacrifice. The Bible describes how King Mesha of Moab sacrificed his crown prince to avert a military disaster (2 Kings 3:27). King Ahaz of Judah sacrificed his son in pagan fashion (2 Kings 16:3). King Manasseh of Judah sacrificed his sons by fire (2 Chronicles 33:6), filling Jerusalem with innocent blood.

The Jewish practice of redeeming a first-born son at the age of one month (Numbers 18:16–17) appears to be a milder substitute for the practice of child sacrifice. Another alternative to sacrificing a child was to dedicate it to the service of God. Hannah, by fulfilling her vow to dedicate her first-born, Samuel, to God’s service (1 Samuel 1:27–28) was rewarded by the birth of five other children whom she and her husband could keep for themselves (1 Samuel 2:20–21).

According to ancient views, the myth came first, and the rite imitated or reenacted it. This sequence, however, is not necessarily the order in which religion develops. Rites can be very tenacious, and when the origin of a rite has been forgotten, a myth has often been invented to explain it.

Types of religious organization and authority
Religion occurs at different levels of society: personal, familial, local, national, and international. At the personal and international extremes there is need for but little organization. And yet in religion, as the people of the ancient Middle East saw it, there was a progression from one stage to the next. In the early myths of Genesis, God and Noah have direct personal relations. This leads to a covenant between God and all who went out of the ark: birds and beasts as well as mankind (Genesis 9:9–10). Through the sons of Noah and their descendants, who form the nations of the world (Genesis 10), there is a theoretical progress to international religion. This scheme of the relations between God and mankind, from the personal to the universal level, mirrors the historical record of religion. Judaism (followed later by Christianity and Islām) traces “the Religion” back to Abraham, who had personal and direct relations with God, as was customary in the ancient Middle Eastern milieu. Abraham’s intimacy with God is similar to the intimacy between Odysseus and the Greek goddess Athena. The next step is a covenant between a particular deity and a particular person, binding the two together in a contractual relationship for all eternity from generation to generation. Such covenants were not rare; the Hittite King Hattusilis III made such a covenant with Ishtar. Abraham’s covenant is unique simply because it was the only one destined to last in history.

The descendants of able men who established a dynasty or tradition would worship the God of their father, or fathers, and adhere to the original covenant. Genesis 31 portrays Jacob and Laban swearing by their respective ancestral gods: Jacob by the god(s) of Abraham and Laban by the god(s) of Nahor. Once a group expanded into a federation of clans or tribes, religious organization became necessary. A central shrine (such as the one at Shiloh in Israel) for amphictyonic (religious confederational) pilgrimage festivals required a professional priesthood and other religious personnel to take care of sacrifices, give oracular guidance, interpret dreams and omens, as well as to provide instruction. In an amphictyony of 12 tribes, each tribe could render federal service for religious and secular purposes, one month each year. A special tribe (such as the Levites in Israel, or the Magians in Iran) could be dedicated full-time to cultic duties.