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Statement by Benjamin Roberts-Smith VC MG, 19th April 2026For the past 10 years, my family and I have been subject to a campaign to convince Australians that I’ve acted improperly in my service in Afghanistan.As I’ve always maintained, I categorically deny all of these allegations and while I would have preferred these charges not be brought, I will be taking this opportunity to finally clear my name.I’m proud of my service in Afghanistan.While I was there, I always acted within my values, within my training and within the rules of engagement.I’d also like to say I’m extremely proud of all...

US intelligence assessments have suggested that Iran likely still has access to around 70 percent of its pre-war ballistic missile stockpiles, and around 60 percent of its missile launchers, The New York Times reports. It also still retains around 40% of its drone arsenal, the report says, citing US intelligence and military officials. According to the Times, when a two-week ceasefire came into effect between Iran and the US on April 8, Tehran had access to around half of its ballistic missile launchers. Since then, the report says it has managed to dig out another 100 launchers from under the...

Pope Leo XIV has sent 80 electric generators and thousands of medical supplies to Ukraine to help civilians cope with freezing winter temperatures and constant attacks, the Vatican announced on Feb. 9. The aid was arranged in response to appeals from bishops who warned of mounting difficulties caused by Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure and subzero temperatures across the country. Three trucks carrying the generators and medical supplies departed from the Basilica of Saint Sophia in Rome and have already arrived in Fastiv and Kyiv, areas heavily affected by recent strikes. Alongside the generators, thousands of medical supplies were delivered,...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThat very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. Luke 24:13–16These two disciples were overwhelmed by grief and bewildered by the events that had taken place. As they walked the seven-mile journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus, they expressed their sadness and confusion. Jesus, Whom...

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). The way you think determines the way you behave. God is concerned about the way you think. That's why Paul said, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2). In Philippians 4:8 he instructs us to think about that which is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praiseworthy. When Jesus spoke of a pure heart...

Buckley Carlson, the son of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, has stepped down from his role as deputy press secretary to Vice President JD Vance, leaving the White House as his father's escalating feud with President Donald Trump continues to escalate. Carlson's departure, first reported by Politico, comes amid a widening rift between Trump and the elder Carlson. The clash appears to have been fueled by sharp disagreements over the war with Iran and has only intensified by the pundit's extraordinary suggestion that the president could be the 'antichrist.'

President Trump’s decision not to attend the NRA’s 2026 Annual Meetings is bringing the group’s influence into question.The NRA’s Annual Meetings are currently underway in Houston, Texas.The Hill reported that Trump “[skipped the NRA’s] annual convention this weekend, his second snub in as many years of an organization long seen as a key political ally for Republicans.”NRA director of public affairs Justin Davis spoke on Trump’s absence, claiming the organization was not concerned by it. He said, “The president is obviously incredibly busy with worldwide affairs right now, and we’re incredibly close to the administration. We work hand-in-glove with them...

An already-expensive trip to the World Cup just got even more costly, as NJ Transit and the FIFA New York New Jersey Host Committee announced fare hikes to attend eight matches at MetLife Stadium this year. The East Rutherford, New Jersey, stadium will host those matches, beginning June 13 and ending with the final on July 19, but a roundtrip train ticket to and from New York Penn Station and MetLife Stadium will be $150, up from the usual $12.90. Shuttles are also available for $80. NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri defended the fare hikes on Friday, saying that the...

After a little more than 100 days in office, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a new catch phrase: "pothole politics." The new rallying cry is not just about the 102,000 potholes the city has filled since Mamdani took office, but also is meant to suggest that socialists can solve small problems at the street level, not just advocate for big revolutionary ideological change. So what do New Yorkers think of the approach? Some call it a smart strategy, while others view it as a distraction or a return to "broken windows" politics.

Accounts on social media have managed to find audio from the Indian oil tanker that was targeted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps while crossing the Strait of Hormuz.Audio of the Indian oil tanker Sanmar Herald pleading with Iranian forces to stop shooting at it in the Strait of Hormuz this morning. pic.twitter.com/7Y5n7Jb7o0— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 18, 2026The captain of the Indian vessel pleaded with the Iranians to stop firing upon their ship, and attempted to remind them that they were the ones who granted clearance to the vessel in the first place. The attack on the Indian vessel led...

Russia struck a Baptist church in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia during a prayer meeting this week, killing at least one person, a minister, and injuring at least eight others. The Embassy of Ukraine in the U.S. gave the casualty figures in a public statement issued while rescue workers were still on the scene, identifying the targeted building as The House of the Gospel Church, which had served the community for years, according to Baptist Press.The embassy called the strike a deliberate attack on people of faith who had gathered peacefully to pray.Promoters of “A Faith Under Siege,” a...

Several Trump administration officials helped break ground on a new natural gas pipeline in New York that could be an energy grid saver for millions who have suffered from the impact of stupid Democrat energy policies.The 2019 New York Climate Act is driving up fuel and energy prices in the blue state and setting it up for rolling blackouts and grid reliability collapse. Obviously, Democrats will never solve the problems they caused, so it is up to the Trump administration to take action, as it is doing. Energy Secretary Chris Wright declared in an April 14 press release, “For decades,...

In a stunning performance that would have any stage magician green with envy, the amazing sudden wealth of Democrat Representative Ilhan Omar (MN-05) has evaporated, like dandelion fluff on a windy summer's day.The Squad member claims that the $30 million in wealth supposedly in the hands of her and her husband was just a mistake in accounting records.Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she is not a millionaire and blamed a major accounting error after a congressional financial disclosure listing her assets as high as $30 million drew scrutiny from Republicans and a congressional watchdog.An amended filing reviewed by The Wall...

President Trump convened an extraordinary Saturday morning meeting in the White House situation room to discuss next steps as the situation in Iran teeters between a peace deal and a resumption of war. The specific subjects under discussion were the status of the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian responses to some U.S. proposals. Quite honestly, I imagine one key subject of discussion was "who the hell is calling the shots in Iran?" Because from an outsider's point of view, it looks like the 95 IQ types in the government think they are in charge, but actions on the ground indicate...

Watch - Parachutist crashes into the scoreboard during the Virginia Tech game Awesome part at 48 second mark

He's mentioned 673 times in the US Justice Department's files on Jeffrey Epstein but the former head of the Arab World Institute Jack Lang a limited picture of his dealings with Epstein... In the National Assembly a controversial "Antisemitism" law pulled back from consideration for several months. The bill criticized by parties on the left as an attack on freedom of speech to criticize Israel... As Israel and the US align themselves with Lebanese government officials not affiliated with Hezbollah to push its defeat and disarming France finds itself on the sidelines of the conflict in its former colonial territory......

The United States is on track for what economists call the “great wealth transfer,” with an estimated $72.6 trillion expected to pass from older generations to younger heirs over the coming decades. On paper, that should create one of the largest generational financial shifts in history. But there’s a growing threat quietly eating away at that future wealth: long-term care costs.For most families, the reality is blunt. The cost of caring for aging parents or spouses is so high that it is erasing decades of savings, destroying home equity, and in many cases, forcing middle-class households into financial decline.And according...

Being told you have high cholesterol can feel like a verdict: start taking a statin or risk a heart attack or stroke. Recent studies, however, suggest that high cholesterol is not as uniformly harmful as once thought. However, the message has swung hard in the other direction on social media, where claims range from “high cholesterol might save your life” to “high cholesterol is the secret to living to 100-plus.” So, is high cholesterol really “good” or “bad”? The reality is more nuanced than either extreme suggests. The more useful question may not be whether high cholesterol is harmful, but...

At least 250 small boat migrants launched from Belgian beaches on Saturday, as almost 600 illegal immigrants from Belgium and France crossed into UK waters. This latest significant surge in Channel migrants has taken the number who have arrived in the UK so far this year to more than 6,000. It was the biggest single day of small boat activity along the Belgian coast, since people smugglers began a major shift in tactics this year. As well as a 70-mile stretch of French coastline, criminal gangs are now targeting multiple beaches in Belgium to launch migrant dinghies, in efforts to...