1. Paris Imposes Curfews and Flirts with Emergency Powers
France is escalating its crackdown on weeks of student-led protests with sweeping new security measures, including localised curfews and a massive surge in police deployments. Following an interministerial crisis meeting, the government floated invoking Article 16 of the French Constitution, which grants the president exceptional emergency powers. With reports of severe state violence—including amputations and eye damage—grassroots organisations are now calling for nationwide strikes in solidarity with the youth, accusing the state of criminalising dissent while prioritising foreign wars over its own citizens.
2. The Strait Heats Up: Tankers Hit Mines as UK Deploys Typhoons
Tensions in the Gulf spiked as the IRGC Navy confirmed two oil tankers caught fire after hitting sea mines while attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz via an illegal route. The maritime chokehold has sent Brent crude surging to $111 a barrel, nearing a five-month high. In a direct response to the regional war, the UK announced the deployment of RAF Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, deepening London’s complicity in Riyadh’s aggression. Meanwhile, a Saudi warplane killed several Yemeni fishermen in a double-tap strike on the port city of Mocha.
3. Qom’s Chorus Against Baku: Ayatollah Arafi Condemns Hijab Ban
The clerical backlash against Azerbaijan’s hijab ban continues to intensify. Ayatollah Ali-Reza Arafi, head of Iran’s Islamic seminaries, issued a blistering condemnation, declaring that “Sharia precepts cannot be abolished by administrative orders or laws enacted by humans.” Citing Surah An-Nur, he stressed that no Muslim state holds the authority to strip women of their religious obligations or bar them from education, urging Baku to respect Quranic injunctions before facing the inevitable historical collapse warned by his colleagues.
4. The Colonial Titanic and Gaza’s Engineered Famine
PW’s lead analysis dismisses Israel’s upcoming elections as a futile exercise, arguing that politicians are merely competing to steer a “sinking ship” toward its inevitable decolonisation. The humanitarian reality on the ground underscores this collapse: the UN WFP has slashed food aid to Gaza by one-third, pushing 500,000 Palestinians toward renewed famine as the brutal siege continues. Gaza’s Media Office is urgently appealing to Islamic nations to establish land and maritime corridors to bypass Israeli obstruction.
Also on the wire
Tokyo: Thousands protest outside Japan’s Parliament, demanding PM Sanae Takaichi’s resignation over her support for the US and Zionist agendas.
Iraq: An assassination attempt was thwarted against the commander of the 63rd Brigade of the Hashd al-Shaabi; circumstances are under investigation.
US Domestic: ICE agents broke a US citizen’s arm during a street arrest in Long Beach, California.
Culture: A Canadian opera company fired a performer after he raised a Palestinian flag during a curtain call.
Prisons: Another Palestinian inmate was murdered in Israeli custody due to systematic torture, starvation, and medical neglect.