Monday, May 18, 2026

Attack Drone Hits Near UAE Nuclear Power Plant

"Abu Dhabi authorities report that a kamikaze drone struck an electrical generator outside the
inner perimeter of the
Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Al Dhafra. Officials said there were no injuries, no impact on radiological safety levels, and no disruption to plant operations.
Dubai-based newspaper Gulf News cited the
Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, which said the one-way drone attack on the Arab world's first commercial nuclear facility did not affect the safety of the nuclear power plant or the readiness of its essential systems. FANR added that all systems were operating normally." ZH

Largest Ukrainian Drone Attack On Moscow In Over A Year Leaves Four Dead

"The Russian capital has just suffered possibly its single biggest and deadliest Ukrainian drone
attack of the war - and certainly the largest attack wave on Moscow in the last year. It ironically comes exactly a week after President
Zelensky signed on to a three day Russian 'Victory Day' ceasefire at the behest of President Trump.
At least four people have been killed in the overnight large-scale assault wave, with dozens more wounded. Regional airports have been shut down, and there's been a sense of panic as the threat lingered into the daylight hours Sunday, with onlookers filming drones flying uncontested over Moscow airspace." ZH

Axios Warns Cuba Stockpiled 300 Attack Drones With Crosshairs On U.S. Homeland

"Havana may be stockpiling Russian-made Geranium one-way attack drones with the
operational range to threaten major
U.S. oil and gas refineries in the Gulf of America, key military bases, data centers, power grid infrastructure, and potentially even Washington, D.C.
Nearly three and a half months ago, we laid out the framework for a potential drone threat against the homeland originating from
Cuba, using an infographic published by the Russian think tank Rybar.
At the time, Rybar wrote: "But what would the Cubans do in the event of a conflict? Let us hypothetically imagine that Havana decides to resist the Americans and chooses to fight. In that case, the already world-famous Geran strike drones could come to their aid."
Axios, citing newly obtained U.S. intelligence, reports that Cuba has accumulated roughly 300 military drones from Russia and Iran and has discussed potential wartime strike scenarios targeting Guantanamo Bay, U.S. naval vessels, and possibly Key West..
Late last week, CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with officials in Havana, which appeared to reopen the channel for political dialogue between the two countries.
Ratcliffe and top U.S. officials, some of whose faces were blurred in images released by the CIA on X, held high-level talks with Cuba's Interior Minister, the head of Cuban intelligence, and Raúl Castro's grandson, Raulito Rodríguez Castro." ZH

Vietnamese POW captured in Ukraine: "They force you to do everything"

"A Vietnamese man captured while fighting for Russia in Ukraine has issued a plea to others
not to travel abroad to take part in war.

In an interview from captivity, he described fear, violence and despair among foreign recruits sent to the front lines.... the man is believed to be the first Vietnamese prisoner of war captured by Ukrainian forces during the conflict.
He claimed foreign recruits were treated as expendable by Russian forces.
They force you to do everything. If you don’t listen, they beat you. If you don’t obey, they’re ready to kill you,” he said." msn

The WHO Drums Up Fear With Ebola After Hantavirus Scare Fails

"One of the biggest mistakes globalists made in their bid for perpetual medical authoritarianism during the Covid pandemic was reveling a bit too much. Numerous high level officials from the WEF, WHO, the Imperial College of London and an army of politicians were giddy with excitement and bragged publicly about all the power they were going to grab as the masses huddled in fear of a virus with a 99.8% average survival rate.
This arrogance cost them, triggering an awakening of millions of former skeptics who are now avid "conspiracy theorists". Today, the ability of the elitist class to sucker the populace into a new pandemic theater is greatly reduced.
We have see the consequences of the covid farce with the recent
Hantavirus scare, which has failed to inspire any noticeable reaction from the public.
The
US under the Trump Administration has exited the organization on these grounds, and as a result the WHO has lost at least 20% of its total funding. It is now facing dire financial conditions. In response, the UN and the establishment media have been running a spin campaign to present the WHO as indispensable.
For
Hantavirus, the spread from human to human is rare and only occurs with the South American (or Andes) strain. Contraction is difficult, with the virus passing from one person to another through "prolonged contact" often involving bodily fluids.
The hysteria over
Hantavirus has not materialized and the story is quickly fizzling out. In response the WHO and Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus are taking to the media again to announce a new "Ebola threat" in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Tedros is calling for "global solidarity" (and more funding) in response to the outbreak which has allegedly infected 13 people so far. It should be noted that the
DRC has had at least 17 Ebola outbreaks since the 1970s and none of them have led to a global pandemic threat. The rhetoric of "global unity" is familiar, with much of the same language used during the covid pandemic.
The last time the
US had a "close call" with Ebola was in 2014 when the CDC identified over a dozen carriers in the US, and two deaths. The end result? Nothing happened, despite a media firestorm asserting that a deadly plague was just around the corner.
This is not to say that dangerous outbreaks are never going to happen, but it is rather convenient that the WHO is losing substantial funding and sway in geopolitics, and suddenly, common outbreaks are being treated like looming disasters in the media." ZH

5.7 Earthquake - North Pacific Ocean, 58 km east of Ostrov Shumshu Island, Kamchatka, Russia

"A strong magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean near Ostrov
Shumshu island,
Russia, in the late afternoon at 7.04 pm local time (GMT +11). The quake had a shallow depth of 56 km (35 mi) and was reported felt by some people near the epicenter." VD

China Confirms Boeing Jet Deal, Agrees To Cut Select Levies & Expand Agri Trade

"The exact wording "reach arrangements"s in the Bloomberg headline is important because it suggests a framework, a commitment, or a negotiated understanding, not necessarily a
finalized purchase contract for Boeing commercial jets.
Based on earlier reports, Trump said China agreed to buy 200 Boeing planes, with the total potentially rising to 750 aircraft.
The next set of headlines shows that the Trump team and Beijing have reached a partial trade de-escalation package following the summit:
CHINA, US AGREE TO REDUCE LEVIES ON A CERTAIN RANGE OF PRODUCTS
CHINA TO EXPAND BILATERAL TRADE W/ US ON AGR AND OTHER PRODUCTS
CHINA VOWS TO EXPAND BILATERAL AGRI TRADE WITH US
The headlines point to a U.S.-China trade détente that is constructive for American industry, exporters, and U.S. farmers.
Now the larger question is what Trump and Xi agreed to behind closed doors regarding Tehran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. and Chinese leaders agreed to establish a new "Board of Trade" and a parallel "Board of Investment" during President Trump's two-day visit to Beijing - a summit that ended much as it began: with significant pageantry, warm personal rapport between the leaders, and modest, incremental progress on trade. The new boards aim to oversee bilateral purchases, manage trade differences, facilitate deals in non-sensitive sectors (with roughly $30 billion in goods identified), and provide a standing channel to prevent future escalations without constant high-level intervention.
Despite the institutional progress, several high-priority issues saw limited or no resolution:
Nvidia H200 AI Chips: No major summit agreement on advanced AI chip exports. While some U.S. licensing approvals for sales to select Chinese firms occurred around the visit (with Jensen Huang joining the delegation), export controls remained a sticking point and were not centrally resolved in leader-level talks.
Rare Earths: No announced extension of the existing truce or easing of Chinese export controls, which continue to affect U.S. chipmakers and aerospace firms. This remains a lingering vulnerability from prior tariff exchanges.
Iran Conflict: Both leaders expressed a shared desire for stability and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with Xi showing interest in greater U.S. oil purchases to reduce Middle East dependence. However, China offered no concrete commitments to leverage its influence with Tehran. Beijing’s foreign ministry reiterated support for peace efforts without pledging active intervention." 
ZeroHedge

46 clashes

"46 combat engagements have occurred between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian troops.
In the Northern Slobozhanshchyna and Kursk sectors, two combat engagements took place. The enemy carried out two airstrikes, used three guided bombs, and launched 35 attacks on populated areas and
Ukrainian military positions.
In the Southern Slobozhanshchyna sector, the enemy launched four assaults on
Ukrainian positions near Vovchanski Khutory, Dvorichanske, and toward Ternova and Kolodiazne.
In the Kupiansk sector, the enemy did not conduct offensive operations.
In the Lyman sector, five clashes with the enemy took place since the start of the day near the settlements of Lyman, Drobysheve, and Zarichne.
In the Sloviansk sector, the Defense Forces successfully repelled one attempt by the invaders to advance toward Rai-Oleksandrivka.
No offensive actions by the enemy were recorded in the Kramatorsk sector.
In the Kostiantynivka sector, the occupiers carried out 14 attacks near Kostiantynivka, Ivanopillia, Illinivka, Rusyn Yar, Toretske, Sofiivka, and toward Vilne. Three clashes are still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk sector, the invaders attempted 10 times since the beginning of the day to push
Ukrainian troops from their positions near Rodynske, Novooleksandrivka, Hryshyne, Udachne, and Molodetske. One battle is ongoing.
No offensive actions by the enemy were recorded in the Oleksandrivka sector.
In the Huliaipole sector, the Defense Forces successfully repelled nine enemy attacks near Zlahoda, Varvarivka, and toward Novе Zaporizhzhia, Zaliznychne, and Charivne. Two clashes are still ongoing.
In the Orikhiv sector, the enemy conducted one unsuccessful offensive operation near Bilohiria." Ukrin