The White Casket Protest in Manila

On August 07, 2026, the Chinese Embassy in Manila, Philippines, issued a strong condemnation after five white caskets were placed at multiple metropolitan locations, including their consular building. 

Accompanied by anti-China banners, the coffins contained images of prominent Chinese political figures and the country's ambassador to the Philippines.

Embassy spokesperson Ji Lingpeng called the stunt a "blatant act of political provocation, personal attack, intimidation, and threat". The embassy have since filed official representations urging Philippine authorities to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators. 

On the same day, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) condemned the deed as the police launched an investigation to track down the individuals or groups behind the incitement. 

In a statement, the DFA said the act did not reflect the Philippine government’s approach to conducting their foreign relations or how Filipinos express criticism or dissatisfaction, even on sensitive political issues.

Robin Hood Gang Give Away Stolen Food

Thieves dressed as Robin Hood raided a food store in Montreal, Canada on the night of February 03 and gave away the stolen goods in a protest against rising food prices. 

An activist organization calling themselves the “Robins des Ruelles” (Robins of the Alleys) said roughly 60 people, some dressed in Robin Hood-style feathered caps, had entered a Rachelle Béry health food store, taken food without paying and redistributed it to “many community fridges in the city” in what it claimed was a “political act” against food inflation.

The theft follows a similar incident in December, when members of the same group flooded into a Montreal grocery store dressed as Santa Clause and his elves, stealing food and leaving some of it gift-wrapped under a nearby Christmas tree. 

The cost of living is a major topic in Canada, where inflation grew 4.7% between November 2024 and 2025 – more than double the rate of overall inflation, according to CNN’s Canadian broadcast partner CBC. 

“Everyday, we are working relentlessly, only to be able to buy food in those profit-driven supermarkets”, the statement from the Robins des Ruelles quotes one group member, Francis, as saying. “When having two jobs is not enough to eat, have a roof over your head and take care of your family, every means become legitimate”. 

An edited video published by activist organization Les Soulèvements du Fleuve on Instagram shows the raid on the Rachelle Béry store, interspersed with the title credits for the 1938 film “The Adventures of Robin Hood”. 

In the video, people wearing masks amble through the aisles, grabbing food, medicine, soap and other items. Others use spray paint to block security cameras within the store and outside. At the end of the video, one person sprays “F**k Les Profits” on a brick wall. 

It’s Scottish Cup business for Celtic when they welcomed Dundee to Parkhead yesterday. The pulsating fifth round tie saw the former leaving it to the last possible moment to keep their hopes alive before going on to beat the latter 2-1. 

The Dee had unleashed an unstoppable left foot shot into the top far corner in the 49th minute to stun Celtic and were seconds away from recording their first win in the East End of Glasgow in 25 years. 

But on-loan Freiburg forward Junior Adamu, who had come off the bench, back heeled a Sebastian Tounekti pass into the visitors’ net in the 96th minute to force extra-time and Tounekti then netted what ultimately proved to be the winner with his low finish after a one-two with sub Luke McCowan.

What. A. Relief. 

For Martin O'Neill, a three-pronged focus remains with defending champions Celtic chasing leaders Hearts in pursuit of the Scottish Premiership title and a Europa League tie with Stuttgart on the horizon as well as continued involvement in the Scottish Cup, a trophy the veteran boss won three times between 2001 and 2005.

Iranians Must Stay Strong

My January 22 post titled "20 Things You Need to Know About the Protests in Iran" refers.

I have no doubt that accounts of the violent Iranian protests as reported by the mainstream media were mostly misinformed and misguided, if not filled with blatant inaccuracies. 

This is public:

In fact, Reza Pahlavi has not set foot in Iran since his family was ousted during the 1979 revolution. Yet, he still clings to the delusion that he is the heir apparent. In 1980, he even declared himself the rightful king! 

It is well-known that the pretend "crown prince" who openly calls for regime change in Iran is an enthusiastic instrument of the Israeli regime! I'm sure Benjamin Netanhayu already has him on a short leash!

On January 21, 2026, TASS divulged that forensic examinations in Isfahan, Iran identified Israeli military-grade bullets in the body of an 8-year-old girl killed during protests. 

Iranian state media also recently reported that several victims were killed with 7.63mm Tokarev bullets, a rare Soviet-era caliber. Authorities stated that this caliber is not used by Iran’s armed forces or police.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (left) in a speech Thursday accused the United States and Israel of stoking the protests as a "cowardly revenge... for the defeat in the 12-Day War". [Refer my posts pertaining to Iran in June 2025].

Foreign powers (obviously the US and Israel), together with the active collaboration of some traitorous locals want to effect regime change.

But it won't happen because a clear majority of the Iranian people don't want their country to be a vassal state of the West, period.

To the Iranian people, stay strong!

20 Things You Need to Know About the Protests in Iran

20 things you really must know about the supposedly popular protests in Iran that broke out on December 28, 2025!

1. Allegations of “mass casualties” among Iran protesters are not dependable. They come from a group called Center for Human Rights in Iran. The Center for Human Rights in Iran are NOT in Iran. They are in New York, USA. 

2. Are they an Iranian group? No. They are financed by the CIA-adjacent National Endowment for Democracy in Washington DC and related bodies, specializing in disinformation. 

3. They are run by the people of Iran? No. The chairperson is Minky Worden, an American woman who ran anti-China campaigns for many years. She tried to get the Beijing winter Olympics renamed the genocide Olympics and cancelled. She failed. 

4. Worden worked closely with the Hong Kong "pro-democracy" movement (also NED-funded) and her husband was on the board of Apple Daily and had a contract with the Pentagon. Yes, the US regime-change operations around the world are THAT incestuous. 

5. The other main source of unbelievable tales of massive protests and huge numbers of deaths in Iran are coming from the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). This is also a NED-funded, US-based disinformation outlet. 

Iranians Have Become Less Anti-government 

6. Having said that, protest groups against the Iranian government do exist, but they are not large. Western groups including the NED-funded media, and the Persian service of Voice of America, have spent years cultivating anti-government groups. But Trump’s bombing campaigns, and Israel’s shocking behavior in Gaza, has meant Iranians have become very notably LESS anti-government, not more. This is important. 

7. The loudest and most prominent Iranian “protest leader” quoted in the west is Masih Alinejad, a women who was salaried by NED for years, and currently works for the US Agency for Global Media. 

8. Which part of Iran does she live in? No part of Iran. She lives in the US. 

9. What’s her professional background? Propaganda. Her job was and is to push pro-US anti-Iran propaganda through various media services. Despite this, she is quoted in the media as if she is a reliable source of news from the people of Iran. 

10. Press reports show that between 2015 and 2022 alone, Masih Alinejad received $628,000 in funding from NED and related groups. And yes, this regime-change campaigner received a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. 

11. Remember Mahsa Jina Amini, a woman said to have been beaten to death by Iran police for wearing her hijab wrongly? Masih Alinejad pushed that tale, but it was debunked by a security video, which showed that no one was standing near her when she collapsed through a medical issue. 

12. A 2009 Brookings policy paper "Which Path to Persia?" goes into detail about how the US can take control of Iran, by creating mobs attacking government facilities, which can be labelled a “popular uprising” by the media, or by fostering division and putting puppet leaders in control. Variations of this US game plan have been used multiple times around the world. 

Women's Rights in the Forefront

13. Why is so much of the US propaganda about Iran based on alleged violations of women’s rights? Because similar US disinformation operations in other places, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, showed that women’s rights made western audiences angrier faster than weaponization of the usual western “Big Three” propaganda lines: Democracy, freedom and human rights. 

14. Is the “strictly hijabs only” tale true? No. In general, women in Iran do prefer to dress modestly in Islamic fashion, but it’s far more relaxed and tolerant that the US propagandists pretend. Think of the religious dress codes of Indonesia and Malaysia, for example, where most people dress modestly and religiously, but the atmosphere is tolerant and reasonable. 

15. What about the atrocity stories of ill-treated women? They are invented and circulated by US and Israeli sources: the US has long had an atrocity fabrication department (see AB Abram’s research for numerous examples of their work worldwide). 

Infiltration 

16. Academic studies apparently “proving” that most Iranians want a US-allied leadership appear in The Journal of Democracy – which is not a real academic publication, but a NED magazine. 

17. NED operatives have spent years in Iran, funding scholars and journalists to build up a stranglehold in many educational, civic and media groups, just as they did in Hong Kong, and have done in many places. 

18. A widely quoted group from Iranian politics are the Foundation for Democracy in Iran. They are also not Iranian. They are funded by NED and the executive director is American activist Kenneth R Timmerman. 

Hope for the Future 

19. Iranians are smart. They know about NED and nickname them “National Enemy of Democracy”. 

20. Western mainstream media reports (BBC, Guardian, Reuters, etc) absolutely CANNOT be trusted. They have a long history of downplaying, or, more usually, completely hiding the western manipulation processes that create regime change. 

If you support the people of Iran, you need to know all this. The world needs to stand with Iran and tell the US that we've had enough.

Mass Protests in Taipei

Two weeks ago, large protests engulfed Taipei in the rebel province of Taiwan against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and treacherous President William Lai Ching-te. 

This news got surprisingly little coverage in western media, which usually are so keen on showing all kinds of “people’s power” movements when they occur against governments the West doesn’t like.

 

The protests come amid escalating political tensions, as opposition parties – despite controlling Taiwan’s legislature – now face organized recall election campaigns initiated by DPP, in power since 2016. 

A recall election allows voters to remove an elected official before the end of their term. Under Taiwan’s rules, recall campaigners must first collect signatures from 1% of eligible voters to start the process, then 10% to force a vote. 

While government supporters insist that the recall efforts represent legitimate democratic processes, opposition leaders denounce them as politically motivated vendettas aimed at undermining legitimate election outcomes. 

Tariff shocks pose a major threat to Malaysia’s sovereign credit rating, given the potential disruption to economic growth and fiscal consolidation, according to Moody’s Investors Service on Monday. 

The ratings firm see downside risks to their initial projection of 5% growth for Malaysia this year due to exposure to global trade tensions. There’s also a possibility that the government increase spending to counter headwinds from US-imposed levies, said Christian De Guzman, senior vice-president at Moody’s. 

Malaysia has since 2004 enjoyed an A3 rating at Moody’s – the highest among peers in developing Southeast Asia. While its credit score has withstood the fallout from the 2008 global financial crisis and the Covid pandemic, the double blow from US tariffs clouds the country’s prospects.

Just Stop Oil Hold Their Last Climate Protest

Just Stop Oil have held their final demonstration in London, ending three years of high-profile climate protest stunts as they moved their focus away from civil disobedience. 

On April 26, hundreds of supporters walked peacefully through the centre of the UK capital, from parliament to the headquarters of oil and gas giant Shell, where they removed their familiar high-vis orange vests. 

The UK environmental activist group mainly campaigned for the United Kingdom to end the extraction of oil and gas by 2030 and had become one of the country’s best-known protest organisations. In March, they announced they would halt their headline-grabbing protests, arguing they had accomplished their initial aim of stopping the UK approving new oil and gas projects. 

More than 3,000 Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested since they were founded in 2022 and eleven of them are currently in jail, including 58-year-old co-founder Roger Hallam. Five more are due to be sentenced in May. 

Stunts by their activists included targeting Vincent van Gogh‘s Sunflowers painting with tomato soup and daubing the historical landmark Stonehenge with orange paint powder. They also disrupted theatre and sporting events, including tennis matches at Wimbledon. 

Over the years, the actions have drawn condemnation from politicians, police and some sections of the public. 

But the group claimed a victory after the UK Labour government halted new oil and gas exploration licences in the North Sea. However, Labour have distanced themselves from Just Stop Oil. 

Just Stop Oil have been coy about their future strategy, but have said they will “continue to tell the truth in the courts, speak out for our political prisoners and call out the UK’s oppressive anti-protest laws”. 

“In the background, we are working with other [similar] groups… to develop a strategy for what comes next”, said Mel Carrington, a spokesperson for the protest group.

Irish Wolfhounds Join Writer's Protest on Meta AI

Irish wolfhounds have joined a protest by writers, who are protesting about what they describe as "any piracy" of their works being used by Meta's AI model.

The protest in Dublin, Ireland was led by the Irish Writers Union (IWU). The union, which are coordinating a campaign with Irish publishers, screenwriters, and poets, are demanding that Meta "comply with Irish and EU copyright laws in the training of their AI model". 

Members say the protest follows "the revelations arising from a court case in the US filed December 22, 2023, that Meta used millions of copyright-protected works in order to train their AI model, Llama 3". 

Audrey Magee (right), an award-winning author whose publications include "The Colony" (2022) and "The Undertaking" (2014) told BBC News NI she was shocked when she discovered that her works had been used for AI training. The author complained she's concerned that her works have been accessed and "used in a way you have no control over". 

She also said the presence of Irish wolfhounds at the protest on Thursday was a powerful and symbolic gesture because of their ancient links to Irish literature, poetry, mythology, and bards. 

Other members of the Irish Writers Union who claim their works have been harvested for AI training purposes include Ruth O'Leary, author of "The Weekend Break" (2024) and Sam Blake, author of "The Weekend Break" (2025). 

IWU's chairperson, Conor McAnally said: "It is difficult enough to make a living as a writer without billionaires deciding it's too inconvenient to pay for our work. The Irish Writers Union will robustly defend our members, and their right to fair compensation for any use of their work. We call on the Irish Government to support those writers whose work has been pirated and hold Meta to account". 

A petition, with 1,500 signatures, has been presented to the Irish Department for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation. 

In a statement, Minister Niamh Smyth TD, said: "Given the rapid advancement of AI technologies, EU and Irish policies and legislation are adapting to address emerging challenges". 

The IWU are encouraging their members to make a formal, legal complaint to Meta demanding the immediate cessation of any use of their copyrighted material in the company's AI training processes until appropriate permissions are obtained. 

Members also want Meta to negotiate "fair and reasonable licensing terms" if they want to use their work, as well as the offer of compensation for any past unauthorised use of their work in AI model training programs. 

An investigation by The Atlantic magazine revealed Meta may have accessed millions of pirated books and research papers through LibGen – Library Genesis – to train their generative AI (Gen-AI) system, Llama. 

A spokesperson for Meta maintained: "We respect third-party intellectual property rights and believe our use of information to train AI models is consistent with existing law".

Anti-Trump Protests in US Cities Declare 'Hands Off'

Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC, among other US cities on Saturday, April 05, to oppose the divisive policies of President Donald Trump, in the largest demonstrations since his return to the White House in January. 

The "Hands Off" protests saw the protesters citing grievances with Trump's agenda ranging from social to economic issues. 

At a time of spreading global resentment against Trump − heightened by his announcement Wednesday of sweeping tariffs against scores of countries − angry demonstrators also marched in European capitals, including London, Paris and Berlin.

"What's happening in America is everyone's problem", Liz Chamberlin, a dual US-British citizen living in England told AFP at a London, UK rally. "It's economic lunacy... He is going to push us into a global recession".

The Trump haters are starting to come out of the woodwork!

On Saturday, I attended my monthly Kajang Toastmasters meeting. This time, the venue was switched to Mitty & Beans (just across the road from Breathtaking Cafe), given that our usual venue was still closed for Hari Raya.

I was summoned to be the Toastmaster of the Day, and switching from the Grammarian role I was originally slated for. Quite a challenge, I must admit, given that the theme of the said meeting was "Laughter is the best medicine"! [If you don't already know, I am not, at all, a funny person!]

US Revokes At Least 300 Foreign Students' Visas

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) said Thursday the State Department have revoked 300 or more student visas, as the White House increasingly target foreign-born students whose main transgression seems to be activism.  

"We do it every day, every time I find one of these lunatics", he boasted on Thursday when asked to confirm how many student visas the administration had revoked in their crackdown on rhetoric at universities that they considers anti-Israeli. 

Trump officials have said they are making use of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the State Department to deport non-citizens who are "adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests" of the US. The arrests are a part of Trump's pledge to combat what the administration has classified as antisemitism, which was written into an executive order in January. 

One of the highest profile arrests involves Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist, who remains in a Louisiana detention facility without charges. 

Another is Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fullbright scholar from Türkiye, who is in a doctoral program for Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University. Again, no charges have been filed against her. 

She has reportedly participated in pro-Palestinian protests. And also co-wrote an opinion piece in the student newspaper last year that called for her university to divest from companies with ties to Israel and acknowledge "Palestinian genocide". 

Already, a federal judge ruled Tuesday that Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old permanent US resident, originally from South Korea and who took part in campus protests against Israel's military offensive in Gaza cannot be detained as she fights orders for her deportation. 

US immigration officials signed an administrative arrest warrant for the Columbia student on March 08, the day Khalil was arrested. But they have not managed to find Chung to carry out a warrant for her arrest. 

The White House also revoked $400 million in Columbia funding over allegations the university failed to combat antisemitism on their campus, and threatened to do the same to other universities.

All because the US has a special relationship with Israel. Therefore, blame everything on Palestine because Israel can do no wrong.

Tesla Protests Are Popping Up Across the US

Tesla are facing a growing backlash. Their facilities across the US are facing protests and vandalism in response to the political role, the automaker's CEO Elon Musk (right) has played in the US administration under Donald Trump. 

Most "Tesla Takedown" protests have been peaceful, but a few have been destructive with fires intentionally set at Tesla showrooms and charging stations in Colorado and Massachusetts last week. That was followed by six arrests in New York over the weekend when hundreds of protesters occupied a Tesla showroom. 

There has also been a spike in Cybertruck vandalism across the US, and some car owners are defacing their own Teslas in protest of Musk. One woman showed up to a protest outside a Burbank Tesla on Sunday with an expletive and Musk's name scrawled in chalk across her white Model X sedan. Another car carried an "Anti Elon Tesla Club" sticker. 

The protests illustrate a growing unease over Musk's influence on the US government since President Donald Trump allowed him to create the cost-cutting task force Department of Government Efficiency. So far, DOGE have fired or offered buyouts to about 100,000 federal employees and gained access to the sensitive personal and financial information of millions of Americans. 

Critics have resorted to calling the tech billionaire "President Musk", arguing that he has too much power in the White House. Some at the protest in Burbank, California held signs that said "Deport Elon" and "Boycott Swasticar" – with protesters attempting to connect the car to fascism.

Yoon Suk Yeol Refuses to Stand Down

South Korea’s ruling party have thrown their support behind attempts to impeach embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) over his ill-fated decision to declare martial law that sparked a political crisis and widespread public anger in the country. 

 

The announcement came moments before Yoon delivered a defiant speech Thursday in which he attempted to justify his hugely controversial martial law decision and rejected growing calls from across the political spectrum for him to stand down. 

 

Not to mention that he downplayed his actions, saying the opposition was “creating a lot of false incitement to drag the president down by creating (the) crime of treason”. And his claim he declared martial law “to maintain order, not to dismiss the National Assembly nor to paralyze their function”. In fact, he even brazenly declared: "I will fight until the end".  

  

The People Power Party had initially refused to back impeachment, hoping instead Yoon would resign from office. But their leadership said attempts to persuade him had made no progress. 

 

The main opposition Democratic Party are preparing a new impeachment motion against Yoon, with a vote expected today itself. The president survived an impeachment bid last weekend when PPP members boycotted the vote. But after his party threw their weight behind impeachment, party leader Han Dong-hoon said PPP lawmakers were now free to vote according to their “belief and conscience”. 

 

Police have already launched an investigation into Yoon and other top officials on treason allegations. And on Tuesday, lawmakers approved a special counsel to investigate whether Yoon committed insurrection and abused his power by issuing martial law. Yoon has also been barred from leaving the country. 

 

And last week, South Korean prosecutors detained former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, who allegedly recommended the martial law imposition and resigned in the wake of the scandal. Kim attempted to end his own life in custody late Tuesday, according to the head of the country’s correctional service. 

 

On Thursday, lawmakers voted to impeach Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and National Police Agency Chief Cho Ji-ho. 

 

Meanwhile, the roars of anger from the thousands of protesting citizens on the streets every night are getting louder and louder.

 

South Korea's Six Hours of Martial Law

On Tuesday, out of nowhere, the incredibly unpopular and much disliked president of South Korea declared martial law.

 

Using ambiguous language, Yoon Suk Yeol (left) proclaimed the need to “protect the country from North Korean communists and eliminate anti-state elements” while stating a need to “rebuild and protect the country from falling into ruin”. Sending troops to blockade the National Assembly building as midnight approached, Yoon attempted to stop parliamentarians from interfering in his plans.

 

South Korea’s main opposition party, whose lawmakers jumped fences and tussled with security forces so they could vote to overturn the law, have demanded Yoon’s immediate resignation. Even the leader of Yoon’s own ruling party, the People Power Party described the order to declare martial law “tragic” and called for those involved to be held accountable. 

 

Following the president’s order, more than 280 troops, backed by 24 helicopters, had arrived at parliament to lock down the site. But 190 lawmakers defied the soldiers to force their way into parliament to vote to reverse the move.

 

While Yoon rescinded the declaration about six hours after it was issued following a unanimous vote in the National Assembly, protests continue around the parliament and the situation remains volatile, according to diplomatic officials.

 

In the meantime, South Korea’s top court have confirmed that they will review the legality of President Yoon’s short-lived martial law declaration, local media reported. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Korea Cho Hee-dae told reporters that the judiciary would examine whether there had been any procedural irregularities in Yoon’s order. 

 

“The judiciary will ensure their role as the ultimate protector of the citizens’ rights and freedoms, and will work to alleviate any concerns about judicial independence and integrity”, Cho was quoted as saying by The Korea Herald.

 

Also, Police say they are investigating Yoon for alleged "insurrection".

 

The opposition tabled a motion to impeach Yoon on Wednesday. Voting on the motion is on Saturday, even as his partymates say they will oppose it. The opposition with 192 seats will need at least eight of the 108 ruling party MPs to back the motion so that it can be passed by a two-thirds majority of the 300-strong parliament. 

 

The impeachment motion against Yoon says he failed to meet the constitutional requirement that martial law should only be considered in wartime or a comparable severe crisis. It alleges he attempted a “self-coup” by mobilizing the military and that suspending political party activities and deploying troops to seal the National Assembly amounted to rebellion.

 

Protesters have gathered in the capital for a second day to call on Yoon to resign. Reflecting the country’s deeply polarized politics, hundreds of Yoon’s conservative supporters rallied in downtown Seoul on Thursday afternoon.

 

And Defence minister Kim Yong-hyun (right) has resigned. South Korean media have reported that it was him who urged Yoon to declare martial law. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho informed a parliamentary hearing yesterday that the decision to deploy troops at the National Assembly came from Kim.