“The Taliban has freed an American citizen after more than a year in captivity, amid pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration. Dennis Walter Coyle, 64, who was living in Afghanistan working as a language researcher, according to his family, was arrested in January 2025. In a statement posted online, the Taliban-run Afghan foreign ministry said Coyle’s imprisonment was deemed ‘sufficient’ and that he had been pardoned to mark Eid al-Fitr, the holiday at the end of Ramadan. The US government — which declared Afghanistan a ‘state sponsor of wrongful detention’ just weeks ago — welcomed the release, but called for other US citizens being ‘unjustly’ held to be freed, too. According to a family website, Coyle arrived in Afghanistan in the early 2000s to study Afghan linguistics and help communities develop resources in their native languages.” (03/24/26)
“Hong Kong police are now empowered to require anyone suspected of violating the semi-autonomous city’s national security [sic] law to hand over passwords to their mobile phones or computers. Officials will brief lawmakers on the new provisions on Tuesday, a government statement said. The measure, which took effect on Monday, is part of the national security [sic] law imposed by Beijing in 2020 following large, sometimes violent, pro-democracy protests in this Chinese territory. … Refusing to comply could lead to up to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($12,768), while providing false or misleading information could bring up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 500,000 Hong Kong dollars ($63,840).” (03/24/26)
“Scientists in Geneva took some antiprotons out for a spin — a very delicate one — in a truck, in a never-tried-before test drive that has been deemed a success. If this so-called antimatter had come into contact with actual matter, even for a fraction of an instant, it would have been annihilated in a quick flash of energy. So experts at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, had to be extra careful when they took 92 antiprotons on the road for a short ride on Tuesday. The antiprotons were suspended in a vacuum inside a specially designed box and held in place by supercooled magnets. … The drive on CERN’s campus itself lasted only about a half-hour to test how — if at all — the infinitesimal particles could be transported by road without seeping out.” (03/24/26)
“The chief district judge in New Jersey appointed Robert Frazer, a career prosecutor, to serve as US attorney for the state, ending for now a dispute over the legality of the office’s leadership that threatened to derail criminal investigations. Frazer is a longtime prosecutor who has worked on violent crime and gang organized crime cases, and most recently served as senior trial counsel. … Federal Judge Matthew Brann ruled last summer that Habba was illegally appointed as the acting US attorney in the District of New Jersey. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision. Bondi later appointed a trio of attorneys to split Habba’s role: Philip Lamparello, Jordan Fox and Ari Fontecchio. Earlier this month, Brann found Bondi didn’t have the ability to create an alternative leadership structure in that way.” (03/23/26)
“The Philippines has become the world’s first country to declare a state of national energy emergency in response to the conflict in the Middle East. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he had signed an executive order to safeguard energy security, citing the ‘imminent danger posed upon the availability and stability’ of the country’s energy supply. The US-Israel war with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a key shipping route — have sent shock waves through global energy markets, causing shortages and price rises. The Philippines imports 98% of its oil from the Gulf, and the price of diesel and petrol has more than doubled in the country since the war broke out on 28 February. On Tuesday, Marcos said the move would give the government the legal authority to impose measures to ensure energy stability and protect the broader economy.” (03/24/26)
“European consumer group Euroconsumers along with Football Supporters Europe have filed a complaint with the European Commission accusing FIFA of abusing its monopoly over World Cup ticket sales to impose excessive prices and unfair conditions on fans. The complaint, obtained by POLITICO, alleges breaches of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which prohibits abuses of a dominant market position. … The groups point to a range of alleged abusive practices, including limited transparency on ticket categories and seat allocation, a ‘variable pricing’ system that can push prices higher over time, and the actual scarcity of tickets advertised from $60.” (03/24/26)
“A California man has been sentenced to over a decade in prison for attempting to use a drone to deliver balloons stuffed with methamphetamine to people in a state penitentiary, officials announced last week. According to a March 20 news release from the Eastern District of California U.S. Attorney’s Office, 28-year-old Jorge Narvaez admitted to using an Autel EVO II Pro V3 drone to attempt to deliver drugs to North Kern State Prison in June 2024. That year, Narvaez packed two balloons with meth and dropped them over a prison yard, the release said. When two prison officers recovered the contraband balloons and sent their contents to a laboratory, they discovered that they contained 21.4 grams of methamphetamine. Officers also discovered that this wouldn’t be Narvaez’s only delivery attempt. That same day, Narvaez launched the drone a second time, equipping it with three ‘similarly packaged balloons’ of meth, the news releases said.” (03/24/26)
“Memphis police are investigating a shooting near the Westwood area that left one woman injured early Monday morning. … Upon arrival, officers found a woman lying in front of the residence with visible gunshot wounds on her upper leg. The homeowner told police he was sleeping when he heard noises from the back of his home, then saw an unknown woman inside. The homeowner stated that when the woman said she wanted to buy his residence, that’s when he shot her. The woman told police she was shot after she entered the residence through the unlocked back door. MPD states that the woman is experiencing mental health issues.” (03/23/26)
“Iran launched another blistering attack against Israel and American allies in the Gulf on Tuesday after dismissing Donald Trump’s claims that Washington and Tehran were holding ‘productive’ talks to end the war as ‘fake news.’ The Israeli military reported a fresh wave of missile attacks, triggering air raid sirens across the country …. Kuwait also responded to drone and missile attacks overnight, while Saudi Arabia intercepted a wave of more than 20 drones and Bahrain activated alert sirens. Explosions continued to rock Iran through the night, heard in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan and Karaj. There was no sign of de-escalation after Iran rubbished Donald Trump’s claims that talks towards a ceasefire were ongoing with an unnamed ‘top person’ in Iran.” (03/24/26)
“The US has banned new foreign-made consumer internet routers over [fake] national security concerns. In an update on Monday to a list of equipment seen as not secure enough for use, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added all consumer-grade routers made outside the US. … Any new router made outside the US will now need to be approved by the FCC before it can be imported, marketed, or sold in the country. In order to get that approval, companies manufacturing routers outside the US must apply for conditional approval in a process that will require the disclosure of the firm’s foreign investors or influence, as well as a plan to bring the manufacturing of the routers to the US.” [editor’s note: In other words, the US regime is suppressing price competition on behalf of some Trump crony – TLK] (03/24/26)
