Egypt has officially confirmed its deployment of the Chinese HQ-9B long-range air defence system, a move that marks a notable enhancement of its military capabilities and reflects a growing partnership with Beijing. This confirmation came from retired Major General Samir Farag, a former high-ranking official in the Egyptian Armed Forces, during an interview on Sada El-Balad TV.

Farag revealed that Egypt’s arsenal includes various modern defence systems, with the HQ-9B—a system comparable to Russia’s S-400—being a key component. This disclosure, reported by Israeli media outlet nziv, reveals Egypt’s strategic shift toward diversifying its arms suppliers and strengthening its air defence network. The HQ-9B’s advanced capabilities, including its ability to engage a wide array of aerial threats, position Egypt to better address regional security challenges while navigating complex geopolitical dynamics.

The HQ-9B, developed by China’s Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, is a long-range surface-to-air missile system designed to counter fighter jets, cruise missiles, and short-range ballistic missiles. With an operational range of up to 200 kilometres and an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometres, it offers robust protection against modern threats. The system’s radar, believed to be a variant of the HT-233 model, employs active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology, enabling it to detect low-observable targets like stealth aircraft at extended ranges. This radar also allows the HQ-9B to track multiple threats simultaneously, enhancing its effectiveness in high-intensity scenarios. Each launcher can carry up to eight missiles, double the capacity of earlier versions, and its command-and-control architecture supports integration with other air defence assets, creating a layered defence network.

Egypt confirms acquisition of Chinese HQ-9B long-range air defence system

Egypt has officially confirmed its deployment of the Chinese HQ-9B long-range air defence system, a move that marks a notable enhancement of its military capabilities and reflects a growing partner…

^{Darek Liam (Military Africa)}

Hello, iam in the making of artix install script. I start with setting variables in dialog like bootloader="refind" and etc. but when i do artix-chroot into chroot.sh script variables are gone.

right now i have something like this:

cp ${pwd}execution/chroot.sh /mnt/mnt &&
            USER="$USER" USER_PASSWORD1="$USER_PASSWORD1" USER_PASSWORD2="$USER_PASSWORD2"\
            ROOT_PASSWORD1="$ROOT_PASSWORD1" ROOT_PASSWORD2="$ROOT_PASSWORD2"\
            BOOTLOADER="$BOOTLOADER" SUPERUSER="$SUPERUSER" HOSTNAME="$HOSTNAME"\
            LOCALE="$LOCALE" ENCRYPTION="$ENCRYPTION" ROOT="$ROOT" ESP="$ESP"\
            KERNEL="$KERNEL" UCODE="$UCODE"
        artix-chroot /mnt bash -c '/mnt/chroot.sh && execute_root' 

# create array of variables to pass to part 2
var_export=($formfactor $threadsminusone $gpu $boot $disk0 $username $userpassword $timezone $swap $intel_vaapi_driver $res_x $res_y_half)

# initiate part 2
mount --bind /root/artix-install-script /mnt/mnt
artix-chroot /mnt /mnt/chrootInstall.sh "${var_export[@]}"

# Importing Variables
args=("$@")
formfactor=${args[0]}
threadsminusone=${args[1]}
gpu=${args[2]}
boot=${args[3]}
disk=${args[4]}
username=${args[5]}
userpassword=${args[6]}
timezone=${args[7]}
swap=${args[8]}
intel_vaapi_driver=${args[9]}
res_x=${args[10]}
res_y_half=${args[11]}

THANKS FOR HELP!

This piece must be carefully written to avoid my being imprisoned for up to 14 years. That’s a curious sentence to say as a newspaper columnist in Britain in 2025. But since the government voted to proscribe the direct action protest group Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act, any statement seen as expressing support could lead to arrest and prosecution.

Last week, our home secretary joined other female Labour MPs in a photoshoot celebrating the suffragettes, who planted bombs, burned down private homes and smashed up art galleries. They then voted to classify a movement which positions itself as opposing violence against people as a terrorist organisation.

And this weekend, an 83-year-old retired priest, Sue Parfitt, was arrested after holding a placard that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Twenty-eight others were also arrested on those grounds. Questioned about her detention, the Metropolitan police commissioner, Mark Rowley, responded: “It is not about protest. This is about an organisation committing serious criminality.”

Note how even Britain’s top police officer could not bring himself to claim Palestine Action was “an organisation committing terrorism”, which is what the law proclaims. I suspect he knows that, in doing so, he would have exposed the grotesque absurdity of this legislation. Yes, those who have helped drown Gaza in blood have turned the world upside down – treating the opponents of this mass extermination as dangerous, hateful extremists – but words have still not been entirely emptied of their meaning.

This column does not express support for Palestine Action – here’s why

In Britain’s increasingly authoritarian society, any sort of protest can find itself at odds with the law. You might even go to jail, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones

^{Owen Jones (The Guardian)}

In an interview with CNN, former Congressman Dean Phillips was asked whether "there is room" for him and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic Party—but progressive Rep. Summer Lee was among those saying on Thursday that Phillips' rejection of Mamdani wwas really about millions of Americans who have voted for candidates like him.

"These guys aren't just rejecting him, but the millions moved to electoral action by candidates like him," said Lee (D-Pa.) in response to Phillips' interview.

CNN's Omar Jimenez asked Phillips about the "big tent" philosophy often promoted by Democratic leaders who believe the party should welcome lawmakers and candidates who don't agree with every aspect of its platform—politicians like anti-choice Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and former Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who made millions of dollars from his coal business.

Dean Phillips' Attack on Mamdani Is an Attack on 'Millions of Working-Class People,' Progressives Say

"The stated position here is that socialists cannot be part of the Democratic Party," said one commentator. "Does this hold for the socialist voters too?"

^{julia-conley (Common Dreams)}

Pro-Palestinian student protest leader Mahmoud Khalil on Thursday began the process of suing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration for $20 million in damages for the harm he suffered as a result of the government's "politically motivated plan to unlawfully arrest, detain, and deport" him.

"This is the first step towards accountability," Khalil said in a statement. "Nothing can restore the 104 days stolen from me. The trauma, the separation from my wife, the birth of my first child that I was forced to miss. But let's be clear, the same government that targeted me for speaking out is using taxpayer dollars to fund Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza."

"There must be accountability for political retaliation and abuse of power," he asserted. "And I won't stop here. I will continue to pursue justice against everyone who contributed to my unlawful detention or spread lies in an attempt to destroy my reputation, including those affiliated with Columbia University. I'm holding the U.S. government accountable not just for myself, but for everyone they try to silence through fear, exile, or detention."

Mahmoud Khalil to Sue Trump Admin for $20 Million Over 'Unconstitutional' Detention

"There must be accountability for political retaliation and abuse of power," said Khalil. "And I won't stop here."

^{jessica-corbett (Common Dreams)}

Pro-Palestinian student protest leader Mahmoud Khalil on Thursday began the process of suing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration for $20 million in damages for the harm he suffered as a result of the government's "politically motivated plan to unlawfully arrest, detain, and deport" him.

"This is the first step towards accountability," Khalil said in a statement. "Nothing can restore the 104 days stolen from me. The trauma, the separation from my wife, the birth of my first child that I was forced to miss. But let's be clear, the same government that targeted me for speaking out is using taxpayer dollars to fund Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza."

"There must be accountability for political retaliation and abuse of power," he asserted. "And I won't stop here. I will continue to pursue justice against everyone who contributed to my unlawful detention or spread lies in an attempt to destroy my reputation, including those affiliated with Columbia University. I'm holding the U.S. government accountable not just for myself, but for everyone they try to silence through fear, exile, or detention."

Mahmoud Khalil to Sue Trump Admin for $20 Million Over 'Unconstitutional' Detention

"There must be accountability for political retaliation and abuse of power," said Khalil. "And I won't stop here."

^{jessica-corbett (Common Dreams)}

During the 12-day war between the U.S, Israel, and Iran, Western media relied heavily upon a U.S.-based “human rights organization” when it came to counting the dead from Israeli strikes, and classifying them as either civilian or military casualties.

During the conflict, the group published civilian-to-military casualty ratios that consistently suggested impressive precision by Israeli forces, a precision called into question by emerging videos of Israeli strikes on civilian areas. Yet Drop Site could not find a single Western news outlet that disclosed the source of funding.

That organization, according to its own website, is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, which was created by Congress and is funded annually to be an arm of American foreign policy. The organization is called Human Rights Activists in Iran but is based in suburban Virginia.

The AP referred to the group simply as “the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists,” while the BBC called them “a Washington-based human rights organisation that has long tracked Iran.” Time, France 24, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, the Washington Post, and dozens of other outlets relied on HRAI without disclosing its link to the US government.

For Iran Casualty Counts, Western Media Leaned Heavily on U.S.-Funded Iranian Rights Groups

During the 12-day war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, Western media relied heavily upon a U.S.-based “human rights organization” when it came to counting the dead from Israeli strikes, and classifying them as either civilian or military casualtie…

^{Ryan Grim (Drop Site News)}

During the 12-day war between the U.S, Israel, and Iran, Western media relied heavily upon a U.S.-based “human rights organization” when it came to counting the dead from Israeli strikes, and classifying them as either civilian or military casualties.

During the conflict, the group published civilian-to-military casualty ratios that consistently suggested impressive precision by Israeli forces, a precision called into question by emerging videos of Israeli strikes on civilian areas. Yet Drop Site could not find a single Western news outlet that disclosed the source of funding.

The organization is called Human Rights Activists in Iran but is based in suburban Virginia. That organization, according to its own website, is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, which was created by Congress and is funded annually to be an arm of American foreign policy.

The AP referred to the group simply as “the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists,” while the BBC called them “a Washington-based human rights organisation that has long tracked Iran.” Time, France 24, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, the Washington Post, and dozens of other outlets relied on HRAI without disclosing its link to the US government.

For Iran Casualty Counts, Western Media Leaned Heavily on U.S.-Funded Iranian Rights Groups

During the 12-day war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, Western media relied heavily upon a U.S.-based “human rights organization” when it came to counting the dead from Israeli strikes, and classifying them as either civilian or military casualtie…

^{Ryan Grim (Drop Site News)}

New features

• Content server: Add a checkbox in content server user preferences to prevent a user account from changing its own password via the web interface
• Restoring database: Improve performance by an order of magnitude
• Add a tweak to Preferences->Tweaks to permit displaying the sort value for series in the Tag browser
• Welcome wizard: Change default output format to AZW3 for Kindle as MOBI is obsolete and all Kindles released within the last decade plus support AZW3
• Add 'Search "not in"' and 'Filter "not in'" buttons to Manage authors and Manage Items

Bug fixes

• Windows: Fix a regression in the previous release that caused terminal windows to popup momentarily when adding PDF files or converting them
  Closes tickets: 2115246
  
  • E-book viewer: Fix a regression in 8.4 that broke fading of the background image
    Closes tickets: 2115057
  • Tag browser: Fix clicking on categories to search for books by first letter of series not working correctly for non-English language books
    Closes tickets: 2116006
  • Edit metadata individually: Ensure Next/Previous buttons work even if something re-orders the books in the book list. They will now iterate over the books as they were at the time the dialog is created
    Closes tickets: 2115111
  • Windows: Generate catalog: Workaround for systems where a broken antivirus or similar holds open files in the catalog library causing a permission denied error
    Closes tickets: 2115084

  
  

New news sources

• La Presse by quatorze

Improved news sources

• Economist
• 1843
• Financial Times
• PC World
• Muy Interesante Mexico
• Hindu Business Line
• Business Standard
• Hindustan Times
• The Week
• Times of India
• Hindustan
• Financial Times
• Reason