Iran 'ready to share' war capabilities with SCO

 Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Reza Talaei-Nik said on Tuesday that Tehran is ready to share its defensive military capabilities with "independent countries," including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). In addition to Iran, the organization includes China, Russia, India, Belarus, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Talaei-Nik made the remarks while attending an SCO meeting in Kyrgyzstan. "We are ready to share our experiences in defeating America with other members of the organization," he affirmed, according to Iranian media.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iran-'ready-to-share'-war-capabilities-with-SCO/66162512

Rubio casts Iran’s latest pitch as a tactic to 'buy time'

  

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s nuclear ambitions remain the central issue in any negotiations, responding to Tehran’s latest reported proposal to postpone nuclear talks in exchange for ending the blockade and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that at some point in the future, if this radical clerical regime remains in charge in Iran, they will decide they want a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News.

He said Iranian negotiators were likely trying to buy time and warned Washington must ensure that any agreement “definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point.”

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202604194357

Iran’s unused oil storage may last 22 days or less - Bloomberg

 

Iran’s unused onshore oil storage capacity may last 22 days or less at current production rates as the US blockade constrains exports, according to data cited by Kpler.

The shrinking storage window increases the risk that Tehran may soon be forced to make deeper production cuts.

Analysts warn prolonged cuts could damage reservoir pressure in mature oil fields and reduce long-term recovery rates.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202604194357

Mamdani begs lawmakers to allow him to miss NYC budget deadline

 Mayor Zohran Mamdani is pleading with the City Council to sign off on a budget extension — as the freshman city leader scrambles to try to milk Albany for more money with his wish list of new taxes DOA, The Post has learned.

Sources said Speaker Julie Menin — who has been a check on the mayor’s bloated budget spending — agreed to the request, with the caveat of the socialist mayor agreeing to find savings to fill the nearly $6 billion gap.

Hizzoner requested the delay from the council with hopes that Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state lawmakers will help reduce the financial strain on the Big Apple by pausing mandates that set maximum class sizes and redirecting some state funds, according to sources briefed on the talks.

Menin has found common ground with Mamdani on those issues, quietly pushing Albany behind closed doors to redirect more money to the city and easing the financial burden of the state requirements.

Mamdani and Menin also found common ground on a pass-through entity tax credit that could raise $1 billion annually, and both will push Albany to approve, sources said.

The Council speaker and Hochul have been in near lockstep during the budget dance, demanding that City Hall find savings in the massive $127 billion budget and shooting down calls for increasing income and corporate taxes.

Insiders said the governor’s pitch for a pied-à-terre tax, an added levy on high-end second homes expected to bring in $300 to $500 million annually, was offered as an olive branch so he could spin it as a victory in his “Tax the Rich” agenda.

She also already gave Mamdani an early windfall with funding to the tune of $1.5 billion to create a pilot program for 2K and early childcare services.

The City Council, which released its own budget last month with no taxes, will still have to vote to allow Mamdani to miss his May 1 deadline.

That vote is slated for Thursday.

Up north, Albany lawmakers approved another extender on Monday for the state budget, which was 27 days late.

When Mamdani rolled out his initial budget, the socialist mayor tried to force Hochul’s hand to increase taxes on the state’s highest earners by threatening New Yorkers with a nearly 10% property tax bump to fill the $5.4 billion gap if she didn’t come through.

But the gov has repeatedly shut down that idea.

The political gambit is identical to the 2014 negotiations — the last time the executive budget was late — when then-Mayor Bill de Blasio made a failed attempt to “Tax the Rich” while Andrew Cuomo was governor.

De Blasio also threatened property owners with a tax increase during those budget negotiations, but ended up finding a way to balance his executive budget without the hike or additional revenue from the state.

At the time, Mamdani’s first deputy mayor, Dean Fuleihan, was Blaz’s budget director.

City Hall has also floated drawing down the Big Apple’s savings account, pulling from other funds and even delaying pension payments.

The plan to burn through its savings triggered the four big credit agencies to sound the alarm with investors, with three warning it would downgrade the city’s bond rating.

A downgrade would affect the city’s borrowing power and ability to refinance outstanding loans, costing taxpayers millions of dollars each year.

A source with knowledge said there is expected to be an announcement by Mamdani on Tuesday.

https://nypost.com/2026/04/27/us-news/mayor-mamdani-to-delay-budget-release-asks-council-for-extension-sources/

SEC Issues Warning For US Investors On Phishing, Smishing, & Vishing Scams

 by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) warned investors recently that fraudsters use phishing, smishing, and vishing scams to attempt to compromise their financial, investment, or personal accounts.

“Phishing, smishing, and vishing are types of scams where a fraudster tries to trick you into providing sensitive personal or financial information by posing as an entity you know or trust, such as an investment firm, bank, or some other personal service that you use,” the SEC said in an April 23 alert.

Once a malicious actor gets the personal information of a target, such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, ATM PINs, and driver’s licenses, they can use this to access the target’s accounts

“The main difference between these ‘-ishing’ scams is the method the fraudster uses to try to steal your information or carry out other attacks.”

Phishing involves the use of email to contact a target, tricking them into providing personal or financial information. This is done by urging the target to reply to the mail, clicking on a link to a website mimicking a legitimate platform, or opening an attachment, which downloads malware into their systems.

Fraudsters can use names of real people, companies, or government agencies to make the message sound authentic. The email address they use may contain the name of a company or government agency. The emails could also contain official-looking fine print, legal references, along with graphics and logos.

Such emails typically invoke urgency to solicit information. For instance, the hackers may claim the target’s bank account or other types of accounts will be closed if it’s not updated with certain information. Some fraudsters can claim problems with account or payment information, while others entice through monetary schemes such as prize money.

Smishing and vishing are similar to phishing. Smishing involves fraud via texts or direct messages, while vishing involves the fraudsters contacting targets via phone calls.

In its 2025 Internet Crime Report, the FBI listed phishing as a major financial crime type for the year.

The agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 1 million complaints in total from people who were defrauded out of their money.

Last year, phishing/spoofing was the top crime type reported to IC3, which received 191,561 complaints. Phishing and spoofing resulted in more than $215 million in losses to the complainants.

In the recent alert, the SEC said that its efforts to warn investors about phishing, smishing, and vishing were in accordance with a March 6 executive order signed by President Donald Trump, “Combating Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens.”

The order defined cybercrime and predatory schemes as activities involving phishing scams, ransomware and malware attacks, sextortion, financial fraud, and impersonation. It called on officials to determine how regulatory, operational, technical, and diplomatic tools can be improved to counter transnational criminal organizations behind cybercrimes.

In a March 6 Fact Sheet, the White House said, “In 2024, American consumers reported losing more than $12.5 billion to cyber-enabled fraud, with seniors on average losing the most.”

“[Seventy-three] percent of U.S. adults have experienced some kind of online scam or attack, and 87 percent of seniors view online scams and attacks as a major problem.”

Protecting Accounts

In another April 23 alert, the SEC advised people to protect their online investment accounts from fraud by using strong passwords, changing passwords regularly, using two-step verification, turning on account alerts, adding biometric safeguards, and avoiding using public computers to access accounts.

SEC asked investors to use caution when using public Wi-Fi connections.

“If you access your account on a public wireless connection, such as at a coffee shop or airport, you should use extra caution. It is very easy to ‘eavesdrop’ on internet traffic, including passwords and other sensitive data, on a public wireless network.”

The agency advised investors in a separate alert on April 23 to contact their investment company immediately if they think their account has been compromised.

Plus, investors should regularly monitor investment accounts for any suspicious activity. “Look out for any changes to your account information that you do not recognize (e.g., a change to your address, phone number, e-mail address, account number, or external banking information),” the SEC said.

“You should also confirm that you authorized all of the transactions that appear in your account statements and trade confirmations.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/sec-issues-warning-us-investors-phishing-smishing-vishing-scams

The Moral Malaise: The New York Times Makes The Case For "Microlooting" To Murder

 by Jonathan Turley,

“It is so hard to live ethically in an unethical society.” That lament heard this week from New York Times opinion culture editor Nadja Spiegelman could well be the Democratic Party’s epitaph.

Spiegelman was interviewing two left-wing influencers about how everything from shoplifting to murder may be excusable today in light of the unfairness they see in society.

The podcast, a product of the nation’s newspaper of record, reveled in the moral relativism that has taken over the American left. It featured the ravings of the antisemitic Marxist streamer Hasan Piker, who calmly explained how the murder of United Healthcare executive Brian Thompson was perfectly understandable. His rationalization came from Marxist revolutionary Friedrich Engels, who had called capitalism “social murder.” If capitalists are “social murderers,” then why not kill them? The logic is liberating and lethal for some on the left looking for a license for violence.

Mind you, this same newspaper had once condemned and effectively banned a U.S. senator for writing an op-ed advocating the use of the military to quell violent protests during the summer of George Floyd’s death. The Times even forced out its own opinion editor for having the temerity to publish such an opinion.

But glorifying murder? The suggestion of open hunting season on corporate executives did not appear to shock or repel Spiegelman. After all, we are living in “an unethical society.” She explained that many felt that the murder of Thompson, the father of two, meant that “finally, someone can actually do something about health care.”

Even liberal comedians are practicing a literal version of slapstick. Margaret Cho this week declared that “we need a feral, bloodthirsty, violent Democrat.”

To be fair, Spiegelman did concede that it might seem a bit “scary” for some to start murdering our way to social justice.

She also explained that shoplifting can be justifiable because people are “stealing from Whole Foods — not just for the thrill of it, but out of a feeling of anger and moral justification.”

New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino also contributed to the podcast, titled “The Rich Don’t Play by the Rules. So Why Should I?” She immediately threw in her own experience with “microlooting” and explained why it is arguably moral: “I have, under very specific circumstances. I will say, I think that stealing from a big-box store [isn’t] significant as a moral wrong, nor is it significant in any way as protest.”

She detailed her own past thefts and added, “I didn’t feel bad about it at all, in part because the store was a corporation. And it certainly felt, in a utilitarian sense, I was like, this is not a big deal. Right, guys?”

Not in the confines of the New York Times, where apparently you are entitled to all goods that are fit to pilfer.

The bizarre exchange highlighted the moral chasm that is opening its maw on today’s political left. In my book “Rage and the Republic,” I write about how rage helps people excuse any offense or attack. It dismisses the humanity of others and provides a license to hate completely and without reservation.

It is not really murder or theft if there are no real humans on the other side, is it?

Other columnists have defended such property crimes. Washington Post writer Maura Judkis ran a column mocking shoplifting stories as the “moral panic” of a nation built on “stolen land.” It is reminiscent of those who excused rioting in past summers “as an expression of power” and demanded that the media refer to looters as “protesters.”

Former New York Times writer (and now Howard University Journalism Professor) Nikole Hannah-Jones went so far as to call on journalists not to cover shoplifting crimes.

At its core, it is a denial of transcendent values and rights. It is a decoupling of our society from a grounding in moral or universal truths. It is a trend that extends not only to attacks on individuals but also to attacks on our constitutional system. There is a growing denial of our founding based on Enlightenment principles of natural rights, which come not from government but from God.

Some people seem to have forgotten this. In 2024, a celebrated political journalist memorably asserted that belief in God-given rights is a form of “Christian nationalism” — an odd claim about a concept the nation’s founders literally wrote into our Declaration of Independence.

Last year, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) — a man who represents Thomas Jefferson’s own state — attacked a witness in committee for espousing Jefferson’s immortal assertion that human beings’ natural rights are endowed by their Creator. Kaine disparaged this idea as something worthy of Iran’s mullahs.

The result is the type of moral free-fall and rejection of personal responsibility expressed on the New York Times podcast. Simply because they condemn our entire age as unethical, they feel justified in asserting a moral right to commit any offense, from microlooting to murder. This underpins the increasingly frequent justifications made for attacks against conservatives or law enforcement as a form of “defending democracy.”

Yet the feeling of “anger and moral justification” does not make an act moral. It is the morality of mayhem; a spreading decay within our society. History has shown us how democracies can become mobocracies.

During the French Revolution, journalist Jacques Mallet du Pan observed that “like Saturn, the Revolution devours its children.” The sad fact is, it is not just the danger of fellow revolutionaries deciding that you are the next reactionary to be guillotined. It is the self-consumption of radicals who untether themselves from any higher order or purpose. It is the knowledge that all mortals carry the Saturn gene; all mortals share the capacity to become monsters.

Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/moral-malaise-new-york-times-makes-case-microlooting-murder

U.S. official says Trump is unhappy with Iranian proposal

A US official said on Monday that President Donald Trump is unhappy with an Iranian proposal because it did not address Iran's nuclear programme.

"He doesn't love the proposal," the US official said, referring to Trump.

Earlier in the day, Trump discussed the proposal with his top national security aides. The US-Iran conflict remains in a stalemate with energy supplies from the region reduced.

Iranian sources earlier on Monday said the proposal would set ‌aside discussion of Iran's nuclear programme until the war has ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved. Washington has said nuclear issues must be dealt with from the outset.

Work to bridge gaps between the US and Iran has not halted, sources from mediator Pakistan have said.

But hopes of reviving peace efforts have receded since Trump announced this weekend he had scrapped a visit ⁠by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/801520