Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

The State Department is directing some managers to go back and revise recently submitted annual performance evaluations to give employees lower scores — a model for changes that may soon impact federal employees governmentwide, according to conversations with department employees and emails obtained by Federal News Network. A performance management reform team within the State Department’s human resources office said in an email Wednesday that it is asking managers to “review and recalibrate” employee performance reviews that are due later this month. The department recently released a new Employee Evaluation Report (EER), the form the Foreign Services uses for annual…

Francis Ngannou was surprised when he heard Jon Jones will be providing analysis for the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event, but he believes it’s a good thing. Ngannou will be competing on Saturday’s card headlined by Rousey vs. Carano inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. “The Predator” is scheduled to clash with former UFC, PFL, and Bellator veteran Philipe Lins. It’ll be Ngannou’s first MMA bout since he starched Renan Ferreira back in Oct. 2024. Most Valuable Promotions recently announced broadcast plans for Saturday’s event. Jones’ name was revealed, as the UFC legend will be giving his assessments of…

Some time ago, there was an interaction on social media that revolved around a video about aikido history. After reading the comments, I was left feeling unsettled; I was disappointed and frustrated by how the online exchange unfolded. However, before explaining what happened, it may be best to come to terms with the idea, definition or the label, of what is a “martial arts historian.” At its most basic level, a historian looks for change over time – how something has shifted from the past to the present – then bridging the gap. But that is only the surface. A…

Iran Press TV Thursday, 14 May 2026 6:53 AM Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has described Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “monster” and a disgrace to humanity for patronizing and promoting rape of Palestinian detainees. In his interview with CBS News earlier this week, Netanyahu accused Pakistan of running a coordinated anti-Israel campaign to damage ties between the United States and Israel, alleging that Islamabad also provided refuge to Iranian military planes to shield them from US-Israeli attacks. In reaction to the accusation against Islamabad, Asif lambasted Netanyahu for his appalling crimes, including patronizing and promoting rape…

LAOAG, Philippines — A Japanese anti-ship missile smashed into and sunk a decommissioned Philippine naval vessel afloat in the South China Sea, headlining a culminating event of Exercise Balikatan 2026.This missile firing of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Type 88 surface-to-ship system from sand dunes near Laoag in northwest Luzon on May 6 was significant for several reasons.Firstly, this was the maiden deployment of Japanese combat troops on Philippine soil since the end of World War II. Abetted by a reciprocal access agreement ratified by Manila and Tokyo on Sep. 11, 2025, approximately 1,400 Japanese soldiers exercised in the Philippines.Secondly,…

The U.S. Navy’s Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) regarding shipbuilding for fiscal years 2027-2031 contains massive investments into the U.S. Navy’s submarine force, with new details provided around what the U.S. subsurface fleet could look like in the future. Earmarked funding for submarines totals out to $124.9 billion dollars for FY 27-31, presenting a massive leap in investment in the U.S.’s stated submarine plans. The FYDP doles out $62 billion dollars for the procurement of 5 Columbia-class (SSBN-826) Nuclear Ballistic Submarines (SSBNs), with one hull procured every fiscal year. Subsequently, the remaining $62.9 billion for the 5 year period will…

The People’s Republic of China was founded in opposition to empire. The Chinese Communist Party built its identity on anti-imperialism, presenting itself as the vanguard of a global struggle against Western domination. Chinese leader Mao Zedong saw the Bolshevik Revolution as the opening act of that struggle, and after the communist victory and the creation of the People’s Republic in 1949, Beijing elevated “noninterference” to become a core principle of its foreign policy. The concept became a powerful diplomatic instrument, helping China position itself as a champion of postcolonial sovereignty and win support across the global South.Yet even at its…

KYIV, Ukraine — The U.S. State Department and Ukraine’s ambassador in Washington have outlined a memorandum that would route Ukrainian drone technology into joint ventures on American soil in an attempt to inject Kyiv’s combat experience into the military’s equipment supply chains.The draft agreement would open a legal channel for Kyiv to sell its weapons to the U.S. for the first time since it effectively banned arms exports to maintain its own forces at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, CBS News first reported.The memorandum, drawn between the State Department and Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishyna, would integrate Ukrainian…

LONDON, U.K. – Team LionStrike—the strategic collaboration between GM Defence, BAE Systems, and NP Aerospace formed to strengthen the operational readiness of the British Armed Forces with safer, more capable, and cost-effective light utility and tactical vehicles—announced today that its proposal to the U.K. Ministry of Defence for the Land Mobility Programme will now include the Chevrolet Silverado HD – one of the most high-performing vehicles ever built by General Motors. The Silverado HD will be shown today at Team LionStrike’s “From Proven Heritage to Present Power” event at the prestigious Royal Hospital Chelsea. Equipped with a 6.6-litre Duramax turbodiesel V8…

Inflection Points Today May 13, 2026 Print this page By Frederick Kempe The most dangerous misunderstanding between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their summit is that both use the same word, “stability,” to achieve dramatically different futures. Advancing stability, a senior US official involved in the planning for the summit told me, is the loftiest American goal for the meeting, irrespective of any specific deliverables. The official defined stability as a low but durable floor beneath the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship. For the Trump team, stability means preventing a descent into unwanted confrontation…