10,000+ Iranians Killed inside Prisons by the Guards

         (Staff post from the MSN on 27 January 2026.)

Activists have claimed that Iranian protesters captured by the regime's security forces are being executed by prison guards, who then say they died amid the brutal crackdown on mass riots. Kimia Alizadeh, an Iranian-born Olympic athlete, took to social media to share what she claims was a harrowing account of the regime's actions.

According to a Tehran-based lawyer who spoke to her, civilians who were arrested for taking part in the mass protests against the regime from late December to mid-January are being executed. Their deaths are being 'registered as "killed on previous days" by prison guards.'

The lawyer purportedly told the athlete: 'There is no trial. There is no investigation. The coroner confirms the death for the past few days. 'Our hearts and eyes burn with blood, mourning, and anger.' Protests in Iran erupted in late December following the fall in value of the country's currency.

With the nation already in years-long economic turmoil - caused by mismanagement of the country's finances, major sanctions from the UN, US and EU, and America's joint military operation with Israel to take out Iran's nuclear capabilities - the fall in value of the Iranian rial left the country's citizens furious. Protests began in Tehran and quickly spread across the country. In response, the regime harshly cracked down on them.

Coup Foiled in China: Xi Purges All Top Generals!

(Noor Quarashi’s post from the DAILY MAIL UK on 25 January 2026.)

President Xi's military purge claims biggest victim as he removes China's top general and takes total charge of armed forces - fuelling fresh uncertainty over invading Taiwan: President Xi has achieved total control of China's armed forces after removing a top general over alleged 'violations of discipline and law'.

Zhang Youxia is the latest high-ranking figure subjected to Xi Jinping's long-running purge of military officials. The move is said to have fuelled fresh uncertainty over the country's invasion of Taiwan amid doubts Mr Xi could pull off the contingency with 'no senior leaders in charge'.

Gen Zhang, the operational leader of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had survived several round of removals and was previously thought safe in his role as a close childhood friend of the president. The 75-year-old, who is a member of the ruling politburo, is also one of the only Chinese military commanders with combat experience - having fought in the 1979 Vietnam war.

US copied Iran's Shahed Kamikaze drones

(Anika Burgess’s post from the ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA on 24 January 2026.)

The US developed its own version of Iran's Shahed attack drones called the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System. Russia's version of Iran's fast, cheap Shahed attack drones have been wreaking havoc during the Ukraine conflict, saturating the skies nearly every night and terrorising civilians.

Highly adaptive and hard to intercept, the United States witnessed how the long-range exploding drones profoundly reshaped the Ukraine war. So they got hold of one and reverse-engineered it. The Pentagon did not attempt to hide that its new Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drone was based on the Iranian Shahed-136 when it was unveiled last year.

The US Air Force had released a request for information seeking to develop "a 1:1 copy" of the so-called kamikaze drone. US officials even told CNN and defence publication The War Zone that a LUCAS squadron was deployed to the Middle East in December "to flip the script on Iran".

Why Does Trump Want Ice-Covered Greenland?

(James FitzGerald’s post from the BBC NEWS UK on 22 January 2026.)

Why does Trump want Greenland and what could it mean for Nato and the EU? US President Donald Trump has said he is seeking "immediate negotiations" to acquire Greenland for national security reasons - and insisted he "won't use force".

His repeated demands to take control of the territory have been rejected by Greenland's leaders, and by Nato member Denmark, of which the island is a semi-autonomous territory. This has led to a wider diplomatic row, with Trump initially threatening additional trade tariffs against a number of European allies for opposing his plans.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said he had dropped the proposed tariffs after forming "the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland" following talks with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Everlasting Empire: Trump USA's Donroe Doctrine

(Staff post from the WIKIPEDIA’s DONROE DOCTRINE in January 2026.)

The Donroe Doctrine, alternatively styled as the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, refers to principles of President Donald Trump's foreign policy in the Americas. An adaption of the historical Monroe Doctrine, it describes a perceived desire by the second Trump administration to assert American predominance in the Western Hemisphere.

Trump's efforts to rename the Gulf of Mexico, acquire Canada, the Panama Canal and Greenland as well as pursuing military action against Venezuela have all been cited as part of a Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. Additionally, Trump's "America First" agenda and skepticism of multilateralism has contributed to a view that the U.S. is focusing on its own hemisphere at the expense of traditional alliances, such as NATO.

Following U.S. strikes in Venezuela, Trump himself referred to "the Donroe Doctrine", stating that "American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again". While supporters see the doctrine as restoring American primacy and combatting the influence of China and Russia in the region, critics have suggested that it could set a precedent for illiberal regimes to violate the rule of law and pursue territorial expansion.

Sino-Burmese Wars (1765-1769)

      (Aron Plamondon’s post from the EBSCO in 2023.)

The Burmese-Chinese Wars were a series of military conflicts primarily between the Burmese kingdoms and the Chinese Ming Dynasty, spanning from the mid-15th to the late 18th centuries.

These wars were largely influenced by the complex relationship between the Tai peoples, including the Shans of Burma, and the Chinese, who sought to assert control over the region, particularly the strategic Irrawaddy waterway.

The first significant conflict began in 1438, driven by the ambitions of a Maw Shan chieftain, Thonganbwa, which led to a protracted struggle for dominance. Throughout the following decades, the wars involved numerous battles, shifting allegiances, and periods of both conflict and uneasy peace.

Notably, the conflict in the 1760s was sparked by Burmese incursions into Shan territories, prompting Chinese military responses that ultimately ended in failure. The conclusion of the last major conflict in 1769 resulted in the Kuangton Treaty, which fostered a temporary restoration of trade and diplomatic exchanges.

Why US will never collapse as the empire?

             (AI Overview from the Google Search on 31 December 2025.)

The United States has not experienced a traditional "collapse" like historical empires due to a combination of unique geographic, economic, and political factors. Unlike empires that relied on ruling over unwilling subjects and remote colonies, the U.S. established a form of global influence often described as a "rules-based international system" or a "benign hegemon".

Key reasons cited for the US's resilience and longevity include: Geographic Security and Resources: The continental U.S. is geographically isolated from powerful adversaries by two large oceans and possesses vast natural resources and a large, fertile landmass. This has largely shielded it from the sort of foreign invasions and constant border wars that contributed to the collapse of past empires like Rome.

Economic Strength: The U.S. has long maintained the world's largest and most diverse economy, supported by a strong internal market and the global dominance of the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency. This financial influence allows it to exert power differently than traditional empires, often through economic means and globalization, rather than direct colonial rule.