Updated on: October 7, 2026 / 5:42 AM EDT / CBS News
London — The involvement of a small American firm linked to **** ociates of President Trump in an energy project in Bosnia and Herzegovina worth more than $1.5 billion has raised questions about how the White House could be using its leverage in the fragile Balkan state.
U.S. lawmakers accuse the Trump administration of lifting sanctions on Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik in an effort to enrich and empower allies of Mr. Trump, and of undermining longstanding U.S. foreign policy interests in the region in the process.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump was hailed by Dodik after his Serb nationalist party won one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's three presidency seats, which are split between Bosnia's Muslim minority, known as Bosniaks, as well as Serb and Croat ethnic groups under the country's complex power-sharing electoral system.
"If it had not been for Donald Trump's magnificent victory … we would probably be political corpses today," Dodik told supporters in a speech, in which he also thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his support.

#Trump #bosnia #updated

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), antifa and the Muslim Brotherhood will be labeled domestic terrorist organizations under a new state law, after Florida leaders OK'd the designations at their Sept. 29 meeting.
These designations were in a 427-page packet submitted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for approval by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Cabinet members: Attorney General James Uthmeier, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.
The packet also named numerous other groups labeled by the federal government as foreign terrorist organizations.
Although the Governor and Florida Cabinet approved these notices without any discussion, these designations don't come as a surprise. Weeks earlier, the governor and Cabinet approved an emergency rule setting procedures under a new state law (HB 1471) allowing them to designate terror groups.
Additionally, the day this law took effect, DeSantis announced his intentions to declare CAIR, the country's largest Muslim advocacy group, and antifa as domestic terror groups.

#Florida #muslim #governor

To say Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a little outspoken would be like saying the Chernobyl disaster was a minor inconvenience. The four-time MVP isn't afraid to share his opinions, and he let loose in the most recent episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward.
The episode wasted no time getting into Rodgers' thoughts on why he believes he's so polarizing, to which he called out "hypocrisy" in the media.
"Everybody loved hearing my takes on Colin Kaepernick when I said he was one of the top 64 quarterbacks in the league," Rodgers said. "They loved my takes when there was a shooting that occurred years and years ago during Obama's presidency. Somebody yelled out some anti-muslim rhetoric during the moment of silence, which I thought was so disrespectful. And I said after the game, the first thing I said was, 'There's no place for that kind of hate in this world. Regardless of what happened [or] what you think happened.'… I said something about that and President Obama sent me a hand-written note afterward. And everybody loved that part. They enjoyed my takes. Mina Kimes had me to her house for a feature I did. All of these people were my friends in the media. Until I came about against COVID."
It's not exactly disputable that Rodgers gets no benefit of the doubt from the media after being a genuine media favorite for a long time. To tie it back to his vaccination status is probably pretty on point.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

#Media #years #think

Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed suggested that reporters press him about the Israel-Hamas war because of his name and his faith.
Speaking on Detroit Public Radio's "MichMash" podcast, El-Sayed pushed back on host Zach Gorchow's line of questioning about the Israel-Hamas conflict, suggesting that his name and Muslim faith play a role in the media attention surrounding the issue.
"You've been asked many times whether you support a two-state solution regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and you generally say you support equal rights to self-determination for Jewish Israelis and Palestinians," Gorchow said. "Can you tell us, what does that mean?"
Michigan Dem Hopeful Abdul El-sayed Jabs Cnn Giving Him 'Non-consensual Colonoscopy' In Recent Interviews
Michigan U.S. Sen candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, speaks with media after a debate at WoodTV studios on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Mich.

#faith

Four days before the 2024 election, Donald Trump declared in Dearborn, Michigan that "the Muslim population" is "liking Trump." On Election Day, the state's Arab Americans helped deliver Trump a victory.
Now, they want nothing to do with him — and are souring on the GOP overall.
Many Detroit-area Arab Americans, who swung hard to Trump over the war in Gaza and cost-of-living issues, are now saying they're fed up with the ongoing war in Iran and slow peace process in Gaza. It's a shift that could have direct consequences on the battle for Senate control, with former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers fighting to hold onto Trump's 2024 gains against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim whose parents are Egyptian immigrants.
Trump's perceived broken promises — exacerbated by GOP attacks against El-Sayed that some see as Islamophobic and racist — are pushing these voters out of reach for Rogers.
"[Trump] promised to make America great again," said Albert Abbas, who presented a peace prize to Trump during his 2024 Dearborn visit. "Did he do that? Did he put American interests first? It's the complete opposite."

#dearborn #muslim

Aug 30 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urged Muslim countries, particularly those in the Gulf, to unite against what he ‌called their "real enemy" and said divisions among Muslims served the ‌interests of their adversaries.
The message was published on Khamenei's Telegram account for Islamic Unity Week, which marks the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.
It called for Muslim unity, cooperation in various fields and mutual defence, saying anyone who creates divisions among Muslims, "knowingly or unknowingly," helps Islam's enemies.
It asked whether Palestinians would have been left "so ‌helpless" if Muslims had ⁠been united.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since being injured in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes six months ago that launched ⁠the Iran war, killing his father and previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

#supreme

Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos, a World Cup winner known for his fearsome free-kicks, has not converted to Islam, contrary to social media posts claiming he had switched religions. Both Carlos and his wife Souhail Al-Tahiri have refuted the claim in separate interviews since the rumours swirled.
"Brazil's Roberto Carlos is viewed as the greatest defender of all time. He has now converted to Islam," says a Bengali-language Facebook post shared on August 19, 2026.
An attached photo shows the retired World Cup winner sitting next to a woman who has her head covered with a shawl and a man who appears to be a Muslim preacher. They seem to all be looking at papers on a table in front of them.
Bengali-language text beneath the photo says, "Turkish media claims that Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos accepted Islam".
Screenshot of the false post captured on August 26, 2026, with a red X added by AFP

#World

By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday he did not support an upcoming event in his city featuring the leader ‌of the Hindu nationalist group that is the ideological parent of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata ‌Party (BJP).
Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is scheduled to speak at a Manhattan event on Saturday, according to the event's website.
"I don't support the rally, but I don't know if the city has any jurisdiction on cancelling a private event," Mamdani, who is the first Muslim and Indian American mayor of New York City, said when asked if the event should be cancelled.
"The vision of India that I was taught ‌by my family and one that ⁠I grew up being very familiar with was of a pluralistic society of a secular Republic that believed in the belonging of each and every person ⁠who was from India. And it has been incredibly troubling to see the rise of a movement that is predicated on an exclusionary vision."

#Event #support #vision

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed sparked controversy on social media Monday night after comparing Sharia law to Christian canon law during an interview with Fox News anchor Jesse Watters.
"Getting rid of Sharia law is White supremacy?" Watters said to El-Sayed, bringing up past comments from the Michigan candidate opposing a ban on Sharia law and comparing those efforts to White supremacy. "Can you explain that one?"
Sayed responded by comparing Sharia, Islamic law based on religious texts, to Catholic Church law and governance.
"Nobody is trying to push Sharia law on anyone else, just like I hope **** ody is trying to push canon law on anybody else, because we live in an America where you should have the freedom of your religion," El-Sayed said.
Trump Inauguration Pastor Says Dearborn Christians 'Afraid' To Speak Out In Muslim-majority City

#sharia

A new report is warning that networks aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood have become deeply embedded in Canada, raising concerns that Islamist influence taking root north of the border could pose a broader threat to the U.S. and Western democracies.
A report from the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) revealed ties between Muslim Brotherhood-aligned groups and Canadian democratic institutions, civil society, electoral politics and higher education, demonstrating similarities with other activist movements in the West, a phenomenon some ****** ysts have described as the "red-green alliance."
"Canada's challenge is not simply the presence of individual extremist voices or isolated institutional weakness. The report maps how interconnected ideological networks acquire legitimacy, institutional access, public funding, political influence and protection from scrutiny," Charles Asher Small, the research institute's executive director, told Fox News Digital.
Turkey's Nato Role Under Scrutiny Amid New Report On Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood Ties
Protestors carrying Palestinian flags, gathered outside Consulate General of Israel, during a rally organized by Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) Toronto and marched in downtown Toronto.

#ties

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — A court on the Indonesian resort island of Bali sentenced a Swiss tourist on Thursday to one year in prison for insulting a sacred Balinese Hindu observance.
Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, was found guilty of violating Indonesia's new criminal code by posting social media messages about the Day of Silence, when people are required to stay home and are urged to remain silent and meditate.
The Denpasar District Court determined that he posted the messages even after staff at the villa where he was staying informed him of the restrictions.
"What the defendant did offended the Balinese people, hurt their faith and provoked public outrage," said presiding judge Tjokorda Putra Budi Pastima. "The defendant must be held accountable for his actions."
The Day of Silence, locally known as Nyepi, usually falls in March. For a day, the island's world-famous beaches and streets are empty of people except for special patrols meant to ensure silence is observed. The airport in Bali, a predominantly Hindu island in Muslim-majority Indonesia, shuts down and the internet is switched off. The restrictions apply to everyone regardless of religion or nationality.

#hindu

Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher tore into a Democratic congressional candidate in Seattle for abandoning a key liberal cause to better appeal to Muslim sensibilities.
Maher targeted Melissa Chaudhry, a progressive Democrat and self-described "White American convert to Islam" who is challenging longtime Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., in Washington's 9th Congressional District.
"A few weeks ago, a liberal Democrat named Melissa Chaudhry, running for Congress in Seattle, was asked why, among the many progressive causes listed on her website, LGBT rights was conspicuously absent. Because, she said, 'A lot of Muslims do not feel that way, unfortunately,'" he said.
"Is this the progressive policy now?" he asked. "Is Ms. Chaudhry right? We throw gay people under the bus anytime it clashes with what makes Muslims uncomfortable?"
Bill Maher Rips Immigrants Who Refuse To Adapt, Says American Values Are 'Not Negotiable'

#Seattle #melissa #congressional

For the first time in seven years the UFC octagon was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Xfinity Mobile Arena hosted UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry and the fight promotion's return to "The City of Brotherly Love" was triumphant.
The 12-bout fight card was headlined by two world ****** le fights. The main event featured a welterweight ****** le bout between champion Islam Makhahev and No. 2 ranked contender Ian Machado Garry. In the co-main event. women's strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern put her belt on the line against No. 4 ranked Gillian Robertson.
The night of fights played out in front of 19,238 spectators in attendance generating $6,715,776 in gate receipts breaking records.
"We shattered the arena record by two million dollars," UFC CEO Dana White said during the event's post-fight press conference.
"We're in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a Russian Muslim and an Irish kid, and we do a $7 million gate and we shatter the f**king record here. The biggest event that's ever been held here, we beat it by $2 million. It's crazy. Unheard of before," said White. "If you fought in Philly, you'd have to have a guy from Philly in the main event. It's pretty impressive."

#million

The Department of Homeland Security is investigating a nonprofit with connections to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for potentially providing donor funds to a sanctioned Palestinian group, the New York Post reported Friday.
The report says federal authorities are probing the U.K.-based organization known only as PFF, which has a roughly $100 million war chest used to support anti-Israel causes. It also may have contributed donor funds to Al-Haq, a Palestinian group sanctioned by the U.S., the Post reported.
"A new fund set up by Arabs across the US, UK, and Australia has been built to take on Israel," one source familiar with the operation told the Post.
One source who spoke to the Post described one Bassema Yousef as the "lynchpin" for the PFF's fundraising. Born in New York, Yousef is a longtime ally of Mamdani and a prolific Democratic donor, though she now lives in London, according to the Post.
Mamdani's Politics Linked To Muslim Brotherhood Ideology As New York Violence Escalates: Report

#palestinian #Israel #yousef #report

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., **** erted that all Muslim public servants in the U.S. pose a threat to the nation.
"Every single Muslim holding public office in America is a trojan horse, and a threat to both national security and our republic," Mace declared in a Friday post on X. "We refuse to be silent."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., condemned Mace's comments and insisted that Republicans should do so as well.
El-sayed Touts Endorsement From Pastor Who Praised Notorious Antisemite Infamous For Calling Jews 'Termites'
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., speaks to reporters following a briefing by Trump administration officials to members of the House on U.S. strikes on Iran, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2026.

#pramila

ANKARA, Aug 8 (Reuters) - A defence pact signed between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is technically the same as NATO's Article 5 mutual defence agreement, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said ‌on Saturday, adding the accord was not targeting Iran.
Fidan also said Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan ‌wanted to see the alliance expand, and that Egypt was a potential candidate to join, among others.
The regional powers signed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement" on Friday, wedding Sunni Muslim U.S. allies alarmed at a regional conflagration that has brought Iranian missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters.
In a joint statement, they said the accord intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an ‌attack on all.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu ⁠news agency, Fidan said the new alliance was not directed against Iran or any other country, but rather served as a general pledge to support the three allies' ⁠security.

#defence #regional

Aug 9 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery, they said on Sunday, two days after the kingdom signed a defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan in response to growing regional instability from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
The alliance with Sunni Muslim U.S. allies, ‌Turkey and Pakistan, is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three ‌would be regarded as an attack on all.
It was not clear whether or how either Pakistan or Turkey would join in any Saudi response to the latest attacks.
The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea last month, citing what they said was a Saudi siege on them, an allegation Riyadh denies.
The Saudi energy ministry said a fire had broken out at the refinery but was later extinguished with no injuries and authorities were dealing with the incident, without giving a cause.

#Iran #refinery

FIRST ON FOX: GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed's campaign has collected more than $115,000 from individuals who work for or have held leadership roles with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and formally designated or labeled as such in Florida and Texas.
A Fox News Digital review found that El-Sayed, who has made getting "money out of politics" a central campaign rallying cry, has accepted donations from at least 41 individuals who either work for CAIR, formerly worked for CAIR, or have served in leadership positions with the organization.
The donor list includes several of CAIR's highest-ranking officials, including national Board Chair Manal Fakhoury, national Board Treasurer Eyas Abdeen, national Vice Chair Emad Sabbah, and CAIR-Michigan board member Jukaku Tayeb, El-Sayed's father-in-law.
Tayeb has been one of the largest financial backers of the super PAC supporting El-Sayed's campaign and is also part of the founding committee of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a group linked to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood funding, Washington Free Beacon first reported.
Dems Clash Over Aipac Money, 'Ogre' Attack And Electability During Crucial Senate Debate

#michigan #islamic #first

June's NBA Finals should remind us of excellence, discipline and the way sports can lift the human spirit. Instead, Stephen Curry's partnership with apparel company Li-Ning points in the other direction. It binds one of America's most admired athletes to a Chinese company already under serious scrutiny for forced labor. **** ody can pretend the moral cost of doing business with Communist China is a mystery anymore.
What makes this so disappointing is that Curry is not simply a gifted player: He is a global figure whose public standing rests on more than championships. It rests on judgment, character and the sense that he takes serious things seriously. When a man like that signs a reported 10-year, $400 million deal with Li-Ning, he is not just changing brands. He is lending his good name to a company shadowed by one of the great human rights scandals of our time.
Sports at their best can do something rare. They can take fame, which is often fleeting and shallow, and turn it toward service. They can show that athletic greatness and moral witness do not have to live in separate worlds. That is why decisions like this matter. The larger the platform, the larger the responsibility.
Curry's decision is so troubling because it places the honor attached to athletic excellence beside a system of coercion. The U.S. Department of Labor states that since 2016 the Chinese Communist Party has subjected Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang "to genocide, state-imposed forced labor, and crimes against humanity." It describes labor transfers, surveillance, indoctrination and coercive factory work as part of a broad machinery of control.
These are not careless accusations. They are specific charges documented by the U.S. government and corroborated by international investigators.

#ning #communist #excellence #human

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is live THIS MORNING (Sat., Aug. 1, 2026) with UFC Belgrade, streaming live online via Paramount+. The event happens inside Beogradska Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. This is the promotion's first-ever trip to the Balkans. Uros Medic vs. Daniel Rodriguez serves as our main event today.
Medic — from nearby Novi Sad, Serbia — gets his first UFC main event slot here. He's earned it with blistering finishes over Geoff Neal (see that here), Muslim Salikhov (that one here) and Gilbert Urbina (re-live that here). The combined time of those fights is less than four minutes. Rodriguez, meanwhile, is coming off a grueling win over Kevin Holland; however, he's been held out for sometime because of legal issues (which saw him stuck in a Mexican jail for eight months).
The co-main event is Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling. Blachowicz was scheduled to face Bogdan Guskov, before Guskov was needed in Abi Dhabi last weekend. Stirling comes in on short notice, just a month removed from his win over Ion Cutelaba.
The rest of the main card is a "Balkans vs. The World" theme with Aleksandar Rakic vs. Marcin Tybura, Dusko Todorovic vs. Robert Valentin, Vlasto Cepo vs. Gilbert Urbina and Milos Janicic vs. Noah Gugnon.
The "Prelims" are headlined by Ludovit Klein vs. Tofiq Musayev. Mateusz Rebecki (a walking "Fight of the Night") also makes an appearance. He's facing Kyle Prepolec. Other notable fights on the undercard include Oban Elliott vs. Michael Oliveira and Bogdan Grad vs. Dennis Buzukja.

#gilbert

Actor James Woods said he is worried the recent "Muslim invasion" of the USA will be the point where historians look back and say the country took a nosedive into ****** .
He shared his concern about the rise of Islam during a Monday interview on right-wing pundit Benny Johnson's show.
Woods — one of the few outspoken conservatives in Hollywood — said he believed the election of democratic socialist and Muslim Zohran Mamdani (D) as New York City's mayor was "the most dangerous event" in modern American history. He said it signaled the downfall of the nation.
"Look, I think America is the greatest human endeavor in the history of humankind. I think it's in terrible trouble. I mean, the city where the World Trade Center and the people in it were slaughtered and destroyed, how you could ever allow this Muslim invasion and cancer?" Woods asked.
"And they say, 'What are you, prejudiced?' Well, yes. I'm sorry to say it," he continued.

#look #history #james

SubwayTakes creator Kareem Rahma and his longtime partner Karina Muslimova are married
The pair tied the knot on the rooftop at the Nine Orchard hotel in the city, after unrest in Cairo forced them to abandon their original plan
The pair were surrounded by friends and family during their ceremony, including their daughter, Sufi, whom they welcomed in 2024
SubwayTakes creator Kareem Rahma and writer and artist Karina Muslimova are married!

The popular social media creator, known for his viral interview series that takes place on New York City subways, tied the knot with his longtime love in a New York City wedding ceremony on June 27, after first meeting on Hinge in 2021, per Vogue.

Together, the pair share a daughter, Sufi, whom they welcomed in 2024. It was on a trip to Puerto Rico during the family's first Mother's Day with their daughter that Rahma asked Muslimova to marry him — though the couple was initially unsure if they wanted to get married traditionally at all.

"At the beginning of our relationship, we weren't even sure we wanted one. We used to joke that, in a world full of husbands and wives, we'd still be calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend well into our 80s," Muslimova told the outlet.
Karina Muslimova and Kareem Rahma.
Credit: Hannah Turner Harts/BFA.com/Shutterstock

#married #subwaytakes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who as ruler of Qatar transformed the tiny Persian Gulf nation into a global player in diplomacy, media and investment, and then shattered tradition by voluntarily turning over power to his son, has died, state media reported. He was 74.
The state-run Qatar News Agency reported his death. It offered no cause.
Sheikh Hamad, who stepped down in June 2013 after 18 years as emir, was the architect of energy-rich Qatar's stunning ambitions that turned it from a backwater into an international crossroads in less than a generation. Qatar owns the Harrod's department store in London and founded the powerful Al Jazeera satellite news network.
Qatar's political reach today stretches from North Africa to Afghanistan and it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the world's most-watched soccer event. Sheikh Hamad, though long out of power, received thunderous applause from Qataris attending its opening match.
But Qatar's rise under Sheikh Hamad also rankled regional and Western allies with its independent-minded policymaking, including its close ties to Shiite powerhouse Iran, the Palestinian militant Hamas group and Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - A self-identified white supremacist in Pennsylvania was indicted by a federal grand jury after he threatened violence ‌against a member of Congress, Muslims, transgender people and Democrats, the ‌Department of Justice said on Friday.
Here are the details:
• The 12-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh named Robert Hlovchiec, 32, as the sole defendant, the DOJ said in a statement, which did not identify the member of Congress.
• Between February and March, Hlovchiec posted comments to YouTube videos where he threatened violence against the member ‌of Congress, Democrats and ⁠liberals, transgender people, and various minority groups like Muslims, the DOJ said.

Mohamed Salah's World Cup run has unfortunately ended, despite a strong and historic showing by the Egyptian national team. Questions, naturally, have now turned to where Salah might end up.
It has been **** umed for several years that Saudi Arabia could be a destination for the player, but that always seemed based more on the fact that Salah is Muslim, not on his personal preferences. And as of this writing, no serious links to Cristiano Ronaldo's the Saudi league have emerged.
However, an interesting link has emerged at the MLS (Meuropean Lretirement Sleague).
The Athletic reports:
Sporting Kansas City has emerged as the top suitor for Mohamed Salah in MLS.

Four months after he was killed at the outset of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is being memorialized in a weeklong funeral spectacle stretching across five cities in two countries, with millions of mourners expected to attend.
Despite a costly war against two of the world's strongest militaries and decades of crushing economic hardship, Tehran is sparing no expense to send off Khamenei in a grand ceremony shrouded in religious symbolism that overlaps with the 250th US Independence Day celebrations.
Authorities say they've launched one of the largest logistical efforts in the Islamic Republic's history, mobilizing government employees, universities, labor unions, firefighters, soldiers, aid workers and even religious "mourning groups" to organize the funeral and manage the millions of "pilgrims" expected to travel to cities and holy sites across Iran and Iraq to bid the ayatollah farewell. Authorities in neighboring Iraq, where Shiite Muslims are a majority, say millions of mourners are expected to pay respects.
For more than ten days, the overwhelming coverage across Iranian media has been building up to this moment, with tribute songs and documentaries on Khamenei's life overtaking news of talks with the US that had previously dominated headlines. The scale of the spectacle is designed to send a message to the world and to the Islamic Republic's enemies: The regime not only survived an existential war, but will stubbornly immortalize its slain leader as a symbol of its resilience.
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The headquarters of the Bangladesh Surf Girls and Boys Club is a weather-beaten white shack but, like the seemingly endless beach on which it sits, its members' ambitions stretch far.
For Mohammad Mannan, 25, and Fatima Akhter, 16, their thoughts are fixed on the upcoming surfing competition at the Asian Games, to be held in ***** an from September 19 to October 4.
The surfers from ***** 's Bazar -- one of the world's longest beaches that stretches for 120 kilometres (75 miles) along the Bay of Bengal -- are hoping to carve out a place for the sport in a country obsessed with cricket and football.
"The moment I step onto the board, I forget everything else," said Akhter, who has had to overcome intense stigma in the Muslim-majority nation to succeed as a teenage girl riding her board.
"When I successfully ride a wave, I feel happy and fulfilled," she said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, announced on Wednesday the state's intention to use a new state law to designate dozens of groups as terrorist organizations, a move that would still require approval by the Florida Cabinet, prompting legal objections from at least one of the groups.
HB 1471 was signed into law earlier this year and went into effect on Wednesday.
The governor said the state plans to implement its new statutory authority to "identify, designate, and combat terrorist organizations operating in Florida" in the first use of powers established under the legislation.
Florida officials plan to designate more than 90 groups as terrorist organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations the Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa, though the proposed designations must be approved by the governor and Cabinet before they are finalized under the statute.
Florida's Cair Threatens Lawsuit Against Desantis After He Labels Group A 'Foreign Terrorist' Organization

The New York Knicks just had a historic win at the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, but there's a certain phrase that's become the unofficial rallying cry for the team and New York City in recent weeks.
The catchphrase, "My Mayor Muslim, My Bagels Jewish, My Christian Dior, Knicks in Four," emerged from a viral street interview conducted during the playoffs, delivered by 23-year-old MD Ahnaf Hossain following the New York Knicks' victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the opening game of the series near the beginning of June 2026.
Since then, it's spread online due to the memorable cadence and distinctly New York references packed into the statement, and in the days following the video's release, it's evolved into a motto for Knicks fans and city residents alike, inspiring memes, social media references and merchandise.
So, in case you're lost on the references it uses or curious to know more about where it comes from, we've got you covered in this guide on the viral "Knicks in 4" meme.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani shared his reaction to the viral rhyme that starts “My mayor’s Muslim, my bagel’s Jewish” and celebrates the New York Knicks ending their 53-year NBA championship drought.
Mamdani, 34, was asked about the viral rhyme Sunday morning during an interview with MS Now’s Jacob Soboroff, hours after the Knicks overcame a 16-point deficit in game five of the NBA Finals, sealing their victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Soboroff played the viral clip of MD Ahnaf Hossain, the originator of the rhyme, exclaiming: “My mayor’s still Muslim, my bagel’s still Jewish, even the Pope’s on our side, Knicks in five!”
“He is a New Yorker whose words have really stayed with all of us,” Mamdani, who was wearing a Knicks jersey over his dress shirt and tie, said with a chuckle. “And thanks to him, there are a lot of people who have just been running up to me over the last few weeks just shouting, ‘My mayor’s Muslim!’ I said, ‘It’s true. I am.’”
The viral fan chant, which originated as “My mayor’s Muslim, my bagel’s Jewish, my Christian Dior, Knicks in four,” took on new life — and became something of a mantra in the Big Apple — as New Yorkers shouted out their hometown pride and stood united ahead of Game 5 Saturday night.