Slovenia Introduces Ban on Imports from Israeli-Occupied Territories

 Israeli right-wing activists watch the northern Gaza Strip during a rally calling for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, near the border in southern Israel, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP)
Israeli right-wing activists watch the northern Gaza Strip during a rally calling for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, near the border in southern Israel, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP)
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Slovenia Introduces Ban on Imports from Israeli-Occupied Territories

 Israeli right-wing activists watch the northern Gaza Strip during a rally calling for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, near the border in southern Israel, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP)
Israeli right-wing activists watch the northern Gaza Strip during a rally calling for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, near the border in southern Israel, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (AP)

Slovenia on Wednesday introduced a ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and approved an additional aid package for Palestinians in Gaza, the government said in a statement.

"The government today banned the import of goods originating from settlements in the occupied territories, including a ban on circumventing the ban on these imports," the statement on the government website said.

The statement did not specify whether the ban refers to all goods produced in the territories or just Israeli goods.

The government also instructed the competent ministries to consider banning the export of goods from Slovenia intended for these Israeli-occupied settlements.

"Israeli government's actions, including the construction of illegal settlements, expropriations, the forced displacement of the Palestinian population, the destruction of their homes...constitute serious and repeated violations of international humanitarian law," Prime Minister Robert Golob said in statement quoted by the STA news agency.

"These actions not only threaten the lives and dignity of the Palestinian population, but also the foundations of the international order."

The news agency said the volume of goods affected is extremely low at under 2,000 euros ($2,327.60) in 2023.

Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal. The Israeli government deems settlements legal under its own laws, while some so-called "outposts" are illegal but often tolerated and sometimes later legalized.

The government also said on Wednesday it would provide material assistance in the form of food and blankets, estimated to be worth up to 879,490 euros, to the Palestinians affected by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Slovenia recognized a Palestinian state in June last year, following Spain, Ireland and Norway.

Last week, it imposed an embargo on exports, imports and the transit of arms to Israel, two weeks after it declared Israeli ministers persona non grata.



Mexican Army Kills Leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel

A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)
A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)
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Mexican Army Kills Leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel

A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)
A vehicle sits charred after being set on fire, on a road in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Alejandra Leyva)

The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” in an operation Sunday, a federal official said.

The official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said it happened during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.

It followed several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states, The Associated Press reported. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations.

Videos circulating social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the city of Puerto Vallarta, a major city in Jalisco, and sprinting through the airport of the state's capital in panic.

The US State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fasted growing criminal organizations in Mexico.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

It has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military—including helicopters—and a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now head of federal security.

The DEA considers this cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 US states where it distributes tons of drugs. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the US market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.


Secret Service Kills Armed Man Trying to Access Trump Florida Estate

A Palm Beach County Sheriff Office vehicle patrols a road block near the Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 22 February 2026. EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH
A Palm Beach County Sheriff Office vehicle patrols a road block near the Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 22 February 2026. EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH
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Secret Service Kills Armed Man Trying to Access Trump Florida Estate

A Palm Beach County Sheriff Office vehicle patrols a road block near the Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 22 February 2026. EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH
A Palm Beach County Sheriff Office vehicle patrols a road block near the Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 22 February 2026. EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH

US Secret Service agents fatally shot a man armed with a shotgun who breached the security perimeter of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Although the president often spends weekends at his resort, he and first lady Melania Trump were at the White House when the breach occurred.

Officials said the incident happened around 1:30 am (0630 GMT).

The suspect was spotted by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property, carrying a shotgun and a fuel can, the Secret Service said.

Agents confronted the man and told him to disarm but he raised his gun.

He was identified as Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of North Carolina.

"The only words that we said to him was 'drop the items,'" Palm Beach County sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters.

"At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position," Bradshaw said.

A deputy and two Secret Service agents then shot him. The man was pronounced deceased and no US officers were injured.

The Secret Service said no one under its protection was present in Mar-a-Lago at the time.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats for an ongoing partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Secret Service.

"It's shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department," she wrote on X.

Democrats oppose any new funding for DHS until major changes are implemented in the way the Trump administration conducts its massive and sometimes violent deportation campaign.

Trump has been the target of several assassination plots or attempts.

Earlier this month, Ryan Routh, 59, who plotted to assassinate the president at a Florida golf course in September 2024, two months before the last US election, was sentenced to life in prison.

Routh's planned attack on Trump came two months after an assassination attempt on the Republican leader in Pennsylvania, where 20-year-old Matthew Crooks fired several shots during a rally, one of them grazing Trump's right ear.

That attack, in which a rallygoer was killed, proved to be a turning point in Trump's return to power. It yielded a now famous photo of a bloodied Trump raising his fist to the crowd and urging his followers to "fight, fight."

Crooks was immediately shot and killed by security forces and his motive remains unknown.


Iran Reportedly Agreed Secret Shoulder-fired Missile Deal with Russia

A Russian soldier holds a "Verba" launch unit. Photo: A grab from a Russian army video
A Russian soldier holds a "Verba" launch unit. Photo: A grab from a Russian army video
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Iran Reportedly Agreed Secret Shoulder-fired Missile Deal with Russia

A Russian soldier holds a "Verba" launch unit. Photo: A grab from a Russian army video
A Russian soldier holds a "Verba" launch unit. Photo: A grab from a Russian army video

Iran agreed a secret 500 million euro ($589 million) arms deal with Russia to acquire thousands of advanced shoulder-fired missiles, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The agreement, signed in Moscow in December, commits Russia to deliver 500 man-portable "Verba" launch units and 2,500 "9M336" missiles over three years, the FT said, citing leaked Russian documents seen by the FT and several people familiar with the deal.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Under the ⁠deal the deliveries ⁠are scheduled in three tranches, running from 2027 through 2029, the FT said.

The deal was negotiated between Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Moscow representative of Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), the FT said.

Tehran ⁠formally requested the systems last July, according to a contract seen by the FT. In June last year, US forces struck Iran's three main nuclear sites as the country joined Israel's military campaign against Iran.

President Donald Trump said Iran's key nuclear facilities were destroyed in the attack. However, according to a preliminary US intelligence assessment at the time, the US airstrikes did not destroy Iran's ⁠nuclear ⁠capability and only set it back by a few months.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said Tehran had recovered from the damage incurred during the war and that its capabilities are better than ever.