On Saturday, Russia Had the 2nd Biggest Bomber Force. After Sunday, It Might Have the 3rd.
Russia may have lost a third of its 120 Tupolev bombers to Ukrainian drones.
SBU photo
Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web — coordinated strikes on at least two Russian air force bases by short-range attack drones smuggled near the bases in hijacked long-haul trucks — destroyed 34 percent of the strategic bombers at those bases on Sunday, claimed Ukraine’s state security agency, the SBU.
That could amount to nearly 40 Tupolev Tu-22M, Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers: $7 billion worth of essentially irreplaceable warplanes, eliminated in a single operation.
The op was “a great way to put asymmetrical pressure on Moscow,” said David Kirichenko, an analyst for the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C. A country with no long-range bombers just out-bombed a country with scores of them.
It could take Russia decades to rebuild what was once the world’s second-largest bomber fleet after the U.S. Air Force’s own fleet of 140 bombers. Reportedly whittled down to just 80 bombers, the Russian air force may now trail the Chinese air force with its roughly 120 bombers.
Of Russia’s three active bomber types, just the Tu-160 is still in production. But at a glacial pace.
An estimated 220 000 people attended Brussels Pride, with rainbow colours once again filling the streets of the capital.
The theme of this year’s event was ‘Unite, time to protect our rights’, advocating a society where everyone’s fundamental rights are respected, each and every day.
The Pride Village, Pride March, Rainbow Village and Mont des Arts stage brought the crowds together to celebrate diversity and love. Brussels Pride – in the capital of Europe is an opportunity for citizens’ initiatives, intellectuals and activists to put forward the demands of the LGBTQIA+ community and to re-launch avenues for political reflection.
The theme chosen this year by the RainbowHouse Brussels activists was “Unite, time to protect our rights” for a society where everyone’s fundamental rights are respected, each and every day
During Pride Week, associations, along with activist and artistic collectives, presented a rich programme at a number of venues, including the Grands Carmes and RainbowHouse Brussels.
The public was treated to ten days of concerts, screenings, performances and workshops. Several cultural centres in the Brussels-Capital Region also offered inclusive programming.
On Saturday, the Pride March took to the streets of the capital, led by the new Brussels Pride float. Delegations from Hungary, Serbia, Italy and Romania also took part. It was then the turn of allied artists, DJs and members of the community to lead festivities at the Mont des Arts. LGBTQIA+ culture was given pride of place on the stages and in the partner cultural institutions.
To ensure that everyone could enjoy the event in the best possible circumstances, Brussels Pride set up the Safer Pride scheme. In practice, a Safer Zone was set up at a strategic location on the Mont des Arts. This peaceful space was staffed by volunteers and professionals trained to provide a sympathetic ear and psycho-social or medical support if needed.
A mobile SACHA Care Team was also deployed around Pride.
This essential scheme is organised with the support of Solidaris and is the result of collaboration between Plan SACHA (an initiative to combat harassment and assault), Modus Vivendi (prevention of the risks associated with drug use by informing and empowering consumers), volunteers from the Centre de Prise en Charge des Violences Sexuelles (CPVS), RainbowHouse and teams from visit.brussels.
The festivities went on until the early hours of the morning in a number of venues across the capital, from the Mont des Arts stage to the Pride Village, with DJ sets and performances in the Brussels Rainbow Village (in the Saint-Jacques district), as well as a host of parties celebrating the richness and diversity of Brussels’ queer scene.
Brussels Pride is an opportunity to celebrate diversity but also to defend and demand rights for LGBTQIA+ people, with a view to making society more fair and inclusive. In addition to its festive nature, Brussels Pride is, more than ever, an opportunity to assert the rights of the community and reopen the political debate.
All year round, a hundred or so partners, federations, associations and artists contribute to the fight for a more open and tolerant society.
May 29, 2025 – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has terminated funding for a major trial testing the safety and efficacy of a vaccine to protect Americans from bird flu, should the virus begin circulating in humans.
Moderna announced yesterday that it had achieved promising results in the first stage of its trials and was expecting to advance to “late-stage development” of the vaccines, when the HHS notified the drug company that the funding had been canceled.
The current outbreak of avian influenza began in early 2022 and has since affected more than 1,700 flocks—or a total of 173 million chickens and turkeys—in all 50 states. It began circulating in dairy cattle in 2024 and has infected more than 1,000 herds in 17 states. Seventy human cases have occurred so far, most of them in farmworkers in contact with livestock. Most of those have involved mild symptoms, with one death in an individual who had underlying health issues.
Recently, there have been some signs that the outbreak is abating. In California, where the largest number of human cases were reported, health officials announced they believe the worst is over. Most important, to date there is no evidence of the virus passing between humans, which would need to happen to spark a pandemic. However, experts say the virus is constantly mutating and it could happen at any time, with opinions varying on how likely that is.
The government already has three licensed, stockpiled vaccines for bird flu, but they don’t match current strains of the virus. That’s why the HHS, under President Biden, awarded Moderna more than $600 million to specifically “accelerate development of an H5N1 mRNA influenza vaccine that is well matched to strains currently circulating in cows and birds.”
But current Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is skeptical of mRNA technology, used to develop most COVID-19 vaccines. In an email to Civil Eats, HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon said the agency’s decision reflects broader concerns about the use of mRNA platforms and referred to “mounting evidence” of side effects associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, such as heart issues in young men.
“After a rigorous review, we concluded that continued investment in Moderna’s H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable,” he said in an emailed statement. “This is not simply about efficacy—it’s about safety, integrity, and trust. The reality is that mRNA technology remains under-tested, and we are not going to spend taxpayer dollars repeating the mistakes of the last administration, which concealed legitimate safety concerns from the public.”
While the COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out quickly, researchers had been developing mRNA technology for vaccines for about 20 years prior. The vaccines are associated with a significant increase in risk of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), especially in young men, but it’s such a rare condition that the actual occurrence is still extremely rare. Research also shows COVID-19 itself is more likely to cause the same condition.
In the meantime, Moderna said it “will explore alternatives for late-stage development and manufacturing” of the vaccines.
At the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in February, Secretary Brooke Rollins released a five-point strategy to address bird flu on farms, much of which was focused on bringing down egg prices and compensating farmers for dead birds. In March, she said more than 130 facilities had completed “biosecurity assessments” through the USDA and that funding was being made available to develop a chicken vaccine. However, in other statements, she walked back language on vaccinating livestock, which is a controversial trade practice. (Link to this post.)
Twelve Mile Limit, tucked away in an unassuming residential area off Tulane Ave in Mid-City, might be the best neighborhood bar in New Orleans. It’s got all the makings of a great dive—the room is dim and bedecked with old show posters and Christmas lights, the ceilings are low, the jukebox is good, and the pool table is often covered up for nightly events. There’s a friendly, communal vibe, with mostly locals and regulars holding up the bar. It doesn’t hurt that the drinks are world-class, thanks to owner T. Cole Newton’s pedigree in the New Orleans cocktail scene.
On any given night of the week, you can find comedy open-mics, trivia nights, karaoke, and other events like Queer Craft Night, Sexy Bing-Oh, and more.
Styled as a cocktail dive bar, Twelve Mile undersells and over-delivers. Over the years, it has invested back into its neighborhood, installing solar panels and a battery storage system that decreases their carbon footprint and allows them to serve as a local charging station during power outages. They also partner with local non-profits and hold events for like-minded organizations and campaigns, and a percentage of their monthly sales supports affordable housing in their community.
While Twelve Mile may be far off the well-worn tourist trail in the city, what it offers is far more in line with the ethos of New Orleans and what the city prides itself on—creativity, acceptance, and irreverence, and a desire to sit down with friends, throw back a few cocktails, and just have a grand old time.
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