Pastors In The Crosshairs: The War Of Attrition Against Free Speech

Pastors In The Crosshairs: The War Of Attrition Against Free Speech In The UK Must End

Decision Magazine

Police have dropped charges against a Christian pastor following a months-long investigation into his street preaching. 

Dia Moodley, 58, was arrested on November 22 and detained on suspicion of “inciting religious hatred” after peacefully sharing his Christian views in Bristol city center. After four months of criminal investigation, police with Avon and Somerset informed him that “no further action will be taken,” according to a news release from Alliance Defending Freedom International, which defended him in the case. 

“I’m glad Avon and Somerset Police decided to eventually do the right thing and drop their criminal investigation,” Moodley said in a statement. “This is a win for free speech, but I never should have been arrested, treated like a criminal, and investigated for months for peacefully sharing my faith in the public square.” 

Moodley was accused of preaching against transgender ideology, comparing Christianity with Islam, and committing a Section 4A religiously aggravated public order offense under the Public Order Act of 1986. He was arrested after a bystander appeared to reach for the wire of his speaker, and he reportedly pushed her away. 

He was held for eight hours in a police cell, interrogated by police, and initially placed under bail conditions that restricted him from entering Bristol city center over Christmas, said ADF International.

While the bail conditions were later dropped, the investigation into criminal investigation continued, resulting in what ADF called de facto censorship, as the pastor refrained from publicly preaching over Christmas and in the weeks leading up to Easter for fear of rearrest. 

November was the second time Moodley has been arrested for commenting on Islam and transgender ideology while street preaching. In March 2024, he was arrested outside the University of Bristol after speaking on Islam and stating that sex is binary. Police dropped that investigation as well. Also, in 2021, police banned him from commenting on any other faith, and from delivering sermons without prior police approval. 

The pastor has faced repeated violence and threats from bystanders while street preaching, ADF said, many of which the police have failed to adequately address. And he is now considering legal action against Avon & Somerset Police, for the violation of his free speech rights and for the police’s failure to promptly investigate serious crimes against him.   

ADF legal counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole described the police’s decision to drop the November charges as a “vindication” of Moodley’s conduct. He said the case is a symptom of a wider pattern and called on Parliament to take action.   

“The war of attrition against free speech in the U.K., demonstrated in Pastor Dia’s case, must end,” Igunnubole said. “Censorial laws need to be repealed urgently, and stronger protections, including a Free Speech Bill, are needed to reverse the growing culture of censorship within law enforcement.” 

Meanwhile, Moodley will continue expressing his faith in the public square. 

“I will continue to share my faith publicly, undeterred by the police’s censorship and the threats and violence I have faced, and will stand for free speech not just for myself, but for the rights of all people in the U.K.” 

Senior Israeli official warns: 'The next war with Iran won’t be the last'

Senior Israeli official warns: 'The next war with Iran won’t be the last'

Yossi Yehoshua

Israel is preparing for the possibility of renewed war with Iran. In recent weeks, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has held a series of discussions and briefings with the defense establishment, Military Intelligence Directorate, Operations Directorate and Air Force ahead of a possible new round of fighting, this time in full coordination with the United States.

At the same time, defense officials are seeking to prepare the public for what they describe as a new reality: the campaign against Iran is not expected to end with a single strike.

“There needs to be a resetting of public expectations,” a senior defense official told ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth. “The war against Iran will be prolonged. As long as this regime does not fall, we are likely to face recurring rounds of fighting, perhaps every year and possibly even more frequently, in order to ensure that the nuclear and ballistic missile threat does not endanger the existence of the State of Israel.”

According to the official, the gaps between Washington and Tehran remain very wide.

“The people making the decisions in Iran are members of the Revolutionary Guards, and their interests do not align with American demands,” he said. “The American minimum does not meet the Iranian maximum. Therefore, in our assessment, Trump will ultimately have no choice but to launch another round against Iran.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that negotiations with Iran were “in the final stages,” but added: “We cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. They are begging for a deal, we’ll see what happens. Maybe we’ll have to hit them much harder, and maybe not.”

Earlier, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya reported that “work is underway to finalize the last details of a draft agreement between Washington and Tehran.” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Iranian regime, later reported that the United States had submitted a new proposal to Tehran.

At the same time, Iran is grappling with a worsening water crisis that Israeli defense officials believe is gradually evolving from an infrastructure problem into a broader economic and social crisis.

The economic crisis is also deepening. Iran’s currency continues to weaken, while the country is experiencing unusually high inflation in basic food products.

Israeli officials assess that damage to access to oil reserves and pressure surrounding the Strait of Hormuz are further worsening the regime’s economic distress.

Despite the severe damage, Israeli officials stress that Iran has not abandoned reconstruction efforts. Throughout the ceasefire, senior regime officials have reportedly worked to rebuild damaged infrastructure and replenish weapons stockpiles, even at the cost of worsening civilian hardship.

The Israeli military assesses that if fighting resumes, the focus will be on deepening the economic damage to the regime and increasing pressure on it. Among the main targets identified are continued strikes on terrorist infrastructure, increased pressure on the Iranian navy and attacks on particularly sensitive centers of economic power.

Defense officials say the ceasefire period was used to prepare a more extensive and higher-quality “target bank.”

“The moment approval is given,” a defense source said, “the IDF is prepared to strike the Iranian regime at its most sensitive points, from economic damage to the targeted killing of senior officials.”

The conclusion in Israel, officials say, is clear: even if additional achievements are made against Iran, the next strike will not end the campaign.

From the perspective of the defense establishment, as long as the regime in Tehran remains in power, Israel will have to prepare for additional rounds of fighting, further strikes and a prolonged confrontation that could continue for years.

USS aircraft carrier and strike group arrive in Caribbean amid tensions with Cuba

USS aircraft carrier and strike group arrive in Caribbean amid tensions with Cuba

Misty Severi

The United States' aircraft carrier Nimitz and its strike group arrived in the Caribbean this week as tensions with Cuba continue amid negotiations and the wake of the U.S.'s indictment of Raul Castro.

The arrival comes even as President Donald Trump downplayed the threat of an escalation in negotiations with Cuba on Wednesday. Trump has previously hinted at what he called a "friendly takeover" of Cuba as the island's government faces an economic and energy crisis and mounting domestic opposition.

The United States Southern Command said the aircraft carrier was accompanied by Carrier Air Wing 17, USS Gridley and USNS Patuxent, which it claimed "are the epitome of readiness and presence, unmatched reach and lethality, and strategic advantage."

"USS Nimitz has proven its combat prowess across the globe, ensuring stability and defending democracy from the Taiwan Strait to the Arabian Gulf," Southcom said in a post on X.

Nimitz, which was commissioned in 1975, arrived from Brazil where it conducted joint naval exercises with the Brazilian Navy off the coast of Rio de Janeiro last week, according to The Hill.

W.H.O. Says Ebola Global Threat ‘Low’ as Cases Surge in DR Congo

W.H.O. Says Ebola Global Threat ‘Low’ as Cases Surge in DR Congo

John Hayward

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) said on Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) began much earlier than previously suspected, and is spreading faster than anticipated, but the wider world still has no reason to fear the disease will spread beyond the DRC and neighboring Uganda.

“W.H.O. assesses the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level,” said the organization’s director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a press conference on Wednesday.

Tedros said there were several reasons for “serious concern about the potential for further spread and further deaths,” including the troubling length of time that Ebola spread in the eastern Congo before the outbreak was detected and containment procedures were implemented.

“First, beyond the confirmed Ebola cases, there are almost 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths. We expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected,” he said.

Tedros noted there is “significant population movement in the area,” including both commerce and warfare.

“The province of Ituri is highly insecure. Conflict has intensified since late 2025, and fighting has escalated significantly over the past two months, with over 100,000 people newly displaced,” he said.

“The area is also a mining zone, with high levels of population movement that increase the risk of further spread,” he added.

The outbreak began at least two months before it was officially declared on Friday, including what W.H.O. described as a “critical four-week detection gap” between the first recorded symptomatic Ebola infection and laboratory confirmation.

“Investigations are ongoing to ascertain when and where exactly ​this outbreak started. Given the scale, we are thinking that it started probably a couple of ​months ago,” said W.H.O. technical officer for viral threats Anais Legand.

The first known fatality from the outbreak occurred on April 24 at a medical center in Bunia, the capital of the Ituri province – but Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba noted that the victim was a health care worker, which means they probably contracted Ebola from someone who was infected even earlier.

Kamba said the April 24 death was followed by a funeral at which mourners were “touching” the body, which probably became a super-spreader event driving the subsequent surge of cases. W.H.O. was notified of “an unknown illness with high mortality” spreading through the Ituri mining town of Mongbwalu, where the funeral was held, on May 5.

Kamba, who has been critical of the response by provincial and national health officials to the outbreak, also castigated area residents and community leaders for believing Ebola infections were “witchcraft” and seeking treatment from witch doctors and faith healers instead of hospitals.

The MRC Center for Global Infectious Disease Analysis issued a statement on Monday that said there has been “substantial” under-detection of Ebola infections, even after alarms were raised and W.H.O. declared a public health emergency, and the true number of infections could be over a thousand, rather than the 600 suspected cases Tedros mentioned.

Belarus Begins Drills of Units for Use of Nuclear Weapons, Support - Defense Ministry

Russian Soldiers Place Nuclear Arms on High Alert During Drills - Belarus' Defense Ministry

Sputnik

Russian military personnel practiced bringing nuclear weapons units to the highest levels of combat readiness as part of nuclear force exercises in Belarus, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. 

On May 18, military units in Belarus began training in the combat use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support.

"As part of nuclear force exercises, the Russian side practiced bringing nuclear weapons units and formations to the highest levels of combat readiness," the ministry said on Telegram.

The Belarusian air force conducted a simulated bombing exercise using special munitions against a simulated enemy, the ministry added.

Belarusian military personnel practiced receiving special ammunition for the Iskander-M missile system and loading it onto launch vehicles during exercises, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said.

On May 18, military exercises for the combat use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support began in Belarus.

"Today, as part of military units' training in the combat use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support, one of the Belarusian missile units occupied a designated area. Personnel carried out measures to protect, defend, and provide comprehensive support. At the same time, combat crews carried out a series of activities to prepare for receiving special ammunition for the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system and loading it onto launch vehicles," the ministry said on Telegram.