(2021-09-18). No.10's Biggest Secret: Only Ten People in UK 'Were in the Know About AUKUS Pact'. sputniknews.com The new defence alliance AUKUS, announced by the US, the UK, and Australia on Wednesday, immediately caused harsh criticism from China and France. The EU, in turn, vowed to deal with "the implications" after it was revealed that the bloc was not informed about AUKUS.
(2021-09-18). Paris recalls ambassadors to US, Australia over anti-Chinese AUKUS alliance. wsws.org Australia broke a €56 billion submarine contract with France to instead buy US and British technology, a move French officials denounced as a "stab in the back."
(2021-09-18). Russian companies offered blood money in conquered Nagorno-Karabakh. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Russian construction companies will be able to apply their solutions in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan "The main purpose of organizing this event is to attract new technologies and innovations related to the construction of smart cities (Smart City) to Azerbaijan. I note that we will apply Russian solutions in the construction of new modern …
(2021-09-18). Three Blood Brothers video: Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan "destroy enemy group" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Next stage of "Three Brothers — 2021" int'l drills ends The next stage of the "Three Brothers — 2021" international exercises held in Baku in accordance with the agreement on military cooperation between Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan has been successfully accomplished, Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry has reported. According to the exercise plan, the special forces were …
(2021-09-18). U.S. B-2 strategic bombers return home after latest threat display to Russia, Belarus. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com U.S. B-2 Spirit Bombers Return Home After Bomber Task Force Mission U.S. B-2 Spirit bomber aircraft from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri successfully completed their mission with NATO Allies from late August to mid-September. This was the first time the B-2s forward deployed to Keflavik Air Base, Iceland marking a significant event for capabilities between …
(2021-09-18). PM: NATO partners Poland, Baltics must close ranks against "neo-imperial" Belarus, Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Poland, Baltics must 'close ranks' against Russia, Belarus: PM Poland's prime minister [Mateusz Morawiecki] on Friday said his country must close ranks with its Baltic allies against Russia's "neo-imperial urges" and "a wave of disinformation, propaganda and cyberattacks" from Moscow and Minsk. **** Afterwards, at a joint news conference with ≈ imonytƒó, Morawiecki noted the meeting …
(2021-09-18). NATO backs Lithuania, Poland in impending military conflict with Belarus. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Warsaw military university, NATO CoE to share info on cyberattacks The Academic Centre for Strategic Communication at Warsaw's War Studies University has signed a cooperation agreement with the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence to exchange information on potential cyberattacks. Audio ==== Poland, Lithuania stand together against 'hybrid attacks' by Belarus: defence minister Poland's Defence …
(2021-09-18). Baltics: Italian commander issues NATO Article 5 war warning to Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Italian Air Force Deploys Eurofighter in Support of Enhanced Air Policing Italy's enduring commitment to NATO's Air Policing mission is demonstrated by the deployment of the Eurofighters to take over the mission from the F-35s. "…the presence of the Task Force Air-Estonia "Baltic Eagle II" is sending an unmistakable signal about the unwavering resolve of …
(2021-09-18). Italy, indispensable actor in NATO's wars on three continents. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Remarks by NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea GeoanƒÉ on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of NATO in Italy Today we mark an important anniversary in the history of our Alliance.The founding of this Command.Which began as Allied Forces Southern Europe.And is now Joint Force Command Naples. Italy is amongst the biggest contributors to our …
(2021-09-18). European Union to Support World Food Program Operations in Venezuela. orinocotribune.com 
The European Union has confirmed that it will financially support the operations of the World Food Program (WFP) in Venezuela, reported the EU delegation office in Caracas. This was established during a donors' meeting. | Rafael Dochao Moreno, representative of the EU in Venezuela, stated that the donor meeting adopted "a very clear objective: to ensure that tens of thousands of children in Venezuela can benefit from our help and that their daily diet can be improved." | For his part, President Nicolás Maduro announced on Thursday, September 16, that his administration had signed a new agreement with the WFP, aft…
(2021-09-18). NATO directs "emerging" Eastern European, Balkans, Caucasus nations to "modernize," "rejoin the family of the West" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Deputy Secretary General stresses the importance of partnerships, values and resilience On Wednesday (15 September), speaking at the Emerging Europe Summit and Awards 2021, NATO's Deputy Secretary General Mircea GeoanƒÉ underlined the essential role that partnerships and integrations into NATO and the EU have played in the modernisation of Emerging Europe societies. "Re-joining the family …
(2021-09-18). The Last Time the US Gave an Ally Nuclear Technology, France Tried to Quit NATO. sputniknews.com On Friday, France cried foul after being left out of a new trilateral defense pact between the US, UK and Australia, resulting in Canberra cancelling a deal to buy French submarines in favor of nuclear-powered subs sold by Washington. But this isn't the first showdown between France and its allies over nuclear weapons.
(2021-09-18). Greece: NATO, Pentagon seek new bases. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com After Afghanistan pullout, US seeks NATO basing, intel pacts Against the backdrop of the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the top US military officer is meeting in Greece with NATO counterparts this weekend, hoping to forge more basing, intelligence sharing and other agreements…. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the …
(2021-09-18). NATO holds submarine exercise off Turkish coast. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO Submarine Search and Rescue…. Aksaz, Turkey — Dynamic Monarch/Kurtaran 2021, the 11th in a series of NATO sponsored live Submarine Escape and Rescue (SMER) exercises began 12 September and will run through Sept. 24, 2021 in Eastern Mediterranean Sea, off Aksaz, Turkey…. **** Assets and personnel from Italy, Turkey and the United States together …
(2021-09-18). NATO monitors Balkans air traffic through its first colony, Kosovo. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com New navigation equipment for civilian airlines set up at Pristina airport, with NATO support On 14 September 20121, the Commander of the NATO-led KFOR mission, Major General Franco Federici, attended a ceremony to mark the installation of new navigation equipment at Pristina airport….[It will] contribute to the use of new south-west air routes in the …
(2021-09-18). Hush, Hush (Venezuela Is Winning!). popularresistance.org By now it is obvious that the mainstream media does not cover any good news whatsoever about Venezuela. Even non-political issues are always accompanied by a poisoned cliché sentence or two about "dictator", "authoritarian regime", "collapsed economy" "humanitarian crisis", etc. etc. | So, the game-changing news that there are peace talks being held in México City between the Venezuelan government and opposition parties is ignored. México is acting as host and facilitator with the kingdoms of Norway and Netherlands, and the Russian Federation as mediators. This seminal event has been scarcely reported by the Nort…
(2021-09-18). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Listener mailbag — COVID-19 questions answered. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Each week, the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast shares the latest information on COVID-19. On today's episode, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, answers listeners' coronavirus questions. Dr. Poland discusses the mu variant, understanding breakthrough infections and the importance of flu vaccinations this fall. "The symptoms of COVID-19 and the symptoms of influenza overlap so much that it can be hard to distinguish one from another," says Dr. Poland. What…
(2021-09-18). More Than 20 Russian Airstrikes Hit Greater Idlib As Militants Continue To Launch Attacks (Videos, Photos). southfront.org 
An Su-24 taking off from Hmeimim air base in 2015. IMAGE: Russian Ministry of Defense | On September 18, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carried out more than 23 airstrikes on militants' positions in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib. | According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the airstrikes took place as follows: | Ten airstrikes targeted the outskirts of the towns of Baluon and Mashoun in the southern countryside of Idlib. | Four airstrikes targeted the town of al-Bara…
(2021-09-18). Military Situation In Syria On September 18, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On September 17, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 29 times: 14 — in Idlib province, 8 — in Latakia province, 3 — in Hama province, 4 — in Aleppo province | On September 17, the second batch of tankers carrying Iranian fuel on behalf of Hezbollah crossed the Syrian-Lebanese border | On September 17, a car explosion was reported in the city of al-Bab | On September 17, two civilians reportedly we…
(2021-09-18). Was A Russian Warplane Targeted Over Northeastern Syria? (Photos). southfront.org 
File image. | A new evidence suggests that what was reported on September 17 as a Russian airstrike on the town of Abu Khashab in northeastern Syria was in fact a defensive maneuver by a warplane of the Russian Aerospace Forces. | The munition dropped during the alleged airstrike has been finally identified by experts as a Russian-made SAB-250T illumination bomb. | The cluster bomb carries seven flares each equipped with a parachute. The bomb is usually used for illumination. However, it can be also used as counter-…
(2021-09-18). Avenging Lt. Col Schneider: Six ISIS Terrorists Killed In Russian Airstrikes On Central Syria. southfront.org 
Russian Su-25 attack aircraft take off from the Khmeimim airbase in Syria © Dmitriy Vinogradov / Sputnik | On September 17, six terrorists of ISIS were killed in central Syria as a result of airstrikes carried out by Russian warplanes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). | The London-based monitoring group said that the Russian airstrikes targeted hideouts and vehicles of ISIS in the following areas: | The Hama-Aleppo-Raqqa triangle. | The outskirts of the town of Resafa in the southern country…
(2021-09-18). Zelensky signs Strategic Defense Bulletin of Ukraine to "rebuff armed aggression" from Russia, seize Donbass, Crimea. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Zelensky approves Ukraine's Strategic Defense Bulletin According to the document, the military policy of Ukraine is implemented in several main areas, including "ensuring the rebuff and deterrence of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country within the state border…. **** "The Strategic …
(2021-09-18). Syrian Plan to Unite the Country Worked out in Moscow. orinocotribune.com By Steven Sahiounie — Sep 16, 2021 | Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on September 13 in a rare face-to-face meeting. Assad brought a high-level delegation with him for talks on all aspects of the Syrian crisis which has dragged on for 10 years. Publicly released details of the private meetings are scarce, but experts expect they included how to clear Idlib from Al Qaeda terrorists, and how to deal with Turkey and the US who both are illegally occupying sections of Syria, contrary to UN rules and international law. | Where are the hot spots in Syria, and wh…
(2021-09-18). Syrian Army, Russian Military Police Enter Tafas In Western Daraa (Videos, Photos). southfront.org 
FILE IMAGE: Russian Military Police service members are in Syria | On September 18, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) entered the town of Tafas in the western Daraa countryside under a Army units were accompanied by a force from the Russian Military Police, which will oversee the implementation of the reconciliation agreement. | Under…
(2021-09-18). U.S. military delegation supervises Ukraine's war in the Donbass. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukrainian deputy defense minister meets with U.S. delegation Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Nosov has met with a delegation of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command led by Deputy to the Commanding General, Dr. Myra Gray, according to the Ukrainian ministry's press service. **** The parties also discussed issues of cooperation in the field of …
(2021-09-18). Ukraine: NATO, U.S. lead "anti-hybrid warfare" exercise. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukraine, NATO countries start joint Table Top Exercises in Odesa to counter hybrid threats The joint Table Top Exercises of Ukraine and NATO countries "Coherent Resilience" to counter hybrid threats to critical infrastructure in the Black Sea region, which will continue until the end of the week, have started in Odesa, the press service of …
(2021-09-18). Military Situation In Donetsk People's Republic On September 18, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | 1. UAF in Pivdenne shelled the Gagarin mine in Gorlovka city with grenade launchers | 2. UAF in Pesky shelled Oktyabriskaya mine in Donetsk city with 120-mm artillery | 3. UAF in Starognatovka shelled Novolaspa with grenade launchers | 4. UAF in Vodyanoe shelled Leninskoe with grenade launchers and rocket launchers | 5. DPR forces in Donetsk city shelled UAF positions in Pesky with 120-mm artillery | 6. DPR forces in Ukrainskoe targeted UAF positions in Pavl…
(2021-09-18). Indigenous Leaders Face Barriers To UN Climate Conference. popularresistance.org Indigenous leaders are largely being excluded from participation in the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference as the world grapples with escalating problems from floods, fires, heat, drought and other disasters. | Limited access to COVID-19 vaccines in certain regions, travel restrictions and quarantine in the United Kingdom for people from "red list" countries in Central and South America, Africa and Asia, and rising costs of travel and lodging are hindering Indigenous participation, Indian Country Today has found. | Even those who manage to get to Glasgow, Scotland, for what is shaping up to be one…
(2021-09-17). Activists denounce AUKUS alliance as a possible new Cold War and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode of the Daily Round-up we take a look at the military pact signed between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States; the sanctions against the leaders of Guinea's military junta announced by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); the fines imposed against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline in the US state of Minnesota for violating environmental laws; and the growing agribusiness sector in Brazil as deforestation in the Amazon reaches record levels.
(2021-09-17). China Accuses Australia, US, and UK of Undermining Peace (Nuclear Proliferation). orinocotribune.com On Thursday, September 16, China accused the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia of "undermining regional stability and peace" after signing the AUKUS pact. According to international media reports, the pact seeks to strengthen trilateral cooperation in advanced defense technologies, such as artificial intelligence, underwater systems, and long-distance surveillance. | Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian explained at a press conference, "This type of cooperation seriously undermines regional peace and stability as well as international efforts for nuclear non-proliferation." Lijian refe…
(2021-09-17). Aukus Pact: An Alliance against China that Excludes Europe. libya360.wordpress.com Yoselina Guevara Exactly one month after the fall of Kabul and the disgraceful withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the United States has come into the world limelight with the Aukus Pact, an alliance that takes the initials of the names of the three signatory countries (Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom), with…
(2021-09-17). Milton Allimadi on US Media's Africa Reporting. fair.org 
(Kendall Hunt, This week on CounterSpin: The primary "sense" of Sub-Saharan Africa in corporate media is absence. When Africa is discussed, it's often been, to put it simply, as a material resource and as a staging ground for Great Nation politics and proxy war. Not as far removed as it ought to be from the Berlin conference in the late 19th century, when the European powers sat down to decide who got which slice of what the genocidal King Leopold II of Belgium called "this magnificent African cake.
(2021-09-17). European Parliament to Cut Ties with Russia's Parliament, Describes Russia as a "Stagnating Authoritarian Kleptocracy" globalresearch.ca
(2021-09-17). Why Do Europeans Live Longer Than Americans? inequality.org
(2021-09-17). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Danish nurses defy union and Labour Court and continue one-hour strikes over pay and understaffing after ten-week strike ended; numerous strikes across healthcare system in France over pay and conditions; Sunday rail strikes continue UK's longest pay dispute after re-ballot by conductors and ticket examiners; resident doctors' strike in Nigeria in danger of sell-out after union suspends strike awaiting Labour court ruling…
(2021-09-17). Saving $3.5 Trillion on Prescription Drugs to Pay for Bernie Sanders's Big Agenda. counterpunch.org According to a draft document being circulated, the Democrats are looking to save $600 billion over a decade by negotiating lower prescription drug prices. The basic story here is that the United States pays more than twice as much, on average, for prescription drugs than Germany, France, Canada, and other wealthy countries. If we paid
(2021-09-17). Medical Staff Shortages Feared in France as Health Care Workers Balk at COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates. globalresearch.ca
(2021-09-17). Australia To Host More U.S. Troops, Jointly Develop Missiles. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Australia announced plans to rotate more US troops on its soil and that it would cooperate with Washington on developing missiles. | Australia earlier announced a three-way alliance with the United States and Britain in which Canberra will acquire nuclear-powered submarines, enraging France whose own key contract for conventional submarines was scrapped. | Furthermore, Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said he would visit the US and Australia will be "significantly enhancing" coo…
(2021-09-17). Headlines for September 17, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Resumes Deportation Flights to Haiti as 10,000 Haitian Asylum Seekers Cross Rio Grande, Haitian Prime Minister, Accused of Aiding President's Murder, Sacks Justice Minister, Federal Judge Bars Biden Administration's Use of Trump-Era Rule to Fast-Track Deportations, U.N. Warns Time Is Rapidly Running Out to Limit Global Heating to 1.5 Degrees Celsius, U.S. Reports 3,400 COVID Deaths in One Day; One-Quarter of ICU Beds Are At or Near Capacity, France, China Blast U.S.-U.K.-Australia Nuclear Partnership, Biden Calls for Corporations and Super Wealthy to Pay Fair Share of Taxes, Police Put Fence Around Capitol A…
(2021-09-17). Germany: The three-week strike at Teigwaren Riesa and the dead end of the union perspective. wsws.org The roughly 150 employees at the East German market leader for pasta demonstrated great willingness to fight for better wages, which are currently just above the legal minimum. But the agreement negotiated by the NGG is not the victory for the employees that the union proclaims.
(2021-09-17). Inflation in Germany rises as wages fall. wsws.org Many households do not have enough left to live on due to rising energy and food prices.
(2021-09-17). Two Imperial women awarded Rising Talents fellowships from UNESCO and L'Oreal. imperial.ac.uk Dr Claudia Contini and Dr Jess Wade have won their categories in the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science UK and Ireland Rising Talents programme.
(2021-09-17). Russia Launches New Anti-Missile Defense System (Video). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) launched a new anti-missile missile defense system, the Defense Ministry told reporters. | The tests took place at the Sary-Shagan test site in Kazakhstan. | Major General Sergei Grabchuk, commander of the VKS missile defense formation, said that "after a series of tests, the new missile defense missile system has reliably confirmed the inherent characteristics, and the combat crews have…
(2021-09-17). Russian Warplanes Hammer Greater Idlib In Response To Deadly Attack On Syrian Troops (Videos, Photos). southfront.org 
2712070 10/04/2015 Russian servicemen attach a Kh-25 high-precision missile to a Su-24 aircraft at the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Dmitriy Vinogradov/RIA Novosti | On September 17, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out at least ten airstrikes on the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib. | The airstrikes targeted Sheikh Barakat Mount in the outskirts of the town of Darat Izza in the western Aleppo countryside. Several positions and fortifications of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al…
(2021-09-17). From the 'Iron Wall' to the 'Villa in the Jungle': Palestinians Demolish Israel's Security Myths. counterpunch.org 25 years before Israel was established on the ruins of historic Palestine, a Russian Jewish Zionist leader, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, argued that a Jewish state in Palestine could only survive if it exists "behind an iron wall" of defense. Jabotinsky was speaking figuratively. However, future Zionist leaders, who embraced Jabotinsky's teachings, eventually turned the principle of
(2021-09-17). Suspected Russian Airstrike Hit Northeastern Syria (Photos). southfront.org 
A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti | On September 17, an unidentified warplane carried out an airstrike on an empty field near the town of Abu Khashab in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, which is held by the US-Backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). | The remains of what appears to be a Soviet-made cluster bomb were found at the scene of the strike. No casualties or material losses were reported. | An unidentified war…
(2021-09-17). Kabul Should Not Forget: 'Turkey Was a Major Part of the NATO Mission in Afghanistan'. strategic-culture.org By Lindsey SNELL | Prior to the Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan last month, Ankara had sought to promote dialogue and cooperation with the insurgent group, in particular, to ensure Turkey maintains a role in the operation of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Turkish troops provided security at the Kabul airport during the NATO occupation of Afghanistan, and are currently in talks with Qatar and the Taliban over security and management operations. | In a speech on 20 July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted the Taliban would have an easier time communicating with Turkey than the…
(2021-09-17). Supporting American Bases In Central Asia Will Be Serious Mistake For Turkey. southfront.org 
Illustrative ImageTurkish government funds anti-Moscow political groups, which tend to threaten peace in Central Asia. | Written by Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. | Many experts don't clearly understand the plans for the resumption of a "new Ottoman geopolitics" by the current government in Ankara because they try to look at the country from a purely dualistic perspective, assuming a "Eurasia vs. West" opposition. But, in fact, Ankara is precisely planning to assert itself as a sovereign power with its own zone of influence, which encompasses region…
(2021-09-17). Ukraine Hopes Acquiring Iron Dome Will Help Its Path Towards NATO Membership. southfront.org 
Illustrative ImageKiev wants the Iron Dome despite Israeli expert warning it has a "strategic peak". | Written by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst | Former U.S. Ambassador to Kiev John Herbst broadcasted on television his scepticism about Ukraine's path towards NATO membership. Speaking on Ukraine's Apostrophe TV, he expressed his belief that Ukraine will not become a NATO member within the next decade."I don't see Ukraine's membership in NATO even after five years, even after 10 years. Of course, if something changes radically, then maybe. But without such changes, I do not see this," said Her…