(2021-07-31). Is Russia Helping Syria or Stripping it of its Few Remaining Resources? juancole.com 
By Scott Lucas | — All the standard public relations ploys were in evidence for the recent meeting between Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad and Russian envoy Alexander Lavrentiev in Damascus. More than 230 officials from 30 federal executive bodies, five Russian regions, and the Russian defence ministry had trekked to the Syrian capital. There were …
(2021-07-31). NATO's residue: Turkish, Afghan defense chiefs discuss Kabul airport. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Turkey's defense chief's visits this year include ones to Turkey's Azerbaijan satrapy and to conquered territory in Iraq, Libya and Syria. Turkish, Afghan defense ministers discuss Kabul airport In a phone call on July 30, Turkish and Afghan defense ministers discussed the security of Hamid Karzai International Airport, Turkish authorities said. In a statement, the …
(2021-07-31). Belarusian opposition leader Tikhanovskaya appeals to Washington for support. wsws.org Tikhanovskaya toured Washington for over a week and met with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday.
(2021-07-31). Nature's Own Fuel Could Save Us From the Greenhouse Effect and Electric Grid Failure. dissidentvoice.org 
Hemp fuel and other biofuels could reduce carbon emissions while saving the electric grid, but they're often overlooked for more expensive, high-tech climate solutions. On July 14, the European Union unveiled sweeping climate change and emissions targets that would, according to Gulf News, mean "the end of the internal combustion engine": The commission's draft would reduce …
(2021-07-31). Esther Bejarano °Presente! workers.org 
This lightly edited article first appeared in Berlin Bulletin No. 193, July 20, 2021. She was all of 96 years, yet Esther Bejarano's death hits hard, leaving a painful gap in Germany's anti-fascist scene. Until the final weeks of her long life, she was a fighter, speaking, singing and passing . . . |
(2021-07-31). Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan: mutual aggression pact. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com [See: Rehearsal for war with Armenia, Greece and India: Turkey inaugurates NATO-backed bloc from Balkans to Chinese border ] Pakistan always supports Azerbaijan — ambassador Pakistan has always supported Azerbaijan — both during the war [2020 Karabakh war] and afterwards," [said] the ambassador [Bilal Haye]. ==== Pakistan delighted with Azerbaijan's victory during 44-day Karabakh war …
(2021-07-31). Greece, Lithuania, Poland: Pentagon unloads troops, several hundred military vehicles. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Atlantic Resolve rotation demonstrates strategic importance of seaport in Alexandroupoli, Greece ==== Pentagon deploys "combat-credible" 1st Infantry Division to Poland Battle of the Atlantic: Citing Nazi Germany as model, U.S. military chief hails new NATO command ==== The seaport in Alexandroupoli, Greece is currently supporting the movement of hundreds of U.S. Army equipment items for …
(2021-07-31). Protests held in Serbia against large scale mining bid by Rio Tinto. peoplesdispatch.org Residents of the Serbian town of Loznica intensified protests against the proposed opening of a Lithium mine by the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto in the Jadar and Drina rivers in Serbia. On July 29, Thursday, hundreds of residents of Loznica and several environmental rights groups including Ne davimo Beograd, Protect Jadar and Radjevina, the Coalition for Sustainable Mining in Serbia, Podrinje Anti-Corruption Team (PAKT), Ne damo Jadar and Kreni Pokreni protested in front of the City Assembly where the implementation of the mining project was discussed. The protesters alleged that for the imagined finan…
(2021-07-31). Afghan troops to be trained in Turkey under NATO supervision. en.mehrnews.com Afghan soldiers will receive training from NATO in Turkey, in the first such training program of its kind outside Afghanistan.
(2021-07-31). Ukraine's new top commander's priorities: revamp army to NATO standards, teach troops English. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com New commander-in-chief names priorities for Army development "The general course of reforming the Armed Forces of Ukraine in accordance with NATO principles and standards remains irreversible. And the key here is the principles. Changes must take place first of all in the worldview and attitude to people…," the commander-in-chief emphasized. Development and implementation in all …
(2021-07-31). Military Situation In Syria On July 31, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On July 30, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 27 times: 14 — in Idlib province, 6 — in Latakia province, 6 — in Hama province, 1 — in Aleppo province | On July 30, SAA artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed forces in Banin and Deir Sonbol | On July 30, artillery of Turkish-backed forces shelled SDF positions in Tokhar and al-Jat | On July 30, artillery of Turkish-backed forces shelled SDF posi…
(2021-07-31). [World Report] Health workers in Belarus facing repression. thelancet.com Doctors report being fired or assaulted for supporting protests against President Lukashenko. Ed Holt reports.
(2021-07-31). Video: Similarities Of Medical Abuse In 1930's Germany With Todays Covid19 Policies. globalresearch.ca First published on Global …
(2021-07-31). Study shows masks offer protection as COVID-19 infections tick up. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended this week that people vaccinated against COVID-19 resume wearing masks in public indoor spaces in areas of the United States where the virus is spreading. "Appropriate masking in addition to vaccination remain the best methods to help protect individuals from the Coronavirus," says Gregory Poland, M.D., an infectious disease expert at Mayo Clinic. In fact, published data from Mayo Clinic researchers have found that…
(2021-07-31). A 'New Cold War' has already started, but Russia & China are winning against a 'weakening' West, says former Kremlin adviser. rt.com 
The Soviet Union might have lost the first Cold War, but Russia is ahead in the rematch with the US and, this time, has every chance of coming out on top. That's according to one well-known Moscow scholar, Sergey Karaganov. | Speaking to Russian newspaper Argumenty I Fakty, the academic argued that Moscow is now much stronger than it was during the late Soviet period, and the West has weakened in that time. | Karaganov has been one of Russia's top foreign-policy theorists for decades, and has also advised President Vladimir Putin in the past. He is currently the head of the World Economy and International Affa…
(2021-07-31). Military Situation In Donetsk People's Republic On July 31, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | 1- UAF in Starognatovka shelled DPR positions in Petrovskoe, killing 4 DPR fighters with 122-mm artillery | 2- UAF in Opytne shelled DPR positions in Veseloe with grenade launchers | 3- UAF in Vodyanoe shelled DPR positions in Leninskoe with grenade launchers | 4- DPR forces in Leninskoe shelled DPR positions in Vodyanoe with grenade launchers | 5- DPR forces in Novolaspa targeted UAF positions in Novoselivka with 82-mm artillery | On July 29th, 3 DPR fighters we…
(2021-07-31). Venezuela's Resistance Reduces Washington's Pressure. orinocotribune.com The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, has dedicated the last four years of his life to weathering the worst diplomatic crisis his country has suffered in decades. During that time he has faced the trade blockade, the confiscation of strategic companies and deposits abroad, and the recognition of the parallel government of Juan Guaidó by Washington and the European Union. | In an interview with La Jornada, the Minister of People's Power for Foreign Relations of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, who was in Mexico City to participate in the twenty-first Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Community of…
(2021-07-31). [Obituary] Barbara Murphy. thelancet.com Nephrologist and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Born on Oct 15, 1964, in South Dublin, Ireland, she died of glioblastoma on June 30, 2021, in New York, NY, USA, aged 56 years.
(2021-07-30). Iceland's Chief Epidemiologist Suggests COVID-19 Restrictions Could Last for Up to 15 Years. globalresearch.ca
(2021-07-30). Dewitt police assault two women in East Syracuse Walmart. liberationnews.org 
The continuing horror of racist police violence resurged in Syracuse earlier this month when video surfaced of three Dewitt police officers brutalizing two Black women in an East Syracuse Walmart. The disturbing footage depicts the July 4 incident, in which officers Rory Spain, Corey Buyck and Rebecca Bishop restrain the two women, one of whom …
(2021-07-30). Venezuela's PDVSA to Become Sole Owner of Joint Oil Venture. venezuelanalysis.com The state oil company bought out France's TotalEnergies and Norway's Equinor in the heavy crude producing enterprise Petrocedeño.
(2021-07-30). PDVSA Acquires 100% of Joint Venture with TotalEnergies and Equinor (PetroCedeño). orinocotribune.com The Venezuelan Petroleum Corporation (CVP), a subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA), assumed a 100% stake in the Petrocedeño company following a highly successful negotiation process with the companies TotalEnergies (France) and Equinor (Norway), which gives PDVSA full control of the Venezuelan company. | Venezuela's state-owned oil company described the agreement in terms of increased sovereignty, resulting from "an important and harmonious negotiation" that grants the OPEC country full control of "one of the most powerful companies in Latin America," and also allows PDVSA to fully control the reactiv…
(2021-07-30). Open Letter to Chancellor Merkel: Germany's Mega-Floods are a Wake-Up Call that We need Radical Climate Action, Now. juancole.com Prof. Dr. Eicke R. Weber 10625 Berlin An Bundeskanzlerin Dr. Angela Merkel Bundeskanzleramt Willi-Brandt-Straàüe 1 10557 Berlin July 25, 2021 Dear Chancellor Dr. Merkel, We are again in deep concern. We were very grateful that our first letter of March 2011, after the terrible Fukushima catastrophe (see attachment), may have helped to reach your quick …
(2021-07-30). Hariri Resigns in Lebanon Amidst New Political Wrangle Between Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah. strategic-culture.org Hariri's resignation should neither shock us or worry us. It is simply another move in the same game which has been played out since the early 90s. | How many of us can remember the names of the Presidents of Italy or Germany? This is because in these republics, it is the prime minister who wields the real power, with the President largely playing a symbolic role as a grey-haired sage who views the proceedings at a great distance. | This is how many Lebanese would like to think of their own aging President Michel Aoun, who in his mid-eighties (it's unclear exactly how old he is) is holding Lebanon to ransom over…
(2021-07-30). US Sanctions: Weapons of Economic Warfare. orinocotribune.com By Donald Monaco — Jul 27, 2021 | On July 22, 2021, the Biden regime inflicted punitive economic sanctions on Cuban government officials extending Trump era sanctions that targeted the tourism and energy industries and stopped remittances being sent to the beleaguered island. | Shortages of food, medicine and electricity caused by the U.S. embargo have provoked street protests encouraged on social media in what is ironically called the "Bay of Tweets." The U.S. State Department, National Endowment for Democracy, U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Agency for Global Media have provided grants t…
(2021-07-30). US Treasury Announces More Sanctions on Cuban Security Forces. telesurenglish.net Due to a severe shortage of medical goods on the island caused by US sanctions, solidarity groups in the US have donated millions of syringes to help Cuban doctors administer the country's highly effective self-developed COVID-19 vaccines. Mexico, Russia, and Nicaragua have also shipped hundreds of tons of aid to Cuba.
(2021-07-30). Cuban Boxer Shouted a Loud & Clear Commitment to the Revolution. telesurenglish.net During one of the 81 kg quarterfinal bouts at the Tokyo Olympics, Cuban boxer Julio Cesar La Cruz shouted "Homeland or Death! We ¥ll win" after finishing the fight against Emmanuel Reyes, an athlete of Cuban origin who competed for Spain. | RELATED: | La Cruz, who got a gold medal in Rio Olympics in 2016, won on Friday in a split vote of the judges, four of whom saw him victorious, in front of a single one who…
(2021-07-30). Russian Warplanes Continue To Hummer Militant Positions In Greater Idlib (Videos, Photos). southfront.org 
FILE PHOTO: Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft before departing for its permanent base in Russia from Khmeimim Air Base in Syria. © Vadim Grishankin / Sputnik | On July 30, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carried out seven airstrikes on the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, where several terrorists groups are present. | The Russian airstrikes targeted the outskirts of the towns of Mashoon, Kansafra, Mareian and al-Fatterah in southern Idlib. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)…
(2021-07-30). Central Syria: Hundreds Of Russian Airstrikes killed Or Injured 35 ISIS Terrorists During July. southfront.org 
File image. | Russian warplanes carried out more than 800 airstrikes on Syria's central region over the last 30 days, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on July 30. | The airstrikes targeted hideout of ISIS cells in the deserts of Homs, Deir Ezzor as well as in the Hama-Aleppo-Raqqa triangle. The terrorist group has been very active in these areas. | According to the London-based monitoring group, at least 16 terrorists of ISIS were killed and 19 others were wounded as a result…
(2021-07-30). Armed Turkish Combat Drone Spotted Over Greater Idlib. southfront.org 
Photo: Turkish Aerospace Industries | On July 30, a Turkish TAI Anka-B combat drone was spotting flying over the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib. | Syrian activists shared a photo of the combat drone that was apparently conducting an armed reconnaissance mission over Greater Idlib. The region, where Turkey maintains a large force, is held by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and Turkish-backed factions. | The Turkish combat drone was armed with two MAM-L laser-guided small-diameter munitions, which we…
(2021-07-30). Belarus: Biden is obsessed with Russia to the point of derangement. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com From today's Belarusian Telegraph Agency. Political support for the "fugitives" [Belarusian dissidents?> has produced nothing and is limited to their unending road tours along the lines of "Biden will help us". Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement as he met with government officials on 30 July to discuss urgent issues of the public and …
(2021-07-30). Destabilization could cause chain reaction: NATO criticized for offensive build-up along Belarus' borders. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO criticized for offensive build-up along Belarus' borders "Our country, being a link between the West and the East, got into the epicenter of civilizational confrontation. We are not laying it thick. We are just stating the fact: NATO has been methodically building its offensive military infrastructure along our borders," Aleksandr Lukashenko said. According to …
(2021-07-30). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Strikes by oil workers in Iran joined by Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers, nurses, water and sewage workers; warning pay strikes in Germany's retail and mail order sector as 280,000 workers demand pay rise; strikes over COVID safety by driver and vehicle registration staff in Wales expands to month-long stoppage; further rail strikes at ScotRail over pay as gateline staff join conductors, ticket examiners and cleaners…
(2021-07-30). Hesitant about COVID-19 vaccine development? newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Some people may be hesitant to be vaccinated for COVID-19 because they think COVID-19 vaccines were developed too quickly. But today's successes are the result of many years of coronavirus research. "To say that these messenger RNA vaccines were only developed in the past year would be erroneous," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "I know some people are hesitant and they might be fearful over some of the headlines they…
(2021-07-30). The Global Right Wing's Bizarre Obsession With Pedophilia. counterpunch.org Hungary's authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán loves a good enemy. He has lashed out against Eurocrats in Brussels. He has cynically demonized immigrants to boost his political standing at home. But now he may have gone too far with his attack on an unlikely (and universally unliked) group of people. Pedophiles. Last month, the Hungarian parliament
(2021-07-30). Armenia Claims Azerbaijan Continues Violations, Calls For Russian Soldiers Along Entire Border. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Armenian Defense Ministry claimed that Azerbaijan has violated the ceasefire and shelled its positions again."On July 30, between 11: 20 and 11: 30 (10: 20-10: 30 Moscow time), Azerbaijani units opened fire from sniper and other small arms at Armenian positions deployed in the Yeraskh sector (70 kilometers from Yerevan) ", reads the release of the military department. | It also noted that the fire was suppressed by retaliatory actions, there were no casualties. | Acting Prime Minister o…
(2021-07-30). Reunification Movements in Europe. strategic-culture.org 
On July 21, the leader of the Flemish rightwing N-VA party, Bart De Wever, argued for the reunification of Flanders and the Netherlands. While the idea still seems unthinkable today, that could soon change, he said. "A confederation of the Low Countries could be a reality the day after tomorrow. If I could die as a Southern Dutchman, I would die happier than as a Belgian," De Wever said. This infographic will remind you of various reunification movements across Europe.
(2021-07-30). Craig Murray Will Surrender Himself For Prison. popularresistance.org In the case against former United Kingdom diplomat-turned whistleblower Craig Murray, the UK supreme court refused to hear Murray's appeal. He will now surrender himself to police for an eight-month prison sentence. The High Court in Edinburgh in Scotland convicted Murray of contempt on March 25 after concluding that he published several blog posts, which they believe led people to identify witnesses in the sexual assault trial against former Scottish Minister Alex Salmond.
(2021-07-30). Caucasus war: Russia urges "both sides" to exercise restraint. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Never mind that Russia is obliged to support Armenia under Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty Organization charter. Russia urges Baku, Yerevan to exercise restraint Moscow calls on Baku and Yerevan to refrain from actions that could further escalate the situation on the border, a deputy spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Bikantov, …
(2021-07-30). NATO deployed warplanes to intercept aircraft flying from one part of Russia to another. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com If turnabout is fair play, here's an illustration of what's involved: in 1985 a headline would have appeared in a publication of the Warsaw Pact which read Warsaw Pact scrambled Polish, Bulgarian warplanes to intercept American plane flying from Alaska to Washington State. Somehow one suspects an event of that nature might have garnered some …
(2021-07-30). Croatia: join NATO, send troops to three war zones and host U.S. military. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com USS Mount Whitney Arrives in Croatia The U.S. Sixth Fleet flag ship, USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) and staff arrived in Split, Croatia, for a port visit on July 30, 2021, before kicking off Large Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021. **** "Over the past ten years, U.S. military assistance to Croatia reached approximately four and a …
(2021-07-30). On far-right Vox party's appeal, Spanish court rules lockdowns unconstitutional. wsws.org This ruling is the judicially-sanctioned equivalent of the "herd immunity" policy of letting the coronavirus spread, espoused by the ruling class across Europe.
(2021-07-30). Fatal explosion at Chempark Leverkusen in Germany. wsws.org The explosion at the Currenta site has likely claimed seven lives, with 31 being seriously injured.
(2021-07-30). Greece had better guard its own air space. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Hellenic Air Force — Key Player in the Western Balkans for NATO Air Policing Controlled by NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre at Torrejón, Spain, the Hellenic Air Force's 1st Air Control Centre, RAP Production Centre and Sensor Fusion Post and the 2nd Control and Reporting Centre, Greece flies NATO Air Policing sorties out of all …
(2021-07-30). America's Billionaires: Borrowing Their Way to Tax Avoidance. commondreams.org La Quadrature du Net, whose complaint led to the Luxembourg fine, called the penalty a "first step," but said that "we need to remain vigilant" in the face of Amazon's ongoing violations.
(2021-07-30). U.S. deploys F-16s to Poland to "increase lethality" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The U.S. F-16s will join Turkish F-16s at the air base at Malbork in Poland as part of a NATO operation, which recently intercepted Russian aircraft flying from Russia's Kaliningrad oblast to the main body of Russia. F-16s arrive in Poland for Aviation Detachment Rotation U.S. Airmen and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the …
(2021-07-30). Is the US Heading for the Exit? counterpunch.org It was all so long ago, in a world seemingly without challengers. Do you even remember when we Americans lived on a planet with a recumbent Russia, a barely rising China, and no obvious foes except what later came to be known as an "axis of evil," three countries then incapable of endangering this one?
(2021-07-30). Russian diplomat realizes NATO's anti-Russian war games on Russia's border may have anti-Russian bias. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Yeah, it sort of came to me like a revelation, an epiphany…. The Putinite Praetorian Guard is a bit slow in discerning — say twenty years late — that all NATO exercises, troops, armored vehicles, interceptor missiles, battle groups, cyber warfare centers, missile radar sites, warships, advanced combat aircraft, AWACS aircraft and so forth deployed …
(2021-07-30). Somalia: Turkey's Other War. libya360.wordpress.com Rick Rozoff Turkey opened Camp TURKSOM, military base and academy, in Mogadishu, Somalia in 2017 with the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Hulusi Akar, present. It can accommodate 200 Turkish military personnel and is slated to graduate over 10,000 Somali soldiers. Lying as it does immediately across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen,…
(2021-07-30). Turkey's other war: Somalia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Turkey's other war: Somalia Turkey opened Camp TURKSOM, military base and academy, in Mogadishu, Somalia in 2017 with the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Hulusi Akar, present. It can accommodate 200 Turkish military personnel and is slated to graduate over 10,000 Somali soldiers. Lying as it does immediately across the Gulf of Aden …