(2021-08-09). "Extended Troika" To Meet For Talks On Afghanistan As Taliban Seizes More Provinces. southfront.org 
Taliban Special Forces. Illustrative image | The U.S., Russian, Chinese, Pakistani special representatives for Afghanistan will meet in the Qatari capital, Doha, to conduct consultations on support of intra-Afghan negotiations. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the Ttaliban claims new victories. | The Moscow-initiated group known under the title of the "extended troika" will meet on August 11th to discuss the ways to help the warring parties reach a political settlement and comprehensive ceasefire. | The last meeting of the ex…
(2021-08-09). Turkey Objects US Plan on Resettlement of Afghans. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-09). Headlines for August 9, 2021. democracynow.org Irreversible Climate Devastation Unavoidable, World Has Little Time to Make Drastic Change | , Dixie Fire Explodes to Largest Single Fire in CA History; Wildfires Continue to Ravage Greece | , Taliban Seize 5 Afghan Cities as War Threatens to Claim Even More Lives, Fauci Warns New Variant Could Emerge If Pandemic Not Brought Under Control, Cases Surge in TX, FL as GOP Govs Fight Health Measures; Teachers Union Considers Vaccine Mandate, Biden Admin Extends Pause on Federal Student Loan Repayment, Senators Push Forward $1.2 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Texas Democrats Absent from Special Session, Again…
(2021-08-09). Military Situation In Syria On August 9, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 9, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 22 times: 13 — in Idlib province, 6 — in Latakia province, 1 — in Hama province, 2 — in Aleppo province. | On August 9, Russian warplanes attacked positions of Turkish-backed forces in Shiekh Bahr area. | On August 9, SAA artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed forces in Kafr Taal. | On August 9, sporadic clashes between SAA and former rebeles wer…
(2021-08-09). Finland: "Housing First" is a Success. indybay.org Those who don't have a place to live get one. Unconditionally. That, in a nutshell, is the Housing First approach. Since 2008, this approach has been Finland's official strategy against homelessness – and a success. The number of homeless people fell in 2020 for the eighth year in a row. This makes Finland the only European country to reduce homelessness in recent years…
(2021-08-09). Belarus: Western interference could have triggered global conflict. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Lukashenko: Belarus averted a new world war "Belarus is located at the crossroads. Had we showed weakness during the protests, we would have been ripped apart. As a result, a new world war would have erupted. I realized that bayonets were being sharpened on the other side of the border, so I put the army …
(2021-08-09). MEPs call for EU to conduct "revolution" in Belarus. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com European Parliament calls on EU to prepare revolution in BelarusThe deputies offered to implement the scenario of a change of power in Belarus similar to the Ukrainian one The European Parliament's largest faction, the conservative European People's Party (EPP), on Monday urged the EU to prepare a revolution in Belarus, noting that "the Belarusian regime …
(2021-08-09). Will the move to Solar-Wind-Battery Accelerate as Natural Gas Spikes 1000% in Europe with long term price rises expected? juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Anna Shiryaevskaya, Stephen Stapczynski and Ann Koh at Bloomberg.org report that natural gas prices have risen 1,000 percent in Europe since the pandemic crash of May, 2020. Other parts of the world with more natural gas of their own also saw price increases over the past year, though not on …
(2021-08-09). Close US bases and scrap plan to buy bombers, demands German left. peoplesdispatch.org Amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic and the socio-economic crisis inflicted by it, Germany's federal government is set to acquire new combat bombers and contribute around 53 billion Euros (62.34 billion USD) this year to the NATO war alliance…
(2021-08-09). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: The COVID-19 delta variant has changed everything. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org A fourth COVID-19 surge is blanketing the U.S., and the delta variant is the culprit. "Where did this delta variant come from? It came from unvaccinated people getting infected in large numbers allowing the virus to continue mutating," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. In the past, a person with COVID-19 might infect two to four people. But with the delta variant, one person can infect…
(2021-08-09). NY Times, WaPo national security reporters serve at pro-war Pentagon-funded think tank. thegrayzone.com The Center for New American Security provides residencies to top national security correspondents while raking in massive funding from the arms industry, Pentagon and State Department. This was originally published by Behind The Headlines at Mint Press News Imagine a country where there's no separation between the government, the military, and the media. A lot of Americans would think of China, Russia or North Korea, but it's a perfect description of the United States today. Located in Washington, the Center …
(2021-08-09). Percy Bysshe Shelley: romanticism and revolution. mronline.org 
Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, in Crime and Punishment, wrote, "The darker the night, the brighter the stars".
(2021-08-09). Spain's PSOE-Podemos government to ban Castilian nationalist party. wsws.org The outlawing of Izquierda Castellana ("Castilian Left") is part of an escalating campaign by the European ruling class against free speech and democratic rights.
(2021-08-09). Germany's Left Party candidate for chancellor supports NATO and European army. wsws.org In a recent interview, Dietmar Bartsch, the Left Party's lead candidate in the September general election in Germany, left no doubt about his determination to join a federal coalition with the Social Democrats and Greens.
(2021-08-09). U.S. prepares Ghana for NATO partnership. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com U.S. Air Force, Ghanaian Armed Forces strengthen ties through education and training Twenty members of the Ghanaian Armed Forces completed a two-week, professional military education course hosted by the Inter-European Air Forces Academy July 19-30, 2021, in Accra, Ghana. **** While this was the academy's first-ever engagement on the African continent, it won't be the …
(2021-08-09). Wildfires rage across Greece as austerity hobbles firefighting effort. wsws.org A dangerous heat wave with temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius is threatening lives as numerous fires sweep the country.
(2021-08-09). Greece and Turkey devastated by wildfires. peoplesdispatch.org Rampant wildfires that have been going on in Greece and Turkey have already caused major destruction. Wildfires charged by protracted heat waves and strengthening winds have spread extensively throughout the Mediterranean region.
(2021-08-09). NATO fighters ready to intercept, down Russian aircraft over the Black Sea. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO Fighters Launch Quick Reaction Alert for Russian Aircraft in the Black Sea Royal Air Force Typhoons on the NATO Enhanced Air Policing (eAP) mission scrambled on 5 August as NATO radars detected Russian aircraft approaching Romanian airspace over the southern Black Sea. **** Operation BILOXI is the UK contribution to NATO's eAP which is …
(2021-08-09). Russian flight attendants carry out sickout against dangerous working conditions at Rossiya Airlines. wsws.org Workers are infuriated over miserable pay, woeful understaffing and the massive spread of the coronavirus exacerbated by company policies.
(2021-08-09). Ukraine: U.S. Air Force personnel arrive for month-long special operations drills. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com U.S. military pilots arrive in Vinnytsia for joint exercises Military pilots of the U.S. Air Force arrived in Vinnytsia on Monday, August 9, to conduct joint exercises with Ukrainian special operations forces…. … U.S. military aviators arrived in Vinnytsia, where the Ukrainian Air Force Command is located, from Britain. Two C-130 military transport aircraft of …
(2021-08-09). Ukraine: U.S.-led war games to include 6,000 troops from 15 nations. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Rapid Trident 2021 could involve 6,000 military from 15 countries It is expected that 15 states will take part in the drill, involving a total of almost 6,000 military…. [F]or the first time in the history of Rapid Trident, battalion tactical live-fire exercises involving a multinational battalion. During the event, joint jumps of Ukrainian and …
(2021-08-09). Collective working time reduction is long overdue. indybay.org Full-time employment must be reduced and part-time employment increased. Otherwise, as has been the case in Germany since the mid-1970s, unemployment will not be eliminated and there will be a further decline in labor incomes and more and more precarious workers – especially in many service markets that continue to grow.
(2021-08-09). Biden, Zelensky to discuss "repelling the Russian aggressor" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Kuleba reveals agenda of Zelensky's upcoming talks with Biden He [Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba] added that the second block of issues will involve security. "We all understand that this is about repelling [the] Russian aggressor, also the issue of Donbas, the issue of Crimea, where and how we will be moving. We will discuss …
(2021-08-08). Arab Parliamentary Union condemns Turkey's aggressive actions against Syria. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Arab Parliamentary Union condemns aggressive practices of Turkish regime against Syria The Arab Parliamentary Union condemned the continued aggressive practices of Turkey's regime against Syria, particularly cutting off water in Hasaka province. "The Arab Parliamentary Union expresses its deep concern over the repeated aggressive Turkish practices against the brotherly Syrian people in the neighboring areas …
(2021-08-08). In Video: Russian Advisors Train Syrian Soldiers On Close Combat. southfront.org 
Screen grab from Russia's TV5 report. | Russian military advisors have been training Syrian Arab Army (SAA) service members near the frontlines around the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, where several terrorist groups are active. | On August 6, Russia's TV 5 aired a report documenting a training course that was held recently in the countryside of Hama, a few kilometers away from terrorists' positions. | During the course, Russian advisors trained SAA service members on close combat and the use of RPO-A Shmel rock…
(2021-08-08). Military Situation In Syria On August 8, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 7, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 24 times: 14 — in Idlib province, 5 — in Latakia province, 3 — in Hama province, 2 — in Aleppo province | On August 7, unknown gunmen killed a person in al-Hawl camp | On August 7, SAA artillery shelled positions of Turkish-backed forces in Ariha | On August 7, clashes between SAA and former rebeles were reported in Daraa | On August 7, artillery of Turki…
(2021-08-08). Why does he Hate our Freedoms? White Nationalist Extremist Tucker Carlson touts Orban's Hungarian Fascism as better than America. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Extreme white nationalist Tucker Carlson took his Fox Cable "News" show on the road to extreme white nationalist Hungary this week. It reminded me a little of when Stephen Colbert went to New Zealand and hung out with Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, except that both Colbert and Arden are very …
(2021-08-08). Fighting On The Armenian-Azerbaijani Border Continues. southfront.org 
Armenian artillery position in Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh. | On August 8th, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed that the Armenian Armed Forces had shelled their positions on the border. The same claims have been made on a daily basis since the late July.On August 8, at 13: 00 the Armenian armed forces units from the positions in the Arazdeyen settlement of the Vedi region using small arms periodically subjected to fire the Azerbaijan Army positions in the direction of the Hey…
(2021-08-08). Germany's solar PV expansion soars by over 20%, but incoming Government will need to do more. juancole.com By Benjamin Wehrmann | — ( Clean Energy Wire) — The construction of new solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in Germany has grown by 22 percent in the first half of 2021 but would still have to be three to four times higher to be in line with the country's climate targets, solar industry group BSW …
(2021-08-08). Wikileaks Reveals Well-Known Millionaires Were Behind the Rise of Spanish Far-Right Party VOX. orinocotribune.com More than 17,000 internal documents from two ultra-Catholic organizations show thousands of euros in donations and orchestrated propaganda campaigns. | On Friday, August 6, WikiLeaks released more than 17,000 internal and confidential documents from two ultra-Catholic Spanish organizations that show that "big business" donations made possible the creation of the Spanish far-right party VOX. | For this project, titled The Intolerance Network, Wikileaks collaborated with four media outlets: Público (Spain), Contralínea (Mexico), Il Fatto Quotidiano (Italy), and Taz (Germany). | RELEASE: The Intolerance Network: 17,…
(2021-08-08). Governments Are Spying On The People Who Bring Us The News. popularresistance.org Janine Jackson: If you don't know the story of how a consortium of journalists revealed how countries around the world have bought spyware from an Israeli surveillance firm, supposedly to track terrorists and other criminals, well, that's understandable. Though it is a journalist-driven effort, and is leading to calls for the resignation of officials in Hungary, for example, the Pegasus Project hasn't really gotten the pay-attention-to-this treatment from US news media. But that emphatically does not mean that the story doesn't concern you and your right to know. | Joining us now to help connect those dots is Cin…
(2021-08-08). U.S. Army reverses course, to keep six bases in Europe, transfer seventh to Air Force. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com US Army to Keep 6 Sites in Europe, Nixing Transfer Plan The U.S. Army in Europe and Africa said Friday it will retain six sites that were previously scheduled to be returned to Germany and Belgium amid growing demand for facilities on the continent. A seventh site, in Germany, will be transferred to the Air …
(2021-08-08). Abkhaz, South Ossetian presidents condemn NATO states' provocation. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Russia does not renounce the adopted decisions: Bibilov and Bzhania commented on the statement of a number of Western countries Presidents of South Ossetia and Abkhazia Anatoly Bibilov and Aslan Bzhania at the joint press conference in Tskhinval commented on the statement of a number of Western countries, which demanded that Russia "immediately withdraw its …
(2021-08-08). 'We are in Nobody's Backyard': Rejecting Geopolitical and Historical Fatalism. orinocotribune.com By Gerald A. Perreira — Jul 29, 2021 | Except for the hum of US helicopters flying overhead, there was a deafening silence throughout the Caribbean region, during the recent Operation Tradewinds, Progressive and Pan-African forces did not utter a word, as soldiers from Guyana, Brazil, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago participated in this region-wide military exercise with army personnel from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and the Netherlands. | We were told that Operation Tradewinds was "a US Southern Command sponsored…