(2021-06-30). Chinese envoy urges U.S. to return to Iran deal with no preconditions. ecns.cn Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, on Wednesday urged the United States to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal.
(2021-06-30). U.S., Britain, NATO threaten Russia in Black Sea. workers.org 
June 27 — The Biden administration took extra steps to prove that President Joe Biden's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin included no concessions. In both words and deeds, last week's events indicated a resumption of the Cold War — this time not against the Soviet Union but against capitalist . . . |
(2021-06-30). Nuclear energy isn't a safe bet in a warming world — here's why. juancole.com 
By Paul Dorfman | — ( The Conversation) — The overwhelming majority of nuclear power stations active today entered service long before the science of climate change was well-established. Two in five nuclear plants operate on the coast and at least 100 have been built just a few metres above sea level. Nuclear energy is, …
(2021-06-30). What Price "Defense"? America's Nearly $1.3 Trillion National Security Budget Isn't Making Us Any Safer. juancole.com 
By Mandy Smithberger and William Hartung | — ( Tomdispatch.com ) — President Biden's first Pentagon budget, released late last month, is staggering by any reasonable standard. At more than $750 billion for the Defense Department and related work on nuclear weapons at the Department of Energy, it represents one of the highest levels of …
(2021-06-30). America's $1.3 Trillion National Security Budget Isn't Making Us Safer. scheerpost.com Morning Calm Weekly Newspaper Installation Management Command, U.S. Army / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] By Mandy Smithberger and William Hartung / TomDispatch President Biden's first Pentagon budget, released late last month, is staggering by any reasonable standard. At more than $750 billion for the Defense Department and related work on nuclear weapons at the Department of Energy, it represents one of the… |
(2021-06-30). Headlines for June 30, 2021. democracynow.org Israeli Forces Begin Demolitions in East Jerusalem's Silwan, Attack Protesters, U.S. Military May Be Near End of Afghan Withdrawal as Top General Warns of Possible Civil War, Russia Tests Missiles in Crimea After Start of Ukraine-NATO's Black Sea Military Drill, Israel's Foreign Minister Inaugurates Embassy in UAE, Former South African President Jacob Zuma Sentenced to Prison for Contempt of Court, COVID Surge Brings Indonesia to "Edge of Catastrophe"; Virus Lowered Brazil's Life Expectancy, Vaccinated Angelenos Urged to Keep Masking Amid Delta Variant Spread; 800 Line 3 Workers Got COVID, Pfizer & Moderna Vaccin…
(2021-06-30). Scientists unearth '5,000 year old PLAGUE BACTERIA' that caused Black Death from skull of long-dead pandemic victim in Latvia. rt.com 
An ancient skull found by a river in modern-day Latvia may well hold clues as to how the bubonic plague wiped out tens of millions of people across Europe in what would eventually become the deadliest pandemic in human history. | Researchers from Kiel University in Germany revealed on Wednesday that a strain of the bacterium, known as Yersina pestis, dating back millenia, had been discovered in samples taken from the remains of a hunter gatherer in the Baltic nation. As part of a paper
(2021-06-30). Military Situation In Syria On June 30, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On June 30, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 39 times: 20 — in Idlib province, 12 — in Latakia province, 4 — in Hama province, 3 — in Aleppo province | On June 29, artillery of Turkish-backed forces shelled SDF positions in Sayyadah village | On June 28, Iranian-backed forces targeted Omar oil filed with 34 x 122mm rounds, according to the OIR Spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto | On June 29, clashes betwe…
(2021-06-30). NATO practices sinking Russian submarines in the Arctic. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO practices sinking Russian submarines in the Arctic NATO began its annual Dynamnic Mongoose anti-submarine warfare exercise on June 28 off the coast of Norway in what the military bloc deems the High North: the Arctic region, which it has identified as its domain since 2009. (As it has the Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea and …
(2021-06-30). Brief recollections of World War II—by the son of a Soviet military leader and Left Oppositionist murdered by Stalin: Part 2. wsws.org This is the second part of Yuri Primakov's recollections of the Nazi-Soviet war of 1941—45. He experienced the war as a teenager and is now 94 years old.
(2021-06-30). New Video Shows Road Accident Between Russian, US Forces In Northeastern Syria. southfront.org 
Screen grab from the road accident video. | On June 30, the The video shows a US International MaxxPro MRAB [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected] vehicle that had hit a Russian BTR-82a armored personnel carrier from the side. The accident was apparently minor as both vehicles appeared to be intact in th…
(2021-06-29). Though Evidence Is Lacking, US Media Give New Respect to Lab Leak Theory. commondreams.org President Biden must resist trying to revive a new Cold War with China and using that to undermine progressive governments in South America and side with the industrial oligarchs.
(2021-06-29). Though Evidence Is Lacking, US Media Give New Respect to Lab Leak Theory. commondreams.org President Biden must resist trying to revive a new Cold War with China and using that to undermine progressive governments in South America and side with the industrial oligarchs.
(2021-06-29). China and Russia Quiet about US Past Genocides and Ongoing Genocide in the Middle East and Africa. dissidentvoice.org The world facing desperate situations of climate change, planetary degradation and nuclear war preparation desperately needs protection from inhumane deceiving war promoting Western media, and from where shall it come if not from the bountiful and powerful two great designated adversaries of the Western powers, China, the world's most populous nation and largest economy, and …
(2021-06-29). What Price "Defense"? tomdispatch.com President Biden's first Pentagon budget, released late last month, is staggering by any reasonable standard. At more than $750 billion for the Defense Department and related work on nuclear weapons at the Department of Energy, it represents one of the highest levels of spending since World War II — far higher than the peaks of the Korean or Vietnam wars or President Ronald Reagan's military buildup of the 1980s, and roughly three times what China spends on its military. Developments of the past year and a half — an ongoing pandemic, an intensifying mega-drought, white supremacy activities, and racial…
(2021-06-29). Biden's Latest Middle East Airstrikes Give "More Fuel" to Conflict With Iran. truthout.org 
Image Credit: U.S. Military Handout | Criticism is growing of recent U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, which the Biden administration says targeted Iran-backed militias. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi condemned the attack as a "blatant and unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty and Iraqi national security." The U.S. airstrikes come as the Biden administration is holding indirect talks with Iran about reviving the Iranian nuclear deal. Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian Ame…
(2021-06-29). Amid Nuclear Talks, Biden's Latest Middle East Airstrikes Give "More Fuel" to Conflict with Iran. democracynow.org 
Criticism is growing of recent U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, which the Biden administration says targeted Iran-backed militias. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi condemned the attack as a "blatant and unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty and Iraqi national security." The U.S. airstrikes come as the Biden administration is holding indirect talks with Iran about reviving the Iranian nuclear deal. Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, says the U.S. needs to end its "constant tit for tat" with Iran across the Middle East. "By failing to pivot away from that and instead bomb…
(2021-06-29). US seizure of Iranian sites complicates nuclear deal talks. peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha analyses the recent decision by the US to 'seize' 33 sites, including those of the Iranian Press TV. He talks about the nature of registration of sites across the world, the discussions around the JCPOA or the Iran nuclear deal, and the recent meeting between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.
(2021-06-29). Russia records highest official Covid-19 death toll since start of pandemic, as nation fights sharp rise in cases of Delta variant. rt.com 
At least 652 people infected with coronavirus have died in Russia within the latest 24-hour recording period, government officials announced Tuesday morning. It marks the country's single most deadly day since the pandemic began. | The Covid-19 operational headquarters reported the grim milestone amid a steep rise in the number of positive tests for the infection over the past fortnight. More than 134,500 people are confirmed to have died with the virus overall since last March. | The largest number of daily deaths were recorded in Moscow, which accounted for 121 of the fatalities. The capital has consistently…
(2021-06-29). Alfred Sohn-Rethel — 'Intellectual and Manual Labour: A Critique of Epistemology'. mronline.org Upon reading Sohn-Rethel it becomes clear that his work is important for contemporary debates on ecology, the Marxist critique of science and debates on post-revolutionary societies such as the former Soviet Union. | June 29, 2021…
(2021-06-29). Russia And China To Deepen Cooperation In Hopes Of "Multipolar System Of International Relations" southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On June 28th, a video conference took place place between President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping. | It coincided with the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Russian-Chinese Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. | The Kremlin clarified that the presidents exchanged congratulations and assessed the current state and prospects for the development of strategic partnership between Russia and China.
(2021-06-29). "Nyah nyah nyah?" (Mis)understanding Putin. strategic-culture.org 
Prior to the summit meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, Russian President Vladimir Putin was interviewed by NBC's Keir Simmons. Unfortunately, some points of the interview were lost in translation. Some cultural background is needed to understand what the Russian leader said. | (Click on the image to enlarge)…
(2021-06-29). Classified Documents Left At UK Bus Stop Outline "Thorough" Plan To Sail Through Russian Waters. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The loss and subsequent discovery at a bus stop, of all places, of documents with plans for the passage of the British Navy's Defender destroyer through Russian waters in the Black Sea is a mistake made by a "specific person." | This was stated during the hearings in the British Parliament by the Deputy Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom Jeremy Queen."It looks like it was a mistake. I don't want to talk about something until the results of the inv…
(2021-06-29). Amazing NATO Manoeuvres In The Black Sea (UPDATED). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Amid British hysteria about the asymmetric response of the Russians following the violation of its territorial waters on June 23, there is information about the other single provocations of NATO warships near the Russian borders. | On June 24, Russian Su-30 fighters and Su-24 bombers flew near the Dutch Navy frigate Evertsen, following the frigate's move towards the Crimean eastern coast. This was announced on Tuesday, June 29, by the Russian Defense Ministry. | The Dutch frigate Evertsen, which was…
(2021-06-29). Gunboat Diplomacy will not Revive Britain's Fading Power, Whatever Boris Johnson Thinks. counterpunch.org In the months before the first Gulf War in 1991 my late friend Christopher Hitchens took part in a television encounter in which he demolished the actor Charlton Heston who strongly supported the bombing of Iraq. Hitchens asked Heston to name the countries clockwise starting from Kuwait which shared a common border with Iraq. "Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey, Russia, Iran," responded Heston, a list which must have come as a big surprise to the Russians and Bahrainis.
(2021-06-29). HMS Defender versus the Russian Military: The Danger of Believing Your Own Propaganda. globalresearch.ca
(2021-06-29). US Media Give New Respect To Lab Leak Theory. popularresistance.org While many Western media outlets (e.g., NBC, 5/4/20; BBC, 4/26/20) reported on the evidence-free speculations surrounding a potential lab leak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China's Hubei province last year (FAIR.org, 4/17/20), it has never enjoyed as much mainstream credibility as it has in recent months. | Although several reports in 2020 uncritically parroted US officials like Sen. Tom Cotton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and discredited defectors like Yan Li-Meng, there were also many reports at the time disputing and dismissing their claims of a lab leak as…
(2021-06-29). Headlines for June 29, 2021. democracynow.org Pacific Northwest's Stifling Heat Breaks All-Time Records for Second Straight Day, Moscow Storms Break Russia's Record-Setting June Heat Wave, Dozens of Youth Climate Activists Arrested at White House Demanding Action on Climate Crisis, "An Overt Political Blockade": Minnesota Police Barricade Line 3 Pipeline Protest Camp, Ethiopia Declares Ceasefire After Separatists Claim Tigray's Capital City , Iranian-Backed Militia Strikes Back After Biden Orders Bombings in Iraq and Syria, Federal Judge Throws Out Antitrust Lawsuits Seeking to Break Up Facebook , Trump Reportedly Asked to Send Coronavirus-Infected Americans…
(2021-06-29). Presidents: Georgia, Ukraine Share Commitment to NATO Membership, "De-occupation" of Lands from Russia. globalresearch.ca
(2021-06-29). NATO begins massive anti-Russian Sea Breeze military exercises. wsws.org The largest ever NATO operation in the Black Sea begins just six days after Russian armed forced fired warning shots and then dropped four bombs in the path of HMS Defender, a British warship that entered Russia's territorial waters off Crimea.
(2021-06-29). NATO Threatens Russia in the Black Sea. libya360.wordpress.com Mison VerdadNATO warship in Black Sea waters (Photo: Yoruk Isik / Reuters) It is not the first time that the countries that make up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have sailed the Black Sea with the intention of conducting provocative operations against Russia. Days ago they resumed the tactic, violating sovereignty in Russia's territorial…
(2021-06-29). Turkey, Azerbaijan launch live-fire military exercise named after Ataturk. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Turkey, Azerbaijan launch live-fire military exercise named after AtaturkAs Turkey expands drone sales to NATO membersAnd Russian foreign minister to discuss military cooperation with Turkey Building on the triumphalism following their joint military assault against the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh last year, one in which the new Turco-Azeri "one nation, two states" federation with a …
(2021-06-29). Short recollections of World War II. wsws.org These recollections about the Nazi-Soviet war of 1941—45 were written by Yuri Primakov, who experienced the war as a teenager, and is now 94 years old.
(2021-06-29). Brief recollections of World War II—by the son of a Soviet military leader and Left Oppositionist murdered by Stalin: Part 1. wsws.org These recollections about the Nazi-Soviet war of 1941—45 were written by Yuri Primakov, who experienced the war as a teenager, and is now 94 years old.