(2021-07-03). [Correspondence] The Beirut Port explosion: injury trends from a mass survey of emergency admissions. thelancet.com On Aug 4, 2020, 1807 h, one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history rocked Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, with a population of 2 million. The Beirut Port ammonium nitrate explosion (BPANE) happened when a fire set off 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate, which had been stored inside the port for 6 years. Soon after the explosion, we surveyed all patient admissions to emergency departments to analyse the pattern of injuries caused by the explosion.
(2021-07-02). Saving the US-Iran Nuclear Agreement. counterpunch.org Despite the best efforts of the Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu to disrupt the nuclear talks with Iran by attacking Iran's nuclear computer network, the news out of Geneva is that a new agreement is close to being signed. It has been a very rough road to get there—a road worth recalling because among that
(2021-07-02). On 100th Anniversary Of CCP, Namibian Rossing Miners Call On Xi-Jinping To Rehire Miners. indybay.org On the anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, the nine fired union leaders of the Mineworkers Union Of Namibia Rossing Branch mine called on CCP Chair Xi-Jinping to order their rehiring at Chinese state owned Chinese National Nuclear Corporation owned mine at Rossing…
(2021-07-02). 'No state cover-up': French government refuses to apologize over Pacific nuclear test radiation levels. rt.com 
France's junior defense minister Genevieve Darrieussecq has denied her country engaged in a "state cover-up" to conceal the extent of the impact of nuclear tests conducted by the country in the Pacific between 1966 and 1996. | Speaking following the conclusion of a two-day roundtable meeting, Darrieussecq declared that "there was no state cover-up," rejecting allegations France sought to conceal the extent of the fallout from the nuclear tests, and ruling out any official apology. | The event had been arranged by France's President Emmanuel Macron to confront the legacy of the 193 nuclear tests at Moruroa and…
(2021-07-02). 'No state cover-up': French government refuses to apologize over Pacific nuclear test radiation levels. rt.com France's junior defense minister Genevieve Darrieussecq has denied her country engaged in a "state cover-up" to conceal the extent of the impact of nuclear tests conducted by the country in the Pacific between 1966 and 1996. | Speaking following the conclusion of a two-day roundtable meeting, Darrieussecq declared that "there was no state cover-up," rejecting allegations France sought to conceal the extent of the fallout from the nuclear tests, and ruling out any official apology. | The event had been arranged by France's President Emmanuel Macron to confront the legacy of the 193 nuclear tests at Moruroa and…
(2021-07-02). The End of the World Is Closer Than It Seems. thenation.com The End of the World Is Closer Than It Seems…
(2021-07-02). Media Blackout After Key Witness Against Assange Admits Lying. popularresistance.org "not one major western media outlet outside of Iceland has reported on this massive and entirely legitimate news story. A search brings up coverage by Icelandic media, by Russian media, and by smaller western outlets like Democracy Now, World Socialist Website, Consortium News, Zero Hedge and some others, but as of this writing this story has been completely ignored by all major outlets who are ostensibly responsible for informing the public in the western world."
(2021-07-02). Haiku on War and Peace. counterpunch.org Haiku On War And Peace 8: 15 a.m. August 6, 1945 — frozen in time Sadako Peace Day — we gather to remember the innocent children Nuclear arrogance wreaked havoc in the Pacific — remembering Vietnam — we both chose not to fight there why kill peasants? Lieutenant Calley slaughtered peasants at My Lai — that's
(2021-07-02). Why I'm Still (Kind of) Rooting for China in the New Cold War. counterpunch.org Surfing through the news, it seems like every other motherfucker and his brother is flipping their proverbial wig over the supposedly literal threat China poses to the future of western civilization. Over on the center-right of what passes for the left in this country, we have our very own dear leader, Old Man Biden, hitting
(2021-07-02). US Corporate Media Fixin for a Cold War Fight With China. commondreams.org Will the Democratic president reverse the vicious anti-union trend sparked by Ronald Reagan 40 years ago?
(2021-07-02). US Corporate Media Fixin for a Cold War Fight With China. commondreams.org Our planet hasn't seen temperatures this hot in fifteen million years, when the sea level was forty meters higher than it is today.
(2021-07-02). Planting 'consultants,' blocking vaccine approval, threatening officials — Australia sabotages China-PNG cooperation by all means. ecns.cn By planting Australian consultants in Papua New Guinea to manipulate local epidemic prevention policies targeting China, obstructing the authorizing of Chinese vaccines' emergency use, threatening senior officials from welcoming Chinese vaccines, Australia has been found sabotaging and disturbing Pacific Island nations' cooperation with China on vaccines and anti-virus measures, with experts criticizing Australia's actions as hurting people's interest in the Pacific Island countries out of a pure Cold War mentality.
(2021-07-02). An All-American Horror Story: How we Sacrificed our Health on the Altar of useless Nuclear Arsenals. juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com ) — Yes, once upon a time I regularly absorbed science fiction and imagined futures of wonder, but mainly of horror. What else could you think, if you read H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds under the covers by flashlight while your parents thought you were asleep? Of course, that novel was a …
(2021-07-02). "Sad" EU officials happy to boost cooperation with Israel. electronicintifada.net Nuclear research among topics being explored.
(2021-07-02). China confirms IAEA invitation over Japan's nuclear wastewater disposal. ecns.cn The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief has sent a letter inviting Chinese experts to participate in a working group pertaining to Japan's disposal of nuclear wastewater, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.
(2021-07-02). Russia expects JCPOA to be back in effect before July 14. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 02 (MNA) — Russia FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said her country expects that the talks on the return of the US to the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) will be successfully completed by the 6th anniversary of the deal on July 14.
(2021-07-02). Fiddler on the sidewalks of New York: What became of Tevye. peoplesworld.org 
BEVERLY HILLS—The last we saw renowned Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem's touching character Tevye the Milkman, he was exiting the stage escaping an anti-Semitic pogrom in Russia headed for parts unknown. People like him wound up in France, England, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Australia. Many found themselves in New York and other American cities …
(2021-07-02). Syrian Authorities, Turkish-Backed Militants Swap Prisoners Under Russian-Brokered Deal (Video, Photos). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image. Source: RT. | On July 2, Syrian authorities and Turkish-backed militants swapped prisoners as a part of a deal that was brokered by the Ministry of Defense of Russia and backed by Turkey. | The prisoners swap took place on the Abu al-Zandin crossing which links Turkish-occupied areas in northern Aleppo with areas held by Syrian government forces. The United Nations and the Red Crescent oversaw the deal. | Turkish-backed militants released five soldiers and officers of the Syri…
(2021-07-02). Central Syria: Chief Of ISIS Oil Smuggling Operations Killed In Recent Russian Airstrikes. southfront.org 
File image. | The chief of ISIS oil smuggling operations has been reportedly killed in a Russian airstrike that hit his hideout in Syria's central region. | Iraqi sources affiliated with the group mourned the terrorist leader who is commonly known as "Sami al-Ajouz" on July 1. It remains unclear if al-Ajouz was killed on the very same day or in an earlier date. | Al-Ajouz was reportedly responsible for ISIS oil smuggling operations in both Iraq and Syria. The terrorists leader is originally…
(2021-07-02). Fighting rages near New York as government forces battle breakaway militia… but US thanks Ukraine for naming town in its honor. rt.com 
With its decaying industrial landscape and ever-present risk of violence, New York isn't a place many people would choose to live. But this is Eastern Europe, not the Upper East Side, in a newly renamed town on the front line. | On Thursday, Ukrainian MPs voted through proposals to rename the Donbass region village of Novogorodskoye in honor of the East Coast American metropolis. It is located just seven kilometers from the fractious frontier where Kiev's forces are facing off against troops loyal to the self-proclaimed breakaway Donetsk People's Republic. Shelling, drone strikes, and gunfire have been escalat…
(2021-07-02). Fighting rages near New York as government forces battle breakaway militia… but US thanks Ukraine for naming town in its honor. rt.com With its decaying industrial landscape and ever-present risk of violence, New York isn't a place many people would choose to live. But this is Eastern Europe, not the Upper East Side, in a newly renamed town on the front line. | On Thursday, Ukrainian MPs voted through proposals to rename the Donbass region village of Novogorodskoye in honor of the East Coast American metropolis. It is located just seven kilometers from the fractious frontier where Kiev's forces are facing off against troops loyal to the self-proclaimed breakaway Donetsk People's Republic. Shelling, drone strikes, and gunfire have been escalat…
(2021-07-02). Cyberhack dispute: Russian diplomats say Moscow not behind attacks on US targets, but is itself constantly bombarded by Americans. rt.com 
One day after the US accused Moscow of being behind cyberattacks on both government bodies and private business, the Russian Embassy in Washington has pointed the finger at the Americans, accusing them of hacking Russian targets. | "We strictly deny the involvement of Russian government agencies in attacks 'on government and private facilities in…
(2021-07-02). Cyberhack dispute: Russian diplomats say Moscow not behind attacks on US targets, but is itself constantly bombarded by Americans. rt.com One day after the US accused Moscow of being behind cyberattacks on both government bodies and private business, the Russian Embassy in Washington has pointed the finger at the Americans, accusing them of hacking Russian targets. | "We strictly deny the involvement of Russian government agencies in attacks 'on government and private facilities in…
(2021-07-02). As Russia breaks Covid-19 death record for fourth day, poll reports economic concerns mean most oppose new lockdown as solution. rt.com 
Almost 80% of Russians surveyed are against the introduction of a new lockdown to fight against the country's increasing number of Covid-19 cases, a survey has revealed, with over a half saying it would endanger the economy. | According to the research, conducted by Otkritie Bank, 51% of respondents are against a repeat of the kind of punitive measures seen in 2020 because of the negative consequences for the economy. This is despite rising infection figures. | A further 28% believe there is no epidemiological reason for a lockdown. | The results were reported by news agency RIA Novosti. | New restrictions are…
(2021-07-02). Russian court takes bankrupt man's only home to pay off debt for first time in history; he is given small flat as replacement. rt.com 
For the first time in the history of Russia, a court has ruled that a citizen who declared bankruptcy should have his only housing seized and auctioned in order to pay back a debt. The unprecedented decision was upheld on appeal.
(2021-07-02). As Russia breaks Covid-19 death record for fourth day, poll reports economic concerns mean most oppose new lockdown as solution. rt.com Almost 80% of Russians surveyed are against the introduction of a new lockdown to fight against the country's increasing number of Covid-19 cases, a survey has revealed, with over a half saying it would endanger the economy. | According to the research, conducted by Otkritie Bank, 51% of respondents are against a repeat of the kind of punitive measures seen in 2020 because of the negative consequences for the economy. This is despite rising infection figures. | A further 28% believe there is no epidemiological reason for a lockdown. | The results were reported by news agency RIA Novosti. | New restrictions are…
(2021-07-02). Russian court takes bankrupt man's only home to pay off debt for first time in history; he is given small flat as replacement. rt.com For the first time in the history of Russia, a court has ruled that a citizen who declared bankruptcy should have his only housing seized and auctioned in order to pay back a debt. The unprecedented decision was upheld on appeal.
(2021-07-02). Russia To Begin Exporting Orion Attack UAVs In 2022. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Russia will start selling serially-produced attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to foreign buyers starting from 2022, sources in the military-industrial complex and the administration of the Moscow region told RIA Novosti. | This is so that production at Russia's first plant for drone production can start operating fully, under the management of the Kronsdadt group of companies. | As previously reported, Russia has begun promoting Orion drones in a strike version on the international arms…
(2021-07-02). Russia's Black Sea Fleet Carries Out Live Fire Drills, Tests Crimea Defenses Alongside NATO's Sea Breeze Exercise. southfront.org 
On July 1st, Russian warships carried out a live fire training exercise in the Black Sea, as Ukraine and NATO…
(2021-07-02). Poland: Warsaw Pact bad, NATO good. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The Soviet Union was involved in Afghanistan from 1979-1989. No Warsaw Pact troops, Polish or others, were sent there. Poland joined NATO in 1999 supposedly to protect it from post-Soviet Russia. Instead, at NATO's behest it sent its sons and daughter to kill and die in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ceremony marks official end of Polish …
(2021-07-02). Backed by NATO, Georgia won't pledge not to wage new Caucasus war. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Backed by NATO, Georgia won't pledge not to wage new Caucasus war The 53rd session of the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the Transcaucasus was held in Geneva on June 29-30, 2021. Representatives from Abkhazia, Georgia. Russia, South Ossetia and the U.S. attended, as did officials of the United Nations, European Union …
(2021-07-02). Atlantic Stormwind In The Black Sea. popularresistance.org The large aeronaval maneuver Sea Breeze, officially "co-hosted by the United States and Ukraine" in the Black Sea, began on June 28, 2021. The United States planned and commanded it, US is, therefore, the host in this sea close to Russian territory. | Sea Breeze is taking place from June 28 to July 10. The maneuver is led by the US / African Naval Forces with headquarters in Naples and includes the Sixth Fleet. It includes naval, submarine, amphibious, land, and air warfare exercises. | Since this series of annual maneuvers in the Black Sea began in 1997, the 2021 edition sees the largest number of participants:…
(2021-07-02). Ukrainian foreign minister: NATO would defeat Russia in Black Sea war. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukrainian foreign minister: NATO would defeat Russia in Black Sea war Today's Ukrainian press cites the nation's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, confidently voicing a number of assertions regarding the Black Sea — as the U.S.-led, 32-nation Sea Breeze war games are occurring there — not all (or many) of his comments consistent with each other. …
(2021-07-02). Russia Working on Updated Concept for Security in the Persian Gulf, Lavrov Says. sputniknews.com Russia first unveiled a 'Security Concept for the Persian Gulf Region' in mid-2019, in the aftermath of a series of dangerous and destabilizing incidents including tanker seizures, sabotage attacks, and the shoot down of a $200 million US spy drone over Iranian airspace – which nearly prompted Washington to launch strikes into Iran.
(2021-07-02). Uproar Over Japan's Decision to Disperse Radioactive Fukushima Waste Water. counterpunch.org Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's Cabinet on April 13 "gave permission" to Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to release over 1.25 million metric tons (1.38 million US tons) of Fukushima's radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. Harsh rejection of the decision was immediate and widespread, coming from Russia, China, North and South Korea, the Philippines,
(2021-07-02). Putin reveals US involvement in provocations by British warship in Black Sea. wsws.org The Russian president denied that the incident could have led to a world war, stating, "No, I do not think so."
(2021-07-02). The media's response to Putin's conciliatory essay. indybay.org On the exact 80th anniversary of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which cost that country nearly 27 million lives, the Russian president himself published an essay in the former flagship of détente whose title already signaled a willingness to reconcile: "Be open, despite the past."
(2021-07-01). Green Left Show #14: Why nuclear is not a climate solution. greenleft.org.au Simon Butler answers the "left" argument that progressives should support nuclear power as a climate solution.
(2021-07-01). An All-American Horror Story. zcomm.org Three-Quarters of a Century of Nuclear Follies — And That's Just Where to Begin…
(2021-07-01). Nuclear Weapons: An All-American Horror Story. commondreams.org "We are now on a clear path to enshrining a constitutional right to anonymous spending in our democracy, and securing an upper hand for dark-money influence in perpetuity."
(2021-07-01). 'Because They're Complicit': Nearly Every House Republican Votes Against Jan. 6 Panel. commondreams.org Three-quarters of a century of nuclear follies—and that's just where to begin.
(2021-07-01). On 100th Anniversary Of CCP, Namibian Rossing Miners Call On Xi-Jinping To Rehire Miners. indybay.org On the anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, the nine fired union leaders of the Mineworkers Union Of Namibia Rossing Branch mine called on CCP Chair Xi-Jinping to order their rehiring at Chinese state owned Chinese National Nuclear Corporation owned mine at Rossing…
(2021-07-01). Military Situation In CAR On July 1, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On June 30, the UPC rebels attacked Alindao town and killed 7 people in the area | On June 30, the UN peacekeeping mission sent nearly 60 Nepalese peacekeepers to the Alindao town | On June 30, Central African authorities rejected a UN report denouncing "violations of international humanitarian law" by Central African military and Russian instructors supporting them against rebels trying to overthrow President Faustin Archange Touadéra | 600 more Russian…
(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.
(2021-07-01). America's Nearly $1.3 Trillion National Security Budget Isn't Making Us Any Safer. counterpunch.org 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
(2021-07-01). Tomgram: Engelhardt, Living on a Sci-Fi Planet. warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. An All-American Horror Story Three-Quarters of a Century of Nuclear Follies — And That's Just Where to Begin By Tom Engelhardt Yes, once upon a time I regularly absorbed science fiction and imagined futures of wonder, but mainly …
(2021-07-01). Headlines for July 1, 2021. democracynow.org Trump Organization CFO Surrenders After Grand Jury Indictment, Bill Cosby Released from Jail After Court Overturns Sexual Assault Conviction on Technicality, Hundreds Feared Dead in Pacific Northwest in Unprecedented Heat Wave, Indigenous Groups Blockade White House Urging End to Fossil Fuel Projects, ExxonMobil Lobbyist Tricked into Disclosing How Firm Fights Climate Initiatives, Death Toll in Miami Beach Building Collapse Reaches 18; 145 Still Missing, Highly Contagious Delta COVID Variant Drives Cases, from Bangladesh to Russia, Brazilians Call for Bolsonaro Impeachment as COVD Death Toll Tops 500K, Iraq War &…
(2021-07-01). 50 Syrian Air Force Cadets Completed Training With Russian Instructors (Videos). southfront.org 
Screen grab from the Russian MoD video. | On July 1, 50 cadets of Syria's Kuweires Military Aviation Institute, which reopened in 2018 after remaining closed for years due to the war, completed training with help from Russian instructors. | The Ministry of Defense of Russia and TV Zvezda shared footage of Syria's new pilots flying on L-39 Albatros high-performance fighter jet trainers. The Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) has been using this type of warplanes in close air support and ground attack missions since 2012. | R…
(2021-07-01). Russian Airstrikes Killed Or Wounded Over 50 Terrorists In Central Syria In June: Monitoring Group. 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 | At least 23 ISIS terrorists were killed and 31 others were wounded in Syria's central region in June as a result of Russian airstrikes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on June 30. | According to the London-based monitoring group, Russian warplanes carried out more than 1,350 airstrikes on the terrorist group's cells in the…
(2021-07-01). Russia will join US in planning event on 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks 'to commemorate victims of terrorists' — top diplomat. rt.com 
Russia will join forces with the US to organize an event commemorating those who were killed by terrorists in 2001's 9/11 attacks, as Washington prepares to mark the world-changing incident's 20th anniversary later this year. | That's according to Vladimir Voronkov, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office and Russia's former Permanent Representative to UN International Organizations in Vienna. | "On the subject of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we are working with our American colleagues to organize an event to commemorate the victims," Voronkov said on Wed…