(2021-08-04). Syrian Army Shot Down US MQ-4C Triton High-Altitude Drone Over Aleppo — Report. southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | The Syrian military had shot down an American MQ-4C Triton high-altitude long endurance surveillance drone over the countryside of the northern governorate of Aleppo, the U-News reported on August 4. | An informed source told the news agency, which is known to be close to Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Syrian state, that the drone was shot down with a missile fired by a Russian-made Buk-M2E air-defense system of the Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces (SyAADF). | "The American plane took off from Martyr Muwaffa…
(2021-08-04). Daraa's Former Rebels Blow Up Abandoned Syrian Army Posts As Talks Go On (Videos). southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | Tensions continue in Daraa, despite ongoing talks between Syrian authorities and local leaders to resolve the governorate's crisis. | On August 3, pro-opposition sources in Daraa al-Balad, the southern part of Daraa city, said that local leaders had accepted some of the authorities' demands. | The local leaders informed the authorities that they will allow the deployment of units from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the military intelligence in the area, but only with local fighters from the Russian-backed…
(2021-08-04). Military Situation In Syria On August 4, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 3, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 37 times: 19 — in Idlib province, 11 — in Latakia province, 4 — in Hama province, 3 — in Aleppo province | On August 3, SAA artillery shelled positions of former rebels in Daraa al-Balad | On August 3, artillery of Turkish-backed forces shelled SDF positions near Ain Issa | On August 4, one person killed and at least three were wounded in an explosion o…
(2021-08-04). Ukraine and the Long Game. strategic-culture.org There are very good reasons why Moscow has learned that it's better to be patient, Patrick Armstrong writes. | But if we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future. | — No, you aren't; no you don't. | — Putin or Xi, date and source unknown | The myth of Maidan Ukraine is that a corrupt, Russia-friendly president was overthrown in a largely peaceful revolt by the disgusted citiz…
(2021-08-04). North Korea Demands Sanctions Relief to Restart Nuclear Talks. news.antiwar.com North Korea nuclear talks have been on hold for quite some time. South Korean intelligence official Park Jie-won told MPs on Tuesday that the This is generally unsurprising, as a big reason the talks stalled was that North Korea was expected to make more and more concessions and got no relief in return. This would clearly be an issue again now. | North Korea isn't generalizing though, and…
(2021-08-04). Monday 8/9: Remembering Hiroshima & Nagasaki: The Existential Threats of Nuclear War & Climate Crisis. indybay.org Online rally…
(2021-08-04). Friday 8/6: Remembering Hiroshima & Nagasaki: Existential Threats of Nuclear War & Climate Crisis. indybay.org Virtual rally…
(2021-08-04). Chinese Investors Wage Union Busting War On Namibian MUN Mine Workers. indybay.org Chinese investors both state and private in Namibia are engaging in a massive union busting campaign against the Mineworkers Union Of Namibia breaking strikes with the use of Chinese nationals and also firing union leaders including the 9 MUN union executive members of the Rossing Mine which is owned by the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation CNNC.
(2021-08-04). Trump's Tehran Poison Pill: US Trade Embargo provokes Iranian Attacks in Gulf, Making Return to Nuclear Deal Harder. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The BBC reports that a bitumen tanker, the MV Asphalt Princess, was boarded by nine men on Tuesday and hijacked. It cites unnamed "analysts," presumably MI6, to the effect that the hijacking was the work of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. The MV Asphalt Princess, owned by the United Arab …
(2021-08-04). Selected Articles: Secret Meeting on the Privatization of Nuclear War Held on Hiroshima Day 2003. globalresearch.ca 
By The fact that Switzerland hosts not only annually the WEF Davos Forum, a club of corporate and banking billionaires that has gradually taken …
(2021-08-04). Roscosmos Calls NASA's Excuses Not To Launch Starliner "Ugly" southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | NASA and Boeing postponed the launch of the Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station, and justified the delay with the emergency situation with the Russian module "Nauka". | Roscosmos referred to these excuses as "ugly.""Yesterday [August 3rd] it was postponed to August 4, today it was postponed indefinitely. The company reports that this is a problem with the ship's engines or software for their operation," Vladimir Ustimenko, head of the press service of the state corporati…
(2021-08-04). Living in a Political Laboratory: an Interview with Rita Anwari Soltani on the Future of Afghan Women. counterpunch.org For most Afghans, the last 20 years has felt like an eternity. Add the 'Taliban 1.0' years and the civil conflict before that, and the Russian occupation, and it seems somehow more than twice as long. The violent uncertainties of warlordism and invasion have for a long time prevented significant reform of the country's sexual
(2021-08-03). Is Russia Recalibrating Its De Facto Alliance with Israel in Syria? globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-03). Military Situation In Syria On August 3, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | — On August 3, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 37 times: 19 — in Idlib province, 11 — in Latakia province, 4 — in Hama province, 3 — in Aleppo province | — On August 2, the rebels central committee in Daraa rejected the demands of the SAA to hand over weapons and enter military checkpoints to Daraa al-Balad | — On August 3, clashes between former rebels and the SAA were reported in…
(2021-08-03). Secret Meeting on the Privatization of Nuclear War Held on Hiroshima Day 2003. globalresearch.ca At no point since the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945, has humanity been closer to the unthinkable. All the safeguards of the Cold War era have been scrapped. "Offensive" military actions using nuclear warheads are now described as acts of "self-defense"
(2021-08-03). A Fresh Reminder of Russiagate's Failed Integrity. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-03). Russian Ambassador Claims U.S. Expelling 24 Diplomats, State Department Denies. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On August 2nd, the Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, condemned what he called "expulsions" of Moscow's diplomats, saying the United States had become "persistent and creative in this business" by uniquely limiting Russians to three-year visas."We received a list of 24 diplomats who are expected to leave the country before September 3, 2021. Almost all of them will leave without replacements because Washington has abruptly tightened visa-issuing procedures," he told US mon…
(2021-08-03). Russia Developing New X-95 Air-Launched Long-Range Hypersonic Missile. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Russia is working hard and developing the latest air-launched X-95 long-range hypersonic missile, Colonel-General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, head of the military academy of the General Staff, said in an article for the Military Thought magazine. | Zarudnitsky said that he considered dominance in the aerospace sphere to be the most important condition for the successful conduct of hostilities, and it can be ensured through the effect…
(2021-08-03). The 'Stigma' Of Being Russian At The OIympics Is Reminiscent Of 20th Century Anti-Semitism. southfront.org 
We are entering dangerous territory when journalists, sportsmen and politicians are united in their abhorrence of Russia… | Written by Johanna Ross, journalist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. | They say that sport and politics shouldn't mix. Perhaps this is the ideal, for in practice the two seem inherently linked. A perfect example of this is Russia's participation in the Olympics games this year, which has been deliberately tarnished from…
(2021-08-03). History: The Truth About the Soviet Gulag, Surprisingly Revealed by the CIA. globalresearch.ca "Humanitarian" …
(2021-08-03). The Russia -U.S. Strategic Dialogue and the Putin-Biden Relationship: Diplomacy, Strategic Stability and Cybersecurity. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-03). Georgia: U.S., NATO train army for conflicts with Russia, Iran. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com For command-staff read command post. The U.S.- and NATO-trained Georgian army has already received direct combat experience in Afghanistan, Iraq and in South Ossetia during Georgia's invasion of the third and subsequent war with Russia thirteen years ago. The army isn't being trained currently for independence or armed forces day parades. The command-staff component of …
(2021-08-03). U.S., NATO ready to contest Arctic with Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Arctic will become 'contested' without US presence and partnerships, 2nd Fleet CO warns "But if we aren't present there, and if we aren't continuing to build those partnerships, it will be a contested space," said [2nd Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Andrew] Lewis, who also heads NATO's Joint Force Command Norfolk. Failure to maintain presence in …
(2021-08-03). NATO deploys Polish F-16s to Iceland, Turkish F-16s to Poland. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com From the Polish Press Agency (PAP) via Radio Poland. Global expeditionary NATO: anything but territorial defense. ==== Turkish F-16s deployed to Poland for NATO operations near Russian border NATO provides Turkey training for shooting down more Russian aircraft ==== Poland joins NATO's air-policing mission in Iceland Pawe≈Ç Soloch, head of the presidential National Security Bureau …
