(2021-07-30). 'You're Counting it Wrong': Readers Blast New York Times for Putting US at top of Olympic Medal Rankings. orinocotribune.com 
The New York Times claims the US is leading in the Tokyo Olympics, deliberately using the total medals won as its methodology. Numerous readers quickly pointed out that gold medals matter more, both officially and traditionally. | On the fifth day of the 2020 Olympics, the US paper of record showed a chart captioned "here's where the medal count stands now," showing the US in first place with a total of 30, ahead of China with 27 and Japan with 22. | It's Day 5 of
(2021-07-30). News on China | No. 61. dissidentvoice.org China is looking out for delivery workers, people hit by weather disasters, and students.
(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). Chinese President Xi Is The Pride Of The Communist Party Of China. oneworld.press Everything that President Xi has done so far has been with China's sovereign interests in mind, which in turn elevated its role in the international system and thereafter enabled it to advance its vision of creating a community of common destiny for mankind through BRI in order to restore peace, justice, and equality to International Relations.
(2021-07-30). Dallas protests political repression in the Philippines. fightbacknews.org Dallas, TX – On July 25, about 30 people gathered at Belo Garden Park in downtown Dallas to protest killings of activists and indigenous people in the Philippines by Rodrigo Duterte's far-right government. The protest was called by Malaya Movement Texas, and the Dallas Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines. | The protest was a part of nationwide demonstrations against political repression on the date of the Philippines State of the Nation Address, with protests also occurring in Austin and Houston. The event was cohosted or endorsed by the Dallas Anti-War Committee, Dallas Alliance Against Racist an…
(2021-07-30). Afghanistan, Failure and Second Thoughts. counterpunch.org It is a country other powers simply cannot leave alone. Even after abandoning its Kabul post in ignominy, tail tucked between their legs, Australia is now wondering if it should return — in some form. The Department of Trade and Foreign Affairs has been sending out a few signals, none of them definitive. "We will
(2021-07-30). Taliban advance in Afghanistan, refugee crisis stagger Turkish ruling elite. wsws.org As the Taliban seize large parts of Afghanistan following the US military withdrawal, conflicts are erupting in the Turkish ruling elite over their presence in Afghanistan.
(2021-07-30). "New Form" of Ice Cream "Terrorism": How Ben & Jerry's has Exposed Israel's anti-BDS Strategy. dissidentvoice.org 
Ben & Jerry's decision to suspend its operations in the occupied Palestinian West Bank is an event that is proving critical to Palestinian efforts, which ultimately aim at holding Israel accountable for its military occupation, apartheid and war crimes. By responding to the Palestinian call for boycotting apartheid Israel, the ice cream giant has delivered …
(2021-07-30). For Justice in Palestine, Boycott Netflix's Apartheid TV: "Hit and Run" counterpunch.org The Dream Factory. Notes from the Shop Floor. The best defender of apartheid Israel is not that ferocious bully, AIPAC. It is, and it always has been, Hollywood. The entertainment industry creates soft, smooth propaganda which is easy to digest, in a compelling dramatic form. "It's not propaganda. It's just TV. Good TV." For those
(2021-07-30). How Ben & Jerry's Exposed Israel's anti-BDS Strategy. counterpunch.org What differentiates Ben & Jerry's decision to abandon the ever-growing market of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank from previous decisions by other international corporations is the fact that the ice cream company has made it clear that its move was morally motivated. Indeed, Ben & Jerry's did not attempt to mask or delude their decision in any way: "We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."
(2021-07-30). Israeli forces kill another Palestinian youth in the occupied West Bank. peoplesdispatch.org 20-year-old Shaukat Awad was shot when Israeli forces opened fire on the funeral of Mohammed al-Alami who was killed a day before. At least 12 Palestinians were wounded with live ammunition at the funeral…
(2021-07-30). Syrian insurgents guilty of 'red line' 2013 sarin chemical attack, study finds. mronline.org 
A new open-source study concludes that Syrian insurgents carried out the Ghouta sarin chemical attack in August 2013. The explosive findings add to a growing body of public evidence that undermines U.S.-led efforts to blame the Syrian government, which almost led to U.S. military intervention.
(2021-07-30). Syria Shows Its Mettle — Olympians Ghada Shouaa to Hend Zaza. globalresearch.ca
(2021-07-30). Tensions Escalating in East Asia with US Freedom of Navigation Operations. globalresearch.ca
(2021-07-30). Blinken's Single-point Agenda in Delhi — China. asia-pacificresearch.com
(2021-07-30). Another Israeli Spy Story: When Will It End? globalresearch.ca
(2021-07-30). The U.S. Committed Cliocide (Destruction of History) in Iraq, and even Returning Gilgamesh Can't Fix it. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The US government has returned 17,000 archeological artifacts to Iraq, many of them over 4,000 years old. This, according to Al Jazeera The objects and tablets were looted from the country during the chaos of the Bush administration's rule of that country and were smuggled into the U.S., then sold …
(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). Philippines: Duterte used VFA as bargaining chip for U.S. support for his tyranny. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following July 30 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines. | The announcement today that the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) will no longer be abrogated confirms that earlier pretend threats to terminate it is mere play-acting by Duterte to shamelessly and treacherously use the VFA and Philippine sovereignty as bargaining chip in his demand for more military aid to support his tyrannical regime. | It is clear that Duterte really had no plans to terminate the agreement, knowing that doing so would have compelled Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the pr…
(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 …
(2021-07-30). Ukraine installs new top commander for war in Donbass. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The battle of Avdiivka occurred in Donetsk in the Donbass region in 2017. It was part of an offensive by the Kiev regime waged under the name of Anti-Terrorist Operation. (Ukraine like Turkey calls killing its own citizens anti-terrorism.) The Ukrinform report from which the following is excerpted highlights the fact that the nation's new …
(2021-07-30). Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Youth at Funeral of Slain Child. imemc.org 
In a serious escalation, the Israeli occupation army opened fire at the funeral procession of the slain Palestinian child, Mohammad Moayyad Bahjat al-'Allami, 11, shot and killed by the army in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, in southern occupied West Bank. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Shawkat Khaled Awad, 20, who was …
(2021-07-30). Ben & Jerry's Co-founders: Nothing 'Anti-Semitic' about Ice Cream Embargo of Illegal Israeli Settlements. palestinechronicle.com 
Ben & Jerry's co-founders have pushed back against claims of anti-Semitism following the company's decision to stop offering its ice cream products in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, noting that they themselves are Jews. Writing in the
(2021-07-30). Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of Apparent War Crimes in Gaza Assault; Urges ICC Probe. democracynow.org 
Human Rights Watch is calling on the International Criminal Court to open a probe into apparent Israeli war crimes committed during its recent 11-day assault on Gaza that killed 260 Palestinians, including 66 children. We discuss a major report HRW released this week that closely examines three Israeli strikes that killed 62 Palestinians civilians in May. U.S.-made weapons were used in at least two of the attacks investigated. Human Rights Watch concluded Israel had committed apparent war crimes. "You had people's entire lives — their homes, their businesses, their wives, their children, their husbands [mda…
(2021-07-30). Freedom for Palestinian child prisoner Abdullah Bassem Abu Bakr! samidoun.net 
An information blackout targeting not only the media and human rights and social justice organizations but also his own family is continuing over the condition of the Palestinian child detainee Abdullah Bassem Abu Bakr (17 years) from Ya'bud al-Qassam, occupied Jenin district. The child's father affirms that the information they're provided with about his son's condition is scarce. Since he was seized on Sunday at 1: 00 am by Israeli occupation forces, the family has not received information about their son until Thursday, 29 July 2021 — 5 days after their son was admitted to the hospital. When the news brok…
(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). Turkish Combat Drone Targets Two Vehicles In Northeastern Syria (Photos). southfront.org 
File image. | On July 30, a Turkish combat drone carried out a strike on the southern countryside of the town of Kobane, held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in northeastern Syria. | The combat drone targeted two vehicles on Kobane-Aleppo road as they were passing near the village of Qumagi. The two vehicles were badly damaged as a result of the strike. Nevertheless, no casualties were reported. | Click to see f…
(2021-07-30). U.S. Sanctions Against Syria Fuelling Extremism And Radicalization. southfront.org 
ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGEWashington continues to economically strangle Syria. | Written by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst. | The Syrian Army has launched an offensive against the city of Dara'a in the south of the country. President Bashar al-Assad announced in February 2016 his intentions to liberate "every inch" of Syria, but is now facing a resurgence of terrorist acts — even in liberated cities. This situation is even more aggravated by U.S. economic sanctions. | It is remembered that Dara'a, consider…
(2021-07-30). Clashes Continue In Syria's Daraa Despite Reports Of Ceasefire, New Round Of Talks. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | Clashes are still ongoing in different parts of the southern Syrian governorate of Daraa despite reports of a ceasefire and ongoing talks between the authorities and former rebels. | The situation in the governorate blew up on July 29, when the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched a
(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). Video: Turkish-backed Militants Against Everybody Including Themselves in Northern Syria. globalresearch.ca
(2021-07-30). Mask Mandates Return For Federal Staff In U.S. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size imageWill lockdowns be far behind? | Written by William Stroock, observer, author of military fiction. | As this observer predicted last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) wants Americans to mask up again. The CDC recommends that people in areas with high Delta Variant infections wear masks, even if they're already vaccinated. Said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC: 'in rare occasions…
(2021-07-30). Slamming China Won't Save Fossil Capitalism From Itself. counterpunch.org Only the mentally impaired now doubt the reality of climate change. Only the ideologically blind question that human burning of fossil fuels has caused it. In just a few weeks, we had once-in-millennium floods in Germany and Belgium, a once-in-a-millennium heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. Fires. Melting Arctic ice and permafrost. Mudslides in India. Floods in the New York City subway. Record floods in China, with a year's worth of rain falling in a single day in Zhengzhou.
(2021-07-30). Roaming Charges: All That Twitters is Sold. counterpunch.org No one can pinpoint precisely when the US war on Iraq began, but certainly dates back at least to 1962 when the CIA began plotting the overthrow of Abd al-Karim Qasim (who was executed in early 1963). And, of course, no one can predict when, if ever, the war on Iraq will come to an end. But it's became the duty of each American president since JFK to declare the Iraq war over, then expand it…
(2021-07-30). Anti-BDS Jewish Orgs Back Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Sales Ban in Settlements Despite Israeli Pressure. democracynow.org 
Israel has launched what has been described as a maximum pressure campaign against Ben & Jerry's and its parent company Unilever, after the iconic ice cream brand announced it would halt sales in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel has asked 35 U.S. governors to enforce state laws which make it a crime to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS. The founders of Ben & Jerry's, who no longer have operational control of the company, have defended the company's decision. A number of Jewish groups including J Street, the New Israel Fund and Americans for Peace Now, all of whom…
(2021-07-30). Headlines for July 30, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Announces New Federal COVID Mandates, CDC Finds Delta Variant Just as Transmissible in Breakthrough Infections, More Contagious Than Flu, House Weighing Bill to Extend Eviction Moratorium Hours Before Expiration, Half of Burma Could Contract COVID, Pakistan Enacts New Restrictions, Haiti Hospitals Overwhelmed, Congress Passes Emergency Funding Bill for Capitol Security, Resettlement of Afghan Interpreters, Report: Over 80 Afghan Troops Killed in Insider Attacks During Taliban Offensive, Dozens Killed in Flash Floods in Rural Afghanistan, U.S. Will Return 17,000 Looted Archaeological Treasures to Iraq, U.S.
(2021-07-30). US Charities Illegally Funding Illegal Israeli Settlements. indybay.org In a July 22, 2021 letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Reps. Tlaib, Bush, Carson, McCollum, Ocasio-Cortez, Pocan and Pressley demanded that Yellen investigate the illegal activities of pro-Israel charities in funding illegal Israeli settlements. See ccrjustice.org/reps-tlaib-ocasio-cortez-carson-betty-mccollum-pocan-pressley-and-bush-seek-treasury-dept…
(2021-07-30). U.S. Mulls Sanctioning Iran's UAV And Guided Missile Programs: WSJ Report. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The United States plans to sanction Iran's UAV and guided missile programs, the Wall Street Journal reported, The Wall Street Journal reported that US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the sanctions are aimed at disrupting the development of Iran's weapons program."It's part of a comprehensive approach so we're dealing with all aspects of the Iranian threat," a senior US official told the news outlet. | The US has al…
(2021-07-30). Saudi-led Coalition Claims It Foiled 'Drone Attack' On Merchant Ship In Red Sea. southfront.org 
Illustrative image, source: the Houthis media wing | On July 30, the Saudi-led coalition announced that it had foiled a "drone attack" on a Saudi-owned merchant ship in the southern part of the Red Sea. | In a brief statement shared by the Saudi Press Agency, the coalition claimed that the attack was launched from Yemen by the Houthis (Ansar Allah). | "The Houthi militia, supported by Iran, continues to threaten shipping lines and global trade in the southern Red Sea … The efforts of the coalition contribute to secu…
(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). Houthis Captured Two Districts In Phase Two Of 'Operation Evident Victory' In Al-Bayda. southfront.org 
Brigadier General Yahya Sari, spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces. Source: almasirah.net | On July 30, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced that they had successfully completed the second phase of The operation was launched early in July in response to a large-scale offensive by Saudi-backed forc…
(2021-07-30). COVID-19 vaccine urgency as delta variant continues to spread. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants of viruses are expected to occur. Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented, including a highly transmittable form of COVID-19 known as the delta variant. The delta variant, which was first seen in December 2020 in India, is spreading globally. It's more contagious than the previous strains that have been detected in the U.S. It's also causing more severe illness.Dr. Melanie Swift, co-chair of Mayo Clinic's…
(2021-07-28). China-U.S. relationship at 'new critical juncture': new Chinese ambassador. ecns.cn China's new Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Wednesday said the China-U.S. relationship "has once again come to a new critical juncture, facing not only many difficulties and challenges but also great opportunities and potentials."
(2021-07-28). UN envoy: 'Political manipulation' won't defeat pandemic. ecns.cn A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday rejected "false information" from the United States on the coronavirus' origin, saying that "political manipulation is unpopular, cannot defeat the pandemic and is doomed to failure".
(2021-07-28). Politicizing COVID-19 fight is perilous, says S. African official. ecns.cn As the rest of the world tries to fight the COVID-19 pandemic with science, some in the United States have chosen to politicize COVID-19, Anwar Adams, a councillor in the City of Cape Town has said.
(2021-07-28). Geo-political rivalry blocks global coronavirus cooperation, says Bangladeshi official. ecns.cn A senior Bangladeshi official has said that labelling COVID-19 as a Chinese virus is "very unfortunate" and that geo-political rivalry is "engulfing" global efforts to fight the pandemic.
(2021-07-29). Russia rejects Dutch court ruling to hand $5 BILLION of taxpayers' cash to ex-oligarchs over collapse of Yukos oil & gas empire. rt.com 
Officials in Moscow have vowed to vigorously appeal a judicial ruling in an international arbitration court that would bind Russia to hand over billions of dollars to the former shareholders of the collapsed Yukos energy giant. | The office of the country's Prosecutor General said on Thursday that it does not acknowledge the validity of the decision, by the International Arbitration Court in The Hague. Authorities said that Russia would "appeal the decision without fail," questioning both the basis of the judges' jurisdiction and the claims themselves. | Earlier that day, representatives of the shareholders wh…
(2021-07-28). Comicomment: Is mute Fort Detrick 'innocent'?>. ecns.cn It is not up to the U.S. itself to decide whether the Fort Detrick laboratory is "clean."
(2021-07-29). Mexico president blasts 'inhumane' US sanctions against Cuba. en.mehrnews.com Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has scoffed at the notion that Mexico should honor a US-imposed embargo on Cuba, as his country sends aid to the island in defiance of Washington's suffocating economic bans.