(2021-08-05). China Calls US Sanctions Against Cuba 'Harassment'. orinocotribune.com China labeled the US sanctions on the Cuban police and its officials a demonstration of harassment and double standards on the part of the United States government. China also urged countries around the world to help Cuba in the same way as many countries, including China, have done in recent days, with donations of food, medicines, medical equipment, and fuel. | Through a statement released on Wednesday, August 4, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its firm condemnation of the imposition of arbitrary and unilateral measures by the US administration and the interference in the internal affairs of a…
(2021-08-05). In Bid to Recapture Congress' Power to Declare War, Key Senate Committee advances Repeal of Iraq War Authorizations. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Trish Turner at ABC News reports that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has voted to repeal the two Authorizations for Use of Military Force in Iraq passed in 1991 for the Gulf War and in 2002 for George W. Bush's war on Iraq. I'm personally happy about this, since I …
(2021-08-05). 38 British Watchtowers Span Lebanon's Borders: Who are they Really Watching? orinocotribune.com By Elijah J. Magnier — Aug 2, 2021 | Ostensibly built to monitor ISIS, the UK erected dozens of watchtowers along the Lebanese-Syrian border. But ISIS is long gone, so who are they really watching? | The UK has constructed dozens of sophisticated watchtowers on the Lebanese—Syrian border in recent years. Ostensibly, the initial pretext was that the reason for the construction of these satellite-linked, fortified towers is to monitor the crossing or movement of individuals and vehicles, and therefore deter terrorist Takfiri groups from entering Lebanon from Syria. | Despite these Takfiri groups now disl…
(2021-08-05). One Year On From The Port Of Beirut Blast And France Has Failed In Its Goals. southfront.org 
Illustrative ImageLebanon is not any closer to political and economic stability a year after the tragedy. | Written by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst | Since the port of Beirut was destroyed on August 4, 2020, French authorities have increased the number of trips, initiatives, pressures and appeals to the international community to assist reconstruction and stabilization efforts in Lebanon. A year after the explosion, French President Emmanuel Macron and Secretary-General of the United Nations António Gute…
(2021-08-05). Headlines for August 5, 2021. democracynow.org WHO Calls for Moratorium on Third Doses Amid Stark Global Vaccine Inequity, Amid Soaring Profits, Moderna and Pfizer to Raise COVID-19 Vaccine Prices , Over Half of China's Provinces Log New COVID Cases; Tokyo Olympics Registers Worst Daily Toll, Illinois Issues Mask Mandate for Schools; Arkansas Governor Regrets Signing Anti-Mask Bill, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Bans Mask Mandates, Blames Immigrants & Biden for Record COVID Surge, Landlords Ask Federal Judge to Block Biden CDC's New Eviction Moratorium, Protesters in Lebanon Demand Justice on First Anniversary of Beirut Port Explosion, Unfolding Climate Crisis Fu…
(2021-08-05). "They Killed Us from the Inside": U.N. Inquiry Demanded into Officials' Culpability in Beirut Blast. democracynow.org 
One year after the Beirut port explosion, a new Human Rights Watch report implicates senior Lebanese officials in the disaster that killed 218 people, wounded 7,000 others and destroyed vast swaths of the city. The blast on August 4, 2020, was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. It resulted from the detonation of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, which had been sitting in a hangar at the port for years while multiple government officials who knew about the highly explosive chemicals did nothing. "We didn't find any Lebanese official who took any responsibility for securing the port and remov…
(2021-08-05). Alarming Escalation: Israeli Warplanes Attack Targets In Lebanon (Videos). southfront.org 
Israel Air Force airplane F-16 D 'Barak Cobra'prepares for take off. June 28 2010. Photo by Ofer Zidon/Flash90 | Early on August 5, warplanes of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out a series of airstrikes on Lebanon's South Governorate, the heartland of Hezbollah. | The Israeli airstrikes targeted empty farmlands and a road in the area of al-Dimashqiyah as well as the area of al-Shawaker near the coastal city of Tyre. No casualties or material losses were reported as a result of the airstrikes, which were apparently carryi…
(2021-08-05). Israel Razes Palestinian Properties in Occupied Territories in Massive Single-Day Demolition Drive. libya360.wordpress.com Abhijan Choudhury (Photo: Palestinian Information Center) Israeli authorities justified the demolitions citing lack of Israeli building permits. They also confiscated scores of Palestinian-owned assets, including cars, tractors, water generators and solar panels Israeli authorities carried out illegal demolitions of several Palestinian-owned residential, agricultural and commercial properties across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on…
(2021-08-05). The Politics of Cheering and Booing: On Palestine, Solidarity and the Tokyo Olympics. dissidentvoice.org 
When the Palestinian Olympic delegation of five athletes — adorned in traditional Palestinian attire and carrying the Palestinian flag — crossed into the Tokyo's Olympic Stadium during the inauguration ceremony on July 23, I was overcome with pride and nostalgia. I grew up watching the Olympics. All of us did. Throughout the month-long international sports …
(2021-08-05). Palestine in Pictures: July 2021. electronicintifada.net A monthly roundup of photographs documenting Palestine, Palestinian life, politics and culture, and international solidarity with Palestine.
(2021-08-05). Celebrating Sandinismo at Nicaragua's Palestine Park. orinocotribune.com On Sunday, July 18, 2021, thousands of Nicaraguans attended a rally celebrating the 42nd anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution at Palestine Park in Managua. Participants held banners that read "Free Palestine," "Hands Off Cuba," and "Nicaragua Sandinista" as part of the internationalist celebration. | Palestine Park was constructed in 2013 by the government of President Daniel Ortega in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Central to the park is a statue of Palestinian freedom fighter Yasser Arafat, who is also pictured with President Ortega in a nearby poster. The park also features Nicaraguan and Palestin…
(2021-08-05). The Politics of Cheering and Booing. zcomm.org On Palestine, Solidarity and the Tokyo Olympics…
(2021-08-05). Hunger strike update: Struggle continues against administrative detention. samidoun.net 
As of 5 August 2021, 15 Palestinians continued their hunger strikes in Israeli occupation, 14 of them protesting their administrative detention — imprisonment without charge or trial — and one, Mohammed Nuwarra, protesting his ongoing solitary confinement. On 5 August, two detainees joined the hunger strike: Akram al-Fasfous, joining his brother, Kayed al-Fasfous, who has been on hunger strike for 22 days. Sign the grassroots international petition: change.org/NoChargeNoTrialNoJail Their other brother, Mahmoud al-Fasfous, also jailed without charge or trial, suspended his hunger strike earlier on Thur…
(2021-08-05). Israel's Twitter Page Arouses Fury After Video Boasts of Water Management Accomplishments. sputniknews.com Since 1967, Palestinians in the West Bank have been legally barred from sinking their own wells without a permit from the Israeli military, forcing them to buy water at inflated prices from Israeli water providers.
(2021-08-05). When Will They Lift the Blockade? Iraq and Cuba. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-05). Civilians in southern Syria 'under siege' — UN human rights chief. news.un.org The top UN rights official once more sounded the alarm on Thursday over the plight of civilians in Syria, as intense fighting and indiscriminate shelling by Government forces and armed opposition groups paralyze neighbourhoods in and around the southern city of Daraa.
(2021-08-05). What Message do Repeatedly Downed Israeli Missiles in Syria Send to Tel-Aviv and Washington? sputniknews.com Three consequent announcements made on 20, 22, and 25 July by the Russian Ministry of Defence about the successful interception of Israeli missiles in Syrian air space have prompted a heated debate among Mideast and Western observers. Why have the briefings of the Russian Centre for Reconciliation produced so much fuss?
(2021-08-05). Syrian Service Members Ambushed In Eastern Daraa As Talks Between Authorities & Rebels Face Setback. southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | Early on August 5, unidentified gunmen ambushed a car carrying service members of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the eastern countryside of Daraa, where former rebels have been taking a stand against Syrian authorities. | The gunmen targeted the car with machine guns as it was passing on a road between the town of Izraa and the governorate of al-Suwayda. The area is controlled by the Russian-backed 8th Brigade, a unit of the SAA's 5th Corps that was especially formed in 2018 for former…
(2021-08-05). Does Renewed fighting in Syria's Deraa, Birthplace of the Revolution, Show Russia's Weakness? juancole.com Belgrade (Special to Informed Comment) — Russia is making an effort to prevent wide-scale hostilities in Syria's southern province of Deraa. The Kremlin reportedly aims to increase its influence in the war-torn country, but recent clashes in Deraa al-Balad — a southern district of Deraa city — between the Moscow-backed Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and …
(2021-08-05). Greater Idlib: Syrian Army Snipers Hunt Down Militants As Russian Warplanes Resume Strikes (Videos, Photos). southfront.org 
A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti | On August 5, the Russian Aerospace Forces resumed its combat operations against militants in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib. | A series of Russian airstrikes targeted militants' positions around the town of al-Bara in the southern Idlib countryside as well as in the surroundings of the town of Kabani in the northern countryside of Lattakia. | Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at T…
(2021-08-05). Biden Administration Approves First Arms Sale to Taiwan. sputniknews.com Late last year, the Chinese Foreign Ministry imposed sanctions on several US defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, after learning then-US President Donald Trump's administration approved an arms sale to Taiwan valued at $1.8 billion.
(2021-08-05). Pentagon marks 27 years of training Georgian army for wars in Caucasus, Middle East, Asia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com U.S. commander meets with Georgian mercenary cohorts During his visit to Georgia, Major General Thomas Carden, Georgia National Guard, visited the National Guard. The American general was hosted by the Deputy Chief of the National Guard, Colonel Koba Akhvlediani. At the meeting, the parties discussed the 27-year partnership and cooperation between the State Guard of …
(2021-08-05). Video: US Government-Funded Media in Malaysia: "Malaysiakini" asia-pacificresearch.com
(2021-08-05). US Pursuing 'Integrated Deterrence' Strategy in Asia-Pacific Region, Says Austin. asia-pacificresearch.com
(2021-08-05). 2021 California Admission Day, Equity and Inclusion Conversation. indybay.org The origin of the State of California and transition to US Statehood through the eyes of Indigenous, Pan African, Latino, European, Asian and Pacific Islanders poised this 2021 Admission Day…
(2021-08-05). Saturday 10/2: Opening Reception – The Art of Protest: 1960s-1970s to Now. indybay.org Oakland Asian Cultural Center…
(2021-08-05). The US-Japanese Alliance Against China Risks World War. asia-pacificresearch.com
(2021-08-05). US-Taliban Deal a Fig Leaf Covering Washington's Defeat in 20-Year Long Afghan War, Observers Say. sputniknews.com Washington's deal with the Taliban and hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan is fraught with risks for the Central Asian state, which may face years of conflict and instability, Afghanistan experts say.
(2021-08-05). The Extended Afghanistan Peace Troika: US, Russia, China, Pakistan. globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-05). Security U.S. Fears of China Nuclear Expansion… Déjà Vu of Soviet Missile Gap Hype. dissidentvoice.org China is providing the equivalent scaremongering of the Soviet "missile gap" in order to sustain America's militarist-dependent capitalist economy. Media reports from the U.S. this week — regurgitated by the European press — highlighted concerns that China is embarking on a massive scale-up of underground silos for launching nuclear weapons. Hundreds of silos are alleged …
(2021-08-05). China Eradicates Absolute Poverty While Billionaires Go for a Joyride to Space. dissidentvoice.org 
Women who migrated to the Wangjia community participate in local activities at the community centre in Tongren City, Guizhou Province, April 2021. Confounding news comes from the flagship World Economic Outlook report of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The report highlights many of the pressing issues facing our planet: disruptions in the global supply chain, …
(2021-08-05). What electric vehicle manufacturers can learn from China — their biggest market. juancole.com 
By Youlin Huang, David Tyfield, Didier Soopramanien, and Lixian Qian | — Despite the pandemic, global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) increased by 43% in 2020. Total EV sales in China were 1.3 million, an increase of 8% compared to 2019, and 41% of all EVs sold worldwide. Though Europe sold more than China for …
(2021-08-05). History of the Communist Party of China (CCP). globalresearch.ca
(2021-08-05). Phylogeographic Mapping of Newly Discovered Coronaviruses Pinpoints the Direct Progenitor of SARS-CoV-2 as Originating from Mojiang, China. counterpunch.org Back in March, the World Health Organisation's report on the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic coronavirus confirmed something that had long been widely presumed. Since the pandemic began, there has been an enormous virus hunt in China. The purpose of this hunt has been to find the viruses intermediate between SARS-CoV-2 and its coronavirus relatives
(2021-08-05). Xinjiang residents refute accusations of human rights violations. ecns.cn Residents of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have hit back at accusations of human rights violations, saying some Western countries' claims of "genocide" or "forced labor" are fabricated.
(2021-08-05). The Heat: Coronavirus Pandemic and Politics. america.cgtn.com 
From the origins of the virus, and allegations over a "lab leak" in Wuhan, the United States continues to question China's role and Beijing has pushed back hard on that. China says the novel coronavirus origin-tracking work should be treated as a scientific issue, not a political one.
(2021-08-05). India And China Making Significant Progress In Easing Tensions On The Border. southfront.org 
Illustrative ImageAn Indian-Chinese rapprochement will weaken U.S. ambitions to contain China. | Written by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst | India and China are close to reaching an agreement on the disarmament of troops in the Ladakh region. Following the 12th round of China-India border talks, it was agreed that dialogue on de-escalating the de facto Line of Control will continue. Discussions took place on July 30, lasting nine hours, but the final statement from the two sides was published days…
(2021-08-05). U.S. closure of Fort Detrick lab not coincidental: expert. ecns.cn The sudden shutdown of the Fort Detrick lab in the United States and the pneumonia outbreak that followed are far from coincidental and should be studied in the scope of the ongoing investigation into the pandemic's origins, a Russian political observer has said.
(2021-08-05). Editorial — Cómo defender el derecho al voto. workers.org 
Concentración en el Museo World Of Coca-Cola, Atlanta, 15 de marzo de 2021. La lucha por el derecho democrático burgués de una persona, un voto aún continúa en Estados Unidos, el país imperialista más poderoso. Esa lucha comenzó una vez que la última persona esclavizada fue liberada en Galveston, Texas, . . . |
(2021-08-05). Afghan Government Forces, Popular Resistance Repel Seven Attacks By The Taliban On Herat City. southfront.org 
Afghan National Army soldiers prepare to move out following an inspection of troops at the Regional Military Training Center at Tactical Base Gamberi, Afghanistan, on July 30, 2015. JARROD MORRIS/U.S. ARMY | Late on August 4, Afghan security forces thwarted seven attacks by the Taliban on the northwestern city of Herat, according to the governor of Herat province. | The governor, Abdul Saboor Qani, said that Taliban fighters attacked districts 2, 3, 10 and 11 of Herat city. More than 100 attackers were killed in airstrikes ca…
(2021-08-05). The War in Afghanistan: The real "Crime of the Century" behind the Opioid Crisis. dissidentvoice.org 
In May, the HBO television network aired a new two-part documentary exploring America's ongoing opioid epidemic entitled The Crime of the Century. The first episode summarized the role of the pharmaceutical industry in the crisis, specifically that of Sackler family drug-maker Purdue Pharma and its deadly prescription painkiller, OxyContin. Part One also thoroughly investigates the …
(2021-08-05). Iraqi 'Resistance' Blew Up Two US Supply Convoys In Al-Diwaniyah, Babylon (Photos). southfront.org 
File image. | On August 5, two convoys moving logistic supplies and equipment for the US-led coalition came under attack in different parts of Iraq. | The first convoy was attacked in the southern province of al-Diwaniyah, while the second came under attack in the central province of Babylon. The two convoys were reportedly targeted with explosive devices. | Pro-Iranian Saryat Qasim al-Jabbarin [The Breaker of Titans Company] claimed responsibility for both attacks. Photos of the attacks were released. | <...
(2021-08-05). Tensions Remain On Korean Peninsula Despite Two Koreas' Desire To Improve Ties. southfront.org 
Illustrative ImageIf South Korea wishes to have fruitful talks with its northern neighbour, it will need to distance itself from the US, but Washington simply cannot allow that. | Written by Uriel Araujo, researcher with a focus on international and ethnic conflicts | North Korea — DPRK — and South Korea (ROK) have restored their communication hotlines, including a military channel, which had been off since June 2020. According to a statement from ROK's presidential office last Tuesday, the leaders of bo…
(2021-08-05). Combat Footage: Houthi Snipers Hunt Down 11 Saudi-Backed Fighters On Jizan, Najran Fronts (18+). southfront.org 
Illustrative image, source: the Houthis media wing | On August 4, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) released a video documenting operations which were recently carried out by their sniper units. | Houthi snipers hit five Saudi-backed Yemeni fighters and five Sudanese service members on the border line with the southern Saudi province of Jizan. Along the border line with the Kingdoms' southern province of Najran, the snipers targeted a Saudi-backed Yemeni fighter and destroyed two surveillance cameras, which were installed in f…
(2021-08-05). Craig Murray's Jailing is the Latest Move in a Battle to Snuff out Independent Journalism. orinocotribune.com 
By Jonathan Cook — Jul 30, 2021 | Craig Murray, a former ambassador to Uzbekistan, the father of a newborn child, a man in very poor health and one who has no prior convictions, will have to hand himself over to the Scottish police on Sunday morning. He becomes the first person ever to be imprisoned on the obscure and vaguely defined charge of "jigsaw identification". | Murray is also the first person to be jailed in Britain for contempt of court for their journalism in half a century — a period when such different legal and moral values prevailed that the British establishment had only just ended the…
(2021-08-05). "We Don't Want to go Back to the City": India's Migrant Workers, Settling for Less Work and Lesser Pay. counterpunch.org Balaji Hattagale was chopping sugarcane one day. The next day he wasn't. His parents wish they knew more. "The uncertainty is killing us," says his father, Babasaheb Hattagale. On an overcast afternoon in July, a dark cloud hangs over his one-room brick home, almost reflecting the despair in Babasaheb's voice when he says: "We just
(2021-08-05). Meng extradition case concluding. ecns.cn Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was back in British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver on Wednesday for the final stretch of extradition proceedings that could send her to the U.S.
(2021-08-05). Lockdowns in place as fourth COVID-19 wave hits Pakistan. peoplesdispatch.org Amidst a sudden spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, the Sindh government in Pakistan reimposed a week-long lockdown in the entire province on Saturday, July 31. The restrictions will be partial and are likely to last until August 8. | Sindh's chief minister Murad Ali Shah announced the declaration of a lockdown during a press conference on Saturday, stressing that the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases has flooded hospitals in Karachi. "I know people will not be comfortable with lockdown, but to limit the numbers of cases it was inevitable," Shah said. | Schools, restaurants, and all private offices in the province…
(2021-08-05). Why investigating U.S. EVALI outbreak important in COVID-19 origin-tracing?>. ecns.cn Amid global efforts in tracing the COVID-19 origins, the connection between the coronavirus and an outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) cases in the U.S. in August, 2019 has raised many concerns.
(2021-08-05). Comicomment: In origin tracing, U.S. leads a 'blaming chorus'. ecns.cn The COVID-19 origin tracing is a serious scientific issue that must be studied by scientists and medical experts around the world through cooperation. However, some U.S. politicians placed their hope on the intelligence community, trying to answer a science question with political means.