(2021-09-21). AUKUS vs China: Inching Toward War. newatlas.report September 21, 2021 (Brian Berletic — NEO) — Australia, the UK and the US announced the formation of "AUKUS," an amalgamation of the three nation's initials, as a tripartite "defense alliance." Despite claims that the alliance is aimed at no particular country (and no particular country was mentioned during its announcement), the Western media has …
(2021-09-21). Ruling party MP: France could consider leaving NATO. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Simian is a member of President Emmanuel Macron's La République En Marche! Izvestia: US-France submarine scandal leads to talk of Paris pulling out of NATO France should weigh its foreign policy priorities and, given the new AUKUS alliance in the Asia-Pacific region and its discord with the United States, it should better relations with Russia …
(2021-09-21). Xinjiang residents debunk lies fabricated by Western politicians, anti-China forces. ecns.cn More than 20 residents in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region shared their personal experiences at a news conference via video link on Friday to expose the lies and fallacies of some Western politicians and anti-China forces.
(2021-09-21). Democrats Share Blame for Afghanistan. counterpunch.org Joe Biden is taking heat from Democrats, not for his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan—that's popular—but for his haphazard pullout that, self-serving Rumsfeldian stuff happens, wars end messily platitudes aside, could have been executed more efficiently. They blame George W. Bush for starting America's longest war, arguing that what he began inexorably led to our most shocking military defeat and its humiliating aftermath.
(2021-09-21). Iran stresses need for more active UNHCR role in Afghanistan. en.mehrnews.com Referring to Iran's hosting of millions of refugees, the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian emphasized the need for a more active UNHCR role to address the critical humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
(2021-09-21). A Shift In Militants' Strategy Could Shine A More Positive Light On Failed US Policy. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | Written by A paradigm shift in jihadist thinking suggests that the US invasion of Afghanistan may prove to have achieved more than many counterterrorism experts would want policymakers and military strategists to believe. | Similarly, the paradigm shift also hints at the possibility that the presence in a Taliban-governed Afghanistan of various militant Islamist and jihadist groups could turn out to be an advantage in efforts to prevent and contain political violence. | The evolution o…
(2021-09-21). Taliban Say No ISIS, Al-Qaeda In Country As String Of ISIS-K Terror Attacks Rock Jalalabad. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | A string of explosions struck Taliban vehicles in Afghanistan's provincial city of Jalalabad over the weekend, killing eight people, among them Taliban fighters. | ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. | The Taliban are under pressure to contain ISIS militants, in part to make good on a promise to the international community that they will prevent the staging of terror attacks from Afghan soil. | There is also a widely held expectation among conflict-weary Afghans that the new rul…
(2021-09-21). India Seizes 3 Tons Of Heroin Allegedly Originating From Afghanistan. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On September 21st, Indian officials said they had seized nearly three tonnes of heroin originating from Afghanistan worth an estimated 200 billion rupees ($2.72 billion). | More than 2,988 kg of heroin was recovered in one of India's biggest such hauls to date. | According to DRI (Ahmedabad zone) officials, a consignment had been imported by Aashi Trading Company, a Vijaywada-based company, from Iran's Bandar Abbas Port to Mundra Port. The company had declared th…
(2021-09-21). One Year On Since Nagorno-Karabakh War As Baku Prepares For New Combat. southfront.org 
Illustrative ImageRussian peacekeepers and the Collective Security Treaty Organization are the only security guarantors in the region. | Written by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst | September 27, in a few days' time, will mark the first-year anniversary of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, a war that saw over 100,000 Armenians displaced from their historical homeland, with a final ethnic cleansing only prevented because of the November 10 ceasefire agreement enforced by Moscow that was furious after two of their military personnel were killed when Azerbaijan downed a Russian helicopter the day be…
(2021-09-21). Nagorno-Karabakh model: Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan consolidate new Eurasian military bloc. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com MP: Azerbaijan-Turkey-Pakistan relations are strengthening …If we take into account that the 44-day Second Karabakh War shed light on all the realities, the true nature of the processes taking place in the region and the world, then Azerbaijan has once again clarified the states that have a sincere attitude to it. Turkey and Pakistan, which …
(2021-09-21). Washington And Kiev Start Provocative Drills On Russian Border. southfront.org 
Illustrative ImageThe US continues to use Ukrainian soil as a base of military operations, generating unnecessary tensions in the region. | Written by Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. | Despite its recent defeats in Central Asia and the Middle East, the US makes it clear that it will continue to maintain a strategy of global presence and ongoing tensions against its main geopolitical enemies. This week, US and Ukrainian troops began the first maneuvers in the new edition of the Rapid Trident, an annual military drill operated by the two countries in t…
(2021-09-21). Socialist Alliance candidate, councillor, say 'no' to nuclear submarines. greenleft.org.au Queensland Senate candidate Renee Lees said Australia needs to be a 'productive partner' not a 'colonial bully' in the Asia Pacific region. Alex Bainbridge reports.
(2021-09-21). Indestructible Brotherhood: Turkey, Azerbaijan launch war games near Nagorno-Karabakh border. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Turkish, Azerbaijani militaries launch joint drill in Nakhchivan The Turkish and Azerbaijani militaries launched a joint exercise in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Region on Monday. A group of Turkish soldiers arrived in the Nakhchivan exclave to take part in the Indestructible Brotherhood 2021 military drill, said an Azerbaijani Defense Ministry statement. The Turkish and Azerbaijani national …
(2021-09-21). Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan participate in U.S.-NATO war games in Ukraine. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The three nations, centered on two-thirds of the Baku Declaration/Three Brothers military axis of Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Turkey, also participated in the unprecedentedly large U.S.-NATO Sea Breeze 2021 war games in Ukraine and the Black Sea in July. Ukrainian-American exercise 'Rapid Trident — 2021' starts at Yavoriv military training center According to the press service …
(2021-09-21). Azerbaijani, Turkish warplanes fly over the Bosphorus. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Turkish, Azerbaijani jets conduct welcome flight over Bosphorus within TEKNOFEST-2021 Fighter jets of the Air Forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey made a welcome flight over the Bosphorus Strait on September 21 [said] the Turkish Ministry of National Defense. The flight was performed by two MiG-29 fighters of the Azerbaijan Air Force, as well as F-4 …
(2021-09-21). Ties with China necessary, essential for Latin America, says Cuban academic. ecns.cn For Latin America, ties with China are necessary and essential, a Cuban academic said following Chinese President Xi Jinping's message to the recently concluded 6th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
(2021-09-21). The UN General Assembly and the threat of imperialist aggression against China. wsws.org The UN General Assembly opened in New York City under the shadow of the sudden announcement last week of the Australia-UK-US alliance aimed at China.
(2021-09-21). 4.4 mln doses of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Nepal. ecns.cn With the latest consignment of COVID-19 vaccines landing in Kathmandu on Friday, Nepal has now received all 6 million doses the government purchased from China in August, local media reported.
(2021-09-21). China Emerging as Competitor to Tesla: Will it build the best Cars in the World? juancole.com 
By Tom Stacey " Europeans and other western nations have dominated automotive excellence for over a century. Whether it is the satisfying thud of the door closing on a Volkswagen from Wolfsburg, or the beauty of a Ferrari from Modena, these brands are iconic — and very lucrative for their manufacturers. When we think of …
(2021-09-21). Another US attempt to discredit China. indybay.org In July 2021 the Biden's administration once again criticized the Chinese leadership. This time China was charged with organizing illegal activities in cyberspace which, for its part, creates a serious threat to the US national security.
(2021-09-21). 1232 KMS: Seven Indian migrant workers head home during the COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org The film documents the odyssey of a group of workers who, having been stripped of all income by the Modi government's pandemic lockdown, bicycle to their village in Bihar hundreds of miles away.
(2021-09-21). Ahead of India's second wave, did warnings go unheeded? peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkaystha talks about the recent New York Times report which examines the Indian scientific establishment's approach ahead of the second wave of the COVID-19. The report suggests that health preparations suffered due to politics…
(2021-09-21). Stop Exporting Indian-Made Vaccines to Rich Nations. zcomm.org More than a dozen civil society groups in India have written an open urging Johnson & Johnson to cancel export of Indian-made COVID-19 vaccine doses to rich countries and instead focus on distributing them in the Global South…
(2021-09-21). Can poor countries succeed in vaccinating their population? peoplesdispatch.org Public outcry in South Africa helped force Johnson & Johnson to retain the vaccines produced in the country for domestic use instead of being shipped to Europe. The Indian civil society has initiated a similar effort as the Global South looks for alternatives…
(2021-09-21). Turkish combat drones to be used in Western Sahara after Karabakh, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Donbass. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Morocco receives 1st Turkish Bayraktar TB2 delivery: Reports Morocco has received the first units of Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs)… **** The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) ordered a total of 13 such drones, according to the reports. **** The deal comes during regional tensions and at a time the Maghreb country …
(2021-09-21). Iraq War Veteran Confronts George W. Bush. popularresistance.org Nearly 20 years ago, in July 2002, I sat behind then-President George W. Bush as he gave a speech to my Army unit, the 10th Mountain Division. Less than a year later I was in Iraq, on Bush's orders, as part of the US invasion. | Tonight as Bush spoke at a so-called "Distinguished Speaker Series" event in Beverly Hills–with the cheapest tickets starting at over $500–I again watched from the crowd, before confronting the event. Primarily, I demanded he apologize for the 1 million or more dead, who are only dead because of his lies and his crimes. | When George W. Bush took the nation to war in Iraq, he did so wit…
(2021-09-21). The Right to Clean Air in Jakarta. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | Written by Dr. Binoy Kampmark | It seems utterly beyond debate but acknowledging legal rights to clean air has assumed the makings of a slow march over the years. The 1956 Clean Air Act in Britain arose from the lethal effects of London's 1952 killer smog, which is said to have taken some 12,000 lives. The Act There is certainly no shortage of advocates for…
(2021-09-21). Science Saturday: A new understanding of the inner workings of CAR-T cell therapy. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic researchers have biomanufactured chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy) in a new way to track the cells' cancer-fighting journey and predict toxic side effects. This Mayo Clinic breakthrough, published in Cancer Immunology Research, also could unravel the mystery of how to unleash CAR-T cell therapy to destroy solid tumors. "This new technology allows us to image CAR-T cells after they are given to patients and study their fate," says Saad Kenderian, M.B., Ch.B., a Mayo…
(2021-09-21). Russian elections overshadowed by COVID-19 surge. wsws.org Parliamentary elections held this weekend were marked by an almost complete blackout of the social issues affecting the working class, above all, the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2021-09-21). SAA Enters Another Town In Western Daraa, Despite Regular Attacks On Its Forces (Photos). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On September 21st, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), accompanied by the Russian Military Police, entered another town in the western Daraa countryside in order to launch the peaceful settlement of the conflict with former militants. | In early hours, SAA units entered the town of of Tal Shihab. The Russian Military Police will oversee the implementation of the reconciliation agreement. | After the local authorities joined the ceasefire agreement, a settlement center was established in a local schools, where dozens of militants have already passed the necessary procedures to settle their…
(2021-09-21). UK Comes Up With Third Russian Suspect In Skripal "Novichok Poisoning" Case Three Years Later. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Three years later and after the incident had all but fallen into obscurity, the UK charged in absentia a third Russian suspect with the "2018 Novichok murder attempt" of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. | In September 2018, British prosecutors charged two Russians, then identified by the aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, with conspiracy to murder Skripal and the attempted murder of Yulia and a British police officer, Nick Bailey. | Overall, the entire inci…
(2021-09-21). Sri Lankan workers and youth speak out against new emergency law. wsws.org "When the unlimited powers that are centered in the president's hands through the state of emergency are understood, it is clear that the aim of these laws is to crush working-class struggles, including protests."
(2021-09-21). Foreign Ministry: Syria condemns Turkish hostile actions, affirms its right to respond. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Foreign Ministry: Syria condemns Turkish hostile actions, affirms its right to respond Syria has condemned Turkish hostile actions and violations of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country, affirming that it reserves a right which is guaranteed by its constitution, principles of the international law and UN charter to respond to these actions, …
(2021-09-21). Military Situation In Yemen On September 21, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Liaison and Coordination Officers' Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 308 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours | On September 20, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 2 airstrikes on the Salif district | On September 20, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted an airstrike on the Sawmaah district | On September 20, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 23 airstrikes on the Sarwah district | On September 20, Saudi-led coalitio…
(2021-09-20). North Korea wades into AUKUS row, blasts US for 'fueling nuclear arms race & backstabbing allies'. rt.com 
Pyongyang has condemned Washington for undermining regional stability and global power balance — and vowed retaliation if its divisive nuclear-powered submarine deal with Australia threatens its national security. | "This is a very controversial and dangerous move which undermines the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region and can trigger a nuclear arms race," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in response to KCNA state news agency's question about the AUKUS deal. | The ministry claimed that while the United States routinely demonstrates double standards, the new administration is more "unpredi…
(2021-09-20). Why Is Southeast Asia So Concerned About AUKUS and Australia's Plans for Nuclear Submarines? asia-pacificresearch.com
(2021-09-20). French officials warn AUKUS alliance undermines US-Europe relations. wsws.org Paris denounced Washington's sudden announcement of an Australia-UK-US alliance targeting China, and the related cancellation of a French-Australian submarine sale.
(2021-09-20). AUKUS the latest attempt to push for war with China. asiatimes.com 
Surprise, surprise! After a "candid" phone conversation with President Xi Jinping the previous week, aimed at "responsible managing the competition between the United States and the PRC" and ensuring it "does not veer into conflict," US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that his country was joining a new trilateral security coalition comprising Washington, London …
(2021-09-20). China gives U.S. advice on how to preserve NATO. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Excerpts from The Global Times. An aggressive military bloc with thirty full members and forty partners on all inhabited continents which has waged unprovoked wars on three of them is evidently no problem to China, Russia, the United Nations, etc. Just business as usual. US-France tussle over AUKUS upsetting NATO, EuropeBy Cui HongjianThe author is …
(2021-09-20). Is US-Australia Nuclear Sub Deal a Proliferation Danger, and does it Justify Iran's Civilian Enrichment Program? juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Alexander Ward and Quint Forgey at Politico raise a crucial question about the AUKUS alliance among the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia that involves providing Australia with nuclear submarines. Is it a form of proliferation and does it provide justification for Iran's civilian nuclear enrichment program? Nuclear submarines …
(2021-09-20). AUKUS Expedites the Coming EU Army & NATO's Irrelevance. strategic-culture.org 
While AUKUS formally exists to counter China, it does so on the basis of shared history and spheres of influence. That means that the logic of containing China within such a framework also contains AUKUS. | The surprise announcement of the new AUKUS alliance has predictably provoked an outcry from the
(2021-09-20). Stop U.S. submarine warfare! workers.org 
The Biden administration's latest foreign policy step has sharpened U.S. imperialism's global conflict with the People's Republic of China. It must be opposed by all those who want to reverse a new version of the 20th century's Cold War and avert a global war. Biden made this move official with . . . |
(2021-09-20). US, India prepare to play spoiler in Afghanistan. asiatimes.com 
As expected, the situation in Afghanistan was the focal point of the discussions at the 20th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe on Friday. Yet the SCO's Dushanbe Declaration is scanty on the topic. The 8,300-word document devoted hardly 170 words to the Afghan situation. It made just three inane points, namely, …
(2021-09-20). Can We Finally Give Peace A Chance? The U.S. Military, Post-Afghanistan. juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com) — Yoda, the Jedi Master in the Star Wars films, once pointed out that the future is all too difficult to see and it's hard to deny his insight. Yet I'd argue that, when it comes to the U.S. military and its wars, Yoda was just plain wrong. That part of the future …
(2021-09-20). ISIS Attacks Taliban Targets in Afghanistan. news.antiwar.com The US pullout from Afghanistan led to a lot of concern about the ongoing presence of ISIS-K in…
(2021-09-20). India Wants Quad To Get More Involved In Afghanistan. southfront.org 
Illustrative ImageThe issue of the Taliban will be discussed in the first-ever Quad summit, and it is once again all about containing China. | Written by Uriel Araujo, researcher with a focus on international and ethnic conflicts. | The US has announced the Quad's first-ever Leaders' Summit to take place at Washington D.C. on September 24. Last Friday, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) held summit meetings at Dushanbe, Tajikistan. India was represented in the latter occasion and shall be in the former also. Currently Taliban-controlled Afghanistan a…
(2021-09-20). That 'Other' Reset Unfolding Across West & Central Asia. strategic-culture.org All of Central Asia is re-setting towards the SCO, EAEU, Russia and China. The former is now 'lost' to the U.S., Alastair Crooke writes. | The shock of Afghanistan imploding — as if blown away in a puff of wind — plus the frantic U.S. scramble to get away, even as loyal local retainers, and billions of dollars' worth of baggage were left abandoned on the tarmac, has triggered a political earthquake that is unfolding across Asia. The 'ground zero' (i.e. the U.S.) to a complex network structure has been pulled out on old and settled structures and relationships. | In a very real sense, Washington was th…
(2021-09-20). Headlines for September 20, 2021. democracynow.org Pentagon Admits Drone Strike Killed Afghan Civilians as Victims' Families Demand Probe, Women and Girls Increasingly Left Out of Education, Public Life in Afghanistan After Taliban Takeover, Biden Admin Starts Deporting Haitian Asylum Seekers Without Due Process as Humanitarian Crisis Mounts, Senate Parliamentarian Says Dems Cannot Use Spending Bill to Create Pathway to Citizenship, FDA Panel Says Booster Shots Should Be Offered to People 65+ and High-Risk Patients, CA Firefighters Protect Trees with Foil Blankets as Wildfire Threatens Sequoia National Park, U.N. Warns Planet Headed Toward Catastrophic 2.7 &infin…
(2021-09-20). US should beware of advice based on wishful thinking. asiatimes.com 
A recent article in the prestigious American journal Foreign Affairs made a series of recommendations for US policy in the South China Sea. However, US policymakers should beware of such recommendations based on questionable assumptions and wishful thinking. Following them could lead to another US foreign-policy failure. The article in essence supports the idea of …
(2021-09-20). US encircling China on multiple new Cold War fronts. asiatimes.com 
The Indo-Pacific's Cold War is heating up as the region splits ever more decisively into opposed camps with a loose alliance of US-led democratic powers on one side and authoritarian China and its aligned satellites on the other. And the first economic salvos of the contest launched by Donald Trump's trade war are becoming more …