Aletho News

Israel rebrands Gaza’s forced displacement scheme amid international outrage: Report

Press TV – June 29, 2026

The Israeli regime has reportedly rebranded a scheme to remove Palestinians from Gaza, replacing the term “voluntary migration” with “Free Movement Plan” amid mounting international condemnation.

According to Israeli media, the cabinet of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promoting the Gaza relocation initiative under a new name following growing international backlash.

Israel’s Channel 13 reported that instructions have been given to various bodies of the regime’s establishment to present the plan using language considered more acceptable abroad.

Sources involved in contacts with foreign governments reportedly expressed hope that the change in terminology could revive the scheme after previous diplomatic efforts stalled.

The reported rebranding comes as Israeli military operations, land seizures, and restrictions on the movement of civilians continue across the Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.

A senior Israeli official quoted by Channel 13 acknowledged that the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas “still exists” in Gaza and stated that Israel “seeks to encourage” as many Palestinians in Gaza as possible to leave the territory. … continue

Iraq sets Sept. 30 deadline for resistance groups to hand over arms amid US pressure

Press TV – June 29, 2026

Iraq has set a late-September deadline for resistance groups to hand over their weapons to the state, as Washington pressures Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to expedite the disarmament of anti-American factions.

“The end of next September will be the ultimate date for the surrender of weapons,” stated government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi during a press conference on Monday.

He added, “Simultaneously, the [US-led] international coalition will withdraw.”

Under Zaidi’s leadership, the Iraqi government has initiated a renewed effort to disarm armed groups and limit weapon possession to state control. The initiative receives substantial support from Washington, which has long advocated for the disarmament of such groups, many of which are part of the anti-American Resistance in Iraq coalition.

Zaidi, who has received robust backing from the US since assuming office in May, is scheduled to visit Washington in mid-July. … continue

U.S. Tested Missiles in Civilian Areas of Iran at the Beginning of the War

teleSUR | June 29, 2026

The United States tested its new Lockheed Martin Precision Strike Missile projectiles in the opening attacks of its unprovoked war against Iran, striking the southern city of Lamerd in Fars province and killing 21 people—including six children—, according to the news outlet Middle East Eye.

Among the survivors of the live‑fire tests, several women suffered severe and lasting injuries: a 15‑year‑old girl lost her sight from the blast, another survivor lost her voice, a third sustained catastrophic abdominal wounds, and a fourth was left paralyzed after shrapnel pierced her spinal column.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) marked the offensive on March 4 through its official social media channels, declaring that the long‑range precision strike missiles had been used in combat for the first time in history during Operation Epic Fury. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, expressed profound pride in US service members for using innovation to create difficulties for their enemy, according to the military body’s post.

Despite the March 4 social media statement, CENTCOM officially denied on March 31 that it had directly participated in the Lamerd attack, instead attributing the incident and civilian casualties to the detonation of a missile from Iran’s own defense forces.

Earlier in March, during the initial phase of the joint US‑Israel aggression—and after news emerged of a massacre of more than 160 minors at a school in Minab—the White House initially blamed Iran for that attack, though it was soon confirmed to have been a US bombing.

The Middle East, Hormuz and the New Mercantilism

By Craig Murray | June 29, 2026

The provisional surrender document signed by Donald Trump appeared to represent a triumph for Iran and indeed for the world; but neither the USA nor Israel has the slightest sense of honour and they cannot be trusted to negotiate in good faith.

Iran knows this – after all, the USA twice attacked Iran actually during peace negotiations, on each occasion killing key Iranian negotiators.

To understand the American position, it is important to realise two key points:

• Greater Israel is an absolute priority
• Opening the Strait of Hormuz is not a US priority

While the US/Israeli alliance were defeated in their attempt to impose regime change on Iran, and indeed have consolidated the popular support of the Iranian government, they have succeeded in expanding Greater Israel. Israel has ethnically cleared and devastated a vast swathe of Southern Lebanon, expanding its military footprint, and notably attempting to repeat its ploy from November 2024 of pushing forward its armour under cover of ceasefire. … continue

Strait of Hormuz remains open for those who adhere to PGSA protocols, but global economy faces inflationary shock

By Larry C. Johnson | SONAR21 | June 28, 2026

After an exchange of missiles and drones on Saturday, the US backed down and declined to continue striking Iran. Qatar reportedly intervened to broker a new ceasefire. The US and Iran, in response to Qatar’s intervention, agreed to halt attacks against each other and plan to meet in Doha on Tuesday for technical talks aimed at resolving their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios.

The US-Iran meeting was originally planned to take place in Switzerland on Monday and focus on Iran’s nuclear program. Now the talks will take place in Doha on Tuesday. Iran’s position is firm… Traffic through the Strait must be carried out in accordance with the PGSA protocols. The US boxed itself in a corner with the language of the MoU… continue

Israeli airstrikes target Nabatieh region in South, breach ceasefire

Al Mayadeen | June 29, 2026

Israeli forces carried out renewed violations and attacks on Lebanese territory on Sunday, with airstrikes targeting multiple areas in the South, including the town of Mayfadoun and Nabatieh, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent.

The airstrikes hit Mayfadoun late at night, followed by another airstrike that hit Nabatieh, particularly in the al-Maslakh neighborhood.

The attacks come amid ongoing Israeli military aggressions in southern Lebanon, which have continued despite recent diplomatic frameworks and understandings involving Lebanon and “Israel,” as part of an ongoing pattern of violations rather than de-escalation. … Full article

Lebanon parliament speaker vows Israel deal ‘will not pass’

The Cradle | June 29, 2026

Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker and head of the Amal Movement, Nabih Berri, said on 29 June that the new US-brokered agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv – reached in violation of Lebanese law – “will not be implemented.”

“This agreement will not pass, and it will not be implemented,” Berri said in an interview with Al-Akhbar newspaper.

He stressed that his opposition to the agreement will remain “within constitutional frameworks,” and that his party – which is closely allied to Hezbollah – “will not boycott any cabinet session in which the agreement is discussed.”

“That is where we will confront it and state our position,” he added.

“The greatest danger posed by the agreement is not only its political content but also the possibility that it could fuel internal divisions and provoke Lebanese factions into confronting one another – something that would serve Israel above all else.” … continue

Iran, Lebanon speakers agree trilateral unit to end Israeli aggression

Al Mayadeen | June 28, 2026

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri have affirmed their commitment to halting the ongoing Israeli aggression during a phone call, with Ghalibaf emphasizing that ending the war on Lebanon while safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remains a fundamental pillar of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

Ghalibaf reasserted that Iran’s firm objective is to halt the war, secure the return of the displaced, bring an end to the occupation, and force the total withdrawal of the Zionist entity from Lebanese territory.

He emphasized that ending the war on Lebanon, while safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, remains a fundamental pillar of the first clause of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

Addressing diplomatic frameworks, Ghalibaf noted that the recent talks in Switzerland produced an agreement to establish a trilateral conflict management unit comprising Iran, the United States, and Lebanon.

According to Iranian television, both speakers stressed the urgency of convening this conflict management unit as soon as possible to effectively control and terminate the war. … continue

How The Israel/Lebanon Deal Destroys Lebanese Sovereignty And The MoU With Iran

By Justin K.P. | The Dissident | June 28, 2026

On Friday, Israel and the Lebanese government signed a deal brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that essentially gives Lebanese sovereignty away to Israel and destroys the MoU with Iran. … continue

Air conditioning torn from homes under net zero clampdown

By Henry Brennan | The Telegraph | June 24, 2026

Council planning officers ordered residents to remove air-con units over fears they produce too much carbon dioxide, stating they should only be used as a “last resort”.

The Net Zero clampdown is part of building regulations that state “active cooling” should only ever be allowed when all other means of “passive cooling”, such as opening windows or using fans, have been exhausted.

The Tories said Britain was being “kept in the dark ages” under a Net Zero mindset that denies people “modern conveniences that are completely normal in other countries”.

Meanwhile, temperatures are forecast to reach as high as 40°C this week, with Britain sweltering under a record heatwave that has forced schools to close, brought trains to a halt and led to the Met Office issuing a red “risk-to-life” warning.

Widely published advice states planning permission is not required to install air-con. However, planning is required in certain situations, such as in conservation areas, and there are different rules for flats, leasehold homes, as well as shared buildings.

It means there is a risk units are installed under the assumption they are permitted, but are later caught by council enforcement officers.

In one of a string of cases uncovered by the Telegraph, a resident living in North London was forced to “permanently remove” two air-con units from the back of their home.

Planning inspectors working for Camden council said there was “no justification” for the air-con units and that they failed to comply with the local authority’s so-called “cooling hierarchy”. … Full article

No, The Conversation, the AMOC Doesn’t Have an Image Problem. It Has a Credibility Problem.

By Anthony Watts | Watts Up With That? | June 26, 2026

In the story, “One of the world’s most important climate threats has an image problem,” The Conversation claims that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a major climate change threat that is misunderstood; its suffers from an “image problem” because the public struggles to visualize a slow-moving ocean current hidden beneath the Atlantic Ocean. This is simplistic and wrongheaded. The AMOC’s problem is not that people cannot visualize it. The problem is that after more than two decades of alarming headlines, scientists still cannot agree on whether the current is slowing down, speeding up, or remaining essentially unchanged, and whether human greenhouse gas emissions have any impact on the AMOC.

The Conversation argues that AMOC fails to capture public attention because it lacks compelling visuals. Unlike wildfires, hurricanes, glaciers, or polar bears, ocean circulation is difficult to photograph and therefore difficult to communicate. According to the author, climate journalism needs better images to help the public understand the threat. This completely misses the point.

People do not ignore AMOC because it lacks dramatic imagery. They ignore it because evidence that climate change is affecting it is contradictory and they rightly recognize there is nothing humans can do about shifts in the AMOC.

Over the past 20 years, scientific papers and media reports have alternately claimed that AMOC is slowing, accelerating, collapsing, stabilizing, or behaving within the range of natural variability. The scientific literature has not produced anything close to a consensus.

As Climate Realism documented in “Climate Activists Flip-Flop on Ocean Currents Yet Again,” studies have repeatedly contradicted one another. In one year, researchers announce alarming evidence of weakening. The next year, another study finds little evidence of long-term change. Then another paper claims acceleration. Then another predicts collapse. The narrative changes far more often than the ocean current itself.

That uncertainty is acknowledged, though somewhat buried, in The Conversation article. The author admits that “we still don’t know exactly how fast the circulation will change or even its future trajectory” and that “predicted outcomes remain uncertain.” … Full article

Wrong, Associated Press, Computer Simulations Don’t Mean Smashed Heat Records Will Occur

By Anthony Watts | ClimateRealism | June 2, 2026

The Associated Press (AP) claims in “Think it’s hot now? The next five years will smash records, UN says” that Earth is “overwhelmingly likely” to repeatedly surge past the 1.5°C threshold and experience escalating heatwaves and extreme weather from 2026 to 2030. This is highly misleading if not outright false. The story is built almost entirely on computer model projections, not observed data, and it treats speculative model simulations as though they reflect measured trends.

The AP admits that its claims are “based on the averaging of about 200 runs of computer simulations using 13 different climate models.” That is the core of the story. Not thermometers. Not weather station records. Not satellite observations. Computer simulations. Climate model outputs are not data.

Climate models are tools, consisting of assumptions about greenhouse gas forcing, feedbacks, ocean heat uptake, and cloud behavior, fed into computers. They are useful for exploring scenarios. But they provide no real evidence that specific outcomes will occur. As documented in Climate at a Glance’s analysis of climate models versus measured temperature data, model ensembles have historically projected more warming than satellite and balloon observations show. The divergence between model runs and measured lower troposphere temperatures is not trivial. It is persistent.

The AP story warns of “limit-smashing global warming” and ties that to more extreme heatwaves. But heatwaves are not new, nor are they unprecedented in the historical record. The United States experienced severe, prolonged heatwaves in the 1930s during the Dust Bowl era, long before modern emissions levels. Climate at a Glance’s review of U.S. heatwaves explains that frequency of extreme heatwaves in the United States was higher in the 1930s than in recent decades. That is based on NOAA historical data, not projections.

If heatwaves were strictly “driven” by rising CO2 concentrations, we would expect a clear, monotonic increase in frequency and intensity corresponding to emissions growth. The observational record does not show that. Instead, it shows strong variability influenced by natural factors such as ocean cycles, soil moisture patterns, atmospheric blocking highs, and El Niño events. … Full article

What Is Tetanus?

An Essay on a Vaccine in Search of a Disease

Lies are Unbekoming | June 27, 2026

[…]

What to Actually Do With a Wound

The terrain-tradition principles for wound management have not changed since the nineteenth century, because they reflect the actual mechanics of how the body handles tissue damage.

Open the wound. Bleeding is desirable; blood flushes the wound from the inside. A wound that closes over the surface while sealing in damaged tissue and foreign material is the geometry that produces the anaerobic environment in which the clostridial cascade can develop. Wash thoroughly with soap and water. If the wound is deep and contaminated, irrigate. In Pasteur’s day, carbolic acid cauterization prevented hundreds of cases of the post-wound neurological cascade that was then called hydrophobia. Modern wound care has access to better tools but the principle is identical: get oxygen to the wound and remove contamination, then let the body do the rest.

Remove dead tissue. Cabot’s First World War lesson is the principle: bacteria proliferate on dead tissue, not on living tissue. The clinical procedure is debridement, the removal of dead and damaged tissue from the wound site. A wound with no devitalized tissue is a wound the body can finish. A wound with dead tissue locked inside it is the wound that becomes dangerous regardless of whether the patient is vaccinated.

Support the terrain. Williams’s protocol on T. J., which included fasting, water, drainage, the limb raised, and cold packs, is a reasonable starting framework for any acute septic presentation. The body’s elimination organs are loaded with the breakdown products from the wound. Feeding adds further load while fasting reduces it. Water with clean acidic juice supports kidney function. Enemas accelerate bowel transit, and cold reduces the rate of further tissue breakdown.

Avoid the suppressive interventions that interrupt the body’s response. Anti-inflammatory drugs interrupt the repair process. Antibiotics destroy the broader microbial community on which the body’s terrain depends. Pharmaceutical sedation suppresses the very symptoms the body is producing to direct attention to the affected area.

None of this requires a vaccine. None of it requires a hospital visit for an ordinary cut. The standard of care for a wound was reasonably well understood before tetanus was nationally notifiable, and the rate of clinical tetanus was already low and falling. … Read full article

Dermatology’s Crusade Against The Sun

Untangling Dermatology’s Massive Skin Cancer Scam

A Midwestern Doctor | The Forgotten Side of Medicine | June 25, 2026

… Throughout my life, I’ve noticed the medical industry will:

• Promote healthy activities people are unlikely to do (e.g., exercising or quitting smoking).

• Promote unhealthy activities industries make money from (e.g., eating processed foods or taking a myriad of harmful pharmaceuticals).

• Attack beneficial activities that are easy to do (e.g., sunbathing or consuming egg yolks, butter and raw dairy).

Read full article

Colonizers Burn Lands Near Homes In Bethlehem

IMEMC | June 28, 2026

On Saturday night, illegal Israeli paramilitary colonizers burnt Palestinian lands near residents’ homes in the Khalayel Al‑Louz area, southeast of Bethlehem, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.

Local sources said the colonizers invaded the area and burnt lands near Palestinian homes, especially around the home of a man from the Al‑Ahmar family.

They added that the colonizers fired many live rounds toward residents who tried to stop them.

Shortly after the attack, several Israeli military vehicles invaded the area and forced the residents to return to their homes.

Khalayel Al‑Louz is subject to repeated invasions and violations by the colonizers, who frequently destroy property, attack homes and lands, in addition to frequent Israeli military invasions. … Full article

Israel Informs Family of Palestinian Detainee’s Death After 18 Months

IMEMC | June 28, 2026

Israel informed the family of Majdi Nour Abu ‘Arra on Sunday that their son had died, a year and a half after Israeli forces bombed the vehicle he was traveling in north of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank’s northeastern part.

The notification, delivered through the Israeli human‑rights organization HaMoked, came after eighteen months during which Israeli authorities refused to disclose his fate, leaving the family without any information regarding whether he was alive, injured, detained, or disappeared.

Majdi’s father said HaMoked contacted the family with a decision issued by Israel’s High Court confirming his death. The family had spent the past year and a half submitting inquiries through lawyers and rights groups, but Israeli authorities maintained complete silence, declining to provide any detail about his condition or whereabouts.

Majdi Abu ‘Arra was traveling with three other Palestinians on December 3, 2024, when an Israeli drone struck their vehicle. The strike killed Mohammad Samih Ghannam and Karam Hatem Abu ‘Arra immediately.

Ayman Naji Ghanam was wounded and later abducted by Israeli special units from a hospital in Nablus. Majdi’s fate remained unknown from the moment of the attack until the family received confirmation of his death today.

Human‑rights organizations have repeatedly documented Israel’s practice of withholding information about Palestinian detainees, including cases in which families are not informed of deaths for weeks or months.

Groups monitoring detention conditions report that Israeli authorities frequently deny the International Committee of the Red Cross access to detainees, block lawyers from obtaining medical or legal updates, and withhold bodies of Palestinians killed in custody or military operations. … Full article

Two Palestinians killed, another dies of injuries in Gaza

Palestinian Information Center – June 28, 2026

GAZA – Three Palestinian civilians were martyred on Sunday, including one who succumbed to injuries sustained in a previous Israeli airstrike.

According to media sources, two Palestinians were killed and another one was wounded in an Israeli drone strike on the as‑Salatin area of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

Another citizen, Sameh Abu Kamil, was pronounced dead after succumbing to injuries sustained in an earlier Israeli strike in Gaza City’s al-Jalaa area.

A child was also shot and injured in the head by Israeli forces in the al‑Qasasib area of Jabalia, north of Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces detonated buildings in eastern Gaza City and northern Gaza.

In Gaza City’s al-Tuffah neighborhood, Israeli quadcopters opened fire around al-Hashimiya School and near the as-Sanafour intersection. Concurrently, Israeli artillery shelled the same neighborhood.

Further south, Israeli forces opened fire west of Rafah and east of Khan Yunis, while military vehicles carried out an intensive gunfire attack on tents and homes in southern Khan Yunis.

Israel’s Ben-Gvir faces US complaint over alleged war crimes: Rights group

MEMO | June 28, 2026

The Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation has filed a complaint with the US Justice Department accusing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of committing war crimes against Palestinians, including US citizens, the organization said, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the foundation said Ben-Gvir, who is expected to visit New York on July 7-8, had been accused of war crimes against Palestinians, including US citizens, and urged the Justice Department to open an investigation.

The organization said its complaint had been submitted to the relevant US authorities. It alleged that Ben-Gvir had used his authority since taking office in 2022 to implement policies of “systematic torture, murder, abuse and forced displacement” across the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly through the Israeli Prison Service. … continue

Israeli army kills 2 people in southern Syria

MEMO | June 28, 2026

The Israeli army said Sunday that its forces had killed two people in southern Syria on Sunday, in the latest violation of the Arab country’s sovereignty, Anadolu reports.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said army forces spotted the two individuals Saturday evening, claiming they had moved “unusually” within the so-called “security zone” established by Israel in Syrian territory following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

There was no immediate comment from Syrian authorities regarding the incident.

Meanwhile, an Israeli force raided the village of Ain al-Eid in the southwestern Quneitra countryside on Saturday, setting up a military checkpoint and searching passersby and a resident’s home, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). … Full article

Culture minister: Israeli attacks devastate South Lebanon’s heritage

Al Mayadeen | June 28, 2026

“Israel’s” military aggression in southern Lebanon has damaged or destroyed heritage sites across the region, including UNESCO-listed landmarks, historic towns, religious sites, and archaeological monuments, Lebanon’s Culture Minister Ghassan Salame told Reuters, warning that authorities have yet to assess the full extent of the destruction due to the continued Israeli military presence in parts of southern Lebanon.

According to Salame, Israeli forces remain stationed in an approximately 10-kilometer-deep zone inside southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire that came into effect a week ago, preventing officials from conducting comprehensive damage assessments. “We cannot work under the shadow of occupation,” he said.

The occupied zone includes the medieval Beaufort Castle and centuries-old border villages that were home to Christian, Shiite Muslim, and Sunni Muslim communities, along with their places of worship. Salame said entire villages had been erased, adding, “There are villages that have been completely bulldozed.”

Beyond the occupied areas, Israeli airstrikes also struck historic cities including Tyre, Nabatieh, and Tebnin. Salame expressed concern that Tebnin’s Crusader-era fortress may have sustained damage during the bombardment. … continue

US-backed deal favors Israel at expense of Lebanon’s national interests: Amal Movement

Press TV – June 28, 2026

Lebanon’s Amal Movement has rejected the so-called Framework Agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv, saying that most of the deal’s clauses are detrimental to Lebanon’s national interests and serve the interests of the Israeli regime.

In a statement released late on Saturday, the Lebanese political party underscored its adherence to international resolutions and dismissed face-to-face talks with the occupying regime, expressing its strong disapproval of the framework agreement.

The Amal Movement’s political bureau described the US-mediated deal between the Beirut government and the Israeli regime as “unbalanced,” adding that most of its clauses include realities that benefit the “Zionist enemy” and are detrimental to Lebanon’s national interests. … continue

Israel sold advanced defense systems to Qatar, Saudi Arabia: Report

The Cradle | June 28, 2026

Israel has sold advanced defense systems to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, including sophisticated missile defense systems to protect the Qatari royal family and components for advanced fighter jets, Haaretz reported on 28 June.

Citing documents and photographs, the left-liberal Israeli paper revealed that Israeli Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries have sold hundreds of millions of shekels’ worth of missile defense systems and helmets for advanced F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The sales occurred even though both Gulf monarchies have refrained from joining the Abraham Accords and have no formal diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv. … continue

Iran slams Italy’s ‘technical support’ for US-Israeli aggression as ‘clear’ complicity

Press TV – June 28, 2026

Iran says Italy’s so-called technical and logistical support for the recent US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic amounts to a “clear and direct” role in the illegal military assault.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks in an X post on Saturday after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revealed Italy’s “massive” backing for the war on Iran, saying the country allowed “500 US planes” to take off from its bases.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had previously denied her country’s involvement in the unlawful war, claimed that Rome never participated in the aggression, but only provided “technical and logistical” support to the US army.

“This is a glaring contradiction and a fallacious argument aimed at evading responsibility for complicity in a grave internationally wrongful act: publicly denying any aid or assistance to the aggressors, while openly acknowledging the ‘technical and logistical’ support that enabled and facilitated the unlawful American-Israeli war of aggression against Iran,” Baghaei said.

“Providing ‘technical and logistical’ support to the aggressors constitutes nothing less than a clear and direct contribution to the commission of an illegal war of choice — a blatant act of aggression and a serious violation of international law.”

Italy’s opposition parties are now demanding that Meloni appear in parliament to clarify the European country’s complicity in the terrorist war on Iran. … Full article

With Iran and the US Exchanging Blows in the Persian Gulf, the MoU’s Survival Is in Doubt

By Larry C. Johnson | SONAR21 | June 27, 2026

Last I heard the US and Iran are supposed to meet in Switzerland starting Sunday, 28 June, to continue negotiations over the MoU. However, today’s exchange of missiles and drones in the Strait of Hormuz may have put a nail in the coffin of the MoU.

Today’s escalation was the most serious exchange since the June 17 MOU signing and represents a clear breach of the first paragraph of the MoU by the United States:

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, and their allies in the current war, by signing this MoU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final Deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and other provisions of this paragraph.

There was nothing in the MoU that prevented Iran from firing on a ship that ignored the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) protocols. Under the PGSA system, shipowners receive verifiable guidance and can apply for transit permits directly through the PGSA’s formal process, creating a centralised mechanism for coordinating transit through the strait with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Ever Lovely tried to circumvent the PGSA by traveling along the Omani corridor. Iran fired on it, which resulted in the US attacking Iranian positions in the Strait… a clear violation of the MoU.

The situation escalated on Saturday. … continue

When an Ancient Spice Puts Modern Psychiatry to Shame

How saffron challenges the antidepressants, the OCD drugs, and the stimulants — on efficacy, safety, accessibility, and price.

By Sayer Ji | June 25, 2026

For three thousand years, Crocus sativus — saffron — has been threaded into the food, ritual, and medicine of Persia, India, and the Mediterranean. What is new is not the plant. What is new is the clinical record: a growing body of randomized, controlled research showing that saffron can perform comparably to several conventional psychiatric medications for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and ADHD — often with fewer adverse effects (GreenMedInfo overview; a 2024 systematic review).

This is not a claim that pharmaceuticals never help (indeed, the active placebo effect alone is to generate a perceived positive effect in the majority of treatments). It is something more uncomfortable: strong evidence that the dominant drug-centered model has quietly ignored a lower-risk botanical option with a far older record of human use — and called it folklore while doing so.

“If a patented molecule matched Prozac, fluvoxamine, or Ritalin with fewer side effects, it would be called a breakthrough. Because saffron is an ancient spice, it is treated like a footnote.”

It should also be noted that the adverse effects of psychiatric medications have been downplayed, especially their connection to violent episodes. … continue

What Is Really in Childhood Vaccines

Lies are Unbekoming | June 23, 2026

Forty-Three of Forty-Four

Lead was identified in five of the vaccines: Typhim Vi, Cervarix, Agrippal S1, Meningitec, and Gardasil. Tungsten appeared in eight more, distributed across products from GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Wyeth, and Novartis. Twenty-five of the forty-four samples contained stainless steel. Across the full set, the elemental analysis cataloged bismuth, gold, silver, platinum, cerium, zirconium, hafnium, antimony, strontium, barium, copper, tin, and zinc in various alloy combinations. None of these materials appeared on any package insert. None had a declared role in the vaccines’ formulation.

The work was published in 2017 by Antonietta Gatti and Stefano Montanari, materials scientists at the Italian National Council of Research. They obtained the vaccines from pharmacies in Italy and France. The manufacturers included Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Novartis, and Merck. They examined a twenty-microliter drop of each under a Field Emission Gun Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope. They identified the elemental composition of every particle they found using X-ray spectroscopy. They photographed each contaminant and compiled the catalog.¹

Forty-three of the forty-four vaccines were for human use. One was for cats. That single sample, Feligen CRP manufactured by Virbac, contained none of the heavy metals or industrial alloys cataloged in the human samples. The authors classified it as free from inorganic contamination.

The contamination is consistent across manufacturers, batches, countries, and years. The veterinary production line, examined by the same instruments at the same resolution, produced a clean vial. The human production lines did not.

This is not an argument about disease causation. It is not a contested mechanism. It is materials science applied to a drop of liquid pulled from a syringe. The instruments resolved what was there. None of it should have been in an injectable medical product. The system that produces and regulates these products has not addressed what the instruments showed. … continue

Vaccines are not a panacea

The shingles vaccine has not cured dementia

By Dr Clare Craig | Health Ethics Advocacy and Resarch Team | June 25, 2026

Over the past month, four studies have been read as showing that the shingles vaccine prevents, or even reverses, dementia. A national newspaper has turned that reading into advice. The advice is to go and get the vaccine now. The evidence tells a different story. … continue

Israeli drone hits southern Lebanon despite framework agreement

MEMO | June 27, 2026

An Israeli drone struck an area in southern Lebanon on Saturday despite a framework agreement reached between Lebanon and Israel in Washington, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The agency said the drone targeted an intersection near Farah Amusement Park in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in Nabatieh Governorate.

No casualties were immediately reported.

In a separate incident, NNA said Israeli forces advanced toward the outskirts of Kfar Shouba in the Hasbaya district while opening fire with medium and heavy machine guns.

The incidents occurred despite a framework agreement reached at the conclusion of the 5th round of US-sponsored negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Washington on Friday. … Full article

Israeli settlers attack Palestinian home and destroy vineyard in West Bank

Palestinian Information Center – June 27, 2026

WEST BANK – Israeli settlers escalated attacks on Palestinians and their property across the West Bank on Saturday morning, targeting a home east of al-Khalil and farmland in Al-Mughayyir village, east of Ramallah.

In Wadi Sa’ir, east of al-Khalil, a group of settlers attacked the home of Palestinian resident Nizam Taleb Shalaldeh, intimidating the family, particularly women and children. Local residents attempted to confront the attackers and drive them out of the area.

In Al-Mughayyir, settlers entered the outskirts of the village in the morning, cut through a metal fence surrounding agricultural land and released sheep into the property, causing extensive damage to crops and fruit trees.

Local sources said the attack targeted a vineyard belonging to the Al-Mughayyir Agricultural Production Cooperative.

The cooperative said settlers destroyed around 270 five-year-old grapevines. The attack was carried out under the protection of an armed settler group and in the presence of Israeli occupation forces, it added.

According to the cooperative, the incident was part of a series of repeated attacks on its property and farmers in the western plain, east of the village.

Previous attacks included damaging a greenhouse, stealing trees, burning water tanks and irrigation networks, assaulting farmers and preventing them from reaching their land.

The cooperative also said Israeli authorities have barred access since 2023 to a six-dunum plot planted with Akkoub plant and owned by the organization. … Full article

Gaza: 4 Palestinians, Including 2 Children, Killed in Israeli Strikes

IMEMC | June 27, 2026

Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire across the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed four Palestinians, including two children, and injured more than twenty‑five others, in continued violations of the fragile “ceasefire agreement” in place since October 2025. Eight Palestinians were killed, dozens injured, across the devasted and besieged Gaza Strip, in the last 24 hours.

Medical sources confirmed that ten‑year‑old Walid Yousef Abu Jazar died at dawn from wounds sustained in an earlier Israeli strike on the al‑Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

Local reports documented artillery shelling in the northern areas of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, heavy gunfire east of Khan Younis, and Israeli naval fire targeting the Gaza City shoreline.

In addition, an Israeli drone strike targeted a tent as a civilian vehicle carrying women and children was passing by near Dabit Junction in the center of Gaza City, wounding all passengers with flying shrapnel. One woman lost her arm and an eye in the attack.

Medical sources said 22 Palestinians were injured in the attacks, many of them in critical condition, following the Israeli strike on a displaced Palestinians tent, near Dabit junction.

Casualties and widespread panic were reported after Israeli forces targeted a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza City.

“In addition, Israeli occupation forces detonated residential blocks belonging to displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli occupation forces, in clear violation of the “ceasefire agreement,” pushed the so‑called ‘Yellow Line’ deeper into Deir al‑Balah, tightening their control over the last 30% of land accessible to Palestinians. … Full article

Google’s New reCAPTCHA Wants Your Camera Access and 21 Points of Your Hand

The same company that monetizes everything you do online would like to switch on your camera

By Ken Macon | Reclaim The Net | June 27, 2026

Google wants a look at your hands before it lets you through. The company’s newest reCAPTCHA check, rolling out now as a test, asks you to switch on your camera and wave at it so an algorithm can decide whether you’re a human or a bot.

That wave is less casual than it looks. The system records a short video of your hand and pulls 21 hand-landmark coordinates from it, mapping your finger joints, your palm geometry, and the way you move in real time.

Google describes the purpose as liveness detection, a way for websites to fend off automated account creation, credential-stuffing, and other fraud. But this is still a biometric scan, collected so you can prove you’re a person and still involves turning on your cameras for Google.

Google has lined up the promises you would expect. … continue

Wired for War: Pax Silica is AI slavery disguised as strength

RT | June 27, 2026

The EU has signed on to ‘Pax Silica’, a US initiative seemingly designed to shut China and others out of the global AI supply chain and extract resources from Europe for the benefit of Washington’s military-industrial complex.

“America and Europe belong together; our histories are braided, our destiny intertwined,” US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg declared at a summit in Washington on Tuesday. “But we share more than a past. We share a purpose – to build a future that answers to our values and is worthy of our inheritance.” … continue

When Models Replace Reality

Science, Climate Policy, and AI Have Become Detached From Reality

By Mark Keenan • Unz Review • June 24, 2026

Modern science is no longer used primarily to describe reality, but to construct models that are then treated as reality itself. This shift spans cosmology, climate science, pandemic response, and artificial intelligence.

Across these domains, models increasingly mediate how reality is interpreted, from theoretical structures in cosmology, through institutional policy models in climate science and pandemic response, to algorithmic systems that shape perception itself.

In cosmology, the process begins with theoretical constructs introduced to resolve gaps between observation and existing models, gradually accumulating unobservable entities such as dark matter and dark energy in order to preserve theoretical coherence.

In climate science and pandemic response, scenario modelling becomes embedded within policy frameworks, where speculative scenarios evolve into instruments of institutional planning and political decision-making.

In artificial intelligence, the process reaches its most complete form, where model outputs no longer merely assist interpretation but increasingly shape the very framework through which information is accessed and understood.

The result is a growing gap between direct observation and theoretical construction.

The issue is not whether models are useful; it is whether modern science still recognises where models end and reality begins. … continue

Four Million Sinking Homes

By Charles Rotter | Watts Up With That? | June 19, 2026

“Millions of homes in London, Essex and Kent at risk of sinking as climate crisis worsens,” said the Guardian. AOL ran it. The story bounced around the usual outlets, all of them leading with the same number: more than four million British homes at risk from climate-driven subsidence by 2070. The source is the British Geological Survey, which is a serious institution, or used to be, and that is what makes this one worth a few minutes. […]

The BGS announcement is candid about what the dataset is for. It is designed, in its own words, to help local authorities, developers, planners, mortgage lenders and insurers assess their exposure to climate-related risk. In other words, it is intended to flow into planning rules, lending decisions, insurance premiums, and house prices. A forecast built on a retired emissions scenario is going to be used to decide whether your bank will lend against a terrace in Barnet.

And that is the part that should bother people who do not care one way or the other about climate politics. UKCP18 has not been withdrawn. The Met Office still serves it across its web pages. The BGS has now built a property-risk product on top of it. The scenario underneath has been declared implausible by the body that invented it, and the British institutional response has been to carry on as though nothing happened, because the projections are load-bearing. They hold up the Net Zero policy architecture, and you cannot pull the bottom scenario out without the upper floors getting nervous. … Read full article

EU HQ shuts off air conditioning during heatwave– but only for floors 1-7, where people of lower rank work

POLITICO | June 26, 2026

The European Commission’s headquarters was forced to shut down its air-conditioning system on Friday due to the heat wave.

Staff working at the Berlaymont building received a text at midday, reading: “BERL — URGENT — Due to extreme weather conditions, forced shut down of air cooling system from floor 1 to 7 for the rest of the day.”

The 13-story building is home to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, her 26 commissioners and about 3,000 staff. Von der Leyen works on the 13th floor, and most of her commissioners’ offices are housed on floors eight or above. … Full article

German auto giant to slash 100,000 jobs – Reuters

Volkswagen’s cuts are a symptom of Germany’s broader industrial decline

RT | June 26, 2026

Volkswagen is considering closing four German factories and cutting up to 100,000 jobs, Reuters has reported. Amid soaring energy costs and competition from China, the company’s profits have plummeted in recent years.

Should the cuts go ahead, Volkswagen will close factories in Hanover, Zwickau, and Emden, as well as an Audi plant in Neckarsulm, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources within the company. These closures would result in the loss of 45,000 jobs, on top of the 50,000 layoffs agreed upon with trade unions in 2024.

Volkswagen executives will discuss the cuts at a meeting next month. According to a separate report by Germany’s Manager Magazin, the company is also weighing a 15% cut in investment over the next five years.

A spokesperson for the world’s second-largest carmaker said that they would not comment on “confidential documents,” but admitted that “the entire group, including its brands and subsidiaries, must undergo far-reaching change.”

Volkswagen employs more than 667,000 people worldwide, almost half of them in Germany. However, the company has been forced to scale back production at home since 2022, when Berlin’s decision to abandon Russian gas imports in favor of renewables and expensive American liquified natural gas (LNG) left the industry reeling from higher energy costs. The German economy has experienced two years of contraction followed by two years of sub-1% growth. … continue

Abelardo De la Espriella’s Victory Renews Pressure on Venezuela

José Niño Unfiltered | June 26, 2026

Colombia elected Abelardo de la Espriella as its next president on June 21, 2026, delivering the country’s leadership to a man who spent nearly a decade publicly calling for the violent overthrow of Venezuela’s socialist government. His victory over leftist Senator Iván Cepeda by fewer than 250,000 votes marks a dramatic rightward shift for a nation that shares a porous 1,400-mile border with Venezuela and hosts millions of Venezuelan refugees.

De la Espriella takes office on August 7, 2026. If Brazil’s November presidential election delivers Flávio Bolsonaro to the Planalto Palace, the two largest nations bordering Venezuela will be governed by leaders who have explicitly endorsed forceful regime change in Caracas. Combined with the apparent willingness of acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez to cooperate with Washington, the conditions may finally exist for completing what the Trump administration attempted and failed to accomplish in 2019.

De la Espriella’s hostility toward Caracas is neither recent nor cautious. He first articulated his position on Venezuela during a 2018 appearance on Peruvian TV personality Jaime Bayly’s Miami television program. According to to his own subsequent writings, he urged Venezuelans to commit tyrannicide against Nicolás Maduro. Days later he published a column titled “Death to the Tyrant” in Barranquilla’s El Heraldo, writing that “the death of Nicolás Maduro becomes necessary to guarantee the survival of the Republic.” … continue

US-backed deal with Israel has ‘no legitimacy’, top Lebanese cleric warns

Press TV – June 27, 2026

Lebanon’s Grand Ja’afari Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan has taken a swipe at the US-sponsored framework agreement between the Beirut government and the Tel Aviv regime, saying that the deal is not legitimate.

“There is no legitimacy for the agreement between the incumbent Lebanese government and the occupying regime,” Sheikh Qabalan said.

He added, “The dangerous point is that the framework (agreement) gives the Zionist army practical guardianship over the activities of the Lebanese army and the occupied Lebanese territories.”

The prominent Lebanese Shia cleric noted that the agreement means tacit recognition of the Israeli military’s dominance over the occupied territories of Lebanon.

“What was agreed upon between the current Lebanese government and the terrorist Israeli regime under the supervision of the evil America is the worst national disaster that Lebanon has ever witnessed,” he noted.

Sheikh Qabalan further argued that “with such an approach, the current Lebanese government only represents itself and not the Lebanese people.” … continue

Israeli occupation forces advance in southern Lebanese towns after truce deal with Beirut

Press TV – June 27, 2026 

Israeli forces have carried out new attacks on several towns in southern Lebanon, in a new escalation immediately after a US-brokered peace agreement was reached between Beirut and Tel Aviv.

Israeli occupation forces advanced toward the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Shuba under the cover of heavy machine-gun fire on Saturday, according to local reports.

Earlier, Israeli forces detonated a stun grenade near the town of Kfar Tebnit, causing alarm among residents.

The occupying regime’s warplanes also struck a location in the border town of Markaba overnight, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The attacks follow an announcement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying a 14-point agreement had been reached between Lebanon and Israel. … continue

The Shooting in the Strait Ain’t Over, But…

By Larry C. Johnson | SONAR21 | June 27, 2026

… Instead of marking a return to war, this [latest] exchange of fire can best be categorized as military political theater. I believe that Iran, thanks to intel from the Russians or the Chinese, has learned that the US has issued orders that will initiate the return to CONUS of the aircraft, vehicles and troops that had been deployed to the region in preparation for the 28 February attack. Because of the limited damage inflicted by the US attack, I believe that Iran chose to respond in a limited fashion rather than escalate and run the risk of the US cancelling the redeployment order.

For now, Iran remains in control of the Strait of Hormuz and ships wanting to transit the Strait are adhering to Iran’s new policy. – Full article

IRGC says it struck US military positions, warns of broader response

Al Mayadeen | June 27, 2026

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said it targeted US military sites across the region in response to American aggression against Iran’s coastline, warning that any further attacks would prompt a significantly broader retaliation.

In a statement, the IRGC said the strikes came after the United States allegedly carried out air assuaults against Iran’s coastal areas under the pretext of responding to incidents involving navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. … continue