Aletho News

New Israeli drone strike kills four civilians in southern Lebanon amid relentless truce violations

Press TV – July 6, 2026

At least four people, including three women, have been killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, Lebanese media reported, in the latest breach of a US-mediated framework agreement.

According to local reports, the drone fired a guided missile at a passing car near a teachers’ training institute in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, killing all four people inside.

Among the deceased are school principal Esperanza Ghandour, her mother, a Syrian national, and a domestic worker from abroad.

In related reporting, Lebanese media also described an Israeli attack near the Ali Taher Ridge sector in the same vicinity

Israel has hit Nabatieh multiple times in recent days.

The strike comes despite a framework agreement signed by Lebanese authorities and Israel in Washington on June 26 under US mediation.

Israel has continued near-daily attacks in Lebanon since then, including bombardments of residential areas and civilian infrastructure in the south. … Full article

Katz admits ‘Israel’ killed Sayyed Khamenei, exposing himself legally

Al Mayadeen | July 6, 2026

Israeli War Minister Israel Katz has publicly acknowledged “Israel’s” role in the assassination of leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, a confession that legal experts say could expose him to international prosecution and fuel popular calls for retribution.

In remarks made on Monday, Katz boasted that “Israel” was responsible for the assassination of Sayyed Khamenei, claiming that the leader was killed because he “initiated and led a plan aimed at destroying Israel.”

Katz’s admission came on the same day as millions gathered in Tehran for the funeral procession of Khamenei and three members of his family. The timing of Katz’s statement has been interpreted by observers as a projection of defiance on a day of significant popular mourning.

However, legal analysts noted that the killer’s voluntary confession of guilt could legally legitimize proceedings against him before international judicial bodies. … Full article

Sanaa tests the blockade as Riyadh weighs its next move

By Mawadda Iskandar | The Cradle | July 6, 2026

At dawn on 3 July 2026, an Iranian Mahan Air aircraft touched down in Sanaa – the first Iranian flight to reach the airport in 11 years.

The landing cut into a blockade that has long defined Yemen’s airspace and signaled a shift that could reshape the terms of engagement.

The aircraft carried more than 200 Yemeni passengers, many of them sick, wounded, or stranded abroad. It was presented as a humanitarian flight, but the move went beyond that. Since the April 2022 truce, air traffic has been tightly restricted, with routes largely limited to Jordan.

It did not end there. The plane later departed with an official Yemeni delegation to Tehran, reportedly to attend the funeral of martyred Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The return leg added a diplomatic layer and tied the move directly to wider regional interactions.

Sources in Sanaa inform The Cradle that the flight was coordinated with Tehran as part of an effort to chip away at what they call the Saudi-US blockade. More flights are expected if the route holds. Whether this opens a steady channel or prompts a Saudi response that freezes talks remains unclear. […]

Inside Yemen, officials describe the moment as a phase of heightened readiness. They accuse Riyadh of working through political and tribal channels to deepen internal divisions.

Ali al-Zuhri, a diplomat and media figure, says the settlement track has stalled after Saudi Arabia slowed implementation, under US pressure, in response to Sanaa’s stance on Gaza. … Full article

Cancel Culture has taken over European politics

Do we really want to outlaw the views of a third of the electorate?

Ashes of Pompeii | July 6, 2026

A few days ago, I wrote about the “banal nonentities” that form the political elite in Europe. Across Europe, these leaders of traditional establishment parties are deeply unpopular, most with approval ratings below 20%. Their policy platforms have demonstrably failed, leaving them destined to lose upcoming elections to supposedly “far right” parties. The great irony of this moment is that the policy platforms of these newly minted extremists would have been considered standard center right orthodoxy merely twenty years ago. Today, however, the media and the cultural elite have redrawn the boundaries of acceptable discourse, declaring these once mainstream views completely beyond the pale. Unable to defeat these parties at the ballot box through popular appeal, the establishment has turned to lawfare.

For the past decade or two, Anglo academic and intellectual spheres have been suffocated by the relentless machinery of cancel culture. What began as a tool for social enforcement in universities and media has now metastasized, erupting into the mainstream political arena of continental Europe. This phenomenon represents a profound shift in how political power is maintained. Where elections were once won through the clash of policies and the appeal of personalities, the modern political landscape is defined by institutional exclusion. Context, truth, logic, and tradition have been rendered entirely irrelevant, replaced by a singular and overriding imperative that one must belong to the approved in club. … continue

People Are Able to Handle the Truth!

By Peter Haenseler | SONAR21 | July 5, 2026

Introduction

In 1959, Ingeborg Bachmann concluded that the truth is something people can be expected to handle, since they are quite capable of enduring it, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. Literature, she argued, should neither conceal nor gloss over the truth.

This is all the more true of the media, which for years have failed to fulfill their duty as the fourth estate. The world is heading toward a new world war, and the majority of humanity is unable to assess the risks and opportunities when the media distort the facts through their propaganda in such a way that the truth vanishes into an ever-thickening fog. The dumbing down has reached such a level that even politicians in the West believe the propaganda of their own media and act accordingly. The falsehoods that politicians spread are no longer perceived by them as lies; for the most part, their intellect is simply not sufficient for that. It must be stated that politicians have first and foremost become “ambassadors” of an ever-declining level of education—and continue to do so—and, as a result, have become victims of their own propaganda.

This article attempts to show that it is still possible to separate the wheat from the chaff, because the truth is hidden amid all the garbage in the news coverage. … continue

Berlin wants to withhold classified info from states ruled by opposition

RT | July 6, 2026

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has called for any regional governments formed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to be booted out of the federal intelligence-sharing network.

The minister branded the right-wing party, which has been enjoying the largest share of public support for months, “anti-democratic” in an interview with Bild newspaper published on Sunday, and said Berlin should be prepared to “consistently counter it.”

Pistorius claimed that the AfD could not be trusted with state secrets because of its alleged “undeniable” ties to Moscow.

“We are intensively examining the question of to whom we can grant access to classified information,” said Pistorius, who has been a vocal proponent of Germany’s rapid militarization and potential mandatory conscription to prepare for a direct conflict with Russia as early as 2028.

Pistorius claimed that the AfD is “opposed to the very constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany” and willing to “destroy our democracy from within.” … continue

PBS News Is Wrong, Climate Change Is Not Causing Georgia’s Drought

By Linnea Lueken | ClimatRealism | July 1, 2026

A recent PBS News report, “Farmers struggle with crops as climate change makes weather less predictable,” claims that droughts and flooding in parts of the United States, particularly the Southeast, are due to climate change, and are becoming more frequent and extreme. This is false, particularly for Georgia, the area PBS highlights in the story.

PBS reports:

“More than half of the continental U.S. is facing drought conditions. But other parts of the country are facing the opposite problem. Extreme weather conditions can have major impacts on farmers and their crops at a time when they’re already facing high production costs. Paul Solman recently traveled to southern Georgia to hear from some of those farmers.”

Extreme weather being different, and even alternating, in different parts of the country is not unusual or new. The “weather whiplash” phenomena is an artifact of news coverage, not a real thing. Flooding often follows after a period of drought dries and hardens or compacts the soil, preventing water from soaking into the soil as a result making runoff more severe. This is a known, natural feature of recovery from drought that PBS vaguely admits later in the coverage.

The state that PBS focuses on in the piece is Georgia. Their reporter, Paul Solman, interviews farmers who supposedly lived on their land for generations, and each of them insists that this year’s drought conditions are unprecedented.

In answer to Solman’s question about whether one farmer has ever experienced drought like this year’s before, the farmer said that he hadn’t in his entire lifetime, and that he “never heard of stories of a drought this bad either.”

Another farmer says her crops suffered when rain finally came, and asserts that “we’re seeing wetter wets and drier dries.”

A climate scientist is interviewed next, who asserts that “[c]limate change is making these [droughts and deluge cycles] more frequent,” making it harder for farmers to predict when to plant crops.

Data disagree with both farmers as well as the climate scientist.

Drought data from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental information show that not only is the current drought in Georgia not unprecedented, but major prolonged droughts that were even more severe have occurred in the state several times in just the past few decades, as well as much longer ago. … continue

Doing The Opposite: Studies Show Gigantic Wind Farms Significantly Warm The Night

By P Gosselin | No Tricks Zone | July 5, 2026

Germany’s online Report24 has an article titled: “Studies Show Gigantic Wind Farms Significantly Warm the Night”.

Proponents of the energy transition often ignore or conceal the negative local climate impacts of wind turbines. Report24 references a 2012 study published in Nature Climate Change by Liming Zhou and his research team, which investigated the impact of large wind farms on land surface temperatures in Texas.

Researchers analyzed satellite data from 2003 to 2011 covering an area in Texas that hosts four of the world’s largest wind farms. In the areas with wind farms, nighttime surface temperatures in summer increased by up to 0.65 °C more than in comparable areas without turbines. The calculated warming trend was up to 0.72 °C per decade.

Why do turbines cause warming? At night, the ground cools down, making the air near the surface colder than the layers above. The turbine rotors disrupt this natural stratification, mixing the layers and forcing warmer air down to the surface, which warms and dries out the ground. Germany is plastered with circa 30,000 turbines spread across the country. In addition to the growing urban heat island (UHI) effect, Germany’s local climate is being disrupted by its widespeard use on wind turbines.

Politicians and mainstream media have been deliberately ignoring these facts since 2012. The local warming caused by wind farms is falsely blamed on CO₂-driven climate change in order to maintain the narrative of “saving the climate.”

Also, deforestation is underway in Germany in order to clear the way for largescale windparks, severely damaging a natural ecosystem that acts to cool the local climate.

No, Futurism, One Momentary Hot Spot on Antarctica Doesn’t Prove a Climate Crisis

By Anthony Watts | ClimatRealism | June 23, 2026

A recent article in the online journal Futurism, titled, “Scientists Horrified as Huge Heatwave Hits Antarctica,” claims climate change caused a “huge heatwave” in Antarctica, bringing temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula nearly 36°F above average and briefly pushing readings above freezing. This is highly misleading. A single weather event says nothing meaningful about long-term climate trends, and the article ignores both Antarctica’s enormous geographic variability and the exceptionally cold conditions simultaneously occurring elsewhere on the continent. The heatwave Futurism suggested wasn’t a continent-wide crisis, but was a localized, unalarming event.

The article is largely a rewrite of a Guardian story focused on temperatures measured on the Trinity Peninsula, the northernmost extension of Antarctica. Researchers reported temperatures reaching approximately 15.4°C (59.7°F) during a brief warm spell on June 6.

What readers are not told is that the Antarctic Peninsula is not representative of Antarctica as a whole.

In fact, the warmest part of Antarctica is the Antarctic Peninsula. Nicknamed the “banana belt,” it stretches northward toward South America and experiences milder maritime conditions. During the austral summer, temperatures can occasionally exceed 10°C (50°F). The peninsula extends northward toward South America and is heavily influenced by maritime weather patterns and ocean currents. It is by far the warmest part of Antarctica and has long experienced periodic warm-air intrusions, föhn wind events, rain episodes, and above-freezing temperatures. These events are unusual, but they are not unprecedented.

In fact, the article itself acknowledges that the warmth was associated with “extremely strong westerlies.” In other words, this was a weather event driven by warmer atmospheric circulation patterns, not a direct measurement of climate change. … continue

Survivorship Bias: The Logical Error at the Heart of Modern Medicine

Lies are Unbekoming | June 18, 2026

An essay on why you only hear from the people who lived… Read article

What Is Eczema?

Lies are Unbekoming | July 2, 2026

… In June 2004 the American Journal of Public Health published a study titled “Vaccination and Allergic Disease: A Birth Cohort Study,” by Tricia McKeever and colleagues at the University of Nottingham. The cohort was 29,238 children identified from the West Midlands General Practice Research Database between 1988 and 1999, followed for physician-diagnosed asthma and eczema from infancy to age eleven. The authors stated their motivation plainly in the introduction: examining the vaccination-allergy relationship was important because, in their words, “a perception that vaccination is harmful may have an adverse impact on the effectiveness of immunization programs.”² That is the framing inside which the study was conducted. The investigators were not looking to find a signal.

They found one. Children vaccinated against diphtheria, polio, pertussis, and tetanus were 9.4 times more likely to receive an eczema diagnosis than the unvaccinated (HR 9.40, 95% CI 5.92 to 14.92), and 14 times more likely to receive an asthma diagnosis (HR 14.0, 95% CI 7.3 to 26.9).² For measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination, the figures were 4.6 times for eczema and 3.5 times for asthma.² These are not subtle effects.

The authors disposed of their own finding by proposing that the association was an artifact of ascertainment bias: unvaccinated children visit their physicians less often and therefore receive fewer recorded diagnoses of any kind, so the difference reflected diagnosis frequency rather than disease incidence. The conclusion they printed was that current vaccination practices do not increase the risk of asthma or eczema. … Read full article

London police arrest 84-year-old priest over Palestine Action support

Press TV – July 5, 2026

London police have arrested an 84-year-old priest, Sue Parfitt, for expressing support at a rally for Palestine Action.

Parfitt, a retired Anglican priest and former nun from Henbury, was arrested by London police on Sunday.

Police arrested Parfitt, along with about a dozen Palestine Action protesters, for expressing support for the banned group.

The arrests came as Palestine Action protesters staged the rally to mark one year since the UK imposed a ban on the group under new anti-terrorism legislation. … Full article

“Crimson Thread” apartheid project threatens family already displaced in north Jordan Valley

International Solidarity Movement | July 5, 2026

A family – displaced from Khirbet Samra in July 2025 after years of constant harassment by occupation forces and violent settler Uri Cohen – moved to Atouf, where they purchased a plot of land, determined to defy the occupation’s efforts to destroy their livelihood.

Having to leave their home of more than 20 years was both deeply traumatic and hugely expensive. The 40 dunams in Atouf cost half a million shekels (about 160,000 USD) and transportation costs for all their livestock and belongings were high. Atouf is a primarily agricultural area and there is little grazing land; the family is therefore forced to feed their animals grain and hay. They have also had to spend 150,000 shekels (50,000 USD) on building pens spacious enough to protect their sheep from the heat. The costs of maintaining their flock of 800 sheep have proved unsustainable, and the family has had no choice but to sell 300 of them. … continue

Israeli forces kill Palestinian teen in West Bank

Press TV – July 5, 2026

Israeli occupation forces shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, the second reported killing of a Palestinian teenager within a week, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Two other boys, both aged 14, were wounded in the incident at the Qalandia refugee camp near Ramallah.

“Sixteen-year-old Waleed Nidal Waleed Abu Sneineh was pronounced dead after being shot by Israeli forces,” the ministry said. “Two other children sustained gunshot wounds to their lower limbs in the same incident.” […]

Israeli forces have killed at least 1,087 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data. – Full article

Palestinian infant dies after IOF blocks his evacuation to hospital in West Bank

Palestinian Information Center – July 5, 2026

RAMALLAH – A Palestinian infant died on Sunday after the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) blocked his access to vital medical treatment, medical sources reported.

The baby was in critical condition when Israeli forces blocked his evacuation to the hospital through the Deir Ammar checkpoint, a vital crossing point west of Ramallah that has been kept closed by the IOF for the past five months.

The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reporter said that four-month-old Ahmad Zaid passed away shortly after Israeli forces refused to open the road and allow his emergency transfer to the hospital.

Jewish settlers burn restaurant, launch attacks in West Bank

Palestinian Information Center – July 5, 2026

WEST BANK – A horde of extremist Jewish settlers rampaged through the Wadi al‑Sha‘er area, located between the city of Salfit and the village of al‑Lubban al‑Sharqiya, south of the governorate, at dawn Sunday.

According to local sources, settlers set fire to commercial facilities, attempted to burn a house and a garage, and vandalized vehicles and private property in the area.

Settlers reportedly set fire to “Rawaqan” Restaurant near Al‑Zaytona University, owned by Yaqoub Owais, head of the al‑Lubban al‑Sharqiya village council. The blaze completely destroyed the facility.

The settlers also attempted to torch a house and an auto repair garage belonging to a resident of al‑Lubban al‑Sharqiya after starting fires in the area around it. … Full article

Two Killed in Israeli Bombing in Gaza City on Sunday; Child Dies from Israeli Denial of Permit

IMEMC |July 5, 2026

Two Palestinian citizens were killed on Sunday evening when the Israeli occupation forces bombed the center of Gaza City. In addition, a child died after being denied an Israeli permit to receive lifesaving medical treatment abroad.

Local sources in the Gaza Strip reported that an Israeli occupation vehicle targeted a group of citizens in the vicinity of the Samer Junction in central Gaza City, which led to the martyrdom of two citizens and the wounding of others.

In the past week, Israeli forces have expanded their ‘kill zone’ in the Gaza Strip, and has now pushed the population of 2.3 million Palestinians into 35% of the land of the Gaza Strip, creating even more overcrowded conditions than existed previously. Israel kills any Palestinian that dares cross the arbitrary ‘yellow line’ to reach their land. … Full article

Prominent Palestinian Surgeon Reported ‘Near Death’ in Israeli Prison Camp

IMEMC | July 5, 2026

Dr. Husam Abu Safiya, a well-known and respected surgeon in Gaza, is reportedly ‘near death’ due to extensive beatings and torture by Israeli prison authorities, according to his lawyer.

His lawyer visited him in the underground interrogation unit “Rakefet” inside Nitzan Prison. According to his lawyer, Dr. Abu Safiya was brought to the meeting handcuffed and shackled, with fresh injuries to his head, face, and body.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that Abu Safiya was recently transferred to a section known as “Rakefet”, which Palestinian human rights groups describe as one of the most notorious and brutal sections inside the Israeli prison system, amid growing concerns about his health.

The Prisoners Society added in a statement that Abu Safiya is still being held without formal charges, under what is known as the “Illegal Fighter Law,” though Abu Safiya has never had any association with any resistance group. His targeting was stated by Israeli officials as having been because he refused to leave Kamal Adwan Hospital, and instead remaining to treat patients throughout the Gaza genocide until he was summoned by soldiers in a tank. … Full article

Netanyahu denies Trump restricted Israeli strikes in Lebanon

MEMO | July 5, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports Sunday that the US had restricted Israeli military operations in Lebanon, Anadolu reports.

“I heard it was said in the media that President Trump asked not to act against terror tunnels in Lebanon. This is a legend, fake news. He didn’t say anything to me about it, and I didn’t ask him. We operate according to our considerations,” Netanyahu said during a weekly Cabinet meeting.

His remarks contradicted an earlier report by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN late last month that Israel had provided US officials with detailed intelligence on alleged Hezbollah tunnels in the Ali al-Taher Heights in southern Lebanon in an effort to obtain US approval for military operations in the area.

The report suggested Israel sought a US green light to continue its military activities in Lebanon, contrary to Netanyahu’s assertion that Israeli military decisions are made independently. … Full article

How Germany blew the EU’s chance for information freedom

By Rachel Marsden | RT | July 5, 2026

It’s not every day that an EU member state has the opportunity to push back in favor of freedom. At least not without elections. But a German court did have that chance – and promptly blew it on behalf of European citizens everywhere.

Back in 2022 when the Ukraine war was ramping up, the European Commission made an executive order banning Russian media broadcasting in the EU. Meaning that you couldn’t – and still can’t – access RT from within the EU, either on TV or on the web, without a VPN.

So some folks running a website in Saarbrucken, Germany, near the French border, started including some RT videos in their live feed. They reportedly did this exactly four times, back in 2023. Whoop-dee-do, right?

Wrong. This is the EUSSR we’re talking about, remember?

For this, the accused ended up facing criminal prosecution in Germany for promoting some EU-sanctioned RT Germany content. … continue

How Psychiatric Drugs Win Approval — and Why It Matters for Children

By Henrick Karoliszyn, DSW | The Defender | July 1, 2026

Researchers writing in JAMA Psychiatry argue that the FDA-approved label for Exxua, an antidepressant, highlights successful clinical trials while omitting numerous studies that failed to show the drug worked better than placebo. For parents, FDA approval can mean life and death for their children. … Read article

The Machine

An Essay on the American Vaccine Program from License to Prosecution

Lies are Unbekoming | July 3, 2026

On November 14, 1986, Ronald Reagan signed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act into law.¹ The legislation ended more than a decade of tort litigation against vaccine manufacturers by transferring civil liability for injury and death from the companies producing the products to the American taxpayer. The pharmaceutical industry had threatened to leave the childhood vaccine market. Reagan’s signature ensured they would stay, at a price paid by parents who would never be told what had been arranged on their behalf.

Twenty-five years later, in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, the Supreme Court closed the last remaining exit. The 2011 decision, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, held that federal law preempts all design-defect claims against vaccine manufacturers in state courts.² Justice Sotomayor’s dissent, joined by Justice Ginsburg, identified the practical effect: no federal agency, no state court, no jury of citizens would henceforth ensure that vaccine manufacturers accounted for scientific advances when designing their products. The manufacturers had been placed outside the accountability structure that governs every other industry in the United States.

The 1986 Act and the 2011 ruling together defined the shape of what now exists. Every function of the vaccine program — licensing, recommendation, purchase, safety monitoring, patent holding, research funding, injury adjudication, and courtroom defense — resides in the federal government. When the products kill a child, the state prosecutes the parents.

Leslie Manookian, founder of the Health Freedom Defense Fund, mapped this architecture in a twelve-point summary published to her readers.³ What follows walks through the machine she described, in five stages. Each stage encloses the next. By the fifth, the shape of the trap around the American parent becomes fully visible. … continue

The Antibiotic That Was in Your Kitchen All Along

New science confirms an ancient remedy outperforms a first-line pharmaceutical — without the side effects or the superbug problem

By Sayer Ji | June 28, 2026

… In a landmark randomized controlled clinical trial published in the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, researchers at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences enrolled 120 married women (ages 18–44) diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis (BV) by both Amsel’s clinical criteria and Gram staining.¹⁰

Bacterial vaginosis affects 29.2% of women aged 14–49 and 25% of pregnant women in the US. The condition involves a reduction of beneficial hydrogen-peroxide-producing Lactobacillus bacteria and an overgrowth of anaerobes including Gardnerella vaginalis, Mycoplasma hominis, and Prevotella species. It is associated with preterm birth, premature rupture of membranes, and increased HIV susceptibility — making effective, well-tolerated treatment critically important.¹⁰

“Amsel’s criteria were significantly decreased after treatment with garlic or metronidazole (70% and 48.3%, respectively; P < 0.001). There were significant differences between the two treatment groups in terms of side effects; metronidazole was associated with more complications.”— Mohammadzadeh et al., Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research

The garlic preparation — 500 mg tablets containing 85.42% garlic powder, delivering 8.9 mg of alliin per dose — was taken twice daily for seven days. Metronidazole was given at 250 mg twice daily for the same period. The results were unambiguous: garlic outperformed the antibiotic on the primary endpoint and caused significantly fewer adverse effects. … Read full article

West African states begin withdrawal from ICC

MEMO | July 3, 2026

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have officially begun a one-year process to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the court has announced.

The three West African countries previously said they would leave the ICC, describing it as “a tool of new colonial oppression,” according to Reuters.

The presidency of the ICC’s governing body confirmed that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger had submitted formal notices of withdrawal, triggering a one-year process to leave the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court.

In a statement, the presidency said the move could weaken global efforts to end impunity and undermine the pursuit of justice. It urged the three countries to remain committed to the Rome Statute.

The statement also stressed that withdrawal does not release a state from any obligations arising during its membership of the Rome Statute.

Extremists attack five Malian towns in coordinated dawn attack

Al Mayadeen | July 4, 2026

Mali’s army announced on Saturday that insurgents launched attacks before dawn against its positions in Aguelhok, Anefis, Gao, Sévaré, and Kenieroba, spanning the country’s north and center. Fighting in the different locations began around 5 am local time.

The army says the assaults were attempted strikes on its positions, according to a statement carried on state television.

In Gao, a local official told Reuters that gunfire and rocket fire had targeted a military camp since before dawn. … continue

Is America Truly Becoming a “Zionocracy?”

New legislation could kill the freedom to criticize the Jewish state

By Philip Giraldi • Unz Review • July 4, 2026

The country that once was the United States of America is now, in its 250th year, led by a president whose ignorance of history and policy is so profound that almost anything goes, including the initiation of wars fought for a foreign nation that is widely regarded as manifestly evil. I am of course speaking of the power that Israel has over US foreign policy in particular, though that leverage has been increasingly also impacting on the running of the economy and the elimination of fundamental liberties like freedom of speech. One has to ask, what kind of independence does America actually have when it allows another country, supported by domestic Jewish and Christian Zionists, to drain resources stolen from taxpayers through endless wars and a managed foreign policy that doesn’t benefit American citizens in any significant way. Above all, it is a “policy” driven by false religious beliefs that the former Palestine should become a wholly Jewish state that is “chosen” to expand and become “Greater” through wars initiated throughout the Middle East. […]

Trump has been fighting a totally pointless and extremely unpopular war with a non-threatening Iran due to Israel convincing him to do so and he has tolerated a horrific genocide in what was once Palestine while also making the US complicit in the slaughter by providing the weapons, money and the political cover to permit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get away with the war crimes. And now there are reports that Trump has ordered the US military to begin preparations to engage in Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah, which is no threat to American though an enemy of Israel.

That is the current reality. Our America, a victim of the powerful domestic Israel Lobby which has corrupted Congress with money and which controls most of the mainstream media, is truly a slave of what Israel regards as its national security policy. This has led some American critics of what is taking place to begin to refer to the USA as the “Zionization of America to create a Zionocracy” a name that has a certain resonance as it reflects a certain reality in that maintaining Jewish/Israeli dominance of the United States has stripped the nation of what once were basic constitutional rights.

Consider for example what already exists to favor Israel and what is impending that will make the US a virtual client state of the ruthless apartheid entity that has taken control of both the White House and Congress. It is often noted how the US Congress gave war criminal Netanyahu 58 standing ovations when he addressed that body in 2024. And there is already in the State Department a Bureau that exists to counter what it describes as antisemitism worldwide. It is called the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism (SEAS), which was created to advance US efforts in addressing antisemitism globally. It was established by the Global Antisemitism Review Act of 2004 and is led by a special envoy with ambassador status who reports directly to the Secretary of State. It is currently headed by a Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun. It accepts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism to include verbal or written criticism of the behavior of Jewish groups or of Israel as ipso facto evidence of antisemitism, which it regards as a crime. By way of comparison, no other country except Israel has an office that goes around the world with a mission to root out what it chooses to regard as antisemites. … Read full article

IOF uses West Bank home as military post after displacing its residents

Palestinian Information Center – July 4, 2026

OCCUPIED WEST BANK – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) seized a house in the West Bank village of Arabbuna on Saturday, converting it into a military post after forcing its residents to evacuate.

According to local sources, Israeli forces raided the village in eastern Jenin and spread in its neighborhoods before storming the two-story home of Shadi Abul-Hasan and forcing him, along with his family, to evacuate immediately without taking their personal belongings.

The sources added that Israeli soldiers seized the entire house, turning it into a military post, a recurring practice during IOF raids across various West Bank towns and villages.

Two Palestinians injured, others detained in West Bank settler attack

Palestinian Information Center – July 4, 2026

AL-KHALIL – A horde of extremist Jewish settlers attacked the homes of al-Masri family in the Khillet al‑Homs area south of Yatta in the occupied West Bank on Saturday morning, injuring two Palestinian residents.

Local official Osama Makhamra said that Israeli forces stormed the Khillet al-Homs area and detained several citizens for a while following the settlers’ attack.

Makhamra added that the forces kidnaped Samir al-Masri, who suffered multiple injuries in the attack, as well as two foreign activists from the area.

Another wounded citizen was evacuated from the area to Yatta Hospital to receive medical treatment after suffering bruises and injuries.

Israeli Colonizers Seize ‘Ein Rawabi Spring East of Anata

IMEMC | July 4, 2026

Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers seized the ‘Ein Rawabi Spring east of Anata, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, after vandalizing it and taking full control — an escalation targeting one of the few remaining water sources relied upon by Bedouin communities and shepherds in the area.

The Jerusalem Governorate said the spring is the only water source used by shepherds for drinking and watering their livestock, previously sustaining around 1,300 sheep, making its seizure a direct threat to the livelihood of dozens of Bedouin families who depend on herding as their primary source of income.

The Governorate added that the assault is part of a continuous policy carried out by the occupation authorities and the colonizers to restrict shepherds, deprive them of grazing areas and water sources, and pressure them to abandon their lands.

The area has witnessed a series of attacks in recent weeks, including carving colonial roads toward the spring, attempts to steal livestock, and repeated assaults on shepherds.

Over recent months, Bedouin communities east of Jerusalem — including those near Anata, Khan al-Ahmar, and surrounding grazing zones — have faced intensified colonizer violence aimed at dismantling their access to land and water, with springs, wells, and grazing corridors becoming primary targets as part of a broader strategy to fragment Bedouin presence and expand colonial control across the Jerusalem periphery.

Rights center documents 83 Israeli attacks on Christians in 3 months, mostly in occupied Jerusalem

MEMO | July 3, 2026

This April to June saw 83 Israeli attacks on Christians in Israel or Israeli-occupied territories in 76 incidents, most of them in Jerusalem, according to a report released Friday, Anadolu reports.

The report was issued by Israel’s Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC) and the its Hotline for Documenting Harassment against Christians in Israel, a nongovernmental center specializing in documenting attacks related to freedom of worship.

According to the report, 68 incidents took place inside Jerusalem, a city also revered by Christians. Two incidents were recorded in Haifa and the Galilee in northern Israel, one in the Sea of Galilee area, one in the West Bank, one in Beit Shemesh west of Jerusalem, and two in Mevaseret Zion west of Jerusalem. The report did not give the location of the remaining incident.

Of the 68 incidents recorded in Jerusalem, 46 took place in the Old City, 13 in West Jerusalem and nine on Mount Zion, a historic hill southwest of the Old City, the report said.

“As in previous reports, the high number of spitting incidents remains particularly striking. During this quarter, 47 incidents involved spitting, accounting for 56% of all recorded forms of harassment,” the RFDC said.

“In recent years, these acts have increasingly taken place openly, in broad daylight, and at times in a deliberately demonstrative manner. In several cases, perpetrators even explained to Hotline volunteers—and on camera—why they believed such behavior was justified,” it added.

The center said reported incidents included Israeli parents spitting and directing insults in front of their children, and encouraging them to do the same. … continue

Palestinian martyred, others injured in Israeli strike on Gaza City

Palestinian Information Center – July 4, 2026

GAZA – A Palestinian civilian was martyred and several others were injured Saturday evening in an Israeli airstrike east of Gaza City, amid ongoing ceasefire violations.

Local sources reported that a civilian was killed and several others were wounded when an Israeli drone targeted a group of citizens near the Asqula junction in Gaza City’s az-Zeitoun neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the bodies of two people killed in an Israeli attack last Thursday were recovered from the ash-Shaymaa area, north of Beit Lahia town.

Earlier, the Israeli occupation forces detonated several buildings in the eastern and northeastern areas of Khan Yunis city, south of Gaza, as warplanes carried out intensive, low-altitude flights over the western part of the city.

The Israeli army also carried out artillery shelling and gunfire attacks across various parts of Gaza, particularly targeting northwestern Rafah and the eastern districts of Gaza City.

Gaza genocide: 1,022 infants among more than 21,500 children killed by Israel in 1,000 days

Over 11,000 children have suffered “life-changing” injuries, including up to 4,000 cases of limb amputations.

Press TV – July 4, 2026

Israeli forces have killed 1,022 infants among more than 21,500 Palestinian children killed during the Zionist regime’s ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which entered its 1,001st day on Saturday.

According to official figures released on Friday by Gaza’s Government Media Office, more than 21,500 children, including 1,022 infants, have been killed since Israel launched its war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

According to the figures, the total number of Palestinians killed has reached 73,066, while 173,514 others have been injured.

Also, some 9,500 Palestinians remain unaccounted for and have gone missing since the war started. … continue

Explainer: Which foreign delegations attended the funeral of martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution?

Press TV – July 4, 2026

The funeral ceremony for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, brought together one of the largest gatherings of foreign dignitaries in Iran in recent decades, with representatives from across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and major international organizations attending the event in Tehran.

The delegations included presidents, prime ministers, parliamentary speakers, foreign ministers, senior government officials, political leaders, and representatives of religious organizations and resistance movements, underscoring the broad international participation in the ceremony. … continue

House Vote on NDAA Blocked after Republican Members Rebel

By Adam Dick | Ron Paul Institute | July 3, 2026

Typically, all the members of the majority party in the House of Representatives vote for the rule to bring legislation to the House floor for debate, even if some of those members plan to vote against the legislation after the floor debate. Meanwhile, minority party House members typically all vote against the rule. But, on occasion, some majority party members think there is something wrong enough with legislation or the process by which leadership is seeking to bring the legislation to the House floor that they rebel, voting “no” on the rule.

Such rebellious votes can make a point. They seldom, though, prevent a bill from reaching the House floor. But, when the majority party’s margin is small, a few rebellious members in the majority party joining the minority party’s unanimous opposition to a rule can prevent a bill from reaching the floor. That is what happened Tuesday when several Republican members, for various reasons, voted “no” on the rule for consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The NDAA rule vote having failed, no House final vote can take place on this bill concerning military policy and spending unless a rule for the bill is first approved after the House returns from recess on July 13. In a Tuesday Kucinich Report article, former House member Dennis Kucinich — a Ron Paul Institute Advisory Board member — along with his coauthor wife Elizabeth Kucinich provided an explanation of how a Republican members rebellion stopped the vote this week on the NDAA. The NDAA, they further wrote, would, among other things, make a mammoth increase in the US government’s military spending and merge the US and Israel militaries. Read their article here.

UK and Israel criticized for persecuting anti-genocide advocates

Press TV – July 4, 2026

Protesters gathered outside the General Medical Council’s headquarters in London to slam the council’s attempt to silence those speaking out about the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Protesters describe the surgeon as one of the world’s leading war doctors and argue that the regulator’s actions amount to an attempt to silence those who speak publicly about the realities of war… continue

UK Police Warn Man Over Pub Tweets

By Cam Wakefield | Reclaim The Net | July 3, 20265 

Two Metropolitan Police officers walked into a Chiswick pub on the evening of July 2nd, found a man having a drink with a friend, and asked him to step outside. He had broken no law, a point the officers themselves conceded on camera. His “offense,” such as it was, came down to a handful of tweets about a local councillor. In Britain, which is in the midst of a dark censorship nightmare, that now counts as reason enough to send two constables to your table on a warm London evening.

The man is Alastair Hilton, a photographer who lives on a narrowboat and, until this week, an anonymous Chiswick regular. The councillor is Rick Rowe, a Green who took the Chiswick Riverside ward in May and lives, by Hilton’s account, close enough to the riverside pubs to complain about them almost daily. Between them sits one of the more absurd local rows Britain has produced this year, and one of the more telling.

The dispute itself is almost sweet in its pettiness. Three pubs on Strand-on-the-Green, the City Barge, the Bell & Crown, and the Bull’s Head, have set tables beside the Thames for decades. Labour-run Hounslow Council told them to clear the furniture off the pavement, citing licensing and the Highways Act. Hilton, watching a corner of the neighborhood empty itself out on a sunny afternoon, reached for his phone.

“This is the City Barge pub in Chiswick right now. What do you notice? It’s 3pm and they’re open,” he wrote on X. “It’s a sunny day. Yes, that’s right; they have had to remove all of the tables and chairs outside. They have had to destroy their own business.”

The reason, as he saw it, ran like this. “Because Rick Rowe, a Green Party councillor on Hounslow council, who lives very, very, very close to this pub and complains about it almost daily, has banned all three pubs here on strand on the Green Chiswick, from having outside tables.”

Strong words and a strong opinion, the sort of thing pubs and their regulars have shouted about since licensing began. No threat, no protest, no crime. But two officers turned up at his table. … Full article

Australia’s Top Censor Wants Power Over The “Ratio”

By Cindy Harper | Reclaim The Net | July 3, 20265 

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner wants legal power to order social media companies to shield favored users from criticism and to suspend everyone piling on against them. Julie Inman Grant made the pitch on July 2, testifying to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, the government probe set up after the Bondi Beach terror attack.

She calls the tool a “notification power.” What it does is let her office tell a platform that a particular Australian account is under heavy criticism and demand that the platform punish the accounts responsible.

Her own description of the trigger runs to “insulting” and “ugly” comments stacking up beneath someone’s posts. “If there’s a pile-on, if there’s a brigade, if it’s meant to be an avalanche of online hate, we put the onus back on the platform to say, this Australian is being targeted,” she told the commission.

“We expect you to protect their account and take action against all of those people that you can see… whether it’s you just suspend them or you take them away.” […]

The fix she wants hands platforms a standing order to police disapproval on her behalf.

Grant does not think of this as censorship, of course. Asked about companies that frame their resistance as free speech, she said “it’s easy to slip a censorship label on just about anything,” and offered a softer account of her own work. “What we’re trying to do is minimize harm. Encourage as much speech as possible, but when it veers into the lane of hurting individuals, hurting communities, hurting society and undermining democracy, I think we all need to band together and take more of a stand.”

The regulator asking for authority to suspend users in bulk says her goal is more speech.

Who defines the harm that flips speech from protected to punishable? She does. Phrases like “hurting communities” and “undermining democracy” stretch far enough to cover most heated political argument, and the office reaching for them writes the definition. … Full article

Motion Asks Judge to Force FBI Disclosure of Potential Twitter Censorship Payments

By Cindy Harper | Reclaim The Net | July 3, 20265 

The New Civil Liberties Alliance wants to know whether the FBI spent tax dollars getting platforms to bury Americans’ speech. On June 30 it asked a federal judge to force an answer.

NCLA filed a motion for summary judgment in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the latest move in its case against the FBI and the Justice Department.

The request itself is narrow, covering records responsive to a FOIA filing NCLA made in January 2023 about money the Bureau reportedly routed to social media companies, media outlets, and other private groups.

Beyond the paperwork are the questions the FBI won’t touch. Did it pay platforms to honor its takedown requests? Did it pay them to rewrite moderation rules or retune algorithms so that what people saw lined up with what the government wanted them to see?

Nobody outside the Bureau knows because the FBI decided nobody should. It didn’t search for a single document or redact a line. It rejected the request wholesale and reached for a FOIA exemption built for records “compiled for law enforcement purposes” that would expose investigative techniques and help someone evade the law.

On that footing, it claimed it could neither confirm nor deny that any responsive records exist at all.

That claim falls apart against the FBI’s own paper trail. For years the Bureau has said openly that it reimburses X, formerly Twitter, and other providers for the cost of responding to legal process because a statute tells it to. Having already admitted the payments exist, it now insists that admitting the payments exist is too sensitive to hand over.

Reimbursing a company for pulling subpoena records is ordinary housekeeping. Paying a company to reshape what millions of people are allowed to post is a different animal, and that gap is the whole case. The government writes the definition of “misinformation.” If it also cut checks to the platforms enforcing that label, then a federal agency bought private censorship and sent the public the bill. … Full article

Israeli spyware used against ex-Greek MEP during probe of illegal surveillance: Report

MEMO | July 3, 2026

Israeli spyware was used to hack the phone of a former Greek member of the European Parliament while he was serving on a committee investigating spyware abuses in Europe, according to a report by Citizen Lab published on Friday, Anadolu reports.

The University of Toronto-based research group said that forensic analysis found Stelios Kouloglou’s iPhone was successfully infected with Pegasus spyware, developed by Israeli company NSO Group, in October 2022 and again the next March.

Kouloglou, a journalist and former MEP, was at the time a substitute member of the European Parliament’s PEGA committee, which was established to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware in EU member states.

Citizen Lab said the infections took place during key periods of PEGA committee activity and could have exposed non-public information, confidential documents, and internal committee deliberations. … continue

US warned countries over Sayyed Khamenei funeral attendance: Tasnim

Al Mayadeen | July 3, 2026

The United States has launched a broad diplomatic campaign in recent days aimed at discouraging countries from participating in memorial ceremonies for the martyred Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, Tasnim News Agency reported, citing a senior source.

According to the report, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed all American embassies and missions to use available resources to persuade host country officials not to attend the funeral ceremonies. He also directed diplomatic missions to inform governments that participation would be considered an “unfriendly act” from Washington’s perspective.

The agency added that, according to Arab diplomats, Rubio has personally raised the issue with his counterparts in at least five Arab countries.

Tasnim further reported that US ambassadors in African states were warned that participation in the ceremonies could lead to reductions in American aid to those countries.

According to the same source, a major North African country reportedly reduced its level of participation in the ceremonies due to concerns over potential repercussions in its relations with the United States.

The report also claimed that 13 countries, including three from Eastern Europe, five African states, two Gulf countries, and two East Asian countries, have withdrawn from participation in the funeral ceremonies.

Tasnim added that some of the countries that reportedly stepped back under US pressure have sought to justify their absence through diplomatic channels or intermediaries. … Full article

Forget the Vietnam war ‘gap’ we have a real credibility chasm today

Leadership has spun, misled, and kept the populace in the dark through many wars during the country’s 250-year history. This may be the worst.

By Gregory Daddis | Responsible Statecraft | July 3, 2026

When it comes to war, the Trump administration faces a credibility problem. According to CNN, between late March and early June, the president claimed he was on the verge of reaching a peace deal with Iran at least 38 times. Such fabrications came nearly a full year after Trump declared that Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “obliterated” and suffered “monumental damage.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been equally sanguine these past months, bragging at one April Pentagon press conference that Operation Epic Fury, the campaign against Iran launched on February 28, had been “a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield, a capital-V military victory.” And yet the war continued on.

Now, a tenuous “memorandum of understanding” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift Iranian sanctions, while raising alarm among some members of Congress, has been painted by Trump as a major win thanks to a “record high” stock market and “tumbling” oil prices.

Such optimistic yet fallacious progress reports elicit memories of another American war in which credibility became contested ground, both at home and abroad. … continue

Trump Claims Iran Agreed During Negotiations on Almost Everything US Wanted

Sputnik – 03.07.2026

US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran had agreed on almost everything the United States wanted during the negotiations.

“We totally defeated them militarily. They have some missiles left. We could wipe them out too. I think they’ve agreed to just about everything we need,” Trump said in an interview with CNBC. … Full article

‘Unprecedented corruption,’ crypto ventures help Trump net $2.2bn in profits since return to office

The Cradle | July 3, 2026

US President Donald Trump’s income last year soared to more than $2.2 billion, largely due to cryptocurrency holdings and related ventures he himself was able to regulate, according to financial disclosure forms released on 3 July.

In contrast, during his first term in office, the president’s income was primarily derived from his real estate businesses, including hotels, golf courses, and other properties, such as Mar-a-Lago. In 2024, before returning to the White House, he reported making over $600 million.

Last week, Trump claimed his skyrocketing wealth was due to the stock market’s rise. “You know why I’m profiting, because the stock market’s going up,” he told reporters last week.

However, the president’s financial disclosures indicate most of his new wealth has resulted from cryptocurrency and related ventures, which he has helped enable by relaxing rules on crypto markets. … continue

France, Italy to form new international force for southern Lebanon

MEMO | July 3, 2026

France’s Foreign Ministry has announced ongoing preparations with Italy to form new international coalition forces to be deployed in southern Lebanon after the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ends.

Speaking to Saudi broadcaster Al Hadath, the ministry said the multinational force would be deployed in southern Lebanon with US backing and the participation of several European countries.

It said the force would be deployed at the request of the Lebanese authorities to support the Lebanese army in carrying out its duties and to strengthen stability.

The ministry added that consultations with partners are continuing to finalise the force’s deployment mechanism, amid security arrangements linked to the recent framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

Israeli drone strikes injure 2 in southern Lebanon despite framework agreement

MEMO | July 3, 2026

Two people were injured Friday in Israeli drone strikes targeting a vehicle in Lebanon’s southern Tyre district, in what Lebanese authorities described as another violation of the framework agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv.

The strikes targeted the vehicle overnight in the town of Siddiqin, injuring two people, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported.

In a separate incident, an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade in the town of Safad al-Battikh in Bint Jbeil district, with no injuries reported.

Another Israeli drone also dropped a stun grenade in the town of Mansouri in Tyre district, NNA said. … Full article

Palestinians and foreign activists injured in settler attacks northeast of Ramallah

Palestinian Information Center – July 3, 2026

RAMALLAH – A number of Palestinians and foreign solidarity activists were injured on Friday when Israeli settlers attacked residents of Turmus Ayya and Abu Falah towns, northeast of Ramallah, as they attempted to reach their farmland.

Local sources said the assault took place in the Al-Badud area after residents of the two towns organized a march, joined by foreign activists, to help landowners access property threatened with seizure.

The settlers intercepted the participants on the road connecting Turmus Ayya and Abu Falah and prevented them from reaching their land.

According to the sources, the attackers beat participants and sprayed Palestinians and foreign activists with pepper spray, injuring an elderly man and several solidarity activists.

In a separate incident, settlers protected by Israeli occupation forces entered the vicinity of Palestinian homes in Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah.

They assaulted residents and solidarity activists and sprayed them with pepper spray, injuring several people. … Full article

Israel Kills Palestinian Goalkeeper as World Cup Fans Rally for Palestine

Palestine Chronicle | July 2, 2026

Palestinian goalkeeper Saleem Al-Ashqar was killed in Gaza as fans across the FIFA World Cup continued displaying solidarity with Palestine.

• The Palestinian Football Association said goalkeeper Saleem Al-Ashqar was killed by Israeli army fire in Gaza.
• The association said more than 1,000 Palestinian athletes have been killed since October 2023.
• Palestinian flags and “Free Palestine” messages have appeared throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• Fans and football clubs have also renewed calls to “Show Israel the Red Card” over the war on Gaza.

Full article

UN, MSM: Israel Is Deliberately and Genocidally Murdering Children

By Kevin Barrett – American Free Press – July 3, 2026

American mass media have historically demonized Palestinians and downplayed or covered up Israel’s crimes. But on June 24, Americans woke up to a CNN headline that must have made more than a few of them choke on their kosher coffee. That headline put it plainly: “Israel deliberately targeting children in ongoing genocide against Palestinians, UN commission finds.”

CNN’s headline included two assertions that have been true for decades: 1) Israel deliberately murders children, not accidentally as so-called collateral damage, but deliberately as part of a de facto national policy; and 2) Israel is committing “an ongoing genocide against Palestinians.” And while it is shocking that any government is pursuing such unbelievably evil policies, and even more shocking that American taxpayers are paying for it, the most shocking thing of all is that American mainstream media are finally admitting the truth after 78 years of systematic Israeli child-killing and genocide. … continue

Iran, Oman finalize Hormuz navigation deal; no role for US: Ghalibaf

Al Mayadeen | July 3, 2026

Iran and Oman have worked out a mechanism to manage navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announced on Friday, making clear that Washington would have no part in it.

The agreement with Muscat, based on Article Five of the Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding, is now moving into the implementation phase, Ghalibaf revealed, adding that Tehran would coordinate with other Gulf states bordering the strait as the plan rolls out.

Ghalibaf also aimed at the Israeli regime, accusing it of trying to torpedo the MoU altogether. Still, he expressed confidence that Iran’s regional deterrent posture would be enough to head off another war.

His comments came the same day Iran’s acting defense minister, Brigadier General Majid Ebn al-Reza, warned that any breach of the ceasefire would be dealt with immediately. Iran trusts its allies, he said, but not its enemies, and its forces remain ready to act.

“There is no doubt that we will take the appropriate and necessary measures in the event of any violation of the ceasefire provisions,” Ebn al-Reza said, warning against any attempt by non-regional powers to exploit the strait.

What is Article 5?

An excerpt of Article 5 of the MoU states that the Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in discussion with other Gulf littoral states, in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran and Oman had earlier reached a consensus to establish the joint committee as part of their ongoing follow-up to the MoU. … Full article

India to collect voice samples of arrested Ukrainian and US mercenaries

RT | July 3, 2026

India will collect the voice samples of six mercenaries – five Ukrainians and a US national – who were arrested in March by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), New Delhi’s anti-terror agency.

Together with another Ukrainian, they were arrested in March; all have been charged with aiding insurgent groups in neighboring Myanmar and providing them with weaponry.

The six were presented before a Delhi court on Friday amid heavy security, and were told they would remain in custody until August 1. … continue

Latin American media, businessman rebut US’ claim of China ‘taking over’ Panama Canal

By Tang Luyi and Tao Mingyang – Global Times – July 3, 2026

The US’ latest claim that China is trying to take control over Panama Canal has drawn rebuttals from Spanish-language media outlets, while a Chinese businessman based in Panama told the Global Times that the canal’s core operations rest entirely in the hands of the Panamanian authorities, making the claim of the so-called Chinese pursuit of control of the canal completely groundless.

US President Donald Trump claimed ⁠on Wednesday that the US will not let ‌China ⁠take over the Panama Canal, Reuters reported. In delivering remarks at the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Trump claimed “China is trying to take over the Panama Canal, and we’re not going to let that happen,” according to the NBC.

The remarks quickly drew criticism from Spanish-language media. Colombian news magazine Semana cited a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Panama, which said that China has never participated in the management or operation of the Panama Canal, nor has it ever interfered in the canal’s affairs. The embassy said China has always respected Panama’s sovereignty over the canal and recognizes it as a permanently neutral international waterway. … continue

At least five killed in Ukrainian strike on Russian market – governor

RT | July 3, 2026

A Ukrainian drone strike on a market in Tokmak, Zaporozhye Region has left at least five residents dead and another 18 injured on Friday, Governor Evgeny Balitsky has reported.

The Russian official stressed that the casualty count is preliminary, as local rescue services continue to respond to the emergency.

His initial report said victims were being rushed to a local hospital amid an ongoing Ukrainian raid.

Balitsky said Ukrainian forces deliberately struck people who were buying groceries and fit a pattern of attacks against civilian locations.

A series of Ukrainian overnight attacks on the region have killed three people and injured several others, Balitsky previously said. One of the fatalities was the driver of a truck hit by a drone, according to the official. The two others were an elderly couple, whose bodies were recovered from a destroyed rural home.

Zaporozhye Region is among former Ukrainian territories that Kiev claims sovereignty over and seeks to retake through continued hostilities. It joined Russia following a referendum in late 2022, which the Ukrainian government branded a “sham.” Parts of the region remain under control of Ukrainian forces.

Earlier in the day, the acting governor of Russia’s Belgorod Region, Aleksandr Shuvaev, reported that an overnight missile strike killed a woman and left another one injured.

‘Germ Games’: NIH emails reveal the military strategy behind pandemic planning

New emails show how pandemic preparedness was reframed through a military lens at Davos in 2016, with senior NIH officials drawn in.

By Maryanne Demasi, PhD | MD REPORTS | June 28, 2026

Behind closed doors at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2016, senior figures from the Gates Foundation and the World Bank proposed a new approach to pandemic preparedness: large-scale simulations modelled on military war games.

Newly obtained internal emails show how the idea — referred to as “Germ Games” — gained rapid momentum and drew in the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

On January 10, 2016, as then-NIH Director Francis Collins prepared to attend the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, he emailed an advance copy of his schedule to Anthony Fauci, one of his closest advisers.

One session, in particular, caught his attention.

“This Davos session sounds like a potential land mine,” Collins wrote.

The meeting, titled “Vaccine Innovation for Pandemic Preparedness,” brought together executives from GSK, Merck and Johnson & Johnson, along with representatives from the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. … continue

Can You See The Climate Scare Slowly Fading Away?

By Francis Menton | Manhattan Contrarian | June 16, 2026

I have often noted that the climate scam and the associated forced energy transition would of necessity go away at some point because the proposals being advocated to “save the planet” could never possibly work. But the open question has always been, when that happens, what will it look like? Would all the big enviro groups like the Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club all go on national TV one night and admit that the whole thing was a fake scare from the beginning? In the real world, that’s not how these things happen. People who have staked out absurd positions somehow need to save face. So there would have to be some sort of gradual process of backing down.

And thus we come to the key role of the New York Times for the Left, which is to mold and convey the official talking points to the team’s candidates and influencers. How about sharing some instruction on how to quietly back away from the Green New Deal?

Today on page A-12 of the print edition there is a piece with the headline “Democrats Once Vowed to Stop Oil and Gas. Now They’re Not So Sure.” The subheadline is “As the midterm elections approach, many leading Democrats are rethinking their approach to climate change.” The online version indicates that the piece first appeared there five days ago, June 11. They held it for the print edition until today, and then buried it deeply on page A-12. The casual reader may not get that far, but the person who will see it is the party apparatchik who needs direction from central headquarters. Excerpt:

With voters worried about spiking gas prices and inflation, some [Democratic Party] leaders argue that they should stop trying to throttle oil and gas, which heat the planet when burned. It’s a rejection of the approach taken during the Biden administration, which treated climate change as an existential threat and tried to stop new drilling and pipelines. . . . The result could be a less ambitious climate agenda if the party returns to power in Washington. . . . Now many Democrats argue that the path back to power means abandoning some of their most aggressive stances on climate change.

The piece is filled with useful pointers in how to tone down the catastrophism. … Full article

Canada unveils new pipeline plan to cut US oil dependence

Al Mayadeen | July 3, 2026

Canada has moved forward with plans for a major new oil pipeline aimed at reducing its reliance on the United States and positioning itself as a supplier to Asian energy markets.

Alberta has formally submitted proposals to the federal Major Projects Office for a pipeline exceeding 1,000 kilometers, intended to carry as much as one million barrels of crude per day to the British Columbia coast, with construction slated to begin by September 2027. … continue