This weeks News on China.

Alibaba Cloud will broadcast 2024 Olympics
Taiwanese leaders popularity slumps
Worlds largest hydro-solar power plant
Village basketball and football championships

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes the renewal of Canadas funding to Palestinian refugees for the next four years, but is disappointed that the latest pledge represents a cut of $5 million annually. CJPME urges Canada to increase its funding to meet the needs of the current humanitarian and human rights crisis, and to complement its financial support with political support for UNRWA and Palestinian refugees on the international stage.

75 years after the Nakba and the creation of the worlds longest-running refugee crisis, it is time for Canada to finally commit to supporting Palestinian refugees, said Michael Bueckert, Vice President of CJPME. The Palestine refugee crisis began in 1948, when more than 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled during the creation of Israel. Canada must bolster its funding to meet the needs of the current moment, and put its political support behind the rights of Palestinian refugees including their fundamental right to return to their homes, added Bueckert.

The Canadian government announced on Monday that it was pledging up to $100 million over the next four years to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN agency that provides services to 5.9 million Palestine refugees. Compared to its $90 million funding commitment over the...

David Ignatius, a long-time Washington Post columnist on military intelligence topics, probably never dreamed his newspaper would fill over three full pages serializing his latest work of thrilling fiction, The Tao of Deception. On June 28, 2023, the Breaking news and latest headlines in the A section of the paper featured the first installment. Part II appeared today, Friday, June 30th.

Whats occurring at the Washington Post, the New York Times and big regional daily newspapers is a flight toward stupefying their material in a desperate plunge to retain readers print and online. Maybe surveys show a tsunami of aliteracy from the rising iPhone generations.

To adjust to digital age readers, the New York Times has replaced much of its content with gigantic photographs, graphics and other visuals, not just in its regular sections on style/arts, sports and food, but also in the daily news departments as well as the Sunday Business and Opinion sections.

The influential New York Times Editorial Page once featuring some fifteen or more editorials a week is now down to three editorials a week. Moreover, this space is now largely taken up by a handful of regular opinion columnists, many predictably redundant and tired. Imagine a historic newspaper intentionally diminishing its editorial advice to this country. There is no precedent.

It gets worse. Various forms of its daily features entertainment, sports and style/arts are given enormous space, while coverage of daily local and national civic activity is severely restricted. What used to be reported about the findings, litigation, lobbying and regulatory advocacy of national citizen groups in the nineteen sixties and seventies leading to major betterment of consumer, worker and environmental health and safety now is sharply curtailed. As a result, good members of Congress, seeing virtually no news coverage of vital citizen concerns, become indifferent to necessary public hearings and legislation essential to addressing the needs of the public.

Right-wing politicians have learned to game the vulnerable-to-sensationalism New York Times and Washington Post. Trump led the way in 2015-2016 with his presidential run. Most of his outrageous lies, deceptions and defamations were showcased by these two august newspapers. The Times would even reprint his tweets with their CAPITAL LETTERS verbatim without giving the falsely accused any right of reply. (Belated corrections by columnists could not keep up.)

This chronic tragedy has gotten worse in the last year. The Times can hardly resist making crazy politicians into Big Acts. The antics of switcheroo J.D. Vance was a regular news story, with huge photographs, while his Democratic opponent in prime position for the pivotal Ohio Senate race last year, Rep. Tim Ryan,...

The need for unified mass demonstrations in the streets calling for urgent action on the climate emergency, with a central demand that the race and class issues involved be a top priority, is off-the-charts needed now. Fortunately, a worldwide mobilization doing just this is coming together for actions September 15-17 in New York City and around the world.

Why those dates? Because on September 20 there will be a Climate Ambition Summit at the United Nations convened by the UNs Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. The purpose of this summit, in his words, is to generate credible, serious and new climate action and nature-based solutions that will move the needle forward and respond to the urgency of the climate crisis. There will be no room for back-sliders, greenwashers, blame-shifters or repackaging of announcements of previous years.

These days of action will begin with youth-organized, Fridays for Future actions internationally. Fridays for Future began in August 2018 after 15-year-old Greta Thunberg and other young activists sat in front of the Swedish parliament every school day for three weeks, to protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis. Since that time, according to their website, 14 million people in 7,500 cities all over the world have demonstrated at periodic, Friday climate strikes.
 
On September 17 in New York City where the Climate Ambition Summit will be happening, there will be a massive March to End Fossil Fuels. As of this writing about 80 organizations have signed on with many more expected. The primary target of that march is the Biden Administration, which has been a very big disappointment to many people when it comes to the issue of climate ambition.
 
Here is how it is described on the March website:

President Biden can take breakthrough steps to end the fossil fuel era and build a just renewable energy future. He has the power to stop approving fossil fuel projects, phase out oil and gas drilling on public lands and waters, and declare a climate emergency to accelerate a just transition to clean energy run by and for the people. But so far, hes broken his campaign promises to lead us off fossil fuels and champion environmental justice. Instead, hes expanded fossil fuel drilling and production. Bidens approvals for new oil and gas projects are disastrous for the planet and disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, low-income communities and communities of color.

...

 Im Glad There Is a Race War in France (Even If Whites Arent Fighting)

 https://twitter.com/apocalypseos/status/1674962041889767425

By Drago Bosnic | July 1, 2023

It has been approximately a year since Russia realized there can be no negotiations with the Kiev regime, with President Vladimir Putin recently revealing why this is the case. However, even then, Moscow had a sliver of hope this might change and that rationality of some sort might spring up in Kiev. Unfortunately, this proved to be nothing more than a reverie, as the Neo-Nazi junta clearly demonstrated its no more than a loose cannon.

Russias attempts to negotiate any sort of agreement with the Kiev regime werent only pointless, but were also used against it, virtually every single time. This also includes the grain deal that was used to transport weapons and munitions for the Neo-Nazi junta and then target civilians all across former eastern and southern Ukraine.

All this is even without considering the fact that nearly a decade of shelling of Donbass never stopped, with dozens of victims on a daily basis. Worse yet, for months, Kiev regimes top officials kept threatening to invade Russia and escalate sabotage attacks within the country. Its other lower-ranking members kept escalating the propaganda war against Russia to completely absurd levels, including fake reports about the Russian military supposedly raping children. Even years before that, the Neo-Nazi junta jeopardized itself and millions of regular Ukrainians by housing US-controlled biolabs that were financed and operated by the Pentagon. Hardly surprising for people who are completely unashamed to openly show admiration for ISIS.

Speaking of ISIS, it should also be noted that the Kiev regime used its tactics within Russia, specifically against prominent public figures. This includes not only Russian intellectuals (journalists, writers, philosophers, etc), but also their children, as demonstrated by the terrorist attack that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin. Then there was the case of Vladlen Tatarsky, a prominent military blogger and journalist who was killed in a terrorist attack that couldve killed dozens of other innocent people. This was followed by another terrorist attack that targeted writer Zakhar Prilepin, another eminent public figure in Russia, in addition to numerous other attacks.

Apart from terrorist attacks, the Neo-Nazi junta launched long-range strikes and sabota...

As a Palestinian-American I know the stress of facing unjust interrogation when I travel through Israel. This discrimination should disqualify Israel from joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.

Israel's status as a global leader in the arms industry is overhyped, but it is already weaponizing artificial intelligence to legitimize apartheid.

France protests: Funeral held for teen shot by police as 1,300 arrested overnight

By Ilya Tsukanov Sputnik 30.06.2023

Hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian assets were trapped abroad in 2022 after the Ukrainian crisis escalated into a full-blown NATO-Russia proxy war. Earlier this year, reports in US business media indicated that the US and its allies were having trouble locating a substantial chunk of these funds.

Belgium plans to collect 3 billion euros a year in windfall profits from Russian assets frozen in the countrys coffers to give to Ukraine for reconstruction purposes, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced Friday.

We are working on a windfall tax on profits, De Croo told reporters after meeting with other EU leaders at the blocs summit in Brussels.

A day earlier, De Croo explained that Belgium was very involved in the issue because upwards of 90 percent of the Russian assets frozen in the EUs jurisdiction are trapped in Belgian banks.

The use of these funds for the military needs of Ukraine and its reconstruction makes sense from an economic point of view and from a moral point of view, the Belgian leader assured.

The European Commission estimated in May that the bloc has frozen over 200 billion euros in assets belonging to Russias Central Bank, plus 24.1 billion owned by Russian companies, tycoons and other individuals.

US business media first reported on the possibility of collecting interest from Russian assets trapped abroad to fund Ukraine earlier this year, after concluding that there was no reliable legal path to allow for the funds to seized outright without undermining rule of law and international trust in European financial institutions.

Robbery in Broad Daylight

Asked to comment on Brussels plans, Christopher C Black, an international criminal and human rights lawyer with over 20 years experience under his belt, said that if realized, they would constitute theft twice over first by seizing the money in the first place, and then preventing Russia from collecting its due interest.

The crime of theft becomes compounded with insult by giving the money to Kiev to finance the war against Russia, and if the money is so transferred by EU government order, it will be [an] act of war since a nation supplying financial support to another nation to carry on a war can be considered under international law as a party to the war, Black explained.

Very Painful for EU

Such theft would constitute a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter and the laws of war, and would undermine the rule of law in Europe, according to the legal expert, because if they can do this to Russia they can do it to any citizens assets...

By Cindy Harper | Reclaim The Net | June 29, 2023

Former leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, alleges that he is facing what he describes as serious political persecution by the banking sector in the UK, claiming that the pro-Remain establishment is making a concerted effort to exclude him from the banking system. Farage asserts that this has made him contemplate whether he will be able to continue residing in the UK.

In a video released on Twitter, Farage shared that seven banks had turned down his applications for both personal and business accounts, making him feel like a non-person.

He stated that his bank accounts at an undisclosed financial institution, where he has been a customer for over four decades, were on the verge of being terminated without any explanation provided.

Farage posited three theories to explain why he believes the banking establishment is distancing itself from him. Firstly, he asserts that his role in championing Brexit has made him a persona non grata in the banking circles. The banks did not want Brexit to happen, Farage said in the video. The corporate world will never forgive me.

Additionally, Farage speculates that his political standing might be a factor. The politically exposed person protocol requires banks to conduct additional scrutiny on accounts held by politicians and their families to guard against the possibility of foreign bribery. Farage acknowledged the rationale behind such precautions but emphasized that the additional compliance burden for the banks should be commensurate.

Thirdly, Farage raised concerns about allegations that were made by Labour lawmaker Sir Chris Bryant in the previous year.

Bryant claimed that Farage had received a substantial sum of money, specifically 548,573, from Russia Today television station in 2018, an assertion that Farage vehemently denies. Farage stated, The truth is Ive never received any money from any sources with any link to Russia.

Todd Hayen I will start this article with an apology to those readers who lack a ense of humour similar to mine, as well as to those lovely big hearted folks who dont like labeling of any sort (sheep and/or shrew). Regarding the term sheepI have tried (and am certain I have failed occasionally) to

Police stand by as material explodes in the Cite Pablo Picasso area of Nanterre, Paris

Oliver JJ Lane Briebart June 30, 2023

The French government is considering all options including a nationwide state of emergency after another night of violence which saw hundreds of arrests and injured police officers, and thousands of fires, including many symbols of the state including town halls, schools, post offices, and buses destroyed.

Some 40,000 police officers were deployed across France on Thursday night in an attempt to forestall a third night of violence triggered by the death on Tuesday of a delivery driver at the hands of a police officer in a Paris suburb after he refused to comply with a traffic stop. Yet the enormous show of force by the French state failed to prevent even greater levels of destruction.

Per Frances Le Figaro reports there were 875 arrests overnight nationwide, which saw protest and violence spread to urban areas across the country and even to neighbouring Belgium, the home of the European Union. Figures that underline the considerable scale of the attacks reveal there were some 3,880 fires set overnight, 249 police officers injured although none seriously and 492 buildings damaged.

Among those buildings damaged were several town halls and schools burnt out, reports state. Le Parisien cites the Interior Ministry to report 80 police stations were damaged overnight, 34 town halls burnt or otherwise damaged, 28 schools, and 57 other state buildings nationwide. Attacks on symbols of the state appeared so targeted even individual post-boxes were attacked. President of the French Republican Party Eric Ciotti posted footage to social media that claimed to show a French mayor being attacked by a mob as his car was set on fire.

In Marseille, two off-duty police officers were recognised out of uniform and were seriously injured in what has been described as a lynching.

Looting of businesses including gas stations, tobacconists, and apparel stores has also been reported. In one Parisian suburb, a truck was used to ram down the doors of a shopping centre so looters could access the stores inside.

While French President Emmanuel Macron has been criticised for being absent during the riots he even grabbed headlines for partying with Elton John on Wednesday night while French cities burnt he has now left a European summit early to return to Paris...

Introduction June 30, 2023

I dont know the full facts of the shooting and it is quite possible that the French police used excessive force.

However, the rioting and civil unrest in response to the shooting are now a regular feature of life in French cities. Although what may initially trigger the unrest varies, rioting, petrol bombs and widespread civil unrest are invariably the end result.

This is what happens when you cram too many people from many different ethnicities and cultures into a country without restraint. Its a formula for disaster. You are creating a society fraught with potential fracture points for future conflict.

I know, you are not supposed to say this sort of thing in todays woke world. But I come from a mixed race family so I can say this without fear of being accused of racism. We are witnessing a social disaster in the making.

It didnt happen by accident either. The liberal politicians who championed relaxed immigration policies in France and elsewhere knew exactly where it would lead. They were creating conditions where the principle of divide and rule would prevail.

This is what we see happening in Paris right now. Where President Macron and the servants of the ruling elite and the elite themselves are largely untouched by the unrest; shielded in exclusive neighborhoods and guarded by private security.

While the broad mass of the populace is left to contend with consequences of the divide and rule policy as best they can. Ed.

France riots: Government orders buses and trams to stop services by sunset

ITV News June 30, 2023

Frances interior ministry ordered the complete shutdown of all public bus and tram services by sunset, as the government combats rioting triggered by the deadly police shooting of a teenage boy.

The ministry said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin issued the order after attending a crisis meeting Friday led by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Darmanin instructed regional prefects who are under his command to shut down bus and tram services at 9 pm Friday, before it gets dark, everywhere across France, the ministry said. The Paris region had already announced such a shutdown to protect transport workers and passengers. It comes as the French leader blamed TikTok for fueling violence which has caused devastation across the country over the past three nights.

Protests erupted on Wednesday night after a police officer shot dead a 17-year-old delivery driver in the Parisian suburb on Nanterre.

Mr Macron is urging parents to keep teenagers at home to stop rioting spreading across the country.

Macron said social media is playing a considerable role in spreading unrest, after a second crisis meeting with senior min...

Matt Kennard Consortium News June 29, 2023

• Among his trips, Starmer, then head of Crown Prosecution Service, led five-person British delegation that met with Eric Holder for 45 minutes in Washington in November 2011
• Delegation included the U.K. liaison prosecutor to the U.S., who dealt with extradition
• Meeting was also attended by head of U.S. Department of Justices national security division
• CPS refuses to clarify to Declassified UK if destruction of the Washington documents is routine procedure

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), England and Wales public prosecutor, has deleted all records of its former head Keir Starmers trips to the U.S., it can be revealed.

Starmer served as director of public prosecutions (DPP) from 2008-13, a period when the body was overseeing Julian Assanges proposed extradition to Sweden to face questioning over sexual assault allegations.

Assange gives Masonic sign of recognition while in custody of cop with Masonic checkered headband. Click to enlarge)

Starmer, who became an MP in 2015, is now leader of the Labour Party. Assange, meanwhile, faces imminent extradition to the U.S. to face up to 175 years in prison under charges mostly related to the U.S. Espionage Act.

While DPP, Starmer made trips to Washington in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013 at a cost to the British taxpayer of 21,603. It was his most frequent foreign destination while in post. Max Hill, the current DPP, has made just one trip to Washington during his five-year tenure.

During Starmers time in post, the CPS was marred by irregularities surrounding the case of the WikiLeaks founder.

The organisation has admitted to destroying key emails related to the Assange case, mostly covering the period when Starmer was in charge, while the...

Matt Agorist Activist Post June 30, 2023

In the midst of a brutal conflict in Ukraine, two of the worlds financial titans, BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase, are seemingly leading the charge in an ostensible humanitarian effort. They are helping to establish the Ukraine Development Fund, a reconstruction bank designed to steer public seed capital into projects that can attract hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment. However, as those who are familiar with the words of Gen. Smedley Butler might ask, is this really an altruistic endeavor, or just another face of the long-standing war racket?

The echoes of Halliburtons billion-dollar contracts during the Iraq war are deafening. These corporations, the backbone of the military-industrial complex, have found a golden opportunity in mass murder. The strategy is as lucrative as it is grotesque: profiteering from death, destruction, and then the subsequent taxpayer-funded reconstruction of the rubble they helped to create all while maintaining a veneer of benevolence.

When we delve into the intricacies of the Ukraine Development Fund, the disturbing reality begins to surface. The World Bank estimates that Ukraine would need a whopping $411 billion to rebuild after the war. Here, BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase see a bountiful harvest. The roles they will play in leveraging taxpayer funds provide them with the potential for astronomical profits that would easily dwarf any of their alleged donated services.

The chilling parallels between Ukraine and the Iraq war are impossible to ignore. Halliburton reaped billions from no-bid contracts to rebuild what had been shattered by war. Tens of thousands of lives were lost, and a nation grappled with the fallout of a foreign intervention, while Halliburton and others cashed in on the chaos.

The more the dust of devastation settles over Ukraine, the clearer the profit margins become for BlackRock and their ilk. War and its aftermath create an ideal breeding ground for opportunistic corporate parasites. The brutal dance of destruction and reconstruction is a double-edged sword, inflicting deep wounds on humanity while filling the coffers of these corporations.

The financial giants noble facade of assisting Ukraine overlooks the brutal truth: the longer the war rages, the more they stand to gain. This harsh reality epitomizes Butlers assertion that war is a racket, with the likes of BlackRock, JPMorgan, and the broader military-industrial complex reaping significant profits from the suffering and despair of millions.

What we witness here is not just war profiteering but the transformation of war itself into a highly profitabl...

A Ukrainian serviceman in front of a 105mm howitzer near Bakhmut

Counter Currents June 30, 2023

Kievs inability to penetrate Russian defensive lines should serve as a wake-up call in Washington, veteran journalist Seymour Hersh warned on Thursday.

Citing battlefield statistics obtained from an unnamed source, Hersh claimed that Ukrainian forces have only managed to capture two square miles of Russian-held land over the last ten days of fighting. In the two weeks beforehand, he continued, the Ukrainian military took only 44 square miles of territory, much of it open land located before the first of Russias multiple defensive lines.

With Russia holding 40,000 square miles land that had previously been part of Ukraine, an informed official told Hersh that it would take Zelenskys military 117 years to reimpose Kievs rule over the territories.

The time has come for U.S. President Joe Biden to publicly acknowledge that the estimated more than $150 billion that his administration has put up thus far turned out to be a very bad investment, the veteran journalist concluded, adding that the looming disaster in Ukraine should be a wake-up call for U.S. lawmakers willing to hand Kiev billions of dollars in the hope of a miracle that will not arrive.

Ukraine launched its long-anticipated counteroffensive in early June, using German-made Leopard 2 tanks, U.S.-supplied Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and other Western hardware to strike at Russian positions along the front line from Donetsk to Kherson.

The offensive cost Kiev dearly, with the Russian Security Council estimating Ukrainian losses at 13,000 troops as of last week. Attacking through minefields and without air support, according to Moscow, Ukrainian forces have failed to overcome the multi-layered network of trenches, obstacles, and armored emplacements constructed by Russia since last year.

Seymour Hersh writes (PRIGOZHINS FOLLY, The Russian revolt that wasnt strengthens Putins hand, June 29, 2023):

The Biden administration had a glorious few days last weekend. The ongoing disaster in Ukraine slipped from the headlines to be replaced by the revolt, as a New York Times headline put it, of Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the mercenary Wagner Group.

The focus slipped from Ukraines failing counter-offensive to Prigozhins threat to Putins control. As one headline in the Times put it, Revolt Raises Searing Question: Could Putin Lose Power? Washington Post columnist David Ignatius posed this assessment: ...

Moon of Alabama June 30, 2023

Last December the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, talked with The Economist. He asked for more weapons which, he said, would allow him to throw the Russian forces out of Ukraine:

I know that I can beat this enemy. But I need resources. I need 300 tanks, 600-700 IFVs, 500 Howitzers. Then, I think it is completely realistic to get to the lines of February 23rd.

Some seemed to believe his talk. Following the request Ukraine received more or less all of what it had requested. Ukraine then loudly announced a counter-offensive but took several months before launching it. In the meantime it threw all available resources into a useless battle to hold onto the city of Bakhmut against the steady advance of the Wagner mercenary forces. That fight alone cost the Ukraine some 70,000 casualties. Meanwhile the Russian army engineers were building multiple reinforced defense lines which any counter-offensive will now have to overcome.

At the beginning of June, under pressure for the U.S., the Ukrainian army finally launched its counteroffensive. It was a dud. The Ukrainian troops entered the Russian security zone miles away from the real defense lines and immediately ran into mine fields and came under intense artillery fire. After 4 weeks of fighting they liberated some 50 square miles of open land and a few small settlements. This came at significant costs:

There were fewer than 50 men in the unit, he said, and 30 did not return they were killed, wounded or captured by the enemy. Five of the units armored vehicles were destroyed within the first hour.

For the first hour and a half of the 37ths assault near Velyka Novosilka, the Russians bombarded the unit with nonstop shelling that penetrated their AMX-10 RC armored vehicles, according to Grey, another soldier in the battalion who spoke on the condition that he be identified only by his call sign. The armored vehicles, sometimes called light tanks, were not heavy enough to protect the soldiers, Grey said, and had to be positioned behind them instead of in front.

Everyone expected that we would have some kind of support, but unfortunately, for some reason, there was none, Lumberjack said. His commander had little experience, he said, and had counted on assistance from artillery units. But he got confused when he saw that there was none.

At this speed it will take the Ukraine many years of fighting and an unlimited supply of weapons and men to kick the Russians...

Pizzeria in Kramatorsk that was damaged after a Russian missile hit the temporary intelligence centre of the Ukrainian Armed Forces 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade next door.

RT.com June 29, 2023

Two Ukrainian generals were killed in a Russian high-precision strike on the Donbass city of Kramatorsk on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Thursday, citing updated data.

The ministry had earlier claimed that the strike targeted the temporary base of the Ukrainian Armed Forces 56th Motorized Infantry Brigade. Since then, the ministry has added that the base was hosting a staff meeting involving dozens of Ukrainian officers and foreign advisers.

The attack resulted in the deaths of two generals, up to 50 officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as up to 20 foreign mercenaries and military advisers, according to the Russian Defense Ministrys daily briefing.

The news came as Russian forces continue to repel Ukrainian attacks on their defensive positions in Zaporozhye Region as well as in Donbass. Ukraine has lost almost 800 servicemen in attempted assaults on various fronts over the past 24 hours, the Russian ministry claimed. It added that Russian forces had destroyed dozens of pieces of Ukrainian heavy equipment, including howitzers, armored vehicles and a tank.

Earlier this week, Kiev accused Moscow of striking a restaurant full of civilians in Kramatorsk, killing 11 people, including at least two children and injuring more than 60 others.

Ukraines security service, the SBU, said it had arrested a local resident suspected of leaking intelligence to Russia before the alleged strike. The agency also claimed that the goal of the strike had been to kill civilians.

Russia has denied the accusations, insisting that it only hits military targets.

The developments came as several Western media outlets reported that Ukraine has suffered heavy losses in its much-touted counteroffensive, which some allies are said to have assessed as unsuccessful thus far. On Thursday, Forbes described Ukraines losses as disastrous as it claimed Kiev had lost over 25 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in just one attempt to cross a minefield.

The Financial Times reported on the same day that Kievs Western backers have warned that further funding and support will depend on the results of the ongoing offensive. General Christopher Cavoli, NATOs top commander in Europe, reportedly said last week that Russia was still enjoying the advantage of mass.

Source

Sputnik 30.06.2023

WASHINGTON US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said she filed amendments to the defense budget that would forbid the US from providing Ukraine with F-16 jets and long-range missiles and cut off all funding to Kiev until a diplomatic resolution to the conflict is found.

We should be pushing for peace, not funding war. I filed amendments to the NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act] that strip out all funding for Ukraine and prohibit providing them with F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles, Greene said in a tweet on Friday.

The death and destruction must stop, so in order to achieve peace, I also filed an amendment to prohibit any and all funding to Ukraine until a diplomatic solution to the war is reached.

Earlier in the day, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley said he is not aware of any decisions with respect to sending the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to Ukraine, but noted that it is a continuous, ongoing process.

Citing officials with knowledge of the developments, American media reported on Thursday that the United States is close to agreeing to send ATACMS to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys top aide earlier this week said Kiev still hoped to receive the first supply of F-16 fighter jets in aid from Western countries by the end of 2023. Last week, US media reported, citing Western officials, that Ukraine could receive its first F-16 fighter jets from Western sponsors in early 2024.

A former Pentagon official told outlets that the Netherlands and Denmark could be among the first suppliers, but no final decision had been made yet.

Russia has slammed the possible delivery of F-16 fighters to Ukraine, warning that the jets will become a legitimate military target for Russian forces. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine will be a further escalation because the jets have a modification that makes them nuclear-capable.

July 1, 2023 Source: Agencies By Al Mayadeen English A telling review details the faults and misgivings of the US administration that led to the most chaotic withdrawal and evacuation efforts in the last decade. According to a State Department report issued Friday, the Biden administration is largely to blame due to the bureaucratic lethargy []

Global Times | June 30, 2023

After repeated hyping of the so-called Chinese spy balloon incident for nearly five months, the Pentagon on Thursday admitted the airship did not collect any information, not to mention send any data back to China. This is an objective result that should be welcomed, but it came too late, as the incident has damaged mutual trust, totally changed the environment for communication between China and the US, and caused the two sides to miss a better time to restore relations, Chinese experts said.

Analysis of debris collected from a Chinese balloon drifting into the sky over the US and shot down by the latter in February showed that it did not collect [any information] while it was transiting the US or over flying the US despite that it had intelligence collection capabilities, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder told media on Thursday.

A Chinese balloon spent a week in February flying over the US and Canada before it was shot down by a fighter jet off the Atlantic coast, on orders from President Joe Biden. Although Chinese authorities reiterated that the balloon was a civilian weather balloon, some US media and hawkish politicians continued to hype it as a spy balloon, underscoring the increasing tensions between the worlds two largest economies.

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference on Friday that China has reiterated on many occasions that the Chinese civilian airship drifting into the sky over the US was an unintended, unexpected and isolated event caused by force majeure. Calling the airship a spy balloon and claiming it is used to collect intelligence is total slandering and smearing, Mao stressed.

Citing some anonymous officials, a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday claimed that the balloon was found to be carrying some American-made equipment helping it to collect photos, videos and other information. Ryder did not confirm the report on Thursday when he announced the result of the Pentagons analysis.

The Pentagons brief announcement on Thursday showed that the US, or at least the US defense department, is trying to close the chapter on the incident as it must have realized that the facts are slapping them in the face, L Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

We should welcome the move, but I have to say that it is far from enough. The US hyping damaged the basic mutual trust between China and the US and set a bad precedent in dealing with a foreign countrys civilian facility by using the military to shoot down the balloon. They should express regret for the decision,...