Image is of smoke rising after Iranian missiles impact a US military site in Bahrain.
My weekly preamble is in spoiler tags below.
preamble
After a few weeks of both diplomatic and military manuevering - mostly over Iranian control of Hormuz - we have hit the hottest phase of military exchanges since at least the MoU period began. The US has generally focussed on striking southern Iran, although they have also sporadically hit transportation infrastructure elsewhere, which was repaired in less than 24 hours. Meanwhile, Iran has struck a wide range of targets, with an interesting focus on Jordan, but has, up to the time of me writing this, so far relented on striking the Zionist entity. The US and Iran have had little periods of mutual military strikes during the “ceasefire” before, and so it’s hard to tell for sure whether this yet another temporary spat or if it represents a full return to the pre-ceasefire conflict.
A complicating factor in this conflict is that Ansarallah has become increasingly active, and seems eager to start to break the siege it has been put under by threatening to attack Saudi Arabia and Saudi-aligned forces. This has put Iran in a somewhat awkward spot. On the one hand, it has greatly helped Ansarallah resist foreign attackers and has even recently sent civilian airplanes into Sana’a to begin to break the siege. On the other hand, Iran has, with China’s help, generally desired to improve its relationship with the Saudis over the years. While in this latest war there have been a major dispute between them over whether Iran is “allowed” to strike US military infrastructure located in Saudi Arabia, the Saudis strike me as considerably less anti-Iran as the UAE, let alone the Zionists, and did send a delegation to Khamenei’s funeral. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens next, but I strongly suspect that Iran is going to help Yemen over the Saudis.
And finally, Lindsay Graham has died of a sudden heart attack a suspiciously short time after visiting Ukraine. He was a true enemy of civilian populations all the way to the end of his life, and he seemed to particularly despise children. He advocated for using nukes against Gaza and the total annihilation of anybody and everybody who had even the meekest criticism of Zionism. If God (and, more pertinently in this case, Satan) does exist, I hope Graham is extended the exact same level of courtesy and respect in the afterlife that Graham extended to all Palestinians.
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The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on the Zionists’ destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
Mirrors of Telegram channels that have been erased by Zionist censorship.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
Petro and De la Espriella teams suspend talks as Colombia’s political tensions deepen
Petro reiterated claims of electoral fraud and promised to resist “peacefully and actively” the incoming government of De la Espriella, who has already vowed to initiate legal proceedings against several members of the outgoing progressive administration.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has once again raised the claim that vote counts in the runoff election held on June 21 were manipulated through the use of certain algorithms, proprietary software, and the alleged involvement of Israeli intelligence firms in the recent presidential election.
According to the highest electoral authority, in the runoff election, far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won with 49.66% of the vote, compared to 48.7% for the progressive and left-wing candidate, Senator Iván Cepeda, who sought to continue Petro’s government plan to strengthen the state and implement social reforms.
Despite this, Petro announced that he does not recognize the legitimacy of the incoming government because, as he claimed, there was electoral fraud orchestrated from abroad: “We have all the information showing that, starting with an IP server located in Los Angeles, California – owned by the Bautista brothers and integrated into the vote-counting operation – algorithms were used that substantially skewed the vote in favor of Abelardo, the algorithms that rigged the election results were applied to the voter rolls by replacing those who never vote with voters who could vote multiple times or with empty seats at polling stations staffed by homogeneous juries.”
In light of this situation, Petro called for a popular mobilization to reject the incoming government: “We have suffered the harshest blow to national sovereignty since the Spanish reconquest during the years of the ‘Patria Boba’ … The president of Colombia does not recognize the legitimacy of the incoming government. Abelardo did not win the election. The national majority is called upon this July 20 to raise the cry for national independence in all public squares.”
Regarding the rally, the President said: “I invite you on July 20 to join the security forces and, after their parade, to hear my farewell address as Colombia’s head of state. We will not do this on August 6 or 7 – those are tragic dates. We will do it on July 20 in all of Colombia’s public squares,” in response to threats from a future government he has labeled “fascist.”
In recent days, Cepeda announced that, in light of De la Espriella’s alleged threats of possible politically motivated legal persecution – known as “lawfare” – he will launch a campaign of civil resistance. In recent statements, Petro affirmed that he would join the peaceful and active resistance against the incoming government: “We won’t threaten anyone here, but they’re going to threaten us – and they’re already threatening me – with arresting me and taking me to the United States or assassinating me.”
In response to these statements, the president-elect announced on July 7 that he was suspending talks with Petro’s cabinet regarding the handover of information, citing what he described as an “attempted coup d’état.” “I have just instructed the vice president-elect of the Republic to immediately suspend the transition process with the corrupt government that is ending its term – a government that, through its decisions and conduct, seeks to destroy Colombia,” De la Espriella stated via X.
Colombia is thus heading toward an uncertain future under a far-right government that is taking office. This government promises to dismantle the peace processes initiated by Petro and his predecessors, to radicalize neoliberalism, and to align Bogotá with Washington’s hemispheric policies, while also promising to initiate legal proceedings against various members of the outgoing administration. In the face of this adversity, leaders of the outgoing administration have vowed to resist through peaceful methods, social mobilization, and the creation of a strong opposition bloc that, although the new administration has not yet taken office, is already taking shape.
Petro and Cepeda are wasting no time. While their tones are slightly different, with Petro willing to say outright that De la Espriella did not legitimately win while Cepeda is a bit more vague, both of them are in alignment on a national popular movement to reject the incoming government. This is the right move, I think. They could go the legal route, challenge the election through the courts and blah blah blah, but all that shit is designed for the right to win. The left’s strength is in the masses and the ability to exert popular power on the ground. In Bolivia, the movement waited until the right wing government put forward an especially egregious set of policies and protested those, then escalating to a demand to step down. But when a lot of those policies were retracted or stalled out in the legislative process, that undercut some of the momentum for the whole movement and made the more radical demands harder to maintain. Bolivia now has to wait for the next flashpoint to act. In Colombia, however, they’re challenging the basic legitimacy of the incoming government on its own grounds. This is a much more radical and revolutionary starting point that will be harder to defuse if the masses are in support.
I’m not the resident Hexbear oil understander, but I don’t think you need to go very deep to understand that there’s something wrong going on. Look at this picture:
The SPR is at its lowest levels since the 80’s, and keeps falling, although at a lower rate. From what I could gather, there’s a legal limit of 250MMBbl, which means that, effectively, the current 319MMBbl in the SPR is actually 69MMBbl (nice).
However, anything below 300MMBBl is uncharted territory, since there are structural concerns that start coming into play once you draw down to these levels. The salt caves start having structural integrity issues, and problems will start way before you reach the physical limit of 100MMBbl, under which there’s no way to remove the oil from the underground salt caverns, kind of like the leftover hand soap below the tip of the tube of a soap dispenser.
One of the problems is that crude is like Turkish coffee, in that the sludge at the bottom is undrinkable. This means flow and quality are increasingly compromised the lower the SPR goes. The previous drawdown was, on average, 6MMBbl, but last week it was 3MMBbl.
Demand is probably on the rise with the recently increased military activity in Iran, which consumes a metric fuckton of jet fuel. There’s also a push to lower gas prices in the US artificially. Crude oil prices are shooting up again. All of these factors seem to me like they would suggest that the drawdown should increase, not decrease. Are we going to see the SPR hitting a practical, real-life tank bottom sooner than expected?
The interesting thing will be seeing how it happens. Demand isn’t decreasing, so once one tank somewhere is empty, all other tanks have to increase output to compensate. Meanwhile, the SPR output is more and more limited. The crash could be a big cascading failure instead of a managed drawdown.
You could probably displace the oil with water. (Unless the oil is denser then water I guess.)
Oil is more dense than water though?
kind of like the leftover hand soap below the tip of the tube of a soap dispenser.
That’s an easy fix, just pour a little water in there and you’re golden. Stupid tankies don’t know anything.
Stupid tankies don’t know anything.
the crude oil isn’t stored in tanks, so we’re gonna need some salt cavies to weigh in on the matter
The US and Israel have had a ‘if Israel ever needs oil we have to sell it to them from the SPR’ deal that they’ve never used but kept going on paper just in case since the 70’s. Netanyahu could do the funniest thing possible here
Wonder if there’s another mafia-esque contractor Trump is banking on totally fixing the structural issues for hundreds of millions of dollars
Shit is really gonna hit the fan
One of the problems is that crude is like Turkish coffee, in that the sludge at the bottom is undrinkable. This means flow and quality are increasingly compromised the lower the SPR goes. The previous drawdown was, on average, 6MMBbl, but last week it was 3MMBbl.
Dumb question: is it stored in individual barrels or a gaint pool of oil?
It just fills up the salt caverns, so giant pools of oil. And the more it’s drawn down, the more you risk structural damage to the caverns.
Big underground caves that may collapse if they get too low
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Germany sees surge in conscientious objectors amid new conscription law
Germany has seen a spike in conscientious objector applications after new conscription laws, as debate over military service and security continues to intensify.
more
Germany recorded 2,656 conscientious objector applications in the first three months of 2026, more than two-thirds of the total registered across the whole of 2025, according to the Federal Office of Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions (BAFzA). The figures, reported by the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, compare with 3,867 applications for the entirety of 2025 and roughly 3,000 in 2024. If the current rate holds, 2026 would see more conscientious objector applications than any year since Germany suspended compulsory military service in 2011. The rise follows the entry into force of new military service legislation at the start of the year. The reform requires young men born in 2008 or later to register for potential conscription, with the Bundestag able to activate compulsory service if voluntary recruitment falls short.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has framed the changes as a response to a deteriorating security environment. “The world has become more unpredictable and yes, it must also be said, more dangerous,” he said recently.
hmm, I wonder who’s responsible for that!
Pistorius has set a target of at least 260,000 active soldiers in the Bundeswehr, with a combined active and reserve force of 460,000 — which would make it one of the largest armies in Europe. The reservists’ association has called for the maximum age for reservists to be raised from 65 to 70. Discussion of a possible requirement for men of fighting age to seek authorisation before travelling abroad for extended periods has added to public unease. Meanwhile, not all Germans are rejecting armed service. 781 people who had previously declared conscientious objector status reversed their decision in 2025. A further 233 did so in the first quarter of 2026.
the Aq Tekeh-Khan bridge, bombed on the 9th (https://xcancel.com/bonzerbarry/status/2075002479176028644) is back in action https://xcancel.com/bonzerbarry/status/2077006678633947273
Back in service. Seems like the whole point of this deep strike really was to just stop mourners from reaching Mashhad. I bet it was Trump’s idea. He was not happy about all the mourners.
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2077005538311684096/vid/avc1/1280x720/5yLU6v0dslYw_IfG.mp4
The US is planning to escalate the US-Israel war of aggression against Iran today at 4 PM eastern time. ( 8 hours from now )
US Central Command announced yesterday that it will block all naval ports of Iran and the entire Iran coastline, starting on July 14 at 4 PM Eastern Time. CENTCOM says this is a resumption of the pre-MoU conditions which occurred from April 13 to June 18.
Trump just posted on truth social about this blockade. He says that “Strait of Hormuz is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran” and “We will therefore have a FULL Blockade, but only on Ships coming to and from Iranian ports”
Oil is flowing like never before, thanks to the awesome Power of the United States Military. A special salute to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, and Commander of the United States Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper. Because of them, and all members of the Most Powerful Military anywhere in the World, BY FAR, the Strait of Hormuz is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran — and that is because of their lying, violent, malicious leadership, which is taking them down the path of TOTAL DESTRUCTION. We will therefore have a FULL Blockade, but only on Ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything have to do with Iranian cargo. Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States. Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future. As everyone is aware, we have the largest Dollar Investment into the United States, of any Country in History, but these new Investments will make that Number even larger, and we will see Factories, Plants, and Equipment pour into the United States at Historic levels, which will create additional millions of High Paying AMERICAN Jobs! America is WINNING again, winning like never before. The days of Iran killing hundreds of thousands of people, including 52,000 protestors, are OVER and, most importantly, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
https://nitter.net/RapidResponse47/status/2077049769113931971#m
including 52,000 protestors
lmao I love it how this particular number is just RNG at this point, just pull any number between 20,000 and 100,000 out of your ass and call it a day
Mexico maintains communication with Venezuela for support after earthquakes - Prensa Latina
Article
Mexico City, July 13 (Prensa Latina) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated today that her government is in contact with Venezuelan authorities to continue supporting that country after the devastating earthquakes of June 24.
“Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco is in contact with the interim president of Venezuela (Delcy Rodríguez), and we will also seek her out this week to see what else they need to support them,” the head of the Executive stated.
During her usual press conference, the president alluded to the reception on Friday of the “Yumare” group, with rescuers and health personnel from the National Defense, after their work in the South American nation.
He described the event, held in the central State of Mexico, as very emotional, and highlighted not only the professionalism of the Army members, but also “the dedication and humanism with which they do their work.”
“We will continue to help. We will always help our suffering brother nations in any way we can,” he reaffirmed.
According to official data, the group – made up of 264 members and 18 canine teams, which left for that nation one day after the tragedy – managed to rescue two people, two dogs and recover 92 bodies, as well as carry out 2,059 medical consultations.
Mexico also transported more than 70 tons of food supplies, equipment and tools to that nation by air (through an air bridge with eight flights) and sea (with two Navy ships), collected by the Venezuelan Embassy here and civil society.
In addition, it distributed more than 13 tons of medicines and sent eight electricity generating plants.
Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 shook several states of Venezuela on June 24, leaving a total of 4,490 dead and 16,740 injured, as well as severe damage to infrastructure, according to the most recent tally.
Lula leads new poll ahead of Brazilian elections - Prensa Latina
Article
Brasilia, July 13 (Prensa Latina) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva maintains the lead in all scenarios for the first and second rounds of the 2026 elections, according to a survey by the Nexus consultancy released today.
The study, commissioned by the BTG Pactual bank, attributes 40 percent of the voting intention to the president in the stimulated scenario of the first round, compared to 34 percent for Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, considered the main representative of Bolsonarism for the presidential contest.
Regarding the spontaneous consultation, where no list of candidates is presented, the president obtains 35 percent of the preferences, while Flávio Bolsonaro reaches 24, a difference of 11 percentage points.
In the other simulated scenarios for the first round, the former governor of Goiás, Ronaldo Caiado, appears with five percent; the president of the Mission Party, Renan Santos, and the former governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, with four each; the former magistrate Joaquim Barbosa and the writer Augusto Cury, with two; and the deputy Aécio Neves, with one.
The runoff simulations also place Lula ahead of all his potential rivals.
The closest scenario is against Flávio Bolsonaro, with 47 percent for the current president and 44 for the senator, a difference that remains within the margin of error.
Against Zema, Lula would win by 47 to 40 percent, while against Caiado he would widen the margin to 47 to 38; and the largest margin is recorded against Santos, with 49 percent for the president and 35 for his opponent.
The survey also reveals regional differences, as Lula obtains his greatest support in the northeast of the country, where he has 54 percent of the preferences compared to 25 percent for Flávio Bolsonaro, and he also leads in the southeast.
The senator, for his part, leads the preferences in the south and north-central-west regions; and, among women, Lula registers 45 percent of voting intention compared to 30 percent for Flávio Bolsonaro, while among men the senator appears in the lead with 38 percent against 34 percent for the president.
The survey also shows that 36 percent of those interviewed prefer a victory for Lula or a candidate supported by him, 32 percent opt for a candidate backed by former president Jair Bolsonaro and his family, and 27 percent express a preference for a third way.
The survey, which interviewed 2,003 voters by telephone between July 10 and 12, has a margin of error of two percentage points and a confidence level of 95 percent.
Brazil Court Suspends Flavio Bolsonaro’s Visits to Former President - Telesur English
Article
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court Justice suspended for 90 days the visits of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro to his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, after the senator published a political letter on social media written by the ex-president, violating court-imposed restrictions.
According to the ruling, Flávio Bolsonaro read and published a letter in which his father endorsed him as a presidential pre-candidate for the 2026 elections and defined him as his “spokesperson” and the “best option” for Brazil.
For Justice Moraes, this conduct violated the prohibition that prevents the former President from using social media, even indirectly.
The decision came after the Court determined that the senator deviated from the purpose of a visit by disseminating political content on behalf of his father. The letter constituted a clear attempt to influence the electoral process from within the confines of house arrest, where Jair Bolsonaro has been held since November 2025.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes noted that the phrase used by Flávio Bolsonaro when presenting the document –“It’s unmissable, a very important message he wants to give to our entire nation”– suggests that the former President had knowledge of the publication. This formulation implied coordinated action between father and son to bypass the communication restrictions imposed by the Court.
The magistrate also sent copies of the case to the Prosecutor General for Electoral Affairs to evaluate a possible investigation for alleged early electoral propaganda, a violation of Brazilian electoral law that prohibits campaigning before the official period begins.
As a consequence of the ruling, father and son will not be able to meet until mid-October, after the first round of presidential elections, scheduled for October 4. The 90-day suspension effectively removes Flávio Bolsonaro’s physical access to his father during the critical period leading up to the vote, where the senator is positioning himself as a candidate.
The magistrate also granted a 48-hour deadline to Jair Bolsonaro’s defense team to clarify whether the ex-president knew that the letter would be publicly disclosed. The response could determine whether additional sanctions are imposed on the Brazilian former President, who is already serving a 27-year and three-month prison sentence for being found guilty of leading a criminal organization that attempted to perpetrate a coup d’état to remain in power after his defeat in the 2022 elections.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes further argued that the senator used the right to visit for a purpose different from that authorized by the Court and recalled that a similar precedent occurred in August 2025. That episode was one of the arguments that later led to the imposition of house arrest on the former President, demonstrating a pattern of behavior that the court deemed unacceptable.
The publication of the letter has also provoked a new crisis within the Liberal Party, amid growing tensions between Flávio Bolsonaro and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro. While Flávio has positioned himself as his father’s political heir, Michelle has also been mentioned as a possible candidate, creating a rift that threatens to fragment the conservative base.
The Supreme Federal Court has maintained a firm stance on enforcing the restrictions imposed on Jair Bolsonaro, viewing the house arrest conditions as essential safeguards against further attempts to destabilize Brazil’s democratic institutions.
Article
The government of Brazil began on Monday the shipment of 48 tons of powdered milk to Cuba as humanitarian aid, according to a statement from the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic, in response to the severe shortages facing the island.
The operation is carried out on two flights of the Brazilian Air Force headed to Santiago de Cuba.
The first flight took off at 2:10 PM this Monday from the Canoas Air Base in Rio Grande do Sul, carrying 16 tons. The second flight will depart this Tuesday from Porto Alegre International Airport with the remaining 32 tons. Both flights are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, July 15.
The decision was made on July 9 during a meeting led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with the Chief Minister of the Civil House, Miriam Belchior; the Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro; the Chancellor, Mauro Vieira; the Minister of Agrarian Development, Fernanda Machiaveli; the commander of the Air Force, Brigadier Marcelo Damasceno; and the president of the National Supply Company (Conab), Sílvio Porto.
The coordination of the operation falls under the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation (ABC), which is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the food is supplied by Conab.
According to the presidential statement, “new donations of food and medicine are under evaluation by the Brazilian government.”
Santiago de Cuba, the destination city for Brazilian flights, is also the area most affected by Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall as a category 3 hurricane in October 2025 and left a trail of destruction that is still felt in the eastern region of the country.
This shipment is part of a larger humanitarian aid that Brazil announced on March 19, which included 170,000 tons of rice, 150 tons of black beans, and 500 tons of powdered milk, facilitated through the World Food Program (WFP).
In May, Lula’s government also donated medications to treat a thousand patients on the island.
However, Brazilian aid has not been without controversy: in March, there were allegations that products donated by Brazil, Mexico, and Chile were being sold in dollar stores run by Cuban military personnel, accusations that the regime denied.
Additionally, Cuba has a debt of 676 million dollars to Brazil.
Cuba is experiencing its worst energy and food crisis in decades. The cutoff of Venezuelan oil supplies —following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation— and the reduction of shipments from Mexico left the island without fuel reserves in May 2026.
The electrical deficit exceeds 2,000 MW, with power outages lasting between 20 and 36 hours daily in several provinces.
33.9% of Cuban households report that at least one person went to bed hungry, and gasoline can reach nine dollars per liter on the black market.
I really doubt this will happen, but really wish after the elections (and if Lula got reelected, you never know with the whole cia fucking up elections in latam this year) they would start to send oil to Cuba.
5.0 Quake Hits Southern Mexico, No Damage Reported - Telesur English
Article
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck southern Mexico on Monday, with authorities reporting no casualties, significant damage or tsunami risk.
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on Monday, according to the National Seismological Service (SSN). The quake’s epicenter was located near the country’s border with Guatemala, triggering monitoring and assessment protocols by civil protection authorities.
The SSN said the earthquake’s epicenter was located 64 kilometers southwest of Ciudad Hidalgo, in the municipality of Suchiate. The event occurred at a depth of 44.2 kilometers.
Mexico’s National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) said there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant material damage following the earthquake. The agency also ruled out any tsunami threat, stating that no significant changes in sea level had been detected along the country’s Pacific coast.
“Following the magnitude 5.0 earthquake recorded this morning, no significant variations in sea level have been reported, and there is no danger to port operations or the population.”
The CNPC added that it remains in permanent communication with state and municipal civil protection authorities to monitor the situation and respond to any developments.
Mexico is one of the world’s most seismically active countries due to the interaction of the Cocos, Rivera, Pacific, North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. Chiapas is particularly prone to earthquakes because it is located above the Cocos Plate, which is subducting beneath the North American Plate.
Venezuela Consolidates Foreign Relations and Trade Under New Diplomatic Strategy - Telesur English
Article
Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced this Monday the merger of the Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade ministries, appointing seasoned diplomat Felix Plasencia to lead the newly unified cabinet portfolio.
The Bolivarian Government consolidated both institutions into a single structure named the Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign and Foreign Trade Relations.
This strategic administrative reorganization aims to streamline state functions, optimize public resources, and integrate commercial and diplomatic initiatives under a cohesive international policy framework.
The newly unified Ministry of Foreign and Foreign Trade Relations will be led by Felix Plasencia, while former foreign minister Yván Gil takes over the Science and Technology portfolio to drive national development.
Acting President Rodriguez highlighted that Félix Plasencia, an internationalist with extensive diplomatic experience, has the official mission to direct Venezuela’s foreign policy, defend national sovereignty, strengthen strategic cooperation agreements, and promote peace diplomacy across the globe.
Plasencia previously served as foreign minister and has held various high-level diplomatic posts representing the South American nation.
The Venezuelan Acting President also expressed her gratitude to Johan Alvarez, who formerly served as the head of Foreign Trade, and announced that he will assume new responsibilities within the public administration in the coming days.
This structural transformation comes as the country accelerates its recovery and reconstruction efforts following the devastating 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes of June 24. By merging diplomatic and trade portfolios, the Bolivarian Government seeks to maximize the efficiency of international cooperation and secure strategic investments necessary for the Venezuela Rises national reconstruction plan.
The unification of foreign relations and foreign trade reflects a modern approach to economic diplomacy, allowing the State to negotiate trade agreements and receive humanitarian assistance with greater agility. This consolidated approach will strengthen Venezuelan position within multilateral blocks such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America.
The strategic shift also aims to bypass the obstacles created by illegal unilateral coercive measures imposed against the nation, fostering new commercial alliances under the principles of South-South cooperation and mutual development.
Israel Approves New Illegal Settlement in Occupied East Jerusalem - Telesur English
Article
The Human Rights organization Ir Amim denounced that Israel’s authorities approved a new plan to build a large settlement in the Palestinian neighborhood of Umm Lison in occupied East Jerusalem with 450 housing units.
Umm Lison is located between the Palestinian neighborhoods of Jabal al-Mukabber and Sur Baher in occupied East Jerusalem and currently houses approximately 800 homes belonging to Palestinian families.
The construction of 450 new settler units within this already consolidated Palestinian community represents what Ir Amim described as an “unprecedented” project in terms of its magnitude within the Palestinian neighborhoods of occupied East Jerusalem.
In a statement, the organization reported that the Jerusalem District Planning and Construction Committee gave the green light to the project, which had been suspended for more than two years due to infrastructure-related difficulties.
According to Ir Amim, the execution of the settlement will involve the incorporation of hundreds of new homes within an already established Palestinian community, which will considerably alter the urban characteristics and demographic balance of the sector while increasing attacks by Israeli settlers against the local population.
The organization warned that the project could house approximately 2,000 Israeli settlers, further entrenching the occupation presence in the heart of East Jerusalem.
Ir Amim also argued that the decision adopted by the Jerusalem municipality responds to a political strategy aimed at expanding Israeli settlements rather than urban planning criteria, and accused municipal authorities of privileging settler interests to the detriment of the rights of the Palestinian population living in the city.
On multiple occasions, the United Nations has denounced that Israeli settlements built in the occupied Palestinian territories lack validity under international law and that their expansion hinders the possibilities of reaching a solution based on the coexistence of two states. The Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory, explicitly prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
Meanwhile, Palestinians maintain their claim that East Jerusalem should be the capital of a future Palestinian State, in line with international resolutions that do not recognize the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 nor the annexation of the city proclaimed by Israel in 1980. The international community, including the United Nations Security Council, has consistently rejected Israel’s unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem.
In another decision related to settlement policy, the Israeli Central Command officially recognized on July 12 the illegal settlement of Givat Ze’ev as a city, located northwest of occupied East Jerusalem. According to Israeli media, the decision was adopted after a coordination process between the Ministries of Defense and Interior and forms part of policies promoted by Israel to expand settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that the declaration of Givat Ze’ev as a city is part of government policy aimed at strengthening settlements and consolidating their legal recognition. Smotrich also argued that this decision will contribute to building an alleged “protective wall” against the creation of a Palestinian state, a position that deepens tensions and affects the stability and security of Palestinian communities.
The settlement expansion comes as violence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has increased significantly, with settler attacks against Palestinian farmers, destruction of olive groves and home demolitions rising sharply in recent months. Human rights organizations have documented hundreds of incidents of settler violence, often carried out with impunity under the protection of Israeli military forces.
The Umm Lison approval and the elevation of Givat Ze’ev to city status represent a coordinated push by the most right-wing government in Israel’s history to cement Israeli control over occupied Palestinian territory, making the prospect of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state increasingly difficult. The international community, including the European Union and the Arab League, has condemned the moves but has so far failed to impose meaningful consequences on Israel for its continued violation of international law.
Colombia to Eliminate Peace Commissioner Position - Telesur English
Article
Colombia’s president-elect announced the elimination of the Peace Commissioner post and two presidential advisory offices tied to human rights and national reconciliation.
Colombia president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella also announced the closure of presidential offices for human rights and national reconciliation. Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella announced that his administration will abolish the Office of the Peace Commissioner, along with the Presidential Advisory Offices for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and for National Reconciliation, after taking office on Aug. 7.
President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella said his government will eliminate the Office of the Peace Commissioner, which has led negotiations with armed groups in Colombia, as part of a restructuring that will also dissolve two presidential advisory offices. The measure includes the closure of the Presidential Advisory Office for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and the Presidential Advisory Office for National Reconciliation.
In a speech published on his social media accounts, de la Espriella said the Peace Commissioner position would be abolished because “there will be no more false peace processes under my government.”
He also referred to Rodrigo Londoño, known as Timochenko, the third and final leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and a signatory to the 2016 Peace Agreement, saying that “he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison,” and that his administration would seek to achieve that outcome.
De la Espriella also commented on the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the transitional justice tribunal established following the 2016 peace accord, describing it as an institution that provides “refuge” to Pilar Rueda, the spouse of opposition senator and former presidential candidate Iván Cepeda.
According to the information provided, dismantling these specialized institutions would end political dialogue as a mechanism for bringing hostilities to a close and facilitating the demobilization of armed groups.
The information also states that international actors and human rights organizations have historically argued that the absence of institutional channels for negotiation tends to deepen cycles of violence and reduce the prospects for a peaceful resolution of Colombia’s armed conflict.
https://x.com/ripplebrain/status/2076673598169702460 (privated account so you may not be able to open it, and xcancel doesn’t really do any good in this case)
Let’s say the US and Iran are both serious about the strait - it would require the US to have a huge permanently deployed (but not too close) force to play whack a drone and whack a missile in perpetuity. The end result would be much less petroleum throughput through the strait, structurally higher shipping costs, ships getting hit at least monthly despite best efforts and of course putting people in harm’s way on a daily basis. I am not sure how you spin that as a win if we are still here in six month or a year.
Whack a drone doesn’t work. The force currently deployed to the region is around half of the USN’s deployed assets, includes two CSGs, and has significant support from ground-based AD. And yet, Iran has struck around half a dozen commercial vessels in the past few days. If that force is incapable of protecting shipping from drones, no force on earth is. This position is checkmate. The rest of the war is mostly a distraction.
The current US strategy is based around the idea that you can pull some lever to get the Iranians to give up this absolute advantage. A counter-blockade, more standoff strikes, and additional abortive ground operations out of Kurdistan seem to be the only tools they have. There’s no reason to think any of those will work. At the time the Iranians resumed strikes on commercial vessels, the Bush and Lincoln groups were closer than they’ve ever been to the strait. That was the test, if the USN was capable of scoring a 100% interception rate on drones over the strait it would be with those assets in that position, after 30,000 strikes on Iran. They failed. This was effortless to predict. “The drone will always get through” is a reasonable conclusion a casual observer could glean from watching the war in Ukraine. The Russians do put up some impressive performances and have occasionally achieved 100% interception rates on drone waves numbering in the hundreds, but this is because they have hundreds of miles of their own territory to shoot them down over. The geography of the Persian Gulf is a worst case scenario for this.
Since the US-Israel war of aggression against Iran is going on indefinitely and the US escalated greatly yesterday, can we have some links to Iran news sources in the OP? Preferably news sources located in Iran. The US is planning to escalate again today at 4 PM eastern time.
spoiler
Fars News
https://nitter.net/FarsNews_Agency
https://nitter.net/englishfars
Mehr News
https://nitter.net/mehrnewscom
IRIB
https://nitter.net/iribnews_irib
Press TV - news agency in Tehran for international broadcast, broadcasts television in english 24/7
https://nitter.net/PresstvExtra
https://nitter.net/PTVBreaking1
Tasnim News Agency
https://nitter.net/Tasnimnews_fa
https://nitter.net/Tasnimnews_en
IRNA
https://nitter.net/IrnaEnglish
Ali Khamenei + Mojtaba Khamenei
https://nitter.net/khamenei_fa
https://nitter.net/khamenei_ir
https://nitter.net/MKhamenei_ir
https://nitter.net/Rahbarenghelab_
Iran MFA
Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi
Iran Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei
https://nitter.net/IRIMFA_SPOX
Iran Parliament speaker MB Ghalibaf
https://nitter.net/mb_ghalibaf
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian
I tried to find websites, telegram accounts, and twitter accounts. I made a list of the ones that I am most familiar with. I may have missed a good one. There are others. Suggestions are welcome. I am interested in news sources that are located in Iran.
Do the link shorteners for telegram still work for you? I have to change them to telegram.me due to the registry issue.
Thanks for all the links!
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48897878
Domain was suspended or something. I don’t really use telegram. I copied the telegram urls from the corresponding website or twitter bio. I mostly read the twitter feeds.
Kayhan and Rajanews are both principleist revolutionary outlets inside of Iran. Good analysis.
RajaNews is down right now though for me.
