(2020-07-05). The Truth About Russian-Taliban Ties. popularresistance.org The New York Times' latest fake news provocation alleging that Russia's military-intelligence agency GRU solicited the Taliban (officially designated as "terrorists" by Moscow) to assassinate American soldiers in Afghanistan has brought a lot of attention to Moscow's ties with the militant group. The truth, however, is just as intriguing than the fake news about them. On the surface, it's surprising enough that Russia has diplomatic contacts with the Taliban considering that the latter grew out of the 1980s Mujahiddin that defeated the USSR. | Casual observers could be forgiven for thinking that Russia still hold…
(2020-07-05). Iran not to witness economic collapse: Rouhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 05 (MNA) — Underling the ability of the CBI in controlling forex rates and in the fight against enemies' psychological warfare, the Iranian President assured on Sunday that the country's economy will not collapse.
(2020-07-04). Seattle Activists Share Their Vision For Black Trans Pride. popularresistance.org In recent years, trans issues have broken into the mainstream. It didn't happen overnight; it's been a long time coming. Trans activists have been at the center of the fight for LGBTQ rights since before Stonewall, decrying discrimination and violence against their peers for decades. | Now, between Pride Month and protests centering on Black lives, these issues are in the spotlight again. Black trans activists have taken to social media and the streets, bringing attention in particular to the growing number of murdered Black trans women within their community. | For many who've criticized the commodification of P…
(2020-07-04). [Comment] The Wakley—Wu Lien Teh Prize Essay 2020: Chinese health workers' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com "I feel deeply the burden of the honour placed upon me in being chairman of this Medical Conference, which is unique in our history, powerful in its representation, and which gives China a strong position amongst nations seeking the welfare of the people", wrote Wu Lien Teh in his first publication in The Lancet,1 on his inaugural address delivered at the International Plague Conference in Shenyang, China, in 1911. Wu was elected as the chair of the conference for his work in controlling the pneumonic plague epidemic outbreak in 1910—11 in northeastern China, which ultimately claimed about 60‚Ä&a…
(2020-07-04). [Articles] Thulium laser transurethral vaporesection of the prostate versus transurethral resection of the prostate for men with lower urinary tract symptoms or urinary retention (UNBLOCS): a randomised controlled trial. thelancet.com TURP and ThuVARP were equivalent for urinary symptom improvement (IPSS) 12-months post-surgery, and TURP was superior for Qmax. Anticipated laser benefits for ThuVARP of reduced hospital stay and complications were not observed.
(2020-07-04). [Articles] Ambulatory management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax: an open-label, randomised controlled trial. thelancet.com Ambulatory management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax significantly reduced the duration of hospitalisation including re-admissions in the first 30 days, but at the expense of increased adverse events. This data suggests that primary spontaneous pneumothorax can be managed for outpatients, using ambulatory devices in those who require intervention.
(2020-07-04). Vital: Canada crushed COVID while US flounders, Trump v. Trudeau is why (video, must see). thealtworld.com 
Here's how Canada controlled its Covid-19 cases as the US struggles. There's been no controversy over masks, plus "early and widespread testing, a free health care system still building surge capacity, longer shutdowns, slower reopenings, social distancing." | Here's how Canada controlled its Covid-19 cases as the US struggles. There's been no controversy over masks, plus "early and widespread testing, a free health care system still building surge capacity, longer shutdowns,…
(2020-07-04). 'Anybody need any ventilators?' Trump says huge US Covid numbers are due to testing but FAKE NEWS media won't tell the story. rt.com 
President Donald Trump has tweeted that the high number of Covid-19 cases in the US is actually a good thing as it is due to expanded testing, but the "fake news media" refuses to cover the shrinking mortality rate. | "Cases, Cases, Cases! If we didn't test so much and so successfully, we would have very few cases. If you test 40,000,000 people, you are going to have many cases that, without the testing (like other countries), would not show up every night on the Fake Evening News," the president tweeted on Saturday. | He continued: "In a certain way, our tremendous Testing success gives the Fake News Media al…
(2020-07-04). Head of Russia's Women's Union thinks rainbow-colored ice cream is 'indirect propaganda' aimed at making kids think being gay's OK. rt.com 
Rainbow-colored ice cream may endanger children by encouraging them to favorably view the multi-striped Gay Pride flag, according to the head of the Union of Women of Russia. She wants more controls on LGBT imagery in advertising. | Ekaterina Lakhova was speaking at a video conference attended by President Vladimir Putin that focused on the recently approved amendments to the Russian constitution. One of the changes defines a marriage as a union between a man and a woman. | On June 25, the US Embassy in Moscow made headlines when it flew a large rainbow flag alongside the US' famous stars-and-stripes as a show…
(2020-07-04). 'The very definition of totalitarianism:' Trump unloads on 'cancel culture,' 'left-wing fascism' at Mt. Rushmore event. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on "cancel culture" — an in-vogue concept that has seen Americans ostracized for voicing views at odds with the mainstream — branding it the hallmark of totalitarianism. | Speaking at the 'Salute America' event to mark Independence Day at South Dakota's Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday, Trump pulled no punches tearing into the notorious phenomenon which has come to be known as "cancel culture." The idea has led to the "cancelling" of public figures and regular Americans alike, typically hounded out of polite society for their views…
(2020-07-03). What the Corporate Media Isn't Telling You About the Risks of Reopening. commondreams.org Activists hold signs and protest the California lockdown due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on May 01, 2020 in San Diego, California. The protesters demands included opening small businesses, churches as well as support for President Trump. (Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-07-03). Caesarean delivery rates and analgesia effectiveness following injections of sterile water for back pain in labour: A multicentre, randomised placebo controlled trial. thelancet.com Compared to placebo, injections of sterile water did not reduce rates of caesarean delivery. For the main secondary outcome of pain relief the intervention did result in significantly more women reporting at least 30% and 50% reduction in pain for up to 90 min. Water injections have no effect on birth outcomes though can be an effective treatment for the relief of labour-related back pain.Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
(2020-07-03). Hollywood and the Pentagon are cheating on the American public. mronline.org 
Most propaganda machines are not observable to the naked eye, but the military-entertainment complex hides in plain sight. Long have Hollywood and the Pentagon worked together in what has been called a relationship of "mutual exploitation," producing war agitprop for the masses. Who is the victim amid all this exploitation?>
(2020-07-03). Primaries show deepening political polarization in US. wsws.org While both the corporate-controlled parties, the Democrats and Republicans, are moving to the right, the bulk of the population is moving to the left.
(2020-07-03). The New York Times fabricates Russian murder plot. wsws.org The Washington frenzy against Russia has been triggered by a lying propaganda campaign initiated by the New York Times.
(2020-07-03). China's WTO Threat to India on App Ban 'Untenable' Amid Beijing Internet Censorship: Experts. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): On 29 June, India banned 59 Chinese mobile apps in a move widely perceived as a response to the border dispute in the Galvan valley of Ladakh. On 15 June, twenty Indian soldiers were killed in violent clash between patrol parties belonging to both sides. Since then, India is in arms against China on the economic front.
(2020-07-02). Time to Rethink the US-ROK Alliance. counterpunch.org 
North Korea has blown up the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong. It is threatening an all-out pamphlet war in response to defectors sending anti-regime propaganda to the north. South Korea's unification minister has stepped down after failing to meet with his North Korean counterparts during his 14-month tenure. Pyongyang is not happy about the balloons
(2020-07-02). Mueller report redactions unlikely to be revealed before presidential election after Supreme Court agrees to hear Trump appeal. rt.com 
The US Supreme Court agreed to hear the Trump administration's bid to keep parts of prosecutor Robert Mueller's report on alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election redacted, likely ensuring the material won't sway 2020 votes. | Tuesday's Supreme Court decision hands congressional Democrats at least a temporary defeat in their effort to force disclosure of secrets that they hope can be used to damage President Donald Trump politically. The case won't be heard until the court's next term, which begins in October, so it won't likely be decided until after the November 3 election. | The Democrat-controlled US…
(2020-07-02). Reddit bans 2,000 communities in major censorship action. wsws.org On Monday, the news aggregation site Reddit banned the pro-Trump r/The_Donald and the left-radical r/ChapoTrapHouse, along with hundreds of other subreddits, in a censorship move aimed at satisfying the demands of advertisers.
(2020-07-02). 3-year-old Kashmiri boy caught in political web of words. yenisafak.com Disturbing images of a toddler sitting on the chest of his slain grandfather in the Indian-administered Kashmir have stirred a debate, with former government officials, journalists and analysts saying the child has been made a "propaganda tool."Omar Abdullah, former chief minister of the region, said that everything becomes a "propaganda tool" in the bloody violence in Kashmir."A three year old toddler has to have his misery broadcast to the whole world to drive home the "we good they bad" message. We would have got the point without his misery being filmed shared so please don't," Abdullah wrote on Twitter.Amnes…
(2020-07-02). How 'News'-Media Lie and Get Away With It. strategic-culture.org Eric ZUESSE | Lots of U.S. invasions are based on blatant lies by the U.S. Government and its stenographic 'free press' (which is just as controlled by On 26 May 2004, the New York Times published an editorial headlined