.
Saudi prince reminds Biden of US torture in Iraq
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman allegedly called out Washington's long track of "mistakes" made in Iraq and Afghanistan as President Joe Biden confronted him over the gruesome murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. That's according to Reuters, quoting a statement made by a senior Saudi official to Reuters on Saturday. While Saudi Arabia admitted its "mistakes" made in the Khashoggi affair, it has "taken all measures to prevent similar mistakes in the future," the crown prince, commonly referred-to by the acronym MBS, was quoted as having told Biden. MBS also apparently tried to downplay the significance of the murder of the journalist, who was slain and subsequently dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Turkey in 2018, pointing a finger at the US' own questionable record of human rights abuses. He also brought up the recent killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, slain during an Israeli raid in the West bank.
https://www.sott.net/article/469955-Saudi-prince-reminds-Biden-of-US-torture-in-Iraq

.
US Navy provokes China in South China Sea for second time in just 4 days
A US Navy warship on Saturday challenged Chinese claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement -- the second operation of its kind this week. The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold sailed near the Spratly Islands -- known as the Nansha Islands in China -- in the southeastern South China Sea in a so-called "freedom of navigation operation" (FONOP), the 7th Fleet statement said. The US Navy operation in the island chain where China has built military foritifications on man-made islands challenged "restrictions on innocent passage imposed by the People's Republic of China (PRC), Vietnam, and Taiwan," the statement said.
https://www.sott.net/article/469956-US-Navy-provokes-China-in-South-China-Sea-for-second-time-in-just-4-days

.
Arizona communities would 'collapse' without cheap prison labor, Corrections director says
Arizona Department of Corrections Director David Shinn said Arizona communities would "collapse" without cheap prison labor, during testimony before the Joint Legislative Budget Committee Thursday. Shinn made the statement while answering questions about a Request For Proposal for a contract to run the Florence West prison. Sen. David Gowan asked Shinn about the nature of the work the prisoners do at the Florence West prison. In Arizona, all people in state prisons are forced to work 40 hours a week with exceptions for prisoners with health care conditions and other conflicting programming schedules. Some prisoners earn just 10 cents an hour for their work. "These are low-level worker inmates that work in the communities around the county itself, I would imagine?" Gowan asked. "Yes. The department does more than just incarcerate folks," Shinn replied. "There are services that this department provides to city, county, local jurisdictions, that simply can't be quantified at a rate...
https://www.sott.net/article/469957-Arizona-communities-would-collapse-without-cheap-prison-labor-Corrections-director-says

.
Tucker Carlson excoriates 'corrupt' Ukraine
Fox News host Tucker Carlson issued a fierce condemnation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday over his crackdown on political opposition. While members of both parties in Washington rail against Russian President Vladimir Putin, "it is China that is on its way to controlling the world," Carlson claimed. "What does the cause of liberty have to do with Ukraine?," Carlson asked. "Well, very little. Last February the Ukrainian government shut down opposition media, then they arrested the leader of the main opposition party. Now President Zelensky has decided to combine all television stations in Ukraine into a state-owned propaganda ministry."
https://www.sott.net/article/469958-Tucker-Carlson-excoriates-corrupt-Ukraine

.
Europe's Death Rattle: Open Borders and Shut Mouths
Mass migration is not, as it seems, an organic emanation of humanity from poor countries, but a calculated project to repopulate the territory of the declining West, with racism its chief instrument. Though, in his remarkable book, The Scramble for Europe, Stephen Smith tends to soft-focus these aspects, what we can see clearly from his analysis is that there is in train a cultivated exodus from Africa into Europe that is orchestrated from within the West, with motives that are self-evident to even the casual observer. Although conventional wisdom in the West has it that the issue of mass migration out of Africa (and by extension other 'developing' countries — for which read 'the undeveloping countries') is one of absolute need on one side and a 'duty' to step up and deliver 'compassion' on the other, the reality, as we have seen, is rather different. The vast majority of migrants are not 'the poorest of the poor' of popular bleeding-heart spin, but the relatively better-off. They...
https://www.sott.net/article/469959-Europes-Death-Rattle-Open-Borders-and-Shut-Mouths

.
European heatwave kills hundreds, electric vehicle reportedly sparks catastrophic wildfire in France
Since July 10, at least 360 people have been killed in Spain due to a massive heatwave and thousands of individuals have been forced to flee southern France due to a wildfire allegedly sparked by a vehicle having mechanical issues. The Carlos III Health Institute reported Friday that hundreds have died in Spain as temperatures have skyrocketed to 45 degrees Celsius - or 114 degrees Fahrenheit - in the region. The heatwave has also contributed to massive wildfires in several countries that have scorched thousands of acres of land. In southwest France alone, 12,000 people have been forced to flee to escape multiple blazes. France's Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne blamed the fire in the La-Teste-de-Buch region on an electric vehicle that had some sort of issue near a wooden glen. The second ongoing wildfire in France is also being investigated for criminal activity. "80% of the forest fires are estimated to have been started by humans," she told France's BFMTV News.
https://www.sott.net/article/469960-European-heatwave-kills-hundreds-electric-vehicle-reportedly-sparks-catastrophic-wildfire-in-France

.
Vaccine effectiveness turns negative against serious disease and death, data from the Netherlands and Canada show
The effectiveness of the Covid vaccines against serious disease declines to zero and turns negative within 12 months, official figures from the Netherlands show. A report this week from the Dutch Ministry of Health explains that there is "hardly any visible protective effect" anymore for people with two vaccine doses because it has "now been nearly a year since they were vaccinated, and the protection provided by vaccinations against hospitalisation diminishes over time". Using hospitalisation figures from March 15th to June 28th 2022, the report finds that overall vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation from two doses was 0%. Broken down by age, it was 22% for 12-49 year-olds, minus-52% for 50-69 year-olds and 15% for the over-70s. Vaccine effectiveness against ICU admission was minus-20% overall, breaking down to 45% for 12-49 year olds, minus-31% for 50-69 year-olds and minus-43% for over-70s. These figures are shown in the table below, along with confidence intervals and...
https://www.sott.net/article/469961-Vaccine-effectiveness-turns-negative-against-serious-disease-and-death-data-from-the-Netherlands-and-Canada-show

.
Woke employees shut down 'queer-owned' business for being insufficiently woke
A cafe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, permanently closed its doors after the employees protested the restaurant was perpetrating "anti-blackness, ableism" and "hostility," according to social media posts from the cafe and its employees. Mina's World, known as Philadelphia's first cafe for queer and trans people of color, closed and was listed for sale due to a lack of funds, an Instagram post showed. The announcement comes after employees of Mina's World revolted against ownership, calling themselves victims of "systemic employer oppression" and "anti-blackness" from the owners Kate Egghart and Sonam Parikh in an Instagram post on June 14. The employees listed demands including "public acknowledgment and accountability for grievances and harm caused" in an Instagram post. Once the cafe was posted for sale by Egghart's mother, the employees' Instagram account called the listing "violence" and began a GoFundMe to raise funds to buy the building.
https://www.sott.net/article/469962-Woke-employees-shut-down-queer-owned-business-for-being-insufficiently-woke

.
Joe Rogan: Canadians gotta get rid of 'f*cking dictator' Trudeau
Podcaster Joe Rogan said Canada must get rid of their "f*cking dictator" Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Rogan said he liked Trudeau before the pandemic because he seemed "sweet" and "handsome," and "confident," as well as well spoken. "And then during the pandemic, I'm like, 'Oh, you're a fucking dictator,'" he said. "'Oh, you don't like criticism. You're trying to shut down criticism by saying that all your critics are misogynists and racists.'" Rogan was pointing to the prime minister's comments on the Freedom Convoy, Canadians led by truckers who travelled to the nation's capitol, Ottawa, to protest federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
https://www.sott.net/article/469963-Joe-Rogan-Canadians-gotta-get-rid-of-f-cking-dictator-Trudeau

.
Elderly woman falls into pond and is killed by 2 alligators in Englewood, Florida
An elderly woman was killed by two alligators after falling into a pond near her Florida home - with her panicked splashes attracting the predators who attacked her before she could swim out. The woman, whose identity has not yet been released, was seen falling into an alligator-infested pond near her home at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood Friday night at around 7.47pm, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. Investigators say that as the woman was struggling to stay afloat, two alligators were seen swimming toward her. They then grabbed her before she could escape. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and an investigation is now ongoing. In the meantime, trappers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have removed the alligators from the pond. But her death is just the latest in a recent string of alligator attacks in the southern United States.
https://www.sott.net/article/469964-Elderly-woman-falls-into-pond-and-is-killed-by-2-alligators-in-Englewood-Florida

.
Woman killed and man injured in Rotherham, UK dog attack
A woman has died after a dog attack in Rotherham which also left a man with potentially life-altering injuries. South Yorkshire police were called to a property on Masefield Road in West Melton at about 10.15pm last night by a member of the public who said a dog had attacked him and a woman. Officers attended alongside the Yorkshire ambulance service and found a 43-year-old woman had been fatally bitten. She was pronounced dead at the scene, despite the best efforts of emergency crews. The man, aged 42, suffered a potentially life-changing injury to one hand, plus injuries to his other hand, abdomen and face. He was taken to hospital for further treatment.
https://www.sott.net/article/469965-Woman-killed-and-man-injured-in-Rotherham-UK-dog-attack

.
Meteor fireball over California and Arizona on July 16
We received 52 reports about a fireball seen over AZ, Baja California and CA on Saturday, July 16th 2022 around 05:02 UT. For this event, we received 2 videos and one photo.
https://www.sott.net/article/469966-Meteor-fireball-over-California-and-Arizona-on-July-16

.
6 dead, 12 missing after heavy rains trigger flash floods in southwest China
Six people have been killed and 12 have gone missing after heavy rain triggered severe floods in Baishi Town in southwest China's Sichuan Province, local authorities said Sunday.
https://www.sott.net/article/469967-6-dead-12-missing-after-heavy-rains-trigger-flash-floods-in-southwest-China

.
Dock workers strike at German ports demanding higher pay amidst soaring inflation
Dock workers at Germany's North Sea ports went on strike Friday in the latest of several walkouts that have added pressures on shipping as their union demands a hefty pay rise to counter high inflation. The 48-hour strike, which is to end on Saturday morning, has largely paralyzed cargo handling at major ports including Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven, news agency dpa reported. It follows a 24-hour walkout in June and a previous one-shift warning strike. However, there will be no further strikes before late August under a deal reached at the labor court in Hamburg on Thursday night, the court said. The agreement calls for the two sides to set three further dates for negotiations up to Aug. 26. Courts in several cities had rejected bids by employers for injunctions halting this week's strike.
https://www.sott.net/article/469968-Dock-workers-strike-at-German-ports-demanding-higher-pay-amidst-soaring-inflation

.
Facebook, Google banned Alex Jones, now they've banned even talking about Alex Jones
Flo Read spoke to director Alex Lee Moyer about the suppression of her film Infowars' Alex Jones, described by The Southern Poverty Law Center as 'one of the most prolific and influential conspiracy theorists in contemporary America,' has long been the subject of controversy — and a social media ban. When Facebook removed him in 2018, they stated that he both glorified violence, 'which violates our graphic violence policy' and uses 'dehumanizing language to describe people who are transgender, Muslims and immigrants, which violates our hate speech policies.' But what was not clear until this week is that the social networks now seem to have banned all discussion of him, however critical.
https://www.sott.net/article/469969-Facebook-Google-banned-Alex-Jones-now-they-ve-banned-even-talking-about-Alex-Jones

.
Wishful thinking: Russia has lost 50,000 soldiers and 1,700 tanks. Oh, and Putin is ill
The commander of the British armed forces has called the rumours that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ill or could be killed "wishful thinking". Admiral Tony Radakin also stated that Russia poses "the biggest threat" to the UK and that its struggle would last for decades when the Conservative party choose a replacement for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. After suffering setbacks in the conflict in Ukraine, Russia's ground troops might now be less of a threat, according to the military leader.
https://www.sott.net/article/469970-Wishful-thinking-Russia-has-lost-50000-soldiers-and-1700-tanks-Oh-and-Putin-is-ill

.
Zelensky 2022, Stalin 1942: The US propaganda machine can easily make heroes, but it can quickly change the script
America's sudden love affair with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Kiev's military forces is reminiscent of an old campaign to exalt a previous ally of geopolitical circumstance: Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Just as in the Georgian strongman's heyday, the US political establishment and media-entertainment complex have responded to a crisis in Eastern Europe by portraying their preferred combatants as heroic friends who must be supported. In fact, Zelensky and his country's defenders have been painted as freedom fighters battling to save democracy from evil aggressors - even as Kiev bans opposition parties, shuts down media outlets, and otherwise silences critics of the regime. For instance, outlets such as Newsweek and the Associated Press have touted Zelensky as a "defiant hero" and a "modern Churchill." The comparison to former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill wasn't sufficiently glowing for CNN, which said Zelensky is a "more unlikely hero." After all, the liberal...
https://www.sott.net/article/469971-Zelensky-2022-Stalin-1942-The-US-propaganda-machine-can-easily-make-heroes-but-it-can-quickly-change-the-script

.
7-11 recommends that all of their stores in the Los Angeles area be closed due to recent deadly robberies
7-11 has stores around the world. The company is available seemingly everywhere when you need a staple quickly. Now, unfortunately, because of recent deadly robberies at their stores, their leadership is recommending shutting down their stores in the Los Angeles area while the police find the killer(s). 7-11 is iconic. Its stores are seen seemingly everywhere. From the US to Asia, 7-11 is everywhere. In Tokyo, you can check in your bags for your flights at some 7-11s. In Hong Kong, you can recharge your 'Octopus' card that allows you to purchase almost anything and ride on the subway, ferries, and buses across the city. At all 7-11s you can purchase drinks and snacks while you travel. But unfortunately, these stores won't be open for a second night in the area around Los Angeles. The Daily Caller reports: 7-Eleven's corporate leaders recommended Tuesday that all of its Los Angeles-area stores close for a second night to allow police to investigate a series of deadly robberies....
https://www.sott.net/article/469972-7-11-recommends-that-all-of-their-stores-in-the-Los-Angeles-area-be-closed-due-to-recent-deadly-robberies

.
Russian-hating dream of Brzezinski clan nears fulfillment as Poland agrees to host permanent US base; turn Baltic Sea into NATO lake
Mark Brzezinski, the U.S. Ambassador to Poland, is the son of the late Zbigniew Brzezinski, a descendent of Polish aristocrats and mastermind of U.S. foreign policy for decades, whose dream was to use Poland as a base to try to weaken and destroy Russia. Mark is now at the center of the implementation of his dad's plans. In late June, President Joe Biden announced before a NATO summit that the United States would establish a permanent military base in Poland, the first time the U.S. would have one on NATO's eastern flank. The base will provide a permanent headquarters in Poland for the U.S. Army's V Corps. At the moment there are already approximately 10,000 U.S. soldiers in Poland, which has provided a hub for U.S. and other Western countries' arms shipments to Ukraine.
https://www.sott.net/article/469973-Russian-hating-dream-of-Brzezinski-clan-nears-fulfillment-as-Poland-agrees-to-host-permanent-US-base-turn-Baltic-Sea-into-NATO-lake

.
Davos loses big time - Draghi on the way out in Italy
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi is out. He tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella. Mattarella is refusing for now. There will be another confidence vote. It shouldn't matter. As is always the case with Italian politics, the story is always far murkier than the headline. The headline is Five Star Movement (M5S) leader Giuseppe Conte could no longer back Draghi's government because he's doing nothing to deal with spiraling food and energy costs in Italy. Without M5S support it will be difficult, at best, for Draghi to maintain power. The parties which 'won' the last election are now polling 3rd and 4th. M5S is now polling at just 12%. Lega just 15%. It is Georgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy that lead the polls. And we are, at most nine months away from Italian elections. I'd say nine weeks is more likely. So, M5S and Conte making this move now is not in their favor. This implies something far deeper than what it looks like on the surface. It implies strongly that...
https://www.sott.net/article/469974-Davos-loses-big-time-Draghi-on-the-way-out-in-Italy

.
8,000-year-old Yarmukian 'Mother Goddess' figurine uncovered in Jordan valley
The broken figurine was covered by a bracelet with a red bottom, the color which represented fertility. A schematic stone with etched eyes and mouth was also uncovered. The excavation is being carried out in conjunction with the French Center for Research in Jerusalem under the co-direction of Dr. Julien Vieugue. "This woman ceramic figurine is a hallmark of Yarmukian culture," Eirikh-Rose said. "This is one of the largest examples of the figurine found. It is of a large, seated woman with big hips, a unique pointed hat and what is known as 'coffee-bean' eyes and a big nose. One hand is positioned on her hip and the other one under her breast." Symbolism Though dubbed "coffee-bean" eyes, the traditional eyes of the figurine more likely represented kernels possibly of wheat, or more likely barley, she said.
https://www.sott.net/article/469975-8000-year-old-Yarmukian-Mother-Goddess-figurine-uncovered-in-Jordan-valley