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Lightning kills 6, injures 7 in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, India
Half-a-dozen people were killed and seven others injured after being struck by lightning during heavy rains in Banda in the last 24 hours. The administration has assured a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the dependents of the deceased under the Natural Disaster Relief Fund. It has been raining continuously in Banda since Thursday evening. Along with this, there have been lightning strikes in many places in the district, due to which six people died while seven were injured. They were said to be undergoing treatment in a hospital. Reports said that four people have died in Banda Sadar tehsil area and two people in Naraini area due to lightning.
https://www.sott.net/article/470210-Lightning-kills-6-injures-7-in-Banda-Uttar-Pradesh-India

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They're bringing COVID back...and this time its permanent
Covid is back in every headline. As the new normal crowd get desperate to scare people into accepting the Great Reset they're going back to their old favourite to get us used to the forever pandemic. The UK's "Covid cases" are (apparently) up to 3.8 million, according to the Office of National Statistics. It's reportedly just as bad in the EU, where "cases" (allegedly) tripled in six weeks. Thing's are looking pretty grim across the pond too, with "cases" "surging" all across the US. It's no better on the other side of the (supposed) ideological divide. Russia, China and India - despite being brave multipolar warriors locked in a 5D chess struggle against the machinations of the globalist elite - have all seen "cases" of the "new variant" as well. No matter where you live "cases" are on the way up. But, as we all know, "cases" actually means "people who tested positive", and is a fudged statistic used entirely for propaganda purposes. The new "wave" is really just about selling one...
https://www.sott.net/article/470211-They-re-bringing-COVID-back-and-this-time-its-permanent

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Amazing new JWST images of spiral galaxies: So beautiful even an astronomer could cry
It hasn't even been a fortnight since the first image release, and the James Webb Space Telescope is just continuously knocking all our socks off. Only a few images have been officially released, but that hasn't stopped citizen scientists digging through the raw data to see what they can find. One of those is Judy Schmidt, who has been processing raw space data into breathtaking images for years. Courtesy of her painstaking work, we now have absolutely jaw-dropping images of two spectacular spiral galaxies.
https://www.sott.net/article/470212-Amazing-new-JWST-images-of-spiral-galaxies-So-beautiful-even-an-astronomer-could-cry

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Irish medical clinic must pay out over $3,000 for discriminating against maskless patient
A clinic in Ireland has been ordered to pay a patient over $3,000 after it was found to have discriminated against him due to him being unable to wear a mask. Ireland's Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has found in favour of a patient in the case of alleged discrimination, during which an unnamed clinic refused to provide a procedure to an individual over his inability to wear a mask. The incident is said to have occurred during a period of so-called 'Level 3' lockdown in Ireland, during which there remained in place significant restrictions on religious services, such as Sunday masses, weddings, and funerals.
https://www.sott.net/article/470214-Irish-medical-clinic-must-pay-out-over-3000-for-discriminating-against-maskless-patient

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US sends another batch of weapons to Ukraine
The newest package includes $270 million worth of drones, ammunition and HIMARS rocket artillery The White House on Friday announced another $270 million worth of US "security assistance" to Ukraine. The newest batch of supplies will include four HIMARS rocket artillery launchers, a large quantity of ammunition, as well as hundreds of 'Phoenix Ghost' suicide drones, AP reported citing National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. In addition to four more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and an unspecified number of GLMRS rockets for them, the aid package includes up to 580 drones and 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition for the M777 towed howitzers already supplied to Kiev by the Pentagon.
https://www.sott.net/article/470215-US-sends-another-batch-of-weapons-to-Ukraine

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Macron is trying to distract from France's economic crisis by impersonating a military tough-guy
Will transforming into a pro-American version of the fiercely independent Charles De Gaulle wash with the public? At the Paris military event in honor of Bastille Day on July 14, infantry troops from nine countries - France's NATO allies Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria - were the first to march along the Champs-Elysees. The French state-run radio broadcaster RFI called this event a "parade under the banner of Ukraine." By inviting states from the Bucharest Nine to open the celebrations, "France is demonstrating its support for these countries as members of the EU and NATO," the French Ministry of Defense stressed. "The countries in the Bucharest Nine are now concerned about Russian aggression and the immediate threat it poses {to them}."
https://www.sott.net/article/470216-Macron-is-trying-to-distract-from-Frances-economic-crisis-by-impersonating-a-military-tough-guy

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Canadian pastor jailed for holding church service during lockdown wins legal victory
Pastor Artur Pawlowski went viral last year for kicking police out of his church. A Canadian court has awarded a major legal win to Artur Pawlowski, the pastor who was arrested and jailed for holding a church service during Alberta's lockdown. Pawlowski, the minister of Calgary Street Church, was arrested by Calgary police in dramatic fashion in the middle of a busy highway on May 8 last year as he was driving home from church, where his congregation had gathered without masks in violation of public health orders.
https://www.sott.net/article/470217-Canadian-pastor-jailed-for-holding-church-service-during-lockdown-wins-legal-victory

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NYC Mayor Adams plans to house 3,000 migrants in hotels, demands taxpayers pony up
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has called on President Joe Biden to provide him with the taxpayer money needed to house illegal aliens in hotels, though to be fair, he doesn't appear to have many other options available. Thanks to New York State's "right to shelter" law, Adams must find housing for the influx of illegal aliens flooding into his city. The mayor, during a press conference Thursday, admitted: "We are not allowed to say we don't have room. We're not allowed to say that. 'Right to shelter' means we have to keep expanding and be creative in our expansion. That means if we have to get hotel rooms, we get hotel rooms. If that means that we have to find other spaces, we'll find other spaces. There's no such thing as this state saying, 'We're turning you away.' We're going to have to keep expanding based on the needs, and we're going to have to keep finding the funding based on the needs." He added that his administration has been "in constant contact" with the White House...
https://www.sott.net/article/470218-NYC-Mayor-Adams-plans-to-house-3000-migrants-in-hotels-demands-taxpayers-pony-up

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Myth busted: Trump ordered officials to 'make sure' J6 was 'safe event'
Things you won't see in the Democrats' January 6th kangaroo court: Testimony from the Secret Service agent to corroborate jilted staffer Cassidy Hutchinson's claim that Trump tried to 'grab the wheel' of his limousine to redirect to the Capitol. Testimony from Ray Epps - who was notoriously caught on camera literally inciting Trump supporters to storm the Capitol - yet, somehow walks around free while J6 participants rot in cells. Testimony from the FBI on how many government agents were present at the January 6th riot. And last but not least - J6 Committee uniparty operatives will never highlight evidence that President Trump ordered the event to be 'safe,' and did not want to incite violence as his political opponents contend.
https://www.sott.net/article/470219-Myth-busted-Trump-ordered-officials-to-make-sure-J6-was-safe-event

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Russia move against Jewish group response to Israel war stance - Analysts
A Russian crackdown on the agency that processes the immigration of Jews to Israel is a response to new Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's tougher stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, analysts said Friday. On Thursday, a Moscow court said the Justice Ministry had requested the "dissolution" of the Jewish Agency over unspecified legal violations and set a hearing for July 28. Lapid vowed to act through "diplomatic channels" to ensure the semi-governmental agency's continued operation, with an Israeli delegation to visit Moscow next week to discuss the matter and underline the close links between the Russian Jewish community and Israel. Other government ministers were less diplomatic, with Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai accusing Moscow of punitive action over Israel's stance on the war in Ukraine. He tweeted on Thursday: "Russian Jews will not be held hostage by the war in Ukraine. The attempt to punish the Jewish Agency for Israel's stance on the war is deplorable and...
https://www.sott.net/article/470220-Russia-move-against-Jewish-group-response-to-Israel-war-stance-Analysts

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The Great American Military Rebrand
A new defense bill crammed with political pork smashes records, but you likely didn't hear the news, because War is Good again Fifteen years ago, as the Bush years waned and political division began skyrocketing, one thing everyone agreed on was that "earmarks" were bad. A trifecta of scandals involving prison-bound congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, Republican super-lobbyist (and future Kevin Spacey role) Jack Abramoff, and a $320 million "bridge to nowhere" exposed an intricate system of legalized payoffs both parties scrambled to oppose. Earmarks, those handy appropriations tools congressfolk used to slip million-dollar favors into the budget, had been ballooning in number for over a decade and looked so bad upon reveal, "corruption and ethics" became the top issue in the 2006 midterms. The Cunningham affair was the worst, featuring a congressman who wrote a "menu" of bribe services (he should have consulted Stringer Bell for legal advice there) and handed out tens of millions...
https://www.sott.net/article/470221-The-Great-American-Military-Rebrand

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Vladimir Putin answered media questions
In conclusion of his working visit to Iran, Vladimir Putin answered questions from the media. Question: Mr President, some would think the world has forgotten about Syria amid the numerous issues on the international agenda. But we have seen today that this is not so. We would like to hear your views on the situation on the ground in Syria. A great deal has been said today about points of contact, but there are many differences as well. Have you discussed or coordinated any fundamentally new solutions today? I am referring primarily to these differences. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: What I would like to begin with is not the differences but the fundamental issues that allow us to work and continue our efforts in the trilateral format. All of us believe that it is necessary to guarantee the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and to eliminate all sorts of terrorists, which I will not enumerate here. This is the fundamental and the most important thing, as we...
https://www.sott.net/article/470222-Vladimir-Putin-answered-media-questions

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Polio found in Rockland County; vaccines urged to fight virus
A case of polio has been reported in Rockland, county officials have confirmed. The viral disease, which can cause neurological symptoms, paralysis or death, had been considered eradicated in the U.S. for decades. The person had not been vaccinated against polio, health officials said. The person, a young adult, was hospitalized but is no longer, officials confirmed. Officials said the person had presented with paralysis but wouldn't say if the paralysis was permanent. The person is no longer able to transmit the virus, officials said. State health officials said polio is considered very contagious and a person can spread the virus even if they are not sick.
https://www.sott.net/article/470223-Polio-found-in-Rockland-County-vaccines-urged-to-fight-virus

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Entire police force in NC town resigns in protest of 'irogressive' town manager
Kenly Police Chief Josh Gibson and all his full-time officers resigned on Wednesday. The town is left with three part-time officers to run the rest of the department, serving a population of about 2,000. Kenly's town attorney Chip Hewett told WRAL News that the town would be holding an emergency meeting on Friday night at 7 p.m. to discuss how the town would be handling public safety. "We just learned about this [Wednesday], it effects the entire police dept and staff members, we are looking at having an emergency special meeting to figure out how to move forward with it," Hewett said. Even before the resignations, the police force was short-staffed, down from a norm of eight officers to five, Gibson said.
https://www.sott.net/article/470224-Entire-police-force-in-NC-town-resigns-in-protest-of-irogressive-town-manager

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BEST OF THE WEB: Russia pledged to help African countries finally complete the process of decolonization
When one thinks about liberation, the first thing that comes to the minds of many is Africa's decolonization cause, which regrettably hasn't yet been completed in full. It therefore naturally follows that if Russia wants to obtain credibility for its global revolutionary manifesto, then it must actively support Africa in finally finishing this process, ergo Lavrov's promise to that end. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov published an article on Friday ahead of his visit to Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, and the Congo Republic articulating his country's policy towards the continent. The most important part concerns his pledge that Russia will help its partners there finally complete the process of decolonization. The first step, as he sees it, has already been accomplished upon the creation of regional integration organizations such as the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Then came the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTFA), which...
https://www.sott.net/article/470225-Russia-pledged-to-help-African-countries-finally-complete-the-process-of-decolonization

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Ukraine to make seeking Russian passport a crime
Trying to obtain Russian citizenship as a Ukrainian could soon become a criminal offense, the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Irina Vereschuk warned on Friday. In a Telegram post, Vereschuk said that the matter had previously been discussed during a closed interdepartmental meeting. "Work on the draft law continues, there will be discussions, but the direction has been determined," the deputy prime minister said. She admitted that there could be "a long and difficult discussion" about the legal aspects of obtaining a Russian passport, about human rights, and "the need to survive under occupation."
https://www.sott.net/article/470226-Ukraine-to-make-seeking-Russian-passport-a-crime

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Steve Bannon found guilty of criminal contempt of Congress
Steve Bannon, ex-White House strategist and adviser to former President Donald Trump, was found guilty by a jury Friday of criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to appear before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. Bannon was found guilty of two counts of criminal contempt — one for refusing to appear for a deposition before the panel and the other for refusing to produce requested documents. Each count carries a minimum potential sentence of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of $100 to $1,000. The jury deliberated for a little over two hours in federal court in Washington, D.C., before returning its verdict. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols set Oct. 21 as the date for Bannon's sentencing.
https://www.sott.net/article/470227-Steve-Bannon-found-guilty-of-criminal-contempt-of-Congress

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Ukraine's intel chief peddles Putin lookalike theory
The head of military intelligence says the Russian president could have sent a body double to key talks in Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin may have used a lookalike for his trip to Iran this week, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence service (GUR) has suggested. During an interview on Ukrainian TV channel TSN on Friday, Major General Kirill Budanov was asked to comment on Putin's health during the Russian leader's recent trip to Iran.
https://www.sott.net/article/470228-Ukraines-intel-chief-peddles-Putin-lookalike-theory

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A critique of the BBC2 documentary "Unvaccinated"
Before this programme was screened on 20 July 2022 promotional material from the BBC and in newspaper articles such as this suggested it was going to be extremely biased and inaccurate. Based on this publicity material we already wrote articles first criticizing the claim that only 8% of the UK adult population was unvaccinated and then highlighting the fact that the publicity material failed to reveal the blatant conflicts of interest of the key 'experts' used in the programme to convince the seven unvaccinated participants to get vaccinated. Our pre-screening articles and tweets about the forthcoming programme were very widely read and one of the participants Nazarin contacted us to express her serious concerns about the way the programme was made - and how it might be edited - and to confirm that the participants were indeed not informed of the experts' conflicts of interest (this is covered well in this article by threadsirish). Her subsequent tweets, such as the following,...
https://www.sott.net/article/470229-A-critique-of-the-BBC2-documentary-Unvaccinated

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Hunter Biden hasn't been charged for same crimes others are facing up to 10 years for
Hunter Biden appears to have violated the same firearm crimes that have sentenced several individuals to years in prison. There is evidence that Biden may have violated two crimes under 18 U.S. Code § 922, a law prohibiting an individual from making a "false or fictitious oral or written statement" or for an "unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance" to retrieve a firearm, according to the Legal Information Institute. A 2021 Politico report said in 2018, Biden responded "no" to a question on the transaction record that asked "Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?" Delaware police also found a firearm thrown in the garbage by President Joe Biden's daughter-in-law, Hallie.
https://www.sott.net/article/470230-Hunter-Biden-hasnt-been-charged-for-same-crimes-others-are-facing-up-to-10-years-for