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Jun 13 2026 
What Russian people do on Holy Trinity Day?
Send off the mermaid, bury the cuckoo, dry a birch tree and make a jester. What other traditions and rituals were once associated with this holiday?
[Note: This interesting essay gives us a glimpse of how rituals from Old Russia are carried across to the current Russian Orthodox Church. Ancient Slavic traditions are still honored in… Continue reading
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Jun 13 2026 
Under The Western Empire You Get Punished For Having A Conscience
Caitlin Johnstone
It’s a war on the human conscience. Sentencing anti-genocide activists as terrorists. Working to deport mainstream foreign policy experts for criticizing an American war. They’re actually punishing people for not acting like sociopaths.
The UK has sentenced four anti-genocide activists to years in prison on terrorism charges, and the US is working to deport a… Continue reading -
Jun 13 2026 
Seyed M. Marandi: BREAKING: US & Iran on Brink of FINAL Deal – Here’s What We Know
For background, here is the gist of Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister, Islamic Republic of Iran : live speech yesterday.
FM outlines contours of proposed MoU, says diplomacy’s role is to consolidate battlefield gains
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Jun 13 2026 
The MoU : China reports – US, Iran reportedly outline MoU terms; differences remain over nuclear issue, Strait of Hormuz
At present, even if the US and Iran ultimately sign a related agreement, it is unlikely to fundamentally resolve the deep-seated contradictions between the two sides, nor will it be a decisive solution.
Global Times
A US senior administration official on Friday laid out elements of a potential short-term agreement between the US and Iran, and said… Continue reading
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Jun 13 2026 
Elimination of a “terrorist” : Venezuela
DD Geopolitics
What was the operation in Bolívar really about?
It finally became clear what sparked the whole commotion in southeastern Venezuela. The Americans eliminated the head of a fictional cartel “Tren de Aragua,” better known as Niño Guerrero.
Donald Trump personally announced the strike, reminding that it was retaliation for “Americans who suffered from the gang,” and… Continue reading
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Jun 13 2026 
„Brave New World“ – Projecting a Humanitarian Future
By Peter Koenig
Brave New World – is a famous line from Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest”: “O, brave new world, that has such people in it!”.
A “Brave New World” is not what Aldous Huxley described in his 1932 dystopian novel, of a fully controlled but happy society. Instead, it is a world where people live together… Continue reading
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Jun 13 2026 
FM outlines contours of proposed MoU, says diplomacy’s role is to consolidate battlefield gains
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has outlined the structure of a potential memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States, while highlighting that diplomacy is intended to consolidate the gains achieved by the Islamic Republic on the battlefield.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/12/770335/Iran-United-States-MoU-Araghchi
In a televised interview on Friday, the top diplomat identified the Islamic Republic as the sole party to… Continue reading
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Jun 12 2026 
Prof Marandi : Iran’s moral foreign policy
Mohammad Marandi joins us to discuss the future of the US-Iran conflict, the prospects for peace, and the rapidly changing balance of power in West Asia. In this interview we discuss: • Is peace finally within reach after months of conflict? • Why the end of the Gaza genocide may be essential for any lasting… Continue reading
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Jun 12 2026 
Alastair Crooke on Danny Haiphong – Good solid analysis as it seems the game has started again
I won’t use Danny’s video title here as it does not represent this conversation. The beat goes on.
The He Said / She Said game has started again. A friend quips to print your T-Shirt: “Peace has never been this close!”
Earlier, we posted up a discussion on Pakistan by the Valdai Club. Pakistan’s New Role in… Continue reading
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Jun 12 2026 
The ICC: He Who Pays the Piper Calls the Tune
Strategic Culture … Continue reading
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Jun 12 2026 
Lebanon’s rulers have surrendered the country to Israel – this is no ceasefire
US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh during a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations in Washington on 3 June, 2026 (AFP)
Middle East Eye – Amal Saad
What is presented as a cessation of hostilities is not the withdrawal of Israel from Lebanon, but the removal of Lebanese citizens… Continue reading -
Jun 12 2026 
IRNA News Agency – The broad outlines of the draft memorandum of understanding
From Marwa Osman
I’ve bolded four major requirements that we are all waiting for.
IRNA News Agency
– The broad outlines of the draft memorandum of understanding do not currently include any agreement on the nuclear file.
– The memorandum imposes no new obligations on Iran, and its peaceful nuclear program will remain unchanged while negotiations on… Continue reading
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Jun 12 2026 
Pakistan’s New Role in the Difficult Iran-US Dialogue
Valdai Discussion Club
Pakistan’s mediation may ultimately prove historically significant without becoming structurally transformative. That paradox is common to intermediary powers operating during periods of systemic transition, Javairyah Kulthum Aatif writes.
In diplomatic history, the naming of a process matters because it transforms geography into political infrastructure. Geneva, Oslo and Doha became more than venues; they evolved… Continue reading
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Jun 12 2026 
Eurotroika’s terms of Ukrainian settlement unacceptable — Russian diplomat
Maria Zakharova pointed out that the Europeans are pursuing a course aimed at “preventing the creation of conditions for negotiations on a truly comprehensive, just and lasting peace”
MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. The Eurotroika (the United Kingdom, Germany, and France) have proposed conditions for a settlement in Ukraine that are clearly unacceptable to Moscow, Russian Foreign… Continue reading
