'A month or 2 ago nobody thought it could happen': Moscow hosts talks between Libya's rival parties in hopes of ending civil war
rt.com | 2020-01-13
Russia enjoys a unique position as the most-trusted and impartial player in the Libyan peace process, which helped the country bring together the two chief civil war rivals for talks in Moscow. | The years-long chaos in Libya "didn't give much room for optimism," so "a month or two ago no one had thought that the leaders of the two main warring factions would arrive in Moscow and sit down to negotiate," President of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vitaly Naumkin, told RT. | The talks in Moscow are a serious [diplomatic] breakthrough for Russia in Libya… They have solidif…
rt.com/news/478140-libya-moscow-talks-haftar/

Good progress made in Libya ceasefire talks in Moscow although not all sides signed the deal – Lavrov
rt.com | 2020-01-13
Negotiations in Moscow helped to achieve some progress in the Libyan peace process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. However, not all parties signed the document. | The Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) have agreed upon some ceasefire details, but they are still working on a document elaborating some concrete aspects of the ceasefire deal. | Some warring parties signed the agreement immediately, but General Khalifa Haftar, the LNA commander, requested until Tuesday morning to study the document. | The talks in Moscow, which involved the leaders of…
rt.com/news/478151-lavrov-progress-ceasefire-talks/

Libya ceasefire talks in Moscow: Good progress made although not all sides signed the deal, Lavrov says
rt.com | 2020-01-13
Negotiations in Moscow helped to achieve some progress in the Libyan peace process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. However, not all parties signed the document. | The Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) have agreed upon some ceasefire details, but they are still working on a document to elaborate upon some aspects of the ceasefire deal. | Some warring parties signed the agreement immediately, but General Khalifa Haftar, the LNA commander, wanted to wait until Tuesday morning to have more time to study the document. | The talks in Moscow, which i…
rt.com/news/478151-lavrov-progress-ceasefire-talks/

Moscow talks offer chance for peace in Libya's post NATO-intervention bloody civil war
rt.com | 2020-01-13
Peace talks in Moscow bringing together the leaders of Libya's warring parties were a serious step forward in attempts to put an end to a brutal civil war sparked by NATO's disastrous 2011 military intervention. | Fayez al-Sarraj, who heads the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and Khalifa Haftar, who commands the rival Libyan National Army (LNA) forces, spent six hours in closed-door discussions mediated by Russia and Turkey. The meeting came as a bit of a surprise as Haftar previously snubbed the ceasefire suggested by Moscow and Ankara. | By Monday evening Moscow time, a draft agreeme…
rt.com/news/478165-libya-moscow-talks-peace/

Turkish-backed GNA Leader Fayez al-Sarraj Is on the Verge of Losing Tripoli
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-13
Italy, Russia and Turkey have been pressing for an end to the war in Libya between the Parliament-backed Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Turkish-backed Muslim Brotherhood Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. Pressure to put an end to …
globalresearch.ca/turkish-backed-sarraj-losing-tripoli/5700393

U.S. Media Says Russia the True Winner in Hostilities Against Iran
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-13
While the final outcome of the U.S.-Iran conflict is not yet clear, US media outlets and think tanks are already claiming that Russian President Putin is the winner. The U.S.-Iran hostilities has undermined Washington's confidence and reputation in the region, …
globalresearch.ca/u-s-media-says-russia-true-winner-hostilities-against-iran/5700479

How Rising Temperatures Increase the Likelihood of Nuclear War
Michael T. Klare | thenation.com | 2020-01-13
How Rising Temperatures Increase the Likelihood of Nuclear War…
thenation.com/article/nuclear-defense-climate-change/

Cities in the Crosshairs Are Pushing Back Against Nuclear Weapons
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-13
Two years after a mistakenly sent text alert warning of an inbound ballistic missile threat caused widespread panic and confusion across Hawaii, cities remain potential targets and nuclear jitters continue to grow around the world. | Panicked responses to the erroneous text alert

NATO Chief Stoltenberg Reveals How Alliance Will 'Respond' to Russia's Iskander-M Missiles
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-13
The Russian military upgraded its tactical missile units with Iskander-M launchers throughout 2019, with the systems replacing the older Tochka-U missile systems. Capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear payloads, the mobile, high-precision systems have an operational range of up to 500 km.
sputniknews.com/military/202001131078024707-nato-chief-stoltenberg-reveals-how-alliance-will-respond-to-russias-iskander-m-missiles/

Libya Talks in Russia Progress but Fail to Sign Ceasefire
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-13
Talks between Libya's warring factions, aimed at agreeing an unconditional and open-ended ceasefire failed to achieve a breakthrough Monday despite making good progress, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters. | RELATED: | Libya's Rival Factions Accuse Each Other of Violating Ceasefire | The head of the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj signed a draft ceasefire agreement, while General Kalifa Haftar who leads th…
telesurenglish.net/news/Libya-Talks-in-Russia-Progress-but-Fail-to-Sign-Ceasefire–20200113-0007.html

Medic Reveals Injuries Sustained by Russian Model After Fall from Window Amid Rumours of Foul Play
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-13
Russian model Ksenia Puntus, who has posed for Russian Vogue and Tatler, supposedly fell three feet from an apartment balcony in Moscow, sustaining multiple injuries, in circumstances that are being investigated.
sputniknews.com/russia/202001131078023941-medic-reveals-injuries-sustained-by-russian-model-after-fall-from-window-amid-rumours-of-foul-play/

Russia among Europe's top performing stock markets in 2019
rt.com | 2020-01-13
While last year was marked by political and economic uncertainty across the world, Greece, Russia and Italy have been Europe's top performing stock markets. | Some investors dismissed these markets as "too dangerous, too politically unstable, too reliant on commodities, too weak economically or a combination of all four," Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, a UK investment platform, said in a note to clients seen by CNBC."But this just goes to show that buying what is comfortable is rarely the route to big profits," he added. | According to economists, Greece, which was once Europe's sick man, seems to…
rt.com/business/477205-europe-top-performing-stock-markets/

Unstoppable rally: World's most precious metal rhodium is now 5 times more costly than gold
rt.com | 2020-01-13
The extremely rare, silvery-colored metal rhodium has extended its multi year growth, surging 32 percent so far this month and touching the highest mark since 2008. | The metal which is mainly used in autocatalysts for cars has risen 225 percent year on year. It has rallied 12-fold in the past four years, far outperforming all major commodities, on rising demand from the car sector. | "Rhodium is subject to crazy volatility," Anton Berlin, head of analysis and market development at Russia's Norilsk Nickel, told Bloomberg. The Russian company mines about 10 percent of all rhodium. | | © Wikipedia | Tight…
rt.com/business/478123-rhodium-price-unstoppable-rally/

'First step in right direction': World reacts to talks between Libya's warring parties in Moscow
rt.com | 2020-01-13
Talks in Moscow between the two major rivals in the Libyan civil war have been called progress and a positive development as they ended with one party signing a draft document and the other taking time until Tuesday. | The Libyan National Army (LNA) and the UN-backed Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) have joined a ceasefire suggested by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the leaders of the two warring factions arrived in Moscow for talks aimed at brokering a lasting truce. | Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart, Sergey…
rt.com/news/478159-libya-moscow-talks-world-leaders/

Double success: Russian ice-dancing duos take gold & silver at 2020 Youth Olympic Games (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-01-13
Russian ice-dancing couples have brilliantly finished their performances at the 2020 Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland taking the first two places on the podium after flawlessly delivered free programs. | Irina Khavronina and Dario Cirisano twizzled their way to first place setting a new personal best of 101.11 for their dynamic free routine. | READ MORE: Russian figure skating duo Apollinariia Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov claim gold at 2020 Youth Olympics (VIDEO) | The couple perfectly executed al…
rt.com/sport/478135-ice-dancing-youth-olympics-russia-gold-silver/

Unstoppable rally: World's most precious metal rhodium is now 5 times more costly than gold
rt.com | 2020-01-13
The extremely rare, silvery-colored metal rhodium has extended its multi year growth, surging 32 percent so far this month and touching the highest mark since 2008. | The metal which is mainly used in autocatalysts for cars has risen 225 percent year on year. It has rallied 12-fold in the past four years, far outperforming all major commodities, on rising demand from the car sector. | "Rhodium is subject to crazy volatility," Anton Berlin, head of analysis and market development at Russia's Norilsk Nickel, told Bloomberg. The Russian company mines about 10 percent of all rhodium. | | © Wikipedia | Tight…
rt.com/business/478123-rhodium-price-unstoppable-rally/

The War in Libya: The Cease-Fire Initiative of Erdogan and Putin
Hassan Mansour | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-13
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement in which called the Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Accord, Fayez Sarraj, and the leader of the Libyan National Army, strongman Khalifa Haftar, for …
globalresearch.ca/al-mismari-responds-initiative-erdogan-putin/5700407

Cease-fire takes hold in Libya's Tripoli amid talks
yenisafak.com | 2020-01-13
A cease-fire called by Turkey and Russia took hold for the second day in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Monday amid talks between warring rivals in Moscow.The cease-fire came into force on Sunday amid accusations by both sides of violating the agreement.The UN-recognized government said a civilian was killed by forces loyal to renegade commander Khalifa Haftar south-east of Tripoli.Gunfire was also reported in Salahuddin district in the Libyan capital."Our forces are fully committed to the cease-fire, but are on alert on respond to any breach by Haftar's forces," a commander of the UN-recognized government's force…
yenisafak.com/en/news/cease-fire-takes-hold-in-libyas-tripoli-amid-talks-3509539

Finnish court rejects Rotenberg's suit against Nordic banks
yenisafak.com | 2020-01-13
Boris Rotenberg, a Russian businessman under U.S. sanctions over the Ukraine conflict due to his close ties with President Vladimir Putin, on Monday lost a discrimination lawsuit he filed in a Finnish court against four Nordic banks."Helsinki District Court has rejected Boris Rotenberg's complaint over the right to banking services and damages for discrimination," the court said in its decision.Rotenberg, who also holds Finnish citizenship, accused Nordea, Danske Bank, Handelsbanken and OP Bank of refusing to allow him to make payments and of violating his right to equal treatment as an EU citizen.
yenisafak.com/en/news/finnish-court-rejects-rotenbergs-suit-against-nordic-banks-3509550

Iraq | considers buying Russian S-400 missile system as Mideast tensions | boil
yenisafak.com | 2020-01-13
The Iraqi government has gravitated toward the Russian defense industry amid simmering tensions between Washington and Baghdad after the killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, in a move that might trigger U.S. sanctions.Members of the Iraqi parliament said the country was considering purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems, the Wall Street Journal on Monday quoted Karim Elaiwi, a member of the Iraqi parliament's Security and Defence Committee, as saying."We are talking to Russia about the S-400 missiles but no contracts have been signed yet. We need to get these missiles, especiall…
yenisafak.com/en/world/iraqconsiders-buying-russian-s-400-missile-system-as-mideast-tensionsboil-3509546

Ballet Romeo and Juliet to be staged in Antalya, Turkey
yenisafak.com | 2020-01-13
A local public opera and ballet in southern Turkey is set to stage Romeo and Juliet ballet for the first time this season.The Antalya provincial ballet announced it would on Jan. 18 stage orchestral work composed by Russian Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, based on William Shakespeare's tragedy.Shakespeare's renowned play centers on two lovers defying obstacles to their marriage, ultimately ending in tragedy and the death of them both.In 2019, the play was also staged in capital Ankara with thousands of people flocking to theaters.
yenisafak.com/en/news/ballet-romeo-and-juliet-to-be-staged-in-antalya-turkey-3509540

'Totally up to them': Trump says he 'couldn't care less' if Iran negotiates with US or not
rt.com | 2020-01-12
US President Donald Trump said his maximum pressure campaign against Iran is not about bringing it to the negotiating table, but ensuring that Tehran doesn't obtain nuclear weapons or kill protesters. | "Actually, I couldn't care less if they negotiate. Will be totally up to them but, no nuclear weapons and 'don't kill your protesters'," Trump said in a tweet Sunday night, contradicting the narrative of National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien. | National Security Adviser suggested today that sanctions & protests have Iran "choked off", will force them to negotiate. Actually, I couldn't care less if they negot…
rt.com/usa/478088-trump-iran-negotiate-sanctions/

Canada Apologizes for Wrongly Raising Alarm at Nuclear Plant
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-12
Canadians in the province of Ontario on Sunday were awoken to a frightening message from their local government after the latter wrongly raised an alarm at a nuclear power plant. | RELATED: | Canadian Muslim Convention Hosts Anti-Palestinian Politician | According to the Canadian Broadcast Channel, the authorities in the proivince of Ontario were conducting a training excerise at a nuclear power plant near Toronto when they mistakenly sounded the alarm at the site. | The false a…
telesurenglish.net/news/Canada-Apologizes-for-Wrongly-Raising-Alarm-at-Nuclear-Plant-20200112-0008.html

Libya's Rival Factions Accuse Each Other of Violating Ceasefire
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-12
Libya's warring factions, the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al Sarraj and the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Kalifa Haftar, have accused each other of violating an agreed ceasefire Sunday. | RELATED: | Russia and Turkey Call for Ceasefire in Libya | Early on Sunday morning, Reuters reported that fire exchange could be heard in Salaheddin and Ain Zara districts in Tripoli. | The GNA warned in a statement that it had recorded gunfire in the Salaheddin and…
telesurenglish.net/news/Libyas-Rival-Factions-Accuse-Each-Other-of-Violating-Ceasefire-20200112-0012.html

As Trial Nears, Trump Keeps Discredited Ukraine Theory Alive
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-12
The theory took root in vague form well before Donald Trump laid claim to the White House in 2016. The candidate's close confidant tweeted about it. His campaign chairman apparently spoke about it with people close to him. | What if, the idea went, it was actually Ukraine

Selected Articles: Iran Admits Accidentally Shooting Down Ukrainian Passenger Jet
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2020-01-12
A future without independent media leaves us with an upside down reality where according to the corporate media "NATO deserves a Nobel Peace Prize", and where "nuclear weapons and wars make us safer" | . | . | | | If, like us, this is …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-iran-admits-accidentally-shooting-down-ukrainian-passenger-jet/5700338

Merkel and Putin: Iran Nuclear Deal Must Be Preserved by All Means
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-11
Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin Saturday agreed to fight to save the Iran nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), after meeting in Moscow amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. | RELATED: | Risk of Nuclear War Now Highest Since World War 2: UN | The German Chancellor said "everything must be done" to keep the agreement, despite calls from U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon it, while her Russian counterpart described the deal as "tremendously important.
telesurenglish.net/news/Merkel-and-Putin-Iran-Nuclear-Deal-Must-Be-Preserved-by-All-Means–20200111-0010.html

No, Iran didn't exit the nuclear deal. And no, its nuclear announcement is not revenge for Soleimani
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-01-11
On January 5, Iran made a major announcement regarding its nuclear program, stating that it will no longer observe limits on the number of centrifuges that it uses to enrich uranium. While the announcement is significant, it was not altogether unexpected. And it most certainly does not constitute the "harsh revenge" that Iran's supreme leader, […] | Source…
mronline.org/2020/01/11/no-iran-didnt-exit-the-nuclear-deal-and-no-its-nuclear-announcement-is-not-revenge-for-soleimani/

Erdogan and Putin open TurkStream pipeline after Iran strikes US bases in Iraq
wsws.org | 2020-01-11
The opening of this strategic pipeline comes amid escalating conflicts over energy in the region and an esclalating conflict between the United States and Iran.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/11/erdo-j11.html

The Current U.S. Approach to Nuclear Weapons Can Only Lead to Armageddon
Prabir Purkayastha | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-10
The decade ends with two major threats to humanity: global warming leading to a climate catastrophe and the threat of a nuclear war extinguishing our civilization. The U.S. has pulled out of the Paris Agreement and is wrecker-in-chief of the weak climate change agreement that all the countries had signed to limit the emission of…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/10/the-current-u-s-approach-to-nuclear-weapons-can-only-lead-to-armageddon/

Andrew Bacevich: The U.S. Needs to Abandon "Militarized Approach" to Middle East and Build Peace
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-09
We continue our conversation with Andrew Bacevich, president and co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He is a retired colonel, Vietnam War veteran and author of, most recently, of "The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory." Bacevich says the crisis with Iran, sparked by President Trump's assassination of top general Qassem Soleimani, is just the latest in a long series of ill-advised American actions in the Middle East. "The only conceivable way for us to begin to extricate ourselves from this terrible mess in the region … is to abandon this militarized approac…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/9/andrew_bacevich_trump_iran

Trump Announces Additional 'Punishing' Sanctions on Iran
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-01-08
Updated 1: 15 PM ET | U.S. President Donald Trump made a statement Wednesday morning at 11: 30 AM EST and announced that Iran "appears to be standing down" following strikes on U.S. air bases in Iraq. He said there were no American or Iraqi casualties resulting from the attacks. | Trump said that while the U.S. was evaluating its options, it would "immediately impose additional punishing sanctions" against Iran until it "changes its behavior." He called Iran the "leading sponsor of terrorism" and repeatedly said that he would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Since 2017, the Trump administration has impose…
therealnews.com/columns/iran-attacks-us-bases-in-iraq-in-retaliation-for-soleimani-assassination

Trump's march to war on Iran aided by Democrats' weakness on sanctions, nuclear deal
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-01-04
The US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military commander, is the culmination of three years of Trump administration…
thegrayzone.com/2020/01/04/trumps-march-to-war-on-iran-aided-by-democrats-weakness-on-sanctions-nuclear-deal/

Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons
Lawrence Wittner | zcomm.org | 2019-12-22
Although today's public protests against nuclear weapons can't compare to the major antinuclear upheavals of past decades, there are clear indications that most Americans reject the Trump administration's nuclear weapons policies. Since entering office in 2017, the Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran, scrapped the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/americans-are-ready-for-a-different-approach-to-nuclear-weapons/

Seemingly Coordinated ISIS/al-Qaeda Attacks On Syrian Oil/Gas Fields & US' Russia/Libya Hypocrisy
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-12-22
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/21/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/seemingly-coordinated-isis-al-qaeda-attacks-on-syrian-oil-gas-fields-us-russia-libya-hypocrisy/