2020-02-15: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-15). Shot down: Russia set to lose top spot in Sochi Olympics medals table AGAIN after biathlete Ustyugov accused of doping. rt.com In a well-worn story with more ups and downs that a playground seesaw, Russia could again lose top spot in the 2014 Sochi Olympics medals table after biathlete Evgeny Ustyugov was reportedly found guilty of doping violations. | The International Biathlon Union (IBU)

RT (2020-02-15). On the fast track: Russian speed skater Pavel Kulizhnikov earns World Championship sprint gold. rt.com The leader of the Russian speed skating team Pavel Kulizhnikov has proved again he is one of the world's fastest sprinters by winning the men's 500m gold at the World Championships in Salt Lake City in the US. | The 25-year-old clocked a time of 33.72 seconds, which was enough to claim gold on the shortest speed skating distance. | Fellow Russian Ruslan Muras…

RT (2020-02-15). Turkey warns it will take action over Idlib flare-up if diplomacy fails. rt.com Ankara seeks a diplomatic resolution to an uptick in fighting in Idlib, Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said, but it is prepared to take other steps if talks with Russia fall through. | A Turkish delegation will arrive in Moscow on Monday to hold talks over the crisis in Idlib, Cavusoglu told reporters during the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. The senior Turkish diplomat said he will also meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. | Ankara is "working to maintain diplomacy" regarding the situation in Idlib, Cavusoglu claimed, while warning that necessary steps will be taken…

sputniknews (2020-02-15). 'He Must Be Stopped': Turkish Foreign Minister Claims LNA's Haftar 'Constantly' Violating Ceasefire. sputniknews.com On 19 January, an international conference on Libyan reconciliation took place in Berlin and was attended by 16 states and entities, including Russia, Turkey and the US.

sputniknews (2020-02-15). Russian Prosecutor General: Netherlands Avoiding Comprehensive Probe in MH17 Crash. sputniknews.com In December, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that the Netherlands was seeking to hide its own faults in the MH17 plane crash probe by making claims against Moscow.

sputniknews (2020-02-15). Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Speaks on Sidelines of Munich Security Conference – Video. sputniknews.com Russia's top diplomat is expected to touch upon a wide range of issues regarding the country's current foreign policies.

sputniknews (2020-02-15). China to Continue Promoting Strategic Partnership With Russia – Foreign Minister. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – China will keep on strengthening the strategic cooperation with Russia and promoting their comprehensive partnership, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday.

yenisafak (2020-02-15). Turkish delegation to go to Moscow for talks on Idlib. yenisafak.com A Turkish delegation will visit Russia next week to hold talks on clashes in Idlib, Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said on Saturday."The Turkish delegation on Monday will attend talks in Moscow [on Idlib, Syria]," Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters after a meeting with his German counterpart Heiko Maas on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.For his part, Maas urged Russia to use its influence on the Assad regime to "stop attacks in Idlib."In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.But more than 1,800 civilians…

yenisafak (2020-02-15). 'The West is winning', US' Pompeo tells China, Russia. yenisafak.com Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday defended the United States' global role and launched a scathing attack on China and Russia, vowing that the West's ideals and values would prevail."I'm happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly exaggerated. The West is winning, and we're winning together," Pompeo said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

yenisafak (2020-02-15). 'Turkey has fulfilled responsibilities in Syria's Idlib in line with agreements'. yenisafak.com Turkey has fulfilled its responsibilities in the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib in line with the agreements it made with Russia and Iran, Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Saturday, after violence spiked in recent weeks.Turkey and Russia back opposing sides in the conflict, and agreed in 2018 to set up a de-escalation zone in the region. A Syrian regime offensive disrupted Ankara and Moscow's fragile cooperation, after 13 Turkish soldiers were martyred in the past two weeks.Oktay told broadcaster NTV that Turkey was determined to stop the Syrian regime advances in Idlib, repeating a threat that Ankara would…

yenisafak (2020-02-15). Turkey to take steps if talks with Russia on Syria's Idlib fail. yenisafak.com Turkey wants to solve issues with Russia over the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib through diplomacy but will take other steps if necessary, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday.Turkey and Russia back opposing sides in the conflict, but have collaborated to reach a political solution. A Syrian regime offensive disrupted Ankara and Moscow's fragile cooperation, after 13 Turkish troops were martyred in two weeks.Speaking to reporters during the Munich Security Conference, Cavusoglu also said a Turkish delegation would go to Moscow on Monday to hold talks over Idlib, adding that he would also meet…

yenisafak (2020-02-15). Russia detains Ukrainian vessel in Sea of Azov. yenisafak.com The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said it detained a vessel with four Ukrainian nationals in the Sea of Azov on Saturday.Upon inspection, the crew was found to lack the necessary identification and licenses to fish in the area, it said in a statement."The ship's captain failed to comply with the border patrol's legal requirement to stop and attempted to escape," it said, noting that more than 290 specimens of flounder-kalkan fish were found, as well as an illegal fishing net.The vessel and its crew were delivered to the port of Kerch for further investigation, it added.

RT (2020-02-14). Barr assigns outside prosecutor to review Russiagate's Michael Flynn's case — report. rt.com General Michael Flynn seems to be getting a lifeline from the attorney general following his claim that prosecutors in the Mueller investigation "concocted the alleged false statements" he was accused of making. | Attorney General William Barr has assigned an outside prosecutor to examine the criminal case against US President Donald Trump's former national security advisor, according to a report from the New York Times. | St. Louis prosecutor Jeff Jenson is heading the team reexamining the Justice Department's case against Flynn. The second look at Flynn's case is part of a larger probe by Barr to go over pol…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-02-14). North Macedonia Is Being Used by NATO to Target Serbia and Russia. globalresearch.ca The North Macedonian House of Representatives unanimously approved on Monday for their country to accept the NATO Accession Protocol, taking the former Yugoslav Republic a step closer towards accession into NATO which is expected to be completed and finalized in …

Alexander Rubinstein (2020-02-13). State-backed Alliance for Securing Democracy disinfo shop falsely smears The Grayzone as 'state-backed'. thegrayzone.com In painting critical reporting on the Iowa caucuses debacle as a Russian plot, a Western government-backed information warfare shop smeared…

RT (2020-02-12). Former Goldman Sachs CEO says Sanders presidency would 'ruin our economy,' gets blasted on Twitter. rt.com An ex-CEO of Goldman Sachs who helped cause the 2008 financial crisis has claimed Bernie Sanders would ruin the economy and "screw up the US" if elected president, prompting Twitter to remind him of the Great Recession. | Billionaire Lloyd Blankfein tweeted on Wednesday that Sanders is "just as polarizing as Trump AND he'll ruin [the American] economy and doesn't care about [the American] military," before adding: "If I'm Russian, I go with Sanders this time around." | If Dems go on to nominate Sanders, the Russians will have to reconsider who to work for to best screw up the US. Sanders is just as polarizing…

Staff (2020-02-11). Trump's New Budget Funds Endless War & Nuclear Weapons While Slashing Aid to Poor & Hungry Americans. democracynow.org President Trump unveiled his 2021 budget request Monday, proposing massive cuts to Medicaid and food stamps while increasing spending on the military and his border wall. The $4.8 trillion budget would slash Environmental Protection Agency spending by more than a quarter while allocating $18 billion for Trump's newly established Space Force. Trump is also requesting billions more for nuclear weapons, including a new submarine-launched nuclear warhead. Experts and Democratic lawmakers warn that increasing the nuclear stockpile will increase the likelihood of nuclear war and defy international agreements. Democrats…

Staff (2020-02-10). Headlines for February 10, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Deaths Soar as First U.S. Citizen Succumbs to Disease, Iowa Dem. Party Officially Gives Buttigieg the Lead as Candidates Prepare for New Hampshire Vote, Trump Budget Seeks Boost to Military and Nuclear Spending, Cuts to Social Programs and EPA, Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, Trump Fires Key Impeachment Figures Following Acquittal, Thai Soldier Kills 29 People in Shooting Rampage, Brazilian Police Kill Hitman Suspected of Involvement in Marielle Franco's Assassination, Temperature Reaches Record-Breaking 65 Degrees in Antarctica, Extinction Rebellion Activists Demand New York Divest from Foss…

Strategic Culture (2020-02-08). US Deploys 'Mini-Nukes' in Deplorable Threat to World Peace. theantimedia.com These so-called "mini-nukes" represent—despite the diminutive-sounding name—an increased risk of nuclear war.

Tyler Durden (2020-02-08). Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions. theantimedia.com Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.

Aaron Maté (2020-02-07). Iowa debacle fueled by anti-Bernie billionaires, Russiagate hucksters, failed DNC elites. thegrayzone.com Max Blumenthal breaks down the shadowy network of billionaires, Democratic elites, and Russiagate profiteers behind the Shadow app that ruined…

Middle East Eye (2020-02-07). Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes. theantimedia.com Russia accused Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians."

Lawrence Wittner (2019-12-22). Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons. zcomm.org 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

Jon Rainwater (2019-11-07). Take Action — Some actual, SANE legislation. peaceaction.org Trump has plans to spend nearly $2 TRILLION over the next 30 years on unneeded and unnecessary nuclear weapons and delivery systems. This makes no sense. This is insane. That's nearly $100 million wasted every day for thirty years on weapons we are supposed to be getting rid of. To put that amount in perspective, …

Peace Action (2019-06-25). Peace Action Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 25, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Ilhan Omar for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …

Peace Action (2019-06-24). Peace Action Endorses Kara Eastman for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 24, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …