Catastrophic Humanitarian Crisis in Idlib as Syrian Troops Advance & Children Freeze to Death
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-28
In Syria, 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by Russia-backed Syrian forces in rebel-held Idlib in a major escalation on Thursday. Turkey has vowed to respond in kind, as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres calls for an immediate ceasefire, saying "the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour." Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly spoke by phone on Friday to discuss the crisis, as NATO urged rapid deescalation. The all-out offensive by the Syrian government is the single largest displacement in a nine-year war that has forced 13 million t…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/28/idlib_syria_assad_turkey_russia
Election 2020: Those Meddling Kids
Thomas Knapp | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-28
According to selected members of the "US intelligence community" ("selected" for their loyalty to, and willingness to promote the line of, the Democratic Party establishment) Vladimir Putin and the Russian government just love them some Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Can't get enough of 'em. If November is a Trump/Sanders shoot-out, the Kremlin wins either…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/28/election-2020-those-meddling-kids/
Article 5 or 'Oh my gosh'? What will US do after Turkish troops die in Syrian strike
rt.com | 2020-02-28
Turkey has reached out to NATO and the US following the deaths of its troops in Syria's Idlib province, fueling speculation that it might invoke Article 5 and get the alliance involved in a shooting war with Damascus
Turkey bombs Syria after losing dozens of troops to Syrian-Russian airstrike
wsws.org | 2020-02-28
The danger is growing that all-out war could erupt between the NATO alliance and the Syrian government's major international backers, Iran and Russia.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/28/turk-f28.html
Russian missile frigates passing through Turkish straits amid Idlib escalation
rt.com | 2020-02-28
A pair of advanced Russian missiles frigates is passing through the Turkey-controlled straits while en-route to the Mediterranean. It comes as dilomatic tensions between Moscow and Ankara over Syria's Idlib are not letting down. | The 'Admiral Grigorovich' and its sister ship 'Admiral Makarov' are among the more modern assets of the Russian Navy, capable of firing the advanced Kalibr-NK cruise missiles. Part of the Russian Black Sea fleet, they are currently moving to join Russia's naval forces in the Mediterranean as part of a scheduled rotation. | "The third frigate of the class, the 'Admiral Essen' has been…
rt.com/news/481911-russian-frigates-turkish-straits/
'Stakes higher' in Idlib but NATO 'won't run to Erdogan's aid' despite efforts to have allies intervene in Syria
rt.com | 2020-02-28
NATO will not offer anything more than words of support to its member Turkey despite Ankara's efforts to rally its allies after Turkish soldiers came under fire from the Syrian Army in the Idlib 'de-escalation' zone, RT was told. | NATO's collective defense pledge is "not applicable in the case of Turkey because we have an armed conflict on Syrian soil," Sergey Balmasov, an expert with the Russian International Affairs Council and the Moscow-based Institute for the Near East, told RT. Ankara requested an urgent NATO meeting on Friday, shortly after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by the Russian…
rt.com/news/481928-nato-turkey-syria-idlib/
'We fought Russia 16 times and will fight it again,' warns Erdogan's adviser amid Idlib escalation
rt.com | 2020-02-28
A member of an expert body advising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted that Ankara is prepared to go to war with Russia after tensions over Syria's Idlib province escalated over the past 24 hours. | Mesut Hakki Casin, who is a member of Turkey's Security and Foreign Policy Board advising Erdogan, made his comments shortly after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by Russian-backed Syrian government forces in Idlib province. | We have fought Russia 16 times in the past, and we will fight it again. | The official pointed to Russia's sizeable Muslim population and claimed that the country "
rt.com/news/481908-erdogan-adviser-war-russia/
'Aggressive designs': Pakistan blasts India's $3bn arms deal with Washington for 'destabilizing already volatile region'
rt.com | 2020-02-28
Islamabad has voiced concern over a recent multi-billion dollar weapons deal signed between Washington and New Delhi, insisting its nuclear-armed rival is upsetting stability in southern Asia. | On the heels of the $3 billion exchange inked last week
The Space Force Becomes a Weapons System, Arms Companies Profit
T.J. Coles | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-28
As the world gets used to what the US military calls "Full Spectrum Dominance," the complex uplinks/downlinks, spurious RADAR returns, cyber glitches, and misinterpretations of big data bring the world closer to its ends, especially as US systems–including possibly nuclear–are orbited or put into the loop of the new Space Force. But the news isn't…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/28/the-space-force-becomes-a-weapons-system-arms-companies-profit/
Turkey, Russia tiptoe toward 'unnecessary war'
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-02-28
A military confrontation between Turkey and Syria has erupted in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib. Latest reports say that at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed on Thursday in a Syrian air attack. A Turkish retaliation commenced last night itself. The Syrian airstrike in Idlib took place in an area between the towns Baluon and …
iranian.com/2020/02/28/turkey-russia-tiptoe-toward-unnecessary-war/
Don't Equate Russia's Purely Speculative Preference for US President with "Election Meddling"
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-27
Democrats and Republicans alike are weaponizing purely speculative reports about Russia's supposed preference for President by deceptively equating them with imagined so-called "meddling" in support of their opponent, which amounts to nothing more than the American elite waging a sophisticated …
globalresearch.ca/dont-equate-russia-purely-speculative-preference-president-meddling/5704898
MSM's insatiable anti-Sanders venom forces them to dig through archives & smear veteran American reporter (because Russia!)
rt.com | 2020-02-27
Mainstream outlets are so determined to derail Bernie Sanders' campaign, they've dug up a 2016 interview of his wife with RT's late host Ed Schultz
Putin's here, there & everywhere? Russian President says idea of using lookalike once floated
rt.com | 2020-02-27
For a long time, rumors persisted in Russia that Vladimir Putin was using a double or two. Now the Russian President has revealed the idea was once considered, but rejected. | The notion that the original Putin, who became Russian prime minister in 1999, is long dead is among the more popular conspiracy theories doing the rounds. Believers have come up with diagrams showing purported lookalikes of the Russian president, each alleged to have a specific purpose. | Well, according to Putin himself, there is a tiny grain of truth behind the theory. His administration actually floated the idea of hiring a double…
rt.com/russia/481793-putin-double-idea-considered/
Putin's here, there & everywhere? Russian President says idea of using lookalike once floated
rt.com | 2020-02-27
For a long time, rumors persisted in Russia that Vladimir Putin was using a double or two. Now the Russian President has revealed the idea was once considered, but rejected. | The notion that the original Putin, who became Russian prime minister in 1999, is long dead is among the more popular conspiracy theories doing the rounds. Believers have come up with diagrams showing purported lookalikes of the Russian president, each alleged to have a specific purpose. | –ì–¥–µ –Ω–∞–Å–Ç–æ–è–â–&…
rt.com/russia/481793-putin-double-idea-considered/
Russia: First Ship Test for Tsirkon Hypersonic Missile
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-27
Russia has test-launched the Tsirkon hypersonic missile from a warship for the first time, TASS news agency reported on Thursday. | RELATED: | Putin Urges Russian Police to Increase Crime Solving Rate | The missile was fired in early January from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate in the Barents Sea against a ground target over 500 km away, TASS said, quoting two sources in the defense circle of the country's northwestern Federal Dist…
telesurenglish.net/news/Russia-First-Ship-Test-for-Tsirkon-Hypersonic-Missile-20200227-0012.html
Airstrike in Syria's Idlib Kills 33 Turkish Soldiers
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-27
An air strike – allegedly by Syrian government forces – in Syria's northwestern Idlib region killed 33 Turkish soldiers, the local governor in the southeastern province of Hatay said early on Friday. | RELATED: | Russia to Complete Observation Flight Over Turkey | Rahmi Dogan, the governor of Hatay, the Turkish province bordering Syria's Idlib region, said the soldiers were killed Thursday. | In the meantime, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan chaired an emergency security meeting late on Thu…
telesurenglish.net/news/Airstrike-in-Syrias-Idlib-Kills-33-Turkish-Soldiers-20200227-0023.html
They dive from the sky & gun down panicked enemy: Russian special forces day celebrated with action-packed VIDEO
rt.com | 2020-02-27
Russia's highly secretive Special Operations Forces, which get the most demanding and sensitive tasks and may go deep into enemy territory, are marking their professional day. Here is how the commandos look in action. | The SpecOp branch of the Russian military fields highly trained fighters, who know how to infiltrate behind enemy lines and wreak havoc with sabotage, organizing guerilla forces and other forms of clandestine action. | It was created over a decade ago as a distinct command, directly answering to the General Staff, but it only got a professional holiday in 2015. A video showcasing skills and equ…
rt.com/russia/481805-russian-special-operations-forces/
'Trolling of the highest order': Russian communists FURIOUS after Lenin's birthday chosen as date for major public vote
rt.com | 2020-02-27
He died almost a century ago, but they still haven't gotten around to burying him. So, it's fair to say Vladimir Lenin still casts a long shadow on the Russian political scene. | For obvious reasons, Russia's Communist Party has made itself the protector of the Bolshevik leader's legacy and it tends to react sensitively to any perceived slight. Now many of its members are up in arms over plans to hold a forthcoming national vote on Lenin's birthday. | When the date for the general ballot on changing the constitution was announced, most Russians were simply happy to have a day off work. However, Communists quic…
rt.com/russia/481818-lenin-birthday-date-major-public-vote/
It's just business: US & Britain buying more and more oil from Russia
rt.com | 2020-02-27
Russia more than doubled crude oil supplies to the United States and Britain in 2019, data from the Federal Customs Service (FCS) has revealed. | A fall in prices for the Russian Urals oil, combined with US sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, were among the reasons for such an increase in purchases. | According to the data cited by business news outlet RBC, in October Russia became the second-largest supplier of oil and petroleum products to the United States. At the end of 2019, crude oil exports from Russia amounted to almost $2.2 billion, 2.4 times more than in 2018. In physical terms, the volume of oil e…
rt.com/business/481807-us-uk-russian-oil-purchases/
World Cup-winner Del Piero prevented from receiving Russian visa over killer coronavirus fears – reports
rt.com | 2020-02-27
A Russian visa is notriously difficult to obtain, so spare a thought for World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero who was prevented from obtaining a visa in Italy, instead traveling from LA to Armenia due to coronavirus fears. | For those of you who have ever attempted traveling to Russia, you'll know that ahead of the extreme climate and imposing language barrier, there is one roadblock that stands above all as the most difficult to circumvent: the Russian visa process. | Jumping through the obligatory hoops to get your hands on a visa can be exasperating, so spare a thought for Italian World Cup winner Alesssan…
rt.com/sport/481814-del-piero-coronavirus-italy-russian-visa/
Situation in Syria's Idlib 'in favor of Turkey'
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-27
"The developments in Idlib are now in favor of Turkey," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during orientation day of first batch of Diplomacy Academy in his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party headquarter in Ankara.On Jan. 12, the parties to the conflict in Syria announced a cease-fire in response to a joint call by Turkey and Russia.Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN figures.Idlib, near Turkey's south…
yenisafak.com/en/news/situation-in-syrias-idlib-in-favor-of-turkey-3512902
Putin Not Currently Planning Talks With Erdogan in Istanbul on 5 March – Kremlin
sputniknews.com | 2020-02-27
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Erdogan said on Wednesday that he was most likely to discuss the developments in Syria's Idlib with Putin on 5 March in Istanbul.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/202002271078418016-putin-not-currently-planning-talks-with-erdogan-in-istanbul-on-5-march—kremlin/
No Space For War Between Nuclear Nations But Ready to Respond to India – Pakistan Military
sputniknews.com | 2020-02-27
New Delhi (Sputnik): The two South Asian nuclear-armed nations have been at loggerheads over the disputed region of Kashmir and have fought three wars in the past. Relations dipped to a new low after India in a surprise move revoked the decades-old special status of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India.
sputniknews.com/asia/202002271078418834-no-space-for-war-between-nuclear-nations-but-ready-to-respond-to-india—pakistan-military/
America's Iran Policy Backed Into a Corner By MEK in Albania
Anne Khodabandeh | iranian.com | 2020-02-27
Since well before President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the U.S. and Iran have been in a de facto state of non-military warfare with sanctions, economic sabotage, cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and social media attacks the weapons of choice. Both countries have exploited conflict in the region, especially after the rise …
iranian.com/2020/02/27/americas-iran-policy-backed-into-a-corner-by-mek-in-albania/
Russiagate: The Toxic Gift That Keeps on Giving
Kollibri terre Sonnenblume | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-26
All smears are boomerang smears. That is why anyone worth a damn does not engage in it. That goes for the Russia-Gaters, the left/right smears on Gabbard, the years of left/right smears on Assange, the attacks on the Green Party and now the Russia narrative attacks on Sanders. Falling into line with the secret police…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/26/russiagate-the-toxic-gift-that-keeps-on-giving/
The Good Die Young
T.P. Wilkinson | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-26
Last year was the thirtieth anniversary of the annexation of the German Democratic Republic. It was the seventieth anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Shortly after that annexation in 1989 began and was consummated in 1990, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was dissolved and the core of that union, the …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/the-good-die-young/
Turkey's Request for U.S. Patriot Missiles to Pressure Russia in Syria Will Not Work
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-26
Ankara's statements about an imminent military operation in Syria and the Turkish authorities' request for Washington to supply them with U.S.-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems are just Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's manoeuvres to leverage against Russia that his …
globalresearch.ca/turkey-request-u-s-patriot-missiles-pressure-russia-syria-not-work/5704787
Anti-Russian Xenophobia Reaches Ridiculous Levels
Jeremy Kuzmarov | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-26
Following his resounding defeat in Nevada in the Democratic Party Caucus, Joe Biden blamed the Russians, telling CBS News that the "Russians don't want me to be the nominee, they like Bernie." The intelligence communities a few days earlier accused Russia of favoring Bernie Sanders and Donald J. Trump. Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic Party…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/26/anti-russian-xenophobia-reaches-ridiculous-levels/
Putin Urges Russian Police to Increase Crime Solving Rate
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-26
Russian police should significantly intensify work to increase the solving rate of crimes, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday. | RELATED: | Russia to Complete Observation Flight Over Turkey | "This is one of your main tasks. The operating, investigative and all other units should concentrate efforts on it," Putin said at an annual meeting of senior officials of the Russian interior ministry. | Putin also urged the ministry to ensure the rule of law durin…
telesurenglish.net/news/Putin-Urges-Russian-Police-to-Increase-Crime-Solving-Rate-20200226-0010.html
The Pentagon's New Map: How to Know if America Is Your Enemy
Eric Zuesse | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-26
If your country is friendly toward Russia, China, or Iran, then today's American Government is probably applying subversion, economic sanctions, or maybe even planning a coup, or (if none of those will succeed) probably is war-gaming now for a possible …
globalresearch.ca/know-america-your-enemy/5704774
UN disarmament chief hopes upcoming conference will address current nuclear challenges
news.un.org | 2020-02-26
With division and distrust rife among countries that possess nuclear arsenals, the UN disarmament chief is hopeful that the issue will be addressed during an upcoming conference on the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058171
JCPOA Members Remain Committed to the Deal: Russian Official
The Iran Project | iranian.com | 2020-02-26
The Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Wednesday that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is regarded as an important part of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Mikhail Ulyanov made the remarks in tweet about the meeting of the Joint Commission of the …
iranian.com/2020/02/26/jcpoa-members-remain-committed-to-the-deal-russian-official/
'Taking a Page From His Dictator Friends Around the World': Sanders Hits Trump Over NYT Libel Lawsuit
Jon Queally, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-02-26
The 2020 Democratic frontrunner said the president is "trying to dismantle the right to a free press in the First Amendment by suing the New York Times for publishing an opinion column about his dangerous relationship with Russia." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_iowa_trump_impeachment_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/02/26/taking-page-his-dictator-friends-around-world-sanders-hits-trump-over-nyt-libel?cd-origin=rss
The Russiagate Racket targets the Bernie Sanders surge
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-25
With a familiar playbook of evidence-free, anonymously sourced red-baiting, the forces behind Russiagate try to stop Bernie Sanders' primary success….
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/the-russiagate-racket-targets-the-bernie-sanders-surge/
The Failed Russiagate Playbook Can't Stop Bernie Sanders
Aaron Maté | thenation.com | 2020-02-25
The Failed Russiagate Playbook Can't Stop Bernie Sanders…
thenation.com/article/politics/bernie-sanders-russiagate/
Trump says Russian interference 'highly exaggerated', blames Adam Schiff for leaking report
rt.com | 2020-02-25
President Donald Trump has called reports that Russia is interfering with the 2020 election "highly exaggerated," and blamed the rumor on House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff. | The specter of 'Russian interference' raised its head again last week, when the Washington Post ran an article claiming the Kremlin is interfering in the upcoming presidential election on behalf of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, with the ultimate goal of getting Trump re-elected. The story provided no specifics on what form the supposed interference took, but claimed that Sanders and Trump had both been briefed on the thr…
rt.com/usa/481645-trump-schiff-sanders-russia/
At least they'll have an off switch: Pentagon adopts 'AI Ethical Principles' for its killer robots
rt.com | 2020-02-24
As the United States looks to develop artificial intelligence weapons to keep up with Russia and China, the Pentagon has adopted a set of guidelines that it says will keep its killer androids under human control. | The Department of Defense adopted a set of "Ethical Principles for Artificial Intelligence" on Monday, following the recommendations by the Defense Innovation Board last October. | "AI technology will change much about the battlefield of the future, but nothing will change America's steadfast commitment to responsible and lawful behavior," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement. | Also on…
rt.com/usa/481586-pentagon-ai-robots-ethics/
Russiagate 3.0 drowns out Trump's reckless escalation of US-Russia nuclear arms race
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-23
Amid new fear-mongering about "Russian interference," former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter on Trump's overlooked, reckless escalation of the US-Russia…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/23/russiagate-2-0-drowns-out-trumps-reckless-escalation-of-us-russia-nuclear-arms-race/
How Bernie Sanders Will Destroy the Deep State if He Becomes President
Eric Zuesse | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-22
Joe Lauria at Consortium News headlined on February 21st, "Apparent US Intel Meddling in US Election With 'Report' Russia is Aiding Sanders", and he noted that, If the story is true and if intelligence agencies are truly committed to protecting U.S. citizens, the Sanders campaign would have been quietly informed and shown evidence to back …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/how-bernie-sanders-will-destroy-the-deep-state-if-he-becomes-president/
Iran Slams Plans to Add It to Money Laundering Blacklist
Sputnik News | iranian.com | 2020-02-21
Created in 1989 in Paris on the initiative of the Western industrial powers, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) includes the European Union, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Israel, China, Russia, and nearly three dozen other countries and entities, with its formal goal being to fight terror financing and money laundering. FATF has added …
iranian.com/2020/02/21/iran-slams-plans-to-add-it-to-money-laundering-blacklist/
Ooops: Pentagon 'Accidentally' Tells The Truth About Idlib
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-02-21
The Pentagon has in a rare moment gone off the mainstream narrative script concerning Idlib. The UK's Sky News interviewed US coalition spokesman Col. Myles Caggins as part of its coverage focusing on Syrian and Russian forces "indiscriminately" attacking civilians and "bombing hospitals"
Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-20
Russia called the situation a "worst case scenario."
Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive
DOJ Investigating Former CIA Director's Role in Russiagate
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-17
The Justice Department is investigating the role of John Brennan in the assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
US Deploys 'Mini-Nukes' in Deplorable Threat to World Peace
Strategic Culture | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-08
These so-called "mini-nukes" represent–despite the diminutive-sounding name–an increased risk of nuclear war.
Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions
Tyler Durden | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-08
Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.
Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions
Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-07
Russia accused Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians."
Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes