2020-06-22: News Headlines

Andrew Korybko (2020-06-22). US Media Propaganda Claiming that Putin Supported "Left-Wing Terrorists" globalresearch.ca Politico's scandalous "report" alleging that Putin secretly supported and even possibly organized the left-wing terrorist activities of the "Baader-Meinhof Group" during his time with the KGB in East Germany is pure propaganda which is intended to serve the purpose of …

Gareth Porter (2020-06-22). Israel leverages dubious 'Nuclear Archives' to secure new IAEA demands on Iran. thegrayzone.com The International Atomic Energy Agency has once again lent itself to the political interests of the United States and Israel,…

_____ (2020-06-22). Lawyers Press Downing Street To Publish Russia Report. truepublica.org.uk By James Ball and Isobel Koshiw: Lawyers acting for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism have written to Number 10 urging it to publish a long-overdue report by parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) into Russian interference in the UK. The report by the ISC, parliament's watchdog on intelligence matters, had been cleared for release by the …

Dr. Jacques R. Pauwels (2020-06-22). June 22, 1941: Nazi Germany Attacks the Soviet Union. globalresearch.ca War against the Soviet Union was what Hitler had wanted from the beginning. He had already made this very clear on the pages of Mein Kampf, written in the mid-1920s. Furthermore, as a German historian has recently convincingly demonstrated, it …

yenisafak (2020-06-22). Putin visits huge army church ahead of vote on extending his rule. yenisafak.com President Vladimir Putin visited a huge new Orthodox Christian cathedral dedicated to the military on Monday as Russia prepares to vote on reforms that could let him stay in power until 2036.Putin, 67, addressed hundreds of soldiers to commemorate Russia's remembrance day following a prayer ceremony led by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Orthodox Church, at the Patriot cathedral, which opened earlier this month."We have gathered here outside the walls of the main cathedral of the Russian armed forces to remember the heroes of the past with deep respect," he said.The lavishly decorated cathedral, some 55 km (34 mile…

sputniknews (2020-06-22). Netizens Enraged as Full Page Tennessee Newspaper Ad Declares 'Islam' Will 'Detonate Nuclear Device'. sputniknews.com The published ad was paid for by a religious group referring to itself as "Ministry of Future for America", who defined their mission "to proclaim the final warning message" of the Christian Bible.

RT (2020-06-21). Confusion reigns after Pussy Riot co-founder detained in Moscow – Pyotr Verzilov says he was questioned over 2019 protests. rt.com Pyotr Verzilov, a controversial Russian shock artist and co-founder of 'punk' art collectives Pussy Riot and Voina along with ex-wife Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, says police have questioned him over last year's Moscow protests. | The activist was detained at a rented apartment in the Russian capital on Sunday. Between two and 10 people forced their way into the flat and Verzilov "disappeared" afterwards, according to MediaZona — an alternative media outlet created as a spin off from Pussy Riot — which cited eyewitnesses. Footage circulating online shows the door of the flat badly damaged in the aftermath…

RT (2020-06-21). Tennessee newspaper apologizes after ad promising nuclear bomb from Islam in July based on 'Bible prophecies'. rt.com The Tennessean has found themselves in hot water on social media and apologizing following a paid advertisement in their newspaper promising Islam will drop a nuclear bomb on the city of Nashville on July 18. | "Dear citizens of Nashville," the full-page ad read. "We are under conviction to not tell you but provide evidence that on July 18, 2020, Islam is going to detonate a nuclear device in Nashville, Tennessee." | Included above the text is an image of President Donald Trump and Pope Francis with burning US flags behind them. In small print above the image is the label "paid advertisement." | The text is s…

RT (2020-06-21). 'Just blame the Russians!' Moscow's deputy UN envoy mocks Nikki Haley over blaming US unrest on Russia. rt.com The only task US officials seemingly have is finding a way of pinning the blame for literally any incident on Moscow, Russia's deputy UN envoy jokingly said as former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley did just that. | The ex-UN envoy apparently decided to jump on the bandwagon of Russia bashers and put all the blame for the massive riots gripping the US following the murder of an African American by a cop on Moscow. | Haley stated in a Twitter post that "playing up" the "allegations" of police abuse in America has been the new tactics of Russian intelligence apparently hell bent on disrupting yet another US…

RT (2020-06-21). China blame game: White House adviser says Beijing 'created' coronavirus, 'open question' whether it was deliberate. rt.com Unfazed by the lack of evidence, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro went on accusing China of creating Covid-19, possibly even purposefully, as he was grilled about the US readiness for the pandemic. | Asked by CNN's Jake Tapper what the president and his team are doing to prepare for a potential second wave of the coronavirus, Navarro quickly launched into a diatribe about China. | "China created this pandemic," he said. "They hid the virus. They created that virus. And they sent over hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens here to spread that around and around the world," he said. "Whether they did th…

_____ (2020-06-21). How We Sold Soviet Union And Czechoslovakia For Plastic Shopping Bags. popularresistance.org For months, this has been a story that I want to share with young readers in Hong Kong. Now it seems to be the really appropriate time when the ideological battle between the West and China is raging, and as a result of it, Hong Kong and the entire world is suffering. | I want to say that none of it is new, that the West already destabilized so many countries and territories, brainwashed tens of millions of young people. | I know, because in the past, I was one of them. If I weren't, it would be impossible to understand what is now happening in Hong Kong. | I was born in Leningrad, a beautiful city in the Soviet…

yenisafak (2020-06-21). 13-year-old girl killed amid gunfire at Kashmir border. yenisafak.com A 13-year-old girl was allegedly killed in Pakistani-administered Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday in an exchange of gunfire along the border with the Indian-administered side of the region, according to the Pakistani military.Amid heightened tensions between the South Asian nuclear rivals, the Pakistani Army accused Indian border forces of targeting civilians on the Pakistani side of the disputed Kashmir valley, claiming that the girl's mother and a 12-year-old boy were also injured due to "indiscriminate" fire."Indian Army Troops initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation in Hajipir and Bedori Sectors along LOC [Line…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-21). Ulyanov underscores full commitment of E3, Russia to JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) — In a tweet, Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov underlined full commitment of his country and that of E3 to JCPOA and diplomatic efforts to save it.

_____ (2020-06-21). Russia Can Play Crucial Role in Calming China-India Conflict. strategic-culture.org The timing of a Russia-India-China summit next week could not be more apt following a deadly skirmish in the disputed Himalayan region which resulted in dozens of military casualties. | The summit

_____ (2020-06-21). Nuclear Rivals Clash in the Himalayas. strategic-culture.org Eric MARGOLIS | Last week, the world's most populous nations, India and China, both nuclear armed, clashed in the high Himalayan region of Ladakh. | At least 20 Indian troops died and 12 were reportedly taken prisoner before a cease-fire went into effect. So far, there were no reports of Chinese casualties. | Ladakh is one of the world's most remote, obscure and inhospitable places, a plateau averaging 4,200 meters altitude (about 14,000 feet) with frigid temperatures, scant oxygen, little rainfall, and howling winds. This bleak moonscape has long been called 'Little Tibet' because of its semi-nomadic ethnic Tibe…

RT (2020-06-20). Drone captures LENIN's name spelled out in giant letters from trees in Siberia, a relic of Soviet land art propaganda. rt.com A Russian photographer used his drone to secure an unusual Vladimir Lenin-related photo opportunity. Not the Bolshevik revolutionary's preserved body, but rather his name written with trees by Soviet foresters, back in the day. | The pictures | This particular geoglyph was planted some…

RT (2020-06-20). 100 degrees Fahrenheit! Eastern Siberian town shatters record for hottest-ever temperature inside Arctic Circle. rt.com The small town of Verkhoyansk, home to 1,000 people in Russia's Yakutia region, broke the record on Saturday for the highest temperature ever recorded within the Arctic Circle, hitting a maximum of 38 degrees Celsius. | Verkhoyansk already

RT (2020-06-20). Head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund volunteers to test experimental Covid-19 vaccine on himself. rt.com The head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev was one of the first to step forward to get the home-grown Russian coronavirus vaccine. The injection is currently in the trial phase, human testing began just days ago. | Speaking to Moscow business daily RBK, Dmitriev "Well, for now, you see, everything is fine. I will keep you posted. A vaccine is, of course, the most important element, but…

James Holmes (2020-06-20). It Will Take More Than One B-1 Bomber Run From South Dakota to Faze Russia's Black Sea Fleet. anti-empire.com Related:
| It has become clear that the U.S. Air Force now regards itself as an implement of sea power. Its metamorphosis is a beautiful thing to behold for any Western-leaning nautical enthusiast. In recent years, land-based warbirds have trained to

Germán Gorraiz López (2020-06-20). Is Kashmir a US Trap to Confront Russia and China? globalresearch.ca The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), founded in 2001 by the Shanghai Five (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) and to which Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan were later added would be the ALBA and Iran countries hard core of resistance to world …

Kim Petersen (2020-06-20). US Military Presence Everywhere. The Arctic, the Middle East, The South China Sea, The Caribbean… globalresearch.ca Tensions in the skies. RT presented a news story of the United States intercepting a fleet of Russian bombers off the Alaskan coast. Four Russian Tu-95 bombers, accompanied by Su-35 and MiG-31 fighters jets, flew from Siberia toward Alaska where …

sputniknews (2020-06-20). Russian Nurse Gets Modeling Contract After Seen Wearing Bra & Shorts Beneath See-Through PPE. sputniknews.com The nurse noted that she wasn't wearing a swimsuit, but rather a gym top and shorts, underneath her protective clothes.

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Eight SNA soldiers martyred in YPG/PKK attack in N Syria. yenisafak.com At least eight soldiers of the Syrian National Army (SNA) were martyred in an attack carried out by the YPG/PKK terrorist group in Afrin, northwestern Syria.From Tal Rifat district, terrorists attempted to infiltrate front lines in Bassouta region in the south of Afrin province.The terrorist group continued to target Syrian National Army and civilian settlements in Afrin and Azaz provinces from Tal Rifat despite a Turkey-Russia deal that foresees their withdrawal from the region.On Oct. 9, 2019, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Russia to assess Arctic fuel spill damage by July 1. yenisafak.com Russia's environmental watchdog will finish its assessment of the damage done by last month's fuel spill in the Arctic city of Norilsk by July 1, it said on Friday.Some 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked into rivers and subsoil on May 29 in Norilsk, home to mining giant Norilsk Nickel , in an incident that Greenpeace has compared to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska.

_____ (2020-06-19). So It's OK to Erase Soviet Statues, but Not Western Imperialist Ones? strategic-culture.org Statues commemorating colonizers, slavers and imperialists are toppling from their pedestals on both sides of the Atlantic in the wake of mass protests over the U.S. police killing of African-American man George Floyd. The surge in anti-racist public anger has widened to target other icons seen as glorifying racism and oppression of other peoples. | In recent days, the U.S. has seen

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-06-19). Russia Denies that Putin Tried to Block UN Security Council Recognition of Palestine. imemc.org Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, denied that President Vladimir Putin had blocked a 2016 UN Security Council's resolution that recognizes Palestinian statehood on the 1967 border lines. Zakharov's remarks came during a press briefing on Wednesday, in which she responded to claims by an Israeli online newspaper, Israel …

Conn Hallinan (2020-06-19). Tipping the Nuclear Dominos. counterpunch.org If the Trump administration follows through on its threat to re-start nuclear tests, it will complete the unraveling of more than 50 years of arms control agreements, taking the world back to the days when school children practiced "duck and cover," and people built backyard bomb shelters.

bne IntelliNews (2020-06-19). Russian Deputies Introduce Bill to Un-Ban the Excellent Telegram Messaging App. anti-empire.com Russian Duma deputies from the minority fraction Fair Russia have conceded defeat to reality and have introduced a bill to un-ban the popular messaging service Telegram that belongs to Russian tech whizz-kid Pavel Durov. | Three deputies — Fedot Tumusov, Dmitry Ionin and Alexander Terentyev — have submitted a draft bill to the Duma to terminate the attempts to outlaw Telegram. | The company and the Kremlin clashed after the widely used service refused a request by the Federal Security Service (FSB) to hand over digital keys so the security forces could eavesdrop on conversations on the service. | Tele…

RT (2020-06-19). Hands off, Uncle Sam! Omsk official believes constitutional amendments will give Russia back status of Soviet era. rt.com If proposed changes to the constitution are adopted next week, Russians will take back control of their country from the Americans. That's according to the Governor of the Omsk region, who believes Russia is ruled by US law. | Read more | | In Alexander Burkov's opinion, the world's largest country is currently dominated by "Uncle Sam." But that could all change with the passage of the new amendments. | "Whe…

RT (2020-06-19). 'Destructive course': US seeks space superiority by making up threats — Russian Foreign Ministry. rt.com Washington's Defense Space Strategy is provoking an arms race in outer space and threatening international security while trying to blame a nonexistent Moscow threat, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has said. | "To justify the implementation of this destructive course, which provokes an arms race in outer space and destabilizes the international security situation, Washington has resorted to the usual tactics of blaming others," the MFA said in a In…

RT (2020-06-19). 'Adverse consequences': UK, France & Germany warn against further US sanctions on Iran, but want weapons embargo to remain. rt.com Britain, France and Germany have jointly warned against the US imposing further sanctions on Iran, saying it would have "adverse consequences" at UN level, though they agree an embargo on arms sales should remain in place. | "We firmly believe that any unilateral attempt to trigger UN sanctions snapback would have serious adverse consequences in the UN Security Council," their joint statement read; it was released following a meeting between the nations in Berlin. | They also said sanctions against Iran would be "incompatible" with the Iran nuclear deal, which the nations are looking to "preserve." They say th…

ahtribune (2020-06-19). Foreign Troops: What Is Too Close for Comfort? ahtribune.com Tensions in the skies. RT presented a news story of the United States intercepting a fleet of Russian bombers off the Alaskan coast. Four Russian Tu-95 bombers, accompanied by Su-35 and MiG-31 fighters jets, flew from Siberia toward Alaska where they were shadowed by US F-22 fighters. The US and NORAD admitted that the Russian planes stayed in international airspace and did not enter American sovereign airspace. | http: //youtu.be/jmqgpkixULo | Siberia and Alaska are close. At its narrowest point the Bering Strait separates Russia and the US by only 88.5 km (55 mi), so it wouldn't take long upon leaving one coa…

Ben Aris (2020-06-19). Economic Ministry Forecasts Russia Won't Climb Back to Pre-Lockdown Levels Until Late 2022. anti-empire.com Russia's Ministry of Economy has released a fresh forecast for 2019-2022. The ministry said there will be no V-shaped recovery: after a 5% plunge in 2020, real GDP will only recover starting in mid-2022. The Ministry of Economy predicts GDP growth of 2.8% in 2021 and 3% in 2022. | The Urals price stays below the base budget price of $42, at which point the Russian budget breaks even. Urals will average $31.1 per barrel this year, rising to $35.4 in 2021 and only in 2022 will it return to the breakeven price of $42.2 when Russia Inc. goes back into profit. | That means the Ministry of Finance will rely on the Nati…

_____ (2020-06-19). Defending History or Double Standard? strategic-culture.org There is no equivalence between Western imperialists, colonizers and racists and Soviet war heroes. But there is a clear double standard in how demolishing the latter statues is somehow acceptable to Western governments. Because it fits a geopolitical agenda of rewriting the history of World War II to demean Russia. | (Click the image to enlarge)…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). EU extends sanctions on Russia: Merkel. yenisafak.com EU leaders have agreed to extend diplomatic and economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday. | Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, after a videoconference meeting of EU leaders, Merkel criticized Russia for not taking sufficient steps to implement the 2015 Minsk agreement, aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. | "In today's European Council meeting we decided to extend these sanctions for another six months," Merkel said. | The sanctions were first imposed in 2014 in response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and were later expand…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Russia comes out of pandemic with minimal loss: Putin. yenisafak.com Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia is coming out of the coronavirus pandemic "with minimal losses".At the same time, a lot of problems related to the pandemic remain on the agenda, Putin said at a video-conference with the country's government members."The most important thing is that this situation [of pandemic] united us all, this is a fact, and it allowed us to get out of this situation with minimal losses," he said.He recalled there are some regions where the daily growth in COVID-19 cases is still high."We are now talking about positive trends and positive examples. But we must not f…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Two wanted Daesh terrorists caught in SE Turkey. yenisafak.com Two women, both Russian citizens, who were wanted by Interpol for being members of the Daesh terrorist group, were arrested in Turkey's southeast in a joint operation by Turkish security and intelligence units on Friday.After being tipped off that a group of terrorists from Syria's war zones were entering Turkey illegally, an operation was conducted in coordination with the prosecutor's office in Kilis province.In the joint operation by police and the National Intelligence Organization, two women were apprehended in the central district of Kilis.The suspects were identified by the initials S.K (29) and R.E. (33),…

sputniknews (2020-06-19). Putin WWII Article in US Magazine Expected to Provoke Robust Reactions, Editor Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin's article on World War II published in a major US foreign policy magazine this week is expected to spark fresh debate and robust responses from Western audiences, the publication's editor, Jacob Heilbrunn said on Friday.

sputniknews (2020-06-19). Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif Urges E3 to 'State Publicly What They Admit Privately'. sputniknews.com The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a treaty covering Iran's nuclear program, included seven countries and was signed in 2015, envisaging Tehran curbing its nuclear research programs in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. However, the decision by the Trump administration to leave the agreement in 2018 put the plan at risk.

Conn Hallinan (2020-06-18). Trump threatens to re-start nuclear weapons tests, undoing 50 years of agreements. peoplesworld.org If the Trump administration follows through on its threat to restart nuclear tests, it will complete the unraveling of more than 50 years of arms control agreements, taking the world back to the days when school children practiced "duck and cover" and people built backyard bomb shelters. It will certainly be the death knell for the Comprehensive …

RT (2020-06-18). Putin: 75 years after WW2, new global crisis calls for victorious anti-Nazi coalition to work together again. rt.com In 1945, they defeated Adolf Hitler and Imperial Japan. Now, 75 years on, Vladimir Putin believes that the present global health and economic emergency requires the Second World War allies to unite once more. | In a lengthy op-ed, published in American foreign policy journal 'The National Interest' and Russian government newspaper 'Rossiyskaya Gazeta,' the Russian president discusses the reasons behind the rise of the Nazis. He also outlines the benefits of…

RT (2020-06-18). Serbia will reject EU membership without some yield on Kosovo deal, Vucic says, as he meets Lavrov. rt.com President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday he would reject European Union membership for Serbia if it does not receive concessions in return for recognizing Kosovo and dropping attempts to stop it joining the UN. | No resolution of Serbia's future relationship with its breakaway province will be possible without Moscow's consent, Vucic said after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Belgrade, according to Reuters. | "In reply to a possible offer [to Serbia] to recognize Kosovo and that Kosovo enters the UN, and we receive nothing in return, except EU membership, our answer would be 'No,'" Vucic s…

WSWS (2020-06-18). Moscow court sentences ex-US Marine to 16 years for espionage. wsws.org The case of Paul Whelan, which has unfolded against the background of heightened military tensions between the US and Russia and a hysterical anti-Russia campaign in the US media, is extremely murky.

yenisafak (2020-06-18). Russia revises sharply higher coronavirus death toll among medics. yenisafak.com Russia has revised steeply higher, to nearly 500, the number of medical workers who have died after contracting COVID-19, illustrating the severe toll the pandemic has taken on its frontline doctors and nurses.The Health Ministry had reported on May 26 that 101 medics had died from the coronavirus, a figure that was much lower than an unofficial tally of 444 deceased medical workers compiled online by Russian doctors.Alla Samoylova, the head of a Russian healthcare watchdog, updated the official figure on Thursday to 489, the TASS news agency reported, some 6.4% of the overall nationwide death toll.Russia, which…