2020-06-28: News Headlines

Terry Everton (2020-06-28). How Racism Gets Taught and Misrepresented in Our Schools. dissidentvoice.org The not-so-subtle purpose of compulsory schooling is to ensure a populace subservient to the status quo which primarily serves the ruling class. What we call education is derived from a Prussian model designed to reward individuals based on how well they stay in line and do as they're told through the process of grading. It's …

yenisafak (2020-06-28). Trump denies being told about Russian bounties to kill US troops in Afghanistan. yenisafak.com The White House on Saturday also denied that Trump was briefed on U.S. intelligence regarding the affair but it did not address the merits of the intelligence. The Director of National Intelligence also said Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were not briefed, and called the Times report inaccurate."Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an 'anonymous source' by the Fake News @nytimes. Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us," Trump tweeted, calling on the newspaper to…

yenisafak (2020-06-28). Global coronavirus cases top 10 million. yenisafak.com Global coronavirus cases have exceeded 10 million on Sunday, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University.The worldwide tally of virus-linked deaths has reached 499,124, while the number of recoveries tops five million.The US remains the worst-hit country with over 2.5 million infections, while its death toll exceeds 125,500.Brazil, which has the largest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Latin America, has the second-highest number of infections worldwide with 1.31 million.Russia, India, Italy, Spain and the UK are also among the hardest-hit countries in the world.China, the ground zero…

RT (2020-06-27). Shush! Russia's leading design studio used AI 'employee' for making customer logos for months… and NOBODY noticed. rt.com Why make something yourself when you can get a bot to do it? A Russian art design studio has been using an AI neural network to create logos for more than a year — all the while keeping its customers in the dark.

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-06-27). Mentally Replace Everything Before "U.S. Intelligence Says" With "Blah Blah We're Probably Lying" thealtworld.com "Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill Troops, U.S. Intelligence Says", blares the To be clear, this is journalistic malpractice. Mainstream media outlets which publish anonymous intelligence claims with no proof are just publishi…

news.un (2020-06-27). FROM THE FIELD: 'Major breakthrough' in fight against diseases spread by mosquitos. news.un.org The UN nuclear agency (IAEA) has announced a major breakthrough in the bid to scale up technology designed to suppress disease-carrying mosquitos, and bring dengue, yellow fever and Zika under control.

yenisafak (2020-06-27). EU holds off decision on borders, Americans set to be excluded. yenisafak.com European Union countries failed to settle on Friday on a final "safe list" of countries whose residents could travel to the bloc from July, with the United States, Brazil and Russia set to be excluded.Ambassadors from the 27 EU members convened from Friday afternoon to establish criteria for granting quarantine-free access from next Wednesday.A redrawn text of 10-20 countries was put to them, but many said they needed to consult first with their governments, diplomats said. The list did not include the United States, Brazil or Russia, one diplomat said.Discussions were continuing overnight, with the EU countries…

yenisafak (2020-06-27). 'Existing tensions surfacing in new China-India row'. yenisafak.com The recent clashes between China and India are a manifestation of long-standing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, according to an expert on South Asian geopolitics."The Himalayan border problem between Pakistan, India, and China is not a new issue — it goes back at least 70 years," Umit Alperen, a researcher and professor, said in an online discussion with Cemal Demir, head of the Istanbul-based South Asia Strategic Research Center (GASAM).China and India's military clash can be seen as the surfacing of a tension that has been there for some time, and an escalation accelerated by domestic, r…

_____ (2020-06-26). The 'New' American Mercenary: A Pocket History. popularresistance.org Though the bizarre story has been subsumed by other events, last month's aborted invasion of Venezuela should've hardly shocked anyone. The United States has long used mercenaries to do its bidding. They have provided Washington distance and deniability for unsavory operations. During the Cold War, the U.S. hoped this would limit domestic and international protest. Policymakers also discerned mercenary alternatives to bloody, expensive quagmires like the Vietnam or Iraq Wars. Traditionally, most of these hired guns were foreigners — ex-soldiers of declining European empires. | Much of this parallels the lat…

RT (2020-06-26). 8,000km from home: WATCH Russian Su-30 intercept US spy planes over Black Sea. rt.com The Russian military has published video footage showing the moment a Su-30 fighter jet intercepted a group of US spy planes over the Black Sea on Friday. | The Aerospace Force scrambled a Su-30 to escort three American planes away from the nation's southern border, Russia's Ministry of Defence said in a statement to the media, adding that the incident unfolded over neutral waters. | The American planes were identified as a R-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft, an RC-135 strategic reconnaissance jet, and a KC-135 refueling plane. The group immediately changed the direction of its flight away from the Russian borde…

_____ (2020-06-26). In Support of President Putin's History of World War II. strategic-culture.org On 19 June President Vladimir Putin published

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-06-26). Eastern Partnership of Post-Soviet States Gives Members False Illusions of Joining the EU. globalresearch.ca The

Finian Cunningham (2020-06-26). Taking the PiS… Trump Embraces Poland to Spite Germany and Russia. thealtworld.com Trump is pandering to Polish reactionary politics to offend both Germany and Russia. But this president doesn't have a clue about the monster of reactionary forces in Poland that he is fomenting. | President Trump laid out his rationale while hosting his Polish counterpart at the White House. President Andrzej Duda who is allied with the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) was on his third visit to the White House this week since Donald Trump took office. He is the first foreign leader to be received in Pennsylvania Avenue since the pandemic lockdown. | For such an honor, Trump readily explained that the purpose o…

Telesur (2020-06-26). Iran Sets Conditions to Resume Negotiations with the US. globalresearch.ca Iran's President Hassan Rouhani announced Wednesday that Tehran will negotiate with Washington only within the framework of the nuclear agreement and under the condition that the U.S. side pays compensation to the Middle East country for the damage caused. | "We …

Owen Webster (2020-06-26). Defunding Police Must Be Paired With Demilitarization and Denuclearization. commondreams.org Now more than ever, we need to divert funding from programs that threaten to push us closer to the brink of nuclear war. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nomoremurder.jpg

yenisafak (2020-06-26). Russia to build four new nuclear power units. yenisafak.com Preparations are underway in Russia to build four new power reactors, two in Leningrad and two in Smolensk, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom announced on Friday.Rosatom Director-General Alexey Likhachev signed the agreement for the new generation VVER-1200 and VVER-TOI reactors, which are based on VVER technology developed by Rosatom, that Lihachev said "meets all current international safety requirements."The reactors are included in the country's scheme of electricity facility placement up to 2035, which was approved by the Russian government.Rosenergoatom, part of Rosatom, will be both the d…

yenisafak (2020-06-26). Turkey's oil imports down 18.1% in April 2020. yenisafak.com Turkey's total oil imports dropped by 18.1% to 2.93 million tonnes in April this year compared to the same month last year, according to data of Turkey's energy watchdog on Friday.Crude oil imports, the category with the highest oil import volume, decreased by 1.1% during that period down to 2.35 million tonnes, Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) said in its monthly oil market report.In April 2020, Turkey imported the highest amount of crude from Iraq at 1.46 million tonnes. Russia and Norway followed with 513,253 tonnes and 273,093 tonnes, respectively.Oil refinery product output decreased by 9.4…

_____ (2020-06-26). Flagging U.S. Credibility at Vienna Arms Control Talks. strategic-culture.org A puerile propaganda stunt pulled by U.S. negotiators in Vienna this week ahead of talks with Russian counterparts was both at insult to China and a reprehensible distraction from credible bilateral business with Moscow on the vital issue of strategic security. | Ahead of talks with Russian delegates, the Americans took a stealthy photo of the venue U.S. envoy Marshall Billingslea then tried to twitter-shame China by decl…

RT (2020-06-25). Democrats seethe as Trump calls them 'more unreasonable' than North Korea, China or Russia. rt.com US President Donald Trump paid the opposition Democrats a backhanded compliment, saying in a speech that they were tougher to deal with and "far more unreasonable" than the governments of North Korea, China or Russia. | The Democrats in the USA are much tougher to deal with than any of these people that we deal with. They're far more unreasonable. And actually, they're a little crazy. | Trump made the comment as part of an anecdote during an address at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin on Friday, prompting the DNC war room to accuse him of having "no idea what it means to be president" and daring t…

RT (2020-06-25). Russia says Poland should be aware of costs if it wants to obtain status of 'frontline state'. rt.com Poland should be aware of the costs of obtaining the status of a 'frontline state', including implications for its own security, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko said on Thursday. He was commenting on the US plans to relocate its forces from Germany to Poland. | "If Warsaw wishes to intentionally position itself in the capacity of a frontline state by accommodating foreign forces on a permanent basis, it is apparently aware of all related costs, including those that concern its own security," Grushko told TASS. | Speaking with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Wednesday, President Donald…

RT (2020-06-25). US Embassy in Moscow flies rainbow flag to honor Pride flag day. rt.com The US Embassy in Moscow is flying the rainbow pride flag alongside the country's famous Stars and Stripes as a show of support for the LGBT community. | The move comes as Russians begin to head to the polls to vote on proposed constitutional amendments, including the definition of marriage as a union between a man and woman. | "LGBTI rights are human rights. Human rights are universal," said the caption on the embassy's Instagram page. "Pride Month is designed to emphasize that everyone deserves to live a life free of hate, prejudice, and persecution." | In the USA, LGBT Pride Month occurs in June, on the…

RT (2020-06-25). Son of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev died of gunshot wound to the head — US police. rt.com Sergey Khrushchev's cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, US police said. The 84-year-old son of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev passed away at his Rhode Island home last week. | "There were no immediate signs of outside foul play," Major Todd Patalano of the Cranston Police Department said. He didn't elaborate as to whether the death was being treated as an accident or a suicide, simply stating that the investigation was closed. | The gunshot wound was revealed by Joseph Wendelken, spokesman for the Rhode Island state medical examiner's office, the AP news agency reported. | However, the younger Khr…

The Canary (2020-06-25). Russians begin voting on changes allowing Putin to stay in power until 2036. thecanary.co Polls have opened in Russia for a week-long vote on constitutional changes that would allow president Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036.The vote on a range of constitutional amendments, proposed by Putin in January, was initially scheduled for 22 April but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.It was later rescheduled for 1 July, with polling stations opening a week earlier and staying open for seven days in an effort to avoid crowds on the main voting day.The proposed amendments include a change in the constitution that would allow 67-year-old Putin, who has ruled Russia for over two decades…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-06-25). Trump Admitted Relocation of American Soldiers to Poland Is Aimed Against Russia. globalresearch.ca It appears that despite achieving so-called independence from the Soviet Union and joining the EU and NATO in 2004, Lithuania does not have full sovereignty. In yesterday's negotiations with US President Donald Trump, the interests of Vilnius were not …

Scott Ritter (2020-06-25). Trump claims the redeployment of US troops from Germany to Poland is a 'signal' to Russia. But is it just a tempest in a teapot? thealtworld.com President Trump has announced that thousands of US troops will be redeployed to Poland as part of …

Muhammed Shabeer (2020-06-25). "Referendum in Russia exposes the sham of bourgeois democracy" peoplesdispatch.org Roman Kononenko from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation talks about the ongoing referendum in Russia on the constitutional reforms proposed by president Vladimir Putin. He also talks about how the country handled the COVID-19 pandemic…

WSWS (2020-06-25). Beset by crisis, Kremlin holds "victory parade" wsws.org The parade and the reopening of the economy have been timed to precede by one week the national referendum on constitutional changes proposed by Putin earlier this year.

yenisafak (2020-06-25). Public vote on constitutional changes in Russia begins. yenisafak.com Russians Thursday have started to vote on the constitutional changes that will allow the incumbent president to serve two more terms in office.The vote will last from June 25 to July 1 to avoid mass gatherings at the polls, associated with risks of the coronavirus spreading, the country's Central Election Commission (CEC) explained in a statement.The polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time (0500-1700GMT). The precinct election commissions issued recommendations for the residents of each house in their districts, indicating the best time for casting ballot to better organize the voter turnout.Ho…

yenisafak (2020-06-25). Turkey says Libya's GNA demands Haftar withdraw from Sirte, Jufra. yenisafak.com Libya's internationally recognised government demands that Khalifa Haftar's forces withdraw from the coastal city of Sirte and Jufra region as pre-conditions for ceasefire talks, Turkey said on Thursday.With Turkish military support, the Government of National Accord (GNA) has reversed a 14-month offensive on Tripoli by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), which is backed by Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told broadcaster CNN Turk that the United States, which Turkey has urged to take a more active role in Libya, was reluctant to play a "decisive role" in t…

sputniknews (2020-06-25). Bolton's Book Has 'Misleading and Manipulative Presentations' of Erdogan-Trump Talks, Ankara Says. sputniknews.com In his memoir published on 23 June, John Bolton claimed that US President Donald Trump was manipulated and easily influenced by the leaders of China, Russia, Turkey, and North Korea.

sputniknews (2020-06-25). India Urges Russia to Deliver Igla-S Missile System ASAP Amid Border Tensions, Media Claims. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Media outlets earlier reported that Indian authorities have decided to "pressure" Russia into expediting the delivery of its S-400 air defence missile system to New Delhi amid the latter's ongoing border face-off with China.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-25). Iran expresses concern about violation of CTBT by US, France. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 25 (MNA) — Addressing the 54th session of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission in Vienna on Thursday, Iran's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Kazem Gharibabadi reiterated Iran's support for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and expressed worry about violation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) by the US and France.

_____ (2020-06-25). Dutch Government Outright Lies about MH17, to Blame Russia. strategic-culture.org Eric ZUESSE | 1. The page 84, (under 2.13.2 "Crew autopsy") that "First Officer Team A … During the body scan of the First Officer's body, over 120 objects (mostly metal fragments) were detected. The majority of the fragments were found in left side of the upper torso." Then, it reported, on | page 85 (under 2.13.3) "the First Off…

The Canary (2020-06-24). As the UK heads into a heatwave Siberia is going off the charts. thecanary.co Scientists have expressed concerns about the implications for the rest of the world after a heatwave in Russia's Siberia region.On Saturday, the thermometer hit a likely record of 38C — or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit — in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk in Russia's Sakha Republic.The World Meteorological Organisation said it is looking to verify the temperature reading, which would be a record for the region north of the Arctic Circle.The increasing temperatures in Siberia have been linked to wildfires that grow bigger and more severe every year, as well as the thawing of the permafrost.Scientists are ala…

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-06-24). The Anti-American Universities Are a Much Greater Threat to Us than Putin and China. thealtworld.com This is an introduction to a letter written by a black American professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He says that the University no longer serves scholarship and has become a servant to the Democratic Party and Black Lives Matter. He says that the university is akin to a suppressive regime that crushes real diversity and exiles free debate. At the end of his letter, he damns the University of California regents and the Berkely history department for eulogizing George Floyd, a depraved, drug-ridden thug "who hurt women. A man who hurt black women. With the full collaboration of the UCB history depa…

Stansfield Smith (2020-06-24). The Wasp Network Highlights Our Lack of Freedom to Tell the Truth on the Cuban Five Case. dissidentvoice.org The film Wasp Network, based on the book The Last Soldiers of the Cold War, The Story of the Cuban Five by Fernando Morais, is a co-production between France, Spain, Belgium and Brazil. It was shown in Cuba last December, soon after it came out. You can now watch it on Netflix. It is not a …

yenisafak (2020-06-24). Russia displays military might to mark WW II victory. yenisafak.com Some 14,000 troops from 13 countries as well as vintage and the latest state-of-art military hardware marched along the Red Square in Moscow on Wednesday to mark the 75th anniversary of its victory in World War II.The parade, which highlighted Russia's fighting capabilities were also held in 28 other cities under the shadow of coronavirus pandemic. The parade was also marked by a colorful fly-past by fighter aircrafts.Russia showed its military might by displaying the latest stealth fighter jet Su-57 with hypersonic Kinzhal complexes, Ka-52 helicopters, and Armata tanks.Originally, the parade was scheduled to tak…

sputniknews (2020-06-24). First COVID-19 Case Registered at Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. sputniknews.com In mid-March, Ukraine introduced a nationwide quarantine for a month and subsequently extended it several times. The Ukrainian government decided to relax coronavirus-related restrictions starting 11 May.