2020-07-10: News Headlines

yenisafak (2020-07-10). Putin, Russian Security Council discuss Libyan crisis. yenisafak.com "The situation in Libya was discussed with an emphasis on the absence of alternative to a peaceful settlement in this country," the Kremlin said in a statement on its official website following the meeting.Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to the military offensive by warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces.The UN recognizes the Libyan government headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj as the country's legitimate authority.

Melvin Goodman (2020-07-10). The Washington Post and Its Cold War Drums. counterpunch.org The Washington Post has taken its Cold War campaign against China, Russia, and Iran to a new level. In the Sunday edition of its Outlook section,…

Anand Naidoo (2020-07-10). The Heat: U.S.-Russia ties. america.cgtn.com The Russia factor. How will relations between United States and Russia fare in an all-important election year?>

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-07-10). "I Could Live With That": How the CIA Made Afghanistan Safe for the Opium Trade. counterpunch.org Jimmy Carter later confessed in his memoirs that he was more shaken by the invasion of Afghanistan than any other event of his presidency, including the Iranian revolution. Carter was convinced by the CIA that it could be the start of a push by the Soviets toward the Persian Gulf, a scenario that led the president to seriously consider the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich (2020-07-10). JCPOA: The Iran Nuclear Deal that Wasn't. globalresearch.ca July 14th, 2020, marks the fifth anniversary of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Agreement, often referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal (or simply the Deal) — the Deal that wasn't. It was yet another attempt …

Scott Ritter (2020-07-10). Iran explosions: Did Israel and the US just start a cyber war? thealtworld.com Explosions rocked a pair of Iranian factories involved in the manufacture of centrifuges for its nuclear program, and the development of advanced ballistic missiles. Iran suspects a cyberattack by either the US, Israel or both. | A series of

Elijah Magnier (2020-07-10). Iran prepares retaliation for Israeli acts of sabotage. thealtworld.com Iran has postponed announcement of those it has concluded were responsible for the sabotage at the Natanz nuclear centrifuge facility and probably other sites. However, high ranking personnel in Tehran say that "investigations have concluded and the latest explosions may well have been related; indications are that Israel, plus another Middle Eastern country, are involved. Iran is studying its suitable and inevitable retaliation". | According to the source, "this has been confirmed beyond any doubt as an act of sabotage. The explosion at Natanz was destructive but security forces managed to thwart further attacks…

_____ (2020-07-10). A New Tonkin Gulf Incident In The Making? popularresistance.org While the American public, the media, and Congress have largely been focused on the Covid pandemic, demands for racial justice, and other domestic concerns in recent months, the US military has been mobilizing all of its capabilities for a massive show of force in waters abutting China. Every Pacific-based US submarine is now deployed in the area; two nuclear-powered carriers and their escort ships are conducting naval maneuvers there; the Air Force has sent B-1 bombers overhead; and the Army is practicing to seize Chinese-claimed islands. | In the most provocative of these efforts, the carriers Nimitz and Ronald…

yenisafak (2020-07-10). Russia warns of growing nuclear war threat. yenisafak.com The risk of a nuclear war has risen significantly in recent years because of the US unwillingness to reaffirm its impossibility, the Russian foreign minister said on Friday."We are particularly concerned about the two-year-old refusal of the Americans to reassert the fundamental principle,…

yenisafak (2020-07-10). Dutch government to file suit against Russia over downing of MH17. yenisafak.com The Dutch government on Friday said it would file a suit against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over the downing of Malaysia Airlines passenger flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine six years ago.The Netherlands, home to roughly two-thirds of the victims, holds Russia responsible for the crash on July 17, 2014. The Kremlin has consistently denied involvement.A letter to parliament said the Netherlands was filing the case at the European court to achieve "truth, justice and accountability" for all 298 victims.

_____ (2020-07-10). VIDEO: Is Russia European? strategic-culture.org Is Russia a part of Europe? According to the map its origins definitely lay in Europe. But it sees itself unique | civilization with influence beyond its current constricted borders. Watch the video and read more in the

_____ (2020-07-10). China's Reasonable Proposal for Arms Control and Washington's Duplicity. strategic-culture.org China underscored this week that it is willing to engage in negotiations with the U.S. to reduce nuclear arsenals and to underpin strategic stability. However, the offer comes with the caveat that Washington must first reduce its arsenal to the level of China's before Beijing will engage in such talks. | That is an eminently reasonable and logical proposal. The starting point is to look at the existing balance of forces. While the U.S. and Russia each possess about 6,000 nuclear warheads, China's arsenal is

Daniel Falcone (2020-07-09). Cold War with China and the Thucydides Trap: a Conversation with Richard Falk. counterpunch.org Should there be a Second Cold War an alleged US concern for human rights would indeed become another ongoing tool of propaganda. In this interview, International Relations scholar Richard Falk breaks down the grave dangers and prospects for a New Cold with China. Falk worries that tensions and rivalries both regionally and economically could result

Gary Leupp (2020-07-09). "Pinning Down Putin" Biden, the Democrats and the Next War. counterpunch.org The latest Foreign Affairs features a piece by former Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, "Pinning Down Putin: How a Confidant America Should Deal With Russia." A protege of former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton, she is a notorious "liberal interventionist," married to neocon pundit Robert Kagan. She is perhaps best known

Peter Koenig (2020-07-09). Russia did it Again: Chasing the Bounty Hunters. dissidentvoice.org Russia did it again. This time it's paying to kill Americans. How criminal! Such things only Americans would do — Washington, the Pentagon, CIA…. Because killing and have killed is in their mindset and bloodstream. That's what criminals do: They project their own crimes onto others. The latest NYT reporting is, "It's not the Taliban …

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-09). As Long As Mass Media Propaganda Exists, Democracy Is A Sham. thealtworld.com "A majority of Americans believe that Russia paid the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan last year amid negotiations to end the war, and more than half want to respond with new economic sanctions against Moscow, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday," "Overall, 60% of Americans said they found reports of Russian bounties on American soldiers to be 'very' or 'somewhat' believable, while 21% said they were not credible and the rest were unsure," says Reut…

_____ (2020-07-09). The Latest 'Russiagate' Bombshell Took One Week To Be Exposed As Dud. popularresistance.org Within just one week the recent attempt to revive 'Russiagate' has failed. It was an embarrassing failure for the media who pushed it. Their 'journalists' fell for obvious nonsense. They let their sources abuse them for political purposes. | On June 27 the New York Times and the Washington Post published stories which claimed that Trump was informed about alleged Russian bounty payments to the Taliban for killing U.S. soldiers and did nothing about it: | A Russian military spy unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to attack coalition forces in Afghanistan, including U.S. and British troops, in a strik…

sputniknews (2020-07-09). General Milley Tells US Congressional Panel No Evidence of Russian Bounties in Afghanistan. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States has no direct evidence of the alleged Russian bounties offered to Taliban* militants to kill US soldiers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said in congressional testimony.

_____ (2020-07-09). Israel's Attacks On Iran's Nuclear Sites Signal A New Phase Of Conflict. popularresistance.org Over the past week, mysterious explosions and fires have wracked key infrastructure connected to Iran's nuclear programme at Natanz and Parchin, key facilities engaged in uranium enrichment and the production of rocket fuel for ballistic missiles. | The US and Israel have accused Iran of violating UN resolutions and the nuclear deal in testing new ballistic-missile technology. Although Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly denied any intent to create nuclear weapons, even going so far as to issue a fatwa against it, Iran's enemies are convinced it plans to "go nuclear". | The recent attacks…

sputniknews (2020-07-09). Russia Submits Draft UNSC Measure to Deliver Syria Aid Via 1 Crossing for 1 Year – Envoy. sputniknews.com UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – Russia has introduced another UN Security Council draft resolution that seeks to authorise the cross-border humanitarian aid delivery mechanism in northwestern Syria from Turkey through one crossing for a year, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said in a statement.

sputniknews (2020-07-09). Militants Shell Settlements in Syria's Latakia, Aleppo, Idlib Provinces, Russian Military Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* terrorist group shelled settlements in the Syrian provinces of Idlib, Aleppo and Latakia, the head of the Russian centre for Syrian reconciliation, Rear Admiral Alexander Shcherbitsky, said during a press briefing on Thursday.

_____ (2020-07-08). Is China the New Indispensable Nation? strategic-culture.org Usually when there are protests, however minor, happening in a nation that has run afoul of the United States the "International Community" and "Human Rights Activists" rally to push for regime change. However, now that there are mass protests exploding over the United States these types of voices are completely silent. American police are free to destroy CHAZ and other camps however they see fit. This is the power of America, however this time around there sure are a lot of red flags and Communist sentiments in the mouths of the protestors. If we were still in the Cold War the Soviet Union would have been instan…

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-08). Patriotism Is Bullshit, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com It is 2021. The Biden administration has launched a full-scale invasion of Syria and the US and Russia are at a nuclear standoff unseen since the Cuban missile crisis. All top Twitter trends relate to the widespread debate over whether or not Sesame Street is guilty of kink shaming. | ~ | A vote for Kanye is a vote for Trump. | A vote for the Green Party is a vote for Trump. | A vote for no one is a vote for Trump. | A vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Trump. | Everything is a vote for Trump. | Everything is Trump. | You are Trump. | I am Trump. | Trump is all there is. | There is no escape. | ~ | Leaving aside th…

Gareth Porter (2020-07-08). How the Pentagon failed to sell Afghan government's bunk 'Bountygate' story to US intelligence agencies. thegrayzone.com Another New York Times Russiagate bombshell turns out to be a dud, as dodgy stories spun out by Afghan intelligence…

RT (2020-07-08). UN Syria commission never went to Idlib, obsessed with blaming Damascus — Lavrov. rt.com The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria relied on unverifiable third-hand sources and is obsessed with blaming Damascus, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after the Syrian government was accused of 'war crimes' in Idlib. | "This so-called independent commission uses facts drawn from social networks and from some sources that have asked to remain anonymous, citing security concerns," Lavrov said on Wednesday. He was commenting on the findings of three UN officials, who never bothered actually visiting the war-torn province. | While the Russian Foreign Ministry seeks to address the Syrian conflict, or an…

Melvin Goodman (2020-07-08). Afghanistan: What is to be Done? counterpunch.org The mainstream media is asking the wrong questions regarding the possibility of Russian bounties for American soldiers. Over and over, they ponder what did the president know and when did he know it? These were important questions that Senator Howard Baker asked of President Nixon during Watergate, but they are meaningless questions for Donald Trump, given his ignorance and indifference.

RT (2020-07-08). Hero to zero? Former Communist presidential candidate Grudinin may go bankrupt after $15 million judgement. rt.com Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party candidate in the 2018 Russian presidential election, may be facing bankruptcy after the Tenth Arbitration Court of Appeal upheld a decision against him for 1.066 billion rubles ($15 million). | Grudinin called the judgement "dangerous," as he does not have the money to pay. | The former Communist political candidate is the director of Lenin State Farm, a 2,000-hectare sprawl of fields growing fruits and vegetables on the outskirts of Moscow. His farming enterprise has enabled him to become a millionaire. | Grudinin's potential bankruptcy comes as the result of attacks from m…

RT (2020-07-08). Christopher Steele to pay damages to Russian bankers for 'inaccurate and misleading' claims in his infamous dossier. rt.com A London judge has ordered former British spy Christopher Steele to pay thousands of pounds in damages for not verifying the claims he included in his scandalous Russian dossier, which alleged Donald Trump's ties with Moscow. | Steele was taken to court by Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, Russian bankers from Alfa Group, who contested one of the key allegations in the paper — that they were responsible for delivering "large amounts of illicit cash" to President Vladimir Putin in the 1990s. | Justice Mark Warby of the High Court of England and Wales ruled on Wednesday that Steele's claim against Fridman and…

RT (2020-07-08). Russia & Turkey working on ways to achieve truce in Libya, despite Tripoli's unwillingness to stop fighting — Lavrov. rt.com Moscow and Ankara are discussing ways to reach a ceasefire in Libya, but one of the warring sides — the GNA in Tripoli — is not on board, instead it's counting on winning militarily, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. | Lavrov noted that the other side, Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) "is ready to sign a document on the immediate cessation of hostilities." | Libya remains divided since NATO's bombing campaign in 2011 led to the overthrow of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, and the devastation of the once prosperous North African state. | The fighting between the GNA, backed by…

Philip Giraldi (2020-07-08). Russia-Baiting Is the Only Game in Town. globalresearch.ca There is particular danger at the moment that powerful political alignments in the United States are pushing strongly to exacerbate the developing crisis with Russia. | The New York Times, which broke the story that the Kremlin had been paying the …

Eric Zuesse (2020-07-08). Were the Skripals Secretly Executed by Britain's Government? dissidentvoice.org Where are Sergei and Yulia Skripal? Are they still alive? Their having been poisoned in England on 4 March 2018 didn't kill them. Sergei Skripal is (or was) the Russian and British double agent (Russian spy who defected to UK), who had become imprisoned for six years in Russia, and then became spy-swapped to, and …

WSWS (2020-07-08). 100 years since formation of Soviet Extraordinary Commission for the Liquidation of Illiteracy. wsws.org The Soviet literacy campaign remains the largest and most successful in world history.

yenisafak (2020-07-08). Eurasian nations register new coronavirus cases, deaths. yenisafak.com Coronavirus cases and fatalities continued to rise across Eurasia on Wednesday.- KazakhstanIn the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan, new cases rose by 1,376 to reach the total of 51,059.Recoveries increased by 630, bringing the tally to 16,928, the Health Ministry said.The government is trying to eliminate the drug shortage in pharmacies.The country's Foreign Ministry announced that humanitarian aid sent by Russia arrived in the country.The country had announced to implement a 14-day-quarantine procedure as of July 5.- UkraineHealth Minister Maksym Stepanov announced 807 more virus cases over the past 24 hours,…

yenisafak (2020-07-08). Russia, Turkey seek solution to Libya crisis: Lavrov. yenisafak.com Russia and Turkey will continue joint efforts on finding a solution to the Libyan crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.The two countries are seeking an approach that would allow for immediate cease-fire in Libya, the minister said, speaking at a news conference in Moscow."Within the dialogue, sanctioned at the highest level by the presidents of Russia and Turkey, we have been working on finding approaches that would allow us to immediately declare a cease-fire and start resolving all other issues," the top diplomat said.He said the first essential step toward a solution is to declare "a c…

sputniknews (2020-07-08). UNSC Blocks Russian Draft on Syria Aid Delivery Via 1 Border Crossing, Diplomatic Source Says. sputniknews.com UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – The UN Security Council did not support a Russian-drafted resolution that would have authorized the delivery of humanitarian aid into northwest Syria through one checkpoint in Turkey for half a year, a diplomatic source at the United Nations told Sputnik.

sputniknews (2020-07-08). NASA Astronauts and Russian Cosmonaut Perform Habitability Test of Crew Dragon Capsule. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, who piloted the Crew Dragon, International Space Station Commander Chris Cassidy, and Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin performed the one-hour habitability test of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, NASA said in a press release.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-08). Ulyanov reacts to Bolton's remarks on Lt. Gen. Soleimani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 09 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov reacted to Bolton's remarks regarding the assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-08). Iran, Russia seeking to expand energy coop. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 08 (MNA) — Iranian deputies from Ministries of oil and energy held a videoconference with Deputy Minister of Energy of Russia on Wednesday.

South Front (2020-07-07). Video: Syrian Army Fights ISIS in Homs. SDF Rejects Deal with Damascus. globalresearch.ca Clashes between government forces and ISIS terrorists have continued in central Syria since July 2, when ISIS cells stormed army positions in eastern Homs. In response, the Syrians supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a security operation in the …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-07). RussiaGate Overdrive: Weapons of War by Other Means on Targeted Nations and Individuals. globalresearch.ca Leading global human rights abuser USA is followed by Britain close behind. | Time and again, ruling authorities of both countries accuse other nations for their own high crimes — notably relating to wars of aggression they wage against nonbelligerent states …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-07). Iran Vows Retaliation Against Cyber or Other Attacks on Its Legitimate Nuclear Facilities. globalresearch.ca Iran's legitimate nuclear facilities have no military component, according to the IAEA nuclear watchdog organization and annual US intelligence community assessments of global threats. | Days earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif explained that legitimate Iranian nuclear sites are subject to unprecedented …

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2020-07-07). Revealed: Saudi Arabia Tripled its Theft of Yemen's Oil amid Price War with Russia. mintpressnews.com Saudi Arabia has been eyeing the largely untapped oil reserves in Yemen for decades, now, with the war seemingly winding down, it's scrambling to secure them at any cost.

RT (2020-07-07). If China seeks world domination, should the US keep doing business with it? FBI chief Wray seems to want it both ways. rt.com If the picture of Chinese 'malign influence' in the US is as dire as FBI Director Chris Wray painted it, the two nations ought to be at war. Yet Wray doesn't advise that, suggesting it's all just Russiagate-like fear-mongering. | "China is engaged in a whole-of-state effort to become the world's only superpower by any means necessary," Wray argued on Tuesday, speaking at an event hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC. | In addition to being able to execute its malign influence projects with "authoritarian efficiency," China is "calculating, they're persistent, they're patient and they're not subject…

_____ (2020-07-07). Putin's Vision for an Anti-Fascist/Open System Future and You. strategic-culture.org During the course of President Putin's June 24 "We understand how important it is to strengthen friendship and trust between nations, and are open to dialogue and cooperation on the most pressing issues on the international agenda. Among them is the creation of a common reliable security system, something the complex and rapidly changing modern world needs. Only together can we protect the world from new dang…

Andrew Korybko (2020-07-07). Britain Is Following Its Big Brother By Imposing So-Called Humanitarian Sanctions. thealtworld.com The UK's imposition of so-called "humanitarian sanctions" against 49 individuals from Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Saudi Arabia that it claims are supposedly involved in "human rights abuses" is nothing more than London following its "big brother's" lead from "across the pond" in…

Dave Lindorff (2020-07-07). Private: Why the High Dudgeon over Alleged Russian Bounties for Taliban Slaying of US Troops. counterpunch.org Democratic politicians like presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and liberal media pundits are all screaming for "action" against Russia based on an article in the New York Times that relies on anonymous sources in the "military" and "US intelligence." The article, picked up by most major media unquestioningly, asserts base on

Gordon Duff (2020-07-07). Will the 'Liar and Thief' Be Brought Down by a Russian Hoax? thealtworld.com July 4, 2020, Independence Day in the United States, saw something that hasn't happened in the US before, the American military turn on a sitting president. The accusations were something new as well, equating Donald Trump with infamous American traitor, Benedict Arnold, the turncoat that gave the British the vital American fortress at West Point during a critical juncture of the Revolutionary War. | We need to take a second here and understand where America is currently. Tens of millions are unemployed in the United States. Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of small to medium businesses are closed…

Massoud Nayeri (2020-07-07). Dishonest Democrats, a Lying President and Fort Hood Crime Base. globalresearch.ca Once again dishonest Democrats have engaged in another embarrassing political food fight against a lying President over an unsubstantiated "Russian bounties" story by the New York Times. Based on a report by an "intelligence operative" in Afghanistan and without any …

Katrina vanden Heuvel (2020-07-07). Our Nation Needs a Wake-Up Call to the Nuclear Threat. thenation.com Our Nation Needs a Wake-Up Call to the Nuclear Threat…

yenisafak (2020-07-07). Russia digs trench around Siberian village to enforce COVID quarantine. yenisafak.com Russian authorities have dug a trench around a remote Siberian village to enforce a quarantine, after dozens of residents contracted the coronavirus, which local officials believe was spread at a traditional shaman ritual.The village of Shuluta, located some 30 kilometres south east of Lake Baikal in Siberia's Buryatia region, has 37 confirmed cases of the virus among its 390 residents.Ninety-five other people are believed to have been in contact with those infected and are also required to quarantine, said the head of the local administration, Ivan Alkheyev.Alkheyev said the outbreak started after dozens of vill…