2020-07-21: News Headlines

Patrick Cockburn (2020-07-21). The UK and US are Starting a New Cold War with Russia and China. zcomm.org What are These Governments Trying to Hide?>

Mike Whitney (2020-07-21). Vote Democrat… and Watch America Burn. globalresearch.ca "…This is the most dangerous time in the history of man. The seriousness of this plot cannot be underestimated. It is not due to any threat of conventional war or nuclear decimation, it is based on the fact that this …

Tom Coburg (2020-07-21). The real lesson from the Russia report is that interference in UK democracy is far closer to home. thecanary.co The long delayed However, it failed to examine a number of serious concerns, in particular donations by Russian or Putin-linked oligarchs. Also, the report's focus on Russian interference rather successfully distracts from interfere…

Germán Gorraiz López (2020-07-21). Towards a "New Cold War" in the Middle East: Geopolitics of the Persian Gulf and the Battle for Oil and Gas. globalresearch.ca The foundations of the great Near East were established in the Pact of Quincey (1945) following the doctrine of the Franco-British Sykes-Picot agreements of 1916 that favored the regional division of power in areas of influence and sustained on the …

_____ (2020-07-21). How Many Ways Can Israel Wage War On Iran Before The Media Reports It? popularresistance.org Israel just bombed Iran. And no one noticed. On July 2, 2020, two explosions erupted in Iran, and both seem to have been ignited by Israel. Neither explosion attracted much reporting, and what reporting there has been remains thin and confused. | The first report came out on the afternoon of July 3. The Jerusalem Post picked up a story from Kuwait's Al-Jarida, reporting that a fire had broken out at Iran's civilian Natanz nuclear enrichment site. The Kuwaiti report says that an unnamed senior source informed them that the fire was caused by an Israeli cyber attack. They suggest that Iran will need about two month…

yenisafak (2020-07-21). Russians seek to travel to Turkey despite restrictions. yenisafak.com Russians are trying to fly to Turkey for a holiday despite the ban on international flights imposed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.Crossing the border with Belarus through the forest or with a certificate of referral for treatment, the Russians then fly to Turkey.In April, after the introduction of a nationwide lockdown in Russia, experts of travel search company Aviasales noted a rise in requests for flights from Minsk — the largest international airport in Belarus — to Turkey.After checking the IP location, they found out that the majority of search queries were made by users from Russia.Since mid-May,…

yenisafak (2020-07-21). White House awards $75 million for new 'Quantum Leap' institutes. yenisafak.com The White House said Tuesday said it is awarding $75 million for new institutes at three U.S. universities to boost quantum information research.The new "Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes" will each receive $25 million and be housed at the University of Colorado, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Berkeley. The Colorado institute will focus on quantum sensor research, while the Illinois center will focus on quantum architectures and networks and the California center will focus on quantum computing.Quantum computing aims to operate millions of times faster than today's advan…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-21). Iran-Russia relations growing exponentially: Lavrov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 21 (MNA) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Iran-Russia relations are growing exponentially.

_____ (2020-07-20). The UK and U.S. Are Starting a New Cold War With Russia and China, So What Are These Governments Trying to Hide? strategic-culture.org Patrick COCKBURN | The new Cold War launched by the West against China and Russia is escalating by the day. In a single week, the Kremlin has been unmasked trying to discover the secrets of Britain's pursuit of a vaccine against coronavirus and revelations are promised about covert Russian interference in British politics. Boris Johnson made a U-turn on Huawei, announcing that it is to be kicked out of participation in the 5G network because it poses a threat to British security, though a curiously slow-burning one since they will only be evicted over seven years. | The US may put the widely-used Chinese video ap…

Kollibri terre Sonnenblume (2020-07-20). "How Trump Stole 2020‚Ä≥— An Interview With Greg Palast. counterpunch.org Voter suppression is simply class war by other means." —Greg Palast What do timber interests, nuclear power, and off-shore drilling have in common with voter-suppression in Georgia? Greg Palast lays it out, following the money and naming the names, in his new book, "How Trump Stole 2020: The hunt for America's Vanished Voters," which was

Lawrence Wittner (2020-07-20). Making America Feared Again: The Trump Administration Considers Resuming Nuclear Weapons Testing. dissidentvoice.org Americans who grew up with nightmares of nuclear weapons explosions should get ready for some terrifying flashbacks, for the Trump administration appears to be preparing to resume U.S. nuclear weapons tests. The U.S. government stopped its atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons in 1962, shortly before signing the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. And it …

RT (2020-07-20). 'Russian agent' or Steele's patsy? 'Revealed' identity of primary sub-source for Russiagate dossier sparks fresh speculation. rt.com In the latest twist in the 'Russiagate' saga, internet sleuths say they have figured out the identity of the source Christopher Steele used to embellish and fabricate what would become the notorious Trump-Russia dossier. | The identity of Steele's "primary sub-source" (PSS) has long been the subject of speculation, as the former British spy had no actual sources in Russia himself. The 59-page

RT (2020-07-20). US sanctions Chechen leader Kadyrov, his wife & daughters over 'gross human rights violations'. rt.com Washington has added the head of the Russian southern republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, to its sanctions blacklist, accusing him of "numerous" human rights violations. Restrictions were also imposed against his family. | The US State Department has banned Kadyrov from entering US territory, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a

Global Research News (2020-07-20). Selected Articles: The Trump Administration Considers Resuming Nuclear Weapons Testing. globalresearch.ca By An exiled Iranian opposition group

Raul Diego (2020-07-20). Mike Pompeo Delineates Atlanticist Playbook To Target China, Russia and Iran. mintpressnews.com Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a teleconference call at the Economic Club of New York, where he spoke to the choir about the next phase of American foreign policy.

Tom Coburg (2020-07-20). These claims about Johnson and his cronies must not be excluded from the ISC's 'Russia report'. thecanary.co The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) report on Russia was

Robert J. Burrowes (2020-07-20). Contemplating Human Extinction Terrifies Most People: A Strategy for Survival. dissidentvoice.org Any serious study of the relevant scholarly literature reveals at least four possible paths to imminent human extinction, that is, human extinction within five years: nuclear war, the climate catastrophe, the deployment of 5G, and biodiversity collapse. Moreover, as I have documented previously, under cover of the non-existent 'virus' labeled COVID-19, the global elite is …

_____ (2020-07-20). Why Our Analyses On Powell And Iraq Matter Today. popularresistance.org We are still living with the consequences of the Iraq War brought on, in part, by the testimony of Colin Powell before the UN. Iraq is still an unstable country. Extremist groups such as the Islamic State arose because of Iraq's instability. The invasion of Iraq is now universally seen in the U.S. as the nations' worst foreign policy blunder perhaps in history. To prevent another such crime of aggression, this needs to be repeatedly stated. | As Ray McGovern pointed out in his piece, the politicization of intelligence in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion manifested itself again in the Russiagate affair, when DNI J…

_____ (2020-07-20). Why Iraqis Hate The US Troops Who Occupy Their Country. popularresistance.org We invaded their land. We did it on the basis of Bush's lies that Bush had conclusive evidence that Saddam was six months from a nuclear weapon and had been behind the 9/11 attacks. He blatantly misrepresented the evidence that he did have. And instead of Bush, or any of his successors, apologizing for this — the destruction of Iraq (on the basis of lies) — there has been continued military occupation of Iraq, and forcing of its Government to do what our lying Government demands, such as privatizing the oil and paying international oil companies to exploit and market it — their oil. | The reason…

yenisafak (2020-07-20). Russia says military drill not against other countries. yenisafak.com Russia's surprise combat readiness check is not directed against other countries, the country's Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said on Monday.It is also not linked to the escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Fomin said at a meeting with the foreign military attaches in Moscow.Last Friday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu announced a surprise combat readiness check in the country's armed forces, involving the troops of the southern and western military districts, separate formations of the central group, Airborne and Marines of the Northern and Pacific fleets.During the drill, the army tra…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-20). Iran, Russian FMs to meet in Moscow on Tuesday: spox. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 20 (MNA) — A spokesperson with the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov will hold talks in Moscow on Tuesday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-20). 1,044 centrifuges enriching uranium in Fordow: official. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 21 (MNA) – Spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said 1,044 centrifuges are enriching uranium in Fordow Nuclear Facility.

RT (2020-07-19). 'Attempt to spoil a peace deal': Taliban spokesman says 'Russian bounties' story is fake news. rt.com A Taliban official has dismissed as fake and a byproduct of US political infighting the sensational New York Times report claiming Russia had paid it to kill US troops in Afghanistan, in a segment on RT's show Going Underground. | The story — based on anonymous sources — was broken by the Times last month, and triggered a fresh wave of anti-Trump indignation in the media and on the left. President Donald Trump himself called the story a "phony hit job," while his own Defense Department and Joint Chiefs of Staff said they were unable to corroborate it. | "This Russian bounties, it is not true," Taliba…

RT (2020-07-19). US Navy's Tomahawk-armed warship sails to Black Sea for NATO drills off shores of Bulgaria. rt.com The USS Porter, an 8,900-ton Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, is on her way back to the Black Sea, the US Navy's 6th Fleet The annual naval drill, which kicks off several hundred miles away from Russia…

RT (2020-07-19). Britain's charges of hacking & meddling 'make no sense' but Russia is ready to turn the page & work with UK — ambassador. rt.com Russia has a deal to produce the British vaccine against Covid-19 and is eager to work with any party in power in the country, Andrey Kelin, Russian Ambassador to the UK, told the BBC, rebuffing fresh accusations by London. | "I don't believe in this story at all. There's no sense in it," Kelin said, in an

teleSUR (2020-07-19). Russia: Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be Distributed Next Month. telesurenglish.net Russia's Direct Investment Fund assured that the second group of 20 volunteers who were part of the clinical trials of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine feel "fine" and the drug could be rolled out to the public as soon as September. | RELATED: | Moscow's Sechenov University Institute for Translational Medicine and Biotechnology director Vadim Tarasov confirmed that all the volunteers are save and are expected to be discharged…

Thea Paneth (2020-07-19). Reflection on the Upcoming 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. commondreams.org "It is fitting that the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reset the Doomsday Clock at 100 seconds to midnight. This is an urgent warning," writes Thea Paneth. (Photo: ICAN) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ban_nuclear_weapons_0.jpeg

_____ (2020-07-19). The Human Cost Of Nuclear Tests. popularresistance.org July 16 – Seventy-five years ago today, the United States conducted the Trinity test, the world's first nuclear detonation. In the ensuing years, the U.S. ultimately conducted more than 1,000 nuclear tests, half of all known tests conducted by the world's nine nuclear nations since 1945. Now, on the 75th anniversary of the nuclear age, the United States is contemplating the resumption of live testing for the first time in nearly three decades. | A nuclear test, the Washington Post reported in May, could be used as leverage in negotiations with China and Russia. The news provoked widespread criticism, not only fro…

yenisafak (2020-07-19). Blast at power plant in Iran's central Isfahan province. yenisafak.com An explosion occurred at a power plant in Iran's central Isfahan province on Sunday but there were no casualties, the official IRNA news agency reported.The blast was caused by the wear and tear of a transformer at the power plant in Islamabad, the managing director of the Isfahan power company told IRNA.There have been several explosions and fires around Iranian military, nuclear and industrial facilities since late June.

RT (2020-07-18). Russian & Azerbaijani defense ministers talk on the phone amid Baku's tensions with Armenia. rt.com Russia's defense minister Sergey Shoigu and his Azeri counterpart Zakir Hasanov have discussed the situation in the Southern Caucasus during a phone call, Russia's Ministry of Defense has said. | The talks come after almost a week of border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have left more than a dozen dead on both sides, according to various estimates. Moscow had earlier offered to become a mediator in peace talks between the two former Soviet republics. | Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have remained tense since the early 1990s, when Nagorno-Karabakh, a large Armenian-populated enclave in…

RT (2020-07-18). Thousands join fresh rally in Russia's Khabarovsk over arrested governor Furgal (PHOTOS, VIDEO). rt.com An unsanctioned large-scale rally has taken place in Khabarovsk, the largest city in Russia's Far East. Crowds again took to the streets of downtown to protest the detention of Governor Sergey Furgal on contract-murder charges. | Furgal, a highly popular local politician and member of Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of orchestrating the murder of business rivals back in the 2000s. Shortly after he was detained and transferred to Moscow to face official charges, several massive rallies rocked Khabarovsk, a city of more than 600,000 people. | This Saturday, p…

RT (2020-07-18). Pirates attack tanker off the coast of Benin, 'kidnapping 13 Russian & Ukrainian sailors'. rt.com The chemical tanker Curacao Trader was attacked by pirates on Friday, some 210 miles (around 338km) off the coast of Benin, in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, the vessel's Greek operator The armed perpetrators boarded the ship and kidnapped "13 out of its 19 Ukranian and Russian crew members." The vessel has been left drifting since the attack, due to the lack of manpower, but another ship has been sent to assist it. | The Gulf of Guinea,…

_____ (2020-07-18). 'Putin Hacked Our Coronavirus Vaccine' Is the Dumbest Story Yet. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | Today mainstream media is reporting what is arguably the single dumbest Russiavape story of all time, against some very stiff competition. | "Russian hackers are targeting health care organizations in the West in an attempt to steal coronavirus vaccine research, the U.S. and Britain said," "Hackers backed by the Russian state are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research from academic and pharmaceutical institutions around the world, Britain's National Cyber…

Reese Erlich (2020-07-18). Russia Bounty Story Falls Flat. commondreams.org The U.S. occupation of Afghanistan has killed over 100,000 civilians. Here, refugee children in Kabul. (Photo: Reese Erlich) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/refugees_1.png

Kit Knightly (2020-07-18). The "Russian Vaccine Hack" Is a 3-for-1 Deal on Propaganda. globalresearch.ca The Guardian, and all the other predictable voices, are currently reporting that Russian At this stage they offer no substantiation, but it does serve as good …

WSWS (2020-07-18). Armenia-Azerbaijan border clashes threaten broader war in Caucasus. wsws.org The fighting threatens to escalate into a direct clash between the two Caucasian republics' main allies, Russia and Turkey.

Tom Coburg (2020-07-18). Raab's attack on Corbyn fails to mention the real source behind alleged Russian interference in UK election. thecanary.co On 16 July, UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab The timing of Raab's recent intervention is interesting. It comes only days before the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is expected to publish its long delayed report on Russian i…

WSWS (2020-07-18). US escalates economic warfare against Russia and China. wsws.org After securing a decision by the UK government to ban the Chinese firm Huawei from its 5G rollout, the US is pressuring the Merkel government in Germany to take the same decision.

WSWS (2020-07-18). US pushes fabricated claims of Russian hacking of virus research. wsws.org The United States is most nakedly pursuing a nationalistic course, aimed at enriching American oligarchs and deploying the vaccine not as a means to save lives, but as a weapon against countries in the crosshairs of US imperialism.

yenisafak (2020-07-18). Libya's oil firm calls for foreign mercenaries to leave. yenisafak.com Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Saturday called for the immediate withdrawal of foreign mercenaries from oil facilities in the country.In a statement, the NOC condemned the deployment of Russia's Wagner Group and Syrian and Janjaweed mercenaries in Libyan oil installations, most recently at Es Sidra port."NOC demands their immediate withdrawal from all facilities," it said, calling the UN to "send observers to supervise the demilitarization in the areas of NOC operations across the country.""There are currently large numbers of foreign mercenaries in NOC facilities who do not share this wish," the state…

sputniknews (2020-07-18). US Researchers Reportedly Spied on Russian Defence Officials Using Marketing Data From Cell Phones. sputniknews.com This is not the first time that American researchers have used data from cell phones that was obtained in questionable ways to spy on the Russian defence industry. In May, the analytics company Orbital Insights said that with the use of purchased cell network data it had detected a slowdown in the country's defence industry.

_____ (2020-07-17). Modi's 'New' India: Notch Or Knot On China's Belt (And Road Initiative). popularresistance.org File it in the rapidly-brimming "biggest-stories-of-2020-you-haven't-heard-about" folder. | Amidst the madness merger of pandemic and protests — both of which Trump's minions have blamed on China — there's been scant attention paid to a brewing conflict between two of the world's nine nuclear-armed powers (accounting for some 430 warheads between them). One is a rather flighty proxy — India — that Washington has long pursued with the oft-hopeless passion of a smitten suitor. The other, an "enemy" of "freedom," America, and apple pie everywhere: a Chinese dragon to whom new cold war enthusi…

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-17). "Putin Hacked Our Coronavirus Vaccine" Is The Dumbest Story Yet. thealtworld.com Today mainstream media is reporting what is arguably the single dumbest Russiavape story of all time, against some very stiff competition. | "Russian hackers are targeting health care organizations in the West in an attempt to steal coronavirus vaccine research, the U.S. and Britain said," "Hackers backed by the Russian state are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research from academic and pharmaceutical institutions around the world, Britain's National Cyber Security…

RT (2020-07-17). Russian and German scientists develop 'sodium sandwich' that could replace lithium batteries. rt.com Scientists in Russia and Germany have developed a new way to 'stack' sodium to create cheaper and more efficient batteries that could eventually be an alternative to the mass-produced and environmentally unfriendly lithium type. | Lithium batteries are essential to the world today. From mobile phones to laptops, almost all electronics leverage lithium and currently it is widely understood that there is no remotely effective alternative. The problem when something is so ubiquitous, of course, is that eventually it is likely to run out — and become more expensive in the process. | However, scientists from R…

RT (2020-07-17). Investigation into last Russian tsar and his family's execution is still making discoveries 102 years on. rt.com It may have happened a century ago, but Russia's Investigative Committee is still uncovering new details about the execution of the country's last imperial family, the Romanovs. | Marina Molodtsova, a senior investigator, explained to newspaper Izvestia that it is now possible to identify some of the participants involved in the killing. When the investigation is complete, their names will be revealed. | On the night of July 16, 1918, Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and five children, along with some members of their entourage, were shot and bayonetted to death by communist revolutionaries. While there are man…

Richard Falk (2020-07-17). Will China be the New Russia? zcomm.org The Future of American Geopolitics…

teleSUR (2020-07-17). Russia Denies British Allegations Of COVID-19 Vaccine Hacking. telesurenglish.net The Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov Friday rejected London's claims that Russian intelligence services allegedly hacked a coronavirus vaccine research. | RELATED: | Early this week, the British National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) stated that the Russians were linked to a hacker group called APT29, which was accused of being the main actor in a cyberattack aimed at R&D organizations working on the making of COVID-19 vaccines in the…

yenisafak (2020-07-17). Hagia Sophia mosque coversion benefits tourists: Russia. yenisafak.com Russia's official position on the Hagia Sophia status change is that it is Turkey's internal matter, but Moscow believes the decision will benefit tourists, the Kremlin's spokesperson said on Friday.In an interview with local broadcaster Avtoradio, Dmitry Peskov said people will now be able to visit the historical site for free, as opposed to buying "quite expensive tickets" when it was a museum.Last week, a top Turkish court annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree, under which Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum the following year, paving the way for its use again as a mosque after 85 years."[…] [Our] Turkish partner…