(2020-08-25). Reports Say the Explosion at Iranian Nuclear Plant Had a Criminal Cause. globalresearch.ca A new focus of tensions and uncertainties appears to be emerging in Iran. Recent reports from the Iranian authorities have concluded that the explosion at the Natanz nuclear plant had a criminal cause, most likely caused by a sabotage operation. …
(2020-08-25). Can The US Stop Russia From 'Pulling A Crimea' In Belarus? thealtworld.com US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is rushing to Moscow from 25-26 August in a desperate attempt to stop Russia from "pulling a Crimea" in Belarus after the ongoing Color Revolution there has thus far failed to depose Lukashenko amid his dangerous saber-rattling with NATO, though it remains to be seen if the US and Russia can succeed in reviving their "New Detente" by reaching a pragmatic "compromise" on a "political solution" to this crisis or whether the situation has already gone so far that its current trajectory of either pro-Western regime change or (re)unification with Russia is irreversible. | Ha…
(2020-08-25). Trumpism, Where Does It Go From Here? counterpunch.org 
During the height of the Cold War when it was viewed as disloyal and compromising to show a sympathetic interest in Marxism or sympathies with Soviet ideology, someone at the U.S. military base at Frankfurt distributed to the soldiers stationed there, a handwritten version of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments of the
(2020-08-25). Republicans' rabid anti-communism is a sign of their political weakness. peoplesworld.org 
Joe McCarthy would fit right in at this year's Republican National Convention. Denouncing communists—both real and, more often than not, imaginary—was the bread and butter for the 1950s red-baiting senator from Wisconsin. At the dawn of the Cold War, the bogeyman of the Soviet Union was the stick used to beat back a strong labor …
(2020-08-25). Trump's Cold War with China is Heating Up. counterpunch.org 
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(2020-08-25). Belarus Opposition, Made in the USA. globalresearch.ca Longstanding US plans earmarked Belarus for regime change, wanting pro-Western puppet rule in another nation bordering Russia. | There's nothing spontaneous about mass protests that erupt in nations the US wants transformed into client states. | They're most likely to occur in …
(2020-08-25). Belarusian President Lukashenko Reelected by a 61.7% Majority. Reintegration into Russia? globalresearch.ca Despite ruling Belarus with an iron fist, most Belarusians support Alexander Lukashenko. | President since 1994, he was legitimately reelected by a 61.7% majority, according to the pro-Western election monitoring group Golos. | It published "data collected by US-backed civic youth …
(2020-08-25). Appello Ai Leader Dei Nove Stati Con Armi Nucleari (Cina, Francia, India, Israele, Nord Corea, Pakistan, Regno Unito, Russia, Stati Uniti). globalresearch.ca Noi, persone di buona volontà di tutti i ceti sociali, di tutti i continenti, di credo e religioni diverse, richiamiamo la vostra attenzione sulla minaccia di una guerra nucleare totale che puà≤ scoppiare molto facilmente a causa di azioni deliberate …
(2020-08-25). IAEA vows to fulfill obligations responsibly despite pressure. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 25 (MNA) — The head of the UN nuclear watchdog stressed that his organization will carry out its commitments regrading Iran responsibly and independently, despite some pressures.
(2020-08-25). Iran-Russia coop. has wide capacities incl. arms trade. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 25 (MNA) — Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami pointed to the high potential of military cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation.
(2020-08-25). Who Benefits? The Navalny Case: Usual Suspects, Actual Culprits. popularresistance.org We are concerned about the recent news relating to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, and believe that it may be another attempt by certain interested parties to worsen the already strained US-Russia relations. | Even those who despise President Putin know that he is not insane. Why would Putin seek 'normal' relations with Europe [and, at the beginning at least, the United States] only to subvert those efforts by having people shot next door to the Kremlin (Nemtsov) or poisoned on airplanes or airports (Navalny)?
(2020-08-25). The Irresistible Rise Of The Civilization-State. popularresistance.org A specter is haunting the liberal West: the rise of the "civilization-state". As America's political power wanes and its moral authority collapses, the rising challengers of Eurasia have adopted the model of the civilization-state to distinguish themselves from a paralyzed liberal order, which lurches from crisis to crisis without ever quite dying nor yet birthing a viable successor. Summarising the civilization-state model, the political theorist Adrian Pabst observes that "in China and Russia the ruling classes reject Western liberalism and the expansion of a global market society. They define their countries a…
(2020-08-25). Streets Outside Charite Hospital in Berlin, Where Alexey Navalny is Being Treated – Video. sputniknews.com Last week, Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny fell ill on a plane heading to Moscow from Tomsk, causing the aircraft to conduct an emergency landing in Omsk, where Navalny was transferred to hospital. Later, he was transported to Berlin to receive treatment in the Charite clinic.
(2020-08-25). Ankara Counts on Cooperation With Russia After Large Gas Find in Black Sea. sputniknews.com ANKARA (Sputnik) – Turkey counts on cooperation with Russia after the discovery of what is believed to be the country's largest gas field in the Black Sea, Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said on Tuesday.
(2020-08-25). India, China, Pakistan Set to Participate in Wargames in Russia Next Month. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Russia is set to host at least 18 countries, including member-states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for the bilateral and multilateral military exercises that were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The participating nations will have to follow COVID-19 protocols during their stay.
(2020-08-25). Iran, IAEA agree to 'open new chapter of cooperation'. yenisafak.com The director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, held wide-ranging talks with Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran on Tuesday and both agreed to open "a new chapter of cooperation". | Grossi arrived in Tehran late on Monday on a two-day visit to discuss the issue of granting IAEA inspectors access to two Iranian nuclear sites. | He is expected to meet with top Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, officials said. | The standoff between the UN nuclear watchdog and Tehran has intensified in recent months after the IAEA…
(2020-08-25). Russia parliament orders probe into possible foreign link to alleged Navalny poisoning. yenisafak.com The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament on Tuesday ordered one of its committees to probe whether foreign forces were behind the alleged poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in a bid to fuel tensions in Russia."The State Duma security committee will be instructed to analyse what happened in order to understand whether this was an attempt on the part of foreign states to harm the health of a Russian citizen to fuel tensions inside Russia, as well as to formulate fresh accusations against our country," speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said in a statement.The Kremlin said earlier on Tuesday it saw no need…
(2020-08-25). "Poisoned" Kremlin Critic Flown to Germany as German-Russian Nord Stream 2 Nears Completion. globalresearch.ca The perfectly timed poisoning of unpopular, ineffective Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny and the involvement of Germany comes as Washington sought to place maximum pressure on Berlin to cancel the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline. | *** | Russian opposition figure Alexey …
(2020-08-25). Is the Russian Government as Insouciant as the American People? thealtworld.com Something is wrong in the Russian government and in the governments of former Soviet Republics. | The president of Ukraine stood aside and disarmed his police and Putin went off to the Olympics, while Washington-financed "Maidan protests" overthrew the Ukrainian government. Now it seems to be happening again in Belarus. | One would think that after Ukraine, Belarus and Russia would clamp down on their traitorous internal oppositions financed and led by Washington. But no. They continue to permit a Washington-funded operation to overthrow themselves. | The Russian and Belarus governments permit oppositions that ar…
(2020-08-24). US "left" aligns with State Department on China Cold War. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks to Danny Haiphong, a Contributor at the Black Agenda Report, about why some US leftwing media outlets repeat State Department talking points when it comes to China. Danny also dispels some of the most common talking points, including "China is capitalist" and "China has imperialist ambitions".
(2020-08-24). US 'left' aligns with State Department on China Cold War. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks to Danny Haiphong, a Contributor at the Black Agenda Report, about why some US leftwing media outlets repeat State Department talking points when it comes to China. Danny also dispels some of the most common talking points, including "China is capitalist" and "China has imperialist ambitions".
(2020-08-24). U.S. Govt-Funded Coda Story Smears American Journalists Who Undermine New Cold War Propaganda. strategic-culture.org 
With backing from the US government's regime-change arm, an Operation Mockingbird-style website called Coda Story is attacking American journalists who have punctured Washington's sensationalist narratives against China. | Ben NORTON | A shadowy neoconservative website called Coda Story has launched a smear campaign against American journalists who challenge new cold war propaganda. But what this publication has not disclosed is that it is funded by the US government, backed by the European Union, linked to the NATO war alliance, and part of a larger network of regime-change outfits that are bankrolled by Western…
(2020-08-24). Trump Walks Alone: Former US Allies Britain, France, Germany Join Russia and China in Forcefully Rejecting Trump Iran Sanctions. globalresearch.ca
(2020-08-24). 'He's going full Putin': Trump encourages '12 more years' chant at RNC to make opponents go 'crazy'…they respond by going crazy. rt.com 
President Donald Trump jokingly told the crowd at the Republican National Convention to replace their "four more years" chant with "12" because it will make his critics "crazy," and they played right into his hand. | Trump has floated the idea several times of holding the office of the presidency beyond two terms, despite the position holding exactly a two-term limit. He's previously trolled his critics, who have called him everything from a white supremacist to an enemy of the state to traitor, with memes that have ignited outrage among many on the left. | The president continued trolling while speaking at th…
(2020-08-24). Airfields made from ice? New Russian technology promises to allow military transporters to touch down inside Arctic Circle. rt.com 
Russia's Ministry of Defense is considering making military airfields out of ice within the Arctic Circle, after developing a new technology that enables heavy aircraft to land without the need for an asphalt runway. | The Bauman Moscow State Technical University has created a system that uses special chemical re-agents to change the structure of ice, enabling planes to touch down. In the future, heavy military transport aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-76 will be able to land inside the Arctic Circle, despite weighing around 100,000kg when empty. | Speaking at the Army-2020 forum, Evgeny Storozhuk, Bauman's v…
(2020-08-24). Russian newspaper reports more international flight destinations set to re-open but authorities quickly pour cold water on idea. rt.com 
Russians hoping to hit a warm foreign beach before the summer heat subsides saw their hopes dashed on Monday as media reports promising the re-opening of more international flight routes were refuted by authorities. | A glimpse of hope for travelers appeared when Moscow daily Izvestia published a report citing sources, including one in "a major Russian airline," saying more countries were set to join the UK, Turkey and Tanzania on the list of accessible destinations. | According to the newspaper, Russian aviation authorities had been considering several cities in France, Hungary, Egypt, Cyprus, Jordan, Malta a…
(2020-08-24). 'We found no cholinesterase inhibitors in Navalny's blood': Omsk's chief toxicologist comments on statement from Berlin's Charite. rt.com 
Doctors who cared for Moscow protest leader Alexey Navalny in Siberia last week found no cholinesterase inhibitors in his blood during their tests. That's according to the Omsk region's top toxicologist. | Alexander Sabayev told journalists on Monday evening that the anti-corruption activist was examined for a wide range of narcotics, synthetic substances, psychedelic drugs and medical substances and the results were negative. | "When Alexey Navalny was admitted to the in-patient clinic, he was examined for a wide range of narcotics, synthetic substances, psychedelic drugs and medical substances, including cho…
(2020-08-24). Germany's Merkel calls on Russia to investigate how Navalny was allegedly poisoned & hold perpetrators accountable. rt.com 
Just hours after Berlin's Charite clinic announced that it believes stricken Moscow protest leader Alexey Navalny is a victim of poisoning, the German government has told Moscow to find those responsible. | The unprecedented statement, signed by Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, called on Russian authorities to conduct a "transparent and comprehensive" investigation into the circumstances around the anti-corruption campaigner's illness. | "According to a statement from the team of doctors at Charite, data from clinical studies indicates that Alexey Navalny was poisoned," it reads. The m…
(2020-08-24). Doctor who treated Alexey Navalny in Omsk claims he received threats online directed at himself & his children. rt.com 
The deputy chief medic at the clinic in Siberia where Moscow protest leader Alexey Navalny was hospitalized last week says he received "dozens of threats" on social media, some of the more sinister ones even targeting his family. | However, Dr Anatoly Kalinichenko says he bears no ill will toward Navalny, who was flown to Berlin on Saturday, and is recovering at the German capital's Charite Clinic. | Doctors there claim to have discovered poison in his system, contradicting the diagnosis from the hospital in Omsk. | "I received several dozen threats of physical nature [on social media] — against me person…
(2020-08-24). 'Deal with them': After two weeks of protests in Belarus, Lukashenko orders officials to fire teachers who backed opposition. rt.com 
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ordered that all school teachers who do not support the "state ideology" be removed from their jobs, telling Education Minister Igor Karpenko that they need to be "dealt with." | Belarusian society is currently going through a turbulent period following mass unrest caused by the presidential election results of August 9, which were deemed by many to have been falsified. | According to the official numbers, incumbent Lukashenko won 80% of the vote, with opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya gaining just 10%. Following the closing of polling stations, tens of t…
(2020-08-24). Russia to develop new spacesuit as designer attacks SpaceX for 'Hollywood superhero costumes' more about PR than safety. rt.com 
Russia's National University of Science and Technology (MISIS) plans to develop a spacesuit for the crew of the new Russian spacecraft 'Oryol.' which is projected to begin manned missions in 2025. | Its designer ruled out simply purchasing kit from abroad, making a point of lashing America's SpaceX for having poor quality equipment which he said was created with PR in mind, rather than safety. | "This is a very serious enterprise with a glorious history," said Vladimir Pirozhkov, the head of the MISIS engineering center, noting the importance of Russia making their own space technology. | Also on rt.com…
(2020-08-24). Despite Threats, the U.S. Will Not Sanction India over Its Relations with Russia. globalresearch.ca After Russia, the U.S. is the second largest arms exporter to India. As a major Washington defense partner, New Delhi signed two $3.5 billion arms purchase agreements earlier this year. However, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Clarke Cooper reiterated Washington's …
(2020-08-24). Growing US Isolation on the World Stage. globalresearch.ca Russia's Sergey Lavrov is right about hegemon USA, saying the following on Saturday: | The Trump regime's "intention is to do everything possible in order not to be bound by any international multilateral obligations," adding: | "When the US decides that China …
(2020-08-24). Belarus and the Lessons from Sudan. Comparative Analysis of "Color Revolutions" globalresearch.ca The political development unfolding in Minsk, with high possibility to spill over and spread throughout the former Soviet republic of Belarus is sensitive and delicate. | The first information that emerged about opposition rallying against elected President Alexander Lukashenko was worrying …
(2020-08-24). Iranian, French Foreign Ministers Discuss Developments Around Nuclear Deal – Tehran. sputniknews.com TEHRAN (Sputnik) – Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, have discussed developments related to the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), during phone talks in the wake of US's attempts to revive sanctions against Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
(2020-08-24). Watch Iran's Defence Minister Get Acquainted With S-400 During Arms Expo in Russia. sputniknews.com With the United Nations arms embargo on Iran set to expire in October, US officials and media have speculated that Tehran may buy Russian military hardware, including the S-400, once restrictions run out. Iran already has some advanced air defence capabilities of its own, including a system which downed a $220 million US drone in 2019.
(2020-08-24). ARMY-2020: Developers Reveal Mission, Capabilities of Three Brand New Russian Drones. sputniknews.com Several new Russian drone designs were presented at the ongoing ARMY-2020 arms expo outside Moscow this week.
(2020-08-24). Democracy — We've Had the Russia Report, Now Where Is the America Report? strategic-culture.org Rob WOODWARD | The long-awaited Russia report was published with a call for "immediate action" by the government and intelligence services to tackle the threat from just one country — Russia. The reality was that while Russia may have been meddling at the edges of Britain's democracy, America has been actively involved in centrally funding the breakdown of democracy, the rule of law and the British way of life. So where is the America Report? | The Russia Report cited 'open source' studies which pointed to "pro-Brexit or anti-EU stories on RT and Sputnik, and the use of 'bots' and 'trolls', as evidence of R…
(2020-08-24). Putin, Lukashenko discussed Belarus crisis on phone. yenisafak.com Russian President Vladmir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko spoke by telephone on Monday and discussed the situation in Belarus, the Belta news agency reported.The Belarusian state-run agency also reported the two leaders had agreed that Belarusians would take part in Phase Three trials of Russia's coronavirus vaccine.Belarus would be the first foreign country to receive deliveries of the vaccine, Belta added.
(2020-08-24). Putin, Netanyahu discuss UAE-Israel deal over phone. yenisafak.com Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exchanged views on the controversial "n…
(2020-08-24). Germany says protection of Kremlin critic Navalny is necessary. yenisafak.com Personal protection of Alexei Navalny is necessary since the Russian opposition politician was possibly the target of a poison attack, a German government spokesman said on Monday."Because there is a certain probability of a poison attack, protection is necessary", Steffen Seibert said at a regular news conference.Navalny, a long-time opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill on Thursday after what his allies believe was a poisoning and was airlifted to Germany for treatment on Saturday.
(2020-08-23). Russian FM Lavrov says some Belarus opposition figures seek 'bloodshed,' want to turn country into second Ukraine. rt.com 
Some within the Belarusian opposition want to see "bloodshed" in the country, Sergey Lavrov has claimed, adding that exiled candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya appears to be appealing more to a Western audience than a domestic one. | Speaking at an educational youth forum on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Minister touched upon the ongoing unrest in neighboring Belarus. The country is enduring a wave of mass protests triggered by contested elections. | "The Belarusian people will decide for themselves how to get out of this situation," Lavrov said, adding that there are "clear signs" that the situation there is "stab…
(2020-08-23). Moscow protest leader Navalny made 'guest of Merkel' in Berlin, transported to hospital by military – German media report. rt.com 
Prominent Russian anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalny was officially made "the guest of the chancellor" when he was airlifted to Berlin for medical treatment and transported in a military ambulance truck. | The motorcade carrying Navalny, whom Bild newspaper described as "the patient the world is watching," included several emergency vehicles, police buses and patrol cars. | The activist, who remained in a medically induced coma during the journey, was transported to Berlin's renowned Charite hospital inside a Bundeswehr intensive care ambulance truck. The vehicle had military markings and a special lice…
(2020-08-23). WATCH: Lukashenko makes dramatic landing at Minsk residence carrying ASSAULT RIFLE & in tactical gear, as protesters line streets. rt.com Just when you thought things in Belarus couldn't get anymore surreal, they did. As crowds of protestors gathered near his residence in Minsk on Sunday evening, a defiant Alexander Lukashenko landed by helicopter, ready for action. | The bizarre footage, posted by a Telegram channel close to Lukashenko's press service, shows the President dressed in a tactical vest and carrying an AK assault rifle. It appears that Lukashenko – in power for 26 years – is channelling Salvador Allende, the former Chilean President deposed in a 1973 CIA-backed coup. | In one video, Lukashenko is seen flying over Minsk while speakin…
(2020-08-23). Huge crowds gather on streets of Minsk as Belarus opposition keeps up pressure on Lukashenko to leave office (VIDEOS). rt.com 
A huge demonstration is underway in Minsk, marking the third week of anti-government rallies. Protestors are demanding the resignation of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, saying his re-election was rigged. | Sources on the ground say the crowd numbers in the tens of thousands, with the opposition estimating there are over 100,000 participants. Protesters gathered earlier in the city's Independence Square for a minutes silence in memory of those killed during clashes with law enforcement agencies during earlier rallies. |
(2020-08-23). Americans criticizing Biden may be 'unwittingly' spreading 'Kremlin disinformation', top Russiagate peddler warns. rt.com 
US citizens may "unwittingly" become Russian agents and spread "disinformation" about Joe Biden, Senator Mark Warner has warned, urging the intelligence community to be more vocal and tell the public what to do. | According to the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, one should be particularly vigilant about the Russian trolls, lurking around the social media feeds, as Kremlin is allegedly once again seeking to prop up President Donald Trump and help him secure re-election in November. | Speaking to NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, the Senator warned that if one is not careful enough, he can…
(2020-08-23). Nuclear Complacency and the Dangerous Drift Toward a New Cold War with China. zcomm.org For relations among states having nuclear weaponry, stability is achieved by relying on various forms of deterrence combined with the implementation of the nuclear apartheid regime…
(2020-08-23). US Threatens Fresh Sanctions Against Iran, JCPOA Members. peoplesdispatch.org The US withdrew from the JCPOA or the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. However, it is now trying to get sanctions imposed on Iran claiming violations of a deal it is not even part of…
(2020-08-23). Natanz nuclear facility incident, act of sabotage: AEOI spox. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 23 (MNA) — Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said on Sunday that last month's incident at Natanz nuclear enrichment facility was an act of sabotage.
(2020-08-23). Iran is Russia's strategic partner: Russian Defense Min. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 23 (MNA) — The Russian Defense Min. Sergey Shoygu referred to the join strategical, regional and international goals and interests between Tehran and Moscow, underlining the developing mutual defense cooperation between the two sides.