(2020-08-26). Can the US Stop Russia from 'Pulling a Crimea' in Belarus? globalresearch.ca 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 …
(2020-08-26). The USA: Global Leader in Election Interference Abroad and Now at Home. counterpunch.org 
Putin's impact on the election is modest compared to the damage that Trump and Republican legislators throughout the country can inflict. Voter suppression remains a huge problem, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in 2013 to weaken the Voting Rights Act. The campaign against mail-in voting is creating uncertainty and cynicism throughout the country as is Trump's constant ravings about vote by mail causing a fraudulent election.
(2020-08-26). Catholics Against Nukes: Archbishop Wester, the Church and Nuclear Deterrence. globalresearch.ca In what is a turn-up for the books, a senior voice of the Catholic Church made something of an impression this month that did not incite scandal, hot rage, or the commencement of an investigation. It did, however, agitate a …
(2020-08-26). Cyber Command Gets New Surveillance Powers Under Guise of Battling Election Meddling. mintpressnews.com US Cyber Command and the Pentagon are availing themselves of the Russian meddling narratives and added a few others to justify the creation of a cyberwar army with international and domestic capabilities via the National Guard.
(2020-08-26). The world is going to multipolarity. thealtworld.com Leonid Savin, a Russian political analyst, is of the opinion that the world is moving in the direction of "multipolarity" as the world is fed up with unipolar moves by Washington. | "The world is going to multipolarity, and humanity is tired of Washington's dominance and unipolar operations," Savin tells the Tehran Times. | Savin also says Moscow is looking to the East as Russians have bitter memories of the West. | "Russian decision-makers started looking to the East more and more. Because historically, we faced serious threats from the West." | Following is the full text of the interview: | Q: Iran and Russia a…
(2020-08-26). The world is going to multipolarity: Russian analyst says. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 26 (MNA) — Leonid Savin, a Russian political analyst, is of the opinion that the world is moving in the direction of "multipolarity" as the world is fed up with unipolar moves by Washington.
(2020-08-26). Iraq continuing anti-ISIL fight with Iran, Syria & Russia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 26 (MNA) — The spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji informed that the 'quadruple security center' comprised of Iraq, Iran, Russia and Syria, is continuing its fight against the ISIL.
(2020-08-26). Russia, Iran, Turkey Issue Joint Statement on Syria Condemning Israeli Attacks, US Theft of Oil. sputniknews.com The statement was formulated on the sidelines of the meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, a United Nations-facilitated negotiating platform aimed at reconciling the Syrian government and the opposition and establishing an enduring peace in the war-torn country.
(2020-08-26). US General Milley Holds Phone Talks With Russia's Chief of General Staff. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, held a phone conversation with Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, however, the details of the call will be kept private, a Joint Staff spokesperson, Col. Dede Halfhill, said in a Wednesday statement.
(2020-08-26). Russian COVID Vaccine for Kazakhstan to Be Produced by Partner of Russia's Sovereign Fund. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said on Wednesday that the production of Russia's coronavirus vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V, for Kazakhstan would be carried out by one of its international partners.
(2020-08-26). Russia Ready to Start COVID-19 Vaccine Supplies to Brazil in November, RDIF CEO Says. sputniknews.com BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) – Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev said on Wednesday that Russia is ready to start deliveries of the newly registered COVID-19 vaccine to Brazil in November.
(2020-08-26). Trump and Pompeo Craft No-Win Solutions for the World. strategic-culture.org You have to hand it to the sociopaths running U.S. foreign policy, they are very adept at creating no-win scenarios for their opponents. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was just handed a major defeat at the United Nations Security Council, who voted down a resolution to extend the arms embargo against Iran. | That embargo is set to expire in October as part of the U.S. unilaterally pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known colloquially as the Iran Nuclear Deal. | But Pompeo and President Trump only wanted that vote, in my opinion, to force out into the open their ability to impose the 's…
(2020-08-26). Syria Faces Calamity as Trump's New Sanctions Combine With Surging Coronavirus. strategic-culture.org The number of Syrians who are food insecure has risen in the last six months by 1.4 million to 9.3 million, more than half the population, according to the WFP. The Caesar Act and coronavirus do not appear to be weakening Assad, Russia and Iran, but there is every sign they are together plunging ordinary Syrians into a deep and lethal quagmire.
(2020-08-26). Is the Russian Government as Insouciant as the American People? globalresearch.ca Something is wrong in the Russian government and in the governments of former Soviet Republics. | In 2014, the president of Ukraine stood aside and disarmed his police and Putin went off to the Olympics, while Washington-financed "Maidan protests" overthrew the …
(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). Money for 'dead souls': In echoes of Gogol-era, Russia's pension fund pays out millions of dollars to deceased citizens every year. rt.com 
What would Nikolai Gogol make of this? The Pension Fund of Russia is paying out billions of rubles in pensions to the dead, enabling their relatives to withdraw and use the funds, according to the National Accounting Chamber. | In the famous 19th century novel, chronicling the wanderings of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, the plot relies on "dead souls" (or deceased serfs) which are still accounted for in property registers. Now almost two centuries on, something similar continues in modern Russia. | The Chamber revealed that the pension fund is often late to receive notice of a citizen's death, leading to payments…
(2020-08-25). Russia's Ministry of Education rejects proposed one-month delay to new school year, after appeal from parliamentary opposition MP. rt.com 
A Russian MP's proposal to start the school year a month later than normal to minimize the risks from the spread of coronavirus has failed to sway the Ministry of Education, meaning the official start date remains September 1. | Vasily Vlasov, of the nationalist LDPR had suggested that this year's summer break, which traditonally ends on the first day of September, should be extended by one month due to the pandemic. | In his letter to the education minister, seen by news agency RIA Novosti, the lawmaker cited Covid-19 statistics which currently show around 5,000 new confirmed cases every day. | "One more mont…
(2020-08-25). As Covid-19 drives the planet batsh*t crazy, Russia to study the feces of its own bat population to look for coronaviruses. rt.com 
With the world in the grip of a pandemic possibly caused by Chinese bats, Russia wants to make sure its own can't start another. Thus, a new study will check the country's bat population for the presence of coronaviruses. | National health watchdog Roszdravnadzor's Institute of Epidemiology will test nocturnal flying mammals from various regions of the country, including Moscow, Volgograd, and the Black Sea coast, enabling the scientists to determine how common coronaviruses are in different species. | The researchers plan to analyze more than 1,500 individuals by checking fecal samples, using a "high-performa…
(2020-08-25). Poisoning protest leader Navalny 'would not benefit' Moscow, says Russian Foreign Ministry, labels Western allegations 'offensive'. rt.com 
Moscow does not stand to benefit from the alleged poisoning of anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said, noting the haste with which Western media and governments made the insinuation. | The ministry issued a statement on Tuesday evening, following a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, during which the subject of Navalny was raised, among other issues. | Lavrov pointed out the "suspicious haste" with which the narrative about Navalny's alleged poisoning was picked up in Washington and Brussels and instantl…
(2020-08-25). Despite Western hysteria over Russian hackers, up to 75% of global cyberattacks originate from US soil — top Moscow security chief. rt.com 
The lion's share of cyberattacks around the world originate from the US — a fact the West avoids mentioning too often. That's according to a high-ranking Russian official, citing research conducted by cybersecurity companies. | Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Oleg Khramov said in an interview that the majority of hacks are conducted utilizing American IT infrastructure. | From 2016-19, 40 to 75 percent of all attacks were launched from US territory, while Russia was home to no more than two to seven percent of such cases, Khramov told the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty. This "clearly demons…
(2020-08-25). Trump's Cold War with China is Heating Up. counterpunch.org 
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(2020-08-25). "Poisoned" Kremlin Critic Flown to Germany as German-Russian Nord Stream 2 Nears Completion. thealtworld.com 
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 Navalny — according to German doctors — was allegedly poisoned but is expected to survive. If Navalny was poisoned and the goal was to assassinate him, it was a poorly conceived, poorly executed, and most of all — poorly timed plan. | Navalny's sudden reappearance across the Western media comes just at the height of US attem…
(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). US stages military buildup to enforce deal to steal Syria's oil. wsws.org The handing over of Syria's oil fields for exploitation by a US company constitutes a war crime, and has escalated dangerous tensions between American and Russian military forces.
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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…