2020-11-07: News Headlines

Andrew Korybko (2020-11-06). Facebook's Censorship Spree Is VK's Time To Finally Shine As A Free Speech Alternative. thealtworld.com The censorship spree that Facebook's been on since the US' contentious elections is the golden opportunity that its Russian competitor VK has been waiting for in order to finally present itself as a credible and easy-to-use free speech alternative, but it can only do so if the awareness and will exist at its leadership level to seize the moment through a clever marketing strategy aimed at Facebook's politically minded audience. | Facebook isn't even hiding the fact that it's censoring its users in the aftermath of the US' contentious elections. It used to just shadow block them, but now it adds a so-called "fact-…

Eve Ottenberg (2020-11-06). U.S. Foreign Policy is a Failure, Whoever's President. counterpunch.org The world recognizes what U.S. elites don't: the utter, total American failure to contain Covid-19 has damaged U.S. standing and will do so until the virus is controlled. Meanwhile, regional powers, China and Russia, cooperate and share resources, particularly vaccines. Cuba provides treatments, but the U.S. turns up its nose at Cuban medicine, even if it means more American covid patients die — this, though Cuba's pharmacopeia for this plague appears superior. China sends doctors and medicines across the globe. Russia opts for sane herd immunity — through vaccination. These countries act like adults.

RT (2020-11-06). Budapest & Brussels on potential collision course as Hungary says it will import Russian Covid-19 vaccine despite EU objections. rt.com Hungary announced it will purchase Russia's Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine for research and licensing purposes, in a move that risks creating tensions with EU authorities who insist only formulas made in the bloc should be used. | Foreign Minister Peter Sijarto said on Thursday that Budapest will place an order for the vaccine. "Russia will start supplying small batches in December to complete clinical trials and research here," he told journalists. | Russia became the first country in the world to approve a jab for Covid-19 in September. It drew criticism from some international commentators for the speed of t…

Robert Hunziker (2020-11-06). A Troubling Discovery in the Arctic. counterpunch.org A notable satellite-telephonic call to colleagues in late October from Swedish scientist àñrjan Gustafsson of Stockholm University briefly described a haunting discovery. On board the research ship R/V Akademik Keldysh, a 6,240-ton Russian scientific research vessel equipped with 17 on-board laboratories and a library, far off the coast of Russia, Dr. Gustafsson reported: "This East

Oscar Grenfell (2020-11-06). New Documents Show Mueller Investigation Unable to Concoct Charges Against Assange and WikiLeaks. globalresearch.ca Previously redacted portions of the Mueller report into supposed Russian interference in the US, released this week, have shown that despite every effort, the Justice Department was unable to concoct evidence of any criminal wrongdoing on the part of WikiLeaks …

Tim Anderson (2020-11-06). Iran's Resistance Economy and Regional Integration. thealtworld.com Journal of World Sociopolitical Studies: | Abstract | Iran's 'resistance economy' is sometimes presented as defensive strategy. Despite Washington's 'New Middle East' wars and the rapid evaporation of expected benefits from the long JCPOA (nuclear deal) process, a certain illusion remains that a general 'normalisation' with the outside powers might still bring economic benefits to the country. Nevertheless, it remains true that, while Iran is a large country, pure self-sufficiency would impose physical limits. Therefore, the question that one may ask is what are the better economic opportunities for the n…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-11-06). Researchers Thought It Would Be At Least 30 Years Before Arctic Ice Time Capsule Was Found. It Took Just Two. commondreams.org People aboard the Russian icebreaker ship 50 Years of Victory in 2018 believed the time capsule they placed in ice in the Arctic Circle would stay there for at least three decades—and were shocked to learn this week that the container has already been uncovered. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/nasa_1.jpg

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-11-05). Belarusian Protests Are Spilling over into Poland but Warsaw Is Beginning to Blame Russia. globalresearch.ca Polish leaders at all levels continue to speak with enthusiasm about the need to fully support "peaceful protests" in Belarus and to help them morally and financially. However, with widespread protests across Poland now, the same national leaders are angrily …

Ralph Nader — Bruce Fein (2020-11-05). How Trump, Hannity and Limbaugh Violated Election Law. counterpunch.org Conservative media celebrities Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh have flagrantly violated the federal election law prohibition of donating anything of value exceeding $2,800 to a presidential candidate. The ongoing strategic collaboration between Trump, Hannity and Limbaugh is obvious and has been widely documented in newspapers and books. Both Hannity and Limbaugh have collaborated with President

RT (2020-11-05). Hefty fines for Twitter, Facebook & Google? Russian social media users ask state to punish US websites that censor Russian news. rt.com A group of Russian social media professionals have asked the Ministry of Communications to fine foreign companies who censor Russian media, after it was revealed that US tech giants have restricted around 20 Russian outlets. | In an open letter, the Association of Professional Users of Social Networks and Messengers (APPSIM) proposed a fine of 10 million rubles ($130,000) for the offending parties, with their sights set on American firms, such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter. | The notice cites data from Russia's federal censor, Roskomnadzor, which claims that the trio have blocked access to material from abo…

RT (2020-11-05). Kremlin says coronavirus situation 'tense but under control' as Omsk region health chief fired over shortage of beds. rt.com President Vladimir Putin's spokesman sought to reassure Russians on Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic in the country is under control. Meanwhile, a number of cities across the country are bracing for a rise in cases. | Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the president is aware of a number of failings of local healthcare systems, saying that "the epidemic is developing, and it is continuing. The situation is indeed very tense, but it is under control. Unfortunately, in some regions we see disruptions, the president knows about them and there is a system in place to respond to them." | The news comes as Russi…

RT (2020-11-05). Brussels vs. Lukashenko: EU to impose additional sanctions on Minsk, targeting both President and his son, sources tell TASS. rt.com The EU has agreed to impose new sanctions against Belarusian officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko, three months after the country's controversial election, which the opposition claims was obviously rigged. | That's according to the sources of Moscow-based news agency TASS, which reported on Wednesday that permanent representatives of the 27 EU member states had agreed on a new set of measures against Minsk. In October, EU leaders announced sanctions on 40 Belarusian officials, but the list did not include Lukashenko. Thus far, they appear to have had little consequence, with the country's leader…

Eds. (2020-11-05). Climate Crisis and Imperialism: The Unfair Demonization of the East. mronline.org Last week in the presidential debate, Donald Trump said "Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. It's filthy. The air is filthy," when asked about his decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord.

Umar A Farooq (2020-11-05). US Elections 2020: A Who's Who of Joe Biden's Foreign Policy Team. globalresearch.ca Democratic nominee's advisers consist of many former Obama-era officials, some who helped craft the Iran nuclear deal, drone strikes programmes and sanctions on Syria and Libya | *** | As a two-term vice-president under President Barack Obama, Joe Biden played a leading …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-05). Moldova set to hold second round of presidential polls on November 15. peoplesdispatch.org Among the eight candidates contesting the presidential polls in Moldova, pro-EU candidate Maia Sandu (36.1% votes) and incumbent pro-Russian president Igor Dodon (32.66% votes) qualified for the second round, scheduled for November 15…

Manlio Dinucci (2020-11-05). Fukushima, the Nuclear Pandemic Spreads. globalresearch.ca It was not Covid, therefore the news went almost unnoticed: Japan will release over a million tons of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. The catastrophic incident in Fukushima was triggered by the Tsunami that …

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-04). Russia Intl. ICT exhibition hosts Iran Knowledge-based firms. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 04 (MNA) — Some Iranian knowledge-based firms exhibited their latest achievements at the 32nd International Exhibition for Information and Communication Technology in Moscow.

_____ (2020-11-04). VIDEO: The Threat of Peace… Why America Needs War With Russia and How To Stop It. strategic-culture.org