(2020-01-14). Germany to host Libya conference on Sunday, invites Sarraj & Haftar. rt.com 
Germany confirmed on Tuesday it will host a conference on Sunday in Berlin to support the UN's efforts to achieve reconciliation in Libya after months of violence. | Representatives from the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, Turkey, Italy and the UN will be among the participants, the German government said in a statement. | Germany has also invited Fayez al-Sarraj, who heads the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, and General Khalifa Haftar, who leads the eastern-based Libyan National Army, Reuters reported. | Turkey and Russia failed to convince Haftar on Monday to sign a binding t…
(2020-01-14). Non-commitment probe into Iran by France, Germany & UK 'groundless,' only increases tensions around nuclear deal — Russia. rt.com 
The European trio's accusation that Iran violates the key restrictions of the nuclear deal are unjustified, the Russian Foreign Ministry said urging the countries not to increase tensions that could endanger the pact. | Paris, Berlin and London officially reported Iran's non-compliance with the 2015 agreement to the Joint Commission under the Dispute Resolution Mechanism. This step could potentially lead to the UN Security Council being forced to decide on whether or not to bring back sanctions against Tehran. | "We can't rule out that the ill-considered actions of the European trio will lead to a new escalati…
(2020-01-14). 'I don't like disposable champions': Figure skating coach compares new generation skaters to single-use plastic cups. rt.com 
Prominent figure skating coach Rafael Arutyunyan, who has spoken in favour of raising the age limit in ladies single skating, has compared the success of young champions to single-use plastic cups. | The renowned coach underlined that young female skaters should only enter senior events after going through puberty, when they have "well-trained and healthy" bodies. | READ MORE: Anna Shcherbakova performs INSANE quad-jumping routine to win Russian figure skating championship (VIDEO) | Current rules w…
(2020-01-14). Libya's Haftar positive about outcome of Moscow talks, but needs 2 days for discussions with tribal leaders — Russian MoD. rt.com 
The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier said that Haftar left for Benghazi without signing the agreement and wanted two days to discuss it. The Government of National Accord (GNA) delegation, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, signed the agreement before leaving Moscow for Istanbul. | The Russian MoD said Haftar's assessment of the final statement after negotiations with the rival GNA was "positive." | But before signing, he took two days to discuss the paper with the leader of the tribes that support the LNA. | Libya remains divided since 2011 following NATO's bombing campaign which led to the overthrow o…
(2020-01-14). Russia hopes triggering dispute resolution mechanism in Iran deal won't complicate situation. rt.com 
Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, commented on Tuesday on the decision by the UK, Germany and France to launch a dispute resolution mechanism within the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear deal. | "They stated that they did it 'in good faith' to preserve the deal and that it has nothing to do with maximum pressure policy," the Russian diplomat tweeted. "Let's hope that this step will not complicate the situation further." | The three European states said they have been left with "no choice, given Iran's actions, but to register to…
(2020-01-14). Johnson calls for 'Trump deal' to resolve Iran tensions. thecanary.co 
Donald Trump should produce a replacement for the Iran nuclear deal, Boris Johnson said as he called for tensions in the Gulf to be "dialled down".The UK, along with European allies, has remained part of the troubled nuclear deal despite the US president's opposition.The prime minister said one of the problems the American leader had with the agreement was that it was negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, so putting in a replacement "Trump deal" would be a way out of the current crisis. | The US has pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which eased sanctions in return for Iran agree…
(2020-01-14). Iran warns against 'destructive measures,' promises firm response as EU trio starts nuclear deal 'non-compliance' investigation. rt.com 
Iran will firmly respond to anyone acting to damage the 2015 nuclear deal, but welcomes "good faith" measures to save it, the foreign ministry said as three EU signatories triggered a non-compliance investigation against Tehran. | "It is necessary to explain that the action taken by the three European countries is a passive and weak position," Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for the foreign ministry, warned in a statement. | He spoke shortly after Germany, France and the UK initiated a special dispute resolution procedure under the 2015 deal citing Iran's alleged non-compliance with the pact. | Now, the Islamic Repub…
(2020-01-14). Headlines for January 14, 2020. democracynow.org "It Doesn't Really Matter": Trump Changes Story on Soleimani Killing, Six Democratic Candidates Will Take Stage for Debate in Iowa Tonight, Warren: Sanders Said Woman Couldn't Win in 2020, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Launching New PAC to Support Progressive Democrats, Trump Plans to Divert Additional $7.2 Billion from Military Budget to Border Wall, Turkey and Russia Broker Ceasefire for Idlib, Syria, France to Send More Troops to West Africa Amid Rising Violence in Sahel, 55 Die in Avalanches in Pakistan, Study: 2019 Was Hottest Year for World's Oceans on Record, AG Barr and Apple Face Off over Phone of Alleged Pen…
(2020-01-14). Putin's Orthodox Christmas Visit to Damascus Plays Up Assad's Syria as Enclave of Peace — While Rest of Middle East Burns. globalresearch.ca Russian leader Vladimir Putin made a surprise Christmas visit to Syria, where he met with the country's president, Bashar Assad. The tranquility of their meeting was in sharp contrast to the hell breaking out in neighboring Iraq. | The unannounced …
(2020-01-14). Russia's Unsuccessful Libyan Peace Summit Was a Good Start. globalresearch.ca Russia's Libyan peace summit in Moscow didn't succeed with its stated objective of getting the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire agreement after they failed to find any common ground with one another, but it was nevertheless a good …
(2020-01-14). BBC, Reuters Involved in UK Government Plot to Spread Cold War Propaganda, Docs Reportedly Show. sputniknews.com Negotiations to make secret payments to Reuters were led by the Information Research Department, a shady propaganda arm of the Foreign Office which had a major impact on Western media, culture and academia in their positions on and coverage of the USSR and other communist countries before being closed down in 1977.
(2020-01-14). The 40 Year Cold War With Iran. counterpunch.org The United States has been in a 40-year cold war with Iran. Just like the cold war with the Soviet Union, the conflict between Washington and Tehran has been fought largely through proxies: in Yemen, in Syria, in Iraq. Iranian-aligned organizations like Hezbollah have attacked U.S. targets, such as the 1984 embassy bombing in Beirut. More
(2020-01-14). US House Democrats to Look Into Reports of Russia Hacking Burisma – Congressman. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US House Democrats intend to look into media reports accusing "Russian military hackers" of a cyberattack against the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries said during a press conference on Tuesday.
(2020-01-14). Khalifa Haftar refuses to formalize Libyan ceasefire. peoplesdispatch.org The warlord who had initially agreed to the ceasefire proposed by Russia and Turkey withdrew saying that it did not address his concerns. His rival group, the Government of National Accord, has already signed the agreement…
(2020-01-14). Pundits Go Nuts Over New Russian Hacking Conspiracy. theantimedia.com (CJ Opinion) — The New York Times reports that GRU operatives launched a successful "phishing attack" on the Ukrainian gas company at the heart of scandalous allegations about Joe Biden, and establishment pundits are falling all over themselves to tweet the hottest take on this exciting new Russia conspiracy. The story itself fails the smell test on a …
(2020-01-14). European Parliament Holds Discussion on Situation in Libya – Video. sputniknews.com On Monday, the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar, and the Prime Minister of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, met in the Russian capital for talks, mediated by Russia and Turkey, to discuss an unconditional and open-ended ceasefire.
(2020-01-14). European States' Decision to Launch Dispute Resolution Mechanism May Doom Iran Nuclear Deal – Moscow. sputniknews.com On Tuesday, France, the UK and Germany moved to trigger the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal's dispute mechanism and called on Tehran to cancel any measures which may violate the deal's terms.
(2020-01-14). Berlin, London and Paris threaten Iran over 2015 nuclear treaty. wsws.org After the recent US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani, the European powers are denouncing not Washington, but Tehran, as a threat to the Middle East.
(2020-01-14). US Air Force Drops Nuclear Bombs From B-52H Bomber's Nuke Inventory – Report. sputniknews.com Introduced into service back in the 1950s, the B-52 Stratofortress and its upgraded B-52H variant have served as the backbone of the US Air Force's strategic bomber fleet, and have been used in virtually all of the major wars fought by the US since Vietnam.
(2020-01-14). Warren Says 'No Interest' in Discussing It Further After Dropping Bombshell Accusation of Sexism on Sanders. commondreams.org "I would concede that I could've misinterpreted it and would call my 'good friend' for clarity before asserting something that clearly goes nuclear on his campaign," said one observer. "Unless that is, my intention was to go nuclear on his campaign. In which case, I'd do what Warren did." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/warren_sanders_woman_president.jpg …
(2020-01-14). Pompeo: Killing Soleimani Part of 'Broader Strategy' Applying to China, Russia. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo still has not totally abandoned the pretext that the US assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani was based on an "imminent threat," but is moving to rebrand the operation as part of a broad new strategy "that also applies to China and Russia." Pompeo set this rather disturbing claim out in …
(2020-01-14). Germany invited Libya's Serraj, Haftar to conference. yenisafak.com Germany confirmed on Tuesday it will host a conference on Sunday in Berlin to support the United Nations' effort to achieve peace and reconciliation in Libya after months of violence. Representatives from the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, Turkey, Italy and the U.N. will be among the participants, said the German government in a statement.Germany has also invited Fayez al-Serraj, who heads the internationally recognised government in Tripoli, and General Khalifa Haftar, who leads the eastern-based Libyan National Army, it said.
(2020-01-14). One more body found days after Bosphorus crash in Istanbul. yenisafak.com "Body of I.D., one of the missing fishers, has been recovered [from the sea]," the Office of Istanbul Governor said in a statement. His body was recovered from some 77-meter (252 feet) depth.The collision of Russian-flagged GLARD 2 tanker and Turkish-flagged Dursun Ali Coskun boat took place on Friday at around 6.35 a.m. local time (0335GMT) off Istanbul's Sariyer district. The fishing boat sank after the collision.Authorities were able to rescue three out of the six people on board, while the others went missing. As a result of intense efforts, body of one of the fishers was found on Saturday.The Governor's Offi…
(2020-01-14). UK urges new nuclear deal with Iran. yenisafak.com Following weeks of turmoil and death resulting from U.S.-Iranian tensions, Britain on Tuesday urged a new nuclear deal with Iran.In his first exclusive interview since the December election, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the BBC that work is needed to negotiate a new deal that would replace the previous 2015 deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)."Let's work together to replace the JCPOA and get the Trump deal instead," Johnson said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, claiming it was flawed beyond fixing."Somehow or ot…
(2020-01-13). America Has Built a Global Dystopia. zcomm.org Interview on the incredible global failure to address the climate crisis, as well as the nuclear arms race, which are both leading humanity to a precipice that may be impossible to walk away from…
(2020-01-13). How Rising Temperatures Increase the Likelihood of Nuclear War. thenation.com How Rising Temperatures Increase the Likelihood of Nuclear War…
(2020-01-12). 'Totally up to them': Trump says he 'couldn't care less' if Iran negotiates with US or not. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump said his maximum pressure campaign against Iran is not about bringing it to the negotiating table, but ensuring that Tehran doesn't obtain nuclear weapons or kill protesters. | "Actually, I couldn't care less if they negotiate. Will be totally up to them but, no nuclear weapons and 'don't kill your protesters'," Trump said in a tweet Sunday night, contradicting the narrative of National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien. | National Security Adviser suggested today that sanctions & protests have Iran "choked off", will force them to negotiate. Actually, I couldn't care less if they negot…
(2020-01-11). No, Iran didn't exit the nuclear deal. And no, its nuclear announcement is not revenge for Soleimani. mronline.org 
On January 5, Iran made a major announcement regarding its nuclear program, stating that it will no longer observe limits on the number of centrifuges that it uses to enrich uranium. While the announcement is significant, it was not altogether unexpected. And it most certainly does not constitute the "harsh revenge" that Iran's supreme leader, […] | Source
(2020-01-09). Andrew Bacevich: The U.S. Needs to Abandon "Militarized Approach" to Middle East and Build Peace. democracynow.org 
We continue our conversation with Andrew Bacevich, president and co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He is a retired colonel, Vietnam War veteran and author of, most recently, of "The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory." Bacevich says the crisis with Iran, sparked by President Trump's assassination of top general Qassem Soleimani, is just the latest in a long series of ill-advised American actions in the Middle East. "The only conceivable way for us to begin to extricate ourselves from this terrible mess in the region … is to abandon this militarized approac…
(2020-01-08). Trump Announces Additional 'Punishing' Sanctions on Iran. therealnews.com 
Updated 1: 15 PM ET | U.S. President Donald Trump made a statement Wednesday morning at 11: 30 AM EST and announced that Iran "appears to be standing down" following strikes on U.S. air bases in Iraq. He said there were no American or Iraqi casualties resulting from the attacks. | Trump said that while the U.S. was evaluating its options, it would "immediately impose additional punishing sanctions" against Iran until it "changes its behavior." He called Iran the "leading sponsor of terrorism" and repeatedly said that he would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Since 2017, the Trump administration has impose…
(2020-01-04). Trump's march to war on Iran aided by Democrats' weakness on sanctions, nuclear deal. thegrayzone.com The US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military commander, is the culmination of three years of Trump administration…
(2019-12-22). Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons. zcomm.org Although today's public protests against nuclear weapons can't compare to the major antinuclear upheavals of past decades, there are clear indications that most Americans reject the Trump administration's nuclear weapons policies. Since entering office in 2017, the Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran, scrapped the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Read more…
(2019-12-22). Seemingly Coordinated ISIS/al-Qaeda Attacks On Syrian Oil/Gas Fields & US' Russia/Libya Hypocrisy. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/21/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
(2019-11-07). Take Action — Some actual, SANE legislation. peaceaction.org Trump has plans to spend nearly $2 TRILLION over the next 30 years on unneeded and unnecessary nuclear weapons and delivery systems. This makes no sense. This is insane. That's nearly $100 million wasted every day for thirty years on weapons we are supposed to be getting rid of. To put that amount in perspective, …
(2019-06-25). Peace Action Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 25, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Ilhan Omar for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …
(2019-06-24). Peace Action Endorses Kara Eastman for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 24, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …