(2020-01-17). Manned Mars mission isn't science fiction & could have 'reconciliatory' effect on the world — Russian cosmonaut Ryazansky. rt.com 
Sending humans to Mars isn't as far-fetched as it might sound, Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky told RT, noting that a joint mission to the Red Planet would serve as a unifying triumph for people of all nations. | In an interview with SophieCo, the Russian cosmonaut and biochemist explained that manned space travel to Mars probably wouldn't be any more dangerous, from a health perspective, than current space missions. He pointed out that "the total amount of radiation an astronaut gets these days exceeds what a Mars mission crew would get," while stressing that more research on the matter was needed. | Ryaza…
(2020-01-17). 'Remember the past & honor the dead': Former president Walesa slams Poland's failure to commemorate Warsaw's WWII liberation. rt.com 
While the anniversary of Warsaw's liberation is largely overlooked in modern-day Poland, it's worth paying respect to the sacrifice of the Red Army, former president and democracy hero Lech Walesa acknowledged on RT. | It's been exactly 75 years since the Soviet Union's 1st Byelorussian Front and the allied Polish 1st Army defeated the last remaining pocket of Nazi resistance, ending the five-year occupation of Warsaw. But the milestone event, in which 22,000 Soviet and 3,100 Polish soldiers lost their lives, is no longer an occasion for Poland to celebrate, it seems. | While local press maintained a deafening…
(2020-01-17). Putin to take part in Libya peace conference in Berlin — Kremlin. rt.com 
Russia's President Vladimir Putin will be participating in the conference on a peaceful settlement in Libya, to take place in Germany's capital, Berlin, on Sunday, the Kremlin has said. | The Berlin summit will become the continuation of the peace effort that started in Moscow earlier this month when the warring parties set behind the table for the first time. | The Sunday's conference will bring together the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and the Libyan National Army (LNA), headed by general Khalifa Haftar, as well as representatives of Germany, Algeria, Great Britain, E…
(2020-01-17). America's Long History of Meddling in Russia. counterpunch.org 
Russia — OK, not the actual Russian government but a private click-farm company located in Russia — bought $100,000 worth of political ads on Facebook designed to change the outcome of the 2016 election. Except that only a small fraction of those ads were political. Also except that that small fraction was divvied up between More
(2020-01-17). 'We wanted to be Red Army soldiers': Polish veterans recall childhood memories of Warsaw's liberation. rt.com 
It is often said that truth is the first casualty of war — and, indeed, when the bombs have stopped falling, the blood has been shed and the troops have stood down, another kind of war begins: A war of memories.
(2020-01-17). The Rumbling Methane Enigma. counterpunch.org 
The northern continental shelves of Russia, inclusive of the Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea and East Siberian Sea (ESAS) are some of the least researched yet most controversial subjects in climate science today. It's the one region that has the biggest potential to trigger runaway global warming because of sizeable subsea methane deposits, thereby More
(2020-01-17). DOJ investigating Comey over role in classified leaks during Clinton email drama — report. rt.com 
The US Department of Justice has opened a probe into whether former FBI Director James Comey leaked details about classified intelligence to reporters covering the Hillary Clinton email server scandal. | Led by federal prosecutors, the inquiry is focused on two 2017 news stories for which Comey is suspected to have been a source, divulging the contents of a classified intelligence document, according to a Thursday New York Times report. | The pair of stories, published in the Times and the Washington Post in 2017, cited an alleged Russian intelligence document obtained by Dutch security services, which earlier…
(2020-01-17). Ruble strong, stocks surge after Russian government reshuffle. rt.com 
The appointment of a new prime minister has boosted the Russian stock market to new record highs on Friday, with the national currency holding on to gains reached over the past 18 months. | The ruble continued gaining against major currencies on Friday, after accelerating growth on the news of the appointment of Mikhail Mishustin as Russia's new prime minister earlier in the week. | It was up 0.2 percent against the US dollar at 61.39 rubles, while gaining slightly on the euro at 68.29 rubles.The stock market posted solid gains at the beginning of the trading session. The dollar-denominated RTS index added mor…
(2020-01-17). UN envoy for Syria Pedersen to visit Russia next week. rt.com 
UN Secretary-General's special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen will visit Russia next week, acting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. | Pedersen also plans to visit Damascus, Lavrov said. "I expect that these talks and his upcoming trips and contacts with the Syrian leadership will help us determine the further schedule of the [Syrian] Constitutional Committee," TASS quoted him as saying. | The minister also said that Syria should return to the Arab League after its exclusion in 2011. "Syria needs to return to the Arab family," he added.
(2020-01-17). 'Nobody in Poland cares about WWII anymore': Warsaw ignores 75th anniversary of its liberation from fascism. rt.com 
The Polish people aren't interested in the events of the past, being fully consumed by their daily hassles, and the country's authorities are using this to their advantage, freely rewriting WWII history, academics told RT. | Warsaw was taken from the Nazis on January 17, 1945, after a large-scale offensive by the Red Army and the Polish forces. The 75th anniversary of the historic victory is marked on Friday, but the capital of Poland isn't preparing for any celebrations. | The fact that the USSR liberated Warsaw from the Nazis is "diminished" in schoolbooks and ignored by Polish media "because we live in coun…
(2020-01-17). It's a step forward that ceasefire in Libya is holding, even though rival leaders 'not ready' for direct talks — Russian FM. rt.com 
The warring sides in Libya are sticking to their truce, though their leaders haven't yet begun direct talks, Sergey Lavrov confirmed. It's crucial, he added, that they don't set additional demands after a peace summit in Berlin. | The ceasefire between the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) "is nevertheless respected," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow, describing it as "a definite step forward." | General Khalifa Haftar, who leads the LNA, and Fayez al-Sarraj, the GNA prime minister, failed to reach an agreement at recent talk…
(2020-01-17). Trump Calls for New Iran Nuclear Deal that Renders the Country Defenseless. globalresearch.ca Last week, Trump called for a new Iran nuclear deal, claiming: | "(W)e must all work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place (sic)." | That's precisely the JCPOA's aim — even …
(2020-01-17). US Withdrawal From Open Skies Treaty to Blow European Security — Russian Foreign Ministry. sputniknews.com The Treaty on Open Skies, established a programme of unmanned aerial surveillance flights over the territories of its 35 participants and entered into force in 2002, but Washington is now mulling the possibility of withdrawing from the agreement.
(2020-01-17). Ex-FBI Chief James Comey Probed Over Allegations He Leaked Classified Paper to Media — Report. sputniknews.com The former FBI director, who stepped down amid the alleged Russian meddling turmoil, has already faced accusations of passing information and has repeatedly been trashed by US President Donald Trump as a "leaker". A new investigation purportedly concerns some classified Russian government paper on ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
(2020-01-17). Acting Russian FM Sergei Lavrov Holds Annual Press Conference – Video. sputniknews.com Sergei Lavrov has just returned from Uzbekistan, the last leg on his Asian tour, which also included stops in Sri Lanka and India, where he addressed issues related to economic, political, and cultural cooperation.
(2020-01-17). Russian Foreign Policy Won't Change After Cabinet Reshuffle – Foreign Ministry. sputniknews.com Russia's foreign policy will remain unchanged following a cabinet reshuffle since it is determined by the president, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said in an interview with Sputnik.
(2020-01-17). Johnson's Statements on JCPOA Future Derail Effort to Save Deal – Russian Deputy FM. sputniknews.com VIENNA (Sputnik) – UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's statements on the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) derail efforts to save the Iran nuclear deal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.
(2020-01-17). Iraq Set to Buy Russian S-400 Air Defense System and Assert Its Sovereignty. globalresearch.ca Iran attacked US forces stationed at two bases in Iraq with 15 missiles on January 8th, but it does not appear missile defense systems were used to counter them. Eric Gomez, a missile defense policy analyst at the Cato …
(2020-01-17). Soviet army liberates Warsaw from Nazi forces. peoplesdispatch.org The operation was part of the Vistula—Oder Offensive, which was a successful Red Army operation on the Eastern Front in the European Theatre of World War II in January 1945.
(2020-01-17). Japanese High Court Orders Suspension of Nuclear Reactor in Ehime Prefecture – Reports. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Hiroshima High Court has ordered the suspension of operations of a reactor at the Ikata nuclear power plant, located in Ehime prefecture, over fears that Shikoku Electric Power Company (SEPC) operator, failed to assess the risks of possible earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the region, the NHK broadcaster reported.
(2020-01-17). The TEPCO Trial: Prosecution and Acquittal after Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown. globalresearch.ca On September 19, 2019, a panel of three professional judges in the Tokyo District Court acquitted three former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The defendants were former chairman Katsumata Tsunehisa (79), and former vice presidents Takekuro Ichiro …
(2020-01-17). American Puppets: Khamenei Slams E3 Position on Nuclear Deal, Says They're Serving US Interest. sputniknews.com On 8 January, Iran targeted two American facilities in Iraq, the Ayn al-Asad Air Base and in Erbil in retaliation for the killing of IRGC Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike several days earlier.
(2020-01-17). France to deploy aircraft carrier to Middle East. yenisafak.com France will deploy its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Middle East to back its military operations in the region, President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday.The nuclear aircraft carrier will be deployed to support Chammal operations until April, Macron said at a New Year speech to the French military in the city of Orleans.It will also be used in joint operations with European countries, he said, highlighting the increasing threat of Daesh/ISIS.Following Daesh/ISIS-linked terrorist attacks that killed 130 people in Paris in 2015, the Charles de Gaulle, with an air wing that typically includes 24 Rafale fig…
(2020-01-17). Feline friendly: Small cat & huge tiger make unlikely companions in Russian zoo (VIDEO). rt.com 
A small tabby cat and a huge tiger proved that size is no barrier to the purr-fect friendship when the pair were recently spotted hanging out together at a zoo in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. | Separated by a glass barrier, the unlikely duo clearly warmed to each other, rubbing their heads against the dividing pane in a show of friendship and mimicking each other's movements, all to the audible delight of onlooking staff. | Despite the obvious difference in strength and size, the striped pair looked extremely comfortable kicking back together on a sunny day. | Think your friends would be interested? Share this st…
(2020-01-16). How Soviet books brought literacy and socialist culture to the Third World. peoplesworld.org 
After the triumph of the Bolshevik Revolution, John Reed, famed author of Ten Days that Shook the World, wrote, "The thirst for education, so long thwarted, burst with the Revolution into a frenzy of expression. From Smolny Institute alone, the first six months, went out everyday tons, car-loads, train-loads of literature, saturating the land. Russia …
(2020-01-16). Who's this guy? Jeopardy contestants fail to recognize impeachment 'hero' Adam Schiff & Twitter ROFLs. rt.com 
Rep. Adam Schiff might be leading an impeachment drive in the US, but it seems not everybody is familiar with the 'resistance' hero. At least, his photo did not ring any bells for contestants on the latest Jeopardy episode. | Schiff, a prominent Russiagater whose fame among the anti-Trump resistance camp reached new heights amid the ongoing Ukrainegate saga, might be a household name on Capitol Hill, but the question remains: Is the same true for the rest of the country outside of the Washington political swamp? If the classic trivia game show is any indication, it is not. | Just a reminder we live in a bubble…
(2020-01-16). Putin Proposes Sweeping Changes to Russian Constitution, Possibly Prolonging His Grip on Power. democracynow.org 
In Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev resigned Wednesday along with his entire Cabinet in a move that surprised many in Moscow and abroad. The move came as Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed sweeping constitutional changes to expand the power of the parliament and the State Council while weakening the presidency. Critics of Putin say the proposals could help him keep power after his final presidential term ends in 2024. The Russian parliament is expected to vote today to confirm Putin's pick for new prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, a bureaucrat who runs Russia's tax service. The Russian newspaper Kom…
(2020-01-16). The Reds are back! Voice of America 'promotes' Communist leader to PM… showing once again MSM can't do Russia. rt.com 
US-government sponsored Voice of America is well aware that Russia's new PM Mikhail Mishustin is "a career bureaucrat who never had political ambitions" but, strangely enough, it doesn't seem to know what the man looks like. | Kudos to the US outlet for having noticed a major shake-up in the Russian government, but someone at the desk needs to read up on the country's internal affairs, it would seem — if only for better face recognition. A photo of the long-time leader of Russia's Communist p…
(2020-01-16). 75 years later: Newly-released wartime docs debunk myths about WWII's liberation of Warsaw. rt.com 
Warsaw was liberated by Soviet forces 75 years ago today — and Polish officials have cloaked the pivotal event in myths ever since. Yet, newly-released historical documents help shed some light on the truth. | Official Warsaw had no plans to celebrate this date — but it is not the first time that Poland has ignored the liberation of its state capital. Since the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in the early 1990s, politicians across Eastern European have pushed the notion that the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were equally …
(2020-01-16). Prospects for Peace in the Ukraine Conflict. progressive.org The war started as a land grab, with Russia taking advantage of disarray in the Ukrainian state and armed forces in the weeks following the Euromaidan revolution.
(2020-01-16). Will Baghdad Defy Washington? Iraqi Parliament Contemplates Buying Russia's S-400 Missile Defense System. globalresearch.ca With tensions mounting between Iran and the United States after the latter assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, Baghdad has now been pushing to free itself from American domination by calling for foreign troops to leave the country and …
(2020-01-16). Russia: A Groundbreaking Powershift? dissidentvoice.org In groundbreaking news President Putin announced today, 15 January, in his annual address to the Nation, major changes in his government. First, he announced that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his entire cabinet resigned and will eventually be replaced by a new PM and a new cabinet. A timeline was not given. In the meantime, …
(2020-01-16). Russia — A Groundbreaking Power Shift? Prime Minister and Entire Cabinet Resign. globalresearch.ca In groundbreaking news President Putin announced today, 15 January, in his annual address to the Nation, major changes in his government. First, he announced that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his entire cabinet resigned and will eventually be replaced by …
(2020-01-16). Headlines for January 16, 2020. democracynow.org House Lawmakers Deliver Articles of Impeachment to Senate, Ex-Giuliani Associate Says Trump Knew of Ukraine Pressure Campaign, U.S. Troops Resume Iraq Operations Despite Parliament's Expulsion Order, Afghan Reconstruction Watchdog Tells Congress of U.S. "Mendacity" and "Lies", Trump Signs "Phase 1" Agreement with China, Easing Trade War, Russian Government Resigns as Vladimir Putin Seeks to Retain Power Beyond 2024, At Least 21 Killed in Idlib Amid Syrian, Russian Airstrikes, Court Blocks Trump Order Allowing Local Leaders to Refuse Refugees, ACLU Sues to End Trump's Policy of Sending Asylum Seekers to Guatemala,…
(2020-01-16). The Afro-Eurasia Proposal Would be a Timely Alternative to the US Sponsored "Indo-Pacific" globalresearch.ca Russia's repeated rejection of the US' 'Indo-Pacific' concept that Foreign Minister Lavrov claims is a ruse for "containing China" highlights just how urgently it is that a more inclusive and non-hostile trans-regional integration alternative emerges, which can be embodied by …
(2020-01-16). Russian government resigns after Putin's state of the nation address. wsws.org The resignation of the widely unpopular Russian government comes amid mounting social conflict and escalating war tensions between the US and Iran which threaten to draw in the entire South Caucasus region and Russia itself.
(2020-01-16). Soleimani Fallout Continues to Produce Diplomatic Dividends for Russia. globalresearch.ca Ahead of this year's Munich Security Conference, due to begin on February 14th, its chairman Wolfgang Ischinger praised what he called President Putin's "method" concerning security-issues in the Middle East. Talking to the ZDF television channel on January 13th, Ischinger …
(2020-01-16). UK, France and Germany push Iran to the brink. peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha talks about the decision by three major European countries to activate the conflict resolution mechanism for the Iran nuclear deal which could lead to further sanctions on Iran.
(2020-01-16). Trump's Broad-Based Sanctions Failed in Iran and Will Fail in North Korea. truthout.org In both Iran and North Korea, the Trump administration has pursued an aggressive policy of " maximum pressure" — crushing economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation and military threats — in order to thwart their nuclear ambitions. In both cases, "maximum pressure…
(2020-01-16). How Europe Betrayed Iran: By Triggering JCPOA Dispute Mechanism, EU Helps Trump Finish Job of Killing the Iran Nuclear Deal. globalresearch.ca Europe could have saved the Iran nuclear agreement. Instead, it abused the rule of law by inappropriately triggering its dispute mechanism, all but ensuring the agreement's demise. | Disingenuous diplomacy | On January 5, 2020, Tehran announced that it would no longer …
(2020-01-16). US Pressed E3 Group to Force Iran to Follow Nuclear Agreement. telesurenglish.net The "E3" group (France, Britain and Germany) urged Iran to return to the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal agreed with world powers, after the Persian nation announced on Sunday, that it would abandon limitations on enriching uranium; same action Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018. | RELATED: | Why Killing Soleimani has Further Destabilized the Middle East | Iran will no longer meet the limits set forth in the pact on the amount of uranium enrichment centrifuges that it co…
(2020-01-16). Duma approves Mikhail Mishustin as new Russian premier. yenisafak.com Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, chose Mikhail Mishustin as the prime minister at a parliamentary vote on Thursday.The lawmakers voted 423/383 with 40 abstentions in favor of Mishustin.The Russian government resigned Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin proposed constitutional changes.Putin offered Mishustin, the former head of Russia's tax service, the position at a meeting.The president is eyeing limitations on future heads of state, including downgrading the maximum number of terms to two and imposing the condition of permanent residency in Russia for at least 25 years.He is also suggest…
(2020-01-16). PROFILE: Who is Mikhail Mishustin? yenisafak.com The Russian State Duma has confirmed the head of the Federal Tax Service as the country's new prime minister Thursday.Mishustin was nominated by Russia's President Vladimir Putin yesterday at a government meeting, which ended up with the resignation of Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev and his cabinet.Putin quickly accepted the resignation, explaining the reshuffle by the need "to properly organize the work" to implement tasks voiced during the address to the Federal Assembly and offering for the consideration of the parliament Mikhail Mishustin as a new head of the government.Mikhail Mishustin, who has served as a…
(2020-01-15). Trump's ex-adviser Flynn moves to withdraw guilty plea in Mueller investigation — court papers. rt.com 
The former national security advisor to the US president, General Michael Flynn, has asked the court to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming Russiagate prosecutors forced him to lie and make statements they knew were untrue. | In a court filing on Tuesday, lawyers for Flynn argued that the prosecutors "concocted the alleged 'false statements'" the general was accused of making in relation to his company's violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). | "The prosecutors concocted the alleged 'false statements' by their own misrepresentations, deceit, and omissions." | The newly-released court papers st…
(2020-01-15). Trump deal instead of Iran nuclear deal? I agree! US president gives Twitter nod to BoJo. rt.com 
Boris Johnson's suggestion that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal be replaced with a new one — named after Donald Trump — received an enthusiastic response from the US president. | "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, stated, 'We should replace the Iran deal with the Trump deal.' I agree!" Trump proclaimed in a tweet released Wednesday. | Earlier, Johnson said he understands American concerns over the "flawed" 2015 pact with Iran, which saw the Islamic Republic dramatically reducing its nuclear program in exchange for lifting crippling economic sanctions. | Prime Minister of the United Ki…
(2020-01-15). Iran's Rouhani Demands US, EU Troops Leave the Middle East or Face "Danger" theantimedia.com (ZH) — A day after European signatories to the Iran nuclear deal took took the drastic step of triggering the agreement's dispute resolution mechanism regulating conformity to the deal by formally notifying the EU Iran is in breach, seen as the harshest measure taken thus far given it means EU sanctions are possible, President Hassan Rouhani has responded with …
(2020-01-14). Hear no evil, see no evil, print no evil? MSM warn journalists away from Burisma/Biden info after 'hack' report. rt.com 
The US political and media elite have warned any journalist who might think of publishing (or even looking at) material potentially hacked from Ukrainian gas firm Burisma that they're essentially handing 2020's election to Russia. | Burisma Holdings – the Ukrainian company where Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden's son Hunter served as a director – has been hacked, cybersecurity firm Area 1 announced on Tuesday. Area 1 has ties to both the NSA and Crowdstrike, the firm behind 2016's still-unproven "Russian hacking" allegations, and has…
(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, Sanders Refutes Warren's Charge That He Said a 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…
(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 …
(2020-01-09). 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…