(2020-02-09). Russian banks may grant loans to diamond buyers in India — media. rt.com 
Indian diamond traders purchasing rough precious stones from major Russian miner Alrosa could be eligible for loans from Russian banks, as domestic lenders have reduced financing for the gem and jewelry sectors. | Russian banks have already started granting money to Alrosa's foreign clients, according to the Economic Times. The measure could boost India's diamond industry, which has been lacking a source of financing since notorious jeweler Nirav Modi was accused of being involved in a $2.5+ billion fraud case in India. The billionaire was arrested in London in 2019 after managing to enjoy a lavish lifestyle i…
(2020-02-09). Unpleasant surprise for Washington? US oil sanctions on Iran force India to look to Russia. rt.com 
Escalating US pressure on Iran, including sanctions targeting Iranian oil exports, may have had an unexpected consequence — pushing India to diversify its energy supplies by shifting from Tehran to Moscow as a major oil supplier. | State-owned oil refiner Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has just signed a contract with Russia's Rosneft for the supply of up to 2 million tons of oil by the end of 2020. The meeting took place on the sidelines of India's largest weapons fair, DefExpo, currently going on in Lucknow. | "This is just the beginning," Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters after meetin…
(2020-02-09). 'Warsaw is closer to Moscow than to Washington': Ex-president Walesa vows to break ice in Poland-Russia ties. rt.com 
It is imperative to improve Russia-Poland relations, outlive the troubled past and move forward, ex-president Lech Walesa has said, adding that only a "third party" benefits from the discord. | While the relationship between Poland and Russia wasn't particularly warm throughout recent decades, it can be unfrozen if both sides do their part, Walesa told Russia's
(2020-02-09). Pope calls for respect of humanitarian law in Syria's Idlib amid escalation. yenisafak.com Pope Francis called on Sunday for respect of humanitarian law in Syria's Idlib province, amid an escalation of a Syrian government offensive that has displaced more than half a million in two months.He told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's square that the reports from Idlib were "painful … particularly regarding the conditions of women and children, of people forced to flee from a military escalation."Turkey has reinforced its military presence in the area, saying the advances by Russian-backed Syrian troops and their allies threaten a fresh humanitarian disaster.The crisis risks driving another wave…
(2020-02-09). Taliban Ready to Enter Direct Talks With Kabul Only After Signing Deal With US – Moscow. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Taliban* express readiness to enter direct talks with Kabul only after signing a peace deal with the US, the possibility of a temporary truce for the period of such negotiations is being discussed, the Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan and the head of the Foreign Ministry's Second Asian Department said.
(2020-02-09). Fellowship of Siberia's Baikal Rings: Cause of Puzzling Ice Circles in World's Biggest Lake Revealed. sputniknews.com There have been diverse theories attempting to crack open the mystery of the so-called "ice rings" in Russia's Lake Baikal, some of which may even reach 7 kilometres in diameter. The most popular concept, focusing on methane outbursts, was eventually disproven due to objective geological reasons.
(2020-02-09). Utair Flight Crash Lands in Usinsk in Northern Russia – Photos. sputniknews.com According to emergency services, the plane en route from Moscow hit the runway with its tail, the 94 people on board were unharmed. In the meantime, the Usinsk Airport is continuing to operate under its regular schedule.
(2020-02-09). Junior Swimming Champion Belonogoff Switching From British to Russian Sport Nationality. sputniknews.com British swimmer Tatiana Belonogoff, gold medal winner in the women's 50m breaststroke at the 2018 European Junior Championships, has been living and training in Saint Petersburg for some time now and is currently on track to only compete under the Russian flag from now on.
(2020-02-09). Watch Boeing-737 With 94 People on Board Dramatically Crash Land in Russia's Usinsk. sputniknews.com According to preliminary reports, all people on board the Utair Boeing-737 are safe, however, it is not clear how heavily the aircraft has been damaged. Firefighters arrived at the scene as fuel started leaking from the plane.
(2020-02-09). Watch Airbus-320 With 172 Passengers Land at Hmeymim Airbase Trying to Avoid Israeli Strike on Syria. sputniknews.com The Russian Defence Ministry stated on 7 February that a civilian Airbus-320 with 172 passengers on board was nearly destroyed amid Israeli airstrikes near Damascus in the early hours of 6 February.
(2020-02-09). Pentagon's "Pivot" to Russia, China Faces Trouble as Its Troops 'Stuck in Sand', Need Money. sputniknews.com The two countries were named the biggest potential challenges and possible "near-peer adversaries" in the Trump administration's defence documents in a contrast to years of focusing on countering the terrorist threat by previous administrations.
(2020-02-08). NATO's 'hysteria' over Russia stalking their satellites is only to get more money — MPs. rt.com 
Claims that Russia is using its spacecraft to spy on NATO satellites have no real backing and are used to justify funding requests as the US and its allies are militarizing space, Russian MPs said. | Earlier this week, French General Andre Lanata, who is NATO's supreme allied commander transformation, sounded the alarm over a recently-launched Russian satellite synchronizing its orbit with an American surveillance spacecraft. | "It is a threat to our allies," Lanata told the Washington Examiner. "It's a key question. We need to be sure that we give to our forces this space asset support." | The commander went…
(2020-02-08). 'Unhinged': MSNBC host Chris Matthews goes on bizarre rant about mass executions & 'the Reds' while discussing Bernie Sanders. rt.com 
MSNBC host Chris Matthews is facing backlash on social media after he launched into a heated rant about socialism and appeared to suggest a Bernie Sanders presidency could somehow lead to mass executions in the streets. | During a post-debate special Friday evening, Matthews said his personal views on socialism go back "to the early 1950s" before drawing comparisons between Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and former leader of Cuba Fidel Castro. | "I believe if Castro and the Reds had won the Cold War there would have been executions in Central Park and I might have been one of the ones getting…
(2020-02-08). US Deploys 'Mini-Nukes' in Deplorable Threat to World Peace. theantimedia.com These so-called "mini-nukes" represent—despite the diminutive-sounding name—an increased risk of nuclear war.
(2020-02-08). Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions. theantimedia.com Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.
(2020-02-07). Risk of Nuclear War Rises as U.S. Deploys a New Nuclear Weapon for the First Time Since the Cold War. democracynow.org 
The Federation of American Scientists revealed in late January that the U.S. Navy had deployed for the first time a submarine armed with a low-yield Trident nuclear warhead. The USS Tennessee deployed from Kings Bay Submarine Base in Georgia in late 2019. The W76-2 warhead, which is facing criticism at home and abroad, is estimated to have about a third of the explosive power of the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) called the news "an alarming development that heightens the risk of nuclear war." We're joined by William Arkin, longtime reporter…
(2020-02-07). Russia and Iran's Clashing Visions for Syria's future. mintpressnews.com 
Rivals of the West in their own right, Iran and Russia today are major power players in the Syrian imbroglio. Their convergence of interests in helping eradicate extremist terrorist proxies utilized by an array of rival states against their mutual Syrian ally has allowed them both a significant degree of say in Syrian affairs and how that country's future will pan out | However, their cooperation against the terrorist threat has often been the pivot of inaccurate portrayals of Russia-Iran ties and the extent of their shared interests versus their many highly divergent objectives in Syria, many of which are rooted…
(2020-02-07). Iowa debacle fueled by anti-Bernie billionaires, Russiagate hucksters, failed DNC elites. thegrayzone.com Max Blumenthal breaks down the shadowy network of billionaires, Democratic elites, and Russiagate profiteers behind the Shadow app that ruined…
(2020-02-07). Venezuela: Sergei Lavrov Met National Dialogue Representatives. telesurenglish.net Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Friday met with the "National Dialogue" representatives in Caracas where he stressed that the U.S. sanctions against Venezuela are unacceptable and illegal. | RELATED: | "Unfortunately, the crisis Venezuela is going through comes from a campaign led by the United States to overthrow the legitimate government chaired by President Nicolas Maduro," L…
(2020-02-07). Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes. theantimedia.com Russia accused Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians."
(2020-02-07). Israeli Attack Endangers Civilian Aircraft in Damascus. telesurenglish.net A civilian aircraft flying from Tehran to Damascus narrowly avoided fire from Syria's air defense systems, which were activated in response to an Israeli missile attack on Friday. | RELATED: | Due to the Israeli strike, the aircraft, an Airbus A320, was unable to land at Damascus Airport and had to divert to Russia's Khmeimim airbase, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. | The surprise attack, which was made by four Isra…
(2020-02-07). Break-up of Astana Partnership Was Inevitable. The Turkey-Russia Relation in Jeopardy? globalresearch.ca Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered his forces to strike Syrian army positions in retaliation for targeting a Turkish military convoy bound for the Saraqeb in Syria's north-western Idlib province. His forces obeyed on Monday and allegedly struck a …
(2020-02-07). World Conquest: The United States' Global Military Crusade (1945- ). globalresearch.ca The first period was characterized by US military intervention in Europe, the second by a concern to confine the Communist bloc and to prevent the emergence of pro-communist regimes elsewhere in the world, and the third, focused on gaining control over the former Soviet republics and the oil-rich Middle East.
(2020-02-05). US Space Force conducts first ICBM launch after Moscow warned of threat of renewed arms race (PHOTOS). rt.com 
The newly-created US Space Force has test-fired a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time as Russia blasted it for "lowering the bar" on using nuclear weapons. | The unarmed land-based missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California shortly after midnight on Wednesday. It was the first such development test since the facility became part of the US Space Force, which was established as an independent military branch in late December. The US previously test-fired a missile of this type in October. | The Minuteman missiles are the key component of the US' land-…
(2020-02-04). HuffPost UK editor works with gov't censorship program while smearing anti-war scholars as tools of Russia. thegrayzone.com HuffPost UK ran yet another hit piece smearing academic critics of the dirty war on Syria as Russian stooges. The…
(2020-02-03). Read Mao Zedong's article on battle of Stalingrad. fightbacknews.org To mark the victory of the Soviet Union at Stalingrad, Fight Back News Service is reprinting the following article by Mao Zedong, that was first published October 12, 1942, in Liberation Daily. | The Turning point in World War 2 | The Battle of Stalingrad has been compared by the British and American press to the Battle of Verdun, and the "Red Verdun" is now famous all over the world. This comparison is not altogether appropriate. The Battle of Stalingrad is different in nature from the Battle of Verdun in World War I. But they have this in common– now, as then, many people are misled by the German offensive int…
(2020-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Poised to Acquit President Trump in Impeachment Trial, World Health Organization Declares International Public Health Emergency, U.S. Special Envoy Warns of International Crisis in Idlib, Syria, Britain Formally Withdrawing from European Union Tonight, Pentagon Deploys 1st Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead-Armed Submarine, Trump Admin Poised to Loosen Restrictions on Use of Landmines, Human Rights Groups Condemn Mexico for Crackdown on Central American Migrants, Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Found Dead, Bolivia's Movement for Socialism Candidate Luis Arce Returns to Bolivia, U.S. Pushes EU to End Ban on Chemic…
(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
(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 …