Daily Archives: March 2, 2020

2020-03-02: News Headlines

RT (2020-03-02). Erdogan to visit Moscow on March 5, Ankara confirms, as Turkey-Syria conflict escalates. rt.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, following a worrying rise in violence between Turkish forces and Russia's Syrian allies. | Ankara has confirmed that Erdogan will make the trip to Moscow on March 5. The Kremlin had announced on Sunday that it was hoping to arrange a meeting between Erdogan and Putin in an effort to resolve the situation in Syria's Idlib region. The visit is expected to last for one day only. | Last week, 34 Turkish troops were reportedly killed by Syrian air strikes, prompting a military response from Ankara. Russia s…

RT (2020-03-02). Changing fortunes: US now races to CATCH UP with Russia on hypersonic weapons — Putin. rt.com Since the Cold War-era, Moscow has always played catch up with American military technological prowess. However, its newest hypersonic weapons have turned the tide for the first time in modern history, Vladimir Putin believes. | Back in the day, the Americans were the first to make a nuclear bomb, build a strategic aircraft able to carry it, and develop ballistic missiles, leaving the USSR eating dust. This left Moscow always playing second fiddle, the Russian president pointed out in the latest episode of news agency TASS' series '20 Questions to Vladimir Putin'. | "We always had to catch up to our strategic…

RT (2020-03-02). Ceasefire in Idlib will hopefully be achieved after talks with Putin — Erdogan ahead of upcoming meeting in Moscow. rt.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has high hopes for his upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin, saying he's optimistic an agreement will be reached with the Russian leader on ending hostilities in Idlib, Syria. | "We will evaluate the developments [in Idlib]. I hope that we [can lay the groundwork for] a ceasefire or take other steps and that we will get the job done quickly," Erdogan said in a recent speech in Ankara. | Earlier in the day, it was confirmed that Erdogan's much-anticipated visit to Moscow will take place on March 5. The Kremlin has expressed similar expectations for the meeting, saying the…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-03-02). The Viral Blame Game: Xenophobia, Attribution and Coronavirus. counterpunch.org Moralising the way diseases and viruses are transferred is a very human, and particularly nasty trait. "We don't need this kind of riff-raff on our shores," screamed The New York Times in 1892 in response to Russian Jewish immigrants arriving at Ellis Island by boat. (The occupants hosted lice which, in turn, led to typhus.)

Matthew J. L. Ehret (2020-03-02). Did Turkey Just Sacrifice Their Own Troops to Protect Al-Qaeda? dissidentvoice.org After 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian army offensive on February 27 amidst the current Russia-backed campaign to liberate Idlib, Erdogan responded by laying the blame entirely on Russia and Syria — successfully avoiding all mention of the uncomfortable fact that Turkey has been protecting radical terror networks not only in Idlib but …

yenisafak (2020-03-02). Assad regime committed war crimes attacking medical sites: UN. yenisafak.com Syria's Assad regime committed war crimes attacking medical facilities around the Idlib de-escalation zone, the United Nations Commission into Syria said on Monday."In attacking medical facilities, pro-government forces repeatedly committed the war crime of deliberately attacking protected objects and intentionally attacking medical personnel," said the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria at the launch of its newest report.The commission also said it has "reasonable grounds" to believe that Russian aircraft participated in bombing incidents around July and August last year."The Russian Air Force did not direct the…

yenisafak (2020-03-02). Turkey refrains from targeting civilians: US expert. yenisafak.com Unlike Russia, Iran and the Assad regime, Turkey does not target civilians in Syria, said an American foreign policy expert on Monday."Assad's soldiers now move around in ambulances in order to camouflage themselves from the Turks, who have achieved total air superiority in Idlib," Michael Doran, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, said in a tweet."We learn from this, obviously, that the Turks refrain from attacking ambulances," added Doran, who specialises in the Middle East.Doran shared a video, which went viral on social media, showing Assad regime soldiers moving in an ambulance in northwestern Syria to avoi…

sputniknews (2020-03-02). Combined Wealth of Russia's Richest Drops by Almost $30 Billion, Bloomberg Billionaires Index Shows. sputniknews.com Last week even billionaires took a hit, with combined fortunes of the world's 500 richest people dropping by $444 billion due to the spreading coronavirus as jittery equity markets reacted worldwide.

sputniknews (2020-03-02). 'We Don't Plan to Go to War With Anyone': Putin Reveals Why Russia is Developing Hypersonic Weapons. sputniknews.com Late last year, Russia deployed a hypersonic nuclear-capable missile system Avangard, which is outfitted with pioneering advances in speed and manoeuverability, as part of the country's drive to move forward with the development of hypersonic weapons.

sputniknews (2020-03-02). Coronavirus Confirmed for Russian Citizen Who Returned From Italy. sputniknews.com According to the country's health authorities, the patient is in a satisfactory condition, and his symptoms are mild.

sputniknews (2020-03-02). A Whole Country for Old Men: The Wrinkly Democratic Race is Getting Wrinklier. sputniknews.com In the Soviet Union's declining years, there was a half-deferential, half-derisive moniker for the feeble leaders in their 70s who preceded Gorbachev: the 'Kremlin elders'. Thirty-something years later, the United States looks set to elect its own septuagenarian to run the White House.

Staff (2020-03-01). Refugees Mass at EU Border as Turkey-Syria Conflict Intensifies. truthdig.com KASTANIES, Greece—Thousands of migrants and refugees massed at Turkey's western frontier Sunday, trying to enter Greece by land and sea after Turkey said its borders were open to those hoping to head to Europe. In Syria, Turkish troops shot down two Syrian warplanes after the Syrian military downed a Turkish drone, a major escalation in the direct conflict between Syrian and Turkish forces. | Turkey's decision to ease border restrictions came amid a Russia-backed Syrian government offensive into Syria's northwestern Idlib province. That offensive has killed dozens of Turkish troops and led to a surge of nea…

Staff (2020-03-01). California's Primary Season Comes Amid a Dramatic Battle Over Nuclear Energy. truthout.org California's Super Tuesday primary on March 3 comes amid an atomic struggle whose outcome will hugely impact the nation and world, including the global climate crisis, the Green New Deal and the outcome of the 2020 election. | Ground Zero is Diablo Canyon, nine miles west of San Luis Obispo. Ringed by earthquake faults, the two big atomic reactors there are less than 50 miles west of the infamous San Andreas Fault. Since their mid-1980s opening, the Diablo Canyon reactors have become a symbol…

Adeyinka Makinde (2020-03-01). Bernie Sanders and the Resurrected Russiagate Smear. globalresearch.ca Even after the "Russiagate" claim of supposed Russian interference in the last US Presidential Election was irrefutably debunked, members of the Democratic Party elite and sections of the US "Deep State" of National Security/Intelligence in alliance with sections of the …

Staff (2020-03-01). Antipathy Towards Socialism Has Roots in State and Corporate Cold War Propaganda. truthout.org Bernie Sanders has emerged as the Democratic Yet even some left-leaning pundits and publications

Scott Ritter (2020-03-01). Even NATO Is Unwilling to Touch Turkey's Idlib Mess with a Ten-foot Pole. globalresearch.ca Having been hit by the Syrian Air Force in Idlib, Turkey has called on NATO's protection, but as much as the alliance would like a fight with Assad and his ally Russia, it's refused to back Ankara's questionable adventure. | Turkey …

Alan MacLeod (2020-02-29). Media Stoop to 'Russian Assistance' to Explain Sanders' Rise. fair.org For over three years, Russia has been an issue of great concern, if not panic, in our media. Back in 2018, FAIR (

WSWS (2020-02-29). War tensions mount in wake of strike on Turkish troops in Syria. wsws.org Russia has sent two cruise missile warships to the Syrian coast as Moscow and Ankara continue to dispute the facts surrounding a strike that killed three dozen Turkish soldiers.

M.K. Bhadrakumar (2020-02-28). A World no longer shaped by Atlantic powers. mronline.org The annual Munich Security Conference that took place February 14-16 this year turned out to be an iconic event, drawing comparison with the one held in the same Bavarian city on February 10, 2007, where in a prophetic speech Russian President Vladimir Putin had criticized the world order characterized by the United States' global hegemony […] |

RT (2020-02-28). Article 5 or 'Oh my gosh'? What will US do after Turkish troops die in Syrian strike. rt.com Turkey has reached out to NATO and the US following the deaths of its troops in Syria's Idlib province, fueling speculation that it might invoke Article 5 and get the alliance involved in a shooting war with Damascus — and Russia.

Staff (2020-02-28). Catastrophic Humanitarian Crisis in Idlib as Syrian Troops Advance & Children Freeze to Death. democracynow.org In Syria, 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by Russia-backed Syrian forces in rebel-held Idlib in a major escalation on Thursday. Turkey has vowed to respond in kind, as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres calls for an immediate ceasefire, saying "the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour." Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly spoke by phone on Friday to discuss the crisis, as NATO urged rapid deescalation. The all-out offensive by the Syrian government is the single largest displacement in a nine-year war that has forced 13 million t…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-02-28). Washington Ponders Imposing Sanctions on Serbia for Russian Weapon Purchases. globalresearch.ca With Russia delivering another round of the Pantsir S1 anti-missile defense system to Serbia on Tuesday, EU and U.S. officials have reacted. Both Brussels and Washington have sent their warnings to Serbia, with Washington even threatening sanctions against the Balkans …

news.un (2020-02-28). Syria: UN urges Russia and Turkey to secure 'fresh ceasefire' as risk of military escalation grows. news.un.org With the Security Council meeting in emergency session on Syria following the death on the battlefield of dozens of Turkish troops, the UN strongly urged Russia and Turkey on Friday "to build on previous agreements to secure a fresh ceasefire" across the war-torn northwest.

T.J. Coles (2020-02-28). The Space Force Becomes a Weapons System, Arms Companies Profit. counterpunch.org As the world gets used to what the US military calls "Full Spectrum Dominance," the complex uplinks/downlinks, spurious RADAR returns, cyber glitches, and misinterpretations of big data bring the world closer to its ends, especially as US systems—including possibly nuclear—are orbited or put into the loop of the new Space Force. But the news isn't

Reza Marashi (2020-02-28). Pandemics, Politics, and Peace — Episode 11. iranian.com Episode Description: This week, Reza breaks down Trump's dangerous response to the Corona Virus, why it's bananas for the DC establishment to criticize Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren's call to drawdown US troops in the Middle East, and how Iran nuclear deal opponents have boxed themselves in. Sune Engel Rasmussen, Correspondent for The Wall Street …

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2020-02-28). Turkey, Russia tiptoe toward 'unnecessary war'. iranian.com A military confrontation between Turkey and Syria has erupted in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib. Latest reports say that at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed on Thursday in a Syrian air attack. A Turkish retaliation commenced last night itself. The Syrian airstrike in Idlib took place in an area between the towns Baluon and …

Global Research News (2020-02-28). Selected Articles: Assad's Victory in Syria War? globalresearch.ca A future without independent media leaves us with an upside down reality where according to the corporate media "NATO deserves a Nobel Peace Prize", and where "nuclear weapons and wars make us safer" | | | If, like us, this is a …

Anne Khodabandeh (2020-02-27). America's Iran Policy Backed Into a Corner By MEK in Albania. iranian.com Since well before President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the U.S. and Iran have been in a de facto state of non-military warfare with sanctions, economic sabotage, cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and social media attacks the weapons of choice. Both countries have exploited conflict in the region, especially after the rise …

news.un (2020-02-26). UN disarmament chief hopes upcoming conference will address current nuclear challenges. news.un.org With division and distrust rife among countries that possess nuclear arsenals, the UN disarmament chief is hopeful that the issue will be addressed during an upcoming conference on the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The Iran Project (2020-02-26). JCPOA Members Remain Committed to the Deal: Russian Official. iranian.com The Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Wednesday that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is regarded as an important part of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Mikhail Ulyanov made the remarks in tweet about the meeting of the Joint Commission of the …

Aaron Maté (2020-02-25). The Russiagate Racket targets Bernie Sanders' surge. thegrayzone.com With a familiar playbook of evidence-free, anonymously sourced red-baiting, the forces behind Russiagate try to stop Bernie Sanders' primary success….

Staff (2020-02-21). Headlines for February 21, 2020. democracynow.org Roger Stone Sentenced to 40-Month Prison Term, Trump Lashed at Intel Chief over Warning of Russian Meddling in 2020 Election, Germany Mourns Victims of Right-Wing Terror Attacks, Suspect Arrested in Stabbing at London Mosque, U.K. to Close Borders to "Unskilled" and Non-English-Speaking Immigrants, Protests Erupt as Acting ICE Director Challenges New York Pro-Immigrant Laws, Mexican Radio Journalist Murdered in Ciudad Juárez, February Flowers Bloom in Moscow Amid Record-High Winter Temperatures, 28 Arrested in Seattle Protesting Chase Bank Fossil Fuel Ties, Rail Blockades Continue as Protests Grow Against Coastal…

Jason Ditz (2020-02-20). Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive. theantimedia.com Russia called the situation a "worst case scenario."

Jason Ditz (2020-02-17). DOJ Investigating Former CIA Director's Role in Russiagate. theantimedia.com The Justice Department is investigating the role of John Brennan in the assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Strategic Culture (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.

Tyler Durden (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.

Middle East Eye (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."

Lawrence Wittner (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

Jon Rainwater (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, …

Peace Action (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 …

Peace Action (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 …

2020-03-02: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

The Viral Blame Game: Xenophobia, Attribution and Coronavirus
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-02
Moralising the way diseases and viruses are transferred is a very human, and particularly nasty trait. "We don't need this kind of riff-raff on our shores," screamed The New York Times in 1892 in response to Russian Jewish immigrants arriving at Ellis Island by boat. (The occupants hosted lice which, in turn, led to typhus.)…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/02/the-viral-blame-game-xenophobia-attribution-and-coronavirus-2/

Did Turkey Just Sacrifice Their Own Troops to Protect Al-Qaeda?
Matthew J. L. Ehret | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-02
After 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian army offensive on February 27 amidst the current Russia-backed campaign to liberate Idlib, Erdogan responded by laying the blame entirely on Russia and Syria

Erdogan to visit Moscow on March 5, Ankara confirms, as Turkey-Syria conflict escalates
rt.com | 2020-03-02
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, following a worrying rise in violence between Turkish forces and Russia's Syrian allies. | Ankara has confirmed that Erdogan will make the trip to Moscow on March 5. The Kremlin had announced on Sunday that it was hoping to arrange a meeting between Erdogan and Putin in an effort to resolve the situation in Syria's Idlib region. The visit is expected to last for one day only. | Last week, 34 Turkish troops were reportedly killed by Syrian air strikes, prompting a military response from Ankara. Russia s…
rt.com/news/482085-erdogan-putin-meeting-moscow-idlib/

Assad regime committed war crimes attacking medical sites: UN
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-02
Syria's Assad regime committed war crimes attacking medical facilities around the Idlib de-escalation zone, the United Nations Commission into Syria said on Monday."In attacking medical facilities, pro-government forces repeatedly committed the war crime of deliberately attacking protected objects and intentionally attacking medical personnel," said the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria at the launch of its newest report.The commission also said it has "reasonable grounds" to believe that Russian aircraft participated in bombing incidents around July and August last year."The Russian Air Force did not direct the…
yenisafak.com/en/world/assad-regime-committed-war-crimes-attacking-medical-sites-un-3513138

Turkey refrains from targeting civilians: US expert
yenisafak.com | 2020-03-02
Unlike Russia, Iran and the Assad regime, Turkey does not target civilians in Syria, said an American foreign policy expert on Monday."Assad's soldiers now move around in ambulances in order to camouflage themselves from the Turks, who have achieved total air superiority in Idlib," Michael Doran, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, said in a tweet."We learn from this, obviously, that the Turks refrain from attacking ambulances," added Doran, who specialises in the Middle East.Doran shared a video, which went viral on social media, showing Assad regime soldiers moving in an ambulance in northwestern Syria to avoi…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-refrains-from-targeting-civilians-us-expert-3513125

Combined Wealth of Russia's Richest Drops by Almost $30 Billion, Bloomberg Billionaires Index Shows
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-02
Last week even billionaires took a hit, with combined fortunes of the world's 500 richest people dropping by $444 billion due to the spreading coronavirus as jittery equity markets reacted worldwide.
sputniknews.com/business/202003021078451266-combined-wealth-of-russias-richest-drops-by-almost-30-billion-bloomberg-billionaires-index-shows/

Coronavirus Confirmed for Russian Citizen Who Returned From Italy
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-02
According to the country's health authorities, the patient is in a satisfactory condition, and his symptoms are mild.
sputniknews.com/russia/202003021078450134-Coronavirus-Confirmed-for-Russian-Citizen-Who-Returned-From-Italy/

'We Don't Plan to Go to War With Anyone': Putin Reveals Why Russia is Developing Hypersonic Weapons
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-02
Late last year, Russia deployed a hypersonic nuclear-capable missile system Avangard, which is outfitted with pioneering advances in speed and manoeuverability, as part of the country's drive to move forward with the development of hypersonic weapons.
sputniknews.com/russia/202003021078449484-we-dont-plan-to-go-to-war-with-anyone-putin-reveals-why-russia-is-developing-hypersonic-weapons/

A Whole Country for Old Men: The Wrinkly Democratic Race is Getting Wrinklier
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-02
In the Soviet Union's declining years, there was a half-deferential, half-derisive moniker for the feeble leaders in their 70s who preceded Gorbachev: the 'Kremlin elders'. Thirty-something years later, the United States looks set to elect its own septuagenarian to run the White House.
sputniknews.com/us/202003021078450433-a-whole-country-for-old-men-the-wrinkled-democratic-race-is-getting-wrinklier/

Refugees Mass at EU Border as Turkey-Syria Conflict Intensifies
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-03-01
KASTANIES, Greece–Thousands of migrants and refugees massed at Turkey's western frontier Sunday, trying to enter Greece by land and sea after Turkey said its borders were open to those hoping to head to Europe. In Syria, Turkish troops shot down two Syrian warplanes after the Syrian military downed a Turkish drone, a major escalation in the direct conflict between Syrian and Turkish forces. | Turkey's decision to ease border restrictions came amid a Russia-backed Syrian government offensive into Syria's northwestern Idlib province. That offensive has killed dozens of Turkish troops and led to a surge of nea…
truthdig.com/articles/refugees-mass-at-eu-border-as-turkey-syria-conflict-intensifies/

California's Primary Season Comes Amid a Dramatic Battle Over Nuclear Energy
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-01
California's Super Tuesday primary on March 3 comes amid an atomic struggle whose outcome will hugely impact the nation and world, including the global climate crisis, the Green New Deal and the outcome of the 2020 election. | Ground Zero is Diablo Canyon, nine miles west of San Luis Obispo. Ringed by earthquake faults, the two big atomic reactors there are less than 50 miles west of the infamous San Andreas Fault. Since their mid-1980s opening, the Diablo Canyon reactors have become a symbol…
truthout.org/articles/californias-primary-season-comes-amid-a-dramatic-battle-over-nuclear-energy/

Bernie Sanders and the Resurrected Russiagate Smear
Adeyinka Makinde | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-01
Even after the "Russiagate" claim of supposed Russian interference in the last US Presidential Election was irrefutably debunked, members of the Democratic Party elite and sections of the US "Deep State" of National Security/Intelligence in alliance with sections of the …
globalresearch.ca/bernie-sanders-resurrected-russiagate-smear/5705152

Antipathy Towards Socialism Has Roots in State and Corporate Cold War Propaganda
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-03-01
Bernie Sanders has emerged as the Democratic front-runner in the race for the presidential nomination. | Yet even some left-leaning pundits and publications are concerned about what they see as Sande…
truthout.org/articles/antipathy-towards-socialism-has-roots-in-state-and-corporate-cold-war-propaganda/

Even NATO Is Unwilling to Touch Turkey's Idlib Mess with a Ten-foot Pole
Scott Ritter | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-01
Having been hit by the Syrian Air Force in Idlib, Turkey has called on NATO's protection, but as much as the alliance would like a fight with Assad and his ally Russia, it's refused to back Ankara's questionable adventure. | Turkey | …
globalresearch.ca/nato-unwilling-touch-turkey-idlib-mess-ten-foot-pole/5705169

Media Stoop to 'Russian Assistance' to Explain Sanders' Rise
Alan MacLeod | fair.org | 2020-02-29
For over three years, Russia has been an issue of great concern, if not panic, in our media. Back in 2018, FAIR ( 7/27/18) warned that if Bernie Sanders or another progressive movement picked up steam, corporate media would claim that "any challenge to the establishment is likely a Kremlin-funded astroturf effort." For establishment Democrats, we wrote: Russiagate allows them to ignore calls for change and not scrutinize why they lost to the most unpopular presidential candidate in…
fair.org/home/media-stoop-to-russian-assistance-to-explain-sanders-rise/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=media-stoop-to-russian-assistance-to-explain-sanders-rise

War tensions mount in wake of strike on Turkish troops in Syria
wsws.org | 2020-02-29
Russia has sent two cruise missile warships to the Syrian coast as Moscow and Ankara continue to dispute the facts surrounding a strike that killed three dozen Turkish soldiers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/29/turk-f29.html

Washington Ponders Imposing Sanctions on Serbia for Russian Weapon Purchases
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
With Russia delivering another round of the Pantsir S1 anti-missile defense system to Serbia on Tuesday, EU and U.S. officials have reacted. Both Brussels and Washington have sent their warnings to Serbia, with Washington even threatening sanctions against the Balkans …
globalresearch.ca/washington-ponders-imposing-sanctions-serbia-russian-weapon-purchases/5704976

A World no longer shaped by Atlantic powers
M.K. Bhadrakumar | mronline.org | 2020-02-28
The annual Munich Security Conference that took place February 14-16 this year turned out to be an iconic event, drawing comparison with the one held in the same Bavarian city on February 10, 2007, where in a prophetic speech Russian President Vladimir Putin had criticized the world order characterized by the United States' global hegemony […] | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/28/a-world-no-longer-shaped-by-atlantic-powers/

Catastrophic Humanitarian Crisis in Idlib as Syrian Troops Advance & Children Freeze to Death
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-28
In Syria, 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by Russia-backed Syrian forces in rebel-held Idlib in a major escalation on Thursday. Turkey has vowed to respond in kind, as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres calls for an immediate ceasefire, saying "the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour." Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly spoke by phone on Friday to discuss the crisis, as NATO urged rapid deescalation. The all-out offensive by the Syrian government is the single largest displacement in a nine-year war that has forced 13 million t…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/28/idlib_syria_assad_turkey_russia

Article 5 or 'Oh my gosh'? What will US do after Turkish troops die in Syrian strike
rt.com | 2020-02-28
Turkey has reached out to NATO and the US following the deaths of its troops in Syria's Idlib province, fueling speculation that it might invoke Article 5 and get the alliance involved in a shooting war with Damascus

Syria: UN urges Russia and Turkey to secure 'fresh ceasefire' as risk of military escalation grows
news.un.org | 2020-02-28
With the Security Council meeting in emergency session on Syria following the death on the battlefield of dozens of Turkish troops, the UN strongly urged Russia and Turkey on Friday "to build on previous agreements to secure a fresh ceasefire" across the war-torn northwest.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058361

The Space Force Becomes a Weapons System, Arms Companies Profit
T.J. Coles | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-28
As the world gets used to what the US military calls "Full Spectrum Dominance," the complex uplinks/downlinks, spurious RADAR returns, cyber glitches, and misinterpretations of big data bring the world closer to its ends, especially as US systems–including possibly nuclear–are orbited or put into the loop of the new Space Force. But the news isn't…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/28/the-space-force-becomes-a-weapons-system-arms-companies-profit/

Turkey, Russia tiptoe toward 'unnecessary war'
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-02-28
A military confrontation between Turkey and Syria has erupted in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib. Latest reports say that at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed on Thursday in a Syrian air attack. A Turkish retaliation commenced last night itself. The Syrian airstrike in Idlib took place in an area between the towns Baluon and …
iranian.com/2020/02/28/turkey-russia-tiptoe-toward-unnecessary-war/

Selected Articles: Assad's Victory in Syria War?
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
A future without independent media leaves us with an upside down reality where according to the corporate media "NATO deserves a Nobel Peace Prize", and where "nuclear weapons and wars make us safer" | | | If, like us, this is a …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-are-we-seeing-assad-victory-syria-war/5704994

America's Iran Policy Backed Into a Corner By MEK in Albania
Anne Khodabandeh | iranian.com | 2020-02-27
Since well before President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the U.S. and Iran have been in a de facto state of non-military warfare with sanctions, economic sabotage, cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and social media attacks the weapons of choice. Both countries have exploited conflict in the region, especially after the rise …
iranian.com/2020/02/27/americas-iran-policy-backed-into-a-corner-by-mek-in-albania/

The Good Die Young
T.P. Wilkinson | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-26
Last year was the thirtieth anniversary of the annexation of the German Democratic Republic. It was the seventieth anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Shortly after that annexation in 1989 began and was consummated in 1990, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was dissolved and the core of that union, the …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/the-good-die-young/

UN disarmament chief hopes upcoming conference will address current nuclear challenges
news.un.org | 2020-02-26
With division and distrust rife among countries that possess nuclear arsenals, the UN disarmament chief is hopeful that the issue will be addressed during an upcoming conference on the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058171

JCPOA Members Remain Committed to the Deal: Russian Official
The Iran Project | iranian.com | 2020-02-26
The Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Wednesday that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is regarded as an important part of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Mikhail Ulyanov made the remarks in tweet about the meeting of the Joint Commission of the …
iranian.com/2020/02/26/jcpoa-members-remain-committed-to-the-deal-russian-official/

The Russiagate Racket targets Bernie Sanders' surge
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-25
With a familiar playbook of evidence-free, anonymously sourced red-baiting, the forces behind Russiagate try to stop Bernie Sanders' primary success….
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/24/the-russiagate-racket-targets-the-bernie-sanders-surge/

Headlines for February 21, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-21
Roger Stone Sentenced to 40-Month Prison Term, Trump Lashed at Intel Chief over Warning of Russian Meddling in 2020 Election, Germany Mourns Victims of Right-Wing Terror Attacks, Suspect Arrested in Stabbing at London Mosque, U.K. to Close Borders to "Unskilled" and Non-English-Speaking Immigrants, Protests Erupt as Acting ICE Director Challenges New York Pro-Immigrant Laws, Mexican Radio Journalist Murdered in Ciudad Juárez, February Flowers Bloom in Moscow Amid Record-High Winter Temperatures, 28 Arrested in Seattle Protesting Chase Bank Fossil Fuel Ties, Rail Blockades Continue as Protests Grow Against Coastal…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/21/headlines

Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-20
Russia called the situation a "worst case scenario."

Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive

DOJ Investigating Former CIA Director's Role in Russiagate
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-17
The Justice Department is investigating the role of John Brennan in the assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

DOJ Investigating Former CIA Director’s Role in Russiagate

US Deploys 'Mini-Nukes' in Deplorable Threat to World Peace
Strategic Culture | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-08
These so-called "mini-nukes" represent–despite the diminutive-sounding name–an increased risk of nuclear war.

US Deploys ‘Mini-Nukes’ in Deplorable Threat to World Peace

Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions
Tyler Durden | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-08
Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.

Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions

Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-07
Russia accused Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians."

Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes