Daily Archives: March 14, 2020

2020-03-14: News Headlines

RT (2020-03-14). Western media sends Russian career politician TO SPACE in rush to write about Putin & constitutional reform. rt.com The head of Russian Parliament's upper chamber had hidden a glorious space-faring past until the Daily Mail blew the lid off her secret. Or it might just be a fantasy tale propelled by a rush for clicks instead of a Soyuz rocket.

RT (2020-03-14). British media launches Russian senate speaker INTO SPACE in latest battle with 'difficult' foreign names. rt.com The head of Russian Parliament's upper chamber had hidden a glorious space-faring past until the Daily Mail blew the lid off her secret. Or it might just be a fantasy tale propelled by a rush for clicks instead of a Soyuz rocket.

RT (2020-03-14). Russia's number of confirmed coronavirus cases reaches 59. rt.com Some 14 new coronavirus patients were identified in Russia on Saturday with the total number of infected reaching 59. Moscow leads with the number of new cases, with 9 infected with Covid-19 detected in the capital. So far, the coronavirus has not claimed any lives in Russia. | Over 145,000 coronavirus patients have been registered worldwide, and more than 5,400 of them died. While the majority of cases have originated in the pandemic's ground zero — Wuhan, China — and countries such as Iran and South Korea have been heavily hit, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week that the hotspot o…

teleSUR (2020-03-14). Russia: President Putin Signs Law Amending the Constitution. telesurenglish.net Russia's RELATED: | This legal instrument specifies the requirements to be met by the President, members of the Government and Parliament, and other positions related t…

WSWS (2020-03-14). Russia's coronavirus cases double in two days, as Ukraine reports first death. wsws.org COVID-19 is spreading in Russia and Ukraine, as the governments impose bans on travel and public gatherings.

sputniknews (2020-03-14). Putin Signs Constitutional Amendments Into Law. sputniknews.com The constitutional reform legislation put forward by Putin includes the expansion of the Parliament's powers, a ban on senior officials from having a residence permit in other countries, a limit on the number of presidential terms, the main law's precedence over international agreements, and strengthening the social obligations of the state.

sputniknews (2020-03-14). Russia Bans Upper House Lawmakers From Travelling Abroad Amid COVID-19 Pandemic. sputniknews.com According to Russian Upper House speaker Valentina Matvienko, visits by foreign delegations from those countries deemed "dangerous" in terms of the coronavirus outbreak have also been suspended.

sputniknews (2020-03-14). Russian-Turkish Talks in Ankara to Allow Implementation of Agreements on Syria's Idlib. sputniknews.com Russia and Turkey inked a ceasefire deal earlier this month ensuring the cessation of hostilities between Turkish and Syrian forces in the province of Idlib in northwestern Syria. The two sides established joint military patrols in the area.

RT (2020-03-13). Pentagon hands out contracts for PORTABLE nuclear reactors… yet another gold vein for cash-savvy military? rt.com There's no shortage of hefty defense deals awarded by the US Department of Defense, but the $40 million contract for micro-reactors definitely stands out, as it hides safety risks and raises doubts over its economic efficiency. | The nuclear device that the DoD strategists want must have the capability to be safely and rapidly transported by road, rail, sea or air (sic!) as well as swiftly set up and shut down. The

South Front (2020-03-12). Video: Great Idlib "Rebranding" and Al Qaeda "Turkish Victories" over Russian Air Defense. globalresearch.ca Terrorist groups operating in Idlib are preparing for a new rebranding under Turkish patronage. According to Syrian sources, Hayat Tarir al-Sham (formerly the official Syrian branch of al-Qaeda), the Turkistan Islamic Party (an al-Qaeda-linked group), the National Front for Liberation …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-03-12). Golden Anniversaries for Flawed Treaties: The NPT turns Fifty. dissidentvoice.org In an era where agreements have been abandoned as "bad", to use that favourite word of US President Donald Trump, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons continues to feature on the books of diplomacy. But age seems to be wearying it and decoding sober readings from hype-filled tat has been a testing task. …

Sputnik News (2020-03-12). Russia Hands to Iran Coronavirus Diagnostic Systems Designed for 50,000 Tests — Watchdog. iranian.com Iran has received from Russia coronavirus diagnostic systems designed for 50,000 tests, Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said. "Due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran because of the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, Rospotrebnadzor provided free of charge test systems for laboratory diagnosis of the new coronavirus infection in …

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2020-03-12). Russia cannot do without Turkey's cooperation in Syria. iranian.com The former Soviet Union was a satiated world power. It didn't have to prove anything. The Great Patriotic War (1941-45) spoke for itself. Thus, triumphalism was never a diplomatic tool in the Soviet inventory. The removal of the US nuclear missiles from Turkey in the downstream of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis was not even …

RT (2020-03-12). Iran deploys S-300 missiles at Fordow nuclear facility — report. iranian.com Iran has deployed a Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system at its Fordow uranium enrichment facility, the country's state media have reported, as cited by Reuters. "Our main priority is to protect Iran's nuclear facilities under any circumstances," Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) air defense force, told state …

Medea Benjamin and Ariel Gold (2020-03-12). Saudi's Brave Women Pull Back the Curtain on Crown Prince MBS. dissidentvoice.org This week, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia's 34-year-old de facto ruler, was on a tear. He arrested members of his own royal family and initiated an oil price war with Russia that has sent the price of oil—and the world's stock markets—plummeting. Behind the headlines, however, another critical event will take place …

Stansfield Smith (2020-03-11). A Case Study of Corporate Media Disinformation. dissidentvoice.org Some alternative media have exposed the US government and its corporate media fake news reporting on Russian "election interference," on Venezuela, the war on Syria, China's Xinjiang and Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Palestine, among others. One of the longest running media disinformation campaigns has been directed at Cuba, well covered in Keith Bolender's Manufacturing the Enemy: …

Pepe Escobar (2020-03-11). How Black Swans Are Shaping Planet Panic. iranian.com Is the planet under the spell of a range of Black Swans — a Wall Street meltdown caused by an alleged oil war between Russia and the House of Saud, plus the uncontrolled spread of Covid-19 — leading to an all-out "cross-asset pandemonium," as billed by Nomura, the Japanese holding company? Or, as German analyst Peter Spengler …

Phil Barbelé (2020-03-10). The Battle for Idlib: Did Erdogan Capitulate to Putin in Moscow? mintpressnews.com There was a celebration in Syria when Russia announced a ceasefire agreement with Turkey on March 3 following a six-hour meeting between Presidents Erdogan and Putin in Moscow. Under the agreement, Erdogan agreed to pull back Turkish forces and not to contest territory that Syria had recently reclaimed from terrorist groups in eastern Aleppo and southern Idlib provinces. In fact, Turkey agreed not to intervene against Syrian troops in any of the areas from which it pulled back, in effect allowing Syrian forces to reclaim even more of its territory from terrorists in southern Idlib. | The agreement appeared to be…

pip.hinman (2020-03-10). Why nuclear power must remain outlawed in Australia. greenleft.org.au

Staff (2020-03-06). Headlines for March 6, 2020. democracynow.org 3,500 Cruise Ship Passengers Quarantined Off California Coast over Coronavirus Fears, Seattle Area Residents Urged to Work from Home as Coronavirus Spreads Across U.S., World Health Organization's Coronavirus Warning: "This Is Not a Drill", Stocks Tumble as Coronavirus Rattles Global Economy, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Suspends 2020 Presidential Bid, Bernie Sanders Campaign Rally Disrupted by Protester with Nazi Flag, Russia and Turkey Agree to a Ceasefire in Syria's War-Torn Idlib, Israel Accused of Collective Punishment After Demolishing Palestinian Homes, Israeli Opposition Parties Bidding to Unseat Netanyahu After…

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, …

2020-03-14: Social Media Postees

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

Western media sends Russian career politician TO SPACE in rush to write about Putin & constitutional reform
rt.com | 2020-03-14
The head of Russian Parliament's upper chamber had hidden a glorious space-faring past until the Daily Mail blew the lid off her secret. Or it might just be a fantasy tale propelled by a rush for clicks instead of a Soyuz rocket. | …
rt.com/russia/483133-daily-mail-cosmonaut-senator-confusion/

Russia's number of confirmed coronavirus cases reaches 59
rt.com | 2020-03-14
Some 14 new coronavirus patients were identified in Russia on Saturday with the total number of infected reaching 59. Moscow leads with the number of new cases, with 9 infected with Covid-19 detected in the capital. So far, the coronavirus has not claimed any lives in Russia. | Over 145,000 coronavirus patients have been registered worldwide, and more than 5,400 of them died. While the majority of cases have originated in the pandemic's ground zero

Russia: President Putin Signs Law Amending the Constitution
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-14
Russia's President Vladimir Putin Saturday signed the law on constitutional amendments that could allow him to run for reelection in 2024. | RELATED: | Russia: Lower House Approves 169 Constitutional Amendments | This legal instrument specifies the requirements to be met by the President, members of the Government and Parliament, and other positions related t…
telesurenglish.net/news/Russia-President-Putin-Signs-Law-Amending-the-Constitution-20200314-0003.html

British media launches Russian senate speaker INTO SPACE in latest battle with 'difficult' foreign names
rt.com | 2020-03-14
The head of Russian Parliament's upper chamber had hidden a glorious space-faring past until the Daily Mail blew the lid off her secret. Or it might just be a fantasy tale propelled by a rush for clicks instead of a Soyuz rocket. | …
rt.com/russia/483133-daily-mail-cosmonaut-senator-confusion/

Russia's coronavirus cases double in two days, as Ukraine reports first death
wsws.org | 2020-03-14
COVID-19 is spreading in Russia and Ukraine, as the governments impose bans on travel and public gatherings.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/14/upda-m14.html

Cold War Chinatown
Eugene E Ruyle | indybay.org | 2020-03-14
NPML, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/13/18831502.php

Cold War Chinatown
Eugene E Ruyle | indybay.org | 2020-03-14
NPML, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/13/18831502.php

Russia Bans Upper House Lawmakers From Travelling Abroad Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-14
According to Russian Upper House speaker Valentina Matvienko, visits by foreign delegations from those countries deemed "dangerous" in terms of the coronavirus outbreak have also been suspended.
sputniknews.com/russia/202003141078563551-russia-bans-upper-house-lawmakers-from-travelling-abroad-amid-covid-19-pandemic/

Putin Signs Constitutional Amendments Into Law
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-14
The constitutional reform legislation put forward by Putin includes the expansion of the Parliament's powers, a ban on senior officials from having a residence permit in other countries, a limit on the number of presidential terms, the main law's precedence over international agreements, and strengthening the social obligations of the state.
sputniknews.com/russia/202003141078566678-putin-signs-constitutional-amendments-into-law/

Russian-Turkish Talks in Ankara to Allow Implementation of Agreements on Syria's Idlib
sputniknews.com | 2020-03-14
Russia and Turkey inked a ceasefire deal earlier this month ensuring the cessation of hostilities between Turkish and Syrian forces in the province of Idlib in northwestern Syria. The two sides established joint military patrols in the area.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/202003141078563747-russian-turkish-talks-in-ankara-to-allow-implementation-of-agreements-on-syrias-idlib—moscow/

Saudi's Brave Women Pull Back the Curtain on Crown Prince MBS
Medea Benjamin, Ariel Gold | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-13
This week, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia's 34-year-old de facto ruler, was on a tear. He arrested members of his own royal family and initiated an oil price war with Russia that has sent the price of oil–and the world's stock markets–plummeting. Behind the headlines, however, another critical event will take place…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/13/saudis-brave-women-pull-back-the-curtain-on-crown-prince-mbs/

Saudi's Brave Women Pull Back the Curtain on Crown Prince MBS
Medea Benjamin, Ariel Gold | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-13
This week, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia's 34-year-old de facto ruler, was on a tear. He arrested members of his own royal family and initiated an oil price war with Russia that has sent the price of oil–and the world's stock markets–plummeting. Behind the headlines, however, another critical event will take place…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/13/saudis-brave-women-pull-back-the-curtain-on-crown-prince-mbs/

Pentagon hands out contracts for PORTABLE nuclear reactors… yet another gold vein for cash-savvy military?
rt.com | 2020-03-13
There's no shortage of hefty defense deals awarded by the US Department of Defense, but the $40 million contract for micro-reactors definitely stands out, as it hides safety risks and raises doubts over its economic efficiency. | The nuclear device that the DoD strategists want must have the capability to be safely and rapidly transported by road, rail, sea or air (sic!) as well as swiftly set up and shut down. The project split between three c…
rt.com/news/482942-us-military-nuclear-microreactor/

Saudi's Brave Women Pull Back the Curtain on Crown Prince MBS
Medea Benjamin and Ariel Gold | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-12
This week, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia's 34-year-old de facto ruler, was on a tear. He arrested members of his own royal family and initiated an oil price war with Russia that has sent the price of oil–and the world's stock markets–plummeting. Behind the headlines, however, another critical event will take place …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/saudis-brave-women-pull-back-the-curtain-on-crown-prince-mbs/

Video: Great Idlib "Rebranding" and Al Qaeda "Turkish Victories" over Russian Air Defense
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-12
Terrorist groups operating in Idlib are preparing for a new rebranding under Turkish patronage. According to Syrian sources, Hayat Tarir al-Sham (formerly the official Syrian branch of al-Qaeda), the Turkistan Islamic Party (an al-Qaeda-linked group), the National Front for Liberation …
globalresearch.ca/video-great-idlib-rebranding-turkish-victories-russian-air-defense/5706145

Video: Great Idlib "Rebranding" and Al Qaeda "Turkish Victories" over Russian Air Defense
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-12
Terrorist groups operating in Idlib are preparing for a new rebranding under Turkish patronage. According to Syrian sources, Hayat Tarir al-Sham (formerly the official Syrian branch of al-Qaeda), the Turkistan Islamic Party (an al-Qaeda-linked group), the National Front for Liberation …
globalresearch.ca/video-great-idlib-rebranding-turkish-victories-russian-air-defense/5706145

Golden Anniversaries for Flawed Treaties: The NPT turns Fifty
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-12
In an era where agreements have been abandoned as "bad", to use that favourite word of US President Donald Trump, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons continues to feature on the books of diplomacy. But age seems to be wearying it and decoding sober readings from hype-filled tat has been a testing task. …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/golden-anniversaries-for-flawed-treaties-the-npt-turns-fifty/

Russia cannot do without Turkey's cooperation in Syria
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-03-12
The former Soviet Union was a satiated world power. It didn't have to prove anything. The Great Patriotic War (1941-45) spoke for itself. Thus, triumphalism was never a diplomatic tool in the Soviet inventory. The removal of the US nuclear missiles from Turkey in the downstream of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis was not even …
iranian.com/2020/03/12/russia-cannot-do-without-turkeys-cooperation-in-syria/

A Case Study of Corporate Media Disinformation
Stansfield Smith | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-11
Some alternative media have exposed the US government and its corporate media fake news reporting on Russian "election interference," on Venezuela, the war on Syria, China's Xinjiang and Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Palestine, among others. One of the longest running media disinformation campaigns has been directed at Cuba, well covered in Keith Bolender's Manufacturing the Enemy: …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/a-case-study-of-corporate-media-disinformation/

How Black Swans Are Shaping Planet Panic
Pepe Escobar | iranian.com | 2020-03-11
Is the planet under the spell of a range of Black Swans

The Battle for Idlib: Did Erdogan Capitulate to Putin in Moscow?
Phil Barbelé | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-10
There was a celebration in Syria when Russia announced a ceasefire agreement with Turkey on March 3 following a six-hour meeting between Presidents Erdogan and Putin in Moscow. Under the agreement, Erdogan agreed to pull back Turkish forces and not to contest territory that Syria had recently reclaimed from terrorist groups in eastern Aleppo and southern Idlib provinces. In fact, Turkey agreed not to intervene against Syrian troops in any of the areas from which it pulled back, in effect allowing Syrian forces to reclaim even more of its territory from terrorists in southern Idlib. | The agreement appeared to be…
mintpressnews.com/265621-2/265621/

The Battle for Idlib: Did Erdogan Capitulate to Putin in Moscow?
Phil Barbelé | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-10
There was a celebration in Syria when Russia announced a ceasefire agreement with Turkey on March 3 following a six-hour meeting between Presidents Erdogan and Putin in Moscow. Under the agreement, Erdogan agreed to pull back Turkish forces and not to contest territory that Syria had recently reclaimed from terrorist groups in eastern Aleppo and southern Idlib provinces. In fact, Turkey agreed not to intervene against Syrian troops in any of the areas from which it pulled back, in effect allowing Syrian forces to reclaim even more of its territory from terrorists in southern Idlib. | The agreement appeared to be…
mintpressnews.com/265621-2/265621/

Why nuclear power must remain outlawed in Australia
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-10
Environment Jim GreenIssue 1257 Australia nuclear power uranium miningMarch 10, 2020Nuclear power is prohibited in Australia under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC…
greenleft.org.au/content/why-nuclear-power-must-remain-outlawed-australia

Escalating war in Idlib creates new refugee crisis
Peter Boyle | greenleft.org.au | 2020-03-05
Middle East Refugees & migrants Chris SleeIssue 1256 Syria Northern SyriaMarch 5, 2020A February 27 Russian and Syrian airstrike on a Turkish military convoy in Idlib province

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