(2020-06-16). Let Them Eat Weapons: Trump's Bizarre Arms Race. zcomm.org The price tag for this enormous nuclear buildup, which will occur over the next three decades, has been estimated as at least $1.5 trillion…
(2020-06-16). Cold War Bully: the Life and Crimes of Roy Cohn. counterpunch.org 
Ever since the spring of 1954, when I was a precocious 12-year-old kid who watched the Army-McCarthy hearings on TV, I have loved to hate Roy Cohen (1927-1986), Joe McCarthy's co-conspirator and dark twin. One year earlier, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg died in the electric chair at Sing Sing—the single most significant event in my
(2020-06-16). WATCH Iran's Zarif remove face mask with relief during Moscow talks with Lavrov, after taking it on & off repeatedly (VIDEO). rt.com 
Social distancing's no hurdle for talks between trusted allies, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov appeared to show as he arrived to meet Iran's Javad Zarif without a face mask. Zarif was more careful, but soon opted to remove his, too. | Zarif is one of the first high-ranking foreign visitors to land in Moscow and engage in face-to-face talks with Lavrov in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown. In recent months, the Russian foreign minister has held meetings only via video call. | When the two officials appeared before the journalists, Zarif was sporting a mask, which he merely removed for a brief photoshoot. Lavrov…
(2020-06-16). Video: Al-Qaeda Factions Create New Coalition in Idlib. globalresearch.ca Early on June 14, the Russian Aerospace Forces reportedly carried out airstrikes on positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham near the villages of al-Bara and Deir Sunbul in southern Idlib. Since the signing of the new de-escalation agreement with Turkey on …
(2020-06-16). Convicted US Spy, Sentenced in Moscow on Charges of Espionage. globalresearch.ca On Monday, a Moscow court sentenced US spy Paul Whelan to 16 years imprisonment. | Charged with espionage, he was caught red-handed in December 2018 and arrested after accepting a flash drive with sensitive information from an undercover Russian Federal Security …
(2020-06-16). Curious Coincidence: The Birth of Donald Trump and the Struggle to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. globalresearch.ca The 45th president of the United States made his first international appearance on June 14, 1946. According to Donald Trump's Five minutes …
(2020-06-16). Does Trump Really Want to End American Interventionism? globalresearch.ca Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has achieved a position of global hegemony, acting as a kind of world police. Washington has constructed a new world order and its militaries travel the world in wars and …
(2020-06-16). Act On Dr. King's Call To Tackle Evils Of Racism, Economic Exploitation And War. popularresistance.org Martin Luther King, Jr. King called us to address "Three major evils—the evil of racism, the evil of poverty and the evil of war" to the consternation of the establishment. It is time to tell the truth about the US-Russian relationship and US complicity in driving the nuclear arms race if we are ever to reverse it as well as the race to weaponize space. Perhaps, by addressing the triple evils, we can fulfill King's dream and the mission envisioned for the United Nations, to end the scourge of war! At a minimum, we should be promoting UN Secretary-General António Guterres' call for a global ceasefire while o…
(2020-06-16). NATO concerned by Russia's growing presence in E.Med. yenisafak.com Russia's growing presence in the Eastern Mediterranean region is a cause for concern for NATO, the military alliance's chief said on Tuesday."NATO is also concerned about the increased Russian presence in the eastern Mediterranean in general, in Syria, but also, of course, in Libya. And we have to follow and monitor that very closely," Jens Stoltenberg said in response to a question in an online news conference ahead of the NATO defense ministers meeting on June 17-18.He said the situation in Libya was not on the meeting agenda, but could be discussed, adding: "It has a direct impact on the security of especially…
(2020-06-16). Lavrov: Russia, Turkey, Iran to hold summit on Syria. yenisafak.com Ankara, Moscow and Tehran agreed to hold a videoconference and then a face-to-face meeting on the Syrian settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on Tuesday.The presidents of the three countries will discuss Syrian issues in a videoconference and then will hold a summit in Tehran, Lavrov said at a news conference following a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif."Today, we confirmed the agreement of the three presidents of the Astana format countries that the summit will be held in Tehran within terms that will be determined considering the situation developing due to the c…
(2020-06-16). Turkish forces defuse bombs planted by Haftar in Libya. yenisafak.com Anadolu Agency teams monitored the team in Salahaddin province, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Tripoli's city center.The bombs were defused by the teams in collaboration with the Turkish Air Forces.The mines and explosives planted in the surroundings are made from a specific wire, which is very hard to detect, and are placed near houses and doorways.Some of the destroyed bombs had high explosive impact, which were used in the former Soviet countries, said the experts.Teams took extra care of securing their own lives, and keeping the buildings intact for the civilians.The Libyan army also found anti-personnel and…
(2020-06-16). VIDEO: Iranian, Russian foreign ministers meet in Moscow. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 16 (MNA) — Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met and held talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Tuesday in Moscow. Zarif arrived in the Russian capital on Tuesday morning after a two-day visit to Turkey.
(2020-06-16). VIDEO: Russia, Iran sign declaration on enhancing role of intl. law. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 17 (MNA) — Moscow and Tehran signed a declaration today on enhancing the role of international law.
(2020-06-15). Israel owns 90 nuclear warheads: Report. yenisafak.com Israel is believed to possess between 80 and 90 nuclear warheads, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said on Monday. | In a report, SIPRI said Israel continues to pursue a policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear program. | It said that the number of nuclear warheads in Israel rose to 90, up from 80 warheads in 2019. | "The nine nuclear-armed states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)—together possessed an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons at the start of 2020," the S…
(2020-06-15). Moscow protest leader Navalny faces community service & large fine if found guilty of libeling elderly WWII veteran. rt.com 
Russian authorities have opened a defamation case against Alexei Navalny, after he called a World War II veteran a "traitor" for expressing his support for Russia's proposed constitutional changes. | The protest leader has been accused of posting "deliberately false information" by the Russian Investigative Committee, and he is said to have "pursued the goal of spreading slander among a wide range of people." | On June 2, the nationalist Kremlin critic shared a video published by RT which featured various Russian people — including an Olympian, a doctor, and a mother. In the clip, the participants shared…
(2020-06-15). Poland Is Likely to Receive Germany-based American Soldiers to Pressurise Russia. globalresearch.ca According to American media, U.S. President Donald Trump plans to withdraw 9,500 American soldiers from Germany. U.S. troop numbers in Germany will be reduced to about 25,000 at a time when Warsaw insists on the strengthening of American military presence …
(2020-06-15). WATCH Russian jets 'intercept' US strategic bombers over Baltic Sea. rt.com 
US B-52H strategic bombers have again been spotted near Russian borders, forcing its Baltic Sea Fleet's Su-27 fighter jets to take to the skies and monitor their actions, the Russian Defense Ministry has said. | Video released by Moscow showed all stages of the 'intercept' — from the pilot in full gear rushing towards his jet to the Su-27s gaining on the American nuclear-capable bombers and "foreign surveillance planes" above the neutral waters. | NATO aircraft have frequently been spotted close to Russian airspace above Baltic and Black Sea frontiers in recent years. The flights, which Moscow deems provo…
(2020-06-15). This week in history: June 15-21. wsws.org 25 years ago: Chechen rebels release hostagesOn June 20, 1995, Chechen rebel gunmen released the last of more than 1,000 people held hostage for five days in the Russian city of Budyonnovsk and returned to Chechnya under an agreement negotiated with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. At least 120 people died during the government's siege of the hospital, most of them killed when Russian troops tried to storm the building.
(2020-06-15). Turkey, Russia to continue talks for truce in Libya. yenisafak.com Turkey will continue talks with Russia to reach a lasting cease-fire in Libya, said Turkey's foreign minister on Monday.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have "agreed to continue working together to establish a lasting cease-fire in Libya," Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press conference alongside his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, who is visiting the Turkish capital Ankara.Libya's government, which enjoys recognition by the UN, has been under attack by warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces since April 2019, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.After launching a counter…
(2020-06-14). Putin Condemns 'Mayhem and Rioting' at US Anti-Racism Protests. telesurenglish.net Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Sunday the violence and mayhem during the anti-racism protests in the United States. | RELATED: | "If this fight for natural rights, legal rights, turns into mayhem and rioting, I see nothing good for the country," Putin said in an interview with Rossiya-1 television, adding that in his country they "have never supported this." | The Russian president said he supports U.
(2020-06-14). US State Propaganda Outlets Censor Black Lives Matter Protests. popularresistance.org With a budget that hovers around $100 million, RFE/RL broadcasts to something like to 22 countries in 26 languages. And the same censorship regime extends to just about every RFE/RL language division. | I've looked at about a dozen of them. Most have no coverage of the protests at all. A couple — like the Russian and Afghanistan division — do have a tiny protest stories, but they are given very little attention. | In the case of RFE/RL's Russian coverage, the protests are presented from the most reactionary perspective possible: denying racism and blaming the violence on organized armed anarchist comm…
(2020-06-14). Keeping the World Safe from Iran's Legitimate Nuclear Program? globalresearch.ca The above headlined Pompeo's hostile May 27 remarks on Iran. | Perpetuating the myth about an Iranian nuclear threat ignores what the whole world knows. | Throughout its existence since the 1950s, Iran's legitimate nuclear program had and still has no military …
(2020-06-14). Big 5 of COVID: Guess what is common to these top affected countries. peoplesdispatch.org The US, Brazil, Russia, India and the United Kingdom have larger than life leaders, but the pandemic has exposed their flaws, at great cost…
(2020-06-14). DoD Announces $250 Million To Ukraine. popularresistance.org The Department of Defense announced today its plans for $250 million in Fiscal Year 2020 Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds for additional training, equipment, and advisory efforts to strengthen Ukraine's capacity to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression. | This reaffirms the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Ukraine — a critical partner on the front line of strategic competition with Russia. The United States remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
(2020-06-14). Top Russian officials' visit to Turkey postponed. yenisafak.com A planned Sunday visit to Turkey by Russia's foreign and defense ministers has been postponed, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said.In a phone call, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov decided to hold contacts and negotiations between their deputy ministers in the days to come, said a ministry statement.Ministerial talks will also take place at a later date, it said.Russia's foreign and defense ministers were expected in Turkey for dialogue on regional issues.Moscow and Ankara frequently consult on the situation in Syria and Libya, and the two issues, particularly the lat…
(2020-06-14). Putin says Russia will be able to counter hypersonic weapons. yenisafak.com President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday Russia was developing the means to counter other countries' hypersonic weapons, local news agencies reported."It's very likely that we will have means to combat hypersonic weapons by the time the world's leading countries have such weapons," the RIA news agency cited Putin as saying.
(2020-06-14). Militants Shell Settlements in Syria's Latakia, Idlib, Aleppo, Russian Military Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* terrorist group has attacked settlements in Syria's provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, and Latakia, Rear Admiral Alexander Shcherbitsky, the head of the Russian Defence Ministry's centre for Syrian reconciliation, said on Sunday.
(2020-06-14). The New Cold War With China. strategic-culture.org Michael T. KLARE | America's pundits and politicians have largely concluded that a new Cold War with China — a period of intense hostility and competition falling just short of armed combat — has started. "Rift Threatens U.S. Cold War Against China," as a New York Times headline
(2020-06-13). St. Petersburg had lighter Covid-19 restrictions because residents are 'more educated' than Muscovites — vice governor. rt.com 
Russia's varied local responses to the coronavirus have been the cause of much debate, and one leading St. Petersburg official couldn't resist using the city's relatively relaxed rules to take a jab at an old rival — Moscow. | Speaking to a local TV channel, Vice Governor Yevgeny Elin explained that his city did not impose a strict quarantine because the residents are better educated than people in Moscow. | "You can't compare Moscow and St. Petersburg. We did not introduce such severe restrictions like in Moscow," Elin said. "In our opinion, this is justified. This is not because we are smarter, but bec…
(2020-06-13). 32.4% of Moscow doctors found to have coronavirus antibodies as Russia ramps up testing. rt.com 
Almost a third of Moscow's doctors have Covid-19 antibodies, according to the most recent testing in the capital, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova announced on Saturday. | "In the first stage [of testing],15,500 doctors were examined in 60 institutions. Antibodies were detected in 16.5% in the initial examination," Golikova revealed. In the second stage, antibodies were detected in 32.4 percent of physicians. | On Wednesday, Anna Popova, the head of country's consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, announced that antibody testing had already been conducted on over half-a-million Russians throughout th…
(2020-06-13). Russia to Produce COVID-19 Vaccine in September. telesurenglish.net Russia's Social Policy Deputy Minister Tatyana Golikova Saturday announced that her country will begin producing a coronavirus vaccine in large doses from September. | RELATED: | The Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology will be the leading institution in this process, in coordination with the Defense Ministry, which reported that 50 soldiers volunteered to participate in the vaccine's clinical trials that will begin i…
(2020-06-13). US Navy deploys three aircraft carriers to Pacific against China. wsws.org The deployments underscore the strategic shift by the Pentagon from the so-called "war on terror" to great power competition that heightens the danger of conflict between nuclear-armed powers.
(2020-06-13). Fire on French nuclear submarine at Toulon extinguished. yenisafak.com A fire on a nuclear submarine docked at the French Mediterranean port of Toulon was extinguished early on Saturday morning, the Defence Ministry said.Some 100 firefighters had been called in to tackle the blaze on the Perle, which lasted 14 hours and ended at around 00: 50 a.m. (2250 GMT). the ministry said. It confirmed an earlier statement that no nuclear material was aboard when the fire broke out on Friday.Nobody was hurt and no nuclear materials or weapons were on board the vessel, which was in dry dock for repairs, authorities said on Friday.Toulon is France's biggest naval base and is home to most of its fl…
(2020-06-13). Russia and Europe: Two Different Histories. strategic-culture.org A considerable amount of baggage has become attached to the word "European" over the half-millennium that Europe has dominated the world. There's the geographical meaning — from the Atlantic to the Urals — but, because Europe is a peninsula on the western end of Asia, the frontier is subject to debate. Diplomats sometimes use the word to mean members of the European Union. But the most important meaning is the value-laden one — to be "European" is to be modern, civilised, rational, to hold "values", to be successful. To be powerful. Not to be "European" is to be none of these things, perhaps eve…
(2020-06-13). Russia Aiming to Realize Greater Eurasia Dream. strategic-culture.org The Russian role will be to balance the hegemonic powers, as a guarantor of a new union of non-aligned nations | Pepe ESCOBAR | Professor Sergey Karaganov is informally known in influential foreign policy circles as the "Russian Kissinger" — with the extra bonus of not having to carry a "war criminal" tag from Vietnam and Cambodia to Chile and beyond. | Karaganov is the dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. He's also the honorary chairman of Russia's Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy. | In December…
(2020-06-12). US Bombers Are So Ridiculously Expensive Air Force Forced to Make Up for Low Numbers by Planning Cargo Planes for Combat. anti-empire.com 
Editor's note: A decent article but which does not explain the background of why the Air Force is experimenting with using cargo planes in this way. Despite having a massive budget the hardware the service orders from the defense industry is so ridiculously expensive the stable just isn't large enough. That is also the reason the ancient but reliable B-52s are still kept in service (and indeed form the backbone of the nuclear and heavy bomber force) and will outlive far newer but overly-complicated and troubled machines like the B-1 from the corporate handout era: Curious taxpayers might wonder why we need the Lon…
(2020-06-12). 'We're Russia, we're together': WATCH aerobatic team paint the skies on Russia Day. rt.com 
In celebration of Russia Day, a group of daredevils took to the skies over the Moscow Region, sending a patriotic message to all Russians to stay strong and united in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. | The Perviy Polet (First Flight) squadron is the only aerobatic team in the country that uses propeller planes, including the iconic Yakovlev Yak-52 Soviet trainer aircraft. | Footage of the stunt, filmed by multiple cameras on the ground and on the wings of the planes, shows the team taking off from the airfield. Five machines fly in formation, writing "We're Russia! We're together!" with a trail of smok…
(2020-06-12). A Full-Blown Cold War With China Could Be Disastrous. thenation.com A Full-Blown Cold War With China Could Be Disastrous…
(2020-06-12). NATO's Call on 'Like-minded Nations' to Stand Up to the Rise of China Is Just a Desperate Bid for Global Relevance. globalresearch.ca As the influence of the US and Europe wanes in the face of a new geopolitical reality, their Cold War progeny, NATO, seeks to redefine itself as a global player. The problem is NATO is not capable of even stepping …
(2020-06-12). Anti-Iranian circles seek to create fear regarding NPT: Ulyanov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 12 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said that anti-Iranian circles are striving to create fear and claim that the recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calls for immediate action regarding the non-proliferation treaty.