Daily Archives: July 31, 2020

2020-07-31: News Headlines

Rob Urie (2020-07-31). Russiagate, Nazis, and the CIA. counterpunch.org The political success of Russiagate lies in the vanishing of American history in favor of a faàßade of liberal virtue. Posed as a response to the election of Donald Trump, a straight line can be drawn from efforts to undermine the decommissioning of the American war economy in 1946 to the CIA's alliance with Ukrainian fascists in 2014. In 1945 the NSC (National Security Council) issued a series of directives that gave logic and direction to the CIA's actions during the Cold War. That these persist despite the 'fall of communism' suggests that it was always just a placeholder in the pursuit of other objectiv…

T.J. Coles (2020-07-31). The Space Wars Have Begun. counterpunch.org "Space is now a distinct warfighting domain," says the U.S. Defense Space Strategy. Last week, corporate media repeated U.S. military propaganda: that Russia had "tested new technologies that could lead to so-called 'killer satellites'" (ABC); the U.S. and Britain "accused Russia of testing a weapon-like projectile in space that could be used to target satellites

Ajamu Baraka (2020-07-30). No to the New Cold war with China. mronline.org The African radical, anti-imperialist, internationalist movement, sees the Chinese state and the Chinese people much differently than the U.S. state and its ruling class.

RT (2020-07-30). Russian serviceman working in Crimea arrested for HIGH TREASON, accused of spying for Ukraine. rt.com A serviceman from Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been arrested by the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) on suspicion of working for Ukrainian military intelligence. | If found guilty of high treason, the detained soldier could In a statement

RT (2020-07-30). Russian authorities to investigate as Communist MP claims 39 ruling party politicians have dual citizenship or foreign residency. rt.com The speaker of Russia's State Duma (parliament) has ordered the Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption to determine which lawmakers have alternative citizenships or other residence permits, after a claim by an opposition MP. | A key part of Vladimir Putin's constitutional changes, approved in a national vote earlier this month,

RT (2020-07-30). Russian & US scientists vow to fight Covid-19 PANDEMIC together amidst political animosity. rt.com Despite Moscow and Washington having been at odds over scores of international and bilateral affairs, Russian and US scientists managed to find a common language in jointly fighting a shared threat — the coronavirus pandemic. | The scientists have teamed up to cooperate in "all the areas related to the coronavirus, its nature, treatment and prevention measures," the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) said. | The RAS and US National Academies of Sciences, Medicine and Engineering inked an agreement on Thursday around working together on a wide range of Covid-related areas, such as epidemiology, virology, i…

RT (2020-07-30). American pilots continue their love affair with the Black Sea! Russian jet intercepts US spy planes for 4th TIME in 9 days (VIDEO). rt.com With summer heating up, it appears as though the US Air Force finds Russia's Black Sea particularly inviting. The Russian military has intercepted American jets on a long haul trip for the fourth time in just over one week. | The US Air Force seemingly could not decide who should be next to enjoy the scenic splendor of the Black Sea shoreline – around 8,000km from home – where temperatures have hit the 90s degrees Fahrenheit this week, choosing to send two of its surveillance planes at the same time on Thursday to watch over the area. | Could it be that American 'top guns' are so determined to showcase the del…

RT (2020-07-30). EU targets Russian intelligence, Chinese, North Korean companies in first ever cybercrime-related sanctions batch. rt.com The European Union has imposed sanctions on six people and three entities, including a Russian military intelligence unit over their alleged involvement in various hacking activities, in the first ever such move from Brussels. | EU officials slapped the "Special Technologies" unit (GTsST) of the Russian military intelligence (also known as GRU) with sanctions, accusing it of being behind several high-profile cyber-attacks — including the infamous NotPetya virus that inflicted $10 billion worth of damage to the world economy in 2017. | The origins of that virus are still unclear. Yet, what is known for ce…

RT (2020-07-30). Ex-US Marine sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison after drunken assault on two Moscow police officers. rt.com Texan Trevor Reed, a 29-year-old student and former US Marine, has been found guilty of attacking two police officers and handed a nine year jail sentence by a Moscow court, prompting media speculation about a "prisoner swap." | The former marine has been accused of attacking the officers last summer while drunk after attending a party. According to the prosecutors, some Moscow residents called the police when they saw a rowdy troublemaker arguing with two women. The drunk man, who turned out to be Reed, tried to resist arrest. | It was inside the police car that the man suddenly became aggressive and elbowed…

RT (2020-07-30). Wife of Ukrainian rapper arrested after dismembered body parts found in apartment fridge. rt.com The wife of rapper Andy Cartwright has been arrested after his body parts were found in their St Petersburg apartment. She reportedly cut him into pieces, washed his organs, treated his limbs with salt and then refrigerated them. | Marina Kokhal claims the 30-year-old rapper died of a drug overdose. Saying she wanted to make him disappear so he wouldn't be remembered for dying an inglorious death, she has admitted to chopping up his body. | According to Saint Petersburg-based website 'Fontanka', the police were informed after 36-year-old Kokhal contacted a lawyer for advice, explaining that Cartwright had died…

RT (2020-07-30). Call of the Black Sea: Russian jet intercepts US spy planes for FOURTH TIME in just over a week (VIDEO). rt.com With summer heating up, it appears as though the US Air Force finds Russia's Black Sea particularly inviting, as the Russian military has intercepted American jets there for the fourth time in just over one week. | The US Air Force seemingly could not decide who should be next to enjoy the scenic splendors of the Black Sea shoreline, deciding to send two of its surveillance planes to watch over the area at the same time on Thursday. | The jets were promptly intercepted, however, by a Russian Su-27 fighter jet, which was scrambled to escort the "aerial targets" approaching the nation's border. | The planes were…

RT (2020-07-30). EU targets Russian intelligence, Chinese, North Korean companies in first ever cybercrime-related round of sanctions. rt.com The European Union has imposed sanctions on six people and three entities, including a Russian military intelligence unit, over their alleged involvement in various hacking activities, in the first ever such move from Brussels. | EU officials slapped the "Special Technologies" unit (GTsST) of the Russian military intelligence agency (also known as GRU) with sanctions, accusing it of being behind several high-profile cyber-attacks — including the infamous NotPetya virus that inflicted $10 billion-worth of damage to the world economy in 2017. | The origins of that virus are still unclear. What is known for…

Philip Giraldi (2020-07-30). Foreign Interference in Elections: Is It Real or Just Political Noise? thealtworld.com While claims of Russian interference in elections are fairly common, they are difficult to prove in any serious way. | A recently concluded British Parliamentary inquiry has determined that Russia may have

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-30). The Real Deep State Power Grab: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com the new cold war agendas against China and Russia. All analysts who've been staring transfixed by Covid anxiety waiting for Bill Gates to usher in the New World Order have completely missed this story due to a misguided collective decision to fixate on this virus. | The virus will certainly play a part in many ways, but the real large-scale power agendas at work revolve around the US-centralized empire's increasingly urgent campaign to

WSWS (2020-07-30). Corporate press promotes Susan Rice as Biden running mate. wsws.org The former Obama national security advisor is identified with illegal wars, drone missile assassinations and an aggressive posture towards both Russia and China.

Dafna Tachover (2020-07-30). Wireless Radiation: Russian Government Recommends Banning Wi-Fi and Cell Phones in Primary Schools. globalresearch.ca On July 17th, 2020, the

yenisafak (2020-07-30). Russian, Turkish diplomats to discuss Libya in Moscow. yenisafak.com Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Alexey Zaytsev, deputy spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that the delegations from the two countries will discuss "different aspects of the Libyan crisis," including disposition of the warring sides at the moment of the cease-fire declaration.Zaytsev recalled that the previous rounds of consultations on Libya were held in Turkey — In Istanbul in June and in Ankara in July.Asked about violations of arms embargo on Libya by Russia, he said "allegations are groundless" and that countries accusing Russia "directly involved in arms supplies to the Libyan warring…

sputniknews (2020-07-30). Trump Asks Why US Should Protect a Germany that 'Pays Russia Billions of Dollars for Energy'. sputniknews.com The Pentagon pressed forward with plans to withdraw nearly 12,000 personnel from Germany on Wednesday, with some of the troops to be redeployed to other European NATO nations while others are sent home. At the moment, there are about 36,000 US troops stationed in the Central European country. American troops have been on German soil since 1945.

_____ (2020-07-30). CIA Fabricated Russiagate 'Evidence', Says Former NSA Tech Chief. strategic-culture.org Bill Binney has now laid out, in this speech, the evidence that he wants to present in court against Barack Obama's CIA, that it defrauded Americans to believe in "Russiagate" (the allegation that Russia 'hacked' the computers of Hillary Clinton and Democratic Party officials and fed that information to Wikileaks and other organizations). Binney cites evidence, which, if true, conclusively proves that Russiagate was actually created fraudulently by the CIA's extensive evidence-tampering, which subsequently became covered-up by the Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in his investigations for the Democratic Party's fi…

Kenneth Surin (2020-07-29). The UK's Russia Report on the "Londongrad Laundromat" counterpunch.org The UK parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), drawn from MPs and peers of all parties, last week published its report on possible Russian interference in UK politics. The report's release had been delayed by 9 months after it had been blocked by Boris "BoJo" Johnson in the run-up to the December 2019 general election.

The Canary (2020-07-29). US officials claim Russia is behind the spread of virus disinformation. thecanary.co US officials say Russian intelligence services are using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.The officials alleged Russian operatives have acted in seeking to exploit a crisis the US is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November.Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow's military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for the effort to reach American and western audiences, according to the US government officials, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The i…

RT (2020-07-29). Lukashenko 'demands answers' as KGB chief briefs him on 'Russian mercenaries' detained in Belarus. rt.com Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has ordered a thorough probe into what he called an "emergency situation" as security chief confirmed arrests of 32 suspected 'Wagner' private military recruits in a televised briefing. | Lukashenko on Wednesday told the head of the Belarusian National Security Service, the KGB, to launch a transparent and unbiased probe into the incident, which the media has been quick to tie to the upcoming presidential election. | "If these are indeed Russian citizens… we must immediately contact the Russian officials and demand that they explain what is going on," Lukashenko said…

RT (2020-07-29). Blow to go! Latest Russian plan to eliminate drink-driving — installing alcohol locks on all newly produced cars. rt.com Get ready for a new sensation: breathing into your car before it starts. In a bid to make roads safer, Russia's is planning to introduce 'alcolocks,' which require a driver to prove their sobriety before a vehicle moves. | According to Moscow business daily Kommersant, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is developing a plan to introduce alcohol locks en-masse. The technology, known as an 'ignition interlock device,' is already set to become mandatory in the European Union from 2022. | The locks work by making it impossible to start a car when alcohol above a certain threshold is detected in the driver's breath…

RT (2020-07-29). Bye Bye Benjamin! Russia & China speed up de-dollarization process: most trade no longer conducted in greenbacks. rt.com After years of talking about abandoning the US dollar, Russia and China are doing it for real. In the first quarter of 2020, the share of the dollar in trade between the countries fell below 50 percent for the first time.

RT (2020-07-29). Veteran diplomat becomes new US envoy for Arctic as Washington seeks greater role in region. rt.com The Trump administration on Wednesday named a special envoy for the Arctic, filling a post that had been vacant for more than three years. Washington is seeking a greater role in the region, trying to blunt growing Russian and Chinese influence there. | The State Department's appointment of veteran career diplomat Jim DeHart to be US coordinator for the Arctic came just a week after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed enhanced US engagement in the Arctic, speaking during a visit to Denmark, AP reported. | The US opened a consulate in the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland earlier this year as part…

William Astore (2020-07-29). Killing Democracy in America. counterpunch.org The phrase "thinking about the unthinkable" has always been associated with the unthinkable cataclysm of a nuclear war, and rightly so. Lately, though, I've been pondering another kind of unthinkable scenario, nearly as nightmarish (at least for a democracy) as a thermonuclear Armageddon, but one that's been rolling out in far slower motion: that America's

C.J. Hopkins (2020-07-29). The White Black Nationalist Color Revolution. dissidentvoice.org So, the White Black Nationalist Color Revolution ("made possible in part by GloboCap") appears to be going extremely well. According to Foreign Policy magazine, the Trump regime is clinging to power, but it's only a matter of time until the identitarian moderate rebels drive the Putin-backed fascists out of office and restore democracy to the …

WSWS (2020-07-29). Russian pseudo-left provides neo-Stalinist justification for vendetta against historian Yuri Dmitriev. wsws.org Boris Kagarlitsky's website Rabkor has published a commentary justifying the frame-up of Dmitriev, who has done valuable work in exposing Stalin's crimes.

yenisafak (2020-07-29). Thirty-three Russians arrested in Belarus. yenisafak.com Thirty-three Russian nationals allegedly linked to the private military company Wagner were arrested in Belarus last night, the country's state news agency Belta said on Wednesday.According to Belta, the law enforcement bodies followed the suspects from the moment of their arrival in Belarus.It said a total of 200 Wagner mercenaries came to the country "to destabilize the situation during the presidential election campaign". The Investigative Committee is probing the detained individuals.Belarus will hold its presidential election on Aug. 9, and earlier, acting President Alexander Lukashenko voiced concern over p…

yenisafak (2020-07-29). Merkel ally: US decision to withdraw troops from Germany weakens NATO. yenisafak.com A senior member of Chancellor Angel Merkel's conservatives has criticised a U.S. decision to withdraw about 12,000 troops from Germany and move its European headquarters to Belgium."Instead of strengthening NATO, the troop withdrawal will weaken the alliance," Norbert Roettgen, chairman of the German parliament's foreign affairs committee, told Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper."The effectiveness of the U.S. military is not increased but reduced, especially with a view to Russia and ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East," Roettgen added.The U.S. military said on Wednesday it would move its headquarters out…

sputniknews (2020-07-29). 'It Does Damage': Assembly of World's Largest Fusion Reactor Begins Despite 'Huge Problems' – Expert. sputniknews.com Assembly of the world's largest nuclear fusion reactor started at the Cadarache facility in southern France, despite the fact that the the reactor is not radioactive waste-free and costs huge sums of money that could instead be used to address urgent needs in the world, Kevin Kamps, radioactive waste watchdog with Beyond Nuclear, told Sputnik.

sputniknews (2020-07-29). India Celebrates Induction of Five French Rafale Jets to Its Depleting Air Fleet. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): The Indian Air Force has a shortage of around 10 squadrons of combat aircraft after phasing out its MiG-21 and MiG-27 fighter planes. The induction of French Rafale jets on Wednesday was the first to take place in two decades – last time, India bought 270 Su-30 MKI from Russia in staggered contracts in the late 1990s.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-29). VIDEO: Two trains collide in Russia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 29 (MNA) — Two cargo trains collided with each other in Russia on Wed. due to the falling sleep of driver of one of the trains, injuring two people and causing trains to derail.

RT (2020-07-28). Taking from crooks to give to the old? Russian finance ministry to seize unexplained bank funds & transfer them to pension pot. rt.com It's not quite Robin Hood, but it's close. Russia's Ministry of Finance is planning to transfer the confiscated suspicious savings of Russian citizens to the country's pension fund, according to newly proposed amendments. | So, if you can't prove where your money came from, it's going to the old folks. | As things stand, illegally held assets can be seized by the state. If the proposed new amendments pass through parliament, any money taken because the owner can't prove the source of the moolah will be sent to the Russian Pension Fund (PFR), which is responsible for payments to pensioners and other forms of so…

RT (2020-07-28). 'Why don't we focus on now?' Pressed over Trump campaign spying, Obama adviser 'recreates' Hillary's infamous Benghazi moment. rt.com Former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was grilled on the Steele Dossier and the FBI spying on the Trump campaign live on TV, but tried to dodge the topic altogether, earning comparisons to Hillary Clinton from conservatives. | Confronted by a Fox Business anchor with mounting

RT (2020-07-28). Anyone for a 'CoronaBurger?' Crimean fast-food PR ploy falls flat as Covid fails to whet the appetite. rt.com Who says that a pandemic can't have a silver lining? In Sevastopol, on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, a fast food restaurant called 'Covid-Burger' has popped up, hoping to cash in on the hype. | Local entrepreneurs developed a brand new burger concept inspired by the Coronavirus epidemic – but customers aren't so interested. | The burger joint's cashier, who spoke to a journalist from the local edition of national daily Komsomolskaya Pravda, explained the restaurant is the same as before – just rebranded. | "The name is just a trick, we are fighting the coronavirus, before that we just sold burgers," the c…

RT (2020-07-28). Russian envoy appreciates Kuchma's work on Donbass settlement as ex-Ukrainian president leaves contact group. rt.com Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma did a lot to make sure that Kiev implements its obligations under the Minsk agreements, Russian presidential envoy to the Contact Group on the settlement in Donbass, Boris Gryzlov, has said. He was commenting Tuesday on Kuchma's decision to step down as head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Minsk talks on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. | "The approval of additional measures to monitor the ceasefire in Donbass, which was the last of the Contact Group's moves that involved Kuchma, is an important step in the right direction," Gryzlov said. He noted that Kuchma "took a…

Thierry Meyssan (2020-07-28). Jean Castex's first three errors. thealtworld.com

| Without a doubt, Jean Castex is a brilliant senior civil servant. But that does not make him the right man to become Prime Minister of France. He has not thought about how to restore the social pact in the face of financial globalisation and is satisfied with measures to buy social peace in the short term. As soon as he was appointed, he showed that he did not want to reform the political class, that he was content to fight the pandemic by doing as others did, and that he supported the Maastrichian project conceived during the Cold War. | The French administration works very well on its own. In this s…

WSWS (2020-07-28). Mass protests continue in Russian Far East. wsws.org Demonstrators expressed anger over social inequality and the federal government's infringement of regional authorities and laws.

_____ (2020-07-28). US — China Conflict Puts Allies In Crossfire. popularresistance.org US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is calling for "an alliance of democracies" to confront China. It amounts to a new Cold War in which nations are being forced to side either with Washington or Beijing. | It's a classic tyrannical power-play by Washington. Such polarized demarcation of the planet as designated by Washington is impossible in a global economy which is highly integrated, from consumer and financial markets to supply chains. | A news report this week once again underscores how even the American military is reliant on China for supplies of rare earth metals used in its weapon systems. | Indeed, the en…

yenisafak (2020-07-28). Nukes guarantee N. Korea's safety, future: Kim Jong-un. yenisafak.com North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has said the country's nuclear capabilities will permanently guarantee its "national security and future," according to media reports on Tuesday.His remarks came at an event in the capital Pyongyang on Monday night to mark the 67th anniversary of the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.They were a clear signal that North Korea has no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons and views them as an essential means of deterrence."Thanks to our reliable and effective self-defense war deterrence, there will no longer be war on this land and our na…

_____ (2020-07-28). Iran's Future Will Be Prosperous: A 150-Year Fight for Sovereignty From Oil to Nuclear Energy. strategic-culture.org This is Part 3 of the series "Follow the Trail of Blood and Oil".

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Germany rejects US proposal for Russia's return to G7. yenisafak.com Germany on Monday opposed Russia's return to the G7 group of nations, amid US President Donald Trump's proposal to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the group's next summit.German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas underlined that Russia's readmission to the group would not be possible if Moscow remains reluctant to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine."The reason behind Russia's suspension was the annexation of Crimea and its intervention in eastern Ukraine. As long as we don't have a solution here, I don't see a chance for this," Maas said in an interview with German daily General Anzeiger.Trump has repeat…