Daily Archives: September 1, 2020

2020-09-01: News Headlines

Thierry Meyssan (2020-09-01). Who wants to overthrow President Lukashenko? thealtworld.com

| The Western press highlights Svetlana Tikhanovskaya as the winner of the Belarusian presidential election and accuses outgoing President Alexander Lukashenko of violence, nepotism and election rigging. However, an analysis of this country shows that the policies of its president correspond to the wishes of its citizens. Behind this fabricated quarrel lies the spectre of Ukrainian Euromaidan and a provoked rupture with Russia. | One of the objectives of the Euromaidan coup (Ukraine, 2013-14) was to cut the Silk Road in Europe. China reacted by changing its route and passing it through Belarus. From the…

RT (2020-09-01). Religious tension enters Belarus mix? Catholic Archbishop refused entry into country after criticising government on Polish TV. rt.com The head of the Catholic Church in Belarus has been refused entry into the country, despite being a Belarusian citizen. The right of citizens to enter the country without hindrance is protected by the country's constitution. | According to Yuri Sanko, the church's press secretary, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz was refused the right to return to his homeland on Monday, after visiting Poland on a business trip. Kondrusiewicz, who was born in the village of Odelsk, located on the Western border, was forced to go back to Poland. | According to Article 30 of the Belarusian Constitution, "Citizens of the Republic…

RT (2020-09-01). Self-flying fighter jets? Russian aerospace giants MiG & Sukhoi discuss UNMANNED 6th generation fighter jet project. rt.com Russia's most famous aircraft manufacturers, MiG and Sukhoi, are discussing the possibility of cooperating to develop the country's sixth-generation jet fighter. The fifth-generation Sukhoi is due to be delivered this year. | Anatoly Serdyukov, the industrial director of the Rostec aviation complex, told Moscow business daily RBK that everything is under discussion, refusing to rule out a collaboration of the industry heavyweights. | "Perhaps it will be so, a fighter produced by MiG – Sukhoi," he said. "But while everything is at the discussion stage, it is too early to talk about the details." | Also on rt.co…

RT (2020-09-01). As Covid-19 pandemic rolls on, Russia becomes fourth country to pass one million confirmed cases, joining Brazil, India & the US. rt.com As children head back to school, Russia's coronavirus case numbers continue to break records. On Tuesday, confirmed infections in nationwide reached seven figures, becoming the first European country to break the million mark. | Behind just the US, Brazil, and India, Russia is the fourth country in the world to break the milestone nobody wanted to get near. However, when compared to these other three countries, it at least seems to be on the right track. On August 31, the US reported 38,560 new cases, India 68,770, and Brazil 48,590. Russia has had less than 5,000 per day since August 15. | Despite being fourt…

RT (2020-09-01). Zuckerberg to donate $300 million to ensure Covid-safe US elections as Facebook hunts for Russian disinformation. rt.com Mark Zuckerberg has said he will donate $300 million to help ensure a "secure" election process amid the Covid-19 pandemic, while Facebook remains on the prowl for alleged "foreign interference" from Russia. | Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan announced on Tuesday that they will donate the hefty pile of cash to "two non-partisan organizations" — the Center for Tech and Civic Life and the Center for Election Innovation & Research. The donation will help with the highly controversial mail-in voting system and go towards ensuring safety measures at polling stations. | "There will be historic levels of v…

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-01). Russia-Sanctions-Gate: Trump Sanctions Three Russian Research Institutes. globalresearch.ca Russia won the race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. On August 11, its Sputnik V was registered for use by the Russian Ministry of Health. | Development of the vaccine followed 20 years of research, what its scientists called another …

Ted Galen Carpenter (2020-09-01). Are We Deliberately Trying To Provoke A Military Crisis With Russia? globalresearch.ca A dangerous vehicle collision between U.S and Russian soldiers in Northeastern Syria on Aug. 24 highlights the fragility of the relationship and the broader test of wills between the two major powers. | According to

_____ (2020-09-01). Britain's Coming Winter of Discontent — What It Looks Like. truepublica.org.uk By TruePublica Editor: The summer recess is over — and now we are staring at reality — like a loaded gun at Russian roulette. Our future is now made up of trigger pulls, of 'ifs.' What if Covid comes back just as bad, what if we have a really cold winter and the NHS is …

WSWS (2020-09-01). Amid mounting domestic crisis, US imperialism lashes out at Russia and China. wsws.org In a dizzying array of threats and open clashes, Washington has inflamed, on an almost daily basis, conflicts that could rapidly spiral out of control.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-01). 'Russia remains ready to facilitate US-Iran direct dialogue'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 01 (MNA) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia is ready to help the United States and Iran to have a direct dialogue.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-01). Joint Commission determined to preserve JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 01 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said that the Joint Commission on JCPOA is determined to preserve the Nuclear Deal.

sputniknews (2020-09-01). US Homeland Security, FBI Say No Cyber Attacks on Voter Registration Databases Took Place. sputniknews.com A Russian newspaper earlier in the day alleged that hackers had stolen and posted data from millions of American voters.

sputniknews (2020-09-01). Russia's Su-57 Fighter Will Reportedly Get 'Invisibility Cloak'. sputniknews.com Since mass production of the Sukhoi Su-57 began last year, developers have announced a number of add-ons for the fifth-generation fighter, ranging from new hypersonic missiles to plans to allow it to control swarms of drones.

sputniknews (2020-09-01). US Army Holds Live-Fire Rocket Artillery Drills Less Than 70 Miles From Russian Border. sputniknews.com The US Army announced on Monday the beginning of live-fire drills involving rocket artillery in Estonia, less than 70 miles from Russian territory. The move comes just days after large Russian naval exercises in the Bering Sea, near Alaska.

WSWS (2020-09-01). Mass protests in Belarus continue as conflict between Russia and NATO intensifies. wsws.org The Kremlin has responded to the growing intervention by the imperialist powers in Belarus by stepping up its support for the Lukashenko regime.

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-09-01). Does Western Civilization Have a Future, or Is It Already in Its Grave? thealtworld.com Sandia National Laboritories, a US government-funded nuclear weapons developer, requires its white employees to be subjected to indoctrination in trainings sessions in which critical race theory propagandists tell the white employees they are racists, because they have white privilege due to their skin color. | One of the abused white employees, Casey P…

Andrew Korybko (2020-08-31). Is Russia Backtracking on China's "Belt and Road" (BRI)? Moscow's Balancing Act Between China and India. globalresearch.ca The critical assessment of China's Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) last month by the influential Director of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Far Eastern Studies coupled with India's eagerness all summer to court the Eurasian Great Power into …

Ben Norton (2020-08-31). US Sanctions Russian Research Institute that Developed COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca Russia won the race to develop the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The United States has responded by slapping sanctions on a Russian research facility involved in creating it. | The US government has blacklisted several Russian scientific institutes, including …

RT (2020-08-31). A spanner in the works? Former Khabarovsk governor Furgal can't be charged with murder-for-hire as he was already cleared in 2004. rt.com The former governor of Russia's Far Eastern Khabarovsk Region, Sergey Furgal, cannot be charged for one of the murders he is accused of ordering, as he was already found to be innocent during the original investigation. | That was back in 2004, long before Furgal took the helm in Khabarovsk, fourteen years later. He's accused of ordering three murders in the mid-2000s, one of which was unsuccessful. One of the men killed was Evgeny Zori, a businessman who was shot in the center of Khabarovsk following a protracted conflict with Furgal, who at the time was involved in buying and selling scrap metal. | According…

RT (2020-08-31). Russiagate without end: US appeals court REVERSES earlier decision to end Flynn criminal case. rt.com A full-bench US federal appeals court has reversed an earlier decision to dismiss the 'Russiagate' case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, returning it to the judge who refused to let the charges be dropped. | In a 8-2 ruling on Monday, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Judge Emmet Sullivan, and sent the case back to him for review. Sullivan had been ordered by a three-judge panel in June to drop the case against Flynn immediately, but hired an attorney and asked for an en banc hearing instead. | Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell said the split was "as expected" based on the tone of…

RT (2020-08-31). Russia on course to replace Germany as Europe's leading economy & enter global top five this year — Putin's economic advisor. rt.com For a long time now, officials in Moscow have spoken of a desire to see Russia become the world's fifth largest economy, measured by purchasing power parity. The Kremlin believes 2020 will be the year it finally happens. | Putin's chief economic advisor Maxim Oreshkin said on Monday that estimates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and post-pandemic GDP projections suggest Russia is poised to meet the target. His comments came as the Ministry of Economic Development revised its estimate of the decline in Russia's economy in 2020 from 5% to 3.9%. | While that's a significant fall, it's not as drastic as…

RT (2020-08-31). Pets for debts? Russia's MPs to vote on banning bailiffs from seizing domestic animals — MP labels practice 'outrageous cruelty'. rt.com Russian parliamentarians will soon vote on new legislation that would ban debt collectors and bailiffs from seizing pets to pay off arrears, according to the bill's author, MP Vladimir Burmatov of the governing 'United Russia.' | Soon after politicians return from their summer vacation on September 9, they will be presented with a list of animals that should be deemed off-limits for debt collectors. According to Burmatov, the legislation would protect all pets not used for entrepreneurial activity. | As things stand, farm animals such as cattle and deer are protected from seizure, but cats and dogs are not.

WSWS (2020-08-31). This week in history: August 31-September 6. wsws.org 25 years ago: French test nuclear bomb in Pacific, setting off protests in Tahiti On September 5, 1995, the French government launched the first in a series of nuclear tests at Moruroa Atoll in the Pacific. Rioting and protests erupted in the Tahitian capital of Papeete in response, where one-third of the population was unemployed.

yenisafak (2020-08-31). Russia expels 3 Slovak diplomats in reciprocal move. yenisafak.com The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday it expelled in a reciprocal move three Slovak diplomats.The decision was conveyed to the Slovak Ambassador in Russia Peter Priputen, the ministry said in a statement on its official website."On Aug. 31, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the Russian Federation, Peter Priputen, for a strong protest about the unjustified expulsion of three diplomatic employees of the Russian Embassy in Slovakia in August this year," it said.Moscow considers the step by Bratislava as "unfriendly" and "contrary to the traditional spirit of co…

yenisafak (2020-08-31). Ankara slams terrorist YPG/PKK-affiliated visit to Moscow. yenisafak.com Turkey on Monday slammed a visit to Moscow by a terrorist YPG/PKK-affiliated group, saying Russia should avoid steps that serve the interests of terrorists who threaten both Turkey and Syria."We are concerned that a group consisting of elements of the so-called 'Syrian Democratic Council,' led by the terrorist group PKK/YPG, will be invited to the Russian Federation and accepted at a high level by Russian officials," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Reports since the statement indicate the meeting may have already happened."We expect the Russian Federation to act in accordance with the spirit of A…

Otis Grotewohl (2020-08-30). Workers and communists in Belarus unite behind Lukashenko. workers.org As the corporate-owned press continues its biased coverage of the neoliberal gatherings in Belarus disputing the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, the Communist Party of Belarus (CPB) has helped organize rallies in Minsk to celebrate his election victory. Since its foundation in 1996, the CPB has supported Lukashenko and attributed . . . |

RT (2020-08-30). France probes senior military officer accused of 'spying for Russia' — suspect worked at NATO command centre. rt.com A French lieutenant colonel has been accused of treason and spying for Russia, French media report. The country's defense minister says the officer is under investigation, insisting that "safeguard measures" have been taken. | The high-profile scandal within the French military — and, potentially, the of whole NATO — was first reported by Europe 1 radio on Sunday. It said the officer, who has been stationed at the alliance's facility in Italy, is suspected of having transmitted "ultra-sensitive" documents to the Russian secret services. | The suspect is reportedly a man in his 50s who's been working…

yenisafak (2020-08-30). Montenegro holds parliamentary polls amid pandemic. yenisafak.com More than half a million voters are expected to cast their ballots on Sunday in Montenegro's fifth parliamentary elections since independence.Candidates from 11 coalitions, six alliances, and five parties are vying for a place in the 81-seat parliament.The main contest is expected between President Milo Djukanovic's pro-West Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), which has ruled the country for 30 years, and the opposition Democratic Front (DF), which leans more towards Russia and Serbia.However, neither of the two is projected to win a majority in parliament.Montenegrins can vote at 1,217 polling stations until 8…

Steven Sahiounie (2020-08-30). The US and Russia Collide, while Syrians Call for US Withdrawal. globalresearch.ca Wednesday's collision between Sheiks and elders of the Arab Al-Uqaydat …

Shane Quinn (2020-08-30). Prior to the Cold War: US Nuclear Plans Entailed Blowing Up Hundreds of Chinese, Soviet and Eastern European Cities. globalresearch.ca On 30 August 1945, Major General Lauris Norstad dispatched a document to his superior, General Leslie Groves, outlining a total of 15 "key Soviet cities" to be struck with US atomic weapons.

Monterey Peace and Justice Center (2020-08-30). Saturday 8/29: The Beginning of the End of Nuclear Weapons. indybay.org Monterey Peace & Justice Center YouTube livestream: www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1w-ymh_t13xi8y4WoYK7Q | Or join in the event via Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_k1NGi-bkSaaGulDZ4pUvPw

_____ (2020-08-30). US Sanctions Russian Institute That Developed COVID-19 Vaccine. popularresistance.org Russia won the race to develop the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The United States has responded by slapping sanctions on a Russian research facility involved in creating it. | The US government has blacklisted several Russian scientific institutes, including the Russian Defense Ministry's 48th Central Research Institute, which has worked with other non-military medical centers to develop and test the world's first Covid-19 vaccine. | In the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic and a historic economic crisis, Washington has escalated its global campaign of economic warfare, imposing sanctions o…

sputniknews (2020-08-30). Development of Russo-Turkish Cooperation is Important for the Whole World, Istanbul Mayor Says. sputniknews.com This week, a delegation of the Russian-Turkish Business Council (RTBC) and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu held a meeting led by the Chairman Ahmet Palankoev discussing measures to boost the bilateral trade turnover amid the coronavirus outbreak. The mayor has shed light on potential spheres that could prove lucrative for both sides.

yenisafak (2020-08-30). Turkey to start space trials of domestic rocket engines, says Erdogan. yenisafak.com Turkey will start space trials of its liquid-propellant rocket engines, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday."I would like to announce the start of the first space trials of domestically developed liquid-propellant rocket engine technology," Erdogan said at the opening ceremony of Turkey's leading defense company Roketsan's production facility and research center in the capital Ankara.Early this year, Erdogan promised the launch of a national space program in 2020 joining the ranks of China, the US, India and Russia.

yenisafak (2020-08-30). Lukashenko gets birthday call from Putin as Belarus protests rumble. yenisafak.com Russian President Vladimir Putin used a birthday phone call on Sunday to invite Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to visit Moscow, a Kremlin show of support as thousands of protesters streamed into central Minsk demanding Lukashenko step down.President Lukashenko, who turned 66 on Sunday, is struggling to contain three weeks of protests and strikes since winning an Aug. 9 election that his opponents say was rigged. He denies electoral fraud and has said the protests are backed from abroad."It was agreed to hold a meeting in Moscow in the coming weeks," the Kremlin said in a statement after the leaders' call.

_____ (2020-08-29). Dem Convention Made No Mention of Russiagate or Impeachment, Because Those Were Fake Things. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | Despite their dominating mainstream news cycles for years on end, at no time during the four-day Democratic National Convention was the word "impeachment" ever uttered, nor was any mention made of the Mueller investigation into allegations of collusion between Trump and the Russian government. | Politico Eight months after Democrats mounted a historic effort to remove Donald Trump from office, not a single speaker uttered the word "impeachment" du…

_____ (2020-08-29). U.S. Sanctions Russian Research Institute That Developed Covid-19 Vaccine. strategic-culture.org The US Commerce Department blacklisted a Russian research institute that helped create the world's first Covid-19 vaccine. | Ben NORTON | Russia won the race to develop the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The United States has responded by slapping sanctions on a Russian research facility involved in creating it. | The US government has blacklisted several Russian scientific institutes, including the Russian Defense Ministry's 48th Central Research Institute, which has worked with other non-military medical centers to develop and test the world's first Covid-19 vaccine. | In the midst of the global c…

RT (2020-08-29). Ticked off over TikTok stunt: Russian teen faces jail after lighting cigarette in church with candle, Bishop asks for mercy. rt.com Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against an 18-year-old after he lit a cigarette using a church candle. The youth posted a video of the incident on TikTok, and could now face a possible prison sentence. | In July 2020, the youngster, along with another teenager, entered a cathedral in Chita, a city in Russia's Far East. In the video, the boy behind the camera can be heard saying: "This will be the crime of the year," before the other lights a cigarette with a candle in the middle of the church. | The teenager is accused of insulting the feelings of believers, and faces a fine of up t…

RT (2020-08-29). In new crackdown, Belarus revokes accreditation for foreign media journalists, deports four Russian citizens. rt.com The Belarusian foreign ministry has withdrawn accreditation from journalists from certain foreign media, a decision which the country's law enforcement agencies have justified on the basis of 'countering extremism.' | Journalists from Western media organizations, such as Reuters and Associated Press, along with state media outlets AFP, BBC, Deutsche Welle and RFE/RL, have been stripped of their right to report, meaning that they could be arrested if caught performing their duties. The majority of these reporters are Belarusian citizens. | In response, British state broadcaster BBC called the move a "stifling o…

RT (2020-08-29). Opposition MP blasts Zelensky after Russian-language songs played at concert celebrating anniversary of Ukrainian Independence. rt.com A Ukrainian opposition MP has accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of imposing a "little Russians" complex on Ukrainians, after the country's Independence Day celebration featured songs performed in the Russian language. | The accusation came from Oleg Sinyutka, a representative of the center-right European Solidarity, an opposition party that supports keeping Ukrainian as the sole official language, despite the country having millions of native Russian speakers. | "What we heard on Sofievskaya Square was the desire of the authorities to impose the 'little Russians' complex on society," Sinyutka said. He claim…

RT (2020-08-29). 'Pipelines aren't built just to annoy somebody': Former Austrian FM Karin Kneissl believes Nord Stream 2 will be completed. rt.com The joint Russian-German Nord Stream 2 pipeline project is likely to be completed despite all the obstacles, Austria's former FM Karin Kneissl believes. Still, the US will try its best to stop it going ahead, she warned. | Commenting on recent remarks by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called for the pipeline project not to be politicized, Kneissl said the German leader was absolutely right. Nord Stream 2's construction should proceed regardless of the alleged poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny or US opposition to the project. | "As I've said on various occasions, also to my counterparts when I was still…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-29). Iran, Italy discuss expansion of ties. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 29 (MNA) — Iranian and Italian ambassadors to Russia held a phone conversation on Friday to discuss ways of boosting bilateral ties.

sputniknews (2020-08-29). Russia Presents Device That Detects Toxins, Pathogens Including COVID-19 in Air in Matter of Seconds. sputniknews.com The device, which was first conceived back in 2015, has been perfected over the last five years — and the timing couldn't be better, as countries are lifting their lockdowns while trying to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Carla Stea (2020-08-28). "Modern Attilla the Hun" Ravages Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iran… China and Russia Block The Momentum, Are They the Next Targets? globalresearch.ca In 1991-1992, just prior to, and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US gloated over its global supremacy which, of course guaranteed its unfettered dominance of United Nations agencies, the most powerful of which is the UN Security …

Carla Stea (2020-08-28). "Modern Attila the Hun" Ravages Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iran… China and Russia Block The Momentum, Are They the Next Targets? globalresearch.ca In 1991-1992, just prior to, and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US gloated over its global supremacy which, of course guaranteed its unfettered dominance of United Nations agencies, the most powerful of which is the UN Security …

_____ (2020-08-28). Belarus: NATO Lobby Acknowledges That Its Color Revolution Failed. popularresistance.org It is over. The 'patchy strikes' were never real industrial actions. A few journalist of the Belarus state TV went on a strike. They were unceremoniously fired and replaced with Russian journalists. A few hundred workers at the MTZ Minsk Tractor Works did a walk out. But MTZ has 17,000 employees and the 16,500+ who did not walk out know very well why they still have their jobs. Should Lukashenko fall it is highly likely that their state owned company will be sold off for pennies and immediately 'right sized' meaning that most of them would be out of work.

sputniknews (2020-08-28). Russian FM: US Sanctions on Institute Working on COVID Vaccine Aimed at Promoting Their Own Pharma. sputniknews.com On Wednesday, the US slapped sanctions on five Russian institutes, accusing them of developing chemical and biological weapons. The restrictions were specifically imposed on a research institute of the Russian Defence Ministry that developed the first COVID-19 vaccine together with the Gamaleya Institute.