Daily Archives: September 15, 2020

2020-09-15: News Headlines

Gareth Porter (2020-09-15). Dark Web Voter Database Report Casts New Doubts on Russian Election Hack Narrative. globalresearch.ca A new report showing that US state-level voter databases were publicly available calls into question the narrative that Russian intelligence "targeted" US state election-related websites in 2016. | *** | A September 1

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-09-15). Democrats Ignore US Military's Refutation Of 'Russian Bounties' Story. thealtworld.com NBC News Two months after top Pentagon officials vowed to get to the bottom of whether the Russian government bribed the Taliban to kill American service members, the commander of troops in the region says a detailed review of all available intelligence has not been able to corroborate the existence of such a program. | "It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me," Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of…

RT (2020-09-15). US military reveals it can't corroborate NYT's story on Russian bounties to Taliban – months after vowing to get to bottom of it. rt.com After two months of digging for evidence that Russia's government paid bounties to Taliban forces to kill American forces in Afghanistan, as reported by the New York Times, the US military has found no corroboration. | "It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me," General Frank McKenzie, the commander who oversees US troops in Afghanistan, reportedly The investigation alre…

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-15). Putin Affirms Support for Lukashenko, Consolidates Russia-Belarus Cooperation against Foreign Intervention. globalresearch.ca On Monday, Vladimir Putin met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi, Russia. | Both leaders are united against the diabolical made-in-the-USA attempt to transform Belarus into another US vassal state. | On the President of Russia website, Putin said the following: …

Andrey Ontikov (2020-09-15). Russia's Role in Syria, Tensions between Russia and the US. globalresearch.ca A high level Russian delegation met recently with President Assad in Damascus. In an effort to further understand the importance and implications of the meeting, Steven Sahiounie at

Tsvetana Paraskova (2020-09-15). Iran to Link Its Power Grid to Russia, Azerbaijan. globalresearch.ca Iran's electricity grid will be connected with Russia and Azerbaijan in a few months, once grid compatibility studies are completed, Iran's Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian Iran's power grid could be linked and synchronized to connect with other …

Shane Quinn (2020-09-15). US Planned Nuclear Attacks on Every City in the USSR and China. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in 2018. | In mid-December 1960, a conference was held at Strategic Air Command headquarters near Omaha, Nebraska, to outline America's nuclear war strategy. During the meeting, plans were revealed whereby Moscow alone would be hit …

Dr. Thorsten Pattberg (2020-09-15). Germany, France and the EU Succumb to US Digital Hegemony. globalresearch.ca It is official. President of France, Emmanuel Macron, on Monday 14, 2020, conceded that Europe has lost the battle for data security and cloud computing. The continent cannot compete against America. Not that France could have asserted any claims …

No Nukes Action (2020-09-15). On Tenth Year Of Fukushima, The Olympics & The Resignation Of Abe. indybay.org No Nukes Action hosts a panel with anti-nuclear activists, unionists and a journalist in Japan about the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Olympics and the resignation of Abe. It also presents a new videos from Fukushima tens years after the meltdowns.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-15). Iran reiterates concern on Saudis' secret nuclear activities. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 15 (MNA) — Iran has once again expressed its concerns over the "non-transparent" nuclear activities of Saudi Arabia.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-15). All countries must take all possible measures to save JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 15 (MNA) — Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres called on countries to take all possible measures to safeguard Iran's nuclear deal entitled "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA".

yenisafak (2020-09-15). Belarus does not rule out 'forceful response' to military threats: TASS cites defmin. yenisafak.com The Belarusian defence ministry said on Tuesday it does not rule out a forceful response to what it perceives as military threats, the TASS news agency reported.The defence ministry said any threat would be met with a response within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a post-Soviet security bloc that includes Russia.It said a number of neighbouring countries were trying to damage relations between Minsk and Moscow, the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed embattled Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to Sochi.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-15). Power Politics and Imperial Gambles. counterpunch.org In grand power politics, there are only national interests, not friendships. This is a point often missed on Australia's dedicated Americanophiles. Faith is put in such untestable propositions as extended nuclear deterrence. Faith is also unqualified. Foreign conflicts with US forces are bound to see the company, albeit small, of Australian contingents. When it comes

Andrew Korybko (2020-09-14). Ukraine Bans Russian Media Apps… globalresearch.ca Ukraine's demand that Apple ban several Russian media apps from that national segment of its online store is a desperate infringement of free speech which shows both how insecure Kiev's leadership is of its people having access to alternative information …

_____ (2020-09-14). Cutting Through Western Imperialist Propaganda About China, Plus A Tribute To Kevin Zeese. popularresistance.org As US empire wanes and China's economy and global reach grow, the United States has entered a Cold War with China that includes economic warfare, military antagonism, and a misinformation campaign. Western imperialist media promote myths designed to build public opposition to China and support for this US aggression. This leaves even those on the left confused. Rarely do we hear from Chinese people who would provide clarity about their country. To fill that gap, the new Qiao Collective, composed of Chinese analysts and scholars, was created this year. We speak with collective member Elias Tchen. This is the last…

_____ (2020-09-14). Unipolar Spin: Why Imperial Leftists Vilify Russia's Social Democracy. strategic-culture.org A lie told a thousand times becomes the truth. In reading countless articles from the Atlantic Council press outlets (NYT, WaPo, VICE News, et al), we take for granted that modern Russia is a right-wing regime controlled by an authoritarian personality bent on total domination. As a result, the debate then gets framed on why or whether its right for leftists to attack it as such, since this is used to further justify collective punishment (sanctions) against a whole people. | What escapes us is why creating propaganda that will result in collective punishment is in any way the business of self-declared leftists i…

RT (2020-09-14). Kremlin says it considers Lukashenko to be legitimate president of Belarus, as Putin agrees a $1.5 billion loan for Minsk. rt.com The Kremlin considers Alexander Lukashenko to be the legitimate president of Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman told reporters, after the two leaders emerged from a one-on-one meeting in Sochi on Monday. | Dmitry Peskov's comments came after threats from Western-backed opposition figurehead Svetlana Tikhanovskaya that any agreements made between Moscow and Minsk would not be recognized by her movement, should it ever come to power. Describing Lukashenko as an "illegitimate" president, she said that, in her opinion, any deals he makes have no legal force. | "Mr. Lukashenko is the legitimate p…

RT (2020-09-14). 2020 not giving up on its destructive pattern: SWARMS of winged insects INVADE Siberian city, leaving Russians stunned (VIDEOS). rt.com A truly apocalyptic vista has emerged from the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk, after a massive horde of winged insects invaded its streets, forming gargantuan clouds in the air and swarming on the pavements. | Multiple videos of the insect invasion started making the rounds online on Monday, promptly becoming a viral topic in Russia. The bug buildup began in the city over the weekend, becoming particularly intense on Monday morning. | –í –ö—Ä–∞—Å–Ω–æ—è—Ä—Å–∫–µ –&Omega…

Prof. Valeria Z. Nollan (2020-09-14). Navalny, Nord Stream 2, Belarus, and the American Elections. globalresearch.ca The narrative is banal and so familiar: Russia is once again accused of having "poisoned" an individual trumpeted by the Western media as threatening the Russian government's interests. The minor political activist Alexei Navalny made the headlines after a suspicious …

yenisafak (2020-09-14). Belarusian leader Lukashenko begins talks with Putin in Russia's Sochi. yenisafak.com Embattled Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko began talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in the Black Sea region of Sochi, the TASS news agency cited the Kremlin as saying.Lukashenko flew to Russia earlier on Monday to try to win Putin's help to survive weeks of mass protests against his 26-year-rule.

Andrew Korybko (2020-09-13). It Would be a Big Deal if Russia Promised India Not to Sell Arms to Pakistan. globalresearch.ca Indian media reported over the weekend that Russia promised Defense Minister Singh that it won't sell arms to Pakistan out of respect for New Delhi's security interests, which if true, it wouldn't matter all that much in terms of the …

_____ (2020-09-13). The Historic Clash of Two Opposing Geopolitical Paradigms. strategic-culture.org Compared the great initiatives taken on behalf of freedom and anti colonialism throughout the past 260 years, today's America appears to be a strange and foolish creature running roughshod over the dignity of people and nations in a race for mass nuclear extermination. | Such is the image projected by Mike Pompeo's ranting anti-China attacks or the relentless demonization of Russia sweeping across mainstream media ever day- both nations who have repeatedly called for cooperation and friendship with the USA. If it were simply belligerent words then we could brush off these childish attacks as mere foolish rhetoric…

Philip Giraldi (2020-09-13). A Truly Poisonous Foreign Policy: A Ridiculous Proposal from the New York Times. thealtworld.com If one had been reading America's leading newspapers and magazines over the past several weeks the series of featured stories suggesting that Russia's President Vladimir Putin is some kind of latter day Lucrezia Borgia would have been

Philip Giraldi (2020-09-13). A Truly Poisonous Foreign Policy. The Blame Putin Narrative… globalresearch.ca If one had been reading America's leading newspapers and magazines over the past several weeks the series of featured stories suggesting that Russia's President Vladimir Putin is some kind of latter day Lucrezia Borgia would have been

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-13). The Great Novichok Poisoning Hoax 2.0. globalresearch.ca What's going on regarding Alexey Navalny repeats the great 2018 poisoning by novichok of the Skripals in Britain hoax. | Whatever caused their illness, from which they recovered, had nothing to do with exposure to a deadly nerve agent, Russia falsely …

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-13). Tehran, Bishkek discuss expansion of economic ties. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 13 (MNA) — The ambassadors of Iran and Kyrgyzstan to Russia met in Moscow on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties between Tehran and Bishkek.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-13). Iran-China-Russia joint exercise to influence World' equation. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 13 (MNA) —Referring to an upcoming Iran, China, China, and Russia joint exercise, Iran's Navy Commander said that this 3 world powers' joint effort conveys the message that they are capable to influence the equations of the World.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-13). Sep. session of IAEA board of directors to kick off on Mon. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 14 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a tweet announced that the September session of the IAEA board of directors is to start on Monday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-13). 1,044 centrifuges enriching uranium in Fordow: AEOI chief. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 13 (MNA) — Chief of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) on Sunday said that 1,044 centrifuges are enriching uranium in Fordow Nuclear Facility.

Nauman Sadiq (2020-09-13). Reality Check: Is Trump a Stooge of Putin? globalresearch.ca Donald Trump's unorthodox approach to the conduct of diplomatic relations has been a persistent thorn in the side of America's national security establishment for the last four years. Like a typical American, he regards America's allies, like Boris Johnson, Emmanuel …

RT (2020-09-12). Head of Russia's Sovereign Wealth Fund says its Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine carries fewer risks than rival British formula. rt.com The pause in trials of Britain's Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after an adverse reaction in a participant shows how risky the technology is, and why the developers of Russia's Sputnik V have chosen another platform. | That's according to Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which is bankrolling the Russian formula's development. He was speaking as it was revealed that the British trials were resumed on Saturday with the approval of national regulators. | AstraZeneca announced the suspension of its phase-three trial on Tuesday, after one of the trial participants suffered a "serious…

RT (2020-09-12). Sputnik V launched: Russia dispatches first batches of pioneering Covid-19 vaccine to all of its 85 regions. rt.com Russia has sent out the initial batches of the world's first registered coronavirus vaccine to all parts of its vast territory, as authorities test the delivery system of the much-needed drug. | The formula is expected to be delivered on Monday, said Russia's Health Minister Mikhail Murashko. "The first small batches have already been shipped," Murashko said, explaining that the government is testing the supply chain to ensure a robust delivery system across the country's 85 regions. As well as testing the efficacy and safety of the vaccine itself, the government believes it is paramount to ensure the efficien…

RT (2020-09-12). 'More intimidating than a nuke': Chinese media heap praise on Russia's highly advanced Avangard missile system. rt.com Russia's Avangard missile system is a "masterpiece of the Russian Army" and a "more intimidating weapon than a nuclear bomb," according to Sina, one of the world's biggest Chinese-language websites. | As a hypersonic missile, the Avangard is capable of flying faster than the speed of sound, making it "absolutely invulnerable to any air or missile defense system," Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. He also noted that Russia is the only country in the world with hypersonic weapons, meaning other countries are "playing catch-up." | Sina highlighted Russia's superiority in the development of hypersonic…

RT (2020-09-12). Novel & untested: Head of Russian vaccine-funding team reacts to AstraZeneca resuming trial, says Sputnik V won't carry same risks. rt.com The trial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has resumed after an adverse reaction in a participant. The hiccup shows how risky the technology is, and why Sputnik V is not using it, the Russian vaccine funder's CEO said. | AstraZeneca announced the suspension of its phase-three trial on Tuesday, after one of the trial participants suffered a "serious adverse reaction." The trial was resumed on Saturday with the approval of British regulators. | "We are delighted that AstraZeneca has resumed its trials and continues to move forward," said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which…

Peter Koenig (2020-09-12). Russia: Nord Stream 2 vs. Poisoning of Alexei Navalny. dissidentvoice.org Wednesday, 2 September, all German TV channels, mainstream media were focused unilaterally on the alleged Novichok poisoning of Russian opposition critic, Alexei Navalny. This "breaking-news" poison discovery was made in Germany two weeks after he has been flown from Tomsk in Siberia to Moscow, when he fell ill on the plane and the airliner had …

_____ (2020-09-12). It's Time For The West To Sit Down, Shut Up And Listen To 'The Others'. popularresistance.org We were always told what to think; what is correct and what is wrong. By the white dudes living in or coming from Europe and North America. They knew everything. They were the most qualified. | When I write "white," I don't mean just their race or color of their skin. To me, "white" is their culture, where they belong. Yes, their identity. | We Russians, Cubans, Venezuelans, Chinese, Iranians, Turks are not really "white," even if our color of the skin is. Not that we are dying to be white, really! We have our own way of living and thinking, and most of us are on the side of the oppressed, of the 'wretched of the…

_____ (2020-09-12). Sept. 26: No New Cold War International Forum. popularresistance.org For our second international webinar, we're bringing together peace activists from China, the US, Britain, South Africa, India, Morocco, Bolivia and Belgium to discuss how to oppose the US-led New Cold War. | The event will take place on Zoom, on Saturday 26 September, 2pm UK / 9pm China / 9am US Eastern / 6am US Pacific. To get a ticket to the Zoom event, register on Eventbrite. Registered users will receive a link within 24 hours of the event starting. The event will also be streamed to Youtube and Facebook.

_____ (2020-09-12). Navalny False-Flag Authors Invent New Twist To Cover Lies. popularresistance.org So now the Navalny poison episode takes on a new twist with German military intelligence subsequently claiming they found traces of Novichok on a bottle of water the Russian dissident had purportedly been drinking from. Rather, it sounds more like the authors of this false-flag operation have "bottled" — meaning became unnerved by the absurdities inherent in their own narrative. | Last week the German government announced that a Bundeswehr military laboratory had detected Novichok in the body fluids of Sergei Navalny.

Richard Horton (2020-09-12). [Comment] Offline: The crisis of political language. thelancet.com George Orwell, in his 1945 essay Politics and the English Language, wrote that "to think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration". The Moscow press briefing held last week on the Russian COVID-19 vaccine quickly turned into a platform for national rivalry. The research, led by scientists at the N F Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, found encouraging evidence of an immune response using their prime boost strategy of a two-component, human recombinant adenovirus vector-based vaccine.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-12). Iran,Russia hold 1st joint tourism committee meeting. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 12 (MNA) —The first joint tourism committee meeting between Iran and Russia was held on Saturday through video conference.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-12). Iran, Russia hold 1st joint tourism committee meeting. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 12 (MNA) —The first joint tourism committee meeting between Iran and Russia was held on Saturday through video conference.

WSWS (2020-09-12). Russia holds regional elections amidst growing political crisis. wsws.org Balloting in 83 regions ends Sunday, and Kremlin-backed candidates are facing challengers in a number of areas.

Howie Hawkins (2020-09-11). Reject Militarism on the Anniversary of 9/11. dissidentvoice.org Nineteen years after more than 3,000 people were killed on 9/11, there remains a bipartisan commitment to fight an endless "war on terrorism," instigate regime change coups, increase military spending, enhance US nuclear weapons, deport undocumented residents, curtail civil liberties, and militarize the police. The September 11, 2001 attacks on the US have obscured "The …

Shane Quinn (2020-09-11). Chile, September 11, 1973: The Horrors of 'the First 9/11' Are Routinely Overlooked. globalresearch.ca On September 11, 1973, Salvador Allende's democratic government in Chile was ousted by US-backed forces in one of the Cold War's defining moments. Allende himself was killed during the coup while his presidential palace, La Moneda, was extensively bombed.

Robert Fantina (2020-09-11). Elections and Foreign Meddling. globalresearch.ca There is a great brouhaha over foreign nations interfering in United States' elections. Russia, we are told, not only interfered in the 2016 presidential election catastrophe, but is back at it again, trying to get their candidate re-elected. | How, one …

yenisafak (2020-09-11). India, China agree to 'quickly disengage, ease tensions' at border. yenisafak.com India and China agreed to quickly disengage their troops at the disputed border amid months-long ongoing faceoff, a joint statement said early Friday.Top diplomats of New Delhi and Beijing agreed at a meeting in the Russian capital Moscow on Thursday that the border troops of both sides "should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions," said the statement released by the Indian Foreign Ministry.The Asian giants are witnessing a heightened faceoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a de facto border near the Himalayan region of Ladakh in the disputed Jammu and Kas…

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2020-09-11). Alexei Navalny's Case Matters to the Kremlin. globalresearch.ca The global call for an objective investigation that will inevitably establish facts into the alleged "poisoning" of opposition leader and a Russian citizen, Alexei Navalny, in August has started yielding results. President Vladimir Putin has decided, as the first …

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-09-11). The 19th Anniversary of the Deep State Attack On America. thealtworld.com Most anniversaries of September 11, 2001, I have written an article presenting yet again the enormous evidence that the official story of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are so obviously false as to be unbelievable. Yet Americans believed the transparent lie. | The military/security complex was desperate for enemies. In 2001 Russia was under the US thumb. China's rise was predicted to be 50 years away. Where were the enemies to keep the military/security budget and power growing? | The neoconservitives who dominated the Cheney/Bush government identified the Arab Middle East as the enemy and…