Daily Archives: October 8, 2020

2020-10-08: News Headlines

Gregory Elich (2020-10-08). Race, Militarism and the US Scheme to Control the Pacific. counterpunch.org Christine Hong's marvelous book, A Violent Peace: Race, U.S. Militarism, and Cultures of Democratization in Cold War Asia and the Pacific, arrives at a time when Washington's Indo Pacific Strategy is driving U.S. political, economic, and military confrontation in the Asia-Pacific, as the culmination of a long process that began in the immediate aftermath of the

_____ (2020-10-08). Fishermen Oppose 'Catastrophic' Release Of Fukushima Water To Ocean. popularresistance.org Tokyo – Japanese fish industry representatives on Thursday urged the government not to allow the release at sea of tonnes of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, saying it would undo years of work to restore their reputation. | Tokyo Electric has collected more than a million tonnes of contaminated water since the plant was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. | The water is stored in huge tanks that crowd the site and it says it will run out of storage room by 2022.

Staff (2020-10-07). Headlines for October 7, 2020. democracynow.org Stephen Miller Tests Positive for COVID-19 as Top Pentagon Generals Quarantine, Rudy Giuliani Coughs Through TV Interview While Awaiting Coronavirus Test Result, White House Refuses Contact Tracing Help as Trump Puts Residence Staff at Risk of COVID-19, Two Presidential Valets Who Carry Nuclear Launch Codes Test Positive for Coronavirus, Six States Report Record Hospitalizations as U.S. COVID-19 Death Toll Nears 211,000, Trump Calls Off Stimulus Talks, Then Reverses Course in Erratic Series of Tweets, Facebook, Twitter Crack Down on Trump's False Claim COVID-19 Is Less Lethal Than Flu, FDA to Require Two Month Sa…

RT (2020-10-07). Russia's 'Sputnik V' Covid-19 vaccine will cost $13 a pop, officials hope price will quickly go down once production accelerates. rt.com Russia's Covid-19 vaccine, the first in the world, will cost less than 1,000 rubles, or $13, per dose, says the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS). Despite a low price by Western standards, FAS believes the current price is steep. | "We understand that the price is quite high," said Igor Artemyev, the head of FAS. "[The vaccine is] produced in relatively small batches, and they need capital to expand production." | According to Artemyev, the cost of a dose will reduce as production increases and the vaccine becomes more readily available. The country will also revisit the price when other countries produce the…

RT (2020-10-07). Germany & France will ask EU allies to place fresh sanctions on Russia over alleged poisoning of opposition figure Navalny. rt.com Germany and France will push for targeted EU sanctions against certain Russian individuals over the alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexey Navalny. They insist the only explanation for the incident is state involvement. | NATO member Britain will also back the proposals which will focus on "individuals deemed responsible for this crime and breach of international norms," as well as "an entity involved in the Novichok program," the French and German foreign ministries said in a joint statement on Wednesday. | "No credible explanation has been provided by Russia so far. In this context, we consider that t…

RT (2020-10-07). Germany, France & UK to propose sanctions on Russia over alleged poisoning of opposition figure Navalny. rt.com Germany, France and the UK will push for EU sanctions on Russian individuals over the alleged poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, saying they see no other "credible explanation" for the incident than Moscow's involvement. | The proposals will target "individuals deemed responsible for this crime and breach of international norms" as well as "an entity involved in the Novichok program," the French and German foreign ministries said in a joint statement on Wednesday. | "No credible explanation has been provided by Russia so far. In this context, we consider that there is no other plausible explanation fo…

RT (2020-10-07). Russian monastery run by excommunicated criminal cop-turned-monk under investigation for torture & systematic beating of children. rt.com Russian authorities have opened a child torture criminal case against the Sredneuralsk Convent, an Orthodox Christian community run by the controversial excommunicated monk Sergius. The clergyman already has a murder conviction. |

RT (2020-10-07). 'Strategic partnership' worth $1.6 billion: Ukraine to ink agreement with London for eight British fast attack missile boats. rt.com Britain has secured a deal with Ukraine to produce military vessels for £1.25 billion ($1.61 billion), in a "historic agreement" signaling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's determination to improve his country's navy. | The president arrived in England on Wednesday and is scheduled to hold talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after which they will sign a "Ukrainian-British Agreement on Political Cooperation, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership." In the afternoon, Zelensky and his wife, Olena, met with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine. | According to reports, th…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-10-07). NATO Increased Warship Presence in Black Sea by 33% Compared to 2019. globalresearch.ca By strengthening the presence of warships from non-Black Sea NATO members in the Black Sea, the military bloc is attempting to demonstrate its dominance in the region and the Alliance's desire to neutralize and pressurize Russia's influence in the area. …

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-07). 'Preserving JCPOA strategic to EU security'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 07 (MNA) — EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday that preserving Iran nuclear deal (JCPAO) is strategic to EU security.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-07). Putin calls for immediate ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 07 (MNA) — Russian President Velademir Putin on Wednesday called for an immediate ceasefire as fighting raged between Armenian and Azerbaijani Republic forces over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

James O'Neill (2020-10-07). Russia and China Both Subject to Unrelenting Economic and Social Warfare. dissidentvoice.org It is no secret that the United States government has been bitterly opposed to the Nord Stream 2 project that will provide reliable, cheap and necessary oil supplies from Russia to Germany. It is tempting to view this opposition as based on economic self-interest. The substitute for Russian energy to Europe is American liquid natural …

Andrew Korybko (2020-10-06). Kyrgyzstan Color Revolution in Central Asia. globalresearch.ca The sudden outbreak of Color Revolution unrest in the historically unstable Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan following recent parliamentary elections in this Russian CSTO mutual defense ally intensifies the US' Hybrid War "containment" of Russia when seen in the context …

WSWS (2020-10-06). Grayzone questions US intelligence claim of "Russian influence campaign" run by PeaceData. wsws.org An article published by Grayzone shows that the website PeaceData—which US intelligence claims was part of a Russian misinformation campaign—was likely a false flag operation aimed at linking left-wing websites with the Moscow government.

RT (2020-10-06). OPCW says it found traces of Novichok-class substance in blood & urine samples of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny. rt.com The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said Tuesday that it's found evidence of a poisonous substance from the Novichok group in blood and urine samples of Russian anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny. | As a result, the German government — which requested the study — says it intends to work out a response in collaboration with other European Union members. It looks likely that the situation will lead to a new front opening in the sanctions war. On Saturday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he expected the EU to impose penalties against Russia if the presence of Nov…

RT (2020-10-06). UK says 'we haven't yet attributed' Navalny's alleged poisoning to Kremlin, but Moscow must 'ANSWER'. rt.com The UK is undecided on what action to take against Moscow over the alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexey Navalny, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, claiming it hinges on the findings of chemical arms watchdog the OPCW. | "We haven't yet attributed" what happened to anti-corruption activist Navalny "to the FSB [Russia's Federal Security Service] or the Russian state, but I think there is an incredibly strong case for Moscow to answer," Raab told a parliamentary committee, on Tuesday. | As for possible sanctions, the Foreign Secretary said the United Kingdom will have to consider what further action i…

RT (2020-10-06). 'This is an environmental disaster': Unexplained tragedy kills 95% of sea-life on bed of Russia's Avacha Bay. rt.com Worries about life in the oceans around Russia's north-eastern Kamchatka region have increased sharply, after scientists discovered that 95 percent of all organisms living on the seabed of the peninsula's Avacha Bay have died. | The alarm was raised last weekend when piles of sea life began washing up on Kamchatka's beaches. Pictures of dead octopi, crabs, and starfish went viral on Russian social media, and local surfers reported that they'd experienced problems with their eyes after being in the water. | Now, the latest revelations seem to have confirmed ecologists' worst fears. After studying the water of t…

RT (2020-10-06). Russia slams 'disgraceful' ban on founding OPCW chief speaking at UN Security Council on Syria, PUBLISHES his speech unilateraly. rt.com An ex-OPCW chief, sacked under US pressure, has been barred from briefing the UN Security Council about a controversial probe into an alleged 2018 chemical attack in Syria. Russia called it a "shame" and published his speech. | Jose Bustani, a Brazilian diplomat who led the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) from 1997 until 2002, was invited by Moscow to speak at a UN Security Council meeting about the so-called "Syrian chemical dossier," but his appearance was blocked at the last minute by Belgium, Germany, Estonia, France, the US and the UK. | "What has happened now is yet more sad…

Charlie Savage (2020-10-06). Nicholson Baker's Maddening Search for the Truth. thenation.com Denied access to files about the use of chemical weapons during the Cold War, the novelist's transformed his new book into a study of how America keeps its secrets.

news.un (2020-10-06). DR Congo's fragile detente 'could yet unravel', Security Council warned. news.un.org Planning for a drawdown of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is well underway, but much work still remains to be done to put the country firmly on the path to long-term stability and sustainable development, the Security Council heard today.

Manuela Solé (2020-10-06). Venezuela to Begin Clinical Trials of Russian Covid-19 Vaccine. venezuelanalysis.com The first batch of the Sputnik V vaccine was delivered by the Russian Investment Fund to the South American nation.

Bashar al Assad (2020-10-06). Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on the "Role of Russia" in Syria War. globalresearch.ca President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to the Russian Zvezda TV Station, following is the full text. | *** | Journalist: Mr. President, thank you very much for giving us this opportunity and meeting with us. We are here in Syria on …

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-06). Iran ready to expand media cooperation with Russia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 06 (MNA) — Foreign Ministry Spox expressed Iran's tendency for expanding media cooperation with Russia on Tuesday, underlining the significance of intellectual and media cooperation between the two sides to counter US media conspiracies.

sputniknews (2020-10-06). DNI Declassifies CIA Referral, Brennan's Memo Revealing Hillary Clinton Plotting 'Russiagate'. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump has been long accused by Democrats – who were stunned by his unexpected victory in the 2016 presidential election – of "colluding" with the Russian government. No direct evidence has been found to back the allegations.

sputniknews (2020-10-06). Goal of Campaign Around Navalny Is to Create Pretext for Sanctions Against Russia – Envoy. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The goal of the campaign around Russian political opposition figure Alexei Navalny is to create a pretext for additional sanctions against Russia, said Alexander Shulgin, Russia's Permanent Envoy to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), at the 95th session of the organization's Executive Council.

splcenter (2020-10-06). Far-Right Pennsylvania Politics Blog Was Mirrored by Obscure Russian Website. splcenter.org Lancaster Patriot, a partisan, reactionary Pennsylvania politics blog that first surfaced in April, is mirrored online by a Russian website with the domain oc.binaria.ru, which is affiliated with creators of the pro-Kremlin propaganda website Russia Insider.

WSWS (2020-10-06). Armenian-Azerbaijan war turns Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia into a powder keg. wsws.org The Kremlin's central fear is that the war could reignite long-simmering regionalist, ethnic and religious conflicts on its southern borders.

Manlio Dinucci (2020-10-06). A Ghedi si prepara la nuova base per gli F-35 nucleari. globalresearch.ca Nell'aeroporto militare di Ghedi (Brescia) stanno iniziando i lavori per realizzare la principale base operativa dei caccia F-35A dell'Aeronautica italiana armati di bombe nucleari. La Matarrese spa di Bari, che si è aggiudicata l'appalto con un'offerta di 91 milioni di …

RT (2020-10-05). Despite imminent arrival of Sputnik V vaccine, More than 70% of Russians don't want to be inoculated against coronavirus- survey. rt.com Two months after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country had developed the world's first Covid-19 vaccine, a new government poll has revealed that just 23 percent of the nation wants to be inoculated. | The research, conducted by the ruling party United Russia, revealed that more than 73 percent of respondents do not want to be vaccinated against coronavirus. Another four percent said they don't need it, as they've already had the disease. | The hesitance of Russians to be injected is mainly linked to the lack of proof that any vaccine works, with two-thirds of respondents (63 percent) sayi…

RT (2020-10-05). Azerbaijan celebrates partial retreat of Nagorno-Karabakh forces while Armenia says it was a 'trick' that killed 200 'enemies'. rt.com Conflicting accounts from the two warring sides celebrate their own successes while keeping mum about setbacks as an Azerbaijani report of capture of three villages was met with Armenian claims of eliminating 200 enemy troops. | Armenia's Defense Ministry said that the forces of Nagorno-Karabakh successfully implemented a "tactical trick" on Monday, which allowed it to deliver significant losses to Azerbaijan's military. | According to the ministry, the fighters imitated retreat from their battle positions in one of the key areas on the contact line. And when the Azerbaijani soldiers moved in to occupy the gro…

RT (2020-10-05). Pollution, algae or volcanos: Russian authorities name possible reasons for hordes of sea life washing up on Far Eastern beaches. rt.com After shocking images emerged, over the weekend, of a mass marine life die off on the beaches of Kamchatka, the Far Eastern Russian region's governor, on Monday, suggested possible causes for the startling occurrence. | Vladimir Solodov listed man-made pollution, natural phenomena, and seismic activity as possible theories for the area's recent unexplained tragedy. | Hordes of sea creatures, including octopi, crabs, and starfish, were found dead on the shores of Kamchatka, a remote peninsula, an eight-hour flight to the east of Moscow. Famous for its beautiful beaches and untouched nature, it has over 100 volc…

RT (2020-10-05). Azerbaijan celebrates partial retreat of Nagorno-Karabakh forces but Armenia says it was a 'trick' that killed 200 Azeris. rt.com The information war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is as keenly fought as the one on the battlefields of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. On Monday evening, both sides celebrated purported successes while downplaying setbacks. | The conflicting accounts featured an Azerbaijani report on the capture of three villages and Armenian claims of eliminating 200 enemy troops. | Armenia's Defense Ministry said that the forces of Nagorno-Karabakh successfully implemented a "tactical trick" on Monday, which allowed them to deliver significant losses to Azerbaijan's military. | According to the ministry, the fighters imitat…

RT (2020-10-05). Climate change in world's largest country: Russia just experienced its warmest September in recorded history. rt.com The average temperature in Russia this September was the highest in 130 years of observations, the national weather agency announced on Monday, as climate change continues to have a profound effect on the world's largest country. | Almost every part of Russia reported temperatures higher than normal early fall averages, the Russian Hydrometeorology Center's chief specialist Marina Makarova told Moscow news agency RIA Novosti. "The largest anomalies were observed in the north of Eurasia, where temperatures exceeded norms by five to six degrees," she explained. | "It was also very warm in the European [part of R…

WSWS (2020-10-05). Foreword to 30 Years of War, the German edition of David North's A Quarter Century of War. wsws.org After three decades of US-led wars, the outbreak of a third world war, whichwould be fought with nuclear weapons, is an imminent and concrete danger. Based on a thorough understanding of the wars of the past three decades and the socioeconomic and political processes in which they were rooted, this book develops a socialist perspective for the struggle against war.

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-05). Navalny Incident — "A Made in the USA" False Flag to Harm and Contain Russia? globalresearch.ca The US has much to gain from Navalny's illness. | Most obvious is its aim to block Nord Stream 2's completion. | If Russia's gas pipeline to Germany becomes operational next year, it will double what Gazprom can supply Germany and other …

Ian Schwartz (2020-10-05). CIA Director Haspel Personally Blocking Declassification of Documents that Will Reveal Truth About Russiagate. Federalist's Sean Davis. globalresearch.ca "Federalist" co-founder Sean Davis reports that CIA Director Gina Haspel is personally blocking the release of documents that will show "what actually happened" with Russiagate. | "This isn't just a scandal about Democrat projection, this is a scandal about what was …

_____ (2020-10-05). UN Nuclear Ban Treaty Likely To Enter Force Early Next Year. popularresistance.org Above photo: From In Depth News. New York -A U.N.-adopted nuclear ban treaty is likely to enter into force early next year as the number of signatories is anticipated to reach the needed threshold of 50 soon, possibly later this month, a diplomatic source said Friday. According to the source and the International Campaign to …

_____ (2020-10-05). Censored Russian Filmmaker Speaks Out Against 'European Magnitsky Act' as Yet Another Western Hit-Job Against Moscow. strategic-culture.org Award-winning Russian filmmaker and investigative journalist Andrei Nekrasov has petitioned the EU Commission president to consider evidence that challenges the official EU narrative into the 2009 death of Sergei Magnitsky, the tax advisor who worked for Hermitage Fund chief Bill Browder. What has been the EU response thus far to the request? Nothing but a cacophony of crickets. | Last month, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission, in the course of her State of the Union Address,

sputniknews (2020-10-05). Russian Foreign Ministry Calls Sudan Peace Agreement 'Important Step' for Reconciliation. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday called the recent signing of a peace deal between the Sudanese government and several rebel groups an "important step" toward national reconciliation in the African country.

sputniknews (2020-10-05). 'Desperate': Trump May Extend New START to Bolster 'Dealmaker' Image Amid Pandemic. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump may seek to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between the US and Russia to draw attention away from his administration's poor COVID-19 response, Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector and weapons of mass destruction whistleblower, told Radio Sputnik.