Daily Archives: October 9, 2020

2020-10-09: News Headlines

Andrew Korybko (2020-10-09). Armenia and Russia Are Sending Each Other Strong Signals Through the CSTO. globalresearch.ca OneWorld is publishing the original English-language version of Andrew Korybko's analysis on the titular topic that was first released in Russian at the Moscow-Baku information portal. | *** | Armenia's decision to skip next week's CSTO drills in Belarus and the bloc's …

John Feffer (2020-10-09). Nukes and North Korea: a New Direction. counterpunch.org North Korea's acquisition of nuclear weapons has changed the nuclear balance in Northeast Asia. But it hasn't altered the way politicians and diplomats approach the question of arms control and disarmament in the region. The debate among influencers continues to revolve around two versions of "more of the same." Containment advocates argue that North Korea

Catherine Austin Fitts (2020-10-09). "Reimagine and Reset Our World": "COVID-19, The Great Reset" by Klaus Schwab and Thierry Malleret. globalresearch.ca "In Russia we only had two TV channels. Channel One was propaganda. Channel Two consisted of a KGB officer telling you: Turn back at once to Channel One." ~ Yakov Smirnoff | Professor Klaus Schwab founded and runs the World Economic …

_____ (2020-10-09). Russia's Strategic Intervention in Syria Five Years On — An 'Unpardonable Blow' to U.S. Empire. strategic-culture.org Five years ago this month, Russia began conducting fateful military operations in Syria at the request of the government in Damascus. It was a momentous "turning point," as More than salvaging Syria from a nearly decade-long war — vitally important though that was — Russia's pivotal intervention also marked the strategic setback for a Western-b…

RT (2020-10-08). Putin invites Azerbaijani & Armenian FMs to FRIDAY talks in Moscow, urges halt to hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. rt.com Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the top diplomats of Armenia and Azerbaijan were invited to take part in peace talks in Moscow on Friday so that a "humanitarian" ceasefire may be agreed in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. | Putin

RT (2020-10-08). Putin invites Azerbaijani & Armenian FMs to FRIDAY talks in Moscow, urges to halt hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. rt.com Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the top diplomats of Armenia and Azerbaijan were invited to take part in peace talks in Moscow on Friday so that a "humanitarian" ceasefire may be agreed in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. | Putin

MEE staff (2020-10-08). US senators call for sanctions on Turkey over Russian missile system. middleeasteye.net US senators call for sanctions on Turkey over Russian missile system | Under US law, sanctions must be imposed against those doing business with Russia's defence industry; Trump administration has yet to follow through | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 18: 27 | Russian military cargo plane carrying S-400 missile defence system from Russia unloads at airbase northwest of Ankara on 27 August 2019 (AFP/File photo) | A Republic…

Gordon Duff (2020-10-08). NEO: Will it be Biden and Putin, Making the New World? thealtworld.com The current situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan has shown the world the dangers of secret pacts and ancient grudges, as a new "August 1914" moves toward reality. | As early as 2012, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel and the Gulf States began arming al Qaeda and ISIS, deploying them against both Syria and Iraq. | Other nations aided as well, not just the US, France and Britain. There was also Georgia, Azerbaijan, Romania and, above all, Ukraine. | We will cover the backstory on this but what is clear is this, the Trump era replacement for NATO, where supposed enemies work in concert seamlessly, presents challenges…

RT (2020-10-08). Ukraine asks Google & Apple to make Russian social networks unavailable for download, 3 years after they were banned by Kiev. rt.com Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has asked Google and Apple to ban applications subject to sanctions on Ukrainian territory, including VKontakte (VK), a Russian social network which is the most popular website in Europe. | The two US technology giants run the world's most popular application marketplaces, the Play Store and the App Store respectively. Both companies are often pressured by countries to remove censored apps, and they often comply. In particular, both Apple and Google regularly stop applications from being accessible in China. | The SBU also asked the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cont…

RT (2020-10-08). 'Sputnik V' worthy of Nobel Prize? Two Russian MPs think developers of world's first Covid-19 vaccine should be recognised in 2021. rt.com The developers of Russia's pioneering vaccine against coronavirus should be nominated for the 2021 Nobel Prize in Science, according to two Russian politicians. Named Sputnik V, it is the first to be registered in the world. | The creators of the formula, from Moscow's Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, were the first to complete a vaccine against the virus that has devastated the globe, and continues to have a dramatic effect on the world economy. Parliamentarian Leonid Ogul believes the discovery will benefit everyone around the world, and they should therefore be rewarded. | "The invention…

RT (2020-10-08). Two Russian journalists & guide injured in shelling of iconic 19th century cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh (PHOTOS & VIDEO). rt.com Two Russian journalists and their Russian fixer have been injured in the shelling of a historic Armenian church in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, the second attack on the Ghazanchetsots cathedral in one day. | Russian military correspondents Yury Kotenok and Levon Arzanov suffered injuries during a Thursday strike on the cathedral, located in the town of Shusha, the Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told news agency RIA. He added that the journalists' guide, who is also a Russian citizen, was injured as well. | | © David Ghahramanyan/NKR InfoCenter/PAN Photo/Handout via REUTERS | Kotenok is…

RT (2020-10-08). US slaps new sanctions on Iran as FBI seizes 92 web domains allegedly used by Tehran to wage 'global disinformation campaign'. rt.com Washington has announced a new sanctions package against Iran, hitting the country's financial sector and targeting 18 major banks. Tehran has branded the move a "crime against humanity" and an attempt to starve the country out. | The new sanctions were announced by the US Treasury Department on Thursday. The move was made to further "isolate the Iranian economy from the global financial system," which the Treasury claimed is necessary to stop Tehran from advancing its alleged "malign agenda." | "Our sanctions programs will continue until Iran stops its support of terrorist activities and ends its nuclear prog…

RT (2020-10-08). Apple demands that Telegram shut down channels DOXXING Belarusian police officers — CEO Durov says it 'doesn't offer much choice'. rt.com Telegram founder Pavel Durov says his widely popular messaging application will have to block three channels, on iOS devices, which have published the personal data of Belarusian police officers, after a request from Apple. | However, the Russian tech innovator promised to keep them accessible on other platforms."Apple is requesting that we shut down three channels," Durov The channels have been publishing the personal data of police off…

RT (2020-10-08). 73-year-old Russian Church leader Patriarch Kirill to self-isolate after coming into contact with person infected by coronavirus. rt.com The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has gone into quarantine after coming into contact with a person infected by Covid-19. Patriarch Kirill is 73 years-old, putting him in an at-risk group, and so must take extra precautions. | Kirill's decision to self-isolate was announced by Vladimir Legoyda, the head of the church's media department, on his Telegram channel. There was no mention of any symptoms. | "His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had contact with a person infected with a coronavirus infection," the message

RT (2020-10-08). Two Russian journalists & their guide injured in shelling of iconic 19th century cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh (PHOTOS & VIDEO). rt.com Two Russian journalists and their fixer have been injured in the shelling of a historic Armenian Christian church in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. It was the second attack on the Ghazanchetsots cathedral in one day. | Russian military correspondents Yury Kotenok and Levon Arzanov suffered injuries during the Thursday strike on the iconic religious site, located in the town of Shusha, an Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Moscow news agency RIA Novosti. He added that the journalists' guide, who is also a Russian citizen, was injured as well. | | © David Ghahramanyan/NKR InfoCenter/PAN Ph…

RT (2020-10-08). Siberian investigators dispute claims that Navalny's team transported Novichok-laced water bottle to Berlin. rt.com The alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny took a new twist on Thursday, when Russian investigators contradicted assertions that a bottle with traces of Novichok was sent to Germany. | Top Siberian cop Sergey Potapov said that security at Novosibirsk airport did not find any large bottles in the luggage of Navalny's associates when they flew to Tomsk after the activist was taken to hospital. The Moscow protest leader's team previously asserted that they took "everything that could be hypothetically useful [from his Omsk hotel room], and passed it on to doctors in Germany." | Also on rt.c…

Paul Haeder (2020-10-08). Eternal Impunity of Capitalism's Crimes. dissidentvoice.org The very idea of War Being a Racket penetrates so deeply into capitalism's flair for murder by a thousand cuts, a thousand miles in a Corvair, a thousand sips from diet Coke, a thousand sucks from Nestle baby formula, a thousand hours on the video screen, a thousand seconds inside the nuclear core, a thousand …

Pepe Escobar (2020-10-08). Shedding light on the limits of Chinese power. thealtworld.com Academic Lanxin Xiang is no fan of Trump's China policies but also sees where Beijing has miscalculated and overreached | Everything about United States-China relations hinges on the result of the upcoming US presidential election. | A Trump 2.0 administration would essentially turbo-charge its first-term bet on decoupling, aiming to squeeze "malign" China on a multiple hybrid war front, undermine the Chinese trade surplus and co-opt large swaths of Asia while always characterizing China as evil incarnate. | Team Biden, even as it professes no desire to fall into the trap of a new Cold War, judging by the Democra…

WSWS (2020-10-08). Turkey backs Azeri offensive on Armenia as Russia, Iran warn of escalation. wsws.org The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan threatens to escalate into a regional war involving Russia, Iran, Turkey and the entire NATO alliance.

_____ (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). 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…

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…

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). 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.

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.

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). '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…

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…

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.

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 …