Daily Archives: October 29, 2020

2020-10-29: News Headlines

Dave Lindorff (2020-10-29). Nuclear Weapons Will Soon Be Illegal Under International Law. counterpunch.org Flash! Nuclear bombs and warheads have just joined landmines, germ and chemical bombs and fragmentation bombs as illegal weapons under international law, as on Oct. 24 a 50th nation, the Central American country of Honduras, ratified and signed a UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Of course, the reality is that despite this outlawing of

MEE staff (2020-10-29). Turkey faces 'real' risk of sanctions for testing Russian S-400 missile system: US. middleeasteye.net Turkey faces 'real' risk of sanctions for testing Russian S-400 missile system: US | Turkey confirmed the first test of the S-400 earlier this month, despite repeated warnings from the United States | Thu, 10/29/2020 – 14: 49 | Following the delivery of the first battery of missiles last year, Turkey was excluded from an F-35 fighter jet training programme (AFP/File photo) | A US State Department official has…

Dave DeCamp (2020-10-29). Putin Offers NATO Inspections to Prevent Deployment of INF-Banned Missiles. globalresearch.ca On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin The INF was signed between the US and the Soviet …

Carla Stea (2020-10-29). China: "Nuclear 'Sword of Damocles' Jeopardizes the Survival of Humanity". Entry In Force of Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. globalresearch.ca Background: An Auspicious October | October 2, 2020: United Nations High Level Meeting Commemorating and Promoting the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons: This Meeting Was Boycotted by United Kingdom, United States and France, AGAIN! | For many years …

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-10-28). Will US Continue to Further Implement RAND Corporation's Strategy in Relation to Russia? globalresearch.ca The recent conflicts in the Russian zone of influence have attracted attention around the world. But little has been said about the possibility that such conflicts are part of a single common plan, designed to geopolitically destabilize Russia. This possibility …

Matt Taibbi (2020-10-28). Ten Ways to Call Something "Russian Disinformation" Without Evidence. globalresearch.ca How do you call something "Russian disinformation" when you don't have evidence it is? Let's count the ways. | We don't know a whole lot about how the New York Post story about Hunter Biden got into print. There are some …

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-28). US versus Russia in Syria. "A Fake 'Revolution' Using Islamic Gangs" globalresearch.ca At the request of Syria's government in September 2015, Russia intervened in the country to combat ISIS and other US/NATO/Israeli-backed jihadists. | Moscow's freedom-fighting operations turned the tide of battle, enabling Syrian forces to liberate most parts of the country. | Most …

RT (2020-10-28). Russia's Covid-19 vaccines will NOT be given to tourists & won't be offered for sale until domestic demand is met: Health ministry. rt.com Russia's coronavirus vaccines will not be offered commercially and won't be given to tourists, the health ministry pledged on Wednesday after reports emerged in foreign media that "vaccination tours" are now on sale abroad. | Speaking to TASS, Alexey Kuznetsov, an assistant to the country's health minister, explained that any foreign visits being organised to Russia for vaccination against Covid-19 are entirely fraudulent. According to Kuznetsov, Russia's domestically produced vaccines won't be commercially available for quite some time. | "Vaccination is already underway, and it is free for citizens. Russians…

RT (2020-10-28). Keep your cash in the country: New law means Russia's most important officials will be banned from having foreign bank accounts. rt.com Members of Russia's Security Council will be forbidden from keeping their money and valuables in banks outside of Russia, after the country's parliament passed a law restricting financial freedoms for the most powerful officials. | The bill, which passed through parliament on Tuesday, will bring the law in line with the new constitutional reforms. In July, Russian voters approved a wide-ranging package of amendments to the constitution, including a restriction on high-level officials having foreign citizenship or residency. | Once signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, members of the Security Council will…

_____ (2020-10-28). The U.S. Just Blackmailed Sudan. strategic-culture.org Washington has proven that it is willing to make people suffer, and even starve, if governments don't acquiesce to normalization with Israel, writes As`ad AbuKhalil. | As`ad ABUKHALIL | The recent announcement that Washington would be lifting U.S. sanctions on Sudan in return for Sudan's normalization with Israel is a case study of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. | Sudan, like Somalia, has long been a battleground for Cold War intrigues by the U.S., which is responsible for the massive export of arms to both countries. Like the longtime Somali dictator, Muhammad Siad Barre, Sudan's Jaafar Nimeiry (1969-19…

C.J. Hopkins (2020-10-28). The Last Days of the Trumpian Reich. dissidentvoice.org So, according to the corporate media, this is it for Russian-backed Hitler. Game over. The walls are closing in. It's the last days of the Trumpian Reich. Get those vuvuzelas ready! Yes, apparently, the American people, who were all a bunch of Putin-worshipping, white-supremacist neo-Nazis when they elected Trump in 2016, have come to their …

Global Research News (2020-10-28). Selected Articles: Ten Ways to Call Something "Russian Disinformation" Without Evidence. globalresearch.ca By While California, Brazil and Bolivia have spent the past Northern Hemispheric summer burning and we all await more chaos created by more frequent natural disasters, a climate emergency …

Sheren Khalel (2020-10-28). US lawmakers to introduce bill that may allow Israel to buy bunker-buster bombs. middleeasteye.net US lawmakers to introduce bill that may allow Israel to buy bunker-buster bombs | Bipartisan group's legislation would allow Israel to buy munitions capable of penetrating Iran's underground nuclear infrastructure | Wed, 10/28/2020 – 16: 31 | Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-busters are designed to be dropped by B-2 bombers like this one at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia (Reuters/File photo)…

Bruce Lerro (2020-10-28). "Dictatorship" and "Democracy" as Loaded Language: Anti-Communist Cold-War Propaganda. dissidentvoice.org ORIENTATION In my last article I showed how the word "totalitarian" was used as a loaded vice word to attack the Soviet Union after World War II and to red-bait communists around the world. The use of the word totalitarian began in the 1930s, but even before then in the 1920's, the word "dictator" began …

_____ (2020-10-28). The Significance Of The Nuclear Ban Treaty. popularresistance.org The NPT has been lived up to to a surprising extent by the non-nuclear powers. It is amazing that more countries have not gone the nuclear path. The world is fortunate that more haven't made that leap at a time when, according to El Baradei, at least 40 countries have the technological capability of doing so. The ones who are guilty of violating it are the five original signatories—the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, and France. They have completely ignored Article 6, which requires the nations possessing nuclear arsenals to reduce and eliminate those arsenals.

Finian Cunningham (2020-10-28). Russian Blitz in Syria Warns Turkey to Back Off in Caucasus. thealtworld.com For Russia and Syria to launch such a pulverizing blitz against an important Turkish asset can only be seen as an emphatic warning to Ankara. | In an unprecedented show of strength, Russian warplanes this week reportedly launched devastating attacks on a Turkish-backed militant stronghold in northern Syria, Th…

Andrew Korybko (2020-10-27). The China-Russia "Threat to America": Biden's Intriguing "Attempt" to Unite Democrat and Republican Foreign Policy Hawks. globalresearch.ca Biden's description of Russia as "the biggest threat to America" and China as its "biggest competitor" is an intriguing attempt to unite the anti-Russian and anti-Chinese factions of America's permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies ("deep state") even if it's …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-10-27). Cultivated Lunacy, Nuclear Deterrence and Banning the Nuke. globalresearch.ca Are international relations a field for cautious minds, marked by permanent setbacks, or terrain where the bold are encouraged to seize the day? In terms of dealing with the existential, and even unimaginable horror that is nuclear war, the bold …

Ralph Nader (2020-10-27). Don't Rush to Declare Victory: Implementing a Two-Week Grace Period After November 3rd So All Voters Can Be Counted. commondreams.org With such large stakes for our fragile democracy, we cannot afford to bypass such a course of action that will assure a peaceful transition in accord with the rule of law. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/early.jpg

sputniknews (2020-10-27). 'War Propaganda': US Media Uses Russiagate Playbook to Demonize China. sputniknews.com The US corporate media has turned from Russiagate to demonizing China using the very same playbook, Margaret Kimberley, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and author of "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents," told Radio Sputnik's Political Misfits on Tuesday.

Staff (2020-10-27). Headlines for October 27, 2020. democracynow.org Amy Coney Barrett Sworn In, Giving SCOTUS Heavy Conservative Majority Ahead of Pivotal Cases, SCOTUS Rules Wisconsin Cannot Count Ballots Received After Election Day, Surging COVID-19 Cases Trigger Curfews; Doctors Say 800,000 Children Have Been Infected, China Testing 5 Million People After One Asymptomatic Case in Xinjiang, New Lockdowns in Germany, Mask Orders in Russia as COVID-19 Cases Surge, Oxford Vaccine Shows Promising Results as New Data Suggests Antibodies in Recovered Cases Don't Last, U.S. Imposes Harsh New Sanctions on Iranian Oil, Airstrikes Kill Dozens at Training Camp in Idlib, Syria, Explosion a…

RT (2020-10-27). Putting Benjamin to bed? In major move, China & Russian-led EEU bloc to replace trade in dollar & euro with domestic currencies. rt.com The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), an analogue to the EU in…

Marilyn Bechtel (2020-10-27). Treaty banning all nuclear weapons will become international law. peoplesworld.org A historic moment in the decades-long struggle for total nuclear disarmament was reached Oct. 24, United Nations Day, as Honduras became the 50th country to ratify the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which was adopted by 122 members, or nearly two-thirds of the UN General Assembly's then-192 members, in July …

RT (2020-10-27). Russia applies to WHO for emergency listing of Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, approval would speed up formula's global distribution. rt.com As global coronavirus cases surge, Russia has applied to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the early pre-qualification and registration of its pioneering Sputnik V vaccine, which would make it available globally sooner. | The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has filed the application to include the Sputnik V formula in the WHO's Emergency Use Listing program allowing for its accelerated approval for use, the sovereign wealth fund said in a "The Russian Federation was the first in the world to register a vaccine a…

sputniknews (2020-10-27). 'Watershed Moment': Trump Shredding JCPOA Highlighted Futility of Nations Cooperating With US. sputniknews.com The Trump administration's policy of shredding international agreements has driven many nations into the camp of US adversaries such as Russia and China, a former Pentagon senior analyst told Sputnik. However, even if Joe Biden wins the election, Washington's assumptive position as global center of gravity won't be immediately restored.

Olivia Alperstein (2020-10-27). As Historic Nuclear Ban Enters into Force, It's Time for the US to Help Put an End to the Nuclear Age. commondreams.org The Doomsday Clock reads 100 seconds to midnight—a decision made by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists—during an announcement at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 23, 2020. (Photo: Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-11954780051.jpg

Dennis Riches (2020-10-27). Unenforceable Nuclear Ban Treaty to Become International Law. globalresearch.ca On October 24, 2020, the United Nations announced that 50 countries had ratified the treaty to ban nuclear weapons. Passing this threshold means that the treaty will become international law within ninety days. The next day, the people who worked …

_____ (2020-10-27). Britain's Nuclear Weapons: Money for Nothing. strategic-culture.org On 19 October the BBC It must be made clear that there was no possibility this officer or any other single person could in some way commit the submarine to despa…

Scientists for Global Responsibility (2020-10-27). Scientists Welcome Key Milestone for Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty. globalresearch.ca Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) welcomes the 50th ratification of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons — reached late yesterday — which means the treaty will now enter in force on 22 January 2021. | The treaty bans …

Staff (2020-10-27). Nuclear Weapons Will Soon Be Banned Under International Law. truthout.org Nuclear weapons will soon be illegal under international law. Seventy-five years to the day after the founding of the United Nations, the UN The milestone was achieved after years of global efforts spearheaded by the

Ray Acheson (2020-10-27). Nuclear Weapons Have Always Been Immoral. Now They're Illegal. thenation.com Nuclear Weapons Have Always Been Immoral. Now They're Illegal.

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-10-26). Lithuanian Government Impoverishes Its Own Citizens As a Means to Topple Belarus President Lukashenko. globalresearch.ca Since the re-election of Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko on August 9, deemed a rigged election by the West, protests have persisted for nearly three months. Led by opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the protests do not only continue to persist, …

RT (2020-10-26). Turkish F-16s in Azerbaijan are not currently involved in fighting but will be used if there is 'foreign aggression,' says Baku. rt.com Azerbaijan will use Turkish F-16 fighter jets to defend itself from "foreign aggression," President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday, insisting that the planes were in the country prior to the recent fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. | F-16s are supersonic fighter aircraft built in the US by Lockheed Martin. In recent years, the jets have been used extensively, by Ankara, in battles with Kurdish insurgents, as well as in the Syrian Civil War. Famously, in 2015, a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 near the Syrian-Turkish border. | According to Aliyev, the planes are currently sitting idle in Azerbaijan and…

RT (2020-10-26). Bolivia promises to buy Russian Covid-19 vaccine as new leader pledges to restore relations that 'deteriorated' after 2019 coup. rt.com The newly-elected President of Bolivia Luis Arce has pledged to improve ties with Russia, and plans to order its Covid-19 vaccine once it's ready for sale, saying relations with Moscow 'deteriorated' under the previous government. | In an interview with Moscow's Sputnik news agency, Arce outlined the numerous avenues for partnership with Russia that he wants to open up, including the exchange of technology, gas imports and construction of a new nuclear facility together with state energy corporation Rosatom. | Arce blamed the outgoing interim government for tainting the relationship between the two countries.

Finian Cunningham (2020-10-26). Russia's Threat… Of Peace. thealtworld.com Here we go again. Joe Biden is whipping up Russophobia by claiming that Russia is the "biggest threat" to American security. | In a media interview at the weekend, the Democrat politician said: "I think the biggest threat to America right now in terms of breaking up our — our security and our alliances is Russia." | That a presidential candidate can

John Laforge (2020-10-26). White House Gangster Wants to Avoid Nuclear-Armed Stigma. counterpunch.org The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is about to win its 50th state ratification, the golden number needed for the treaty to enter into force. The list of 47 current signatories can be seen at ICANw.org, website of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition that helped

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-26). US Withdrawal from INF grave mistake: Putin. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 26 (MNA) — Russian President Vladimir Putin Says US exit from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was a "grave mistake" which creates the risk of a renewal of the nuclear arms race.

Alastair Crooke (2020-10-26). Break in Relations With the EU? — 'If This Is the Way They Want It, So Be It'. thealtworld.com Is it surprising that Russia and China have come to their 'we have had enough' moment? | Wolfgang Munchau of Euro Intelligence has been suggesting recently that the EU is making mistakes born from listening only to its own (like-minded) echo chamber. Munchau was referring to how — when Boris Johnson had sought for a deal "to be in sight" by this month's EU summit, he was met with disdain. The Council said not only was there 'no deal in sight', but that there would be no acceleration of negotiations, and furthermore stuck rigidly to its three red-line, 'non-negotiables'. | Macron haughtily afterwards stated…

Kevin Martin (2020-10-26). Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty Enters Into Force. peaceaction.org Peace Action Statement on the Entry Into Force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Kevin Martin, President of Peace Action and Peace Action Education Fund, issued the following statement: "A distinct honor in my work is representing Peace Action at peace and disarmament conferences at the United Nations. I was there in …

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-26). European troika still call for maintaining JCPOA: German FM. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 26 (MNA) — German Foreign Minister revealed the continuation of effort of European troika (UK, France and Germany) to maintain nuclear deal, JCPOA, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Robert Dodge (2020-10-26). Nuclear Weapons Banned—Illegal at Last. commondreams.org The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons delivers a clear message from nations across the globe that nuclear weapons threaten the survival of all of humanity and must be eliminated before they eliminate us. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nuclear_3.jpg