Daily Archives: November 15, 2020

2020-11-15: News Headlines

RT (2020-11-14). Ukrainian special forces reportedly practice RECAPTURE of Crimea, 6 years after peninsula rejoined Russia. rt.com Elite soldiers in the Ukrainian army recently staged a series of drills that reportedly rehearsed for a potential invasion of the Crimean Peninsula. | Following reports in the Ukrainian media, Russia's RIA Novosti agency described the proposed tactical playbook for the mock mission. First, "several groups of special forces cross the border unnoticed and go deeper into the territory of the peninsula" where they would "destroy the runways of airfields, destroy communication centers, headquarters and weapons depots, and eliminate commanders." | This covert operation would then be followed by a full-scale air and…

_____ (2020-11-14). VIDEO: Russian Diplomacy Pulls Caucasus from Brink of Disaster. strategic-culture.org

sputniknews (2020-11-14). Nusra Terrorists Carry Out 31 Attacks in Syria's Idlib De-escalation Zone. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group* carried out 31 attacks in Syria's Idlib de-escalation zone over the past 24 hours, the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Syrian Reconciliation, Rear Adm. Alexander Grinkevich, said on Saturday.

David Swanson (2020-11-13). Everything Will Fundamentally Change. zcomm.org Either everything will change for the better or one or both of the twin dangers of environmental and nuclear apocalypse will change everything for the worse…

Linda Pentz Gunter (2020-11-13). In Promoting New Nuclear Power, Biden-Harris Back Fiction Over Science. counterpunch.org When you look at the precipitating drop in renewable energy costs versus the ever soaring nuclear ones; when you examine how you can reduce more carbon emissions faster and more cheaply with renewables than nuclear; and when you observe the real life examples of countries whose carbon reductions are greater after investing in renewables rather than clinging onto nuclear; then the only reason to include nuclear power in a climate plan is political.

RT (2020-11-13). A very good boy: Turkmenistan unveils six-meter-tall golden statue of president's favorite dog breed. rt.com Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has unveiled a giant statue of a dog in the center of Ashgabat, the country's capital. The gilded monument is dedicated to the Alabai, a popular breed in the Central Asian country. | Six meters tall on a nine-meter-high plinth, the canine statue is in the middle of a busy roundabout, surrounded by a brand new housing development. | According to the Turkmen government, "the sculpture looks very majestic," depicting the "dignity and self-assuredness" of the Alabai breed. The statue "is clearly visible from all sides and visible from a distance," the statement says.

RT (2020-11-13). Ties between Moscow & OPCW going through 'period of challenges,' but point of no return not yet reached, Russian envoy tells RT. rt.com The US and its allies are trying to turn the UN's chemical arms watchdog into a political tool, but it remains an important platform via which Moscow can defend its interests, Alexander Shulgin, Russian envoy to the body, told RT. | The ambassador was speaking in the light of a statement made by Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, on Thursday. Nebenzia had suggested that the country may well consider quitting the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) altogether, if "it completely loses credibility." | The statement was made amid a row between Moscow and the Wes…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-13). Russia not rule out possibility of US returning to JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 13 (MNA) — Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia does not turn down the possibility of US returning to Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Johanna Ross (2020-11-13). With Biden, Don't Expect this 'Cold War' to Thaw Anytime Soon. globalresearch.ca Russian President Vladimir Putin is no stranger to changes in the US administration. In the last couple of decades, as a member of Boris Yeltsin's office, then as both President and Prime Minister he has dealt with Republican and Democrat …

WSWS (2020-11-13). Overstretched Russian hospitals turn away COVID cases. wsws.org Desperate health care workers and family members of those infected with the coronavirus are finding that there are no more beds in the country's medical facilities, even as the government insists that the situation is "under control."

_____ (2020-11-13). Russian Diplomacy Pulls Caucasus From Brink of Disaster. strategic-culture.org

imperial.ac.uk (2020-11-13). AI pioneer recognised for outstanding contribution to computing. imperial.ac.uk Imperial Vice-Provost Professor Nick Jennings has been jointly awarded the British Computer Society's Lovelace Medal, the UK's top award in computing.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-13). Developing trade ties with neighbors, way to counter sanction. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 13 (MNA) — Chairman of Iran-Russia Joint Chamber of Commerce said that development of economic relations with neighboring countries is the best way to deal with sanctions.

RT (2020-11-12). WATCH shopping mall in Russia engulfed in flames during MASSIVE BLAZE. rt.com A large shopping mall in the Russian city of Ryazan has been hit by such a huge fire the local emergency services had to deploy a fire-fighting train to extinguish it. No casualties have been reported. | Giant plumes of fire illuminated the evening skies over the city of Ryazan, about 200km southeast of Moscow, as the local M5 Mall erupted in flames. The blaze quickly engulfed the building's roof, sending billowing clouds of smoke into the air. | Videos published on social media show the scale of the inferno. Nearly 60 fire fighters were deployed to tackle the fire that covered an area of 500 square meters.

_____ (2020-11-12). U.S. Presidential Election: Open Your Eyes! strategic-culture.org Thierry MEYSSAN | The U.S. presidential election of 2020 confirms the general trend since the dissolution of the Soviet Union: the U.S. population is going through a crisis of civilization and is inexorably heading inexorably towards a new civil war that should logically lead to the partition of the country. This instability should result in the end of the West as a hyper-power. | In order to understand what is happening, it is necessary to overcome the fear of the European elites in the face of the impending disappearance of the power that has protected them for three-quarters of a century; and to look honestly…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-12). IAEA report shows no proliferation concern over Iran activity. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 12 (MNA) — A senior Russian diplomat has reacted to the new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency over Iran's activities, saying the report leaves no proliferation concern over Tehran's nuclear program.

sputniknews (2020-11-12). ISS Orbital Altitude Corrected to Prepare for Launch of Soyuz MS-18 in April 2021. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The altitude of the International Space Station's orbit was corrected on Thursday with the use of the engines of Russia's Progress MS-14 cargo spacecraft to prepare for the arrival of a Soyuz spacecraft this upcoming spring, according to the crew's communication with the Earth, broadcast by NASA.

Newsclick (2020-11-12). Russia Steps in to Negotiate Halt to Fighting in Nagorno Karabakh. peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha looks at the implications of the recent ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan which ended fighting in Nagorno Karabakh. He also analyzes the role of Russia…

sputniknews (2020-11-12). US Judge Tosses Out Trump Campaign's Libel Suit Against CNN Over 'Russian Interference' Op-Ed. sputniknews.com A US federal judge has dismissed a libel suit brought by US President Donald Trump's reelection campaign against CNN for running an opinion piece in 2019 suggesting he might solicit Russian help in winning the 2020 election.

John Schoonover (2020-11-11). The Conspiracy Against Nuclear Energy: How Big Oil Built the Ecology Movement to Demonize Nuclear Energy Competition. dissidentvoice.org Some skeptical questions Is nuclear energy safe? What can we do about the waste? What about Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima — don't they prove that we can't rely on nuclear reactors? Won't a tiny amount of radiation kill you? Why are reactors so expensive to build with so many delays? Why don't we just …