2020-06-11: News Headlines

Juan Cole (2020-06-11). Russia shoots down "Ridiculous" Trump demand for Arms Embargo on Tehran. zcomm.org The Neoconservative wing of the Trump administration, which is dying to drag the United States into a war with Iran, suffered an embarrassing setback on Monday when its latest flimsy scheme crashed and burned.

Palestinian BDS National Committee (2020-06-11). European Court of Human Rights Deals Major Blow to Israel's War on Palestine Solidarity. globalresearch.ca ECHR rules unanimously that French highest court's criminal conviction of Israel boycott advocates violates the European Convention on Human Rights' freedom of expression article | *** | The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-06-11). Greek-Italian Maritime Deal Disrupts Turkey's Endeavour for East Mediterranean Dominance. globalresearch.ca Greece and Italy signed a historic agreement yesterday that demarcates the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the two countries in the Ionian Sea. The agreement signed between Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio has …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-11). Greeks say no to education system which only serves capitalist needs. peoplesdispatch.org Teachers and students in Greece observed an education strike on June 9, Tuesday, and staged protests across the country denouncing a controversial education bill proposed by the conservative New Democracy (ND) government.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-06-11). Nord Stream 2 Trade Geopolitics: Towards a US-Germany "Tariff War". Washington Threatens Germany with Sanctions. globalresearch.ca The United States continues to threaten Germany with sanctions if the European country proceeds with the Nord Stream 2 project — a strategic partnership with Russia to build a large gas pipeline that would facilitate the energy flow between Russia …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-10). Portugal's Left Bloc scores win in parliament. peoplesdispatch.org The Portuguese national assembly approved a draft proposal made by the Left Bloc (BE) on June 5, calling on the government to promote equality in Private Social Security Institutions (IPSS) and take steps for the valorization of IPSS workers wages. The draft proposal was approved in the parliament with the support of the Left Bloc, the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Social Democratic Party. The incumbent Socialist Party (PS) opposed the proposal. | IPSS in Portugal are created for non-profit purposes by the private sector to provide social assistance to needy groups in society. | Left Bloc MP José Soeir…

Margaret Kimberley (2020-06-10). Rebellion, Confusion and Kente Cloth: The Establishment Can't Handle Black Lives Matter. mintpressnews.com Suddenly, workers are publicly criticizing their bosses. Politicians are backpedaling and newspapers face revolts when they are caught spreading propaganda. In Europe and the United States monuments to genocidaires are defaced and pulled down.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-06-10). Voter suppression in Georgia portends catastrophe for November. peoplesworld.org ATLANTA—The big story in the political party primaries on June 9 wasn't who won or lost, but voter suppression in Georgia — and what that could mean for November's balloting. That Georgia mess — a toxic brew of few voting machines, especially in African-American areas, breakdowns of a new voting system and lack of trained …

Olivia Rosane (2020-06-10). Disastrous oil spill ravages pristine Arctic lake. peoplesworld.org A 21,000 tonne (approximately 23,000 U.S. ton) oil spill that prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to declare an emergency last week has now reached a pristine Arctic lake, and there are concerns it could contaminate the Arctic Ocean. Environmentalists and local officials have raised alarms about the disaster, which they say is the worst of its kind in the Russian Arctic, according …

Alan Macleod (2020-06-10). "By Design" and a "Test Run for November" — Georgia Chaos Is Blueprint for November Election. mintpressnews.com Georgia is shaping up to be an unlikely battleground state in the November presidential election, and if Trump loses Georgia, his chances of overall victory are slim.

WSWS (2020-06-10). Russia's ruling class nervous over spreading global protests. wsws.org The Kremlin's seeming smugness over the crisis gripping the United States seeks to mask deep-seated fears that similar mass protests could erupt in Russia.

Robert Bridge (2020-06-10). Liberal Leaders Aiding and Abetting Rioters. Just the Latest Campaign Strategy to Usurp Trump. globalresearch.ca In a fractious election year that has already witnessed Russiagate, impeachment and a pandemic, Americans are now forced to contend with the malignant scourge of rioting and looting following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a white …

teleSUR (2020-06-10). Spain: Gov't Decrees Mask Use as Mandatory. telesurenglish.net Spain's government Thursday announced that mask use on public transportation and common spaces would be mandatory as a COVID-19 precautionary measure. | RELATED: | "I would like to emphasize here the mandatory use of the mask in the terms you already know, whenever a distance of 1.5 meters cannot be maintained," Health Minister Salvador Illa briefed in a press conference. | The norm is part of the decree-law on urgent prevent…

Dr. Rudolf Hà§nsel (2020-06-10). The Davos Reset 2021 Agenda of the World Economic Forum. A New Phase of Economic and Social Destruction? globalresearch.ca On June 3, 2020, as a consequence of the "global health crisis", the World Economic Forum WEF in Geneva announced a "unique twin summit" for January 2021 in Davos, Switzerland.(1) The theme should be "The Great Reset". The WEF defines …

Staff (2020-06-10). Headlines for June 10, 2020. democracynow.org George Floyd Laid to Rest, Two Weeks After Killing by Police Sparked Global Uprising, Coronavirus Cases Surge in States That Eased Lockdowns Two Weeks Ago, Georgia Election "Catastrophe" Disproportionately Affects Voters of Color, Protesters Topple Monuments to Slave Traders, Racists and Mass Murderers, Seattle Protesters Take Over City Hall as Calls Grow to Defund Police, New York State Will No Longer Hide Disciplinary Records of Police Officers, Phoenix Protests Demand Justice for Dion Johnson, Black Man Fatally Shot by State Trooper, Minneapolis Police Admit to Slashing Tires of Parked Vehicles During Recent G…

Pien Huang (2020-06-11). WHO Believes That Mass Protests Are Important Even in a 'Pandemic' Provided They're More Popular Than WHO. anti-empire.com In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization took time at its daily press conference to address another pressing issue: the wave of protests against police violence and racial injustice. The demonstrations began in the U.S. when George Floyd died on May 25 after a police officer had pressed a knee into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while detaining him in Minneapolis. | The protests are now spreading around the world to Europe, Africa and other regions. | "WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds," said WHO director…

Marko Marjanoviƒá (2020-06-11). The Powers That Be Are Ecstatic That the Left Believes the Biggest Problem Right Now Are Statues of Dead White Men. anti-empire.com In the US and the EU both, we've witnessed the biggest monetary heist in history. We're sailing into a depression that central banks have set up for us over the past two decades. And we're doing so in the worst possible condition thanks to the Draconian, harebrained and unnecessary lockdowns that the politicians imposed on us. | Several of Empire's wars and occupations continue in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria. Tension is being needlessly cultivated with China and Russia, and the entire architecture of nuclear arms control is just about done being thrown in that trash bin of history. | Simultaneously the…

Eli Frances (2020-06-11). Wednesday 6/10: Filipinos For Black Lives. indybay.org Meeting at Grand Oriente Filipino Hotel in SOMA and marching all the way to I-Hotel in Kearny. San Francisco…

Eli Frances (2020-06-10). Wednesday 6/10: #FilipinosForBlackLives. indybay.org Meeting at Grand Oriente Filipino Hotel in SOMA and marching all the way to I-Hotel in Kearny. San Francisco…

Staff (2020-06-10). Georgia Election Condemned as Result of Deliberate GOP Voter Suppression. truthout.org Photos of would-be Georgia voters standing — and, in some cases, sitting — in long lines The myriad issues that plagued…

RT (2020-06-10). Top EU official BACKS Twitter in fact-checking 'war' with Trump, says Europe should take same approach. rt.com Twitter has received unexpected support in its fact-checking war with US President Donald Trump. The EU Commission's vice president for values and transparency,Vera Jourova, said it has taken exactly the approach Europe needs. | Jourova, who leads the bloc's own crusade against disinformation, waded into the Trump-Twitter dispute, praising the instant messaging service for "promoting the facts" instead of taking down the president's tweets altogether. | "I support the Twitter reaction to tweets of President Trump," she said during a press conference. "They did not delete it. We all can see it. They provided fa…

RT (2020-06-10). Poland to open EU borders on Saturday, allow international flights from Tuesday. rt.com Poland will open its borders with fellow European Union countries on Saturday and allow international flights from next Tuesday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday. The country closed its borders to visitors in March to stop the spread of the coronavirus. | "In some countries… this pandemic is still behaving in a very disturbing way," Morawiecki said, adding that Warsaw will now limit opening borders to EU states. | Poland has seen a recent rise in infections, mostly around coal mines in the south. On Monday, 599 new cases were reported — a record. As of Wednesday morning, the country o…

RT (2020-06-10). Cracked silo at under-construction UK nuclear plant releases DUST CLOUD after accident. rt.com A silo at Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset has suffered structural damage, releasing a cloud of granulated slag into the surrounding area and temporarily halting work on the joint French-Chinese venture. | The 115-foot (35-meter) tower buckled at around 7: 30 am local time on Wednesday. Although initial reports were of an explosion, the smoke was in fact a cloud of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), which was being used to reinforce the concrete, according to a spokesperson with Electricite de France (EDF). | No one was injured and no radiation was released in the incident, according to…

RT (2020-06-10). Putin stresses importance of Libya ceasefire in phone call with Erdogan. rt.com Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday and stressed the importance of a ceasefire in Libya as soon as possible, the Kremlin's press service said. | The two leaders expressed "mutual concern over the mass armed clashes ongoing in the country," the statement said. Putin also stressed the need for renewed inter-Libyan dialogue. | Discussing Syria, Putin and Erdogan underlined the need to implement Russian-Turkish agreements on the Idlib de-escalation zone. | The presidents discussed joint efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, and noted the…

RT (2020-06-10). Call Russia 'sponsor of TERROR'! Imperial-minded House Republicans urge return to Cold War footing & drastic sanctions policy. rt.com The largest House GOP caucus has released a 'national security strategy' that envisions escalating sanctions against China and Russia, more war on terrorism in the Middle East, and a Cold War-type infowar, among other things. | The 120-page It offers a laundry list of possible actions agains…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-10). Iran, Russia voice concern over humanitarian crisis in Yemen, Syria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 10 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister's Senior Assistant for Special Political Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji held a phone conversation with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin over the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and Syria.

yenisafak (2020-06-11). Turkey's Istanbul Airport partially resumes int'l flights. yenisafak.com The Istanbul Airport partially resumed on Thursday to international flights, which have been suspended for two months as part of the normalization process from the novel coronavirus pandemic. Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines began scheduling flights again from Istanbul Airport to Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.Entry was limited only to passengers, who started to come to the airport early in the day and had their temperatures taken upon arrival with thermal camera.Social distance rules were also followed both by passengers and airport personnel.Turkish Airlines' first scheduled flight was made…

yenisafak (2020-06-11). Norway mosque attacker sentenced to 21 years in prison. yenisafak.com A Norwegian court on Thursday sentenced a man who staged an attack at a mosque to 21 years in prison, the maximum prison term possible, according to local media reports.On Aug. 10 last year, Philip Manshaus, killed his 17-years-old stepsister at home and stormed the nearest mosque during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha in Baerum, outside Oslo.Manshaus opened fire on people in the mosque but was overpowered by one of the men in the mosque. One elderly man was injured.He was charged with the murder of his stepsister and the terrorist attack at the Al-Noor Islamic Center and found quilty, according to the Norwegia…

yenisafak (2020-06-11). Cherry season ensues in Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com Syrian civilians have started harvesting cherries in the Idlib de-escalation zone in the northwest of the country amid relatively secure environment since cease-fire agreement inked between Turkey and Russia on March 5.Idlib is home to hundreds of thousands of cherry trees.However, farmers returning to their homes after the cease-fire have been badly affected by skyrocketing fertilization, tree pruning, transportation and fuel prices."We suffered a lot during the migration period. We returned to our land after the cease-fire. We look forward to this month every year," Syrian farmer Haci Ahmet Muhammad told Anadol…

yenisafak (2020-06-10). UN dispatches 57 trucks carrying aid to Syria's Idlib. yenisafak.com The UN on Wednesday dispatched a total of 57 trucks carrying humanitarian aid for needy people in Idlib city of northwestern Syria.Truckloads of supplies entered the Syrian city through the Cilvegozu border crossing of Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreem…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-10). Iranian embassy in Madrid planning for fourth direct flight to Tehran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 10 (MNA) — Iranian embassy in Spain is planning to launch the fourth direct flight to Tehran to bring home Iranian nationals to the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-10). Be ashamed of crying wolf over detention of an Iranian. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 10 (MNA) — In a tweet on Wednesday, Iran's Ambassador to UK Hamid Baeidinjad lashed out at United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Woody Johnson for his latest remarks urging the release of the detained Iranian citizen Morad Tahbaz by the Islamic Republic.

sputniknews (2020-06-10). Spain's Andalusia Fines Belgian Prince for Breaking Coronavirus Rules – Reports. sputniknews.com MADRID (Sputnik) – Belgian Prince Joachim has been fined for breaking a mandatory quarantine shortly after arriving in Spain last month, Spanish media said Wednesday.

yenisafak (2020-06-10). Israel's annexation violates Int'l law: Germany. yenisafak.com German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Wednesday that Israel's annexation of the West Bank will be a violation of international law."Europe regards annexation as a violation of international law," Maas told a joint press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.Maas, who is the first diplomat to visit Israel since the formation of the Israeli government last month, did not refer to specific European responses to the annexation decision once implemented.He stressed that the aim of his visit to Israel was to "learn more about Israel's plans".Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced th…

yenisafak (2020-06-10). France's Macron to address nation on Sunday. yenisafak.com French President Emmanuel Macron will make an address to the nation on Sunday at 1800 GMT, the Elysee office said on Wednesday.Macron had initially planned to speak between the second round of mayoral elections on June 28 and July 14.

yenisafak (2020-06-10). Masked | gangs in Greece recorded forcing migrant boats back to Turkey. yenisafak.com Shocking photos were released by

yenisafak (2020-06-10). Erdogan, Putin discuss Libya, Idlib over phone. yenisafak.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday spoke over the phone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the latest situation in Libya and Idlib, northwestern Syria.According to the Turkish Communications Directorate, the two leaders also discussed regional issues and steps to be taken in…

yenisafak (2020-06-10). Saudi Arabia records 36 new virus deaths. yenisafak.com A ministry statement said 3,717 new infections and 1,615 recoveries were registered over the past 24 hours.The kingdom's confirmed cases from coronavirus now stand at 112,288, including 819 deaths, and 77,954 recoveries.The pandemic has claimed more than 411,900 lives in 188 countries and regions since originating in China's Wuhan city last December. The US, Brazil and Russia are currently the worst-hit countries.Over 7.26 million cases have been reported worldwide, while more than 3.38 million people have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

yenisafak (2020-06-10). Turkish defense company distributes aid in Pakistan. yenisafak.com Turkey's leading defense company Roketsan on Wednesday distributed food packages among 1,000 families in Pakistan through the Turkish Red Crescent.The food packages distribution event held in Rawalpindi, a city adjacent to the capital Islamabad, was attended by Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul and the country's head of the Turkish Red Crescent Carlos Camilo.The ongoing coronavirus crisis and earlier lockdown has deprived a large number of poor families and daily wage workers of their source of income in Pakistan.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Camilo said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affecte…

yenisafak (2020-06-10). Turkey to reopen tourism facilities: Minister. yenisafak.com Speaking to CNN Turk, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy commented on the revival of tourism in the country."In tourism, there is no other country that has done certification better and more reliable than Turkey," the minister said.The country's main priority in this process is to resume air traffic to all countries, he added.Turkey on Wednesday reported 2,241 more recoveries, 17 deaths and 922 more cases of the coronavirus.To a question about the reopening of Hagia Sophia for worship, Ersoy said: "If the court decision comes through [to open Hagia Sophia for worship], I will not be worried about tourism, we will find a solution.

yenisafak (2020-06-10). Turkey: 'City of gladiators' ready for visitors. yenisafak.com The ancient city of Kibyra, also known as the "city of gladiators," in southwestern Turkey is set to become a new tourist hotspot.The 2,300-year-old city is located among juniper and cedar forests in the Golhisar district of Burdur province at an altitude of 1,350 meters (4,429 feet).The town, where excavations began in 2006, fascinates visitors with its monumental buildings.It is admired by many for its magnificent 10,400-person-capacity stadium built with Roman and Byzantine architectural tradition, its odeon (music house) covered with the Medusa mosaic, the Late Roman bath, agoras, main street, theatre with a…

Patrick Cockburn (2020-06-09). The Brexit Crisis Led to Totally Incompetent Leadership at a Time of Unprecedented Calamity. Now We are Paying for It. counterpunch.org Britain is failing to cope with the Covid-19 epidemic as well as other countries in Europe and East Asia have. Out of 62,000 excess deaths in the UK, says former chief scientific officer Sir David King, "40,000 excess deaths could have been avoided if government had acted responsibly". The failure is devastating: on a single

Staff (2020-06-09). Stir Crazy! Episode #49: Stand Up And Make A Change. therealnews.com On today's show: TRNN labor and politics reporter Jaisal Noor, "Why You Should Give A F*ck" co-host Tunde Ogunfolaju, and Executive Director of the New Georgia Project Nse Ufot. Hosted by Kim Brown.

T.J. Coles (2020-06-09). Nukes in Space: the Extinction Rebellion Yet to Be. counterpunch.org In January 2017, President Trump ordered the Department of Defense to conduct a Nuclear Posture Review. The document published a year later makes clear that the US possesses nuclear weapons, in part, so that "our diplomats continue to speak from a position of strength on matters of war and peace." The Nuclear Posture Review cites Russia as the evil menace against which the US must defend by renewing its nuclear stockpiles.

ahtribune (2020-06-09). Dr. Wolfgang Streeck: "We Are Being Governed by An Oligarchy" ahtribune.com Mohsen Abdelmoumen: Can Europe survive the Covid-19 crisis? | Dr. Wolfgang Streeck: It depends on what you mean by "survive". Complex societies don't "die"; something always remains—the question is: what? If you mean the European Union or the European Monetary Union, will they still exist when the virus has left? Of course. If you ask if the virus is undermining them, I think one must not forget that both EU and EMU were already undermining themselves before the pandemic; remember Brexit? Also remember the tensions between Germany and the Mediterranean countries, and between Germany in particular and the…

ahtribune (2020-06-09). SouthFront Is Censored under Cover of Pandemic. ahtribune.com Introducing SouthFront | Where do you find daily news, videos, analysis and maps about the conflict in Syria? Detailed reports about the conflicts in Libya, Yemen and Venezuela? News about the rise of ISIS in Mozambique? Original analysis of events in the US and Russia? SouthFront is unique and influential, reaching a global audience of hundreds of thousands. They have opinion articles but their reports and videos are informational and factual. Their website says, | "SouthFront focuses on issues of international relations, armed conflicts and cri…

RT (2020-06-09). Austria 'may open borders' to Italy & over 20 European states as Salzburg Festival begins on August 1. rt.com Austria will reopen its borders to Italy and more than 20 other European countries next week, officials were quoted as saying on Tuesday. The move could ease tensions with Rome after Vienna singled its southern neighbor out for continued coronavirus-related checks. | Details of the decision will be finalized at a ministerial meeting on Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing officials. The Foreign Ministry has not commented on the report. | The Salzburg Festival of classical music, Europe's top festival, announced on Tuesday it will stage a reduced 100th anniversary celebration, with capacities limited to about 50…

RT (2020-06-09). Austrian court convicts mystery former colonel of 'spying for Russia' — then sets him free. rt.com A year after the "Ibiza Affair" brought down a government in Vienna, Austria has sentenced an unnamed retired Army colonel to three years in prison on charges of being a spy for Russia. | Peter Egger, a spokesman for the court in Salzburg, confirmed the sentence to reporters on Tuesday, but did not disclose the officer's identity. The colonel was first arrested in 2018, with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz personally alleging that the accused had spied for Russia for at least 25 years, since 1992. Later Egger disclosed that the defendant was actually released on parole, after the 18 months served in pre-trial confin…

RT (2020-06-09). Eiffel Tower reopens on June 25, after longest closure since WWII. rt.com Paris's iconic Eiffel Tower will welcome back visitors on June 25, after its longest closure since World War II, those responsible for its management said on Tuesday. | One of France's most popular tourist attractions, it had been forced to shut for more than three months, owing to the coronavirus pandemic. | Wearing a face mask will be compulsory for all visitors aged 11 or older after the reopening, according to Reuters. | The French government started to ease lockdown measures in the country from mid-May, the Palace of Versailles reopened on June 6 and the Louvre will welcome back visitors from July 6.

RT (2020-06-09). Zeitgeist heist: Truck with 400,000 MASKS parked outside German cafe gets stolen & RANSACKED. rt.com In what looked like a carefully planned carjacking, a vehicle full of face masks went missing in southwestern Germany within just ten minutes — as if to prove that personal protective gear has become the new gold. | The prelude to the brazen theft saw a local driver make a brief stop near the town of Wertheim in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. He parked his white Ford van — loaded with a whopping 400,000 protective masks — outside a fast food restaurant and went inside to take a break. | The driver was absent for only ten minutes, but it was enough for the perpetrators to hijack the van and ge…