2020-06-20: News Headlines

Annelies Wilder-Smith, Steven W Lindsay, Thomas W Scott, Eng Eong Ooi, Duane J Gubler, Pamela Das (2020-06-20). [Comment] The Lancet Commission on dengue and other Aedes-transmitted viral diseases. thelancet.com The past 50 years have seen the emergence of epidemic arboviral diseases transmitted by the urban mosquito, Aedes aegypti. More than 120 countries are affected by frequent and cyclical dengue epidemics that result in an estimated annual 400 million infections and 100 million symptomatic cases.1 Chikungunya virus re-emerged in 2004 from east Africa and spread to Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, and Europe.2,3 Zika virus spread from sub-Saharan Africa through Asia and the Pacific to the Americas, where it caused a major outbreak associated with severe birth defects and neurological complications.

Peter Baker, Alan White, Rosemary Morgan (2020-06-20). [Comment] Men's health: COVID-19 pandemic highlights need for overdue policy action. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic is shining a cruel light on the state of men's health globally. In 38 out of 43 countries for which provisional data were available, as of June 10, 2020, more men than women have died from COVID-19 despite a similar number of confirmed cases in each sex.1 In several countries, including the Netherlands, Dominican Republic, and Spain, about twice as many men as women have died from COVID-19.1 International Men's Health Week on June 15—21 is an opportune time to focus attention on this issue and the need for a new and systematic approach to improve the health of men generally.

Ola Innset (2020-06-20). Workers of Europe: Compete. zcomm.org In response to neoliberalism's internationalism, European workers have turned to the nation state. It is time for the left to reclaim the narrative…

yenisafak (2020-06-20). Serbians to go to general, local polls. yenisafak.com As the world wrestles with the novel coronavirus pandemic, Serbia on Sunday will hold general, local, and autonomous region elections.Voters will head to the polls to determine the names and parties that will govern the country both locally and nationally for the next four years.In Serbia, the effect of the pandemic has disappeared for the most part, with casualty numbers and daily cases having decreased to the 50-100 band and major measures removed.More than 6.5 million voters have registered to cast their ballots and elect lawmakers from among 21 election lists competing to enter the 250-seat national assembly.

yenisafak (2020-06-20). Top Pakistani diplomat hails Bozkir's UNGA presidency. yenisafak.com Pakistan's foreign minister on Saturday congratulated Turkey's Volkan Bozkir on his election as president of the next session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)."On behalf of the people and government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, I would like to extend my warm felicitation on your unanimous election by all member states as the President of the historic 75th Session of the UN General Assembly," Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a letter.He said Bozkir's unanimous election reflects the international community's "trust and confidence" in his abilities to lead the UNGA "at this time of unprecedented global…

yenisafak (2020-06-20). Turkey rejects UN group's claims on activities in Libya. yenisafak.com Turkey has rejected "unfounded" allegations by the UN Human Rights Special Procedures."We reject the unfounded and unfortunate allegations in the press release of the UN Human Rights Special Procedures," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement.Aksoy said Turkey, extending its support to the internationally recognized Libyan government upon its request and pursuant to UN resolutions, emphasized from the very beginning that there was no military solution to the conflict in Libya."In this context, Turkey spares no effort to ensure a lasting and sustainable ceasefire and to reinvigorate the politica…

ahtribune (2020-06-19). European Court of Human Rights Upholds Right to Boycott Israel. ahtribune.com "Criminal conviction of activists involved in the BDS campaign boycotting products imported from Israel had no relevant and sufficient grounds and violated their freedom of expression" | That is the heading on the 11 June 2020 press statement from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), announcing that it had overturned the conviction by a French court of eleven individuals for engaging in BDS activity. | The Court ruled that their conviction violated Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights — the right to freedom of expression — which states: | "Everyone has the right to freedom o…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Eight SNA soldiers martyred in YPG/PKK attack in N Syria. yenisafak.com At least eight soldiers of the Syrian National Army (SNA) were martyred in an attack carried out by the YPG/PKK terrorist group in Afrin, northwestern Syria.From Tal Rifat district, terrorists attempted to infiltrate front lines in Bassouta region in the south of Afrin province.The terrorist group continued to target Syrian National Army and civilian settlements in Afrin and Azaz provinces from Tal Rifat despite a Turkey-Russia deal that foresees their withdrawal from the region.On Oct. 9, 2019, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Russia to assess Arctic fuel spill damage by July 1. yenisafak.com Russia's environmental watchdog will finish its assessment of the damage done by last month's fuel spill in the Arctic city of Norilsk by July 1, it said on Friday.Some 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked into rivers and subsoil on May 29 in Norilsk, home to mining giant Norilsk Nickel , in an incident that Greenpeace has compared to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska.

sputniknews (2020-06-19). European Parliament Condemns Racism in Any Form, Police Violence in US. sputniknews.com BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The European Parliament has adopted a resolution to condemn all forms of racism as well as the violence of US police during the ongoing protests.

RT (2020-06-19). EU Parliament meddles into US affairs as it condemns Trump's response to protests and declares 'BLACK LIVES MATTER'. rt.com A lengthy resolution by the European Union legislators denounced US President Donald Trump for wanting to use force against rioters and condemned the "appalling death of George Floyd" and arrests of journalists. | In a Condemning the "appalling death of George Floyd" — a Minneapolis,…

bne IntelliNews (2020-06-19). Russian Deputies Introduce Bill to Un-Ban the Excellent Telegram Messaging App. anti-empire.com Russian Duma deputies from the minority fraction Fair Russia have conceded defeat to reality and have introduced a bill to un-ban the popular messaging service Telegram that belongs to Russian tech whizz-kid Pavel Durov. | Three deputies — Fedot Tumusov, Dmitry Ionin and Alexander Terentyev — have submitted a draft bill to the Duma to terminate the attempts to outlaw Telegram. | The company and the Kremlin clashed after the widely used service refused a request by the Federal Security Service (FSB) to hand over digital keys so the security forces could eavesdrop on conversations on the service. | Tele…

ahtribune (2020-06-19). Foreign Troops: What Is Too Close for Comfort? ahtribune.com Tensions in the skies. RT presented a news story of the United States intercepting a fleet of Russian bombers off the Alaskan coast. Four Russian Tu-95 bombers, accompanied by Su-35 and MiG-31 fighters jets, flew from Siberia toward Alaska where they were shadowed by US F-22 fighters. The US and NORAD admitted that the Russian planes stayed in international airspace and did not enter American sovereign airspace. | http: //youtu.be/jmqgpkixULo | Siberia and Alaska are close. At its narrowest point the Bering Strait separates Russia and the US by only 88.5 km (55 mi), so it wouldn't take long upon leaving one coa…

Ben Aris (2020-06-19). Economic Ministry Forecasts Russia Won't Climb Back to Pre-Lockdown Levels Until Late 2022. anti-empire.com Russia's Ministry of Economy has released a fresh forecast for 2019-2022. The ministry said there will be no V-shaped recovery: after a 5% plunge in 2020, real GDP will only recover starting in mid-2022. The Ministry of Economy predicts GDP growth of 2.8% in 2021 and 3% in 2022. | The Urals price stays below the base budget price of $42, at which point the Russian budget breaks even. Urals will average $31.1 per barrel this year, rising to $35.4 in 2021 and only in 2022 will it return to the breakeven price of $42.2 when Russia Inc. goes back into profit. | That means the Ministry of Finance will rely on the Nati…

_____ (2020-06-19). Defending History or Double Standard? strategic-culture.org There is no equivalence between Western imperialists, colonizers and racists and Soviet war heroes. But there is a clear double standard in how demolishing the latter statues is somehow acceptable to Western governments. Because it fits a geopolitical agenda of rewriting the history of World War II to demean Russia. | (Click the image to enlarge)…

Eric A. Gordon (2020-06-19). 'Proud': Episodes of the long march for LGBTQ rights in France. peoplesworld.org Timed for release during LGBTQ Pride Month, the 2018 French "episodic cinema" Proud (Fiertés in French) is now available for a wider viewing in the United States opening on June 19 in virtual cinema in select cities though Kino Marquee. Proud consists of three episodes, each about 50 minutes in duration, focusing on the evolution …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-06-19). Russia Denies that Putin Tried to Block UN Security Council Recognition of Palestine. imemc.org Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, denied that President Vladimir Putin had blocked a 2016 UN Security Council's resolution that recognizes Palestinian statehood on the 1967 border lines. Zakharov's remarks came during a press briefing on Wednesday, in which she responded to claims by an Israeli online newspaper, Israel …

Pierre Dardot (2020-06-19). The Gilets Jaunes and the Invention of the Future. zcomm.org The politics of the Gilets Jaunes are often misunderstood or overlooked, yet the movement should be a point of reference for struggles across Europe…

_____ (2020-06-19). New Alliance Against China: D-10 Countries Threatened By China Unite Against It. popularresistance.org In late May, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom floated the idea of creating a new international platform—D10, or Democracy 10 alliance. The D10 is to comprise the Group of Seven (G7) states and three others; it will be discussed formally at the G7 meeting in June. The proposed members of the alliance are the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.), along with Australia, India and South Korea. The purpose of this alliance is not entirely for mutual benefit. The agenda, Boris Johnson suggests, is to attack China. | Many of the states in the D10 have been hi…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). EU extends sanctions on Russia: Merkel. yenisafak.com EU leaders have agreed to extend diplomatic and economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday. | Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, after a videoconference meeting of EU leaders, Merkel criticized Russia for not taking sufficient steps to implement the 2015 Minsk agreement, aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. | "In today's European Council meeting we decided to extend these sanctions for another six months," Merkel said. | The sanctions were first imposed in 2014 in response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and were later expand…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). EU must pay full $6.5B to Turkey: Top Hungary diplomat. yenisafak.com The EU should respect its commitment to Turkey and pay the entire sum of ‚Ǩ6 billion ($6.5 billion) promised under a 2016 deal to stem irregular migration, Hungary's foreign minister said Friday."Turkey has a crucial role in stopping illegal migration," which is why "the EU should pay the ‚Ǩ6 billion it previously promised to Turkey," Szijjarto said in streaming video on Facebook, speaking after a high-level videoconference with his counterparts from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.Szijjarto was referring to the 2016 Turke…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Russia comes out of pandemic with minimal loss: Putin. yenisafak.com Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia is coming out of the coronavirus pandemic "with minimal losses".At the same time, a lot of problems related to the pandemic remain on the agenda, Putin said at a video-conference with the country's government members."The most important thing is that this situation [of pandemic] united us all, this is a fact, and it allowed us to get out of this situation with minimal losses," he said.He recalled there are some regions where the daily growth in COVID-19 cases is still high."We are now talking about positive trends and positive examples. But we must not f…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Two wanted Daesh terrorists caught in SE Turkey. yenisafak.com Two women, both Russian citizens, who were wanted by Interpol for being members of the Daesh terrorist group, were arrested in Turkey's southeast in a joint operation by Turkish security and intelligence units on Friday.After being tipped off that a group of terrorists from Syria's war zones were entering Turkey illegally, an operation was conducted in coordination with the prosecutor's office in Kilis province.In the joint operation by police and the National Intelligence Organization, two women were apprehended in the central district of Kilis.The suspects were identified by the initials S.K (29) and R.E. (33),…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Spain increases coronavirus death toll to over 28,000. yenisafak.com Spain reported on Friday a total of 28,313 coronavirus deaths as of Thursday, after adjusting its database to avoid duplications and errors, a health ministry official said.The death toll series had not been updated since June 7, when Spain reported 27,136 deaths, while the country was implementing a new methodology for logging deaths and cases.

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Turkey's 'Tortum Waterfall' prepares for tourist boom. yenisafak.com Environmental planning around Tortum Waterfall in Turkey's eastern Erzurum province is underway to attract more visitors.Located on Erzurum-Artvin highway in northeastern Turkey, in the Uzundere district of Erzurum, Tortum is the country's biggest waterfall.Around 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) above the sea level, it is a natural wonder, with its water falling from a height of approximately 50 meters (164 feet).The waterfall attracts tourists both from Turkey and abroad.It is also nominated for UNESCO World Heritage List.With a collaborative effort of the governorate and the mayorship of Erzurum, the provincial autho…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Turk Telekom uses yuan for trade with China. yenisafak.com Turkey's telecommunications giant Turk Telekom took the first step to trade in local currencies through a new mechanism provided by Turkey and China's new swap agreement on Friday.The GSM firm used Chinese yuan for import payments after the swap agreement, which removed the obstacles for using local currencies in bilateral trade instead of a third country's currencies, Turk Telekom said in a press release.Earlier, the Turkish Central Bank announced that the first usage of the Chinese yuan funding under the swap agreement signed with China was realized on Thursday.According to the bank, Turkish companies in variou…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Turkey neutralizes three terrorists in N. Iraq operation. yenisafak.com Turkish army on Friday neutralized three terrorists as part of Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq, security sources said.Operation Claw-Tiger is being carried out in line with Turkey's legitimate defense rights arising from the international law, and is oriented against the PKK and other terrorist elements that have recently escalated harassment and attacks on Turkish security posts and base areas, threatening the security of border and civilians.The operation is continuing successfully.Operation Claw-Tiger, launched right after Operation Claw-Eagle, has been destroying terrorist targets in Haftanin, northern…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Turkey's Borsa Istanbul up 0.99% at close. yenisafak.com Turkey's benchmark stock index rose by 0.99% to 113,611.89 points at the closing session of Friday.Borsa Istanbul's BIST 100 index started the day at 111,327.92 points. It has earned 1,117.27 points from Thursday's close of 110,939.66 points.The price of one ounce of gold was $1,731.80 by market close, down from $1,722 at the previous close, according to data from Borsa Istanbul's Precious Metals and Diamond Markets.The price of Brent crude oil was around $42.60 per barrel as of 6 p.m. (1500GMT) on Friday.Exchange Rates Thursday Friday | USD/TRY 6.8580 6.8440 | EUR/TRY 7.6970 7.6850 | GBP/TRY 8.5420 8.5290…

sputniknews (2020-06-19). New Gene Sequencing Data Places European COVID-19 Strain at Center of Beijing Outbreak. sputniknews.com Genome sequencing data has revealed that the COVID-19 strain responsible for the most recent outbreak in Beijing traces back to a European one, according to recent studies.

sputniknews (2020-06-19). Putin WWII Article in US Magazine Expected to Provoke Robust Reactions, Editor Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin's article on World War II published in a major US foreign policy magazine this week is expected to spark fresh debate and robust responses from Western audiences, the publication's editor, Jacob Heilbrunn said on Friday.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-19). Iranian feature film 'Yalda' to vie at Croatian film festival. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 19 (MNA) — Iranian feature film 'Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness' directed by Masoud Bakhshi, has been accepted into the competition program of the Mediterranean Film Festival Split in Croatia.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-19). E3 to hold Iran talks in Berlin. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 19 (MNA) — Britain, France and Germany are set to hold a meeting on Friday to discuss their strategy toward Iran after their anti-Iran resolution was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency earlier today.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-19). Foreign Ministry confirms death of Iranian judge in Romania. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 19 (MNA) — An Iranian judge accused of corruption was found dead in Romania on Friday.

yenisafak (2020-06-18). Black EU lawmaker claims harassment by Brussels police. yenisafak.com A Black member of the European Parliament claims that she was harassed by the Brussels police.Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, a 71-year-old German lawmaker said that police brutally handled her near the Northern Railway Station of Brussels on Tuesday."It would not happen to white members of European Parliament "she said while participating in a debate on the anti-racism on Wednesday.The European Parliament's plenary session had been discussing anti-racism in the wake of protests ragging many cities across the globe following the death of George Floyd in the US.She said the incident happened when she saw nine police…

Voces en Lucha (2020-06-18). Daniel Gallardo and the Spanish walls. peoplesdispatch.org Prisons drag themselves through the humidity of this world, | walking the gloomy road of the courts: | They search for a person, they search for a people, | they chase them, absorb them, devour them. | Miguel Hernández | Spain has a long history of jails and penitentiary centers and thousands of social and political prisoners have passed through their walls. Not all of them survived. Since ancient times, punishment has been part of stratified societies, but the concept of ‚Äã‚Äãprison that we know today is a relatively modern idea. In the 16th century, prisons where prisoners o…

RT (2020-06-18). Serbia will reject EU membership without some yield on Kosovo deal, Vucic says, as he meets Lavrov. rt.com President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday he would reject European Union membership for Serbia if it does not receive concessions in return for recognizing Kosovo and dropping attempts to stop it joining the UN. | No resolution of Serbia's future relationship with its breakaway province will be possible without Moscow's consent, Vucic said after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Belgrade, according to Reuters. | "In reply to a possible offer [to Serbia] to recognize Kosovo and that Kosovo enters the UN, and we receive nothing in return, except EU membership, our answer would be 'No,'" Vucic s…

RT (2020-06-18). ÔªøNATO launches PROBE into France-Turkey naval standoff over Libya after Paris complains. rt.com NATO is looking into a run-in between the French and Turkish navies, the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg has said. The incident occurred when a French vessel attempted to check a ship suspected of smuggling arms to Libya. | "We have made sure that the NATO military authorities are investigating the incident to bring full clarity into what happened," NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said on Thursday. | France has publicly called out fellow NATO member Turkey for its actions, claiming that Ankara's frigates were acting "extremely aggressive" towards one of its naval vessels.The French ship tried to check a "

RT (2020-06-18). Berlin's threats will 'not be left unanswered' Russian ambassador says, after Germany links Chechen ex-militant's murder to Moscow. rt.com The Russian envoy to Germany, Sergey Nechaev, has blasted Berlin for blaming the murder of a former Chechen insurgent leader on a Russian "state entity". Such accusations lack proof and only hurt bilateral relations, he said. | "We consider the accusations leveled against the Russian authorities to be baseless and unsupported by evidence," Nechaev said in a statement, commenting on the latest indictment issued by the German prosecutors in relation to a high-profile murder that took place in Berlin's Tiergarten Park last August. | A 40-year-old man, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, was shot by a suspect identified as a…

RT (2020-06-18). Putin: 75 years after WW2, new global crisis calls for victorious anti-Nazi coalition to work together again. rt.com In 1945, they defeated Adolf Hitler and Imperial Japan. Now, 75 years on, Vladimir Putin believes that the present global health and economic emergency requires the Second World War allies to unite once more. | In a lengthy op-ed, published in American foreign policy journal 'The National Interest' and Russian government newspaper 'Rossiyskaya Gazeta,' the Russian president discusses the reasons behind the rise of the Nazis. He also outlines the benefits of…

RT (2020-06-18). Russian Deputy PM believes Covid-19 second wave can be avoided, Moscow denies lockdown to resume in fall. rt.com The dreaded second wave of coronavirus in Russia can be avoided if safety measures are observed, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, who has fronted the country's response to the pandemic. | Read more | | Meanwhile, Moscow's Department of Education has firmly denied media reports that self-isolation rules will again be introduced in the capital on September 20. The department slammed such speculation as provocative and untrue. | "The depart…

Matt Purple (2020-06-18). America: Too Weak to Rein in Its Own Empire. anti-empire.com A grievous blow to international security has just been dealt. President Donald Trump has announced that American troops are to be withdrawn from…Germany. Yes, Germany. Why are American troops in Germany? Because we have to fight them over there so we don't fight them here, you see, and there are few generators of terrorism and chaos in the world today quite like the Berlin club circuit. | The real surprise isn't that we're pulling troops out of Germany; it's that they're still there 75 years after World War II ended. And according to the White House, they aren't even all being withdrawn, just a quarter of them…

Andrei Martyanov (2020-06-18). Yeah, the Russians Have Carrier-Killing Missiles, but Can They Actually Hit the Ships? (Answer: Yes). anti-empire.com Anti-ship cruise missiles of operational-tactical purpose (RCC OTN) 3M55, 3M45 and 3M70 missile systems "Onyx", "Granite" and "Volcano" are rightfully considered the pride of the Russian Navy. However, there is an opinion that their outstanding flight range (500—700 km) is not provided by reliable target designation, and therefore is useless in practice. | In other words, it is generally accepted that the means of destruction available to Russia (which the media refer to only as "killer aircraft carriers") are almost meaningless in modern conditions. And all due to the fact that the Navy does not have the t…

Sheren Khalel (2020-06-18). The Empire Declares a "Maximum Pressure" War of Economic Strangulation on Devastated Syria. anti-empire.com The United States has imposed a sweeping set of new sanctions against any country, individual or entity that provides support to the Syrian government – a campaign that experts warn may devastate the lives of ordinary Syrians trying to survive and rebuild after nine years of war. | The Caesar Act, passed in Congress

Zero Hedge (2020-06-18). USAF Paints Fighter Jet Russian Color Scheme to Prepare for Dogfights. globalresearch.ca A General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon at Hill Air Force Base, located in northern Utah, recently had an exterior makeover paint scheme that mimics the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter, reported The 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron painted …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-06-18). France's Call on NATO to Stop Ignoring the "Turkey Problem". Further Divides the Alliance. globalresearch.ca The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and this calls to question why NATO still exists today. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO has militarily intervened in many sovereign countries such as Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, while also expanding …

South Front (2020-06-18). Video: Idlib Militants Attack Turkish-Russian Patrols as Turkey Shifts Focus to Northern Iraq. globalresearch.ca On June 16, a joint convoy of the Turkish Army and the Russian Military Police became the target of a new IED attack during a patrol along the M4 highway in southern Idlib. The explosion damaged a BTR-82A armored personnel …

Abayomi Azikiwe (2020-06-18). Ballots, Bullets and the African American Struggle in Georgia. globalresearch.ca Continuing problems with voter suppression and the brutal execution of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta highlights racism and national oppression in the contemporary South | *** | "This is why I say it's the ballot or the bullet. It's liberty or it's death. …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-18). Irish housing rights group demands ban on evictions during COVID-19 crisis. peoplesdispatch.org A Day of Action was observed on June 17 on the call of the Community Action Tenants Union of Ireland. The COVID-19 lockdown has worsened the plight of tenants and homeless people in Irish cities…

Caoimhghin àì Croidheáin (2020-06-18). Redrawing the Cultural Cityscape: The Destiny of Colonial Monuments in Ireland. globalresearch.ca "Symbols are what unite and divide people. Symbols give us our identity, our self-image,our way of explaining ourselves to others. Symbols in turn determine the kinds of stories we tell; and the stories we tell determine the kind of history …

WSWS (2020-06-18). Moscow court sentences ex-US Marine to 16 years for espionage. wsws.org The case of Paul Whelan, which has unfolded against the background of heightened military tensions between the US and Russia and a hysterical anti-Russia campaign in the US media, is extremely murky.