(2020-08-06). EU to mobilize over ‚Ǩ33 million to support Lebanon. yenisafak.com The European Union is mobilizing over ‚Ǩ33 million for Lebanon after Tuesday's deadly explosion at Beirut's port, the head of the EU Commission told Lebanon's premier over the phone on Thursday.According to a readout of the phone call issued by the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen told Hassan Diab the bloc will provide further support depending on the ongoing humanitarian needs assessment.The EU's long-term support to help with the city's reconstruction also discussed during the phone call.The 27-member bloc Wednesday announced that it activated its "Civil Protection Mechanism" and send…
(2020-08-06). Ireland and Slavery: Debating the 'Irish Slaves Myth'. counterpunch.org 
Over recent months, social media in Ireland and the United States has been saturated with claims and counterclaims about 'Irish slaves' and a broader controversy about Irish complicity in the transatlantic slave trade. The timing of the 'debate' is far from coincidental: a series of false and malicious assertions that the American far Right have
(2020-08-06). A Lethal Traffic Stop in Georgia. thenation.com A Lethal Traffic Stop in Georgia…
(2020-08-05). Headlines for August 5, 2020. democracynow.org Massive Explosion Tears Through Beirut, Leaving Hundreds Missing and Thousands Injured, Lebanon's PM Says 2,700 Tons of Ammonium Nitrate Sparked "National Catastrophe" in Beirut, Mississippi Becomes Biggest U.S. Coronavirus Hot Spot as Governor Mandates Masks, Georgia Prisoners Livestream Video From Prison Uprising Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Chicago Schools Cancel September Classes as Union Threatens Strike Over Coronavirus Safety, U.N. Warns Coronavirus School Closures Have Impacted Over One Billion Students, Brazil COVID-19 Deaths Approach 100,000 as Infections Surge in India, Black Lives Matter & Ferguson Acti…
(2020-08-05). Trump Has A Path To Victory. It's Voter Suppression. therealnews.com 
The real threat facing the 2020 election isn't Russian interference or voter fraud, it's the GOP's massive voter suppression effort, argues journalist Greg Palast.
(2020-08-05). Turkey 'neutralized' more than 100 terrorists in July. yenisafak.com Turkish security forces "neutralized" more than 100 terrorists in July, a government official said on Wednesday.Speaking at a monthly news briefing, Turkish Interior Ministry spokesman Ismail Catakli said the country "neutralized" 105 terrorists, including 80 PKK/KCK, 23 Daesh/ISIS, two leftist terror group members.Catakli added that five of them were on the gray category of the Interior Ministry's wanted terrorists list with up to a bounty of 500,000 Turkish liras ($71,246) on each head.The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and g…
(2020-08-05). Cyprus ready to help EU 'fill E. Mediterranean power vacuum' amid alleged US disengagement. rt.com 
The European Union must do more to fill a power void in the eastern Mediterranean brought on by a perceived US disengagement from the region, Cyprus' foreign minister said on Wednesday. The island nation is ready to host an EU task force to achieve that goal, AP quoted Nikos Christodoulides as saying. | The EU has so far failed to use its ample "soft power" to position itself as the leading player in a region fraught with problems such as terrorism and illegal immigration, the minister said. | The bloc should pursue a more muscular policy, with a larger military footprint in the region, the diplomat noted, lau…
(2020-08-05). Former acting AG Yates says she signed bogus FISA requests to spy on Trump campaign because it's not her job to do fact-checking. rt.com 
Former acting attorney general Sally Yates continued clinging to the possibility that President Donald Trump colluded with Russia to get elected in 2016, testifying in the Senate that she couldn't opine on whether he's guilty. | Asked on Wednesday by Louisiana Republican John Kennedy whether Trump violated the law by somehow colluding with Russia, Yates said the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller found
(2020-08-05). Polling suggests 'regime change' in Russia would lead to far-right or Communist Kremlin, pro-Western liberals have no support. rt.com 
One of the great mysteries in US/UK analysis of Russia is the apparently almost universally accepted belief that the implosion of Putin's system would somehow gift Moscow 'back' to the West, resetting the clock to the 1990s. | The general consensus seems to be that Russians are secretly bursting with desire for 'freedom,' counting down the days until they can re-embrace Uncle Sam. Never mind the fact that even Boris Yeltsin's pro-American administration became increasingly disillusioned with Washington during his second term in the Kremlin. And, most famously, Yevgeny Primakov, then prime minister, turned his…
(2020-08-05). US-German Relations Are Beyond Repair as Result of Decades-long Clash of Views & Ideas. Troop Pullout Is Only a Symptom. globalresearch.ca While the Trump administration sells the decision to withdraw US troops from Germany as a strengthening of NATO force alignment, the reality is it's merely the latest manifestation of a relationship on the decline for decades. | The …
(2020-08-05). Pentagon Plans to Destroy Dozens of Soviet Cities and the So-called Cold War. globalresearch.ca Though remaining unmentioned in official texts, the origins of the dubiously titled Cold War can be traced to policies pursued by American leaders during World War II itself. Following Nazi Germany's calamitous defeat at Stalingrad in early 1943, Washington's ongoing …
(2020-08-05). Dismissal of public school workers in Portugal met with widespread condemnation. peoplesdispatch.org Massive reductions are due to take place in public schools in Portugal even as reports highlight an imminent risk of lack of school professionals in the upcoming academic year because of the COVID-19 pandemic…
(2020-08-05). Pro-US liberal opposition promotes greater power for regional authorities in Russian protests. wsws.org The political intervention of the pro-US "liberal" opposition is aimed, above all, at turning sections of the upper-middle class and the oligarchy against Putin and winning them for a right-wing "palace coup."
(2020-08-05). COVID-19 surges in Spain as government pushes reopening of schools. wsws.org The return to school is a criminal policy exposing children, teachers, families and neighbourhoods to serious illness and death.
(2020-08-05). As COVID-19 surges, infected Turkish workers forced back to work. wsws.org The coronavirus is again spreading unrestrainedly in Turkey due to the criminal back-to-work policies of the ruling class.
(2020-08-05). New envoys of Oman, Germany submit credentials to Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 06 (MNA) — The new ambassadors of Oman and Germany submitted a copy of their credentials to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday.
(2020-08-05). I Was Wrong: Congress Isn't Cowardly; It's Evil! popularresistance.org Now that Congress has shown the "courage" of its combat-continuation "convictions," expect a repeat performance enabling the next (potentially extinctive) war — this time in Europe. As I noted with exasperation here last week, congressional majorities are appalled, just appalled, by Trump's plan to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany. It doesn't matter that the Europeans can capably handle their own defense in the event of a future war that America's expatriate-soldiers shouldn't risk, can't win, and mustn't be fought. At least if our species-mates would like to meet their prospective grandkids. After all,…
(2020-08-05). Iconoclasm No More: UK Returns 12 Stolen Orthodox Relics to Greece. sputniknews.com Greece recently welcomed back 12 stolen Greek Orthodox icons from the United Kingdom.
(2020-08-05). Militants Shell Localities in Syria's Idlib, Aleppo Provinces, Russian Military Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* terrorist group has attacked settlements in Syria's provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, Rear Admiral Alexander Shcherbitsky, the head of the Russian Defence Ministry's centre for Syrian reconciliation, said at a briefing.
(2020-08-05). Water Wars and America's Fate. strategic-culture.org India versus China, Egypt versus Ethiopia, Israel versus the Palestinians — the Water Wars are already here with U.S., yet American and European policymakers remain disastrously blind to them. This is certain to have catastrophic consequences for the wealthy, arrogant and ludicrously complacent elites of the West. | The problem is particularly acute in the United States: Indeed, it has been growing for half a century but has reached such enormous dimensions in the 21st century that neocon imperialist Republican, neoliberal imperialist Democratic and Green policymakers are all oblivious to it. | How can this…
(2020-08-05). EU to send search and rescue teams to Beirut. yenisafak.com The European Union is sending search and rescue teams to Beirut after a deadly explosion at the city's port, it announced on Wednesday."The EU Civil Protection Mechanism is now coordinating the urgent deployment of over 100 highly trained firefighters, with vehicles, dogs and equipment, specialized in search and rescue in urban contexts," a statement on the European Council's website said.The 27-member bloc offered condolences to those who have lost their loved ones, and offered its full support to the Lebanese people."As an immediate first step, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated upon request o…
(2020-08-05). Turkey stresses import of European watchdog reports. yenisafak.com Turkey values the Council of Europe's independent monitoring mechanisms and its cooperation with them, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.The assertion was part of a statement announcing the release of reports by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its 2017 and 2019 visits to Turkey.The ministry stressed that the reports, available on the CPT website, were released with Ankara's authorization and include the Turkish government's responses."Turkey attaches importance to the independent monitoring mechanisms of the Council of Eur…
(2020-08-05). France's Macron to travel to Beirut on Thursday. yenisafak.com Macron, who spoken to Lebanese President Michel Aoun shortly after the blast, has already ordered French emergency assistance be sent to Lebanon, a country with deep historical ties to France.
(2020-08-05). Turkey rescues 74 asylum seekers in Aegean. yenisafak.com Turkey on Wednesday rescued 74 asylum seekers, who were pushed back by Greek forces into Turkish territorial waters, according to security sources.In a rescue operation, the Turkish Coast Guard rescued the asylum seekers, who set off for the Greek island of Lesbos, off the coast of Ayvalik district in the northwestern Turkish province of Balikesir.They were on board two rubber boats that were pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by the Greek Coast Guard, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cr…
(2020-08-05). Turkey: Auto sales rise 387.5% year-on-year in July. yenisafak.com Turkey's passenger car and light commercial vehicle (LCV) sales surged by 387.5% year-on-year in July, according to an industry group on Wednesday.Vehicle sales in the country totaled 87,401 last month, up from 17,927 in July 2019, the Automotive Distributors' Association (ODD) said in a statement.Some 17,974 light commercial vehicle and 69,427 passenger-car were sold in the month, rising 350.9% and 610.7% respectively year-on-year.In January-June, the automotive market also expanded 60.3% on an annual basis to 341,469.Passenger car sales posted a rise of 58.9% to 273,022, and LCV sales soared 65.8% year-on-year…
(2020-08-04). Armenia's Risky Tovuz Strategy Dramatically Backfired. thealtworld.com The latest clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan occurred along their shared border in Tovuz, north of Nagorno-Karabakh. Both sides blame one another but a compelling argument can be made that Armenia was the aggressor. Azerbaijan has no dispute with Armenia over this territory and has nothing to gain by destabilizing this strategy region through which important international energy pipelines and the BTK railway pass. The Mingachevir Dam is also located nearby, and if Armenia attacked it during another war, then the consequences would be disastrous for the millions of Azerbaijanis downstream. | It's actually…
(2020-08-04). Migrant farmworkers in Spain protest amid COVID-19 surge. wsws.org Low-paid agricultural workers are seen as an entirely dispensable workforce, forced to work back-breaking days in appalling conditions.
(2020-08-04). As fall semester approaches, students fret about their institution's safety. peoplesworld.org 
NEWMARKET, N.H. — Students across the nation are preparing for the most turbulent semester of their lives. Post-secondary school administrators have started rolling out their strategies to combat the surge of COVID-19 cases and prevent a public relations disaster as the result of subsequent cluster outbreaks on their campuses. While it's safe to say that …
(2020-08-04). Greece reports highest single-day increase in virus infections in weeks. rt.com 
The top scientific adviser in Greece has warned against complacency over continuing risks from coronavirus, after the country reported its highest single-day increase in infections in weeks. | Authorities reported 121 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday after a steady rise over the past 10 days. Tuesday's tally was the highest since April 22, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 4,855 since the start of the outbreak in late February. There have been 209 deaths recorded in total, Reuters said. | Professor Sotiris Tsiodras, who gave his first public briefing after a more than two-month hiatus, sai…
(2020-08-04). 'We can't risk going backwards': Ireland to take very cautious approach to easing coronavirus restrictions, Varadkar says. rt.com 
Ireland plans to take "a very cautious approach" to easing Covid-19 restrictions in the coming weeks, Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said. | Tuesday's statement came ahead of a government meeting that will decide whether to reopen bars or ease travel restrictions, Reuters reported. | "I know that is going to come as a further blow to some of the sectors that are not being reopened, but we just can't risk going backwards," he told reporters in Dublin, following advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team.
(2020-08-04). Back to normality? With Covid-19 measures removed, Russian demand for cash falls to pre-crisis levels. rt.com 
When Russians saw the destructive potential of the Covid-19 pandemic, many rushed to the bank to take out their cash. Now, just a few months later, the demand for physical money is back to levels last seen before lockdown. | In July, about 179 billion rubles ($2.4 billion) were put into circulation — a steep drop from the whopping 700.9 billion ($9.5 billion) in March. | Banks began to experience a rapid outflow of customer funds in March after a collapse in oil prices, the Ruble exchange rate, and the first phase of Covid-19 measures. According to Russia's Central Bank, the combination of financial crisi…
(2020-08-04). All volunteers in Russian Covid-19 trials in good health as tests suggest new drug 'Avifavir' capable of suppressing virus. rt.com 
Some good news in the fight against coronavirus. A vaccine trial in Novosibirsk has reported that none of its participants have suffered side effects. Meanwhile, a new Russian medicine appears to be effective against Covid-19. | All volunteers inoculated by the Vector State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology, in the Siberian capital, are in good health, it was announced on Tuesday. Shortly afterwards. Russian medics revealed the results of the pilot part of phases two and three of clinical trials of Avifavir, a domestic favipiravir-based drug capable of suppressing the coronavirus. | Avifavir accele…
(2020-08-04). Lithuania's Alleged Involvement in 2014 Ukraine Maidan Coup. globalresearch.ca New scandalous information about the 2014 Maidan coup d'état in Ukraine has emerged that implicates Lithuania's important role in instigating the violent events. David Zhvania, a former Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, revealed on his
(2020-08-04). Europeans Are Waking Up to Government COVID Tyranny. Why Are We Still Asleep? globalresearch.ca Tens of thousands of Germans marched through Berlin on Saturday, proclaiming a "Day of Freedom" and demanding an end to government-mandated face masks and "social distancing." The UK and Netherlands also saw large protests against their governments' tyrannical actions in …
(2020-08-04). Belarus: Early Voting for Presidential Elections Begins. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, citizens of Belarus began voting in advance for the August 9 presidential elections, in which President Alexander Lukashenko hopes to be reelected to continue to his sixth consecutive term. | RELATED: | The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) reports that 9.5million citizens have been called to vote and 5,767 polling stations have been installed. | Until August 8, citizens will be able to cast their votes in th…
(2020-08-04). The US troop withdrawal and the return of German militarism. wsws.org The American withdrawal plans serve the ruling class in Europe and Germany as an excuse to accelerate their own rearmament plans.
(2020-08-04). Pulling Out of Germany: Trump Adjusts the Military Furniture. counterpunch.org One noisy theme in the Donald Trump Disruption Show in an otherwise chaotic assemblage of messages has remained fairly constant: winding back US troop commitments. The US has fought its complement of wars, bloodied and bloodying. Time to up stakes and head home. It was a message that sold in 2016 across the aisles of
(2020-08-04). The Confessions and Polemics of Esmeralda "The Red" Chang. dissidentvoice.org On American Democracy In American political discourse we frequently hear the term "our democracy." For example, the Russiagaters are fond of this term. The term grates. The sound of the utterance "our democracy" is not as bad as the sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard, but it's reminiscent. It's been said that a great advantage …
(2020-08-04). King Juan Carlos I Flees to the Caribbean to Evade Justice. telesurenglish.net King Juan Carlos I Tuesday arrived in the Dominican Republic after abandoning Spain amid a judicial investigation into possible illegal financial operations. | RELATED: | The member of the royal house left Spain amid a trial in which authorities inquire about the commissions that Saudi Arabia's King gave Juan Carlos I during the construction of a high-speed train. | The King's decision to escape his country has revitalized intern…
(2020-08-04). Education in COVID-19 Era; Protests in Bolivia; America's Obsession With Russia. sputniknews.com As US schools reopen, will COVID-19 lead to more elitism and systematic disparities in education?
(2020-08-04). Ireland: PM Announces Precautionary Measures Close To Reopening. telesurenglish.net Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin announced Tuesday that pubs, hotels bars, and nightclubs would not reopen on Monday, August 10, despite lockdown easing plans. | RELATED: | "I know that this will come as a blow to pub owners, and I want them to know I have enormous sympathy for their plight. This virus is taking away their ability to earn a living, to provide a key service in the heart of many communities," Martin said. | Besides, gatherings up to 200 people…
(2020-08-03). Poland's "Lublin Triangle" Will Create Lots of Trouble for Russia-Belarus Relations. globalresearch.ca Poland's ambitions to restore its long-lost Great Power status in Europe received a fresh impetus following the establishment of the so-called "Lublin Triangle" between itself, Lithuania, and Ukraine that de-facto aims to revive the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as the core of …
(2020-08-03). Former president Medvedev warns Russia set to make it harder for migrants to get work permits as Saudi-style system on cards. rt.com 
In a surprise move, Russia may tighten visa rules for foreign workers. Former President Dmitry Medvedev says the measure is being considered in response to law and order issues exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. | He told a meeting in Moscow that the possibility of moving to the system favored in Saudi Arabia, where the employer is fully responsible for labor migrants, is being discussed. | "[The expert community] proposes changing the order of entry for migrant workers to Russia," Medvedev explained, the TASS news agency reported. "This means giving such permission to a foreign citizen only in the case of an u…
(2020-08-03). Brexit to blame? Britons miffed after poll shows most EU citizens WOULD NOT help UK in a crisis. rt.com 
A new YouGov survey suggests it's a case of unrequited love between the UK and EU member states. A majority of European participants said they'd be unwilling to help Britain in a crisis — much to the annoyance of many Britons.
(2020-08-03). France won't ratify extradition treaty with Hong Kong, Foreign Ministry says. rt.com 
Paris has decided not to ratify an extradition agreement with Hong Kong after China's central government in Beijing imposed a new national security law on the city. "In light of the latest developments, France won't proceed with the ratification" of the 2017 extradition agreement with Hong Kong "as it stands," AP quoted the French Foreign Ministry's spokesperson as saying in a written statement on Monday. | Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong last month amid fears that the central Chinese government was infringing on the city's freedoms and loca…
(2020-08-03). Poland's top court confirms Duda as president, declares complaints insufficient to void election results. rt.com 
The Supreme Court of Poland on Monday upheld the re-election of President Andrzej Duda. The court decided that complaints about the validity of the presidential election did not necessitate a rerun. | The ruling paves the way for Duda to take the oath of office before both chambers of parliament on Thursday, AP reports. The court evaluated some 6,000 election complaints from voters as well as from the team of the candidate that Duda faced in a runoff, the liberal Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski. | Duda won 51.03 percent of the vote and Trzaskowski 48.97 percent in the July 12 election. | Ninety-two alleged viol…
(2020-08-03). Putin signs law legalizing Bitcoin & other cryptocurrencies, lifting them out of Russian legal 'grey-zone'. rt.com 
Digital financial assets, including cryptocurrencies, will be permitted to —Åirculate legally in Russia soon, but if you're planning to go shopping with bitcoin, or other variants, forget it. They won't be legal tender. | According to the new rules, due to come into force in January 2021, Russian citizens will be allowed to buy and sell bitcoin and other digital denominations. Until now, various cryptocurrencies have been in a "grey zone," as the state did not recognize their existence, but no penalties for mining or buying them existed either. | The law signed by President Vladimir Putin on Friday…
(2020-08-03). Russia could produce MILLIONS of Covid-19 vaccines every single month by 2021 — Trade & Industry Minister. rt.com 
Production of Russia's homegrown coronavirus vaccine is due to begin in September, and by the start of 2021, the country could be creating several million doses a month. That's according to Russia's Minister of Trade and Industry. | Denis Manturov told news agency TASS that the vaccine will be produced in three Russian regions – Vladimir, Yaroslavl and Moscow Oblast – with a view to a widespread immunization campaign starting in October. | Moscow's Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, which led the research of the domestic drug, has partnered with companies Generium, R-Pharm, and Binnopharm, wit…
(2020-08-03). Spain plans to roll out its Covid-19 tracing app in September. rt.com 
Authorities in Spain aim to roll out a contact-tracing app across the country in September. They said on Monday that a pilot showed it could detect almost twice as many potential infections as human trackers during a simulated outbreak on La Gomera, an island next to the tourist hotspot of Tenerife in the Canary archipelago. | Spain used a new system developed by Google and Apple, which holds data on individual devices to ensure privacy, to build an app that it tested in July, Reuters reports. | Now the government aims to offer it to regional health authorities who could have it ready by mid-September, and fro…
(2020-08-03). American Troops to Leave Germany: Is It Goodbye or Just Auf Wiedersehen? globalresearch.ca The continued presence of tens of thousands of American military personnel in Europe seventy-five years after the end of the Second World War is rarely questioned either by politicians or the mainstream media. Currently there is little recollection of how, …