(2020-09-03). Russiagate Or Impeachment, Because Those Were Fake Things. indybay.org Caitlin Johnstone writes about the end of illusions. | "Peace is not everything, but without it, everything becomes nothing" (Willy Brandt). You can have peace or the US empire. You can't have both.
(2020-09-03). Putin Didn't Fall for Lukashenko's Claim that Poland Intends to Annex Belarus' Grodno Region. globalresearch.ca Lukashenko's entirely speculative claim last week about Poland's supposed intention to annex Belarus' Grodno region was nothing more than an attempt to trick Putin into "pulling a Crimea" by compelling him to comply with Russia's CSTO mutual defense obligations to …
(2020-09-03). US Determined To Make Assange Pay For Exposing The Cruelty Of Its War. popularresistance.org The hearing that Assange will face has nothing to do with the reasons for his arrest from the embassy of Ecuador in London on April 11, 2019. He was arrested that day for his failure to surrender in 2012 to the British authorities, who would have extradited him to Sweden; in Sweden, at that time, there were accusations of sexual offenses against Assange that were dropped in November 2019. Indeed, after the Swedish authorities decided not to pursue Assange, he should have been released by the UK government. But he was not. | The true reason for the arrest was never the charge in Sweden; it was the desire of the U.
(2020-09-03). Putin "Can't Afford to See Belarus Fall" as Protests Calling for Lukashenko's Ouster Enter 4th Week. democracynow.org 
Mass protests entered their fourth week in Belarus to demand the ouster of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who claimed victory in the country's August 9 election that critics say was rigged. But Lukashenko shows no sign of backing down, and authorities have responded to protests with violence and arrests. Sadakat Kadri, a human rights lawyer and writer, says Russian President Vladimir Putin is invested in keeping Lukashenko in power. "He can't afford to see Belarus fall," Kadri notes.
(2020-09-03). UN sends 65 trucks with aid to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com The UN on Thursday dispatched 65 trucks with humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria, where millions of people remain in need of assistance due to internal conflict.The trucks crossed over into Syria's Idlib province from the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's southern Hatay province.Some 1,625 tons of basic food supplies 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.
(2020-09-03). EU urges Greece to respect rights of asylum seekers. yenisafak.com "We fully expect the Greek authorities to act in accordance with the law. In case of any breach of EU law, we expect the authorities to investigate the facts and to appropriately follow up," Adalbert Janhz, the European Commission's spokesman on home affairs and citizenship, commented on recent remarks by Greek Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis.Plakiotakis — whose ministry is in charge of the coast guard — said on Wednesday that Greece this year stopped more than 10,000 migrants trying to cross to the country by boat."We had 68 cases of prevention and we succeeded in 3,000 people not entering our country" i…
(2020-09-03). Belarus overthrow campaign aims to destroy last traces of Soviet socialism. peoplesworld.org 
Our television screens are currently awash with images of protesters on the streets of Belarusian towns and cities. Images of masses of civilians holding red and white flags are flooding the European media. Rolling news footage of presidential candidates meeting high-ranking EU officials is part of a sustained campaign to give defeated candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya …
(2020-09-03). Putin "Can't Afford to See Belarus Fall" counterpunch.org 
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(2020-09-03). Lifting Embargo on American Non-lethal Arms to Cyprus Is Aimed Against Russia. US Militarization of the Eastern Mediterranean. globalresearch.ca Washington announced the lifting of the embargo to sell American-made non-lethal equipment to the Republic of Cyprus. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, told Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiadis over the phone on Tuesday that Washington decided to lift the …
(2020-09-03). Montenegro: Muslims threatened with genocide. yenisafak.com Muslims living in Montenegro were threatened with genocide after the Sunday general election results showed the country's future policy leaning more towards Russia and Serbia. | Elections resulted in the long-governing Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) winning majority of the votes. But it lost majority in the National Assembly to the opposition For the Future of Montenegro alliance, led by the Democratic Front (DF), leaning more towards Russia and Serbia. | The DF is known for its anti-NATO stance and closeness to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC). | Those who gathered around the churches sang Serbian nationa…
(2020-09-03). Montenegro: Pro-Russia, pro-West parties win nearly same number of seats. yenisafak.com Montenegro's Sunday general election results blink an eye to the country's future policy in terms of its either Euro-Atlantic integration or tendency to lean more towards Russia and Serbia.Elections resulted in the long governing Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) winning the majority of the votes but losing in the majority in the National Assembly to the opposition wing.President Milo Djukanovic's pro-Western DPS, which ruled the country for 30 years, won 30 seats at the parliament, while the opposition For the Future of Montenegro alliance led by the Democratic Front (DF), leaning more towards Russia and Serb…
(2020-09-03). JCPOA Signatories in Vienna Reject Snapback Sanctions on Iran. globalresearch.ca Hegemon USA increasingly finds itself isolated on the world stage. | The harder it pressures, bullies, otherwise threatens and/or bludgeons other countries to bend to its will, the further its isolation longer-term. | On Tuesday, Joint Commission of the JCPOA signatories Russia, …
(2020-09-03). Lithuania Blocks the Development of Its Own Economy. globalresearch.ca Admittedly, a lot of good happened over the last years in Lithuania, but unfortunately we have also see political leadership that is not interested in developing their own country. | Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
(2020-09-03). Britain's Coming Winter of Discontent — What It Looks Like. truepublica.org.uk By TruePublica Editor: The summer recess is over — and now we are staring at reality — like a loaded gun at Russian roulette. Our future is now made up of trigger pulls, of 'ifs.' What if Covid comes back just as bad, what if we have a really cold winter and the NHS is …
(2020-09-03). The US Expeditionary Kleptocracy. popularresistance.org Of course, a desperate US military — and its Washington masters — had an expedient solution for the ethno-sectarian strife they'd catalyzed: consider it the Lebanon formula. So America's orientalist ambassadors — most, staggeringly young Republican stalwarts with no knowledge of the Mideast — imported France's imperial Levantine blueprint. Essentially, this meant sectarian quotas and preferences for political office: a Kurdish president, Sunni parliamentary speaker, and Shia prime minister. The French have actually added the term for this disastrous recipe — libanisation — to t…
(2020-09-03). This Public US University Has Seen Grades Soar Despite COVID-19. popularresistance.org If anywhere was going to take a pummeling from the coronavirus, you'd think it would be a place like Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. | Georgia State is not a glamorous flagship university — that would be the University of Georgia in Athens, the spiritual home of the Bulldogs, REM and the B-52s. It's more of a workhorse public institution, with a large population of students who come from low-income households and have to work at least one paying job outside their studies to make ends meet.
(2020-09-03). Four Imperial engineers win ERC Starting Grants worth €6 million. imperial.ac.uk Four Imperial engineers have won European Research Council Starting Grants worth €6 million in total.
(2020-09-03). Putin Wants Belarus Dictator to Retain Power — But the Masses Are Still Rising. truthout.org Mass protests entered their fourth week in Belarus to demand the ouster of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who claimed victory in the country's August 9 election that critics say was rigged. But Lukashenko shows no sign of backing down, and authorities have responded to protests with violence and arrests. Sadakat Kadri, a human rights lawyer and writer, says Russian President Vladimir Putin is invested in keeping Lukashenko in power. "He can't afford to see Belarus fall," Kadri not…
(2020-09-03). Turkey: Family reunites with son kidnapped by PKK. yenisafak.com One more family on Thursday reunited with its son kidnapped by the PKK terrorist organization in southeastern Turkey.An aggrieved family's longing has come to an end as Erkan Akkus, abducted and took to the mountains by the terrorists four years ago, surrendered to the Turkish security forces.The Akkus family was known for joining a sit-in protest against the YPG/PKK terror group in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, outside the office of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which the government accuses of having links to the terrorist organization.The protest began on Sept. 3 last year in Diyarbakir when Fevzi…
(2020-09-03). Akdamar Church to hold mass with COVID-19 measures. yenisafak.com Akdamar Church in Turkey's eastern province of Van will host the 8th special mass Sunday amid precautionary measures due to COVID-119. | The mass, which gathers thousands of local and international tourists in Van, will be held with a limited number of visitors this year as part of virus measures, Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez told Anadolu Agency. | The mass will be aired live. A team of 25 people will come from Istanbul to perform the ritual for which all necessary measures are in place, Bilmez added. Other visitors will not be allowed to the island during the mass, he underlined. | The 1,100-year-old Akdamar…
(2020-09-03). Merkel says response to Navalny poisoning depends on Russia. yenisafak.com Speaking at a news conference with the Swedish Prime Minister, she said she had nothing further to add to her statement on Wednesday when she condemned the attempted murder of a Russian opposition figure and demanded Moscow's help.
(2020-09-03). Bodies of 5 children found at Germany apartment. yenisafak.com German police found on Thursday bodies of five children at an apartment in the town of Solingen in western Germany.A 27-year-old mother is suspected of killing the children, sources told German Press Agency dpa.A police spokesperson in Wuppertal confirmed the news but did not give any further details.Investigation has begun, and the residential block is surrounded by police officers and emergency services. | *Writing and contribution by Iclal Turan in Ankara…
(2020-09-03). Turkish director to be honored at Venice Film Festival. yenisafak.com Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek will receive the special SIAE Award on Thursday at the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival, which kicked off amid strict safety measures and fewer celebrities due to the coronavirus pandemic.Ozpetek has shot many of his movies in Italy, where he has been based for years, including the latest, La Dea Fortuna (The Fortune Goddess), which was successfully screened in Italian theatres before the COVID-19 outbreak hit the country hard in late February.The popular director — who has been often celebrated by the Venice Film Festival — will receive the SIAE Award as part o…
(2020-09-03). Watchdog orders Netflix to block 'Cuties' film in Turkey. yenisafak.com Turkey's broadcasting watchdog said on Thursday it will order Netflix to block access local to the soon-to-be-released film "Cuties" on grounds that it contains images of child exploitation.The ruling came ahead of the Sept. 9 international release of the French film on the U.S. online streaming service. It followed recent media reports of Turkish government interference in a separate planned Netflix series featuring a gay character.The plot of "Cuties" centres on an 11-year-old Muslim girl who "starts to rebel against her conservative family's traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance cr…
(2020-09-03). Russian FM praises 3rd round of Syrian peace talks. yenisafak.com Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised on Thursday the results of the third round of the Syrian peace talks in Geneva."Not everything was resolved, not everything was agreed upon, but in general, we consider the meeting fruitful and meaningful," Lavrov said at a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in Moscow.He urged Pedersen to step up efforts in repatriation of Syrians who want to return, saying it will help ease "the unbearable burden borne by the refugees host countries, primarily Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey".In turn, Pedersen joined Lavrov's assessments, saying he did not expect "mira…
(2020-09-03). Ertugrul's Dogan Alp sends message to Pakistani fans in Urdu. yenisafak.com Turkish actor Cavit àáetin Gàºner, who played Dogan Alp in the globally-popular historical drama "Resurrection: Ertugrul," posted an Instagram story apologizing to disappointed fans for canceling a planned visit to his "second home" Pakistan.The Turkish actor revealed that he was forced to postpone the trip after the entire travel plan, which was organized by a Pakistani lawyer living in Turkey, turned out to be a scam."I apologize to the Pakistanis. In Turkey, I met a man named Musawair Abbasi, who was a lawyer, and we talked and agreed on a business plan. However, later I found out that the business…
(2020-09-03). Alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader a 'grave concern', says chemical weapons watchdog. news.un.org The allegation that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by a Cold War-era nerve agent is "a matter of grave concern", the head of the UN-backed Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Thursday.
(2020-09-03). Germany Alleges Alexei Navalny Poisoned with Nerve Agent Used in Salisbury. globalresearch.ca In a Navalny …
(2020-09-03). The Reason Why Italy Deploys Its Fighters in Lithuania. globalresearch.ca In Europe civil air traffic is expected to drop by 60% this year compared to 2019, due to Covid-19 restrictions, putting more than 7 million jobs at risk. On the other hand, military air traffic is growing. | On Friday, August …
(2020-09-02). Russiagate Or Impeachment, Bec ause Those Were False Things. indybay.org Caitlin Johnstone writes about the end of illusions. | "Peace is not everything, but without it, everything becomes nothing" (Willy Brandt). You can have peace or the US empire. You can't have both.
(2020-09-02). Headlines for September 2, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Refuses to Join Global Effort to Develop COVID-19 Vaccine, NIH Panel: No Evidence Convalescent Plasma Works Despite FDA Approval, Florida Cuts Ties to Quest Diagnostics over Delay in COVID-19 Tests, Faced with Possible Teacher Strike, NYC Delays Reopening Schools Until Sept. 21, Russia Surpasses 1 Million COVID Cases; India Becomes New Epicenter, Trump Travels to Kenosha But Never Says Name of Jacob Blake, Trump Spreads Conspiracy Theories About Biden, "Dark Shadows" & Thugs on Airplanes, Sheriff Deputies in L.A. Shoot Dead Black Bicyclist Stopped over Alleged Bike Violation, Over 50 Black Former Franchise O…
(2020-09-02). NATO Begins Provocative Military Exercises on Russian Border. globalresearch.ca Once again, NATO is operating dangerous and bold military maneuvers in regions close to the European Russian border. This time, the country hosting the tests is Estonia, a Baltic State that in recent decades has been characterized by a strong …
(2020-09-02). European governments end furlough schemes amid jobs massacre. wsws.org A study by the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that 59 million workers in Europe, over a quarter of the entire workforce, are in jobs that are seriously at risk.
(2020-09-02). Forging Unity within the Working Class. dissidentvoice.org 
In its desperate race to survive its series of crises, capitalism keeps clinging onto its old tool of dividing the working class. But, since commencing its political fight, the working class has uplifted a different call: Workers of the world unite! More than one hundred years ago, the proletariat in Russia trampled over all the …
(2020-09-02). The Twilight of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. counterpunch.org 
It is time for the United States to debate the downsizing, if not the dissolution, of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). U.S. national security would be strengthened by the demise of NATO because Washington would no longer have to guarantee the security of 14 Central and East European nations, including the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. European defense coordination and integration would be more manageable without the participation of authoritarian governments in Poland and Hungary. Key West European nations presumably would favor getting out from under the use of U.S. military powe…
(2020-09-02). The Heat: Iran nuclear deal and U.S. sanctions. america.cgtn.com 
The United States seeks to re-impose sanctions on Iran. It was back in 2015 when Iran agreed to a long-term deal on its nuclear program with a group of world powers known as the P5+1 — the U.S., UK, France, China, Russia and Germany. The …
(2020-09-02). Germany's allegations about Navalny could be justification for pre-planned anti-Russian 'response' — Russian Foreign Ministry. rt.com 
Moscow says it's witnessing yet another instance of Western politicians preferring "loud public statements" instead of evidence and facts when it comes to the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny. | The Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs has published a statement in which it lashed out at Berlin after the German government claimed that Navalny was "poisoned" by a "Novichok class nerve agent." Since the end of August, when the anti-corruption campaigner was sent to Germany from Russia for treatment, Berlin has been neglecting bilateral cooperation mechanisms that would allow Russia to…
(2020-09-02). Despite stereotypes about dependence on hydrocarbons, Kremlin says Russia is gradually reducing economic reliance on oil & gas. rt.com 
Nobody in Russia is happy about the dependence on oil and gas, but it is gradually decreasing, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. In the past decade, Russia has moved away from hydrocarbons and into other sectors. | On Tuesday, when speaking on a broadcast marking students' return to school, President Vladimir Putin noted that Russia is a nation with advanced technology, rejecting the idea that it is a resource appendage. In 2014, US Senator John McCain famously mocked Russia as a "gas station masquerading as a country." According to Putin and Peskov, this assessment is becoming less and less true.
(2020-09-02). US healthcare priciest in the world, with huge gap between cost and quality, research reveals. rt.com 
Despite being the most expensive in the world, US healthcare lags behind many European and Asian countries in terms of quality of services, a study by a top medical magazine says. | A This puts America in the same basket with countries such as Saudi Arabia, the Central A…
(2020-09-02). Despite being famed port city's primary language, Ukrainian authorities in Odessa strip Russian of its status as official tongue. rt.com 
A district court in the Ukrainian city of Odessa has opted to remove Russian as an official regional language. The move comes despite the fact Russian is the main spoken tongue in the famous city, founded by Catherine the Great | Of course, that was in the 18th century, but Odessa historically wasn't a Ukrainian city. Until the Nazis invaded in the 1940s, Russian Jews comprised the main ethnic group. Even in 2001, amazingly the last time Ukraine conducted a census, almost 30% of locals still identified as Russian. | According to a 2015 study by the US State Department-funded International Republican Institute,…
(2020-09-02). Media offers new weapon to protect Biden: Suggesting his mental health is failing means you're part of a Russian conspiracy. rt.com 
The US Department of Homeland Security reportedly blocked the distribution of a July intelligence bulletin warning of a Russian plot to promote "misinformation" that the Democratic presidential candidate is in poor mental health. | The
(2020-09-02). American & Russian musicians come together to honor their heroes who joined forces to crush Hitler's Nazis in World War II. rt.com 
Relations between the US and Russia may be at a low point right now, but a virtual concert organized by the American Center in Moscow hearkens back to a different time, when US and Soviet troops defeated Nazi Germany together. | The show aired on Wednesday, and featured an ensemble of celebrated Russian and American musicians. Among them were Russian pianist Polina Osetinskaya and American soprano Janinah Burnett. The singers of the Bolshoi Theater Young Artists Opera Program also lent their talents to the production, while the program was directed and conducted by Moscow-based classical cellist Alexander Rudi…
(2020-09-02). Germany's Merkel claims someone wanted to 'silence' Navalny, but spokesman says 'poisoning' revelation won't affect Nord Stream 2. rt.com 
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that hospitalised Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny was "the victim of a crime." She called on Moscow to "answer questions that only the Russian government can answer." | Merkel was referring to tests carried out the by the Bundeswehr [German military] which found that the anti-corruption campaigner was "beyond doubt" poisoned with a 'Novichok' class chemical agent. Describing Navalny as "the leading opposition politician in Russia," an assertion not borne out by Russian polling, she said somebody wanted to "silence" him. | The Chancellor added that Mosc…
(2020-09-02). 'Practically all children' will get infected, Madrid leader admits as schools plan to reopen amid spike in Covid-19 cases. rt.com 
As the number of coronavirus cases rose in Spain and Madrid in particular, the capital's premier argued that children will likely get infected at home or elsewhere, but that schools will be safe once they reopen. | "Over the school year it is likely that practically all children, one way or another," will be infected with the coronavirus, Madrid regional premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso told esRadio in an interview on Wednesday. | Perhaps they will become infected over the weekend at a family meeting, or in the afternoon in the park or catch it from a classmate. We just don't know, because the virus can be an…
(2020-09-02). The UK's High School Examinations Fiasco. counterpunch.org 
The highest qualification for high-school students in England, Wales, and the north of Ireland, is the A-level. Scotland has a different system called the Highers. UK students seeking admission to tertiary education within the UK's four sub-nations have to take A-levels or Highers— though the International Baccalaureate and qualifications in other countries equivalent to the
(2020-09-02). Second call-in meeting of the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee attracts large audience across the US. wsws.org Educators and workers from New York, Florida, Michigan, Indiana, Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, California, Hawaii, and many other states, as well as Britain, Germany, and South Korea participated in the meeting.
(2020-09-02). France Pressures Lebanon To Implement Modernizing Reforms. telesurenglish.net The Prime Minister-designate of Lebanon Mustapha Adib began consultations to form a new government amid international pressure to form his administration in less than six weeks. | RELATED: | During the commemorations for the centenary of the founding of Lebanon, France's President Emmanuel Macron asked local authorities to "accelerate internal reforms." | On Monday, Libanon's President Michel Aoun declared that his country w…
(2020-09-02). Riots spread across working class districts in the Netherlands. wsws.org Rioting started in the Schilderswijk district of The Hague, which is devastated by rising social misery, shunned by the media and subjected to continual police harassment.
(2020-09-02). Barring US, all parties reiterate commitment to Iran nuclear deal. peoplesdispatch.org Delegates from Iran, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany said the deal was a key component in the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture. They also rejected US bids to trigger snapback sanctions…
(2020-09-02). China To Resume Direct International Flights. telesurenglish.net China's Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) announced that Beijing will gradually summarize direct inbound flights to the city from Thailand, Pakistan, Canada, Greece, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, and Cambodia, starting Thursday. | RELATED: | "Priority will be given to flights from countries with low risk of cross-border infection, where nucleic acid tests have been conducted," Beijing Government spokesman Xu Hejian informed. | The…