(2020-09-05). Material, moral assets should serve humanity: Turkish NGO. yenisafak.com Social benefits can only be achieved by putting people's material or moral assets at the service of humanity, a top authority from a Turkish charity group told Anadolu Agency to mark International Charity Day.By using one's own time, efforts or financial assets for the needy, charitable people help to also beautify their environment and the world they live in, said Durmus Aydin, secretary-general of Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).He said spiritually, the philanthropy is also an important part of religious or moral duties, and the charity, aimed at achieving social benefit, fulfills the basic needs…
(2020-09-05). Finland Is Rallying Around a Six-Hour Workday — And So Should We. zcomm.org As the pandemic forces us to reassess how working life is organized, we should take up labor's historic call for a shorter workday.
(2020-09-05). [Editorial] COVID-19: a new lens for non-communicable diseases. thelancet.com On Sept 19, 2011, global leaders met at the UN in New York, USA, to set an international agenda on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which cause three-quarters of global deaths. This was only the second time in history that the UN General Assembly had met to discuss a health issue (the first was for HIV/AIDS in 2016). In 2015, Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 set the ambitious target for countries to reduce their risk of premature mortality from NCDs by a third relative to 2015 levels by 2030. The Lancet NCD Countdown 2030, published on Sept 3, reveals that, among high-income countries, only Denmark, Luxembourg,…
(2020-09-05). [Obituary] Maria Angela Brito de Sousa. thelancet.com Immunologist and leader in science. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, on Oct 17, 1939, she died there of COVID-19 on April 14, 2020, aged 80 years.
(2020-09-05). Two terrorists neutralized in eastern Turkey. yenisafak.com Security forces neutralized two terrorists in an operation in eastern Turkey, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.The terrorists were neutralized along with weapons during an air-backed anti-terrorism operation in rural areas of the Van province, according to a statement.The operation is ongoing, the ministry added.Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.The terrorists' affiliation was not mentioned, but the terror group PKK has been active in the region.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK [mdas…
(2020-09-05). Pentagon chief says Trump has respect for troops, after report said he disparaged war dead. yenisafak.com U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday that President Donald Trump respects American troops and veterans after a magazine report said Trump had called fallen U.S. military personnel buried in Europe "losers" and declined to visit an American cemetery because he thought it unimportant."President Trump has the highest respect and admiration for our nation's military members, veterans and families. That is why he has fought for greater pay and more funding for our armed forces," Esper said in a statement.Trump on Thursday strongly denied the report from the Atlantic magazine.The Atlantic reported that Trum…
(2020-09-05). Eurasia, Central Asia virus cases rise by over 3,400. yenisafak.com UkraineA record daily spike of 2,836 cases raised Ukraine's total to 133,787, according to Health Minister Maksym Stepanov.He said 50 more COVID-19 patients died over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 2,811, while recoveries increased by 1,036 to reach 61,649.At least 69,327 patients remain under treatment in Ukraine, the minister said.UzbekistanA total of 171 new cases brought Uzbekistan's overall count to 43,169, as three more fatalities moved the death toll up to 341.At least 40 more recoveries raised the total to 40,432.According to the Health Ministry, 2,396 patients remain under treatment and ar…
(2020-09-05). Pakistan's 'lonely' elephant is fit to be moved. yenisafak.com Pakistan's "lonely" elephant Kaavan has come one step closer to his rescue after a team of wildlife experts declared him "well enough" to be relocated to a sanctuary in Cambodia."Following the checks, which confirmed Kaavan is strong enough, steps will now be taken to finalize his relocation to an animal sanctuary potentially in Cambodia," said a statement on Saturday by Austrian-based FOUR PAWS International, a global animal welfare organization which examined Kaavan in the capital Islamabad to see if he is fit to travel."Due to malnutrition and lack of physical exercise, Kaavan shows visible signs of obesity. A…
(2020-09-04). Richard Wolff: The Declining Empire With Chris Hedges. popularresistance.org On this week's Economic Update, Prof. Wolff discusses the following: Denmark's new taxes on banks and rich people to help workers doing dangerous jobs; West Virginia AG sues Walmart and CVS for complicity in opioid scandal; and US State Department urges universities to sell shares in Chinese corporations. On the second half of the show, Prof. Wolff interviews author and journalist Chris Hedges on signs of the declining US empire.
(2020-09-04). With US AWOL, NATO Allies rattle sabers. zcomm.org Turkish Ruling Party says Greece is now a Rogue State…
(2020-09-04). German court sentences members of leftist Turkish party to prison. wsws.org The verdict sends the message that anyone who is left-wing and/or opposes a regime allied with Germany can be imprisoned for years.
(2020-09-04). POLL: 66% of Young Muslims in France Want Blasphemy Punished by Law. strategic-culture.org 26% do not oppose the assassination of cartoonists mocking Mohammed | Guillaume DUROCHER | With the beginning of the trial of 11 Muslims accused in the 2015 Charle Hebdo massacre, the notorious French newspaper is republishing the cartoons of Mohammed which got 12 of their colleagues murdered. Bernard-Henri Lévy and secularist establishment are celebrating this brave expression of free speech as a triumph of the Values of the Republic. | Meanwhile, this same politico-media establishment is condemning en masse the right-wing magazine Valeurs actuelles for publishing an alternative history in which a left-wing Blac…
(2020-09-04). David Graeber is Gone: Revisiting His Wrongful Termination from Yale. counterpunch.org 
I am so very sad to hear that David Graeber died yesterday in Italy at the age of 59. David was not only brilliant, but he was genuine, accessible, and passionate. What a huge, immeasurable loss, could 2020 be any worse? Here is an interview I did with David in 2005 when he was wrongfully
(2020-09-04). Impeachment seems forever ago, but Trump's Washington still a swamp of corruption. peoplesworld.org 
In December 2019, Republican Party leader Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on two corruption counts. The impeachment hearings charged that Trump abused his power as president to manipulate Ukraine's government into creating evidence against his political opponents, which he could use in this year's campaign. Numerous high-level diplomats and officials …
(2020-09-04). Trump dismissed US war dead as 'losers' and 'suckers' — report. thecanary.co 
Donald Trump made multiple disparaging remarks about members of the US military who had been captured or killed, and referred to the American war dead at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France as "losers" and "suckers", according to a report. The president said the story, first reported in the Atlantic, is "totally false".First hand knowledge: A senior Defence Department official with first-hand knowledge of events and a senior Marine Corps officer who was told about Trump's comments confirmed some of the remarks to the Associated Press, including the cemetery incident.The officials said he made the c…
(2020-09-04). Dutch appeals court finds Geert Wilders guilty of insulting Moroccans but acquits him of inciting discrimination. rt.com 
A Dutch appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling that found right-wing politician Geert Wilders guilty of inciting discrimination against 400,000 Moroccans in the Netherlands, but found him guilty of insulting them. | The judge in the town of Schiphol near Amsterdam also rejected the prosecution's application for Wilders to be fined €5,000. | He said that the man has "already paid a high price for years for expressing his opinion." Wilders has been living under constant police protection for over a decade now, due to death threats provoked mainly by his criticism of Islam. | However, the court up…
(2020-09-04). Israel opens diplomatic relations with Muslim-majority Kosovo, while Serbia promises to move embassy to Jerusalem. rt.com 
Israel and Kosovo will establish diplomatic relations with each other, while Serbia will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Both moves came during US-backed talks in Washington. | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's press office announced his country's recognition of Kosovo on Friday, making Israel the 98th UN member state to recognize the former Serbian province. Kosovo, in turn, will recognize Israel, becoming one of only a handful of Muslim-majority countries to do so. | The move was announced as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo's Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti met with US President Donald…
(2020-09-04). A year after he became president with a landslide victory, fewer than half of Ukrainians now say they trust Volodymyr Zelensky. rt.com 
Some 49 percent of Ukrainian citizens have lost confidence in Volodymyr Zelensky, who became president with 73.22 percent of the vote last year. Nevertheless, he is still more trusted than the country's parliament and government. | According to a survey by non-governmental think tank, the Razumkov Center, along with the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, 49 percent of polled Ukrainians distrust Zelensky, while just 44 percent still trust him. | A total of 75 percent do not trust the Verkhovna Rada, the country's parliament, and 72 percent distrust the government. Respondents also showed a lack of…
(2020-09-04). Nagorno-Karabakh President Harutyunyan warns residents of territory disputed by Armenia & Azerbaijan to 'prepare for war'. rt.com 
The president of Nagorno-Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, has told citizens of the small republic to "be realistic and prepare for war." He claimed that bilateral discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have reached an impasse. | He claimed that none of the agreements proposed by both countries are acceptable to the other, and it looks like the talks will fail. | "Azerbaijan is not in the mood for negotiations," he said. "They shell Armenia's positions, threaten to strike at the nuclear power plant, declare that Stepanakert and Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] should be Azerbaijani… What can we talk about here?"
(2020-09-04). Russia scrambles EIGHT jets to intercept three US NUCLEAR-CAPABLE B-52 bombers testing Crimean borders over Ukraine & Black Sea. rt.com 
The Russian military launched eight fighter jets on Friday to intercept a fleet of American bombers approaching Crimea. The US mission included a provocative flight over Ukraine, with the focus squarely on flexing military muscle. | Russian air control detected three nuclear-capable US Air Force B-52H strategic bombers approaching the country's border on Friday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, in Moscow. Four Su-27 and four Su-30 fighters were quickly scrambled, and escorted the American aircraft away from Russian airspace. | "Violations of the state border of the Russian Federation by A…
(2020-09-04). German military toxicologists find traces of Novichok in Russian opposition figure Navalny's blood, urine & skin — Der Spiegel. rt.com 
Specialists from Munich Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology have found Alexey Navalny had traces of a poison from the Novichok family in his system, as well as in a bottle he was carrying on the flight where he became unwell. | That's according to Gemany's leading news magazine Der Spiegel, which cited government sources. The report says the substance was found in the anti-corruption activist's blood and urine and also on his skin. The disclosure comes as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, also on Friday, revealed that German authorities have promised to present to Russia concrete facts concerning t…
(2020-09-04). France Aims to Counter Turkish Influence in the Middle East by Gaining a Foothold in Lebanon. globalresearch.ca French President Emmanuel Macron has visited Lebanon for the second time in less than a month following the terrible blasts that destroyed Port Beirut. Macron first visited Lebanon on August 6, two days after a warehouse with 2,750 tons of …
(2020-09-04). Vucic Discloses Content of Bilateral Agreement on Kosovo Signed at White House. sputniknews.com BELGRADE (Sputnik) – Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic revealed on Friday the content of an agreement on the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo, signed with the United States at the White House.
(2020-09-04). For a general strike against the reopening of schools! wsws.org The Parti de l'égalité socialiste calls on teachers, youth and workers in France and internationally to oppose the reopening of schools.
(2020-09-04). Coronavirus assistance for university students in Germany—a calculated fraud. wsws.org Since June, angry and indignant posts have been mounting on social media accusing the government of ignorance and inaction, disregarding the needs of roughly a million students in need of assistance.
(2020-09-04). Global Warming Could Make Viruses More Lethal, Study. telesurenglish.net Switzerland's Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology on Friday said that global warming could make viruses more lethal and harder to control. The American Chemical Society's Environmental Science and Technology journal published the study. | RELATED: | "This implies that microbial water quality may be worse in warm regions, and the health risks posed by viruses will be greater," said environmental chemistry prof…
(2020-09-04). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Belarus protests continue; national walkout planned by South African health and public sector workers; Nigerian doctors' indefinite strike in capital Abuja.
(2020-09-04). Black-Led Resistance Movements Are Paving The Way For Reparations. popularresistance.org Months after the police killing of George Floyd sparked racial justice protests around the world, Black Lives Matter activists are once again flooding the streets — this time in response to the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Among the demands that continue to ring out is the call for reparations, or payment to people of African descent. Several African countries — including Namibia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — have also joined the call, demanding reparations from European countries for the perpetration of genocide under colonialism.
(2020-09-04). Germany: Extreme Right Marches Under Anti-Lockdown Banner. popularresistance.org The large Berlin demonstration and rally against the federal government's corona policy on August 29 was a moral victory for the right and neo-Nazis. Pictures of fascists occupying the stairs to the Reichstag building with the Reichsflag (symbol of the empire overthrown by the revolution in 1918 and the Nazi dictatorship 1933-45) are circulating around the world and trigger alarms, especially among anti-fascists. | Such symbolic images also serve to weld the right scene together. After all, more members of the extreme right are likely to have marched through the federal capital unified and unmolested on this day…
(2020-09-04). A Silver Lining in the Rise of Neo-Fascism. strategic-culture.org The only benefit from the rise of neo-fascist leaders in heretofore democratic nations is that the various fascist, neo-Nazi, racial and religious supremacists, and far-right terrorists have reared their ugly heads to the degree where it is now easier to identify them and their circle of contacts and organizations. When the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Poland, Turkey, and other similarly afflicted nations return to political normalcy, the forces of the far-right, already self-identified, can be rolled up, stripped of their weaponry and access to the Internet as threats to public safety. These resurgent Nazis…
(2020-09-04). Explosion Rocks Tbilisi, Georgia: report. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 04 (MNA) — An explosion has occurred in the center of Tbilisi, Georgia, near the building of the Great Philharmonic Concert Hall on Friday.
(2020-09-04). Iran, Russia seeking to facilitate economic relations. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 04 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Russia met and held talks with the Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade on Thursday.
(2020-09-04). Iran, Azerbaijan seeking to develop bilateral ties: Envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 04 (MNA) — Iran's newly-appointed Ambassador to Baku Abbas Mousavi says that his talks with Azeri officials have focused on expanding bilateral relations.
(2020-09-04). Iran dismisses idea of holding talks with US. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 04 (MNA) — Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi rejected any offer for talks with the United States after Russia expressed readiness to help Tehran and Washington hold negotiations.
(2020-09-04). Athens Ready for Talks With Ankara After Withdrawal of Turkish Vessels, Greek Foreign Minister Says. sputniknews.com ATHENS (Sputnik) — Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said that the country was ready to launch reconciliation talks with Turkey after Turkish vessels leave what Athens calls its continental shelf.
(2020-09-04). Russia Delivers 850,000 Packages of Insulin to Venezuela. sputniknews.com BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) – A shipment from Russia containing 850,000 packages of insulin drugs produced by Geropharm company has arrived in Venezuela, the Latin American country's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
(2020-09-04). Erdogan marks 101st anniversary of Sivas Congress. yenisafak.com Turkey on Friday marked the 101st anniversary of the Sivas Congress, a milestone on the Republic of Turkey's road to independence."On the 101st anniversary of the Sivas Congress, we express once again that our nation, which does not accept mandate and patronage, will protect this heavenly piece of land as a whole and will never let it divide," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a message.Erdogan said planning for the war was done at the congress in which Turkey declared that it will never submit to the occupying forces."The decisions taken at the Sivas Congress played an important role in the determination of…
(2020-09-04). Belarus DefMin says NATO activities forcing it to develop military response. yenisafak.com Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin said on Friday that Belarus was being forced to come up with a military response to NATO activities near its borders, the Interfax news agency reported.Tensions have risen in Belarus where the government has accused foreign powers of meddling in the country after a disputed presidential election last month that sparked mass protests.
(2020-09-04). New family joins sit-in against PKK in SE Turkey. yenisafak.com A father from Turkey's eastern Mus province on Friday joined the year-long sit-in protest against the YPG/PKK terror group.Mehmet Zeki Budak claimed that his son Yusuf was kidnapped and brought to the mountains by the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on Sept. 21, 2014.Telling that he has not heard from his son for the past six years, Budak added: "I have joined the protest to reunite with my son. I want my son from the HDP and will not leave until I have him."He said his son was all he got and that his wife became blind after their son disappeared."I want my son to get married and I want to become a grandfather. I…
(2020-09-04). At least 3,000 virus cases reported in Eurasia, Central Asia. yenisafak.com Novel coronavirus infections and deaths continued their upward trend across Eurasia and Central Asia on Friday.- UkraineUkraine registered 2,723 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 130,951, Health Minister Maxim Stepanov said.The death toll rose to 2,761 as 51 more people died of the virus. Most recently 937 people recovered and the nationwide recoveries hit 60,613.More than 67,500 people are currently receiving medical treatment in Ukraine, where the number of cases has been on the rise since August.- UzbekistanThe Health Ministry in Uzbekistan said in a statement that 215 more peopl…
(2020-09-04). Navalny case is 'heavy burden' for Russia's leaders: German president. yenisafak.com The poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is in intensive care in a Berlin hospital, is damaging to Russia's leadership and makes it harder for Germany to cooperate with Moscow, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him and that Berlin would consult its NATO allies about how to respond.Russia has said there is no evidence of a crime when Navalny fell ill in Siberia last month and until now not opened a criminal investigation.Steinmeier, a former German foreign minister…
(2020-09-04). On Brexit, EU needs to accept UK is independent now, British source says. yenisafak.com The European Union is slowing down Brexit trade negotiations and should understand that its demands on state aid and fishing are not compatible with Britain's status as an independent country, a British source close to the negotiations said."We have been clear from the start that we are seeking a relationship that respects our sovereignty and which has a free trade agreement at its core, similar to the one the EU has with Canada," the source said."We have also consistently tried to move discussions forwards but have been prevented from doing so by an EU which insists that everything must go at the pace of the mos…
(2020-09-04). Indonesia denounces provocative acts against Muslims. yenisafak.com Indonesia strongly denounced the Quran burning during a rally in Sweden and the republication of offensive caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad by the French magazine Charlie Hebdo.Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said those provocative acts offend hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world."Those acts are provocative, irresponsible, and contrary to the principles and values of democracy," she said during a virtual press conference on Friday.Moreover, those incidents will more likely disunite religious communities around the world, which adds an extra burden to the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Last Friday,…
(2020-09-04). The Boy Scouts Can Do Better Than Teaming up With Trump's EPA. commondreams.org Logan, Taaffe, BSA District Executive in Washington, D.C, recites the Scout Oath before EPA Administrator Wheeler and National Capital Area Council, BSA Scout Executive Craig Poland sign a Memorandum of Understanding at the Boy Scouts Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 17, 2020 (Photo: US EPA/YouTube screengrab) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bsa_epa.jpg …
(2020-09-04). Armed With AR-15, QAnon-Believing GOP Candidate Threatens 'Offense' Against Progressive Squad. commondreams.org The Democratic congressional candidate running in Georgia's 14th district against Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right proponent of the QAnon conspiracy theory, raised alarm Thursday after Greene suggested Republicans "go on the offense" against progressives in Congress. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/2020-09-04.jpg …
(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). Malta: 27 Migrants Aboard Tanker Go Through Humanitarian Crisis. telesurenglish.net Maersk Tankers Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Tommy Thomassen warned that 27 migrants who were rescued by the Maersk Etienne oil tanker 29 days ago need immediate help. | RELATED: | "We are calling on responsible governments for urgent humanitarian assistance and safe disembarkation of the 27 people we rescued over 4 weeks ago. We ask relevant authorities to give immediate attention and care to this vulnerable group…
(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.