2020-10-16: News Headlines

Andrew Korybko (2020-10-16). Why Wasn't There Any Post-Election Turmoil In Tajikistan? thealtworld.com Unlike fellow former Soviet Republics Belarus and even neighboring Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan's latest elections didn't result in any turmoil even though one might have expected it to have due to some similarly discernible risk factors, but that wasn't the case (at least not yet) for five primary reasons. | Tajikistan's

MEE and agencies (2020-10-16). European countries 'deeply concerned' over Israeli settlement construction. middleeasteye.net European countries 'deeply concerned' over Israeli settlement construction | Israel approved the construction of more than 2,000 new illegal West Bank settlement homes on Wednesday | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 14: 13 | A Palestinian man confronts a member of the Israeli security forces as Palestinian farmers trying to access their lands to harvest olives in the West Bank village of Burqah were prev…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-16). French police fatally shoot man after school teacher decapitated. middleeasteye.net French police fatally shoot man after school teacher decapitated | Authorities describe killing of teacher who showed cartoons of Prophet Muhammad as 'murder linked to a terrorist organisation' | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 20: 05 | Local mayor says attack in Paris suburb was 'incredibly violent' (AFP/File photo) | French police shot a man dead after he reportedly decapitated a middle school teacher…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-16). France's Sarkozy charged with criminal conspiracy over Libya money. middleeasteye.net France's Sarkozy charged with criminal conspiracy over Libya money | Nicolas Sarkozy faces charges linked to money provided by former Libyan leader Gaddafi for his election campaign | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 13: 56 | Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, poses during a studio photo session in Paris ahead of the 2017 presidential election (AFP) | Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has bee…

Dennis Laumann (2020-10-16). 'A Perfect Crime,' gripping Netflix documentary on the looting of East Germany. peoplesworld.org A Perfect Crime, a new four-part documentary series on Netflix about the 1991 assassination of German politician Detlev Rohwedder, surprisingly offers critical viewpoints about German reunification. October 3 marked the 30th anniversary of the reunification of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). While German reunification is …

Anand Naidoo (2020-10-16). The Heat: Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict. america.cgtn.com Tensions escalate between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as both sides accuse each other of violating a fragile ceasefire.

RT (2020-10-16). ABC ignores elephant in the room, asks Biden ZERO QUESTIONS about censored NY Post scoops on his son's overseas business dealings. rt.com ABC held a 90-minute town hall with Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden without asking a single question about this week's New York Post stories on alleged scandals involving his son's business dealings in Ukraine and China. | Host George Stephanopoulos steered clear of…

Romana Rubeo and Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-16). Zionist War on Palestinian Festival in Rome is Ominous Sign of Things to Come. dissidentvoice.org A Zionist-led war on a Palestinian cultural festival in Rome has exposed the fragility of the Italian political system when it comes to the conversation on Palestine and Israel. The sad truth is that, although Italy is not often associated with a 'powerful' pro-Israel lobby as is the case in Washington, the pro-Israel influence in …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-16). Health workers protest in France amid new COVID-19 spike. peoplesdispatch.org In the wake of a fresh spike in COVID-19 cases, a state of health emergency has been declared in Paris. Health workers have demanded increased workforce and resources to fight the pandemic…

Paul Joseph Watson (2020-10-16). WHO Europe Director Says Governments Should Stop Enforcing Lockdowns. globalresearch.ca The World Health Organization's Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge says governments should stop enforcing lockdowns, unless as a "last resort," because the impact on other areas of health and mental well-being is more damaging. | In an interview with Euro …

Thomas Klikauer (2020-10-16). Profits àºber Alles — MBAs in Germany. counterpunch.org Currently, German universities offer about 300 MBA or Master of Business Administration degrees. Although invented in the USA, MBA and adjacent business degrees are the new vogue in Germany. Germans use the unpronounceable term Betriebswirtschaftslehre or BWL when talking about business studies and MBAs. According to two German BWL professors — Christian Kreiàü and Heinz

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-16). Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed Hadi government begin prisoner swap deal in Yemen. peoplesdispatch.org The two sides had agreed to a prisoner swap deal in Switzerland last month, involving 1,081 prisoners, including 15 Saudi nationals. The deal is being implemented over Thursday and Friday…

_____ (2020-10-16). Before the Bidens 'Did' Ukraine, There Was Iraq — and Serbia. strategic-culture.org The United States approaches the November 2020 election with growing apprehension, even dread. | Among the possibilities: | Protracted uncertainty about the presidential contest. Think Florida 2000 but with several states' results unresolved for weeks or even months ("Experts held 'war games' on the Trump vs. Biden election. Their finding? Brace for a mess"); | A disputed outcome, perhaps with Donald Trump and Joe Biden both claiming victory, compounded by a "

_____ (2020-10-16). Why You Won't Find Us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. strategic-culture.org Dear readers of the Strategic Culture Foundation website, | In September 2020, the Strategic Culture Foundation was banned from Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube following unsubstantiated claims that it was connected with Russian intelligence services and interfered in the US presidential elections on their orders. It means that you can't find us on these platforms and, moreover, if you try to post any links leading to SCF on your personal page, you will most likely not be allowed to do that. This case provides a glimpse into the dystopian future of suppressing dissident voices by governments previously known as dem…

The Canary (2020-10-16). Johnson's 'oven ready' Brexit deal off the menu as PM calls halt to trade talks. thecanary.co Boris Johnson has called a halt to talks with Brussels on a post-Brexit free trade agreement, warning Britain to prepare for a final no-deal break with the European Union. | Brace for Brexit: | In a statement to broadcasters, Johnson accused EU leaders of seeking to impose a series of "unacceptable" demands and called for a "fundamental change of approach" if there was to be any agreement. The immediate response from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was to say that the EU would carry on negotiating, with talks next week in London going ahead as planned. | However, at a briefing for journ…

Manlio Dinucci (2020-10-16). From the EU Covid Recovery Fund Thirty Billion Goes to the War Industry. globalresearch.ca While the "Coronavirus crisis" continues to cause devastating socio-economic consequences also in Italy, a large part of the "Recovery Fund" is destined not to the most affected economic and social sectors, but to the most advanced sectors of the war …

Steve Phillips (2020-10-16). These Are the States to Focus on to Flip the Senate. thenation.com These Are the States to Focus on to Flip the Senate…

Andrew Korybko (2020-10-15). Scenario Forecasting: What Could a Russian Intervention in Nagorno-Karabakh Look Like? globalresearch.ca Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's suggestion to deploy Russian peacekeepers and military observers into the universally recognized Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and its seven surrounding districts under Armenian occupation pending both sides' agreement raises the prospect of Moscow's military intervention in …

teleSUR (2020-10-15). Venezuela Starts Clinical Trials of Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro informed his nation that 2,000 volunteers are already participating in the clinical trials of Sputnik, the Russian COVID-19 vaccine. | RELATED: | "The Russian vaccine is here and the tests have already begun… In addition, thousands of Chinese vaccines will come to the country," Maduro said during a program broadcast by Venezolana de Television on Wednesday. | In the first half of 2…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-15). Yemen's warring parties start massive prisoner swap. middleeasteye.net Yemen's warring parties start massive prisoner swap | Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's Houthi rebels agreed to exchange 1,081 prisoners in Switzerland last month | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 14: 55 | Freed Yemeni Houthi prisoners line up on a red carpet upon their arrival at Sanaa airport on 15 October 2020 (AFP) | Hundreds of fighters in Yemen have begun heading home after a massive prisoner swap b…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-15). Syrian and Russian officials should face sanctions over Idlib strikes, states HRW. middleeasteye.net Syrian and Russian officials should face sanctions over Idlib strikes, states HRW | Rights group says analysis of attacks between April 2019 and March 2020 revealed a 'callous disregard for civilian life' | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 12: 21 | HRW based its report on interviews with more than 100 victims and witnesses, analysis of hundreds of photographs and videos taken on the site of attacks and o…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-15). EU sanctions senior Putin aides over Libya, Navalny poisoning. middleeasteye.net EU sanctions senior Putin aides over Libya, Navalny poisoning | Yevgeny Prigozhin, nicknamed 'Putin's chef', sanctioned for supporting Wagner Group in Libya | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 18: 37 | Members of Khalifa Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army gather in Benghazi on way to Sirte (AFP/File photo) | Members of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle were hit with sanctions by t…

RT (2020-10-15). 'International solidarity': German technicians refuse to work on Belarusian President Lukashenko's plane at Hamburg airport. rt.com Technical workers, attached to Lufthansa, at Germany's Hamburg Airport have declined to service the state plane of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, accusing him of "giving the order to shoot at demonstrators in Belarus." | In a Facebook post on the page of the Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft workers union, a statement explained that technicians for Lufthansa Technik would not service the presidential Boeing 737 as an act of "international solidarity" and "standing side-by-side with Belarusian workers." In addition, the union demanded Lukashenko's resignation, and called for democratic elections…

RT (2020-10-15). Twitter CENSORS THE GOVERNMENT, briefly blocking link to GOP page on CONGRESS website with copy of NYPost's Hunter Biden story. rt.com After downplaying the censorship of links to a New York Post exposé on the Biden family's alleged murky business dealings, Twitter is still blocking links to the "unsafe" story, even ones posted by US lawmakers. | When the New York Post published a tranche of emails on Wednesday claiming to reveal Hunter and Joe Biden's alleged backroom dealings in Ukraine, the story spread like wildfire. That is, until Twitter and Facebook began preventing users from sharing links to the incriminating article. As Republicans and conservatives decried the apparent "censorship," Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey stepped in to clear the a…

RT (2020-10-15). France & Italy set daily records for new coronavirus cases as Covid surge rolls on. rt.com The Covid-19 outbreak in Europe is deteriorating further. France has seen a record 30,621 new cases in the last 24 hours. Italy has also set its all-time daily high of 8,804 infections, with the Campania region shutting schools. | On Thursday, the number of new cases across France jumped by more than 8,000 compared to the previous day, with hospitalizations and fatalities also on the rise. | The country has recorded 809,684 positive cases and 33,125 deaths since the start of the pandemic. President Emmanuel Macron announced a nightly curfew in Paris and other major French coronavirus-hit cities on Wednesday, a…

RT (2020-10-15). EU Commission chief von der Leyen leaves Brussels summit for 2nd Covid quarantine in a month. rt.com The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, left the EU summit in Brussels suddenly on Thursday, after it transpired a member of her office had tested positive for the virus. | The Commission chief left the summit less than an hour after it began, saying she was going into quarantine, in line with coronavirus health rules. | "I have just been informed that a member of my front office has tested positive to Covid-19 this morning. I, myself, have tested negative," she tweeted. "However, as a precaution, I am immediately leaving the European Council to go into self-isolation." | This is the se…

RT (2020-10-15). Lockdowns should be LAST RESORT, but masks & social distancing could save 300K lives across continent, WHO European director says. rt.com The European director of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against using lockdowns to combat the novel coronavirus, arguing the policy is so bad for public health, it should be used only when "absolutely necessary." | During a Thursday briefing, Hans Kluge, European director of the WHO, urged governments to enact "proportional" responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. He stressed that authorities should be cautious when it came to heavy-handed policies such as lockdowns. While there was certainly cause for "concern," with cases having surged in several European countries that previously appeared to hav…

RT (2020-10-15). UK supports new EU sanctions against Moscow that will 'significantly punish' Russian officials over alleged poisoning of Navalny. rt.com Britain will support a fresh round of EU sanctions against Russia. The targets are six high-level officials and a state research institute London believes is responsible for managing stocks of the nerve agent Novichok. | The UK Foreign Office declared on Thursday that the new sanctions, effective from October 15, will "send a strong message" and "significantly punish Russia's reckless and malign behaviour". The London government has announced that it will impose travel bans and asset freezes on the six individuals listed by the EU. | "The UK and its partners have agreed that there is no plausible explanation f…

RT (2020-10-15). 'This war must end': Foreign doctors express 'shock' over severity of war wounds in Nagorno-Karabakh in interviews with RT. rt.com Medics from as far away as France who came to help as fighting between Armenians and Azerbaijanis erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh, have told RT they weren't fully prepared for the atrocities and have called for the fighting to stop. | Intense clashes between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces over Nagorno-Karabakh have been raging since late September. The mainly Armenian-populated region, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, declared independence from Baku in 1991 and has since been backed by Armenia, which has stopped short of officially recognizing it. Azeri authorities consider Nagorno-Kara…

RT (2020-10-15). France stays firm on access to UK fisheries while Germany & Italy hold out for fair Brexit deal as Johnson's deadline arrives. rt.com With Boris Johnson's October 15 deadline now upon us, European leaders have shown no signs of backing down on their demands, as heads of state met in Brussels for an EU summit and more post-Brexit trade discussions. | On arriving in Brussels on Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she wanted a fair deal with London, but that it should reflect the demands of all parties. "We want a deal, but obviously not at any price. It has to be a fair agreement that serves the interests of both sides. This is worth every effort," she noted. | Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte echoed the words of his German cou…

RT (2020-10-15). Three stranded Beluga whales saved in remote Russian Far East after dramatic solo rescue operation by hero local inspector. rt.com An inspector from Russia's Emergencies Ministry has been hailed as a hero, after he saved a family of three Beluga whales — two adults and a young calf — left stranded on a Far Eastern beach on Thursday when the tide went out.

RT (2020-10-15). Scientists in Crimea present potential Covid-19 vaccine inhaled through the nose, hoping to offer alternative to injected formulas. rt.com Virologists from Russia's Crimean Federal University claim to have developed an alternative Covid-19 vaccine, using DNA, which can be inhaled through the nose. They are now want to launch trials, if they can secure funding. | Vladimir Oberemok, the head of the university's DNA drugs lab, explained to Moscow news agency Interfax that the vaccine consists of a single fragment of genetic code, which carries an activator of immunity to Covid-19, as well as a small portion of the virus' genome. When inside the patient, the vaccine is identified by the human body, and it begins to produce antibodies. | The vaccine h…

RT (2020-10-15). 'This war must end': Doctors express 'shock' over severity of war wounds in Nagorno-Karabakh in interviews with RT. rt.com Medics from as far away as France who travelled to help as fighting between Armenians and Azerbaijanis erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh, have told RT they weren't fully prepared for the atrocities and called for the fighting to stop. | Intense clashes between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces over Nagorno-Karabakh have been raging since late September. The mainly Armenian-populated region, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, declared independence from Baku in 1991 and has since been backed by Armenia, which has stopped short of officially recognizing it. Azeri authorities consider Nagorno-Kara…

RT (2020-10-15). All night party, interrupted: Moscow announces new Covid-19 regulations for nightclubs, forcing patrons to register via QR code. rt.com Clubbing in party hotspot Moscow will be slightly disrupted for the coming weeks after the capital's mayor decreed that visitors to nightclubs will have to register upon entry using a QR code or by SMS starting from Monday. | Sergey Sobyanin said that the new restrictions are designed to counter the spread of Covid-19 and are being trialled in the hope of avoiding the sort of severe lockdowns currently being imposed in similar large European cities. | By scanning the code or sending an SMS to a designated number, guests will be making themselves available for a track-and-trace contact, should one of them devel…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-10-15). Could Popular Protectionist Policies in France Eventually Lead to "Frexit"? globalresearch.ca The majority of French people say they are in favor of protectionism, according to the …

Philip Giraldi (2020-10-15). Running Out of Time… October Surprise Redux? thealtworld.com If either party has an October Surprise up its sleeve it had better produce it soon. Only about three weeks to go until the election. | There is considerable speculation in Washington about a so-called October Surprise being engineered by either party to change the outcome of the upcoming election. The original October Surprise took place in 1980, when Ronald Reagan's campaign manager William Casey conspired with several senior CIA officers in Europe to convince the Iranian government to delay the release of the American Embassy hostages until after the November election against Jimmy Carter. Casey believed th…

WSWS (2020-10-15). Tesla: The cognizable, knowable scientist and visionary. wsws.org Written and directed by Michael Almereyda, Tesla is a drama about the life of Serbian-American engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), a remarkable figure. Ethan Hawke plays Tesla.

teleSUR (2020-10-15). 'Democracy Is at Risk in Bolivia,' International Network Warns. telesurenglish.net The Network of Intellectuals, Artists and Social Movements in Defense of Humanity (REDH), which is an independent organization made up of people living in America and Europe, published on Thursday an open letter to warn about the risks to democracy in Bolivia. Its text is presented below. | RELATED: | The October 18 elections in Bolivia are going through an extremely difficult and sensitive time. The systematic declaration…

WSWS (2020-10-15). Tripling of new coronavirus infections in Germany in only one month. wsws.org Anger is growing among workers at the herd immunity policy being imposed by big business, as the government is using the pandemic as an excuse to deploy the army within Germany.

teleSUR (2020-10-15). Over 14 Million US Citizens Cast Ballots in Early Voting. telesurenglish.net The University of Florida's Elections Project reported that over 14 million U.S. citizens have voted so far as the Nov. 3 election day is approaching. | RELATED: | This figure, which includes absentee and in-person early voting, represents about 10 percent of the total 2016 turnout. | In Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Virginia, turnout has reached about 25 percent of the last presidential election's levels. | Georgia saw over 40 percent incr…

WSWS (2020-10-15). French, Spanish hospital workers protest as COVID-19 spreads across Europe. wsws.org Protests are driven by demands for desperately-needed resources for hospital workers to fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Gordon Duff (2020-10-15). America's Military, Murdered or Murderers? thealtworld.com American military are stealing oil in Syria, trucking it into Turkey while the Syrian people do without fuel. American military burned wheat fields in Syria, this is not conjecture. | American military attacked Syria with missiles, albeit with a humorous lack of success, in response to poison gas attacks that the US and its coalition partners were complicit in staging, this is not conjecture either. | Where the US military won't commit crimes, and we aren't sure where that line is drawn, contractors are used, like Blackwater and so many others, to smuggle weapons to terrorists, assassinate local leaders including…

WSWS (2020-10-15). Macron hails herd immunity, rejects lockdown as COVID-19 surges in Europe. wsws.org In a national interview, Macron said non-essential work and in-person schooling would continue and that he is aiming for 90,000-150,000 monthly new COVID-19 cases in France.

news.un (2020-10-15). COVID-19 rise in Europe a great concern, says WHO regional chief. news.un.org COVID-19 is now the fifth leading cause of death in Europe, where nearly 700,000 cases were reported this week: the highest weekly incidence since the pandemic began in March, the regional head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Thursday.

Gerry Mohan (2020-10-15). Most Germans Want US Military to Leave the Country. zcomm.org Unlike their elected riulers, most Germans don't want to be part of the nuclear 'theater' Trump, once again doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, wants to pull US troops out of Germany because Germany doesn't spend enough on "defence". The German population tend to like it but don't like his reasons. And, as

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-15). Iran, Slovakia to expand media coop.: envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 15 (MNA) — Following his visit with Slovakian officials, Iranian ambassador to Slovakia announced that Iran-Slovakia media cooperation will be strengthened.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-15). Iranian, Azeri FMs discuss latest developments in Karabakh. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 15 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a phone talk with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov on the latest developments in Nagorno-Karabakh region.

sputniknews (2020-10-15). Will Twitter and Facebook Shut Down Our Ukraine Reporting? sputniknews.com On today's episode Lee Stranahan covers: C-SPAN editor Steve Scully lied about getting his Twitter account hacked, President Trump & Joe Biden are having town halls, Senate is subpoenaing Jack Dorsey for censoring New York Post article on Ukraine & Hunter Biden, and a Kamala Harris staffer has tested positive for Covid-19.

teleSUR (2020-10-15). Russia to Respond to New EU Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Moscow will respond to new sanctions from the European Union over the alleged poisoning of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny, TASS news agency reported on Thursday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. | RELATED: | "Much to our regret, this is a deliberate unfriendly step against Russia. The Council of the EU harmed relations with our country by making this decision," Peskov said. | This statement came afte…

F. William Engdahl (2020-10-14). The Malevolent Encirclement of Russia. globalresearch.ca Over recent weeks a series of events in the states surrounding the Russian Federation has erupted that certainly are not being greeted with joy in the Kremlin. Each crisis center of itself is not a definitive game-changer for future Russian …