(2020-07-25). Homeland Security Claims Shields And Gas Masks Are Weapons. popularresistance.org Far from restoring order, the arrival of federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Border Patrol in Portland, Oregon has only heightened tensions, with agents attacking and arresting protesters nightly. DHS' Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli took to social media yesterday to share images of items confiscated from demonstrators. | "Here is a shield and a couple of gas masks from a rioter arrested in Portland. Not a sign with a slogan that someone expressing their first amendment rights might carry, but preparations for violence. Peaceful protester? I don't think so," he wrote.
(2020-07-25). Protesters Use 'Midnight Yoga' To Cope With Police Violence. popularresistance.org Saturday night marked another session of "Midnight Yoga" on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C. | The protesters, who have been out in the streets over 50 days after being initially sparked by the failure to arrest the officers who had murdered George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (still), have turned to the peace that yoga provides to manage their pain, both physical and emotional. | Around the same time federal police were turning Portland into a war zone while violently beating and pepper-spraying citizens, D.C. protesters were stretching out their limbs after giving a touching 100 candle-light tribute to l…
(2020-07-25). Illinois Democrats embrace Trump's law enforcement "surge" wsws.org Illinois Democratic lawmakers have made public statements aimed at assuaging public fears that the federal forces will crack down on anti-police violence protesters in Chicago, just as they have in Portland.
(2020-07-25). Trump orders federal police to more cities. mronline.org 
The Trump administration is stepping up its unconstitutional moves toward dictatorial rule, tear gassing antipolice violence protesters in Portland, Oregon and announcing the deployment of federal police to three more cities—Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee—in addition to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
(2020-07-25). The Portland Police Attack: ACLU Files Lawsuit. Sues Trump and City of Portland. globalresearch.ca PORTLAND, Ore. — Multiple volunteer street medics are suing the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals Service, and the City of Portland for targeting and attacking them at Portland protests against police brutality. The lawsuit was filed in federal court …
(2020-07-25). Trump's federal repression election ploy spurs greater resistance. liberationnews.org 
Far from being intimidated, Portland residents were outraged when unannounced paramilitary units started grabbing protesters off the street.
(2020-07-25). Judge Rejects Oregon's Motion For A Restraining Order Against Federal Police. popularresistance.org A federal judge on Friday afternoon denied a request by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to issue a temporary restraining order against federal officers making arrests of Portland protesters without probable cause. | In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman said Rosenblum had failed to provide sufficient evidence that such arrests were occurring widely in the streets of Portland or were part of a federal policy. (Disclosure: Rosenblum is married to the co-owner of WW's parent company.) | He ruled that because the state of Oregon couldn't establish a pattern or policy, it lacked the legal standi…
(2020-07-25). Federal Agents Use Tear Gas To Clear Portland Protest. popularresistance.org Thousands of protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, into the early hours of Saturday shooting fireworks at the building as plumes of tear gas, dispensed by U.S. agents, lingered above. | The demonstration went on for hours until federal agents entered the crowd around 2: 30 a.m. and marched in a line down the street, clearing remaining protesters with tear gas at close range. They also extinguished a large fire in the street outside the courthouse. | The Federal Protective Service had declared the gathering as "an unlawful assembly" and cited that officers had been injured.
(2020-07-25). Thousands protest against Kremlin in Russian far east for third weekend. yenisafak.com Thousands of people marched in the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday for the third weekend in a row, protesting at President Vladimir Putin's handling of a regional political crisis that has sparked demonstrations.Residents of Khabarovsk, around 3,800 miles (6,110 km) and seven time zones east of Moscow, are unhappy about the July 9 detention of the wider region's popular regional governor, Sergei Furgal, who was arrested on murder charges he denies.His detention, which his supporters say was politically motivated, has triggered more than two weeks of street protests, creating a headache for the…
(2020-07-25). Portland protests continue after judge rejects bid to restrict federal agents. thecanary.co 
Thousands of people joined another night of Black Lives Matter protests on the streets of Portland, hours after a US judge denied the state of Oregon's request to restrict federal police in the city.Demonstrators, most wearing masks and many donning helmets, stood near the fountain on Salmon Street Springs. They then marched to the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and the federal agents there.They chanted and clapped along to the sound of thunderous drums, pausing to listen to speakers. Various organised groups took part, including Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives and the '
(2020-07-25). [Editorial] COVID-19 and China: lessons and the way forward. thelancet.com China has largely controlled COVID-19. A country of 1 ∑4 billion people and a size similar to Europe or the USA now reports only clusters of cases rather than widespread community transmission. China has been widely criticised for its role and responsibilities during the pandemic because of censorship, transparency, and human rights concerns. But the rest of the world can still learn from China's successes in bringing its outbreak under control.
(2020-07-25). [Correspondence] Women's reproductive rights. thelancet.com I hope it is stating the obvious to suggest that it is despicable both to ban abortion and to impose it on women whether in the name of religion, in the service of a political ideology, or as a perceived demographic imperative.1 Forced birth and forced abortion are foul. They are an assault on the autonomy, dignity, and rights of women, and are a threat to their lives, health, and wellbeing. Examples of banning and forcing abortions are found throughout the world and across time (sometimes in the same place and at the same time, as seen in Nazi Germany).
(2020-07-25). UK 'Russia report' fear-mongers about meddling yet finds no evidence. thegrayzone.com A long-awaited UK report finds no evidence of Russian meddling, but that hasn't stopped the fear-mongering. The report claims the…
(2020-07-25). Trump's Reelection Strategy Involves Terrorizing Us With Secret Stormtroopers. zcomm.org Trump's actions in Portland are terrifying by any standard.
(2020-07-25). Why Trump's Paramilitary Force Is Unconstitutional. 'A Profoundly Un-American Attack On Civil Society'. globalresearch.ca
(2020-07-25). Record numbers of coronavirus cases in every global region: Reuters tally. yenisafak.com Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the past week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world.The rate of cases has been increasing not only in countries like the United States, Brazil and India, which have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks, but in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel, among others.Many countries, especially those where officials eased earlier social distancing lock…
(2020-07-25). Erdogan says Turkey disappointed those expecting it to bow down. yenisafak.com Having no designs on territories and resources of other countries, Turkey also does not allow others to step on its interests, the country's president said on Saturday."We do not have designs on anyone's right, law, territory, sea, and natural resources. But, we do not allow anyone to step on our own right, law and interest," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the opening ceremony of the Amasya Beltway via a video link.Underscoring that Turkey defended the right, law and interests of both its nation and friends on the land, at the sea and in the air, Erdogan said it disappointed those who expected Turkey to "bow down."Erd…
(2020-07-25). Turkey seizes terrorist PKK ammunition in northern Iraq. yenisafak.com "Our heroic commandos captured numerous arms and ammunition in a depot belonging to the PKK terrorist organization," said a ministry statement on Operation Claw-Tiger, one of its anti-terror operations in the region.The PKK often uses northern Iraq to plan attacks in Turkey and across the border.Among seized items were 63 AK-47 rifles, a sniper rifle, two shut guns, 50 rocker launcher ammunition, 1,000 anti-aircraft gun ammunition, 300 chargers of AK-47 rifles, 50 grenades and 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of dynamite.The operation is continuing, it added.Turkey's operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle were launched in…
(2020-07-25). Pakistani premier hails reopening of Hagia Sophia. yenisafak.com Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on late Friday hailed the reopening of Turkey's historic Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque after 86 years, following a Turkish court ruling."Felicitations to the Republic of Turkey, and H.E. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on this historic day after the first prayers in 86 years were held at Hagia Sophia [Grand] Mosque," Khan said on Twitter.Apart from the prime minister, several other Pakistani politicians and lawmakers, including the head of mainstream religious party Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Sirajul Haq, and Chief Minister of the most populous Punjab province Usman Buzdar also congrat…
(2020-07-25). Turkey's Erdogan, Italian PM discuss Libya over phone. yenisafak.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over the phone on Saturday.Turkey's Communications Directorate said in a statement that Erdogan and Conte discussed regional developments, particularly in war-weary Libya, as well as cooperation in fighting COVID-19.The leaders agreed to maintain dialogue for a political solution in Libya.Since April 2019, warlord Khalifa Haftar's illegitimate forces have launched attacks on the Libyan capital of Tripoli and other parts of northwestern Libya, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths, including civilian women and children.However, the…
(2020-07-25). Greece Denies Condoning Turkish Flag-Burning After Hagia Sophia Conversion Into Mosque. sputniknews.com ATHENS (Sputnik) – Greece's Foreign Ministry said Saturday it disapproved of desecration of national symbols after Turkey accused it of encouraging the burning of its flag at a rally against the conversion of Istanbul's ancient Orthodox Christian temple into a mosque.
(2020-07-25). 'Cool War': Chinese-US Relations Haven't Sunk to Soviet-American Level of Tensions Yet, Analysts Say. sputniknews.com The Houston-Chengdu consulate closure spat between Beijing and Washington is the latest front in a conflict ranging from trade and technology transfer, to the handling of the coronavirus crisis, and geopolitical and geoeconomic conflicts stretching from Asia and the Pacific to Africa, Europe and Latin America.
(2020-07-25). Iran, Azerbaijan emphasize developing transit coop. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 25 (MNA) — Customs heads of Islamic Republic of Iran and Azerbaijan Republic on Sat. stressed the need to expand and develop transit cooperation.
(2020-07-25). 'Yalda' to be screened at two festivals in Estonia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 25 (MNA) — Iranian feature film 'Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness' directed by Masoud Bakhshi, will be screened at two film festivals in Estonia.
(2020-07-25). Tehran, Moscow confer on regional, Afghanistan affairs. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 25 (MNA) — In a meeting between the special envoy of the Russian President for Afghanistan affairs Zamir Kabulov and Iran's ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali the two sides discussed regional and Afghanistan affairs.
(2020-07-25). UN weather agency warns of 'global repercussions' amid Arctic heatwave. thecanary.co The UN weather agency warned that average temperatures in Siberia were 10C (18F) above average last month. It's a spate of exceptional heat that has fanned devastating fires in the Arctic Circle and contributed to a rapid depletion in ice sea off Russia's Arctic coast. | World Meteorological Organisation secretary-general Petteri Taalas said in a statement: The Arctic is heating more than twice as fast as the global average, impacting local populations and ecosystems and with global repercussions | He noted that Earth's poles influence weather conditions far away, where hundreds of millions of people live. | We've…
(2020-07-25). Why the "Russia Report" tells us more about Britain's BREXIT than anything else. globalresearch.ca The long-awaited UK 'Russia Report', whose publication was delayed by 10 months by Boris Johnson, was finally released this week by the Westminster Intelligence and Security Committee, much to the excitement of those keen to demonstrate alleged 'Russian interference' in …
(2020-07-24). EU privacy watchdog orders data transfers to US under 'Privacy Shield' protocol to stop immediately after Facebook lawsuit. rt.com 
The European Union's Data Protection Board has ordered data transfers between the EU and the US under the 'Privacy Shield' protocol to cease immediately after the instrument was found incompatible with EU law by a court. | In a landmark ruling last week, the EU Court of Justice ruled that an EU-US data flow agreement named 'Privacy Shield' is not private enough to pass muster with European law. The case was taken against Facebook by an Austrian activist after National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the US government was sifting through people's online communications and data, including…
(2020-07-24). WATCH Portland protesters battling federal police to sound of Star Wars' Imperial March. rt.com 
Chaotic scenes outside Portland's federal courthouse were given a snarky soundtrack by a demonstrator who showed up to the fracas armed with a stereo. The city has seen nightly clashes between police and protesters. | Footage taken by New York Times correspondent Mike Baker shows activists and federal agents fighting over control of a fence guarding the building in downtown Portland, which has been under siege by demonstrators for nearly two months. | Protesters used projectiles and laser pointers against federal law enforcement tasked with protecting the courthouse, who in turn deployed tear gas to keep the m…
(2020-07-24). Protests continue in Bulgaria demanding government's ouster. peoplesdispatch.org The protests demanding the resignation of the conservative government of Boyko Borisov for corruption and other charges have entered their third week. Leftist and progressive sections have sought a systemic change and not just fresh elections…
(2020-07-24). Trump Uses Border Patrol to Implement Police State. progressive.org The same agents arresting protesters in Portland routinely terrorize immigrant communities.
(2020-07-24). Leaked FBI Documents Reveal Secret Program To Criminalize Social Media. therealnews.com 
Simply posting about your presence at a police brutality protest can be used to incriminate you and lead to your arrest. We speak to Portland residents on the ground about the influx of unmarked federal agents.
(2020-07-24). Uprising: Mass Protests Rock the Nation. counterpunch.org 
In an act of political desperation, President Donald Trump ordered a contingent of federal law-enforcement officers to impose order in Portland, OR. Under the direction of Attorney General Bill Barr, agents from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bureau of Prisons were deployed to protect
(2020-07-24). From Portland to the World. mronline.org 
Since the end of May, demonstrators opposing police violence and white supremacy have thronged the streets of Portland, Oregon, clashing with law enforcement officers. Last week, aspiring autocrat Donald Trump escalated the situation by announcing that he would be sending federal agents around the country to assert his authority through acts of violence against protesters.
(2020-07-24). Homeland Security Justifies Invasion of Portland by Claiming Shields and Gas Masks are Weapons. mintpressnews.com DHS' Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli claimed that defensive tools like Shields and Gas Masks were evidence that protesters were making "preparations for violence."
(2020-07-24). Three Federal Agents Could Be 'Permanently Blinded' By Laser Attacks From Portland Protestors. sputniknews.com Demonstrations outside the courthouse in Portland have grown increasingly violent as the Trump administration sends in federal officers to crack down on the continuous nightly protests in the city.
(2020-07-24). 18 Arrested for Vandalising Courthouse, Attacking Police in Portland. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The authorities have arrested 18 participants in nightly and often violent anti-police protests in Portland, Oregon, on charges ranging from assaulting federal officers to participating in attacks on a federal courthouse, the US Justice Department said in a press release.
(2020-07-24). Black protester ATTACKED while trying to stop mob taking down Portland courthouse fence (VIDEO). rt.com 
Protesters returned to the Justice Center in Portland for another night of orchestrated chaos on Thursday. Eyewitness footage from the scene captured the moment apparent Antifa members attacked a black protester calling for calm. | After repeated criticism of heavy-handed tactics, reportedly no police or federal agents were posted on the streets at the beginning of Thursday evening, instead remaining inside the courthouse and issuing repeated orders that protesters not target the exterior fence. | Despite this, several agitators in the crowd threw trash over and set it on fire at the fence, which quickly desce…
(2020-07-24). Oregon judge bans feds from arresting or using force against 'journalists & legal observers' at Portland protests. rt.com 
A judge has issued a temporary restraining order on federal agents deployed in Portland, ruling that they may not arrest, disperse or otherwise use force against reporters and legal observers covering ongoing protests there. | US District Court Judge Michael Simon
(2020-07-24). America's Junior Partner: Britain's Post-Brexit Eurasian Balancing Strategy Is Bunk. globalresearch.ca The UK is trying to position itself as the "balancing" partner of choice for countries that are indoctrinated into believing the US' information warfare narrative of Eurasian-wide Chinese and Russian threats to their sovereignty, but this strategy is bunk because …
(2020-07-24). Marjorie Cohn on Portland Secret Police. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-07-24). Portland's movement is fighting back! Defend Portland, Ore.! Defend People's Resistance! No Police State! workers.org 
Workers World Party Statement Despite the brutal attempt of the White House to crush the heroic Black Lives Matter movement by sending camouflaged federal agents — secret police — to Portland, Ore., Chicago and other U.S. cities, the movement and all who support it have been fighting back. The initial . . . |
(2020-07-24). Portugal criticizes Britain's decision to keep it off safe travel list, says move 'not backed by facts'. rt.com 
Lisbon has criticized Britain's decision to persist with a quarantine regime for travelers from Portugal. The government regretted a move "that is neither substantiated nor backed by the facts," Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva tweeted on Friday. | The need for holidaymakers returning to Britain from Portugal to quarantine for 14 days has particularly affected the southern Algarve region, popular among Britons. | Other European nations including Ireland, Belgium and Finland have also imposed travel restrictions on Portugal. However, Spain has stayed on the UK safe list, despite a sharp increase…
(2020-07-24). Kremlin rubbishes American suggestion that Moscow & Washington form anti-China alliance. rt.com 
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has rejected an idea put forward by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that countries should team up against China. Moscow and Bejing have spent years building closer ties. | Speaking on Friday, Dmitry Peskov On July 23, Pompeo call…
(2020-07-24). Probe into 'novichok' death of Dawn Sturgess can blame Russia, UK judges say, but 'no trial will realistically happen'. rt.com 
The probe into the 'novichok' death of Dawn Sturgess in Amesbury should be expanded to look at the Russian government, but an actual trial is unlikely to happen, two UK high court judges have admitted in a ruling. | Sturgess, 44, died in Amesbury in July 2018, four months after the alleged chemical attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in nearby Salisbury, which the UK government said Russia was "highly likely" to have been responsible for. While the Wiltshire coroner said the investigation would look into the culpability of two alleged Russian spies, her family pressed to expand it to the Russian government as w…
(2020-07-24). Propaganda for kids: UK govt-backed 'news' site teaches children about 'ruthless' Putin & 'shameless' Russia. rt.com 
Is Vladimir Putin "the most dangerous man in the world?" If you trust the same news sources that some British schoolchildren's teachers do, then yes. Perhaps it's a good thing that the kids aren't listening. | When schools in Britain eventually reopen in September, children filling into the classrooms won't just be learning their reading, writing and arithmetic. On top of these fundamentals, their teachers will spoon-feed them blatant propaganda that would make Herr Goebbels blush. | The propaganda source in question is The Day, a news site founded by a team of established journalists and directed at teens. De…
(2020-07-24). Light at the end of coronavirus tunnel? Human trials of second Russian Covid-19 vaccine to start on Monday. rt.com 
A team of researchers in Siberia's largest city have been granted a permit by the Russian health ministry to conduct a clinical trial of their potential coronavirus vaccine. The first volunteers will be inoculated on July 27. | Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's health watchdog, said the Novosibirsk-based Vektor State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology was given the green light on Friday. The authority's chief Anna Popova announced that her monitors were satisfied with the results of the first stage of development. | Earlier, the Ministry of Defense announced the successful completion of clinical trials of a…
(2020-07-24). 'Diversionary tactics': Moscow dismisses US & UK's 'propagandistic' claims it tested new space weapon. rt.com 
Russia's Foreign Ministry has slapped down American and British claims that Moscow has been testing a new anti-satellite weapon. It says the pair are simply trying to distract attention from their own attempts to weaponize space. | US Space Force Command Chief General John W. Raymond claimed on Thursday that Moscow had conducted a "non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon," and that Russian "aggression" in space justified the establishment of the US' new space agency. He was promptly backed up in his claims by British officials. | In a statement on Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said t…
(2020-07-24). Pompeo on Ungainly Cold War Mission to Europe. strategic-culture.org 
American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a flying visit to Europe this week during which he wielded hostile jibes against China and Russia using anachronistic Cold War rhetoric. | It is obvious Washington is trying to divide the world into "us and them" with such polarizing policy. But this ungainly American policy is bound to fail because it does not match the realities of today's world. | Pompeo was in London on Monday and Tuesday, then Copenhagen on Wednesday from where he flew back to California to deliver a "major policy speech" on Thursday. The week's itinerary was dominated by Pompeo urging the "free…
(2020-07-24). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to
