Daily Archives: August 13, 2020

2020-08-13: News Headlines

Andrew Korybko (2020-08-13). Lukashenko Has No One To Blame But Himself For Belarus' Color Revolution Unrest. thealtworld.com It was entirely predictable that the Color Revolution unrest that Lukashenko himself earlier kindled by partially laying the blame for this regime change attempt on Russia, which he did in a misguided attempt to co-opt this movement and use it as a post-election pretext for accelerating his pro-Western pivot, would ultimately end up backfiring after the rioters' real Western patrons thought that they could intensify their pressure upon him in order to squeeze more concessions out of the geopolitically confused Belarusian leader. | Maidan In Minsk: | Belarusian President Lukashenko is being portrayed in po…

RT (2020-08-13). Racism revoked: Georgia shop apologizes for saying it would charge only white customers $20 to book appointments. rt.com A vintage clothing store in Savannah, Georgia has backed down from a plan to charge only white customers a $20 fee to book appointments to shop, saying it had been slammed with both negative feedback and threats of lawsuits. | Civvies on Broughton announced the new fee on Monday, as it was reopening by appointment only, after being shut down because of Covid-19. The refundable whites-only $20 deposit was introduced because the shop's mostly white staff and owners didn't feel comfortable "upholding a digital financial barrier which could prohibit BIPOC [black, indigenous and other people of color] from shopping…

RT (2020-08-13). Pompeo says US may impose sanctions & suspend oil deliveries for Belarus amid post-election crackdown. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hinted that sanctions may be in store for Belarus following the state's heavy-handed response to opposition protesters, who have disputed the result of the recent presidential election. | Asked how Washington would respond to the opposition crackdown during an interview with Radio Free Europe on Wednesday, Pompeo said that both sanctions and trade penalties were on the table, suggesting the US could also halt oil shipments to the east European nation. | "What is it that we believe that we can do, not just the United States unilaterally, but in a multilateral way to deliver goo…

The Canary (2020-08-13). Hundreds of thousands of A-level results downgraded in UK exam fiasco. thecanary.co Hundreds of thousands of pupils' results have been downgraded after this year's summer exams were cancelled because of coronavirus (Covid-19).The proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has risen to an all-time high, with 27.9% securing the top grades this year, figures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland show.But exam boards downgraded nearly two in five (39.1%) pupils' grades in England, according to data from Ofqual — which amounts to around 280,000 entries being adjusted down after moderation.Teachers were told to submit the grades they thought each student would have received if t…

Peter Koenig (2020-08-13). Belarus — A Color Revolution of a Different Shade? globalresearch.ca Belarus in turmoil, after an election where the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko — 25 years already in power (in office since 1994) — has won with 80% of the popular vote. That's what the official stats and media say. True …

Peter Koenig (2020-08-13). Belarus: A Color Revolution of a Different Shade? dissidentvoice.org Belarus is in turmoil, after an election where the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko — 25 years already in power (in office since 1994) — has won with 80% of the popular vote. That's what the official stats and media say. True or false? Does it matter? The margin is large enough that it cannot be …

South Front (2020-08-13). Video: Ukraine Is Hovering Between New War and Economic Collapse. globalresearch.ca On July 27, a next "complete and all-encompassing ceasefire" between Kiev troops and self-defense forces of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) started in eastern Ukraine. This is the most recent in a series of attempts to …

Johanna Ross (2020-08-13). Lukashenko Wins the Election, but His Biggest Fight May be Yet to Come. globalresearch.ca Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko may have won a solid victory with 80.23% of the vote, according to the election commission, but the ground on which he is standing is not as firm as it once was. The President of Belarus says …

Abdul Rahman (2020-08-13). Post-election protests leave Belarus at a crossroads. peoplesdispatch.org Alexander Lukashenko's re-election for a sixth consecutive presidential term on August 9 has sparked major protests, dividing political groups and citizens in Belarus like never before. At least two people have lost their lives and over 200 have been wounded in police violence against the protesters calling for Lukashenko's removal. A large number of protesters have taken to the streets seeking political change, despite massive state repression. At the same time, significant sections are worried about the outcome of the protests and the changes sought by the demonstrators, and are still on guard. The protests are…

Karsten Riise (2020-08-13). US Color Revolutions: From Eastern Europe to Egypt, Iran, Now Lebanon. globalresearch.ca It is necessary to study, how US color-techniques are applied for regime-change in Egypt (Tahrir) — Iran (Green Movement) and now Lebanon (Cedar Revolution + "Day of Rage"). | The US engineering of these all-but-spontaneous undercover "Color …

Frances Fox Piven (2020-08-13). What If Trump Won't Leave? zcomm.org Trump is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep power. Can he be stopped?>

Johanna Ross (2020-08-13). Disbelief and Denial in the West as Russia Produces First COVID Vaccine. globalresearch.ca 'Startling and confusing' proclaimed Science magazine. 'Reckless and foolish' said US vaccine scientist Peter Hotez. 'Dangerously rushed' said the journal Nature. Western scientists are in denial. The first vaccine against the disease which has dominated all our lives for …

Johann Bacher, Dennis Tamesberger&awblog.at. (2020-08-13). Europe needs an effective guarantee of youth solidarity. indybay.org The Youth Guarantee could create an entry-level job market in the public or non-profit sector – in other words, jobs that serve the common good. It is the austerity policy in the wake of the finnacial and economic crisis that has delayed the socio- and ecological transformation in European countries and opened up gaps in services which now need to be closed.

_____ (2020-08-13). 'Western' Media Falsely Claim Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine Is Ready. popularresistance.org After President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia's Covid-19 vaccine candidate had gained an approval from its regulator, 'western' media went into a anti-Russian frenzy to sow fear and doubt about it. Russia has not approved a vaccine against Covid-19 and it is not skipping large-scale clinical trials. | The Russia regulator gave a preliminary approval for a vaccine candidate to start the large-scale clinical trial. This is similar to an emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

_____ (2020-08-13). CIA-Sponsored Propaganda Has Been Around for 75 Years. strategic-culture.org The release a report by the U.S. Department of State's Global Engagement Center (GEC), billed as the Donald Trump administration's "dedicated center for countering foreign disinformation and propaganda, cites the Strategic Culture Foundation in Russia, Canada's Global Research Center, and other on-line publications as "proxy sites" for Russian intelligence and the Russian Foreign Ministry. The State Department's report is titled, "Pillars of Russia's Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem" and it is not much different than the series of reports issued by the State Department's "International Information Progr…

yenisafak (2020-08-13). EU eyes Belarus sanctions over disputed election, protests crackdown. yenisafak.com The European Union will likely impose new sanctions on Belarus as soon as later this month, diplomats and officials said, after strongman President Alexander Lukashenko cracked down on protests triggered by a disputed vote.Germany, Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden have spoken publicly in favour of sanctions and Austria was another hawk, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers on Friday.With any EU decision on sanctions requiring unanimity of all 27 member states, Hungary was the main sceptic, according to the sources.

yenisafak (2020-08-13). At least 3 terrorists neutralized in Turkey's southeast. yenisafak.com At least three terrorists were neutralized in an air-backed domestic anti-terror operation in southeastern Turkey, authorities announced Thursday.The Interior Ministry said in a statement that as part of domestic security operations, Provincial Gendarmerie Command units conducted operation in rural areas of Bitlis province."Thus, six terrorists were killed in the last two days, including three in Hakkari [province] and three in Bitlis," the statement said.Operations are ongoing in the region, it added.Turkish authorities generally use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were…

Matthew J.L. Ehret (2020-08-13). The Brookings Hand Behind Russiagate Points Back to Rhodes Trust Coup on America. dissidentvoice.org An incredible report on Real Clear Politics by Paul Sperry on July 24 has revealed a new dimension to the Russiagate frenzy that contaminated American politics for the last four years. While all claims of Russian collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin have been thoroughly debunked over recent months, it was believed that …

Staff (2020-08-12). Headlines for August 12, 2020. democracynow.org Joe Biden Taps Kamala Harris as Vice-Presidential Running Mate, Florida, Georgia Record Record Coronavirus Deaths as U.S. Colleges Delay Fall Sports Season, Bodies of COVID-19 Victims Lie Unclaimed Outside Chapel in La Paz, Bolivia, QAnon Conspiracy Theorist Wins Georgia 14th Congressional District GOP Primary, Rep. Ilhan Omar Fends Off Primary Challenger Who Dramatically Outraised Her, Clintons, Obamas Among Top Speakers at Democratic National Convention, Beirut Vigil Marks One Week Since Catastrophic Port Explosion, Thousands of Protesters in Mali Demand President's Ouster, Chicago Man Accused of Firing at Poli…

RT (2020-08-12). UN human rights chief condemns use of violence in Belarus against protesters, after '6,000 people detained in 3 days'. rt.com The United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on Wednesday condemned the use of violence by the Belarusian authorities to quash peaceful protests. | After President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in Sunday's election, Bachelet said police were reported to have used excessive force, firing rubber bullets, using water cannon, and throwing stun grenades, Reuters reports. | "Reports suggest that [approximately] 6,000 people have been detained in the last three days, including bystanders, as well as minors, suggesting a trend of massive arrests in clear violation of international human…

The Canary (2020-08-12). Using Royal Navy to tackle refugee crossings 'declaration of maritime war' — Calais mayor. thecanary.co Sending the Royal Navy into the English Channel to deal with migrant crossings is a "declaration of maritime war", the mayor of Calais has said. | Natacha Bouchart told France 3 that the British government must take responsibility. She called on Priti Patel's French counterpart to push them on the issue. Her fierce words came as more refugees arrived in the UK on Wednesday 12 August. | Meanwhile, at least 19 refugees who arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats, and were due to be deported on Wednesday 12 August, have had their removals paused, the PA news agency has learned. | Unwanted ref…

P. Sainath (2020-08-12). "We Didn't Bleed Him Enough": When Normal is the Problem. counterpunch.org Bloodletting was a common medical treatment for nearly 3,000 years. It developed around an idea, originating with Hippocrates and later wildly popular in Europe of the Middle Ages: that an imbalance of the four humours of the body — blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile — caused illness. Around 500 years after Hippocrates, Galen declared

RT (2020-08-12). Norway to reimpose 10-day quarantines for more travelers. rt.com The government in Oslo said it would reimpose quarantine measures on travelers from more foreign countries and reiterated its advice that Norwegians should avoid going abroad. | Norway diagnosed 357 people with Covid-19 last week, the highest since April, still well below the record 1,733 cases found in a single week in late March, Reuters reports. | Last week, Norway put on hold a plan to further reopen society and urged its citizens to refrain from foreign travel. | The co8ntry will now reimpose 10-day quarantines from Saturday for all travelers from Poland, Malta, Iceland, Cyprus and the Netherlands, the Fa…

RT (2020-08-12). Farage warns 'Britain won't be truly free' if Brexit deal agreed this year. rt.com Leading Euroskeptic Nigel Farage has issued a stark warning to Brexiteers, advising that the UK will not successfully be able to break free from the European Union if London does a deal with Brussels this year. | Farage has warned Leave voters that they are likely to be left furious when the Brexit transition period draws to a close on January 1, 2021, because exiting the bloc would not be the "true freedom" that they have "fought for decades." | The Brexit Party leader said that the Withdrawal Agreement that the British government agreed with Brussels will never leave the UK "free," and noted that Britain wil…

RT (2020-08-12). QAnon-supporting, anti-Soros GOP upstart Marjorie Greene on track for Congress after landslide victory in Georgia primary. rt.com A GOP congressional candidate who's come under fire for endorsing 'QAnon' conspiracy theories has taken more than half the vote in Georgia's primary runoff race, putting her on track to become the first Q-supporter in Congress. | Businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene prevailed over her fellow Republican John Cowan on Tuesday night, earning more than 57 percent of the vote. Greene ran a victory lap following the final result, celebrating her win despite "the GOP establishment, the media, and the radical left" spending "months and millions of dollars attacking me." | The GOP establishment, the media, & the radic…

RT (2020-08-12). Lawmakers in Netherlands criticize government's handling of coronavirus crisis. rt.com The leader of one of the parties in Dutch PM Mark Rutte's ruling coalition joined opposition lawmakers on Wednesday in criticizing the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis, AP reported. In particular, a decision to make some quarantine measures mandatory was slammed. The criticism came during a debate that interrupted the Dutch parliament's summer recess, and amid sharply rising infection rates in the Netherlands. | "If I look at how the Cabinet has reacted over the past weeks, the word that springs to mind is chaos," opposition Labor Party leader Lodewijk Asscher said, as he opened the debate with…

RT (2020-08-12). Cure worse than disease: Ruptly filmed REAL BLM protesters burning a Bible. NY Times tried to 'debunk' it with actual FAKE NEWS. rt.com Mainstream media have denounced RT's Ruptly video agency for documenting Portland protesters burning Bibles, dismissing the unaltered footage as 'Russian disinfo' in an attempt at bad-faith 'shoot the messenger' gaslighting. | Protesters gather around a burning Bible, chanting "F*** Trump," as they neatly drape an American flag over the flames. A few of the demonstrators rub their hands over the tiny fire, aping warming themselves as the flames devour the book. The 90-second clip was part of a 4-hour livestream. | It's an incendiary image (no pun intended) — protesters already denounced from some corners…

RT (2020-08-12). Russian Health Ministry says catching Covid-19 is far more dangerous than any possible side effects from world's first vaccine. rt.com The risks posed by coronavirus are far more severe than any possible side effects of Russia's new vaccine, according to the Ministry of Health in Moscow, which has rejected claims that the development process was rushed. | Sergey Glagolev, an adviser to Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, explained that being vaccinated involves significantly lower risk than having contact with someone who has been infected with Covid-19. This ought to be taken into account, given the scale of the pandemic, he said. | "Using our digital capabilities, we can monitor the safety of the vaccine in real-time," Glagolev said, noting t…

RT (2020-08-12). Cure worse than disease: We filmed REAL BLM protesters burning a Bible. NY Times tried to 'debunk' it with actual FAKE NEWS. rt.com Mainstream media have denounced Ruptly video of Portland protesters burning Bibles as 'Russian disinfo', countering the unaltered viral footage with fake news of their own in bad-faith 'shoot the messenger' gaslighting. | Protesters gather around a burning Bible, chanting "F*** Trump" as they neatly drape first an American flag over the flames, in the original video, which clocks in at under 90 seconds. A few of the demonstrators rub their hands over the tiny fire, aping warming themselves as the flames devour the book. | It's an incendiary image (no pun intended) — protesters already denounced from some…

RT (2020-08-12). Too little, too late — but the open letter 'It's time to rethink our Russia policy' at least opens the free-speech gates in the US. rt.com A group of 103 international-relations scholars has called for change in America's course on Russia in an open letter titled 'It's time to rethink our Russia policy.' One is tempted to respond simply, "No sh*t." | More appropriately, such a call might have been a surprise, but it has been needed since about 1992. | It's not only the text that's comment-worthy; the group of signatories is of some interest, too. Some of the statement's backers possess a sound record of sincere support for a realist or at least reasonable American policy towards Russia. Indeed, at least one of them, Dmitry Simes, has been accused…

RT (2020-08-12). 'Trying to use internet as a private fiefdom': Ex-Russian President Medvedev SLAMS US authorities for web manipulation. rt.com Washington is attempting to leverage the internet exclusively to its advantage, according to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now Deputy Chairman of the national Security Council. He says the strategy is "deplorable." | Speaking on Wednesday, Medvedev, who also served as Russian prime minister, said the pressure the White House placed on the owners of the social network WeChat (Chinese Internet giant Tencent) was a prime example of the US exploiting the internet as its own private tool. | He added that Washington aims to continue pursuing its policy of viewing the web only through the prism of its own…

The Canary (2020-08-12). Science and politics tied up in global race for a coronavirus vaccine. thecanary.co The announcement on Tuesday by Russian president Vladimir Putin that his country was the first to approve a coronavirus vaccine has been met by doubts about the science and safety.But it also underscored how the competition to have the first vaccine is about international rivalries as well as science.The first nation to develop a way to defeat the novel coronavirus will achieve a kind of moonshot victory and the global status that goes along with it.That is valuable to Putin, whose popularity at home has declined amid a stagnant economy and the ravages of the virus outbreak.Russian President Vladimir Putin announ…

Robert Hunziker (2020-08-12). Freakish Arctic Fires Alarmingly Intensify. counterpunch.org NASA satellite images of fires in eastern Siberia depict an inferno of monstrous proportions, nothing in modern history compares. And, as of July, it's intensifying. Should people be concerned? Answer: Yes, and double yes. According to Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-12). Turkey Marks 100 Years Since Treaty of Sèvres. Renewed Hostilities with Greece. globalresearch.ca Yesterday marked the 100-year anniversary from when the Treaty of Sèvres was signed. The Treaty of Sèvres saw the Ottoman Empire dismembered, with Greece, Syria and Armenia gaining old lost lands, an independent Kurdistan established, and France, Britain and Italy …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-12). Serbia's Intention to Buy Chinese Weapons. US Concerns. globalresearch.ca Belgrade's announcement that it may purchase the Chinese FK-3 anti-aircraft missile system was enough for the U.S. to express concern about Serbia's future, not only with Europe, but with the entire world. | The U.S. Embassy in Belgrade said that | "procuring …

Peter Koenig (2020-08-12). The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020" globalresearch.ca WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.

South Front (2020-08-12). Video: Crisis in Belarus as Sign of Global Division. globalresearch.ca Over the past days, Belarus, an eastern European state bordering with Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, has become a scene of a new regime change attempt on the territory of the former USSR. | On August 9, the country held presidential …

South Front (2020-08-12). Video: Lights, Camera, Action: Staging of Protests in Belarus. globalresearch.ca In Belarus presidential elections were held. According to the Central Election Committee, the turnout was quite high and amounted to about 84% of the population. The results of the exit poll confirm the victory of the current President of Belarus, …

news.un (2020-08-12). Belarus: UN rights chief condemns violence against protesters, calls for grievances to be heard. news.un.org The flow of free information is "crucial" in a democratic society, the UN human rights chief said on Wednesday, spotlighting the landlocked eastern European nation of Belarus, "especially in a context of crisis and social unrest".

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-08-12). Is a "Color Revolution" Possible in Belarus? globalresearch.ca The political crisis in Belarus is getting worse day after day. As a result of elections in the country, a violent wave of protests began in several cities. The focus of the demonstrations is Minsk, the country's capital. In the …

WSWS (2020-08-12). Protests, crackdown follow Belarus elections. wsws.org Western imperialism is seeking to exploit the Lukashenko government's violent suppression of protests to fuel its war drive against Russia.

Shane Quinn (2020-08-12). 80 Years Ago: Fall of France, the Wehrmacht's Advance Through the Ardennes Forest. globalresearch.ca Eight decades ago in the late summer of 1940 the Wehrmacht's generals, at Adolf Hitler's behest, were beginning preparations for a massive invasion of the USSR. Morale within the German Army was very good indeed, for obvious reasons. Within six …

Francesca Visser (2020-08-12). Meet Alabama's feminist doctor protecting women giving birth under COVID-19. zcomm.org "The US is the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world."

WSWS (2020-08-12). Germany deports Roma family to Moldova despite life-threatening conditions. wsws.org The deportations were planned and carried out by the Social Democratic/Left Party/Green government in the state of Berlin.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-12). What do we know about the Russian COVID-19 vaccine? peoplesdispatch.org Dr. Satyajit Rath talks to Peoples Dispatch about the recent announcement made by Russian president Vladimir Putin declaring that the country has developed a vaccine for COVID-19.

Scott Ritter (2020-08-12). Russia wants neither 'rethink' nor 'reset' if it means restoring American supremacy & returning to Cold War diplomacy. thealtworld.com Some 136 American "experts" on US-Russian relations recently debated the merits of "rethinking" US policy on Russia. What these specialists failed to consider is that Moscow may not be interested in their plans. | In the span of a week, Politico, a non-partisan global news and information company whose The first, which appeared on August 5, was an "open let…

WSWS (2020-08-12). Over a million jobs lost in Spain amid coronavirus pandemic. wsws.org Another 1 million workers are still furloughed in Spain, and will likely be cast onto unemployment rolls when this scheme comes to an end in the autumn.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Zarif says US determines EU's trade partners not Union itself. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Criticizing the EU's dependency on the US, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that this is the United States Department of the Treasury that determines EU's trade partners, not Europe itself.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Iranian documentary wins at Ierapetra filmfest of Greece. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Mahmoud Reza's documentary 'Kiarostami and His Missing Cane' has won an award at the 2020 edition of Ierapetra International Documentary Film Festival in Greece.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). 'Inner Love' goes to Italian film festival's final. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Iranian short 'Inner Love' has made it into the final stage of the 8th edition of Spi Stories Film Festival in Italy.