(2020-08-22). Greece denying pushbacks despite evidence: Rights group. yenisafak.com In a recent interview with CNN, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis denied the accusations, saying: "They are an insult to the Greek Coast Guard that has saved tens of thousands of migrants and refugees."However, evidence and reports describing the abuses are too many to be ignored, Eva Cosse, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a report.Cosse, after interviewing victims and witnesses, said that Greek authorities have been seen forcibly pushing back migrants and asylum seekers from Rhodes, Samos, and Symi islands in small inflatable boats.A victim from Syria, who used the pseudonym of Marwan, describ…
(2020-08-22). Palestine, Azerbaijan hail Turkey's natural gas find. yenisafak.com Palestine and Azerbaijan congratulated Turkey on Saturday for the discovery of major natural gas reserves in the Black Sea.Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call, Turkey's Communications Directorate said in a statement.He hailed Turkey's success as Palestine's success, while Erdogan reiterated Ankara's support for the Palestinian cause.The two leaders also discussed bilateral ties and regional developments, the statement said.Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov phoned his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to congratulate him on the sig…
(2020-08-22). Iranian envoy warns on weakening UN position. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 22 (MNA) — The Iranian Ambassador to France warned about undermining and weakening the international status of the United Nation in international bodies.
(2020-08-22). Proposed German Law Would Mandate Two Walks Each Day for Dogs. sputniknews.com Dog owners in Germany may soon be required by law to walk their furry friends at minimum twice a day, as the country's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture is set to introduce a new law next year to ensure dogs get enough activity.
(2020-08-22). Iranian Envoy to Russia Says Tehran-Moscow Military Cooperation 'Will Reach New Levels'. sputniknews.com The announcement comes as a UN embargo on weapons sales to the Islamic Republic is about to expire amid continuing opposition to the move by the United States.
(2020-08-22). U.S. Isolated From Double-Think & Arrogance on 'Snapback' Sanctions Against Iran. strategic-culture.org More than two years ago, in May 2018, the Trump administration unilaterally walked away from the international nuclear accord with Iran signed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. President Trump derided the deal as the "worst ever" and proceeded to re-impose crippling U.S. sanctions on Iran. | This week the United States
(2020-08-22). Protesters hold seventh anti-Kremlin march over detained governor. yenisafak.com Around 1,500 people marched through the streets of the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday, marking the seventh consecutive weekend of protests after the region's governor was detained in early July.Residents of Khabarovsk, 6,110 km (3,800 miles) east of Moscow, have protested since the detention of Sergei Furgal, the region's popular governor, on July 9 in connection with murder charges which he denies.His supporters say the detention is politically motivated.People marched on Saturday with posters reading "Freedom to Furgal" and "Belarus – Khabarovsk is with you" – a sign of support for oppositio…
(2020-08-22). France delays launch of COVID-19 economic reboot plan to September. yenisafak.com The French government said on Saturday it would unveil details of its 100 billion euro ($118 billion) plan to reinvigorate the economy in the first week of September, instead of next Tuesday, as it focuses on preparing the new school term."The recovery plan is ready, the timetable for its implementation still stands," government spokesman Gabriel Attal said in a statement.Schools are set to reopen on Sept. 1, after most were closed during a two-month lockdown earlier this year to fight the coronavirus, and the government is working to ensure protective measures will be adequate, Attal said.France has already outl…
(2020-08-22). Pakistan congratulates Turkey over gas discovery. yenisafak.com Pakistan's president on Saturday congratulated Turkey over the natural gas discovery in the Black Sea."I must congratulate our friends, President @RTErdogan and the people of Turkey, on their biggest natural gas discovery in the Black Sea. Friends revel and rejoice in the happiness and prosperity of friends. Mashallah," Arif Alvi said in a Twitter post.The development remained one of the top trends "HayirliOlsunTurkiye– #PakGreetsTurkey" on Twitter and other social media sites, with users congratulating Ankara over historic discovery.On Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced some 320 billion cubic mete…
(2020-08-22). Turkey: Hot air balloons up in the skies after months. yenisafak.com Colorful hot air balloons dotted the skies of Pamukkale in southwestern Turkey on Saturday morning, as the popular tourist activity resumed after a pause of over five months due to the coronavirus pandemic.The UNESCO World Heritage Site in Denizli province is famous for its mineral-rich thermal waters and white travertine terraces.The balloon tours, which give visitors the chance to take in the area's natural splendor from up above, were grounded on March 15 as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.Pamukkale's Kocacukur area swarmed with tourists on Saturday morning, who lined up for their balloon rides…
(2020-08-21). NATO Poses a Threat to Belarus: Why Did Russia Reaffirm Its CSTO Support to Belarus but Not to Armenia? globalresearch.ca Russia's reaffirmation of its CSTO mutual defense obligations to Belarus was made in response to Lukashenko's claims that NATO poses a threat to Belarus, which Moscow evidently believes are at least credible enough to remind the alliance about its red …
(2020-08-21). Belarus: Why Is Lukshenko Being Color Revolutioned Just Now? globalresearch.ca The globalist Powers That Be have clearly decided to topple the long-standing sole-ruler of Belarus, President Aleksander Lukashenko. The question is why at just this time? There is a case to be made that one reason is he is …
(2020-08-21). Former US Allies Britain, France, Germany join Russia and China in Forcefully Rejecting Trump Iran Sanctions. commondreams.org The "Trump administration is perfectly capable of maintaining publicly that international UNSC sanctions on Iran have been restored even if no one goes along with Washington," writes Cole. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_alone.jpg …
(2020-08-21). 'Black Suns' at Louvre Lens: Coal mines transformed into gift shops. peoplesworld.org 
Lens, a small town, but a highly important one in the industrial era of the late 19th century, located in the former French-Belgian coal belt, is now the home of the Louvre satellite museum Louvre-Lens and the site of the first major post-COVID lockdown exhibition in France and perhaps the first in the world. Soleils …
(2020-08-21). Murders of women rising in Turkey; government does nothing. peoplesworld.org 
Nearly 250 women have been killed in Turkey so far this year, new statistics suggest, prompting a call for international solidarity from women's organizations in a bid to save lives. Four women were detained in Istanbul Thursday after they unveiled a banner in Taksim Square charging that the "patriarchal state" was responsible for the death …
(2020-08-21). 'Purely a medical decision': Anti-corruption activist Navalny won't be allowed to fly until his doctor allows it, says Kremlin. rt.com 
There are no obstacles preventing Moscow protest leader Alexey Navalny from flying abroad for treatment other than receiving permission from his doctor, according to Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. | Navalny was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk on Thursday morning, after becoming ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. Members of his team believe the activist has been poisoned, and have arranged to fly him to the European Union. His associates have appealed to the Kremlin to allow him to be evacuated to a German specialist hospital, but Moscow insists the decision to let him go must be mad…
(2020-08-21). Newly-detected asteroid put on RISK LIST as calculations predict it could hit Earth. rt.com 
A freshly detected asteroid has been put straight onto the European Space Agency's 'risk list' as calculations forecast that it could smash into Earth in 10 years. | The agency detected the space rock this week and immediately added it to the list of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects, as calculations predict that it may hit our planet on August 31, 2029. | The data indicates that the object, known as 2020 PG6, will be traveling at an average speed of over 46,000kph as it races towards Earth. Thankfully, if the asteroid does stray into Earth's path, it's unlikely to cause a significant amount of damage a…
(2020-08-21). Fighting Russia has become an existential necessity for NATO, if tensions are reduced alliance has no purpose — Russia FM Lavrov. rt.com 
Confrontation with Russia has become the sole reason for NATO's existence, and this encourages instability in Europe, creating artificial dividing lines on the continent. That's according to Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. | The veteran diplomat told the Moscow daily Trud that everyone knows there are no real threats to security in Europe but that NATO needs to invent them in order to keep itself relevant. Lavrov also drew attention to the fact that Russia has repeatedly proposed measures to reduce tensions and reduce the risk of incidents on the continent. | "Now, just like during the Cold War, fighti…
(2020-08-21). US ready 'to block Russia & China' if they disregard Iran sanctions, Pompeo warns, as Washington pushes for UN 'snapback'. rt.com 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the United States is prepared to block Russia and China if they refuse to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran. | The statement came a day after Britain, France and Germany — who are still party to the Iranian nuclear agreement — joined Beijing and Moscow in Speaking to Fox News, Pompeo said Washington was disappointed its allies did not support the US effort to trigger a "snapback" of U…
(2020-08-21). Russian doctors say Moscow protest leader Navalny's condition has stabilized – he CAN be flown to Germany at family's request. rt.com 
Anti corruption activist Alexey Navalny, who remains in an artificially induced coma at a Siberian hospital, can be transferred to Germany within hours, his doctors have said, agreeing to family requests for treatment abroad. | Given the seriousness of Navalny's condition, he must be transferred to the airport with extreme care, the doctors of the Omsk clinic where the Moscow protest leader is hospitalized told the media on Friday. | An aircraft ambulance, dispatched by a German NGO to transport the activist, landed at the local airport earlier in the day. However, his doctors noted that while it will certainl…
(2020-08-21). Former US Army Green Beret indicted for 'conspiring with RUSSIAN SPIES'. rt.com 
A former member of the US Army Special Forces has been charged with providing classified information to Russian intelligence for over 15 years and faces life in prison, the Department of Justice has announced. | Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 45, was arrested in Gainesville, Virginia on Friday and charged with "conspiracy to provide US national defense information to agents of a foreign government," He allegedly made contact with agents of the R…
(2020-08-21). China and the US: the 21st Century's "Great Game" counterpunch.org 
From 1830 to 1895, the British and Russian empires schemed and plotted over control of Central and South Asia. At the heart of the "Great Game" was England's certainty that the Russians had designs on India. So wars were fought, borders drawn, and generations of young met death in desolate passes and lonely outposts. In
(2020-08-21). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to
(2020-08-21). Video: Idlib Is Burning. New Proxy War in Deir Ezzor. globalresearch.ca The series of unfortunate events involving the US-led coalition, Turkey and Turkish proxies continues in Syria's Greater Idlib. | Late on August 19 and early on August 20, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) shelled positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham near Haranabush …
(2020-08-21). Russia/US New START Extension Talks, No Resolution of Major Differences. globalresearch.ca In not renewed, New START expires on February 5, 2021. | Months earlier, Trump falsely called it a "bad deal." | He never read it and knows no more about it than what Pompeo and other regime hardliners told him. | The decade-ago …
(2020-08-21). Pro-imperialist coup topples Malian President KeàØta. wsws.org The coup leaders exploited growing anger among workers and youth at KeàØta, but then declared they would support France's neo-colonial occupation of their country.
(2020-08-21). Sudanese refugee drowns attempting to cross English Channel. wsws.org Family members say the victim had his claim for asylum in France refused, and risked the dangerous sea crossing seeking a better life.
(2020-08-21). Amid French occupation pro-imperialist coup topples Malian president KeàØta. wsws.org The coup leaders exploited growing anger among workers and youth at KeàØta, but then declared they would support France's neo-colonial occupation of their country.
(2020-08-21). Germany's Left Party hails the SPD's chancellor candidate, pledges support for militarism and war. wsws.org The Left Party embraces Olaf Scholz not despite, but rather because of his reactionary policies.
(2020-08-21). Architect of Sweden's coronavirus policy advocated keeping schools open to reach "herd immunity" more quickly. wsws.org Chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell's callous disregard for human life is not an individual phenomenon, rather his chilling email correspondence reflects the thinking of the ruling elites in every country.
(2020-08-21). Medical Jet With Alexei Navalny On Board Takes Off From Omsk Airport – Video. sputniknews.com OMSK (Sputnik) — Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny on Saturday left a hospital in the city of Omsk in a critical care transport that took him took the airport from where he will be flown to Germany.
(2020-08-21). Russia has not contacted us, Belarusian opposition politician Tsikhanouskaya says. yenisafak.com Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Friday that Russia had not made contact with her campaign, speaking at her first press conference since fleeing into exile last week following a disputed presidential election.Tsikhanouskaya has led the biggest challenge to President Alexander Lukashenko's 26-year rule of Belarus. Mass protests broke out against Lukashenko, accusing him of rigging the August 9 election, which he denies. Russia has warned the West not to intervene and offered military help to Minsk.
(2020-08-21). Europe's travel recovery stalls in August. yenisafak.com Europe's travel recovery stalled at the start of August after a stronger performance in July, as quarantine rules and warnings over rising infection rates created uncertainty and deterred tourists from booking trips abroad.In July, ticket numbers for cross-border air travel within Europe stood at 28% of 2019's levels, as Europeans began to travel again after months of lockdown.But by the first week of August, volumes had fallen to 18%, according to data provided by travel analysis group ForwardKeys.Britain brought back quarantine rules for arrivals from Spain on July 26, just over two weeks after saying travel th…
(2020-08-21). Turkey discovers gas reserve in Black Sea, says Erdogan. yenisafak.com Turkey's drilling ship Fatih has found 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas, Erdogan addedThe Turkish ship has been operating since late July in an exploration zone known as Tuna-1, about 100 nautical miles north of the Turkish coast in the western Black Sea.Details to follow…
(2020-08-21). Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny hospitalized as crisis in Belarus deepens. wsws.org Navalny's hospitalization comes amid an escalating crisis around the protests and mass strikes in Belarus which have heightened tensions in Europe and Russia.
(2020-08-21). Europe's Love Affair with Fossil Fuels. commondreams.org "European governments provide subsidies to fossil fuel industries under many guises: tax breaks, capacity markets, the Emissions Trading System," writes the author. (Photo: Jack Sem, Semtrio.com/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/sky_0.jpeg …
(2020-08-21). "We're Back": Greta Thunberg Kicks Off Third Year of Fridays for Future Protests in Germany After Meeting With Merkel. commondreams.org "We want leaders to step up, take responsibility, and treat the climate crisis like a crisis." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/greta_berlin.jpg …
(2020-08-21). The Manchurian Candidate in 2020. counterpunch.org The Manchurian Candidate is a fascinating backdrop for current political theater best evidenced by the Democratic National Convention right now. Many liberals became very worked up about Russiagate—the obsession over Russia's interference in the 2016 election. Similarly, The Manchurian Candidate captures a fear about interference from a menacing communist force propping up the right-wing in a horseshoe
(2020-08-20). The Belarusian Labor Strike Movement Could Bring Down Lukashenko. globalresearch.ca Belarus' disproportionate budgetary dependence on five big businesses makes it extremely vulnerable to economic destabilization if the tiny percentage of the country's population employed in those companies join in the nationwide labor strike movement to remove Lukashenko. | "The Economic Factor …
(2020-08-20). The Geopolitics Of The Belarusian Crisis: Anti-Russian, Neutral To China, Pro-Polish. thealtworld.com The Belarusian Crisis is an American Hybrid War against Russian interests in support of Poland's US-backed regional ones related to the "Three Seas Initiative", which won't harm China's interests even in the worst-case scenario despite Beijing's plans for the Eurasian Land Bridge to transit through the Color Revolution-beleaguered former Soviet Republic since the People's Republic has already pioneered several complementary East-West corridors that it could rely on instead. | Geopolitical Basics | The "
(2020-08-20). New Senate Intelligence Committee volume on "Russian interference" smears WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. wsws.org The one-thousand-page fifth volume of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence investigation is largely devoted to building an elaborate and false narrative against WikiLeaks.
(2020-08-20). Headlines for August 20, 2020. democracynow.org Kamala Harris Accepts Democratic Party's Nomination for Vice President, Hundreds of Wildfires Choke California, as Coronavirus Sidelines Prisoner Firefighters, U.S. Records Nearly 1,300 New Coronavirus Deaths as PPE Shortages Persist, NYC Teachers' Union Threatens Strike If Schools Reopen Without Safety Measures, New Zealand Deploys Troops to Enforce Quarantine; Zambian Vice President Positive for Coronavirus, Emails Reveal Swedish Epidemiologist Urged Coronavirus Spread to Attain Herd Immunity, Iran's Official COVID-19 Death Toll Passes 20,000 as Trump Pushes for New Sanctions, European Union Readies Sanctions A…
(2020-08-20). Memoir of a World Watcher: Diana Johnstone. globalresearch.ca We discuss Diana Johnstone's memoir, "Circle in the Darkness": | Yugoslavia under Tito; bombing of Serbia; Camp Bondsteel; spook revelation journalism; | Paris in 1968; anti-war movement of the '60s; legacy of Charles de Gaulle; Europe occupied since WWII; | the Greens; …
(2020-08-20). German NGO sends in ambulance plane to pick up 'poisoned' Kremlin critic Navalny at Pussy Riot co-founder's request. rt.com 
The Berlin-based Cinema for Peace Foundation has readied an ambulance aircraft, specialized for transporting coma patients, to pick up Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny to transfer him to Germany for treatment. | The NGO said the plane will fly to Russia late on Thursday. The activists noted the transfer was requested by Navalny's fellow opposition figure, Pyotr Verzilov, best known as the co-founder of the punk band Pussy Riot. | "For humanitarian reasons, at Pussy Riots Pyotr Verzilov's request, we will send at midnight an air ambulance with medical equipment and specialists with which Navalny can be…
(2020-08-20). Battelships in Beirut —MES EP.68. thealtworld.com Several European navies have deployed vessels to Beirut port under the pretext of providing disaster relief and humanitarian assistance following the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut. The French Marine Nationale, British Royal Navy, German Deutsche Marine and Hellenic Navy have all dispatched vessels to Beirut as Lebanese people fear the return of 1982. To discuss this issue with us from Paris is Jean Pierre Duthion, political commentator. | Iraq cancelled a ministerial visit and summoned Turkey's ambassador last week as it blamed Ankara for a drone attack that killed two high-ranking Iraqi military o…
(2020-08-20). EU rejects UK demand for right to return migrants. yenisafak.com The UK has wanted to extend the Dublin system after the end of the transition period at the end of the year. | The system allows countries to return refugees and migrants to the EU country from where they came, and is the basis of the current EU asylum system. | The Guardian reported that the EU rejected extending the system outside the EU, which the UK would be post-Brexit. | The UK offered the same system vice versa, so that they would have to accept migrants who landed in the EU from the UK, except those who arrive by airplane. | The EU said the plan was "very unbalanced," as southern Europe takes in 10 tim…
(2020-08-20). Racists outnumbered at Stone Mountain. liberationnews.org 
This summer of mass protests against police brutality and the brutality of this capitalist system more broadly has stirred up a predictable reaction from the far-right, leading several of Georgia's most notorious racists to plan an Aug. 15 march up Stone Mountain, about 30 minutes east of Atlanta, to prove the vitality of the racist …
(2020-08-20). On Vacation. No Internet. No News. counterpunch.org 
Last time I went on vacation without access to news, I was in Greece, on Ithaca, and Chernobyl happened. I found out about it a week later when I got to Athens to catch my flight back to Hamburg. There was an English language newspaper there — Daily American perhaps, or that was the paper
(2020-08-20). The Heat: U.S. politics and COVID-19 in Latin America. america.cgtn.com 
Politics and the pandemic. Plus — Latin America passes Europe as the region with the most Covid deaths the world.
(2020-08-20). Doctors say condition of Moscow protest leader Navalny has stabilized, as Kremlin promises probe if traces of poison are found. rt.com 
The team treating Alexey Navalny has managed to stabilize his condition, a lead medic has said. Dr Anatoly Kalinichenko said Russia's best-known anti-corruption activist was in intensive care and getting the necessary treatment. | The doctor also said there are no plans to transfer Navalny to Moscow. His supporters have requested that be moved to Germany or France so he can be admitted to a specialist clinic. Earlier, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "if the Kremlin or the Russian Health Ministry received a request for Navalny's transfer to a foreign hospital, it would be considered…