(2020-08-27). Belarus's Options in the Midst of a Color Revolution. counterpunch.org 
A "color revolution" is a media term for a movement based on legitimate grievances only to be co-opted into a regime change operation backed by the US and confederates. There have been so many — Georgia in 2003, Ukraine in 2004, Kyrgyzstan in 2005 — that they have run out of colors. Belarus is amidst
(2020-08-27). Dutch socialist youth demand abolition of first class in railways to prevent overcrowding. peoplesdispatch.org Even during the raging COVID-19 pandemic, trains in the Netherlands have been running with overcrowded second class coaches and almost vacant expensive first class coaches…
(2020-08-27). Video: Russian, Syrian Forces Operation against ISIS Terrorists. globalresearch.ca Russian and Syrian forces eliminated 327 ISIS militants during a joint security operation that took place in the desert areas of Homs and Deir Ezzor from August 18 to August 24. | According to the Russian side, strikes of the Syrian …
(2020-08-27). HBO's Welcome to Chechnya is Latest Anti-Russian Cold War Propaganda. dissidentvoice.org In 2017, explosive allegations first emerged that the authorities of the Chechen Republic were reportedly interning gay men in concentration camps. After a three year period of dormancy, the accusations have resurfaced in a new feature length documentary by HBO Films entitled Welcome to Chechnya. Shot between mid-2017 and early last year, the film has …
(2020-08-27). HBO's 'Welcome to Chechnya' Is Latest Anti-Russian Cold War Propaganda. globalresearch.ca In 2017, explosive allegations first emerged that the authorities of the Chechen Republic were reportedly interning gay men in concentration camps. After a three year period of dormancy, the accusations have resurfaced in a new feature length documentary by HBO …
(2020-08-27). Lebanon: Inconvenient Truths About Syria, Iran, Hezbollah And The Shia 'Street'. popularresistance.org There's been a lot of nonsense passing as truth in post-blast Lebanon reporting. Most centers around alarmism about Hezbollah's nefarious influence, the West's "opportunity" to destroy it, and the supposed struggle with Russia, China, and Iran for paternalist-preeminence in a country that isn't ours (or theirs) to preside over in the first place. There's little discussion in most mainstream reporting on the minor matter of why Hezbollah gained influence in the first place. Shia Muslims are difficult to provoke and almost impossible to suppress once aroused. Long led by a more "quietist" strand of conservative, ap…
(2020-08-27). Observers: US Sanctions on Russian Institute Working on Sputnik V Caused by Fear to Lose Leadership. sputniknews.com As Moscow announced the beginning of post-registration trials of anti-COVID vaccine Sputnik V on 26 August, the US added a group of Russian research institutes, including the one testing the anti-coronavirus drug, to its sanctions list. International observers have discussed the US move unveiled amid the global effort to curb the pandemic.
(2020-08-27). Russian Prosecutors Launch Pre-Trial Probe Over Alexei Navalny's Hospitalisation in Omsk. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Transport police prosecutors in the western Siberian region have launched a pre-trial probe over the hospitalisation of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny in the city of Omsk.
(2020-08-27). Vladimir Putin Reveals His Daughter Developed COVID Antibodies After Taking Russian Vaccine. sputniknews.com Following the announcement of the world's first COVID-19 vaccine on 11 August, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that one of his daughters had been inoculated with it.
(2020-08-27). UK's Johnson Reprises Skripal Saga for Navalny 'Poisoning'. strategic-culture.org Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is the latest Western leader to wildly jump on the bandwagon claiming that Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was poisoned, and by implication insinuating the Kremlin had a sinister hand in it. | "The poisoning of Alexei Navalny shocked the world,"
(2020-08-27). 'Turkey, Ukraine should pursue joint tech production'. yenisafak.com "From now on, we should focus on getting quick results in the work we've initiated towards joint project and product development and joint technological research," Mustafa Varank said in a meeting with Oleh Urusky, Ukraine's vice prime minister for strategic industries.This would transform the countries' "strategic cooperation into a more systematic and institutionalized structure," he said in the Turkish capital Ankara.Varank said the countries' close historical, cultural, and geographical ties were strengthened by a strategic partnership announced in 2011.Calling the Ukrainian official's visit a milestone in fo…
(2020-08-27). EU mulls Belarus sanctions as opposition calls for Merkel's aid. yenisafak.com European Union foreign ministers on Thursday sought sanctions against Belarus to pressure President Alexander Lukashenko to hold new elections as the country's opposition appealed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for help.Eager to support mass protests against Lukashenko's 26-year iron rule, EU ministers are considering travel bans and asset freezes on up to 20 people responsible for a crackdown on demonstrators two weeks after an election they say was rigged."The announcement of sanctions has not led to any change in behaviour in Belarus," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters, referring to the thr…
(2020-08-27). Putin says alleged mercenaries were lured to Belarus by foreign spy operation. yenisafak.com President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that a group of Russians who were detained in Belarus prior to its Aug. 9 election and accused of being mercenaries had been lured to Belarus by a Ukrainan-U.S. intelligence operation.Belarus had accused the men of seeking to destabilise the country ahead of its election, marking an unusual diplomatic row with close ally Russia. At the time, Russia had said the men were private security workers on their way to a third country."These people, I repeat, were travelling for work to a third country. They were lured there, dragged across the border… It was an operation of Ukr…
(2020-08-26). Can the US Stop Russia from 'Pulling a Crimea' in Belarus? globalresearch.ca US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is rushing to Moscow from 25-26 August in a desperate attempt to stop Russia from "pulling a Crimea" in Belarus after the ongoing Color Revolution there has thus far failed to depose Lukashenko …
(2020-08-26). Headlines for August 26, 2020. democracynow.org Two Killed as White Militia Member Fires on Black Lives Matter Protesters in Kenosha, WI, Family of Jacob Blake Demands Arrest of Officers Who Shot Him in the Back, Black Lives Matter Protesters Shot At While Marching in Pennsylvania, Republican National Convention Speakers Continue to Flout Hatch Act Ethics Laws, CDC Quietly Drops Test Recommendation for Asymptomatic People Exposed to COVID-19, Far-Right Militia Leader Ammon Bundy Arrested at Idaho State Capitol, Argentina Posts Record Coronavirus Toll; COVID-19 Resurgent in Europe, Hurricane Laura Could Become Category 4 Storm Ahead of Gulf Coast Landfall, Leba…
(2020-08-26). Racist, misogynist jail system: Deaths of women prisoners in Georgia. workers.org 
Cobb County Jail Complex near Atlanta. Atlanta, GA — Two people incarcerated in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center have died within the past two months — both women. The massive jail is about 20 minutes outside of Atlanta. An imprisoned woman, whose name and cause of death have not . . . |
(2020-08-26). Socialist Cuba: a global leader in the fight against COVID-19. workers.org 
By Rosemari Mealy This is a slightly edited talk given at a Workers World Party webinar on Aug. 20 on "COVID can be defeated: Cuba, China, Venezuela and Vietnam lead the way." Cuban doctors battle COVID-19. I would like to thank Workers World for the opportunity to participate in this . . . |
(2020-08-26). Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich questioned in Minsk as case opens against Belarus opposition for 'attempt to seize power'. rt.com 
Many assumed despite playing a prominent role in Belarus' opposition, Svetlana Alexievich's fame made her somewhat 'untouchable.' Nevertheless, the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature winner was summoned for questioning on Wednesday. | The Belarusian Investigative Committee wanted to 'discuss' the case it has opened against the country's opposition for allegedly making "calls to seize state power." The writer, who sits on the movement's 'Coordination Council', arrived at the committee's building accompanied by other council presidium members Pavel Latushko, Maxim Znak and Maria Kolesnikova. | After the meeting ende…
(2020-08-26). German capital BANS anti-lockdown protest, condemning 'corona deniers & right-wing extremists'. rt.com 
Berlin authorities have banned the upcoming protest against Covid-19 lockdown measures, saying the marches were being misused as a stage for right-wing extremists and "deniers" of the pandemic. | Organizers of the August 29 "Assembly for Freedom" in central Berlin had registered 17,000 demonstrators. The local government says police will be out in force to prevent the gathering, because participants in the previous march "deliberately broke the rules" for wearing masks and social distancing. | "We are still in the middle of a pandemic with rising infection figures," Berlin's interior minister Andreas Geisel to…
(2020-08-26). EU trade commissioner RESIGNS after outcry over attending quarantine-defying golf party in Ireland. rt.com 
EU Commissioner Phil Hogan is the latest political casualty of the 'Golfgate' scandal in which a host of Irish politicians partied at a golf club dinner, hours after introducing strict lockdown measures for the public. | Hogan, a member of Ireland's Fine Gael party, announced his resignation on Wednesday. One day earlier, he briefed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on his activities in Ireland last week. | Also on rt.com | | H…
(2020-08-26). Believe it or not, Russia's Army has completely solved its notorious HAZING problem… or at least the Defense Ministry thinks so. rt.com 
The Russian Army has almost completely rid itself of the decades-old evil of bullying and "barrack hooliganism," Deputy Defense Minister Andrei Kartapolov has announced, adding that this will motivate more young people to serve. | In Kartapolov's words, the military authorities have "paid special attention to restoring order in the Armed Forces." The "preventive measures" undertaken in recent years have led to a "noticeable decrease" of hazing in the barracks, he said. | As a result, Russian recruits have been increasingly motivated to serve in the Armed Forces, the ministry added. Last September, Army supremo…
(2020-08-26). Siberian doctors who treated Moscow protest leader Navalny issue open letter addressing critics of their efforts to save activist. rt.com 
The Russian doctors who treated Alexey Navalny last week have issued an open letter in response to criticism of their efforts to save his life. They are offended by some commentary, which they believe is politically motivated. | The Siberian medics say they did their best in a high-pressure situation, and that media coverage suggesting otherwise is "unacceptable" and part of what they term a "political diagnosis." Aside from the staff at the Omsk emergency hospital where Navalny was taken after falling ill on a flight to Moscow, other leading Russian health figures have also signed the letter. | They include t…
(2020-08-26). Russians overwhelmingly oppose microchipping of humans, fear becoming cyborgs without even knowing it — state-backed poll. rt.com 
The majority of Russians are opposed to implanting microchips into the human body — a popular idea in sci-fi movies, yet rare in reality — a recent survey has discovered. | While a whopping 77 percent of those surveyed by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center VCIOM (a state-linked outfit) said they are against the idea in principle, 45 percent elaborated that they were afraid of being implanted without even knowing it. | Other hyper-anxious citizens stressed that their fears were based on the presumption that microchips could be hazardous for their health or be used for 24-hour surveillance.
(2020-08-26). Russian expert says severity of Covid-19 may increase with 2nd wave, expects virus to stick around until at least summer 2021. rt.com 
Now for some bad news. If Covid-19 follows historic patterns it will likely come in three waves and normal life won't resume until the summer of next year. That's according to leading Russian virus expert Mikhail Paltsev. | The scientist told the Telegram channel of the Russian anti-coronavirus internet hotline that historically all viral pandemics occur in three waves. The first is rather strong, the second one is even stronger, and the third is less potent due to the formation of herd immunity. | Professor Palstev reiterated that, for example, the Spanish flu occurred in three waves at the beginning of the l…
(2020-08-26). Doves not in style? CNN & Fox cut Rand Paul's anti-war speech at RNC as he calls out Biden for backing wars in M. East, Serbia. rt.com 
Senator Rand Paul's (R-Kentucky) speech at the Republican National Convention was butchered by major cable networks, with CNN cutting it completely and Fox replacing the anti-war part with an interview. | Senator Paul, who frequently crossed swords with Donald Trump when both were vying to become the Republican presidential candidate in the 2016 race, admitted during his speech that he did not always agree with the president, but said that Trump's desire to put an end to the "endless wars" far outweighs their differences. | "I'm supporting President Trump because he believes as I do, that a strong America cann…
(2020-08-26). Belarus detains more people as protests demanding leader's resignation continue. thecanary.co 
Police in Belarus have detained more than 50 people across the country during protests demanding the resignation of its authoritarian leader.The renewed crackdown on protesters, who have been taking to the streets for over two weeks, comes as authorities crank up pressure on the opposition, jailing several activists, summoning others for questioning and selectively ordering dozens of demonstrators to appear in court.Belarus's Interior Ministry said 51 protesters were detained on 25 August at rallies that spanned across several cities.According to the Viasna human rights group, 15 people were detained in Minsk, th…
(2020-08-26). COVID-19 Changed Work in Germany. counterpunch.org 
Germany is generally known as a high-tech country producing machinery and cars. But a few decades ago, Germany passed the 50% mark, entering the service industry. The 50% mark indicated that more than half of Germany's wealth now comes from the service industry and no longer from making machines like Porsches and Volkswagens. By 2020,
(2020-08-26). US-Funded Mobs Attempt to Block Thai-Chinese Submarine Deal. thealtworld.com 
The protesters' argument is childish, but Washington's reason for wanting the deal dropped is much more obvious. | Diesel electric subs are quiet, launch anti-ship cruise missiles out of range of enemy anti-sub capabilities; | At least 2-3 submarines firing missiles in a coordinated attack would have a chance at breaching an enemy vessel's air-defense weapons; | Deal would build significant military ties with China — already Thailand's most important economic partner; | US seeks to encircle and contain China with a united front comprised of Australia, Japan, India, and even the UK and France; | China and pot…
(2020-08-26). After 250 years, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel — Presente! greenleft.org.au 
Hegel for Social Movements
| By Andy Blunden
| Haymarket Books, 2020, 290 pp., $38.90 | Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was born 250 years ago on August 27, 1770 in Stuttgart, Germany. In his lifetime he was the most influential and prominent German philosopher. | His continuing relevance is seen in all of the great revolutionaries still mentioned to th…
(2020-08-26). German schools reopening without safety measures as coronavirus cases increase. wsws.org The federal and state governments in Germany are setting the stage for a further explosion in the number of cases by reopening schools.
(2020-08-26). Could We Slide into the Abyss Like Germany in 1933? counterpunch.org Will Donald Trump leave office if he loses the election? Many are wondering how he might bend the law to stay in the White House. The president frequently inveighs against "voter fraud" and says his opponents will steal the election with fraudulent mail-in ballots. Further, he refuses to say if he will accept election results.
(2020-08-26). MIrror, Mirror Politics in Germany. counterpunch.org "Mirror, mirror on the wall…" Nearly every German knows the story of Snow White. Currently, the question of who is "fairest of them all" faces nearly every German political party or, in modern terms, who can attract more votes in next year's election. The U.S. equivalent question, which will seek and hopefully find answer much
(2020-08-26). Video: Covid-19 Lies: No Masks, No Lockdowns, No Social Distancing! Mass Mobilization in Ireland. globalresearch.ca Ireland is leading a movement. | The Statistics are manipulated. | More people will die as a result of the closing down of the global economy. | No justification for the schools to be closed down. | No justification to wearing a face mask. …
(2020-08-26). Cyber Command Gets New Surveillance Powers Under Guise of Battling Election Meddling. mintpressnews.com US Cyber Command and the Pentagon are availing themselves of the Russian meddling narratives and added a few others to justify the creation of a cyberwar army with international and domestic capabilities via the National Guard.
(2020-08-26). The world is going to multipolarity. thealtworld.com Leonid Savin, a Russian political analyst, is of the opinion that the world is moving in the direction of "multipolarity" as the world is fed up with unipolar moves by Washington. | "The world is going to multipolarity, and humanity is tired of Washington's dominance and unipolar operations," Savin tells the Tehran Times. | Savin also says Moscow is looking to the East as Russians have bitter memories of the West. | "Russian decision-makers started looking to the East more and more. Because historically, we faced serious threats from the West." | Following is the full text of the interview: | Q: Iran and Russia a…
(2020-08-26). Indian construction workers in Serbia protest demanding salary, food and repatriation. peoplesdispatch.org The New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (NKPJ) has expressed solidarity with the Indian workers and demanded proper action from authorities against Nikoliƒá LLC, the company which brought the workers to Serbia…
(2020-08-26). Iranian Animation "H2 Hope" vie at two intl. Film Festivals. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (MNA) — The short animation "H2 Hope", co-directed by Ashkan Rahgozar and Negin Khajehaei, is accepted at the Bucheon International Fantasy Film Festival and the Comics and Animation Festival in Greece.
(2020-08-26). Iraq continuing anti-ISIL fight with Iran, Syria & Russia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 26 (MNA) — The spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji informed that the 'quadruple security center' comprised of Iraq, Iran, Russia and Syria, is continuing its fight against the ISIL.
(2020-08-26). The world is going to multipolarity: Russian analyst says. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 26 (MNA) — Leonid Savin, a Russian political analyst, is of the opinion that the world is moving in the direction of "multipolarity" as the world is fed up with unipolar moves by Washington.
(2020-08-26). Might Belarus Become The Next Syria? popularresistance.org There are signs that Russia is intervening in the Belarusian crisis (finally!) | First and foremost, we can see a truly radical change in Lukashenko's policies: if his initial instinct was to unleash brutal repression of both the violent rioters and the peaceful demonstrators, now he has made a 180 and the outcome is quite amazing: on Sunday there were large anti-Lukashenko demonstrations yet not a single person was detained. Not one. Even more amazing is this: the Polish-run Nexta Telagram channel (which is the main medium used by the Empire to overthrow Lukashenko) initially called for a peaceful protest, but a…
(2020-08-26). Wildfire, Hurricanes, Floods And Droughts Quadrupled In Cost Since 1980. popularresistance.org In the last 40 years, 663 disasters linked to climate change in the United States killed 14,223 people. The total cost: an estimated $1.77 trillion, a bit more than Canada's Gross National Product in 2018. | Economic losses in Europe resulting from climate-linked extreme weather from 1980 to 2017 were lower, totaling $537 billion. The difference was the cost of tropical storms, which don't affect Europe but accounted for nearly half of the U.S. total costs. | The report analyzed data going back to 1980 from several sources, including a database of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that ca…
(2020-08-26). Teachers Organize As COVID-19 Outbreaks At Schools Concealed. popularresistance.org Using the fraudulent pretext of "protecting medical privacy," a growing number of states and school districts across the United States are deliberately concealing information from the public on COVID-19 outbreaks in schools that have reopened. These include the states of Maine, Virginia and Oklahoma, as well as Camden County, Georgia, and Orange County, Florida. In Tennessee, Louisiana, and many other states, the decision is left to each individual county, and an unknown number of county officials are concealing outbreaks in schools from the public.
(2020-08-26). Russian COVID Vaccine for Kazakhstan to Be Produced by Partner of Russia's Sovereign Fund. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said on Wednesday that the production of Russia's coronavirus vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V, for Kazakhstan would be carried out by one of its international partners.
(2020-08-26). Russia, Iran, Turkey Issue Joint Statement on Syria Condemning Israeli Attacks, US Theft of Oil. sputniknews.com The statement was formulated on the sidelines of the meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, a United Nations-facilitated negotiating platform aimed at reconciling the Syrian government and the opposition and establishing an enduring peace in the war-torn country.
(2020-08-26). Russia Ready to Start COVID-19 Vaccine Supplies to Brazil in November, RDIF CEO Says. sputniknews.com BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) – Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev said on Wednesday that Russia is ready to start deliveries of the newly registered COVID-19 vaccine to Brazil in November.
(2020-08-26). US General Milley Holds Phone Talks With Russia's Chief of General Staff. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, held a phone conversation with Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, however, the details of the call will be kept private, a Joint Staff spokesperson, Col. Dede Halfhill, said in a Wednesday statement.
(2020-08-26). Protesters rounded up in Belarus; Nobel-winning writer due for questioning. yenisafak.com Belarusian police have rounded up dozens of protesters heading home from peaceful demonstrations, rights groups said on Wednesday, after days in which the authorities exercised comparative restraint towards mass anti-government rallies.The country's most celebrated writer, Nobel Prize-winner Svetlana Alexievich, was expected to appear for questioning later on Wednesday in a criminal investigation into an opposition council, two of whose leaders were jailed this week.President Alexander Lukashenko has faced more than two weeks of mass demonstrations against his 26-year rule since an election which his opponents sa…
(2020-08-26). NATO calls for fair Belarus elections, denies military buildup. yenisafak.com NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that any attempt by the Belarusian government to use the Western alliance as a scapegoat and crackdown on protests was "wrong and unjustified."Speaking in Berlin before a meeting of European Union defence ministers, Stoltenberg also called for free and fair elections in the country after an Aug. 9 election that opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko say was rigged."There is no military NATO buildup in the region, so any attempt by the regime in Belarus to use NATO as an excuse or a pretext to crack down on demonstrators in their own country is absolut…
(2020-08-26). Bosnia and Herzegovina's refugee crisis getting out of hand. yenisafak.com Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a rising refugee flow, according to a senior politician Mustafa Ruznic.Ruznic, the Prime Minister of the Una-Sana Canton (USK) told Anadolu Agency they are controlling the crisis in the canton but state authorities should address the larger issue.The refugee crisis which first hit its borders three years ago is getting out of hand for a country with limited resources.The USK being on the Croatian border is a hotspot for refugees trying to find a way to prosperous western Europe."24,000 refugees entered the canton in 2018, 49,000 in 2019, and 30,000 so far this year,"Raznic said, s…
(2020-08-26). 'COVID-19 vaccine may not work as well on obese people'. yenisafak.com A new study has shown that coronavirus vaccines may not work as effectively for obese people, who are also 48% more likely to die from COVID-19, local media reported on Wednesday.The World Bank commissioned the US' University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill to analyze global data from countries including the US, UK, China, France, and Italy.The study showed that obese people were 113% more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19, 74% more likely to enter intensive care, and 48% more likely to die."It is a 50% increase essentially. That's a pretty high scary number. All of it is actually — much high…