Daily Archives: September 17, 2020

2020-09-17: News Headlines

Staff (2020-09-17). After Fire Destroys Moria Refugee Camp in Greece, Demands Grow for Relocation, Not Another Camp. democracynow.org We get an update on the massive fire at the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, which has left 13,000 refugees and migrants from Afghanistan, African countries and Syria without access to shelter, food or sanitation. The fire has raised concerns about a coronavirus outbreak and comes as migrants protest their living conditions during the pandemic. Some of the asylum seekers — many of them women and children — are demanding they be allowed to leave the island of Lesbos, but the Greek government is refusing to relocate most people displaced by the fire to the mainland. "The calculation of the Greek go…

Chris Jones (2020-09-17). Hope and Fear: Refugees on Greece's Samos Island, September 2020. globalresearch.ca Roger came by the house yesterday evening. In his early 20s Roger is from Gaza. He's full of energy and ideas and has been like this since he arrived in Samos over a year ago. His days are full of …

_____ (2020-09-17). Nurse Alleges Forced Sterilizations, Medical Malpractice At Immigrant Detention Center. popularresistance.org A whistleblower complaint filed on behalf of a nurse who worked at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in southern Georgia until July alleges that a number of immigrant women detained there were subjected to sterilization through hysterectomies without their consent. | In the complaint, filed by the legal advocacy group Project South, the former nurse describes conditions at the center as akin to an "experimental concentration camp." | The complaint also details the refusal of the center's administrators to carry out COVID-19 testing or implement protective measures, putting detainees an…

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-17). Continued German Support for Nord Stream 2 Completion? Towards a Shift in Russia-Germany Relations? globalresearch.ca Construction of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany is about 94% completed. | The project is all about supplying Germany and other European countries with readily available low-cost Russian natural gas — around 30% cheaper than US liquified natural …

Michael Jansen (2020-09-17). Cyprus Victim of External Efforts to Drag It into Rival East Mediterranean Orbits of Russia, US. globalresearch.ca Cyprus has become the victim of fresh external push-and-pull efforts with the aim of dragging the island republic, a European Union (EU) member, into one or other of the rival East Mediterranean orbits of Russia and the US. | Cyprus received …

Rick Sterling (2020-09-17). How USA and Turkey Plunder and Loot Syria with Impunity. dissidentvoice.org While President Trump lashes out at rioting and looting in Portland and Kenosha, half way around the world, the USA and Turkey are plundering and looting Syria on a vastly greater scale with impunity and little publicity. Turkey Loots Syria, then Disrupts Safe Water Supply Turkey has been plundering the Syrian infrastructure for years. …

_____ (2020-09-17). The Economy Of Sharing Is Alive during Nicaragua's Independence Celebration. popularresistance.org This week is very important in Central America, especially in Nicaragua. On September 15, the region celebrates the signing of its declaration of Independence from Spain in 1821. On September 14, another historic milestone is celebrated: The defeat of US filibuster William Walker and his troops by Nicaraguan forces in 1856. Walker had repealed laws prohibiting slavery in an attempt to get the support of US southern states. US President Franklin Pierce recognized Walker's as the legitimate government of Nicaragua an endeavor to bring Nicaragua under US control that failed over and over again with the Nicaraguan pe…

_____ (2020-09-17). New Ambassador Attracts the Usual Enemies: Doug Macgregor Feels the Wrath of the Jewish Lobby. strategic-culture.org There is an old saying that allegedly came out of the French Revolution, that revolution, like the god Saturn, devours its own children. It was reportedly uttered by Georges Danton at the trial that preceded his execution and could be applied equally to the demise of Trotsky after the Russian Revolution. It meant that the leaders that drove the dramatic political developments frequently get a taste of power and become resistant to any further change. They often end up turning on their own former followers who have different ideas on how to run the country. | Nearly all the top-level political appointees that have…

_____ (2020-09-17). Trump's Caudillismo Support Among Wealthy Latin American Expatriates. strategic-culture.org The U.S. political class of pundits, pollsters, columnists, and endless cable news blathering talking heads are currently putting forth the notion that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is having a problem with support from the Hispanic community. This argument is based on a disingenuously false premise that the Hispanic community is a political monolith that is gravitating, as it has in recent years, to Republican candidates. To be sure, there is a conservative base to the Hispanic vote among the mostly white European exiles in South Florida, who came to the United States to flee, along with their offs…

Paul Cullen (2020-09-17). Ireland: 'Draconian' Restrictions Around COVID-19 Condemned by Health Service Executive Doctor. globalresearch.ca Covid-19 is "much less severe" than the average annual flu and current "draconian" restrictions are no longer justified, according to a senior People at low risk from the virus should be exposed to it so they …

yenisafak (2020-09-17). Romania receives Patriot missiles from US to boost defences. yenisafak.com The Romanian army received its first shipment of U.S. Raytheon Patriot surface-to-air missiles on Thursday, part of an effort to bolster its defences that has annoyed Russia."Romania has just become a safer nation by hosting these Patriot missiles on its territory. Romanian citizens are now better protected," Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said at the receiving ceremony at a firing range on the Black Sea shore.The missiles will form part of an integrated air defence system comprising newly acquired F-16 fighter jets as Romania brings its obsolete military equipment up to NATO standards and phases out outdated commu…

yenisafak (2020-09-17). Turkey fights for justice as region demands it, says Erdogan. yenisafak.com Critics of Turkish foreign policy should stop accusing Ankara and instead oppose the conditions in the region that make it necessary for Turkey to champion peace and justice, said the nation's president on Thursday."They say, 'Why is Turkey involved in Syria, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Asia?" Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a group of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's provincial heads at party headquarters in the capital Ankara.But, he added, "If Turkey retreats, will Syria enjoy peace and freedom?…"If Turkey turns its back to what is happening in Libya,…

yenisafak (2020-09-17). France, Lebanon at stalemate over proposed deadline. yenisafak.com French President Emmanuel Macron expressed disappointment Wednesday over Lebanon's failure to form a new government by mid-September in accordance with a schedule laid out by both countries.The agreement on Sept. 1 came in the wake of a colossal explosion at the main port in the capital Beirut on Aug. 4 after 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate left untended for years ignited in a warehouse there. The chemical compound is often used in making bombs and fertilizer.The explosion, felt for miles, left 190 dead, 6,500 injured — including 19 French citizens — and 300,000 displaced.Macron visited Beirut two days after the…

yenisafak (2020-09-17). Turkey sends tent to North Cyprus to help fight virus. yenisafak.com The Turkish Red Crescent sent its inflatable air tent to a hospital in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Thursday.The tent, which the Guzelyurt Cengiz Topel Hospital urgently needed due to the novel coronavirus, was set up in cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent and the Turkish Red Crescent of Northern Cyprus.Thanks to the 56-square meter (602.7-square feet) tent, locals coming for polyclinic services will be prevented from contacting COVID-19 patients and hospital doctors as well as managers will be able to work more efficiently in the fight against the virus.As of Wednesday, TRNC reported f…

yenisafak (2020-09-17). Stage is set for stronger Turkey-Bangladesh ties: Top diplomat. yenisafak.com The current level of bilateral relations between Ankara and Dhaka is ready for takeoff, said Bangladesh's top diplomat on a visit to Turkey, stressing that a slight push by the two governments is needed to get things going.In an inclusive interview with Anadolu Agency in Ankara during his four-day visit to Turkey, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the economy and trade will be the key focus of bilateral relations.He also talked about the Rohingya refugee crisis, Dhaka's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and plan to revive the economy.On the normalization agreements with Israel and Arab states, Mo…

Alan Macleod (2020-09-16). "A Disgrace": Amnesty International Blocked From Monitoring Trial of Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com Amnesty International's Europe Director described the hearings against Assange as an "assault on the right to freedom of expression" that would have a "chilling effect on media freedom."

Andre Vltchek (2020-09-16). Guo Wengui: So Anti-Chinese that even U.S. Establishment cannot stomach him. dissidentvoice.org In some very rare cases, it is better to read British conservative, right-wing press, like The Economist or the Telegraph, instead of the mainstream liberal sheets like The Independent or The Guardian. That is if one wants to come somehow closer to the truth. The Economist is extremely biased; it is pre-historically conservative, anti-Russian, anti-Chinese, …

yenisafak (2020-09-16). UN sends six aid trucks to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com The UN on Wednesday dispatched six trucks with humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria, where millions of people remain in need of assistance due to internal conflict.The trucks crossed over into Syria's Idlib province from the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a de-escal…

_____ (2020-09-16). Democrats Ignore U.S. Military's Refutation of 'Russian Bounties' Story. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | NBC News Two months after top Pentagon officials vowed to get to the bottom of whether the Russian government bribed the Taliban to kill American service members, the commander of troops in the region says a detailed review of all available intelligence has not been able to corroborate the existence of such a program. | "It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me," Gen. Frank McKenzie, comm…

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Top Russian, Saudi diplomats discuss Yemeni conflict. yenisafak.com Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday discussed the conflict in Yemen with his Saudi counterpart over the phone.Lavrov agreed with Faisal bin Farhan on the need to support UN efforts for a cease-fire in the war-torn country, as well as to implement urgent humanitarian measures and launch a settlement process between the sides, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in an online statement."Sergey Lavrov stressed that progress towards the establishment of long-awaited peace and stability in Yemen is possible only by taking into account the interests and concerns of all the leading political forces, religi…

Eds. (2020-09-16). 1978: Ernest Mandel — We must dream. Anticipation and hope as categories of historical materialism. mronline.org This text was the contribution of Ernest Mandel to a 1978 commemorative colloquium for the Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch (1885—1977) and was first published in 1980.

WSWS (2020-09-16). Nurse alleges forced sterilizations, medical malpractice at Georgia immigrant detention center. wsws.org The chilling report provides further evidence of the sadistic abuse meted out by the Trump administration in its fascistic war on immigrants.

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Greece struggles to bring migrants into temporary camp after fire. yenisafak.com Greek authorities were still struggling on Wednesday to move thousands of migrants sleeping rough into a temporary camp, a week after the overcrowded Moria migrant camp burned down, while fears grew over a coronavirus outbreak on the island of Lesbos.More than 12,000 people, mostly refugees from Afghanistan, Africa and Syria, were left without shelter, proper sanitation or access to food and water by the fire that tore through Moria, Greece's biggest camp for migrants reaching its islands by sea.No one was killed or hurt in the fire, which broke out after quarantine measures were imposed following the discovery o…

Michael Berkowitz (2020-09-16). 'Five Days, Five Nights': Flight to freedom from fascist Portugal. peoplesworld.org àÅlvaro Cunhal had a little secret. It was a good thing that he did. Living under the fascist Salazar dictatorship of mid-20th-century Portugal for the first half of his life, Cunhal needed secrecy. After all, for decades he was a leader and ultimately the Secretary General of the Portuguese Communist Party, which waged a life-and-death …

Alex MacDonald (2020-09-16). 'Physical evidence' of killings presented at Syrian officials' trial in Germany. middleeasteye.net 'Physical evidence' of killings presented at Syrian officials' trial in Germany | Anwar Raslan and Eyad al-Gharib are on trial over alleged involvement in notorious Branch 251 intelligence unit | Wed, 09/16/2020 – 13: 54 | 'The Muted Demonstration', an installation by Syrian artist Khaled Barakeh, which consists of structures dressed in clothes that belong to Syrian activists, on sidelines of Ko…

RT (2020-09-16). Another color revolution? US orchestrating Belarusian unrest, says Russian spy chief Naryshkin; Belarus' leader Lukashenko agrees. rt.com The director of Russia's foreign intelligence service (SVR) has accused the US of fomenting anti-government demonstrations in Belarus. Spy boss Sergey Naryshkin says Washington provided about $20 million to bolster the opposition. | His comments came as the president of Belarus said that — what he called — the orchestrators of the current events planned their tactics in accordance with the classic American textbook of color revolutions. Speaking on Wednesday, Alexander Lukashenko added that the turmoil had been plotted by Western countries for over a decade. | "According to the available information,…

RT (2020-09-16). Survey reveals most Russians prioritise high living standards & peace over status: Only 31% want their country to be a superpower. rt.com Barely more than a third (37%) of Russians think their country is still a superpower, and only 31% think it's important to have such a status. That's according to a new survey on the public's attitude to their place in the world.

RT (2020-09-16). Sputnik V to lift off for India: Russia will help supply 100 MILLION doses of pioneering coronavirus vaccine to New Delhi. rt.com Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine will be clinically trialed and distributed in India, with deliveries expected to begin later this year, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which bankrolled its development. | As soon as the vaccine is granted regulatory approval in India, Russia will help supply 100 million doses to the Asian nation, the RDIF said in a statement on Wednesday. It will partner with Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical giant Dr Reddy's. | "India is amongst the most severely impacted countries from COVID 19 and we believe our human adenovirus dual vector platform will provide a sa…

RT (2020-09-16). Poland accuses Russian air traffic controllers of DELIBERATELY crashing late President Kaczynski's plane, seeks their arrest. rt.com In a bizarre twist, Polish prosecutors are now seeking the arrest of three Russian air traffic controllers from Smolensk airport. They are accused of deliberately causing the crash that killed ex-President Lech Kaczynski in 2010. | Investigators have "applied to the district court of the Warsaw-Mokotow region with a motion for the temporary arrest" of the three men, Ewa Bialik, a spokesperson for the Prosecutor General's Office, told reporters on Wednesday. | "The charges brought against the air traffic controllers relate to the deliberate provocation of a plane crash that resulted in the death of many people,…

RT (2020-09-16). UK PM Johnson doesn't believe EU negotiating in good faith over Brexit trade deal, 'perhaps they'll prove me wrong'. rt.com Boris Johnson has said he doesn't believe EU officials negotiating with the UK on a post-Brexit trade deal are acting in good faith. The talks have been rocked by a new UK bill which would breach the Withdrawal Agreement. | The prime minister described the proposed legislation on Wednesday as "belt and braces protection against extreme interpretations of the [Northern Ireland] protocol." Concerns over protections for the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland, are one of the main sticking points in objections to the Internal Market Bill. | Amid concerns rebel Tories would scupper the bi…

RT (2020-09-16). Ireland might face 'EXPONENTIAL GROWTH' of coronavirus cases, experts warn. rt.com The head of Ireland's coronavirus modeling group has warned that the country, which has experienced an alarming growth in active Covid-19 cases recently, might be facing an "exponential growth" of the disease. | "Case numbers appear to be growing exponentially and are likely to double every 10 to 14 days if every one of us does not immediately act to break chains of transmission of the virus," Professor Philip Nolan, head of the Irish Epidemiological Modeling Advisory Group, told reporters on Wednesday. | Earlier in the day, the country's health authorities reported 254 new cases and three new coronavirus-rela…

Global Research News (2020-09-16). Selected Articles: Why Lockdowns Are the Wrong Policy. Sweden's COVID-19 Strategy. globalresearch.ca By As a result, over the course of the past 30 years, the need to keep the schools "safe" from drugs and …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-09-16). Slovakia: Population Distrust US, Opposition to "Western" Intervention. globalresearch.ca GLOBSEC is probably one of the most well-known and influential political think-tanks in not only Slovakia, but also Central Europe. It aims to support a pro-Atlantic direction for Slovakia. Despite being founded in only 2005, it organizes annual events that …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-09-16). New Initiative to Expose Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Crimes to the World. globalresearch.ca Veterans from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) terrorist organization feel confident that because they were once supported and backed by the US and Western Europe in their campaign to violently separate Kosovo from Serbia, they are immune from prosecution and …

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-16). Challenging the Novichok Poisoning of Navalny Hoax by Russia. globalresearch.ca Already strained EU relations with Russia potentially reached a new low over the great novichok poisoning of Alexey Navalny hoax. | On Tuesday, Russia's EU mission challenged the bloc's fake news about what happened to him, saying the following: | "In recent …

Prof. Johan Giesecke (2020-09-16). Video: Why Lockdowns Are the Wrong Policy. Sweden's Covid-19 Strategy. globalresearch.ca That was one of the more extraordinary interviews we have done here at UnHerd. | Professor Johan Giesecke, one of the world's most senior epidemiologists, advisor to the Swedish Government (he hired Anders Tegnell who is currently directing Swedish strategy), …

Dimitris Konstantakopoulos (2020-09-16). The End of the Balkans. President Vučić signs the White House Agreement. A Dark Day in the History of Serbia. globalresearch.ca The day before yesterday, Serbian President Vucic was ridiculed by signing an agreement in the White House without even

Pepe Escobar (2020-09-16). How Xinjiang "Interferes" with the EU-China Deal. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published on A Beijing-Brussels-Berlin special: that was quite the video-summit. | From Beijing, we had President Xi Jinping. From Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel. And from Brussels, President of the European Council Charles Michel…

WSWS (2020-09-16). The Moria catastrophe and the European Union's war on refugees. wsws.org The inhumane treatment of the desperate people on Lesbos is the product of deliberate policies being pursued by the European Union and its member states.

WSWS (2020-09-16). France imposes return to school without protections against COVID-19. wsws.org With over 1,200 schools and universities affected, France faces a resurgent pandemic provoked by the reopening drive by the highest state authorities.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-16). Russia says US 'fully isolated' on international scene. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 16 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in a tweet on Wednesday said the US is "practically fully isolated" on the international scene.

sputniknews (2020-09-16). Fire at Private Drug Treatment Clinic in Russia's Krasnoyarsk Kills 4 People. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Four people have died and two more have been injured as a result of a fire at a private drug treatment clinic in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Thursday.

sputniknews (2020-09-16). Russia Must Release Former US Marine Trevor Reed, House Minority Leader McCarthy Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US Congressmen from the state of Texas, Michael McCaul and Mike Conaway, also demanded that Russia release Reed.

sputniknews (2020-09-16). UK's Air Chief Warns Arms Race in Space Could End in Disaster. sputniknews.com States, including Russia, have expressed concerns before about the militarisation of space and how it could potentially lead to the destruction of the existing security balance they have been trying to maintain over the last several decades.

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Turkish, Uzbek parliament heads discuss COVID-19 impact. yenisafak.com The Turkish parliament speaker and his Uzbek counterpart on Wednesday discussed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic by phone. | According to a statement by the office of the Turkish speaker, Mustafa Sentop and Nurdinjon Ismailov discussed the aftermath of coronavirus outbreak in the two countries. | Sentop said Turkey attaches importance to cooperation between the two countries on international issues. | He noted the "face to face meetings should immediately" start between the two countries, adding he would be pleased to host Ismailov in Turkey. | Thanking Turkey for extending medical help to his country durin…

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Germany offered to build LNG terminals to avert US pipeline sanctions. yenisafak.com Berlin offered to spend 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) to build two liquid natural gas terminals in a bid to dissuade the United States from imposing sanctions over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, due to bring gas directly from Russia to Germany, Die Zeit reported on Wednesday.The weekly paper said Finance Minister Olaf Scholz made the proposal in an Aug. 7 letter before Washington imposed sanctions on companies involved in building the Baltic Sea pipeline, effectively freezing its construction.A spokesman for the German finance ministry said he could not comment on individual reports.The United States and many Europ…

yenisafak (2020-09-16). France: Education minister upbeat on schools amid virus. yenisafak.com The state of education in France is moving forward, with only a fraction of 1% of France's 60,000 schools presently closed, said the country's education minister on Wednesday. | "The situation we have to face is the best possible given the health crisis," Jean-Michel Blanquer told LCI Radio."We have about 1,200 new cases of COVID-19 among students compared to the previous week," he said, adding, "As I speak to you, there are 81 schools or establishments that are closed, so there are a little over 2,100 classes that are closed. It's still a good start to the school year." | Blanquer said in general classes close i…

yenisafak (2020-09-16). TV series 'Ertugrul' fuels Pakistanis' love for Turkey. yenisafak.com On a sunny afternoon, red flags bearing a white star and crescent fluttered in the breeze as they hung from businesses and homes in northern Pakistan, a testament to the region's love for Turkey spurred by a Turkish drama series.Dirilis (Resurrection) Ertugrul is gaining wide popularity across the country after being dubbed in Urdu and broadcast on state television.A YouTube channel launched in mid-April specifically for the series has nearly 8.5 million subscribers, while its viewership had climbed to over 1.3 billion as of Sept. 15.It was after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Turkey that he ordered…

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Turkish forces nab senior terrorist in east. yenisafak.com A senior terrorist was arrested Wednesday in eastern Turkey, according to the country's Interior Ministry.Gendarmerie and anti-terror teams in eastern Van and southeastern Sirnak provinces conducted a joint operation to nab Ercan Yacan, codenamed Ferman, who was detected to be carrying out activities as the so-called team commander in northern Iraq's Qandil Goshine region last year, the ministry said on Twitter.Yacan was arrested in Van province, it added.The terrorist was active in youth branch of the organization. He received so-called special forces training in 2014, joined the rural branch of the terror group…

yenisafak (2020-09-16). Nord Stream 2 should not be linked to Navalny case: Kremlin. yenisafak.com Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany should not be linked to the case of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.German Chancellor Angela Merkel has faced calls to halt the nearly-complete pipeline bringing Russian gas to Germany in response to the poisoning of Navalny in Siberia last month.Moscow says it has yet to see proof he was poisoned with a nerve agent, as Berlin says. Peskov reiterated that Russia was hoping to cooperate with Germany on the case but that its efforts to do so had not met with understanding.