(2020-10-15). OPCW Syria whistleblower and ex-director attacked by U.S., UK, France at UN. mronline.org 
Ian Henderson, a veteran OPCW inspector who challenged a cover-up of his organization's investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria, recently testified before the United Nations Security Council.
(2020-10-15). Tesla: The cognizable, knowable scientist and visionary. wsws.org Written and directed by Michael Almereyda, Tesla is a drama about the life of Serbian-American engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), a remarkable figure. Ethan Hawke plays Tesla.
(2020-10-14). The Malevolent Encirclement of Russia. globalresearch.ca Over recent weeks a series of events in the states surrounding the Russian Federation has erupted that certainly are not being greeted with joy in the Kremlin. Each crisis center of itself is not a definitive game-changer for future Russian …
(2020-10-14). Western Anger as China, Russia Elected to UN Human Rights Council and Saudi Arabia Rejected. thealtworld.com 
The rejection of Saudi Arabia, the only country that did not receive the required number of votes from UN member states, has been seen as a repudiation of the Kingdom's decreasing international support. | MPN— In a secret ballot at the United Nations yesterday, Saudi Arabia was rejected for a position on the body's 47-country Human Rights Council (HRC). The only country that did not receive the required number of votes from member states, the failure has been seen as a repudiation of the Kingdom's abysmal human rights record and its decreasing international support. | 15 positions were filled yesterday, alth…
(2020-10-14). US and France on the Brink of Trade War. globalresearch.ca The geopolitics of the cyber world is again influencing the global political and economic order. Now, a new international tension arises around a digital tax, known as the 'Google tax'. Such tension could trigger a trade war, this time between …
(2020-10-14). Azerbaijan bought $77m worth of arms from Turkey a month before fighting. middleeasteye.net 
Azerbaijan bought $77m worth of arms from Turkey a month before fighting | Export data shows Turkish arms sales to Azerbaijan rose sixfold in first nine months of 2020 | Wed, 10/14/2020 – 17: 43 | Turkish arms sold to Azerbaijan include drones, rocket launchers, ammunition and other weapons that arrived after July 2020 (Reuters) | Azerbaijan bought $77m worth of arms from Turkey a month be…
(2020-10-14). Ban on Kurdish-language play in Istanbul sparks condemnation. middleeasteye.net 
Ban on Kurdish-language play in Istanbul sparks condemnation | Mayor of Istanbul slams governor's decision to ban satirical play over 'PKK propaganda' | Wed, 10/14/2020 – 10: 15 | Actor Ruges Kirici outside the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Theatre after authorities had banned a Kurdish-language play, 13 October 2020 (AFP) | Istanbul's governorate has banned a Kurdish-language play th…
(2020-10-14). Workers Party of Ireland on Denver organizers: "Stop U.S. Repression, Drop the Charges!" liberationnews.org 
The Workers' Party of Ireland expresses its extreme concern at the growing repression against those who stand up and speak out against the United States and their reactionary regime.
(2020-10-14). Twitter BLOCKS sharing links to NYPost's Hunter Biden emails story, invoking 'HACKED MATERIALS' policy for first time ever. rt.com 
Twitter has one-upped Facebook's censorship regarding a story based on alleged emails from Democratic candidate Joe Biden's son Hunter about his Ukraine dealings, blocking all users from sharing it via tweet or direct message. | Twitter users were blocked on Wednesday from sharing the
(2020-10-14). Russia sees no prospect of prolonging New START treaty with US, but is not closing door on negotiations — Foreign Minister Lavrov. rt.com 
Moscow doesn't believe the New START treaty with the US can be continued, as achieving common ground is impossible against the backdrop of ultimatums employed by Washington, the Russian Foreign Minister said on Wednesday. | In his interview with three Russian radio stations, Sergey Lavrov was asked if he saw any prospect of the two countries agreeing to prolong the landmark deal until 2026. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, obliges Russia and the US to reduce the number of their strategic nuclear missile launchers by half, and it expires in February. | "There is no such prospect. I persona…
(2020-10-14). Boris Johnson 'disappointed' with lack of progress in Brexit trade talks with EU. rt.com 
UK PM Boris Johnson has expressed his disappointment to the European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, that not enough progress is being made in Brexit trade talks, his office said. The EU has exactly the same concerns. | Johnson spoke with von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel by phone on Wednesday. During the discussions, he "expressed his disappointment that more progress had not been made over the past two weeks" in the talks between London and Brussels, the prime minister's office said afterwards. | The PM stressed "the desirability of a deal," adding that he'll wait for the outc…
(2020-10-14). Armenia knew war over Nagorno-Karabakh was coming, 'the question was when,' PM Pashinyan tells nation as fighting continues. rt.com 
In an emotional address to the nation on Wednesday, Armenia's Prime Minister said his country was aware of Baku's plans to provoke a war over Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that Azeri attempts to smash Armenian defenses have failed. | Nikol Pashinyan, however, conceded that the disputed region controlled by Armenians, and backed by Yerevan, but considered illegally occupied in Azerbaijan, has suffered massive losses. | Fighting erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 27, with both Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of firing the first shots. As far as Pashinyan is concerned, the outbreak of hostilities was…
(2020-10-14). Public health state of emergency declared in France over Covid, as Macron confirms city curfews. rt.com 
France's government has declared a public health state of emergency over the growing number of Covid-19 cases as the country sees a second-wave surge of the virus. A curfew will also be imposed on several cities, including Paris. | In a statement on Wednesday, the government said that the coronavirus epidemic needed to be strictly counteracted, due to its growing scale putting the health of the population at risk. | The statement did not list any specific measures the government intends to implement, but the mere adoption of the state of emergency gives a broad range of statutory powers to the executive. | In…
(2020-10-14). Reproduce or pay up! Controversial Russian Communist politician backs CHILDLESSNESS TAX on citizens who don't want to have kids. rt.com 
A prominent Russian politician has supported the introduction of a tax on citizens who refuse to have children. The idea was first floated by the country's 'Council of Mothers' as a means to solve the country's demographic crisis. | Speaking to the news agency 'Moscow,' Tamara Pletnyova, a Communist Party MP and the chair of the parliamentary Committee on Family, Women, and Children, argued that "those who don't want to have children should be taxed." She added that those medically unable to do so and those no longer of reproductive age should be exempted. | "This was the case in Soviet times," she explained.
(2020-10-14). Germany cracks down on parties, imposes curfew & stricter mask mandate as Merkel warns new measures may not be enough. rt.com 
Germany has imposed a series of tough measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, including curfews and harsher restrictions on private gatherings, but Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned the new policies may still fall short. | The country's 16 states agreed to the new restrictions after marathon negotiations on Wednesday, setting out uniform guidelines for hotspots across Germany and ramping up existing rules governing face masks, private events and business hours for bars and restaurants. | "What we do in the coming days and weeks will be decisive for how we get through this pandemic," Merkel said follo…
(2020-10-14). Netherlands legalizes child euthanasia despite opposition from Christian parties. rt.com 
The Dutch government will allow doctors to euthanize terminally ill children as young as one year old, making the Netherlands the second country in the world to permit the practice. | Health Minister Hugo de Jonge announced the change in a letter to Parliament on Tuesday, calling the decision necessary to help "a small group of terminally ill children who are suffering hopelessly and unbearably." | The decision does not amend any laws, but exempts doctors from prosecution for ending a child's life in certain conditions and with parental consent. Children between the ages of one and 12 will now be eligible for…
(2020-10-14). Support for Scottish independence at historic high, poll finds. rt.com 
A new poll has found that as many as 58 percent of Scottish voters support a breakaway from the United Kingdom — the highest in any survey to date. The poll also found widespread dissatisfaction with PM Boris Johnson among Scots.
(2020-10-14). Selected Articles: The Malevolent Encirclement of Russia. globalresearch.ca 
By A recent RAND study prepared for the US Army suggests with remarkable accuracy who might be behind what will undoubtedly become a major threat to Russian security …
(2020-10-14). Trump Regime/Russia New START Talks at Impasse. globalresearch.ca As long as nuclear weapons exist, the chance of their use ahead — as once before unjustifiably — is ominously high. | Humanity has a clear choice. Eliminate these weapons entirely or risk their eliminating us. | The history of warfare shows …
(2020-10-14). Human Rights Debate at UN Security Council. Horrifying Social Consequences of US Sanctions Inflicted on North Korea. globalresearch.ca During the press briefing outlining Russia's program of work for their October Presidency of the UN Security Council, I mentioned the offer by Dr. Kee B. Park, Director of the Korea Policy Project at Harvard Medical School, and renowned …
(2020-10-14). France's 'Crisis' with Islam: A Legacy of 200 Years of Colonial Brutality. globalresearch.ca France is in crisis. | Official and unofficial Christian French radical extremism, legitimising itself under the umbrella of what the French ostentatiously call laicité, continues to increase its attacks on French and non-French Muslims. |
(2020-10-14). Russia and the European Union Looking for Common Business Language. globalresearch.ca Despite the series of sanctions, corporate European businesses are still highly interested in Russia and Russia recognizes the enormous significance and invaluable contributions of these businesses in its economy. The stark reality is that there are more European businesses in …
(2020-10-14). NATO, Energy Geopolitics and Conflict in Caucasus. thealtworld.com Pushing NATO expansion further into the Caucasus and Central Asia and the objective of replacing Russian energy to Europe with a Caspian alternative mean that the resurgence in conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh could be a prolonged proxy, low-intensity war. | Rarely are geopolitical events innocently coincidental, as an old saying goes. Let's look at a few recent upheavals. First we have the renewed pressure on Germany and Europe to abandon the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline from Russia, which the strange Navalny affair and his alleged poison-assassination conveniently gives cover to what would otherwise be an unprecedent…
(2020-10-14). Iran ready to play role in solving Azerbaijan-Armenia dispute. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — Iranian President's Chief of Staff said that Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to play a key role in resolving dispute between Azerbaijan Republic and Armenia.
(2020-10-14). 'Careless Crime' goes to Vinennale Film Festival. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — Iranian film, Jenayat-e Bi Deghat (Careless Crime in English) has been accepted into the 2020 edition of Viennale Film Festival in Austria.
(2020-10-14). Iran, Russia discuss bilateral trade cooperation. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — Iranian Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian and his Russian counterpart reviewed the latest status of Iran-Russia trade cooperation on Wednesday.
(2020-10-14). Economic convict, corruptor extradited from Europe: Judiciary. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — Following the notification of Judiciary Chief and for the first time, a major economic convict was extradited to the country from Europe.
(2020-10-14). Russian Oxygen Generation System Fails on Space Station, Crew Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The oxygen generation system (OGS) has failed in the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS), according to the crew's talks with the Earth, broadcast by NASA.
(2020-10-14). Russian Health Ministry Registers Another Two Drugs for COVID-19 Treatment. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Two Remdesivir drugs against the coronavirus infection were registered in Russia, according to the Russian Ministry of Health.
(2020-10-14). White Americans Are More Demonized Than Jews In Nazi Germany. thealtworld.com After 55 years of special privileges and special pleading for black Americans, where do we stand? Integration has failed. Black Americans, or more correctly, those who speak for them, want black-only towns, black-only college dorms, black-only dining halls, and a black national anthem. Except for the black anthem, that's what they had a half century ago prior to "affirmative action." | How is it that when blacks demand segregation, it is not racism? | As Lawrence Stratton and I demonstrated in our book The New Color Line (1), racial quotas were strictly prohibited by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Nevertheless, the l…
(2020-10-13). Amazon Workers in Germany Strike on Prime Day for Better Pay and Right to Organize 'Without Big Brother Watching'. commondreams.org "While Amazon claims that they respect workers' right to join and form trade unions, it has not publicly disavowed… claims about surveillance and tracking of worker organizing and labor union activity." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/amazon_strike.jpg …
(2020-10-13). On Contact: Yugoslavia/USA Déjà Vu. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges discusses what happened three decades ago in Yugoslavia when the country broke into brutal warring factions, and the parallels in the US today, with Croatian author and journalist, Slavenka Drakuliƒá. | Drakuliƒá's book 'They Would Never Hurt a Fly' is about the war criminals from the former Yugoslavia who were put on trial in the Hague. She explores not only the motivations of these killers and their sense of themselves, but also how such crimes were allowed to be perpetrated in her country.
(2020-10-13). A Rigged Judiciary Leads to Rigged Elections: Ari Berman on Barrett Hearings & GOP Voter Suppression. democracynow.org 
Amy Coney Barrett's involvement in the court fight over the 2000 presidential election, when she was a member of George W. Bush's legal team, shows she is willing to bend the law to benefit Republican candidates, says Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman. "That's what's so disturbing about Amy Coney Barrett, because that's exactly what President Trump wants to do right now," says Berman. "He wants a justice who will rule his way on the vote count, no matter what the facts or the law actually says." Berman also looks at challenges voters are facing nationwide as early voting is underway from Georgia to Arizona, where…
(2020-10-13). Headlines for October 13, 2020. democracynow.org Dems Warn of Threat to ACA, Roe v. Wade, as Hearing Begins for Trump SCOTUS Nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Trump Returns to Campaigning as COVID Status Remains Unclear, COVID-19 Cases Soaring in Europe, Russia, as India Becomes Second Country to Hit 7 Million Cases, Johnson & Johnson Halts Vaccine Trials; More Evidence of Reinfection Revealed, GA Early Voters Face Long Lines; CA Officials Warn GOP over Illegal Drop Sites, Pascua Yaqui Tribe Sues in Arizona over Voter Suppression Efforts, WH Moves Forward with Taiwan Weapons Sales as U.S. Officials Tell Taiwan to Ramp Up Defense, Bangladeshi Government Approves Death…
(2020-10-13). Video: Azerbaijani Military Destroys Armenian S-300s as Humanitarian Ceasefire Nears Its Collapse. globalresearch.ca The Armenian-Azerbaijani war in the Nagorno-Karabakh region does not show signs of nearing its end despite the humanitarian ceasefire launched in the region. The ceasefire started in the Nagorno-Karabakh region at 12: 00 local time on October 10. The ceasefire deal …
(2020-10-13). US slams Turkey over renewed seismic surveys in Eastern Mediterranean. middleeasteye.net 
US slams Turkey over renewed seismic surveys in Eastern Mediterranean | Meanwhile, Ankara rebuffs Washington remarks and says Greece and Greek Cypriot administration are the ones escalating tensions | Tue, 10/13/2020 – 21: 06 | Turkish seismic research vessel 'Oruc Reis' near Antalya on the Mediterranean Sea on 12 August (AFP/File photo) | The United States said it "deplores" Turkey's decision to renew geologi…
(2020-10-13). Today's noir novel in Europe: Popular novelists from France and Iceland. peoplesworld.org 
Dominique Manotti, the majority of whose 13 novels have been translated into English, is a Parisian professor of economic history who writes about crime from a historical and global perspective. Her Lorraine Connection, which won top crime fiction awards in France and Britain, begins with a fire in what amounts to a sweatshop in a …
(2020-10-13). UN rejects Saudi bid for human rights council but Russia and China are elected. middleeasteye.net 
UN rejects Saudi bid for human rights council but Russia and China are elected | Rights groups express alarm after Moscow and Beijing secure seats on UN's top human rights body | Tue, 10/13/2020 – 19: 34 | The UN General Assembly held elections on Tuesday for 15 vacant seats in the UN Human Rights Council (AFP/File photo) | Saudi Arabia failed in its bid to become a member of the United Nations Human Rights Co…
(2020-10-13). What's behind the crisis in Belarus? liberationnews.org 
Anti-government protests in Belarus continue in the wake of the Aug 9 presidential election. Economic decline, coronavirus mismanagement and the government's response to the protests have driven many Belarusians into the streets, including youth and industrial workers. Pensioners joined the rallies over the weekend, calling for an end to President Alexander Lukashenko's 26-year tenure and …
(2020-10-13). How Azerbaijan Is Lobbying Washington to Sanitize Its War. strategic-culture.org 
Documents reveal a flurry of activity to convince beltway elites that Armenia is the aggressor and the U.S. should favor Azerbaijan. | Barbara BOLAND | As conflict heats up over Nagorno-Karabakh, a tiny Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, a covert battle is taking place on Capitol Hill to win the hearts and minds of lawmakers in Washington. | Since hostilities began on September 27, hundreds of lives have been lost as Azerbaijani drones have flown within 20 miles of Yerevan, Armenia's capital, and an Armenian strike was carried out on a military base in Azerbaijan's second city, Ganja. | "The next targets could be…
(2020-10-13). Activists board supertrawler to prevent it from fishing in 'protected waters'. thecanary.co 
Greenpeace activists have boarded a supertrawler in the North Sea and prevented it from fishing in what it claims are protected waters.The environmental group said the Helen Mary vessel was fishing in the Central Fladen protected area, east of Scotland.Activists from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza boarded the 117 metre-long vessel and hung a banner reading: Ban supertrawlers now!Greenpeace activists board the Helen Mary supertrawler (Greenpeace/PA)Protected areas: They placed fishing deterrents in the supertrawler's nets before the Germany-registered Helen Mary left the area.In 2019, the same vessel was deta…
(2020-10-13). Lack of interpreter at coronavirus briefings leaves deaf 'isolated and misinformed'. thecanary.co 
Deaf people have said the lack of a sign language interpreter at coronavirus briefings in England is leaving the community "isolated" and allowing misinformation to spread.Lacking: British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters attend briefings in Scotland, Wales, and the north of Ireland, but have yet to appear with experts and politicians in England. The BBC provides a superimposed translator on the BBC News channel during briefings, who also appears on Downing Street's live Twitter feed.An interpreter from the BBC is used for Downing Street's Twitter feed of the coronavirus briefing (Screengrab/Twitter)Howeve…
(2020-10-13). Blast from the past: 5.4-ton British WW2 bomb explodes underwater while being defused by Polish sappers. rt.com 
A massive 'Tallboy' bomb dropped during a British Royal Air Force attack on a Nazi warship in 1945 has exploded underwater while being defused in northern Poland. No one was hurt, but buildings ashore were shaken by the blast. | Navy sappers were trying to neutralize the 5.4-ton device — found last year at the bottom of the Piast Canal, which connects the Baltic Sea with the Oder River — by burning out its explosives, but something went wrong and the bomb detonated. | Fatalities and injuries were avoided because the divers were already at a "safe distance" when the device went off, military spokesman…
(2020-10-13). US & 7 friendly nations sign Artemis Accords to carve up moon — but satellite is hard to reach without Russia's help. rt.com 
The US has signed a treaty with seven countries governing exploration and exploitation of the Moon and its resources. While many signatories never even landed there, Russia and China were — perhaps unsurprisingly — not invited. | The Artemis Accords, proposed in May to set reasonable boundaries for the growing number of countries eager to stake a claim to Earth's only satellite, have been officially
(2020-10-13). Gender & language spat in Germany after Justice Ministry drafts bill that uses only feminine endings. rt.com 
Germany's Interior Ministry has demanded a bill drafted by the Justice Ministry that uses only feminine endings be revised over concerns the legislation might apply exclusively to women when brought into force. | Campaigners in the country have been demanding for years that the tradition of legal texts using the masculine versions of words to cover both men and women should be changed. They may finally be appeased with the appearance of a new draft law on insolvency and company restructuring which reverses the practice and uses feminine endings instead. | At least the legislation will kick off a discussion on…
(2020-10-13). Eight Legged Freaks in Sochi? Residents share photos of large wolf spiders as they head indoors to get jiggy in fall mating season. rt.com 
It's not quite on the level of the movie 'Eight-Legged Freaks," yet, but residents of Russia's subtropical southern city Sochi are expressing their fears online after local homes experienced an invasion of large wolf spiders. | Much larger than the average critter you might find in your house, the abdomen of a wolf spider is longer than three centimeters, but, despite their appearance, they are not dangerous to humans. | Writing on popular Instagram account @love.sochi, the page administrator explained that the spider is not threatening to humans, with a bite like a bee sting. In fact, the invasion of huge…
(2020-10-13). Dutch PM closes pubs, restaurants and cafes as coronavirus cases rise. rt.com 
Bars, restaurants and cafes in the Netherlands will close their doors as the Dutch government tries to control the spread of Covid-19. Unlike many of its European neighbors, the Netherlands has thus far avoided harsh lockdowns. | Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced the "partial lockdown" on Tuesday evening, after health officials in the Netherlands reported a record 7,393 new cases of Covid-19 that day. A total of 43,903 new infections were recorded in the preceding week, along with 150 deaths. | The new measures, which come into effect on Wednesday, will see all bars, restaurants and cafes close, and the sale…
(2020-10-13). Head of Russia's national health watchdog says shutting down economy to prevent spread of Covid-19 is pointless & makes no sense. rt.com 
The top official at Russia's state health watchdog believes that there is no point in suspending the economy to fight coronavirus. Anna Popova's comments came after the Kremlin said a second lockdown isn't even being considered. | Speaking at a coronavirus event at well-known university RANEPA, on Tuesday, Rospotrebnadzor boss Anna Popova explained that Russia has quite a low rate of Covid-19 per capita, and therefore there is no sense in taking drastic measures. Currently, there are few restrictions in the world's largest country with bars, restaurants, and shops open as usual. | "Despite the fact that we see…
(2020-10-13). Trump Seeking New START Deal Pre-Election? globalresearch.ca Since taking office in January 2017, Trump has been a deal-breaker, not maker. | Hardliners surrounding him obstructed efforts to extend New START. | The last remaining Russia/US arms control agreement expires on February 5, 2021. | Unacceptable US demands on extending New …
(2020-10-13). Russian-brokered ceasefire in Azeri-Armenian war collapses. wsws.org Conflicts are escalating across the region, as Turkish officials supporting Azeri forces threatened to restart Mediterranean oil drilling, prompting warnings from Greece.