2019-10-12: News Headlines

RT (2019-10-12). 4 dead, 4 injured in shooting at Brooklyn gambling den. rt.com Four people were killed and four injured in a shooting in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood. The incident took place at a private club on Utica Avenue, that police believe was being run as an "illegal gambling location." | Gunfire broke out shortly before 7am on Saturday at the club, NYPD Chief Dermot Shea told a press conference. Four men aged between 32 and 49 were shot dead and three people, two men and a woman, were wounded. Aother victim suffered a leg injury while fleeing the scene. | The wounded were taken to nearby hospitals, and police recovered two firearms in the club. According to Shea, there w…

Staff (2019-10-12). AP Fact Check: Trump's Shoddy Information on Syria, Impeachment, More. truthdig.com The Associated Press refutes a number of the president's latest statements on the U.S. economy, Syria and Turkey, ISIS and more.

teleSUR (2019-10-12). Iran Says They Are Ready For Peace Talks With Saudi Arabia. telesurenglish.net The Islamic Republic of Iran announced on Saturday that they are prepared to hold talks with regional rival Saudi Arabia, with or without the help of a mediator. | RELATED: | US Deploys Large Force to Saudi Arabia | The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the rumors about Pakistan's President Imran Khan mediating a potential meeting between Tehran and Riyadh were untrue. According to the Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi: "I am not aware of any mediation," he told state broadcaster I…

WSWS (2019-10-12). US and China reach limited trade deal. wsws.org The markets responded enthusiastically with the Dow finishing up by more than 300 points, but for all the celebrations, the agreement is very limited.

Michael Harris (2019-10-12). A New Beginning For California Pan African Global Trade and Investment. indybay.org The State of California is poised to join The global competition with India, Europe, China and the rest of the world to expan Trade and Investment with the Pan African Diaspora, over 1.4 billion people globally.

GenUp and others (2019-10-12). March 4 Education: San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose 2019. indybay.org San Francisco: Plaza between Asian Museum and Main Library | at Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102 | Oakland: Lake Merritt Amphitheater, Lake Merritt Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94612 | San Jose: Plaza de César Chávez, 1 Paseo De San Antonio, San Jose, CA 95113…

WSWS (2019-10-12). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and New Zealand. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.

Staff (2019-10-12). Tokyo Area Shuts Down as Powerful Typhoon Lashes Japan. truthdig.com TOKYO — A heavy downpour and strong winds pounded Tokyo and surrounding areas on Saturday as a powerful typhoon forecast to be Japan's worst in six decades made landfall and passed over the capital, where streets, nearby beaches and train stations were long deserted. | Store shelves were bare after people stocked up on water and food ahead of Typhoon Hagibis. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of dangerously heavy rainfall in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures, including Gunma, Saitama and Kanagawa, and later expanded the area to include Fukushima and Miyagi to the north. A coastal earthquake also rattle…

WSWS (2019-10-12). Dortmund, Germany withdraws prestigious award from the author Kamila Shamsie over support for BDS. wsws.org The withdrawal of the prize is yet another case of censorship by the German state and local authorities, which claim to oppose anti-Semitism but in fact suppress and criminalise any criticism of the Israeli government's right-wing policies.

Jordan Simmons (2019-10-12). Inspiring student in France creates environmental app to motivate others to make a difference daily. nationofchange.org "At the end of the day I know that I've done something good on this day for the planet."

WSWS (2019-10-12). New Anti-capitalist Party demands military escalation against Turkey in Syria. wsws.org The Pabloite NPA bitterly opposes a struggle to unify the working class internationally in a movement against imperialist war and the Middle Eastern bourgeoisie.

Kurdish Community Center and BALB (2019-10-12). Emergency Daytime Rally to defend NE Syria. indybay.org Union Square NW corner, Post and Powell…

teleSUR (2019-10-12). Turkish Military Advances into Syrian Border City. telesurenglish.net Turkish-backed Syrian rebels advanced into Ras al Ain in northeast Syria on Saturday but it was unclear how far, with Turkey saying the town center had been taken and Kurdish-led forces denying this and saying they were counter-attacking. | RELATED: | Turkey Advances in Northeast Syria Despite US, EU Criticism | The battle for Ras al Ain raged as Turkey pursued a four-day-old, cross-border offensive against a Syrian Kurdish militia despite an outcry from the United States and Europ…

Staff (2019-10-12). Pentagon Confirms US Forces in Syria Came Under Turkish Artillery Fire. truthout.org | | As tens of thousands of civilians flee northeast Syria amid Turkey's ongoing offensive targeting Kurdish forces in the region — an operation enabled by U.S. President Donald Trump — the Pentagon confirmed…

WSWS (2019-10-12). US sends 3,000 more troops to defend Saudi monarchy. wsws.org The escalation of the US troop deployment in the region followed on the heels of a missile attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea.

Central Committee, The Communist Party of Turkey (2019-10-12). TKP statement: Hands off Syria! liberationnews.org AKP is committing a great crime for the last eight years. AKP disregards the sovereignty of another country.

Fréa Lockley (2019-10-12). As countries pull arms sales to Turkey, the UK government is still complicit in death. thecanary.co On 9 October, Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan launched a violent invasion of largely-Kurdish areas in northern Syria (aka Rojava). Now, several European countries have stepped up and sto…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-10-12). 'Terrifying and Totally Predictable': Pentagon Confirms US Forces in Syria Came Under Turkish Artillery Fire. commondreams.org As tens of thousands of civilians flee northeast Syria amid Turkey's ongoing offensive targeting Kurdish forces in the region—an operation enabled by U.S. President Donald Trump—the Pentagon confirmed late Friday that "U.S. troops in the vicinity of Kobani came under artillery fire from Turkish positions." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/syria_us_forces.png

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2019-10-11). Houthis Vow Retaliation As Saudi Naval Blockade Sparks Fresh Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen. mintpressnews.com Saudi Arabia has stepped up its seizure and detention of ships carrying food and fuel into Yemen, sparking shortages that experts warn will push the country's civilians into even more dire straits.

Heather Stroud (2019-10-11). An Outside View from the Palestinian Camps of Lebanon Raises Troubling Questions. dissidentvoice.org Every time I return from visiting Palestinian refugee camps dispersed throughout Lebanon, I'm haunted by the monumental suffering that has been systematically imposed on the twelve million Palestinians. There are between 5-6 million Palestinians in exile, and 6 million under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. Whether they live in historic Palestine …

Staff (2019-10-11). U.S. Suspends Plans to Hike Tariffs on Chinese Imports. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is suspending a tariff hike on $250 billion in Chinese imports that was set to take effect Tuesday, and China agreed to buy $40 billion to $50 billion in U.S. farm products as the world's two biggest economies reached a cease-fire in their 15-month trade war. | The White House said the two sides made some progress on the thornier issues, including China's lax protection of foreign intellectual property. But more work will have to be made on key differences in later negotiations, including U.S. allegations that China forces foreign countries to hand over trade secrets in…

The Canary (2019-10-11). Japan braces for typhoon ahead of weekend. thecanary.co A powerful typhoon is forecast to bring two feet of rain and damaging winds to the Tokyo area this weekend, and Japan's government has warned people to stockpile supplies and evacuate before it becomes too dangerous.The Rugby World Cup and other events were cancelled for Saturday, and flights and train services halted."In order to protect your own life and your loved ones, please try to start evacuating early before it gets dark and the storm becomes powerful," Meteorological Agency forecast department chief Yasushi Kajihara told a news conference.A man watches a public TV of weather forecast in Tokyo (Eugene Hos…

Eds. (2019-10-11). Climate Justice in India: A critical overview. mronline.org Global climate strike led by Greta Thunberg and youth around the world has trigged climate justice debates in the mainstream. In India, from the past few weeks, we have witnessed climate protests in major metropolitan cities demanding governments to act on the current climate crisis to ensure a livable future for the coming generations. | Source

Louis Proyect (2019-10-11). Building Soldier Resistance Under the Shadows of Fascism. counterpunch.org In the summer of 1967, I was edging closer to joining the Trotskyist movement. In June, Israel had claimed victory in the Six-Day War. This left it with the occupied territories that have continued to galvanize Palestinian resistance for more than a half-century. By this time, I had given up on the myth of "socialist More

RT (2019-10-11). Pentagon sending 2,000+ more troops to 'assure and enhance defense' of Saudi Arabia amid tensions with Iran. rt.com The US is beefing up military might in the Middle East, saying it will send more troops, fighter jets and missile defense systems to Saudi Arabia amid escalating tensions with Iran. | US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has authorized the deployment of two fighter squadrons, one Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW), two batteries of Patriot missile defense systems and one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said Friday. | This is in addition to the 200 or so troops, Patriots and radar systems whose deployment was announced two weeks ago, and amounts to 3,000 troops "e…

Staff (2019-10-11). A Know-Nothing President Steps Into a Turkish/Kurdish Minefield. therealnews.com The U.S. is deeply involved in the region surrounding Syria. Its actions helped lay the groundwork for the current struggle faced by the Kurds.

Ed Sykes (2019-10-11). Corbyn says sanctions on Turkey could be needed if 'appalling' attacks on Kurdish areas of Syria continue. thecanary.co The British government has faced criticism for failing to act over Turkey's invasion of northern Syria. The UK's NATO ally is attacking largely-Kurdis…

Party for Socialism and Liberation (2019-10-11). U.S. and Turkey out of Syria — No to the NATO invasion! liberationnews.org Down with the Turkish invasion! U.S. and Turkey out of Syria and the Middle East!

Patrick Cockburn (2019-10-11). Kurdish Fighters Always Feared Trump Would be a Treacherous Ally. counterpunch.org In a field beside a disused railway station on the plain just south of the Syrian-Turkish frontier, a brigade of Syrian Kurdish soldiers were retraining in order to resist an invasion by the Turkish army. "We acted like a regular army when we were fighting Daesh [Isis]," Rojvan, a veteran Kurdish commander of the YPG More

Steve Sweeney (2019-10-11). Turkish army and militia forces surround Kurdish towns as invasion advances. peoplesworld.org Scores of Kurdish civilians, including children, were killed and injured as Turkish forces and their jihadist allies closed in on the towns of Tel Abyad and Serekaniye in northern Syria yesterday. NATO's second-largest army began its invasion after launching airstrikes across the Syrian border. Troops flooded into the largely Kurdish region east of the Euphrates …

Vijay Prashad (2019-10-11). If you take away freedom, all four seasons and I will die. mronline.org Turkey has invaded Syria. In particular, Turkey has crossed the border to destroy the largely Syrian Kurdish province of Rojava, south of the Turkey-Syria border and east of the Euphrates River. The green light for this invasion came from Washington, DC, when U.S. President Donald Trump told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the U.S. […] | Source

RT (2019-10-11). Trump nominates John Sullivan as US ambassador to Russia. rt.com US President Donald Trump has nominated Deputy Secretary of State John Joseph Sullivan as the new ambassador to Russia. If confirmed by the Senate, he will fill the spot vacated by the departure of Jon Huntsman. | Sullivan, 59, has served as deputy secretary since May 2017. He was acting secretary of state in March and April 2018, following the resignation of Rex Tillerson and the confirmation of current Secretary Mike Pompeo. | Most of his previous government experience has been in law, rather than diplomacy. Early on in his career, Sullivan clerked for a Fifth Circuit appeals judge and Supreme Court Justice…

Mark Ashwill (2019-10-11). Reflections on General Giap and the End of an Era in Vietnam. counterpunch.org Six years have passed but the memory of the great general's death and funeral are still fresh in my mind. While thousands upon thousands of Vietnamese waited patiently under the still potent autumn sun to bid a final farewell to their national hero, General Vo Nguyen Giap, who lay in state at the National Funeral More

Medea Benjamin (2019-10-11). Crises in Iraq and Haiti Expose the Failure of Militarized Neoliberalism. globalresearch.ca This season could be called the Autumn of Discontent, as people from the Middle East to Latin America and the Caribbean have been rising up against corrupt neoliberal governments. Two of the countries in crisis, Haiti and Iraq, are on …

South Front (2019-10-11). Video: Turkey's "Operation Peace Spring". US Withdraws. Turkey Invades Northeastern Syria. Bombs US Supported YPG Forces. globalresearch.ca Turkey officially announced that it had launched a military operation in northeastern Syria. Over the past years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other representatives of the country's leadership have repeatedly announced this idea. However, this time promises were turned …

Sarah Abed (2019-10-11). World Leaders Condemn Turkey's "Operation Peace Spring" and Demand Exercising Restraint. globalresearch.ca "Operation Peace Spring" Turkey's third cross border military operation in northern Syria, in as many years, was initiated east of the Euphrates River, on Wednesday. Turkish armed forces began heavy air and artillery strikes targeting about 180-200 Kurdish positions. Turkey's …

teleSUR (2019-10-11). Iranian Oil Tanker Targeted by Two Missiles Off the Saudi Coast. telesurenglish.net An Iranian oil tanker that was traveling through the Red Sea waters on Friday was reportedly targeted by two missiles from an unidentified source, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) announced in an official statement. | RELATED: | Iran Reiterates Hormuz Plan Will Guarantee Peace in the Region | Iran identified the ship as the 'Sabiti', which, at the time, was traveling off the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah when the explosions were first reported at 9: 00 A.M. (Riyadh Time).

Andrew Korybko (2019-10-11). Is "Operation Peace Spring" a Trap Sprung by Trump on Turkey? globalresearch.ca It's worthwhile to wonder whether "Operation Peace Spring" is a trap sprung by Trump on Turkey after the US created the conditions for Ankara's invasion but then proceeded to threaten punitive measures against the country after its nominal NATO "ally" …

Jonathan Cook (2019-10-11). Israeli Police "turning a blind eye to killing spree" dissidentvoice.org Palestinian citizens of Israel escalated their protests against the police and government on Thursday by bringing sections of the country's busiest highway to a crawl as they drove in a slow convoy towards Jerusalem for a major demonstration. It was the latest in a series of high-stakes confrontations by Israel's large Palestinian minority with the …

Ramzy Baroud (2019-10-11). Administrative Torture: Free Heba al-Labadi, a Jordanian Citizen in Israeli Prison. counterpunch.org On August 20, Heba Ahmed al-Labadi fell into the dark hole of the Israeli legal system, joining 413 Palestinian prisoners who are currently held in so-called administrative detention. On September 26, Heba and seven other prisoners declared a hunger strike to protest their unlawful detention and horrific conditions in Israeli prisons. Among the prisoners is More

Ed Sykes (2019-10-11). Channel 4 shamed other establishment outlets with its frank report on Turkey's illegal invasion of Syria. thecanary.co While other establishment media outlets held back in their reporting of NATO member Turkey's illegal invasion of northern Syria, Channel 4 put them to shame with a frank and honest analysis. | "It's called ethnic cleansing": | Channel 4's international editor Lindsey Hilsum, reporting from the largely-Kurdish region of northern Syria (aka Rojava), asked: "wh…

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-11). US and Russia Fail to Condemn Turkish Aggression in Syria. Moscow and Washington Exercise Their UNSC Veto in Favor of Turkey's Invasion of Northern Syria. globalresearch.ca On Thursday, the US and Russia vetoed the same Security Council Resolution, the first time this happened since the body initially met on January 17, 1946. | On Thursday in closed-door session, an EU Security Resolution called on Turkey "to cease …

Marc Vandepitte (2019-10-11). China Will Shake the Whole World: About Farmers and Artificial Intelligence. globalresearch.ca For the first time in recent history, a poor, underdeveloped country has in no time developed into an economic superpower, with a major impact on world affairs. How has this been made possible? What does this mean for the rest …

Andre Vltchek (2019-10-11). Some in Hong Kong Feel Frustrated, as Their City Is Losing to Mainland China. globalresearch.ca Hong Kong is losing to Mainland China. Its poverty rates are high, it suffers from corruption and savage capitalism. It is now the most expensive city on earth. People are frustrated, but paradoxically, they are blaming socialist Beijing for their …

Doug Lummis (2019-10-11). Everything Going Wrong in Okinawa. counterpunch.org On 23 February 2016 Admiral Harry Harris, then Commander US Forces Pacific, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, was asked how the construction of the Futenma Replacement Facility was progressing. This refers to the super airbase the Japanese Defense Ministry is building at Henoko in northern Okinawa to house the units of the First More

Medical Aid for Palestinians (2019-10-11). "This House Was My Life, but I Saw It Smashed into Rubble Because I Am Palestinian" globalresearch.ca Ghaleb Abu Hadwan, 63, and his family are staying with extended family back in Shufat refugee camp after Israeli forces last week destroyed the new home they had constructed in Wadi al-Hummus, after saving up for it for years….

EA Cassie (2019-10-11). 'Where Can I Go?' The Threat of Annexation of Palestinian Lands in the Jordan Valley. globalresearch.ca As the sheep ventured out in search of food, the sun rose over the hills behind them. Their climb was made significantly easier than previous weeks, as the sweltering heat of the day didn't arrive until after 8.30am. The sheep …

teleSUR (2019-10-11). US Deploys Large Force to Saudi Arabia. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Armed Forces will deploy a large number of military personnel to Saudi Arabia to help bolster the kingdom's defenses following the September 14 attack on its oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Iran. | RELATED: | Iranian Oil Tanker Targeted by Two Missiles Off the Saudi Coast | According to a statement from the Pentagon, the deployment, which was first reported by Reuters, will include fighter squadrons, one air expeditionary wing and air defens…

Jason Ditz (2019-10-11). US to Send 3,000 Troops, Warplanes to Saudi Arabia to Confront Iran. theantimedia.com The US has announced that they will send 3,000 ground troops and two squadrons of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to "confront" Iran.

The Canary (2019-10-11). 'There's a hundred ways to defend Rojava': a statement from British Internationalists in North East Syria. thecanary.co The Canary is proud to publish this guest post from British Internationalists currently volunteering in North East Syria (Rojava). It is written by Berivan Qereàßox, Michael Sullivan, Tania Brown, Natalia Szarek, Matt Broomfield and Dani Ellis | As of Wednesday 9 October, the fascist Turkish state along with their mercenary Jihadist gangs began their offensive against the free peoples of North East Syria. There have already been civilian casualties, injuries and displacement as a result of these attacks. | As Internationalist vo…