(2020-07-27). Mounting US pressure on Europe to line up against China. wsws.org Pompeo condemned those that "simply don't have the ability, the courage to stand with us."
(2020-07-27). Amid Escalating Tensions, US Warships Sail Just Miles off Coast of China. mintpressnews.com The moves are believed by experts to be information gathering operations, attempting to track the positions of Chinese submarines and pinpoint coastal defenses as the US increases the tension with Beijing.
(2020-07-27). With Cold War Language, Pompeo Defines Plan For 'Totalitarian' China. popularresistance.org In a major foreign policy speech on U.S.-China relations, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cast ratcheted-up tensions with Beijing in Cold War terms, announcing that Washington would seek to change Beijing's behavior and stopping just short of calling for regime change. | He described Beijing — and Chinese President Xi Jinping — as a generational threat to "free democracies around the world," a totalitarian and hegemonic regime that must not be treated like a normal nation. Riffing on President Ronald Reagan's famous "trust but verify" dictum about the Soviet Union, he said that when it comes to Beijing…
(2020-07-27). WHO says COVID-19 by far its worst global health emergency. yenisafak.com The new coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 16 million people is easily the worst global health emergency the World Health Organization (WHO) has faced, its director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.Only with strict adherence to health measures, from wearing masks to avoiding crowds, would the world be able to beat it, Tedros added at a virtual news briefing in Geneva."Where these measures are followed, cases go down. Where they are not, cases go up," he said, praising Canada, China, Germany and South Korea for controlling outbreaks.
(2020-07-27). China: US claims on Houston consulate 'not factual'. yenisafak.com China denied Monday that its staff at the consulate in Houston stole information from American companies doing COVID-19 research."US officials' accusations alleging that the Chinese Consulate General in Houston undertook illegal activities have no factual evidence and are completely slanderous," said China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin addressing a news conference in Beijing.Last week, the US in an abrupt move asked China to shut its consulate in Houston — a decision US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said was taken because China was "stealing American and European intellectual property".In a tit-for-t…
(2020-07-27). Huawei's Meng Wanzhou Seeks Access to Documents That Could Prove She is Victim of Abuse of Process. sputniknews.com The 48-year-old chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei has been entangled in a standoff between the United States and China. Her arrest by Canadian police officers drastically soured relations between Ottawa and Beijing. Meng denies wrongdoing, while China has described her detention as political victimization.
(2020-07-27). VIDEO: If Anyone is Involved in Forcing Nations to Pick Sides it is Pompeo and His State Department. strategic-culture.org China is "making" Europe choose between a "free world" and an "authoritarian vision", said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to his European counterparts. But is it really China forcing the world to make moral "choices" at the barrel of a soft power gun? Watch the video and read more in the Editorial article.
(2020-07-27). Japanese government to urge more telecommuting as coronavirus cases surge. yenisafak.com Japan's economy minister said on Monday the government would urge businesses to aim for 70% telecommuting and enhance other social distancing measures amid a rise in coronavirus cases among workers, some infected during after-work socialising.Though Japan has largely avoided the mass infections that have killed tens of thousands overseas, a record surge in cases during the past week in Tokyo and other major urban areas has experts worried the country faces a second wave.Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Monday said in a video meeting with Japanese governors that business leaders will be asked to ramp up ant…
(2020-07-27). False alarm? Person suspected of bringing 1st Covid-19 case into N. Korea wasn't infected, South believes. rt.com 
A man who crossed into North Korea and put the city of Kaesong on high alert because he had symptoms resembling coronavirus is unlikely to have been a transmitter of the deadly contagion, Seoul's health officials have claimed. | The man in question — who fled from the North three years ago — returned to his homeland on July 19. He reportedly showed up in Kaesong, his home city, and on-site medical screening returned "uncertain results," Pyongyang's state media reported. | Fearing that he could become North Korea's patient zero, the authorities immediately called a meeting to address an emergency "tha…
(2020-07-27). Seattle & Portland Activists: Protest Federal and City Police Crackdowns & Keep Focus on BLM Agenda. democracynow.org 
As nationwide protests against systemic racism and police violence stretch into their second month, President Trump has sent a team of federal agents to Seattle, following a controversial deployment of federal forces in Portland, Oregon. "We don't know exactly what the federal officers are doing. What we do know is we are in a situation where local police are welcoming those federal agents into our cities," says Seattle community organizer Nikkita Oliver, co-executive director of Creative Justice. We also speak with Pastor E.D. Mondainé, president of the Portland, Oregon, branch of the NAACP.
(2020-07-27). Popular Movements Can Overcome Authoritarian Policing. dissidentvoice.org 
Portland protests say Go Home Feds as protests grow (by Noah Berger, AP) Today is the 60th day of protests since the murder of George Floyd. This weekend, people marched in cities across the country in solidarity with Portland and in opposition to the US becoming a police state. President Trump sending troops to cities added fuel …
(2020-07-27). The Heart of Darkness in Portland. counterpunch.org 
Soon it will be 60 straight nights of demonstrations and ear shattering protests in Portland, Oregon. There is a continuous drum corps that is beating hypnotic rhythms that gives thousands of Portlanders a reason to be alive. The energy is electrifying, as people take turns chanting their built up frustrations of what they see as utter
(2020-07-27). Trump threatens democracy with militarized police as polls suggest he's in trouble. peoplesworld.org 
By sending federal militarized units in fascist-like fashion into major cities to attack peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrators, President Donald Trump is assaulting democracy and setting a dangerous precedent less than 100 days before the November elections. Clearly, it is a desperate move to shore up his far-right base and divert public attention away from …
(2020-07-27). Three Questions for the "Resistance" counterpunch.org 
The Trump/Pence regime has sent a federal occupying army into Portland to "quell" ongoing protests. Overseen by the Department of Homeland Security and cobbled from a number of federal agencies, including Customs & Border Patrol and the Coast Guard, these anonymous thugs in camouflage, virtually indistinguishable from right-wing militias, have seized the authority to kidnap
(2020-07-27). US police are wearing imaginary CGI armor to appease Putin, suggests acclaimed Russiagate huckster. rt.com 
Commentary on Donald Trump's decision to send federal police to riot-stricken cities has taken a creative turn: according to a celebrated Russiagate disciple, Putin has "ordered" US cops to wear cyberpunk armor that doesn't exist. | Cheri Jacobus, a popular #NeverTrump Twitter pundit and Russian collusion peddler, has joined the growing chorus of outrage over the use of federal law enforcement to help maintain order in Portland, Oregon, which has seen two months of increasingly violent demonstrations. | While most critics have focused on allegations that federal officers are too militarized and use excessive f…
(2020-07-27). Portland Police say Molotov cocktails & rifle magazines found in bag as city reels from violent protests. rt.com A bag discovered in a park frequented by demonstrators contained Molotov cocktails and several loaded magazines, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has reported. Nightly protests in the city have become increasingly violent. | The PPB said they were tipped off about a suspicious bag in Lownsdale Square Park, which is located across the street from the federal courthouse that has been under siege by protesters for nearly two months. The pack reportedly contained loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails. The police force shared a photo of the bag's contents on Twitter. | Tonight Portland Police were near Lowns…
(2020-07-27). Antifa rioters call themselves journalists to avoid federal crackdown. rt.com 
Federal officers in Portland are forbidden by court order from targeting journalists filming the riots. For 'Antifa' rioters, the order opened up an opportunity: anyone with a camera can call themselves a "journalist." | Riots have raged in downtown Portland for 60 straight nights, and the threat of arrest by federal agents hasn't stopped crowds of rioters from laying siege to the city's Justice Center night after night. With Mayor Ted Wheeler reluctant to order a police crackdown on the violence, federal officers have filled the gap. Unlike their local counterparts, these officers have had no qualms about mak…
(2020-07-27). Portland sex worker who stripped in front of cops as 'Naked Athena' says her nakedness was 'POLITICAL'. rt.com 
The woman dubbed 'Naked Athena' is a sex worker, and her famous confrontation with Portland police, in nothing but a cap and a face mask, happened because she felt offended by the way they stood, she has revealed in an interview.
(2020-07-27). Where are the fact checkers? Rep. Jerry Nadler claims Antifa violence in Portland is a MYTH (VIDEO). rt.com 
Congressman Jerry Nadler has been raked across the coals by social media after insisting that there is no protester-instigated violence in Portland. The lawmaker has spearheaded efforts to discredit federal police in the city. | The New York Democrat was approached by pundit and internet personality Austen Fletcher, who asked the House member if he "disavows the violence from Antifa happening in Portland right now." | "That's a myth that's being spread only in Washington, DC," Nadler responded. | Clearly amused by the lawmaker's answer, Fletched clarified: "About Antifa in Portland?" | "Yes," the NY representa…
(2020-07-27). Understanding Trump's game plan in Portland. zcomm.org Because the overwhelming majority of Portlanders have been demonstrating for Black Lives Matter in nonviolent ways, elected officials are mobilizing against Trump's intervention. If the majority had been violent, Trump's intervention would be welcomed by the center…
(2020-07-27). What is BORTAC and why is it patrolling the streets of Portland? wsws.org The special paramilitary arm of Customs and Border Protection has been deployed to intimidate and terrorize young people and workers amid the greatest health, economic and political crisis in modern American history.
(2020-07-27). The Militarized Assault On Our Right To Protest. popularresistance.org The Trump Administration sent federal law enforcement, including the paramilitary squad of Customs and Border Patrol, BORTAC, which has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, to the streets of Portland, OR to stop the ongoing demonstrations against racist police violence. Federal law enforcement, working with local police, is also being sent to other cities where anti-racist protests are going on. We speak with constitutional lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard about the legality of this and how activists can fight back to protect the rights of everyone and end police violence and lawless impunity.
(2020-07-27). More Federal Officers Deploying To Portland. popularresistance.org Several dozen additional out-of-town federal law enforcement officers are deploying to Portland as they look to make additional arrests in the coming days, while also shifting tactics from the use of tear gas, according to multiple federal law enforcement sources. | The federal response has so far sparked four civil rights lawsuits, a Department of Justice inspector general investigation, proposed legislation in Congress limiting the role of federal law enforcement in American cities, and has injured a number of protesters. Rather than quell the protests as was the intent, it's served to reenergize and strengthen…
(2020-07-27). Meet Eddy, 'War Correspondent' for High School Newspaper in US City of Portland. sputniknews.com PORTLAND (Sputnik) – The youngest journalist covering the protests in Portland writes for a high school newspaper. Press badges, slight build, and being 17 years of age has proven insufficient to protect Eddy Binford-Ross from police brutality. Yet, almost every night she ventures back to report from the frontline.
(2020-07-27). J25 Stand with Portland March, Quanah Parker Brightman Address. indybay.org video by Micky Souza, Pro Bono Photo. Please give credit. | 2 min 23 second video…
(2020-07-27). Oakland March In Solidarity With Portland. indybay.org Close to a thousand in Oakland protest for BLM and against hostile Federal occupation of cities.
(2020-07-27). Friday 8/7: The Battle for Portland & the Implications Nationwide. indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-07-27). At Solidarity with Portland March, A "Wall of Moms" Ready. indybay.org On July 25, Oakland stood strong with Portland in opposition to Trump's invasion of cities. A recently formed Wall of Moms was ready to take up their place on short notice between police and protesters.
(2020-07-27). J25 Stand with Portland March, Call and Response. indybay.org One min 15 second video by Micky Souza, Pro Bono Photo. | Please give credit.
(2020-07-26). Revisions on China: Abandoning the Nixon Legacy, Pompeo the Puffed-up Hawk. globalresearch.ca There is little doubt about it. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the puffed-up hawk of the Trump administration, talons at the ready, beak protruding. While the president coos at the prospect of seeing, or admiring, the next strongman …
(2020-07-26). South China Sea Provocations And Meeting China Halfway. popularresistance.org In the words of (ret.) Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Secretary of Defense Colin Powell's Chief of Staff, the Trump Administration has been dangerously "poking China in the eye." | After sending aircraft carriers and destroyers to the precincts of the Taiwan Strait, last week the Pentagon dispatched two aircraft carrier strike groups — including escort cruisers and destroyers, 120 warplanes and 12,000 troops — to South China Sea waters claimed by China. China responded by deploying fighter jets to its near-by base on Woody Island and reminding the world of its anti-aircraft carrier missile capabilities.
(2020-07-26). Anti-China Hysteria Drives Record 2021 US Defense Spending. popularresistance.org Anti-China hysteria has emerged as the central 'threat' designed to justify endless U.S. military spending and adventurism in the Asia-Pacific. | The 2021 Department of Defense spending bill has become contested terrain for a progressive wing of Democrats seeking to curtail endless military spending and a Republican-led bipartisan coalition focused on increasing spending to "stay competitive" with ostensible threats from Russia and China. | On July 21, the House passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with an increase in stipulated defense spending from 2020's $658 bi…
(2020-07-26). What Does America Want by Intensifying Confrontation With China? sputniknews.com According to experts interviewed by Sputnik, neutralising China's competitive advantages, curbing the growth of its influence in the world, making concessions in trade negotiations, and tackling the challenges of the presidential election campaign are the main motives for a new round of confrontation with China provoked by the US.
(2020-07-26). Japanese Defence Ministry Auctions Off Military Trinkets to Raise Funds – Reports. sputniknews.com TOKYO (Sputnik) – Japan's Defence Ministry on Sunday held a first-ever auction for unused items to generate income, media reported.
(2020-07-26). Riots are driving Portland's small businesses under, but mainstream media wants to sell you a different story. rt.com 
After nearly 60 straight nights of violence, business owners in Portland are sick and tired of riots. But as their stores go under, the coastal media treats the rioters to glowing coverage and city authorities do nothing. | Portland is a liberal stronghold, and as 'Black Lives Matter' protests fizzle out around the country, anger remains at boiling point in the Oregonian city. The protests there have not been all banner-waving and slogan-chanting affairs though. Instead, droves of 'Antifa' types have laid siege to the city's Justice Center for almost two months, tearing down barricades, lobbing fireworks, sett…
(2020-07-26). Police declare riot in Portland after protesters pull down courthouse fence (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Law enforcement officers have begun pushing protesters away from Portland's federal courthouse after demonstrators pulled down a fence surrounding the building. | Activists used wire cutters, power saws, and ropes to attack the fence on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning. Videos show a group of demonstrators rocking the chainlink barrier back and forth, ultimately pulling it down. Projectiles and tear gas flew across the sky, in what one observer described as a scene resembling a battlefield. Several fires were then lit outside the courthouse before police declared a riot and emerged fro…
(2020-07-26). NYC rallies to defend Portland. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Over 40 people gathered in Union Square in New York City, July 24, to stand in solidarity with Portland against the recent targeting of activists there. The action was called in response to viral videos of protesters in Portland being picked up by unmarked vans and brought to undisclosed locations, all just for speaking out against racist violence. | The action was called by the Workers World Party and included speakers from New York Community Action Project, Code Pink, Peoples Power Assemblies, Veterans for Peace, A Call to Action on Puerto Rico, and The Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum. | The speeches…
(2020-07-26). Minneapolis protests Trump's repression in Portland. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Over 600 people rallied and marched here, July 23, at the "Portland to Minneapolis: Protest Trump's Goons Attacking Our Movement," called by the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J.) | On July 20, Trump announced plans to send the Department of Homeland Security to cities across the U.S. Agents in military fatigues were deployed in Portland, grabbing demonstrators off the street, detaining them in unmarked cars and attacking protesters. Homeland Security agents were also sent to Washington, DC and Seattle. 150 federal agents are headed to Chicago, and there are reports that 2000 mor…
(2020-07-26). Questions Swirl Around Portland Police's Coordination With Federal Officers. zcomm.org The Portland police have been cagey about how they work with the feds. Deputy Chief Chris Davis has said Portland police offered "suggestions" to the federal forces and coordinated efforts with them.
(2020-07-26). Wall Of Vets, Grandparents Support Black Lives Matter Movement. popularresistance.org Portland, Ore. — The protests have drawn people from all walks of life, and on Friday night, veterans from all over showed up downtown to create a "Wall of Vets" to protect protesters. | And they showed up in white shirts to support the Black Lives Matter movement. | "It's something I believe in. The other vets here — this is the first time they've come down; they don't like crowds either; we believe in something; it's time to stand," said Jonathan Fisher, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. | Veterans responded after the Navy veteran, Chris David, seen on video being beaten by federal officers, called for…
(2020-07-26). US federal agents fire tear gas on peaceful protesters. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 26 (MNA) — US federal troops have used tear gas and flash-bang grenades against Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, on the 59th consecutive day of unrest in the city.
(2020-07-26). Federal Crackdown in Portland Provokes Solidarity Protests Across the Country. commondreams.org "This is my first protest," said a 45-year-old woman who joined the "Wall of Moms" at a Saturday demonstration in Seattle. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12586851111.jpg …
(2020-07-25). Thailand Sees Largest Anti-Government Protests Since 2014 Military Coup. zcomm.org The youth-led protests appear to have taken a page from Hong Kong's highly decentralized pro-democracy movement last year…
(2020-07-25). US demands even greater support from Australia in confrontation with China. wsws.org Despite the intensifying COVID-19 danger in the US, Australia's foreign and defence ministers will personally attend the annual AUSMIN talks in Washington next week.
(2020-07-25). COVID-19 means development setbacks for Mongolia: a UN Resident Coordinator's blog. news.un.org Mongolia has recorded very few cases of COVID-19, less than 300 as on date, despite its more than 4,000 kilometre porous border with China. However, the country faces a major economic impact from the pandemic, says Tapan Mishra, the UN Resident Coordinator in Mongolia.
(2020-07-25). US secretary of state sets out case for conflict with China. wsws.org By ruling out a return to the policy of "containment," Pompeo's speech marks a strategy aimed at regime change in Beijing.
(2020-07-25). [Editorial] COVID-19 and China: lessons and the way forward. thelancet.com China has largely controlled COVID-19. A country of 1 ∑4 billion people and a size similar to Europe or the USA now reports only clusters of cases rather than widespread community transmission. China has been widely criticised for its role and responsibilities during the pandemic because of censorship, transparency, and human rights concerns. But the rest of the world can still learn from China's successes in bringing its outbreak under control.
(2020-07-25). 103-year-old Pakistani man survives COVID-19. yenisafak.com A 103-year-old man has recovered from COVID-19 at a makeshift medical center in Pakistan.Aziz Abdul Alim, a resident of a village in the mountainous northern district of Chitral, was released last week from an emergency response centre after testing positive in early July."We were worried for him given his age, but he wasn't worried at all," Alim's son Sohail Ahmed told Reuters on the phone from his village, close to Pakistan's border with China and Afghanistan.Ahmed quoted his father as saying that he had been through a lot in life and the coronavirus did not scare him. He did however, not like being in isolatio…
(2020-07-25). Tight security outside US Chengdu consulate after China orders closure. yenisafak.com Security was tight outside the U.S. consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Saturday as staff inside prepared to leave, a day after China ordered it to close in response to a U.S. order for China to shut its consulate in Houston.The tit-for-tat consulate closures have brought a sharp deterioration in relations between the world's two largest economies.A consulate emblem inside the compound was removed as staff could be seen pushing trolleys and several consulate vehicles came and went.Police, including many plain clothes officers, gathered outside and closed off the street to traffic.Neither the consulate in…
(2020-07-25). Mainland China reports 34 new coronavirus cases, including 20 in Xinjiang. yenisafak.com Of the new infections, 20 were in the far western region of Xinjiang, according to a statement by the National Health Commission. Nine were in the northeastern province of Liaoning, while the remaining five were imported cases.China reported 74 new asymptomatic cases, up from 43 a day earlier.As of Friday, mainland China had 83,784 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 4,634.