(2020-10-14). In Afghanistan, American Troops patrol the same routes their fathers did. mronline.org 
Thousands of U.S. soldiers continue to pace and patrol exactly the same routes as their predecessors did in 2001, fighting a seemingly endless conflict that both the American and Afghan public have long since soured on.
(2020-10-14). Western Anger as China, Russia Elected to UN Human Rights Council and Saudi Arabia Rejected. mintpressnews.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.
(2020-10-14). Syria's Devastating Forest Fires. globalresearch.ca The Syrian people who have already been suffering from nearly a decade of externally waged Hybrid War are now forced to deal with the environmental devastation caused by the 156 forest fires that recently ravaged the Arab Republic, though most …
(2020-10-14). Despite Ambiguity in International Law, Palestinians are Winning the 'Legitimacy War'. counterpunch.org 
'International law' remains one of the most discussed terms in the context of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It is almost always present, whether the discussion pertains to the Israeli wars and siege on Gaza, the expansion of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank or the encroaching apartheid throughout Israel and the Occupied Territories.
(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). Lebanon and Israel hold unprecedented talks on disputed maritime border. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon and Israel hold unprecedented talks on disputed maritime border | The two countries, technically at war, are seeking to settle a maritime border dispute and clear the way for oil and gas exploration | Wed, 10/14/2020 – 11: 14 | Vehicles of the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL are pictured in the southernmost area of Naqoura, by the border with Israel, where talks between Israel and Leb…
(2020-10-14). Becoming U.S. Fortress Against China Does More Damage than Good for Taiwan. globalresearch.ca The $1.4 billion increase in Taiwan's military spending next year is still not enough to achieve effective defense, said David Helvey, Principal Director for East Asia in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific 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). The Palestinian Struggle Betrayed. globalresearch.ca The Abraham Accord signed recently between Israel on the one hand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain on the other, is touted as a peace deal. They were not at war. There was peace between them and much …
(2020-10-14). Protests intensify in Thailand in response to pre-emptive arrests by police. peoplesdispatch.org 21 individuals were arrested from the Democracy Monument in Bangkok on October 13, Tuesday, as they congregated for demonstrations planned for the next day. The news of the arrests has triggered widespread outrage and protests…
(2020-10-14). The Art of the Weapons Deal in the Age of Trump. scheerpost.com By William D. Hartung / TomDispatch The United States has the dubious distinction of being the world's leading arms dealer. It dominates the global trade in a historic fashion and nowhere is that domination more complete than in the endlessly war-torn Middle East. There, believe it or not, the U.S. controls nearly half the arms market. From Yemen to Libya to Egypt, sales by this country and its… |
(2020-10-14). Anti-Chinese Racism Sets Stage for New McCarthyism. dissidentvoice.org More than a dozen young visiting scholars from China had their visas abruptly terminated in a letter from administration of the University of North Texas (UNT), Denton, on August 26, in a letter dated …August 26! The letter informed the students that they could return to campus from their lodgings to pick up belongings, but …
(2020-10-14). All It Takes Is a Spark: Syrian Wildfires Turn Olive Trees into Ashes. globalresearch.ca Latakia: Friday morning in the coastal city of Latakia, Syria seemed normal at first. Even though the October weather was still far hotter than normal, not many noticed the unusually strong winds wiping through the countryside, filled with olives, citrus, …
(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). UK Government Accused of 'Cronyism' after Tory Councilor Wins £156m COVID Contract. globalresearch.ca A small, loss-making firm run by a Conservative councillor in Stroud was given a £156m contract to import PPE from China without any competition, openDemocracy has learned. | Steve Dechan's company, P14 Medical, signed the huge contract to supply medical …
(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). Thousands displaced by fighting in southern Afghanistan. news.un.org Thousands of people have been displaced and critical health services interrupted, after fighting erupted last weekend between security forces and Taliban fighters in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, the UN humanitarian office has reported.
(2020-10-14). Indonesia: kill the bill, or it will kill us all. zcomm.org Indonesia's trade unions and social movements are taking to the streets against anti-worker legislation…
(2020-10-14). Dangers Of Military Confrontation Around Taiwan And South China Sea. popularresistance.org Over the past two years, the United States has dramatically increased the number of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and destroyers sent into the South China Sea as a freedom of navigation show of force missions to remind the Chinese government that the U.S. considers the Western Pacific and the South China Sea as a part of the oceans of America and its allies. Additionally, in 2020, the Trump administration ratcheted up tensions with China over Taiwan by sending to Taiwan the highest-ranking U.S. officials in over forty years.
(2020-10-14). Two Massive New Leaks Show Dirty Underbelly Of Empire. popularresistance.org Most Americans don't know reality. | They know their personal reality, but unfortunately their reality is thoroughly detached from real pure, uncut reality. For example, do they know that police across the country work with corporations to criminalize journalism? Do they know that large PR companies created a false reality to justify U.S. intervention in Syria? Do they know the word "intervention" acts as a euphemism for "cold-blooded murder under false pretenses"? | Americans don't know these aspects of reality. You and I wouldn't know either if it weren't for leaks and whistleblowers.
(2020-10-14). NATO, Energy Geopolitics and Conflict in Caucasus. strategic-culture.org 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 unprecedented backsliding on strategic energy trade. | Then we have the resurgence in armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. | A key factor in all this too is NATO's long-term plans to expand membership…
(2020-10-14). The Heat: China's response to COVID-19. america.cgtn.com 
China has made extraordinary progress in battling COVID-19 since the first major outbreak in Wuhan earlier this year. While the disease is largely contained in China, the country is now responding to a minor outbreak in the city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province. …
(2020-10-14). Iran home to one of oldest, deepest cultures. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — Andre Vltchek a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker, and journalist has described Iran as home to one of the oldest and deepest cultures in the world that helps Iranian people to survive the most frightening moments.
(2020-10-14). Abdullah Abdullah to visit Tehran on Sunday: FM spox. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that the Head of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah is set to visit Iran on Sunday.
(2020-10-14). Iran opposes any foreign military presence in Persian Gulf. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs said that the Islamic Republic of Iran opposes any foreign military presence in the Persian Gulf region.
(2020-10-14). VIDEO: Flash flood claims dozen lives in SE Asia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — Above 40 people have died in Vietnam and Cambodia and scores more were missing, including rescuers, due to prolonged heavy rain and flash flooding as tropical storm Nangka edged towards the Vietnamese coast.
(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). 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). 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). The US Is Still the World's Biggest Arms Dealer. thenation.com 
Regardless of who is elected president this November, American arms businesses will continue to export arsenals to the Middle East and around the world.
(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). Iran COVID-19 update: 279 deaths, 4,830 cases in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 4,830 COVID-19 infections and 279 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.
(2020-10-14). Flow of resistance must reach beyond borders of Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — An Afghan poet and cultural expert, stressed the need for recognizing the enemies of the Islamic world accurately with cultural and artistic tools.
(2020-10-14). Funeral procession of 'Akbar Alami'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — The funeral procession of Iran's cinema critic, documentary filmmaker Akbar Alami was held in Tehran on Wednesday.
(2020-10-14). New sanctions on Iran more window dressing: Atlantic Council. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — The Atlantic Council in a report on Wednesday named the new round of US sanctions of Iran as "more window dressing than anything of strategic import".
(2020-10-14). Security situation in world has worsened: Iran UN envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) — Iran's ambassador to the United Nations warned against return of Cold War-era mentality, stating that threat of weapons of mass destruction and outer space and cybernetic threats have worsened security situation in the world.
(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.
(2020-10-13). Trump's new Iran sanctions hurt civilians and threaten war. thealtworld.com Grayzone- Pushback with Aaron Maté | Weeks before the U.S. election, the Trump administration has imposed crushing new sanctions that sever Iran from the global financial system and further threaten the import of humanitarian goods. The Israeli government and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a pro-regime change think tank, reportedly lobbied White House officials for the new move. | Assal Rad of the National Iranian American Council discusses how the sanctions target Iranian civilians, and threaten an outbreak of military conflict. | Guest: Assal Rad, Research Fellow at the National Iranian American Cou…
(2020-10-13). Why did Amnesty UK, Bellingcat and White Helmets sabotage Roger Waters webinar on corporate pollution? thegrayzone.com The Grayzone obtained audio of a call in which Roger Waters confronted Amnesty leadership over efforts by Syria regime-change operatives — including its own staff — to sabotage an Amazon Watch webinar on Chevron's pollution of Ecuador. The campaign manager of Amnesty International UK, Kristyan Benedict, appears to have removed an Amnesty International tweet announcing an Amazon Watch webinar to raise awareness both of Chevron's pollution of an indigenous region of Ecuador and the company's ruthless persecution of environmental lawyer …
(2020-10-13). 'Capitalism on a Ventilator'/ The impact of COVID-19 in China & the U.S. workers.org 
"Capitalism on a Ventilator: The Impact of COVID-19 in China & the U.S" chronicles the terminal decline of capitalism. The book itself is an example of what can be accomplished through cooperation by progressive working-class organizations. This anthology is a collaboration by social justice advocates like Ajamu Baraka of the . . . |
(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). 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). 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). Palestinian leaders call for Israel to release prisoner on 80th day of hunger strike. middleeasteye.net 
Palestinian leaders call for Israel to release prisoner on 80th day of hunger strike | The Israeli Supreme Court rejected Maher al-Akhras' petition for release on Tuesday, as right groups warn he is 'on the verge of death' | Tue, 10/13/2020 – 12: 54 | Maher al-Akhras with one of his children before his arrest in July by Israeli forces (Screengrab)
| Several Palestinian political figures have raised the ala…
(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). 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). Saudi-funded MBC's removal of Palestinian show raises questions over normalisation with Israel. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi-funded MBC's removal of Palestinian show raises questions over normalisation with Israel | The acclaimed historical drama was reinstated after backlash over fears of further Palestinian erasure from Arab broadcasts | Tue, 10/13/2020 – 15: 01 | 'The Palestinian Exodus' is among the most famous Arab historical dramas about the Palestinian struggle (Screengrab) | Saudi-funded TV channel MBC tempora…
(2020-10-13). How a Black Evangelical Denomination was Duped into "Blessing" Israel. mintpressnews.com 
"There are more than 40 million Black Americans, they spend more than $1.3 trillion a year, so we're a measurable market, a measurable group of people, easily identified, and we think we can also contribute to the advancement of Israel." – Glenn Plummer, Bishop of Israel…
(2020-10-13). Waiting for a Vaccine: Killing for Inequality. counterpunch.org 
I have been harping on the fact that it is very likely China will be mass producing and distributing a vaccine at least a month, and quite possibly several months, before the United States. This should make people very angry. Even a month's delay is likely to mean tens of thousands of avoidable deaths and
(2020-10-13). Love that transcends prison walls: Palestinian women tell stories of defiance. middleeasteye.net 
Love that transcends prison walls: Palestinian women tell stories of defiance | In Palestine, relationships thrive despite years-long separations and physical barriers | Tue, 10/13/2020 – 10: 52 | "Thirty eight Eids passed without Abdel Karim," Jinan Samara said after reuniting with her fiance, Abdel Karim, 18 years later (MEE/Shatha Hammad) | Abdel Karim Makhdar and Jinan Samara sit side by side o…