(2020-10-18). 'The Emails Are Russian' Will Be The Narrative, Regardless Of Facts Or Evidence. thealtworld.com Like the Russian hacking narrative, the Trump-Russia collusion narrative, the Russian bounties in Afghanistan narrative, and any other evidence-free framing of events that simultaneously advances pre-planned cold war agendas, is politically convenient for the Democratic party and generates clicks and ratings, the narrative that the New York Post publication of Hunter Biden's emails is a Russian operation is going to be hammered and hammered and hammered until it becomes the mainstream consensus. This will happen regardless of facts and evidence, up to and including rock solid evidence that Hunter Biden's emails w…
(2020-10-18). Yemen: Conflict parties 'have to find strength' to end fighting, says UN humanitarian official. news.un.org Parties to the conflict in Yemen must do more to protect civilians, a senior UN humanitarian official in the country has said, as the number of civilian deaths has witnessed a sharp rise over the last few weeks in the war-ravaged country.
(2020-10-18). UAE minister of tolerance accused of sexual assault by Hay books festival worker. middleeasteye.net 
UAE minister of tolerance accused of sexual assault by Hay books festival worker | British woman says Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan sexually assaulted her at a villa on an island in the emirates | Sun, 10/18/2020 – 11: 26 | Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, 69, has denied the accusations (AFP) | A British woman has accused a senior Emirati royal of sexually assaulting her while sh…
(2020-10-18). Playing Russian Roulette with a COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca America, we need to have a conversation. It is a very serious and dire conversation that has been intentionally ignored and swept under the rug for far too long. It concerns a dialogue that our entire mainstream media, in its …
(2020-10-18). FM Zarif meeting with Abdullah in Tehran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Head of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah met and held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran On Sunday.
(2020-10-18). Iran "Resistance" strategy defeats US " Maximum Pressure" en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Ali Rabiei noted, "Pushing back sanctions, reducing the effects of sanctions and increasing social resistance were the strategies of the Islamic Republic of Iran to overcome the US policy of maximum pressure."
(2020-10-18). Iran's Zarif, Afghanistan's Abdullah hold meeting in Tehran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced in a tweet that Foreign Minister Zarif has begun talks with Head of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah.
(2020-10-18). Iran registers 3,890 new COVID-19 infections, 252 deaths. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 3,890 COVID-19 infections and 252 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.
(2020-10-18). VIDEO: Mustsee Tang-e KƒÅfarƒ´ in W Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Tang-e KƒÅfarƒ´ which is located in Ilam Province, west of Iran enjoys unique tourist attractions. It can be considered one of the most important habitat settlements of the Neolithic era up to now.
(2020-10-18). 40% discount on Chabahar-India cargo movement extended. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — The director-general of Sistan and Baluchestan Ports and Maritime Department said the 40% discount on the movement of cargo between the port Chabahar and India has been extended.
(2020-10-18). Iran to export, import weapons based on its defense policy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to UK Hamid Baeedinejad said that as of today, Iran will export and import weapons based on its defense policy principles.
(2020-10-18). Enemy seeking to foment internal strife, conflicts: Rouhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that enemies of the country are seeking to spread strife and conflict in the country, so that conspiracies of enemies must be foiled.
(2020-10-18). US strategy regarding Iran produced no 'positive result'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton said that the Trump administration's foreign policy with respect to Iran has had no 'positive results' for Washington.
(2020-10-17). In Afghanistan, American Troops Patrol the Same Routes Their Fathers Did. globalresearch.ca Thousands of US 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. | *** | Nineteen years …
(2020-10-17). Why Wasn't There Any Post-Election Turmoil in Tajikistan? globalresearch.ca Unlike fellow former Soviet Republics Belarus and even neighboring Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan's latest elections didn't result in any turmoil even though one might have expected it to have due to some similarly discernible risk factors, but that wasn't the case (at …
(2020-10-17). Persecuting Assange Is A Blow To Reporting And Human Rights Advocacy. popularresistance.org If it were not for a tiny handful of journalists—ShadowProof's Kevin Gosztola preeminent among them—Americans might be utterly unaware that a London magistrate, for the last month, has been considering nothing less than whether journalists have a right to publish information the US government doesn't want them to. Not whether outlets can leak classified information, but whether they can publish that information on, as in the case of Wikileaks, US war crimes and torture and assorted malfeasance to do with, for instance, the war on Afghanistan, which just entered its 19th year, with zero US corporate me…
(2020-10-17). America Is Complicit, as Yemen Spirals Toward Mass Starvation. commondreams.org Huthi rebel fighters inspect the damage after a reported air strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition targeted the presidential palace in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on December 5, 2017. Saudi-led warplanes pounded the rebel-held capital before dawn after the rebels killed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as he fled the city following the collapse of their uneasy alliance, residents said. (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images). | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/yemen_11.jpg …
(2020-10-17). One hundred years of Indian communism. peoplesdispatch.org (October 17, 2020 marks 100 years of the founding of the Communist Party of India. The party was formed in 1920 in Tashkent. On this occasion, we bring you an analysis of the history of the Indian communist movement by noted Marxist intellectual Prabhat Patnaik) | A theoretical analysis of the prevailing situation, from which the proletariat's relationship with different segments of the bourgeoisie and the peasantry is derived, and with it the Communist Party's tactics toward other political forces, is central to the party's praxis. A study of this praxis over the last one hundred years of the existence of com…
(2020-10-17). US condemns Turkey over reported test of Russian S-400 missile system. middleeasteye.net 
US condemns Turkey over reported test of Russian S-400 missile system | Ankara refuses to confirm or deny reports that it has tested the controversial air defence system near the Black Sea | Sat, 10/17/2020 – 10: 32 | Washington fears the S-400 could be used to gain intelligence on US weaponry (Reuters) | The United States condemned Turkey on Friday after reports emerged that Ankara had te…
(2020-10-17). Beirut protests mark a year since Lebanon's mass uprising. middleeasteye.net 
Beirut protests mark a year since Lebanon's mass uprising | Amid the crippling economic crisis and Covid-19 pandemic, and with no functioning government, there is little optimism change in Lebanon will happen anytime soon | Sat, 10/17/2020 – 16: 55 | Protesters take to the streets of Beirut on 17 October to mark the first anniversary of the Lebanon uprising (Kareem Chehayeb) | Over a thousand…
(2020-10-17). Jennifer Arcuri 'admits affair with Boris Johnson'. thecanary.co 
Jennifer Arcuri has reportedly admitted to having an affair with Boris Johnson, after allegations he used his position as London mayor to get the businesswoman favourable treatment.The prime minister avoided a criminal investigation after the police watchdog found no evidence that he influenced the payment of thousands of pounds of public money to Arcuri, or that he secured her participation in foreign trade trips which he led.Johnson's conduct: City Hall resumed an investigation into Johnson's conduct after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) closed in May.The IOPC said it "would have been wi…
(2020-10-17). Bangkok shuts down transport systems as pro-democracy protests continue. thecanary.co 
Authorities in Bangkok have shut down mass transit systems and set up roadblocks as Thailand's capital braced for a fourth straight day of determined anti-government protests. The pro-democracy protesters have been doing their best to elude the authorities, using social media to assemble followers before police have time to block them.The government has announced plans to take legal action against Twitter and Facebook accounts announcing the protests. But fresh calls to action were still posted on 17 October.Pro-democracy protesters flash three-fingers salute against shutting down mass transport system at Ashok B…
(2020-10-17). India gives go-ahead to domestic trial of Russia's pioneering 'Sputnik V' Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com 
India's vaccines regulator has given the green light for a clinical study of the Russia-developed Covid-19 vaccine. Similar trials of the formulation are underway in Russia itself and in some other nations. | The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), a department in India's drug regulator that is responsible for licensing vaccines, has given its approval for a domestic clinical study of the Russian candidate vaccine dubbed "Sputnik V," Indian and Russian partners have announced in a joint statement. The "multi-center and randomized controlled study" will be conducted by Dr Reddy's Laboratories, a Hyderabad…
(2020-10-17). Iran claims victory over US as UN arms embargo expires. rt.com 
Iran's foreign ministry has declared the victory of "multilateralism, peace and security", claiming the UN's conventional arms embargo effectively expired on October 18, despite Washington's pressure to reimpose sanctions. | "As of today, all restrictions on the transfer of arms, related activities and financial services to and from The Islamic Republic of Iran, and all prohibitions regarding the entry or transit through territories of the United Nations Member States previously imposed on a number of Iranian citizens and military officials, are all automatically terminated," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a…
(2020-10-17). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
(2020-10-17). Fishermen oppose release of contaminated water from Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. peoplesdispatch.org The company which operates the plant, Tokyo Electric Power, has collected over 1.23 million tons of contaminated water since the collapse of the nuclear plant in 2011…
(2020-10-17). Trump Says He May Leave the US If Biden Wins. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump Saturday suggested that he would "have to leave the country" if he loses against the Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the upcoming November election. | RELATED: | Trump made that statement amid a campaign event in Macon, Georgia, where he mocked the social distancing and face masks that Biden urges to his campaign events' attendees. | "Running against the worst candidate in the history…
(2020-10-17). The "Non-Aligned" Nations Realign. popularresistance.org In 1955 the US and the Soviet Union were in the midst of the Cold War. Both countries were pressuring Asian and African countries to align with them. In April of 1955, twenty-nine of these countries met in Bandung, Indonesia for the first Bandung (Asian-African) Conference. Most of the countries that attended were in the process of emerging from the shackles of colonial rule. | They met to address their common problems; sovereignty, political self-determination, non-aggression and equality.
(2020-10-17). Why Conflict in Caucasus Is Erdogan's Revenge for Syria. strategic-culture.org Turkey's outsize role in fueling the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is becoming more apparent. That's why a peace deal will be hard to cut and indeed the conflict may blow up further into a protracted regional war. A war that could drag Russia into battling in the Caucasus on its southern periphery against NATO proxies. | In a phone call this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(2020-10-17). Zarif holds phone talks with Iraqi counterpart on mutual ties. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 15 (MNA) — Iranian FM Zarif and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein discussed bilateral talks in a phone conversation on Saturday.
(2020-10-17). 2nd round of Iran-Ukraine plane crash talks to start on Mon. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) — While the first round of the Iranian delegation's talks about the flight 752 incident in Ukraine ended in early August, the second round of the related talks is slated to be held in Tehran, from Monday to Wednesday.
(2020-10-17). Iranian embassy in Baku condemns attack on Azerbaijan's Ganja. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) — The Iranian embassy in Baku, in its Saturday statement, strongly condemned the rocket attack on Azerbaijan's Ganja.
(2020-10-17). Iran's new envoy arrives in Yemen. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) — The spokesman of the Iranian foreign ministry informed on Saturday that the country's new ambassador to Yemen has arrived in Sana'a.
(2020-10-17). Iran Covid-19 update: 253 deaths in past 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) —The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 4,103 new COVID-19 infections and 253 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.
(2020-10-17). Envoy urges intl. community to unite against US unilateralism. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) — Iran's representative in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly expressed concern over the US' lack of respect to the UN's stance amid the coronavirus pandemic.
(2020-10-17). Russia to Respond to US Deployment of Missiles in Asia-Pacific Region, Ambassador Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Moscow will adequately respond to Washington's deployment of intermediate and short-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said.
(2020-10-17). Tehran Declares Arms Embargo Lifted, Iran Free to Procure, Export Arms as Sees Fit. sputniknews.com In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and the European Union, requiring Iran to scale back its nuclear program and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including lifting the arms embargo five years after the deal's adoption.
(2020-10-17). Statements of support for Dr. Scalice continue to come in from Australia and Sri Lanka. wsws.org "Scalice's lecture provided a powerful exposure of the catastrophic consequences bequeathed to the international working class by Stalinism and its extension Maoism."
(2020-10-17). Beware of Presidents Promising 'No More War' at Election Time. commondreams.org Beware of such ending-the-war promises during election season—unfortunately they are somewhat of an election staple, as history shows. (Photo: Program Executive Office Soldier/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/afghanistan_2.jpg …
(2020-10-17). Sri Lankan free trade zone employees told to keep working as infections rise. wsws.org "The lives of workers have been thrown to the wolves in order to protect the profits of the big capitalists," one worker told the WSWS.
(2020-10-16). Questions Surround Timing and Details of Trump's Recent Yemen Prisoner Exchange. mintpressnews.com 
Like many aspects of the war in Yemen, and of US elections, many questions surround the freeing of two Americans in what may be one of the largest prisoner exchanges in modern history.
(2020-10-16). On the British State-Funded BBC's Pending Smear. thealtworld.com 
The British state-funded BBC, which has a history of perverted war propaganda against the people of Syria, a history of whitewashing the crimes of terrorists in Syria, a history of flat out lying about events in Syria, has decided to launch another smear against myself, Vanessa Beeley, researchers of the Working Group on Syria, a former ambassador to Syria, and others. | This is not just another character assassination, though, this is a serious threat against journalists and those speaking truth against establishment narratives. Thanks to those who have tweeted or spoken about this revolting attack. | On Twitter…
(2020-10-16). Israel bans Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf from entering Jerusalem, Gaza. middleeasteye.net 
Israel bans Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf from entering Jerusalem, Gaza | Israel has imposed a travel ban on Assaf, revoking his entry permit, which he earned as an UNRWA ambassador | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 12: 12 | Palestinian "Arab Idol" winner Mohammed Assaf described the Israeli travel ban as "a continuation of the policies of oppression" (AFP/file photo) | Israel has imposed an entry ban on Mohammed Assaf,…
(2020-10-16). Israeli Forces Launch Retaliatory Strikes on Gaza Strip – Reports. sputniknews.com Explosions were reported in the Gaza Strip early Saturday morning local time, hours after a rocket was launched from the Palestinian territory into Israel.
(2020-10-16). Syria: Humanitarians 'very concerned' for thousands still living in Al Hol camp. news.un.org Humanitarians are "very concerned" about the plight of more than 64,000 people living in the restive Al Hol camp in northeast Syria, the UN Spokesperson told journalists on Friday.
(2020-10-16). #SinkColumbus: Indigenous Peoples' Day now! workers.org 
Boston United American Indians of New England and North American Indian Center of Boston marched through Boston, several hundred strong, on Oct. 10, in honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day. The colonizers' "Columbus Day" is still scheduled by Boston and the state of Massachusetts for Oct. 12, although activists in the . . . |
(2020-10-16). After 55 years of repression Indonesian workers, youth take to streets. workers.org 
Thousands of workers and students marched and rallied in Indonesia on Oct. 7 to protest a new antilabor law. "Labor rights activists, workers and students are protesting Indonesia's new labor law they say will undermine pay and benefits, as well as the environment. The law is part of the president's . . . |
(2020-10-16). No, China didn't 'stall' critical Covid information at outbreak's start. mronline.org 
Now that some time has passed since the beginning of the outbreak, it's worth revisiting the less-conspiratorial corporate media narrative that the Chinese government maliciously or incompetently delayed the release of critical information early on, thereby causing many unnecessary deaths.
(2020-10-16). Informal Arab delegation visits Al-Aqsa with Israeli protection: Report. middleeasteye.net 
Informal Arab delegation visits Al-Aqsa with Israeli protection: Report | The visit was reportedly the first of its kind to the holy site since Bahrain and the UAE signed a normalisation deal with Israel last month | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 15: 00 | The delegation reportedly performed prayers inside the 7th century Dome of the Rock Mosque (Screengrab) | An informal Arab delegation reportedly visited the Al-Aqsa Mosq…
(2020-10-16). Two mockeries of democracy instead of one: Biden and Trump town halls replace debate. liberationnews.org 
Donald Trump and Joe Biden held town hall-style encounters at the same time yesterday in what columnist and political cartoonist Ted Rall described as an event, "long on drama but short on credible solutions." Trump and Biden were initially scheduled to face off in a traditional head-to-head debate. But this was called off due to …