(2020-10-19). Former OPCW Chief Says His Office Was Bugged While USA Pushed Iraq War. thealtworld.com important new interview with The Grayzone's Aaron Maté, the first Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has revealed new insights into the way the US exerted control over the Organisation in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion and the suspicious way pro-US narratives appear to be dominating controversies in the supposedly impartial OPCW to this day. | The most significant piece of new information revealed in this interview with the acclaimed former OPCW chief José Bustani is his assertion that while the US wa…
(2020-10-19). The Expiration Of The Iranian Arms Embargo Opens Up Exciting Opportunities. thealtworld.com The 13-year-long anti-Iranian arms embargo expired on Sunday, which creates exciting opportunities for the Islamic Republic to strengthen its national defense capabilities and cultivate even deeper relations with its top strategic partners such as China and Russia, possibly even playing them off against one another in a "friendly competition" so as to derive the greatest benefit. | The End Of The Embargo | The US is enraged that the UN let the 13-year-long anti-Iranian arms embargo
(2020-10-19). Nagorno-Karabakh Ceasefire 2.0? globalresearch.ca An October 9 Russia-brokered ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh (NK below) failed to take hold. | On Saturday, warring sides again agreed to halt fighting, effective Sunday, citing humanitarian reasons. | An Azeri Foreign Ministry statement said the following: | "The …
(2020-10-19). America Is Complicit, as Yemen Spirals toward Mass Starvation. globalresearch.ca
(2020-10-19). Arabic press review: Tunisia investigates MP's Facebook post on French teacher beheading. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Tunisia investigates MP's Facebook post on French teacher beheading | Meanwhile, Arab financial support for the Palestinian government reportedly falls by 82 percent and Bahrainis protest against Israeli visit | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 14: 47 | A man holds a French flag as people gather in Paris on 18 October 2020, to remember teacher Samuel Paty, beheaded by an attacker (AFP) | <...
(2020-10-19). Engagement for environment. mronline.org 
ALL conscious citizens know the state of the Bangladesh environment. Bangladesh's courts of law regularly rule in favour of the environment.
(2020-10-19). PSL solidarity with SEBUMI union federation & movement against anti-worker "Omnibus" law. liberationnews.org 
The Party for Socialism and Liberation extends our full support to our comrades in the SEBUMI union federation and the entire labor and progressive movement of Indonesia as they take to the streets against the anti-worker "omnibus" law. We are inspired by the Indonesian workers and students who have courageously engaged in mass demonstrations and …
(2020-10-19). Iraq's PM pledges increased security following murder of Sunnis in Salahuddin. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq's PM pledges increased security following murder of Sunnis in Salahuddin | No group has claimed responsibility but locals and politicians blamed Shia militia groups who control much of the security in area | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 14: 56 | Sunni Muslim men pray over the bodies of eight out of 12 fellow Iraqis who were reportedly kidnapped on 17 October (AFP) | Iraq's prime minister has pledged to step up secur…
(2020-10-19). Iran hits out at 'fearful' US after UN arms embargo expires. middleeasteye.net 
Iran hits out at 'fearful' US after UN arms embargo expires | Tehran continues its war of words with Washington after Mike Pompeo threatened to sanction those doing arms deals with Iran now that a UN embargo has ended | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 16: 18 | Iranians visit a weaponry and military equipment exhibition in the capital Tehran in February 2019 (AFP/File photo) | Iran hit out at the United States on Monday afte…
(2020-10-19). Waiting for a Vaccine and the Collaborative Research Alternative. counterpunch.org 
It seems increasingly likely that China will begin providing vaccines to its own people, as well as those in some other countries, by December, and possibly as early as next month. The prospect of a vaccine being available that soon has to look good to people here, now that the Trump administration's pandemic control efforts
(2020-10-19). UAE: Sexual assault allegations cast shadow on 'Orwellian' Ministry of Tolerance. middleeasteye.net 
UAE: Sexual assault allegations cast shadow on 'Orwellian' Ministry of Tolerance | Wife of former Emirati detainee says rape allegations further evidence of country's double standards on tolerance | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 12: 02 | Emirati Minister of State for Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan (C) speaks to a nun during a Papal mass for an estimated 170,000 Catholics at the Zayed Sports C…
(2020-10-19). Israel and UAE to discuss influx of Gulf tourists to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. middleeasteye.net 
Israel and UAE to discuss influx of Gulf tourists to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque | A former Jordanian religious endowment minister tells MEE Amman is 'not interested nor aware nor part of these visits' coordination' | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 15: 43 | Flags of Israel and the United Arab Emirates (AFP) | An Israeli official said on Monday that Israel and the United Arab Emirates had set an agenda to discuss bringing th…
(2020-10-19). EXCLUSIVE: Turkey to abandon some observation stations in Syria's Idlib. middleeasteye.net 
EXCLUSIVE: Turkey to abandon some observation stations in Syria's Idlib | Withdrawal comes as Russians hinder resupply efforts and Damascus stokes protests against Turkish presence | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 08: 53 | A Syrian army soldier looks at a Turkish military observation post in al-Rashidin district, in Aleppo's southwestern countryside in January (AFP) | Turkey has decided to abandon some of its militar…
(2020-10-19). UAE cabinet approves Israel normalisation deal. middleeasteye.net 
UAE cabinet approves Israel normalisation deal | First Emirati passenger flight lands at Tel Aviv as UAE government approves establishing relations | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 14: 45 | UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan (L) and his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi are pictured before their historic meeting in Berlin, 6 October (AFP) | The Emirati cabinet has approved an agr…
(2020-10-19). White House official went to Syria seeking Americans' release. middleeasteye.net 
White House official went to Syria seeking Americans' release | Trump wrote to Assad in March proposing 'direct dialogue' over the release of one of the US citizens, reports WSJ | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 09: 30 | A White House official travelled to Damascus earlier this year for secret meetings with the Syrian government, a Trump administration official said on Sunday (Reuters) | A White House o…
(2020-10-19). Women marchers declare: 'Time to finish what we started' against Trump. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—One big electronic sign, rented by Planned Parenthood, said it all as tens of thousands of women—and male allies—paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown D.C., denouncing anti-woman, anti-worker GOP President Donald Trump. "Time to finish what we started," it flashed, after two rotating messages reminding people to wear their masks and keep social distancing, due …
(2020-10-19). Iran Free to Buy and Sell Arms. globalresearch.ca Security Council Res. 2231 (adopted July 14, 2015 — effective January 16, 2016) affirmed the landmark JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran unanimously. | It also retained an arms embargo on Iran for five years, a provision its ruling authorities accepted and …
(2020-10-19). Where Are the Borders of the State of Israel? Why Do They Refuse to Demarcate Them? globalresearch.ca When you ask any Israeli government official or diplomat about the borders and map of the State of Israel, surely you will not get a clear answer. Successive Israeli governments, backed up by the Zionist movement worldwide, have ambitions to …
(2020-10-19). The Biden Campaign and China's Oligarchs. globalresearch.ca In two bombshell reports, Emma-Jo Morris and Gabrielle Fonrouge of the New York Post have leveled damning allegations of Hunter Biden's murky financial dealings with Ukrainian and Chinese oligarchs. As expected, $50,000 remuneration paid by Burisma Holdings of Ukraine …
(2020-10-19). Chris Hedges: The Politics Of Cultural Despair. popularresistance.org The physical and moral decay of the United States and the malaise it has spawned have predictable results. We have seen in varying forms the consequences of social and political collapse during the twilight of the Greek and Roman empires, the Ottoman and Hapsburg empires, Tsarist Russia, Weimar Germany and the former Yugoslavia. Voices from the past, Aristotle, Cicero, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Joseph Roth and Milovan Djilas, warned us. But blinded by self-delusion and hubris, as if we are somehow exempt from human experience and human nature, we refuse to listen.
(2020-10-19). Jeremy Scahill: "Trump Is Not the Root of the Problem, He Is a Product of American Imperial History" democracynow.org 
Donald Trump ran for president in 2016 with a mixed message of attacking the legacy of the Iraq War and U.S. military adventurism, while simultaneously pledging to commit war crimes and promote imperialism. As we look back at Trump's record, Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of The Intercept, says his flouting of international norms and bullying of other countries is in keeping with how U.S. presidents have long behaved. "Donald Trump is not the root of the problem. Donald Trump is a product of American imperial history," Scahill notes.
(2020-10-19). Headlines for October 19, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. COVID-19 Cases Surge as Trump Continues Unmasked Campaign Rallies, Cases Mounting Across Europe as New Restrictions Enacted, Top Palestinian Official Saeb Erekat in Critical Condition with COVID-19, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Accuses Trump of Inspiring, Incentivizing and Inciting Terrorism, White Supremacists Indicted for Arms Trafficking, Murder and Plotting to Bomb Synagogue, Death Toll in Nagorno-Karabakh Fighting Mounts as New Ceasefire Falls Apart, Kyrgyzstan Installs New President, Who Will Also Serve as Prime Minister, Alexei Navalny Calls on Trump to Denounce Use of Chemical Weapons, Car Bomb in…
(2020-10-19). Venezuela congrats Bolivia's Arce as he claims victory. yenisafak.com Venezuela's president on Monday congratulated the Bolivian left-wing presidential hopeful Luis Arce as he claimed victory in Sunday's poll."Great victory! The united and conscious Bolivian people defeated the coup against our brother [former President] Evo [Morales] with their votes," Nicolas Maduro said on Twitter."Congratulations to President-elect Luis Arce, Vice President David Choquehuanca and our South Indian Chief @evoespueblo. Jallalla Bolivia!" he added.Jallalla, or long live, is an expression for jubilation in Aymara — an indigenous nation to which Morales belongs.Exit polls showed that the Movement fo…
(2020-10-19). Wikipedia says Hunter Biden scandal 'DEBUNKED', as editing war rages & new page emerges calling it a 'conspiracy'. rt.com 
Allegations of corruption against ex-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter have apparently been "debunked" and are merely a "conspiracy theory" according to Wikipedia, where editors are battling over the terms. | Hunter Biden was the subject of an explosive report last week as the New York Post published emails alleging that he involved his father in dodgy business dealings in Ukraine and China. | While the story is still unfolding, the Wikipedia page for Hunter Biden simply
(2020-10-19). Palestine slams Al-Aqsa visits under Israeli protection. yenisafak.com Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh has criticized visits by Arab delegations to Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque under Israeli police protection."Al-Aqsa Mosque shall be entered through the gate of its owners, not through the gate of the Israeli occupation," Shtayyeh said during the weekly cabinet meeting on Monday."It is sad to see some Arab delegations entering the compound through the Israeli gate, while worshippers are denied access to it to perform their prayers," he said.On Sunday, a delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) visited Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of Israeli forces.T…
(2020-10-19). DNI Ratcliffe says 'NO EVIDENCE' of Russian interference in Hunter Biden scandal, accuses Schiff of 'politicizing intelligence'. rt.com 
US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe has refuted claims that alleged emails detailing Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine and China when his father was VP are part of a Russian election interference effort. | "Hunter Biden's laptop is not part of some Russian disinformation campaign," Ratcliffe said during a Monday interview on Fox Business. "The intelligence community doesn't believe that because there is no intelligence that supports that," he added. | pic.twitter.com/49SSjhfQuN— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) (2020-10-19). US charges six Russian 'intelligence agents' with hacking Ukraine, Georgia, France and 2018 Olympics. rt.com 
The US Justice Department has announced charges against six alleged officers of Russian military intelligence, accusing them of cyber attacks against Georgia, France, the UK, the OPCW, Ukraine and the 2018 Winter Olympics. | A grand jury in Pennsylvania indicted the six men for "conspiracy, computer hacking, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and false registration of a domain name," the DOJ announced on Monday, describing them as officers in Unit 74455 of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU. | The indictment identifies them as Yuriy Sergeyevich Andrienko, Sergey Vladimirovich Detistov, Pavel…
(2020-10-19). UK parliament to probe reports UAE 'torture' chief could become head of Interpol. middleeasteye.net 
UK parliament to probe reports UAE 'torture' chief could become head of Interpol | Inquiry will hear that the global police organisation is open to manipulation by 'rogue' member states including Russia, China and the UAE | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 13: 11 | UAE security chief Nasser Ahmed al-Raisi, left, pictured in 2018 (Wikicommons) | British MPs will be told this week that Russia is a "criminal state" which is "ab…
(2020-10-19). How Biden Flubbed Town Hall Foreign Policy Question. dissidentvoice.org 
Toward the end of Joe Biden's October 15 town hall session, a Trump supporter asked Biden the only foreign policy question of the night. "So peace is breaking out all over the world," the questioner claimed. "Our troops are coming home. Serbia is talking to Kosovo. And the Arabs and Israelis are talking peace, which …
(2020-10-19). Selected Articles: Where Are the Borders of the State of Israel? globalresearch.ca 
By Let no one say — without a vigorous challenge — that the so-called 'new normal' …
(2020-10-19). Forced Labour in Imperial Japan's First Colony: Hokkaid≈ç. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2020-10-19). Two Deep Mysteries of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. globalresearch.ca Forty-seven years ago, Egypt and Syria launched a massive surprise attack on Israeli forces dug into fortifications along the Suez Canal and Golan Heights. The 'limited' Arab objective was to recapture both strategic areas that had been seized from the …
(2020-10-19). Danger of Russian-Turkish conflict grows as Armenian-Azeri ceasefire fails. wsws.org Casualties are rapidly mounting as heavy artillery and precision missile strikes rain down on civilian and military targets in both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
(2020-10-19). With an Eye on Nearby Iran, Israeli Weapons Fuel the Violence in Azerbaijan. mintpressnews.com Hoping to profit, protect an important source of oil, and to antagonize nearby Iran, Israel is selling drones and weapons to Azerbaijan, fueling the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
(2020-10-19). China Fires Health Officials after New COVID-19 Outbreak. globalresearch.ca A hospital president and the director of the health commission in the northern Chinese city of Qingdao have been fired after China's latest coronavirus outbreak, authorities said Thursday. | A brief notice on the Qingdao city government's official microblog Thursday said …
(2020-10-19). What's behind the conflict in Caucasus, Central Asia? peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha analyzes the developments in Kyrgyzstan and Nagorno Karabakh and examines the geo-political issues involved. He looks at the strategy of western powers to destabilize the region and the response of countries like Russia and China.
(2020-10-19). Energy Research Platform Takes Central Stage Under Russia's BRICS Chairmanship. globalresearch.ca After the Ufa declaration in 2015, BRICS, an association of five major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has made energy cooperation one of its priorities besides attaining an admirable significant influence on regional affairs …
(2020-10-19). Thai police to probe four media outlets as protests continue. peoplesdispatch.org Thailand's police announced a probe into four media outlets covering the ongoing anti-government protests on Monday, October 19. The probe was sanctioned in an order published on Friday and announced earlier today. The probe, sanctioned by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, will be conducted against four media outlets — Prachatai, The Reporters, Voice TV and The Standard — along with an online pro-protest page 'Free YOUTH'. | The order will also include a probe into more than 300,000 URLs on social media and other digital platforms that the police have identified to be in violation of Thai law…
(2020-10-19). Communist Party of the Philippines targets Chinese firms blacklisted by Washington. wsws.org The leadership of the CPP explained it would be targeting Chinese firms in interviews with Radio Free Asia, an official organ of US government propaganda directed against China.
(2020-10-19). COVID-19 pandemic surges in Turkey as government continues to hide data. wsws.org The government is allowing the virus to spread, citing false data to refuse any demands for lock-downs and suppress growing anger and concern within the working class.
(2020-10-19). Lebanon: "The Political Game" globalresearch.ca French President Emmanuel Macron does not want his
(2020-10-19). Catholic Priest Is Sentenced to Time Served after 2018 Break-in at Nuclear Naval Base. globalresearch.ca Since his arrest nearly three years ago on trespassing charges after invading a nuclear submarine base with six others as part of a symbolic nuclear disarmament action, the Rev. Stephen M. Kelly has been held in a Brunswick, Georgia, county …
(2020-10-19). 'Biocups', electric motorcycle taxis and recycling 500 billion bottles for a sustainable Thailand: a UN Resident Coordinator blog. news.un.org The private sector in Thailand has a key role to play in helping the south-east Asian country to reach poverty reduction and sustainable development goals agreed by the international community. In this blog, Gita Sabharwal, the UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand and the Chairperson of the UN Global Compact Network Thailand, Suphachai Chearavanont, explain how, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, progress is being made towards the goals.
(2020-10-19). Dangers of Military Confrontation Between the United States and China Around Taiwan and in the South China Sea. strategic-culture.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.
(2020-10-19). The Two Undersides to Geo-Politics. strategic-culture.org At the explicit level, today's geo-political struggle is about the U.S. maintaining its primacy of power — with financial power being a subset to this political power. Carl Schmitt, whose thoughts had such influence on Leo Strauss and U.S. thinking generally, advocated that those who have power should 'use it, or lose it'. The prime object of politics therefore being to preserve one's 'social existence'. | But at the underside, Tech de-coupling from China is one implicit aspect to such a strategy (camouflaged beneath the catch-phrase of recovering 'stolen' U.S. jobs and intellectual property): The prize tha…
(2020-10-19). Envoy submits credentials to president of Equatorial Guinea. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (MNA) — The accredited ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Equatorial Guinea submitted his credentials to the country's president.
(2020-10-19). Presser of Passive Defense Organization's chief. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (MNA) — Head of Iran's Passive Defense Organization Brigadier General Gholamreza Jalali held a presser on Monday on the occasion of Passive Defense Week.
(2020-10-19). VIDEO: Landslide in Al-Khobar of Saudi Arabia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (MNA) — A person survived from a landslide which was happened suddenly in a parking lot in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
(2020-10-19). US trying to abuse Afghan peace talks for electoral goals. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that US President Donald Trump is trying to abuse the Intra-Afghan peace talks to reach his presidential election goals.
(2020-10-19). Dubai-Lengeh Port ferry route resumes operation. en.mehrnews.com TEHRNA, Oct. 19 (MNA) — The ferry route between Lengeh Port in Iran's Hormozgan province and Dubai has resumed operation, after eight months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.