(2020-08-21). FSO Safer: Stricken Oil Tanker Off Yemen Coast Could Cause Explosion Dwarfing Beirut Blast. mintpressnews.com 
The FSO Safer, a moored oil tanker on the verge of explosion or a catastrophic spill, has become yet another bargaining chip in the ongoing war in Yemen, with the Houthis, UN, US and Saudi Arabia all vying to take possession of the valuable oil onboard.
(2020-08-21). NATO Poses a Threat to Belarus: Why Did Russia Reaffirm Its CSTO Support to Belarus but Not to Armenia? globalresearch.ca Russia's reaffirmation of its CSTO mutual defense obligations to Belarus was made in response to Lukashenko's claims that NATO poses a threat to Belarus, which Moscow evidently believes are at least credible enough to remind the alliance about its red …
(2020-08-21). On Fox, The Grayzone's Anya Parampil rips 'criminal neocons' in Biden & Trump camps. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone's Anya Parampil joins Tucker Carlson Tonight to address the revival of Iraq war neocons and militarists by both the Biden campaign and Trump White House.
(2020-08-21). In Further War Crime, Israelis cut Electricity to Gaza, Idling 50,000 Factory Workers. zcomm.org Source: Informed Comment The government of far right Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu cut off fuel for the sole power plant in the Gaza Strip, a small Palestinian territory surrounded on three sides by and blockaded by Israel. As a result, on Monday the Gaza Strip's sole power plant went dark, Al Jazeera reports. The
(2020-08-21). Israel's Blockade of 2 Million Palestinians in Gaza is making it Uninhabitable. zcomm.org Gantz, Netanyahu and others know for sure that Gazans have nothing to lose as life is unbearable under the ongoing 14-year siege, while peace on Israeli terms is a mirage…
(2020-08-21). Drug Trafficking Militias Massacre Social Leaders in Colombia. globalresearch.ca In Colombia, a terrible wave of violence affects the people and especially traditional indigenous communities. According to United Nations data, more than 40 murders of social leaders have occurred this year alone. | Last Tuesday, August 18, three Indians of the …
(2020-08-21). Understanding India's low COVID-19 death rate. peoplesdispatch.org 
Contrary to the Narendra Modi government's claims, India's low case fatality rate in the COVID-19 pandemic is not because of any well-thought out strategy. It is rather due to a relatively young population and some statistical tricks…
(2020-08-21). Murders of women rising in Turkey; government does nothing. peoplesworld.org 
Nearly 250 women have been killed in Turkey so far this year, new statistics suggest, prompting a call for international solidarity from women's organizations in a bid to save lives. Four women were detained in Istanbul Thursday after they unveiled a banner in Taksim Square charging that the "patriarchal state" was responsible for the death …
(2020-08-21). A 75th anniversary salute to Vietnam's August Revolution. workers.org 
We live in tumultuous times, and it is during times like this that we as socialists must look to the struggles and successes of our predecessors to give us inspiration to continue our struggle. As a Vietnamese-American, I take heart in remembering the struggles of my people in their fight . . . |
(2020-08-21). Long live the memory of Ka Randy! workers.org 
By the Communist Party of the Philippines Workers World is reprinting the following statement from the Communist Party of the Phillipines that condemns the murder of Randall Echanis on Aug. 10. Since the 2016 presidential election in the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has carried out numerous assassinations of peace activists and . . . |
(2020-08-21). Syrian NHS cleaner's plea on Channel-crossing refugees beamed onto White Cliffs of Dover. thecanary.co 
An emotional plea for compassion for refugees crossing the English Channel has been beamed onto the White Cliffs of Dover.The landmark was lit up with a giant video of NHS cleaner Hassan Akkad, a Syrian refugee who crossed to Britain several years ago.He highlighted the "terrifying and devastating" journeys that so many people are undertaking to reach the UK by boat. He also blamed the government for using the crisis as a distraction from the coronavirus pandemic.The giant projection is the latest stunt by Led By Donkeys, a group of activists famed for their giant billboards of politicians' tweets. | A message fr…
(2020-08-21). China and the US: the 21st Century's "Great Game" counterpunch.org 
From 1830 to 1895, the British and Russian empires schemed and plotted over control of Central and South Asia. At the heart of the "Great Game" was England's certainty that the Russians had designs on India. So wars were fought, borders drawn, and generations of young met death in desolate passes and lonely outposts. In
(2020-08-21). How Israel Wages War on Palestinian History. counterpunch.org 
When the Palestinian actor Mohammed Bakri made a documentary about Jenin in 2002 — filming immediately after the Israeli army had completed rampaging through the West Bank city, leaving death and destruction in its wake — he chose an unusual narrator for the opening scene: a mute Palestinian youth. Jenin had been sealed off from
(2020-08-21). Palestine burning in fire of Zionist regime's impudence. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 21 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that innocent Palestine is still burning in the fire of the Zionist regime's impudence and incursion and the treason of certain Arab rulers.
(2020-08-21). 'Palestine is Still the Issue': UN Vote Exposes, Isolates Canada. counterpunch.org The notion that 'Canada is better', especially when compared with US foreign policy, has persisted for many years. Recent events at the United Nations have, however, exposed the true nature of Canada's global position, particularly in the matter of its blind and unconditional support for Israel. On June 17, Canada lost its second bid for
(2020-08-21). "Palestine is Still the Issue": UN Vote Exposes, Isolates Canada. dissidentvoice.org The notion that 'Canada is better', especially when compared with US foreign policy, has persisted for many years. Recent events at the United Nations have, however, exposed the true nature of Canada's global position, particularly in the matter of its blind and unconditional support for Israel. On June 17, Canada lost its second bid for …
(2020-08-21). Chinese Peacekeepers Provide Aid After Explosion In Beirut. popularresistance.org Chinese peacekeepers will provide medical aid to Beirut following the deadly explosion on Tuesday | that killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000 others. | Upon the request of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon organised an emergency team of nine medical personnel from fields including surgery, internal medicine, burns and anaesthesiology, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday. | The personnel and vehicles would head to Beirut, carrying medical supplies and protective equipment, the medical unit said.
(2020-08-21). A UN Vote Exposed Canada's Blind and Unconditional Support for Israel. mintpressnews.com While Canada's support for Israel is, to a certain extent, consistent with Canada's own colonial past and present interventionist foreign policy, the Canadian people and the international community remain major obstacles, challenging the toxic affinity between Ottawa and Tel Aviv.
(2020-08-21). Video: Idlib Is Burning. New Proxy War in Deir Ezzor. globalresearch.ca The series of unfortunate events involving the US-led coalition, Turkey and Turkish proxies continues in Syria's Greater Idlib. | Late on August 19 and early on August 20, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) shelled positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham near Haranabush …
(2020-08-21). Russia/US New START Extension Talks, No Resolution of Major Differences. globalresearch.ca In not renewed, New START expires on February 5, 2021. | Months earlier, Trump falsely called it a "bad deal." | He never read it and knows no more about it than what Pompeo and other regime hardliners told him. | The decade-ago …
(2020-08-21). How does China plan to counter US sanctions? peoplesdispatch.org In the second part of the conversation on the US tech war on China, Charles Xu from Qiao Collective talks about the short and medium-term strategy of Huawei and China in general to deal with the US sanctions.
(2020-08-21). The 'Snapback' Iran Stunt Will Blow Up in Pompeo's Face. globalresearch.ca Following last week's humiliating rebuke of the U.S. at the Security Council, Mike Pompeo is
(2020-08-21). Iran rejects US bid to reimpose sanctions. peoplesdispatch.org The United States, despite no longer being part of the JCPOA or the Iran nuclear deal, has been seeking the resumption of sanctions against Iran for supposed violations of the provisions of the deal…
(2020-08-21). Rockets hit U.S. base in Syria. fightbacknews.org According to Iran's authoritative FARS News Agency, several rockets exploded on Tuesday, August 18 at a U.S. military base north of Syria's Deir Ezzur province. The base is located near the Conoco oil field controlled by American troops. | "This is the first-ever attack on one of the 12 military facilities, created by the United States since 2015 in Syria's provinces of al-Hasakah, Raqqa and Deir Ezzur. U.S. forces, together with Kurdish groups, control oil-rich areas on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, including the oil fields of Al-Omar, Tanak, Al-Jafra and Conoco, which accounted for 80% of all oil pro…
(2020-08-21). Iraq: UN Mission condemns killings of activists in Basra. news.un.org The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has strongly condemned the killing of two activists and attacks against others in the southern city of Basra, urging increased efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
(2020-08-21). UN rights office 'appalled' at violence against human rights defenders in the Philippines. news.un.org The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has called for effective measures to protect rights defenders in the Philippines, amid a spate of deadly attacks against them.
(2020-08-21). 3 Iranian hostages held by Somali pirates released. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 21 (MNA) — Three Iranian fishermen who were taken hostage by Somali pirates five years ago and released this week, arrived in Tehran on Friday.
(2020-08-21). 'Selfie with Democracy' to take part at US' SFFILM Festival. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 21 (MNA) — Iranian feature 'Selfie with Democracy', directed by Ali Atshani, will take par at the San Francisco International Film Festival in the US.
(2020-08-21). The End Of The Hariri Trial. popularresistance.org Judges at a U.N.-backed tribunal said Tuesday there was no evidence the leadership of the Hezbollah militant group and Syria were involved in the 2005 suicide truck bomb assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. … | The trial centered on the alleged roles of four Hezbollah members in the suicide truck bombing that killed Hariri and 21 others and wounded 226 people. Prosecutors based their case largely on data from mobile phones allegedly used by the plotters to plan and execute the bombing. Based on that 'almost entirely circumstantial' evidence the tribunal found that only one of the accu…
(2020-08-21). Whose Century Is It? Don't Ask Donald Trump. strategic-culture.org Dilip HIRO | For the Trump administration's senior officials, it's been open season on bashing China. If you need an example, think of the president's blame game about " When it comes to China, in fact, the ever more virulent criticism never seems to stop. | Between the end of June and the end of July, four members of his cabinet vied with each other in spewing anti-Ch…
(2020-08-21). 'Bangladesh needs other testing methods for COVID-19'. yenisafak.com Experts in Bangladesh suggested that alternative testing methods be introduced alongside the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis amid low COVID-19 testing and sample collection, which has raised fears over the further spread of the deadly disease in the country.The time has come for utilizing antibody and antigen testing to detect the coronavirus as a supporting method as such testing involves less effort and is hassle free, they observed.Bangladesh is now the 16th worst affected country in the world in terms of total infections. Meanwhile, there is an over 20% infection rate in dail…
(2020-08-21). What you need to know about the coronavirus right now. yenisafak.com Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: New, milder, virus variant foundResearchers in Singapore have discovered a new variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus that causes milder infections, a study published in The Lancet medical journal found.The study showed that COVID-19 patients infected with the variant of SARS-CoV-2 had better clinical outcomes, with a lower proportion developing low blood oxygen or requiring intensive care.The study also showed the variant elicited a more robust immune response.The variant, which likely came from Wuhan, China, was detected in a cluster of infections from J…
(2020-08-21). Russia has not contacted us, Belarusian opposition politician Tsikhanouskaya says. yenisafak.com Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Friday that Russia had not made contact with her campaign, speaking at her first press conference since fleeing into exile last week following a disputed presidential election.Tsikhanouskaya has led the biggest challenge to President Alexander Lukashenko's 26-year rule of Belarus. Mass protests broke out against Lukashenko, accusing him of rigging the August 9 election, which he denies. Russia has warned the West not to intervene and offered military help to Minsk.
(2020-08-21). Turkey discovers gas reserve in Black Sea, says Erdogan. yenisafak.com Turkey's drilling ship Fatih has found 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas, Erdogan addedThe Turkish ship has been operating since late July in an exploration zone known as Tuna-1, about 100 nautical miles north of the Turkish coast in the western Black Sea.Details to follow…
(2020-08-21). Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny hospitalized as crisis in Belarus deepens. wsws.org Navalny's hospitalization comes amid an escalating crisis around the protests and mass strikes in Belarus which have heightened tensions in Europe and Russia.
(2020-08-20). Steve Bannon Arrested for Fraud Related to Role in Privatized Border Wall Scheme. commondreams.org The "We Build the Wall" campaign, led by Iraq War veteran Brian Kolfage, raised over $25 million. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bannon-arrested.jpg …
(2020-08-20). The Geopolitics Of The Belarusian Crisis: Anti-Russian, Neutral To China, Pro-Polish. thealtworld.com The Belarusian Crisis is an American Hybrid War against Russian interests in support of Poland's US-backed regional ones related to the "Three Seas Initiative", which won't harm China's interests even in the worst-case scenario despite Beijing's plans for the Eurasian Land Bridge to transit through the Color Revolution-beleaguered former Soviet Republic since the People's Republic has already pioneered several complementary East-West corridors that it could rely on instead. | Geopolitical Basics | The "
(2020-08-20). New Senate Intelligence Committee volume on "Russian interference" smears WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. wsws.org The one-thousand-page fifth volume of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence investigation is largely devoted to building an elaborate and false narrative against WikiLeaks.
(2020-08-20). How the US Helped Push Lebanon to the Brink of Collapse, and Now Threatens More Sanctions. globalresearch.ca While the media blames the crisis in Lebanon solely on corruption, the US government unleashed a "maximum pressure" campaign to push regime change and crush Lebanese resistance with sanctions and aggressive hybrid warfare. | *** | As the people of Lebanon suffer …
(2020-08-20). The Assassination of Yasser Arafat was Ordered by The Israeli Cabinet: "We will Choose the Right Way and the Right Time to Kill Arafat." globalresearch.ca First published on November 19, 2013. | Author's Note | Who killed Hariri, Who killed Arafat? | According to the August 18, 2020 verdict by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in The Hague Salim Ayyash was found guilty of killing Prime Minister …
(2020-08-20). Before Kamala Harris, There Was Charlotta Bass: Remembering 1st Black Woman to Run for VP in 1952. democracynow.org 
Senator Kamala Harris is the first Indian American and first Black woman to be nominated for vice president on a major party ticket, but, as many historians have noted, Harris is not the first Black woman to run for vice president. That distinction belongs to the journalist and political activist Charlotta Bass, who was the editor of The California Eagle for nearly 30 years, one of the country's oldest Black newspapers, which covered women's suffrage, police brutality, the Klu Klux Klan, and discriminatory hiring and housing practices. Bass joined the Progressive Party ticket in 1952 on an antiracist platform tha…
(2020-08-20). Headlines for August 20, 2020. democracynow.org Kamala Harris Accepts Democratic Party's Nomination for Vice President, Hundreds of Wildfires Choke California, as Coronavirus Sidelines Prisoner Firefighters, U.S. Records Nearly 1,300 New Coronavirus Deaths as PPE Shortages Persist, NYC Teachers' Union Threatens Strike If Schools Reopen Without Safety Measures, New Zealand Deploys Troops to Enforce Quarantine; Zambian Vice President Positive for Coronavirus, Emails Reveal Swedish Epidemiologist Urged Coronavirus Spread to Attain Herd Immunity, Iran's Official COVID-19 Death Toll Passes 20,000 as Trump Pushes for New Sanctions, European Union Readies Sanctions A…
(2020-08-20). Abolitionist Derecka Purnell on Historic Kamala Harris VP Pick & Why Black Progressives Feel Torn. democracynow.org 
As Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman of color to run on a major party presidential ticket, many Black progressive women remain ambivalent, says Derecka Purnell, a human rights lawyer, abolitionist and columnist for The Guardian newspaper. "It's just unfortunate that you have to protect someone because of their identity … while at the same time if you care about the masses of Black people, the masses of poor people, the masses of immigrants in this country, you know that you have to speak truth and be honest about their record," Purnell says.
(2020-08-20). "I Know a Predator When I See One": Kamala Harris Takes Aim at Trump, Accepts Historic VP Nomination. democracynow.org 
Senator Kamala Harris has formally accepted the Democratic vice-presidential nomination, becoming the first woman of color to run on a major party presidential ticket. We feature part of her historic speech.
(2020-08-20). Videos: IDF Strikes Northern Gaza After Iron Dome Intercepts Rockets Bound for Israel. sputniknews.com Israeli aircraft on Friday local time struck targets in the city of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip after the Iron Dome air defense system intercepted rockets bound for Israel.
(2020-08-20). Global South Calls For Sanctions On Apartheid Israel. popularresistance.org Israel's decades-old regime of apartheid and theft of Palestinian land is continuing unabated. Reports that Israel is "suspending" formal annexation are a smokescreen for continued colonisation and piecemeal ethnic cleansing of Indigenous Palestinians. | Around the world, advocates for justice are pushing back.The Global South response, initiated by South African civil society, brings together notable figures, intellectuals, policy makers, civil society leaders and experts from Africa, Latin America and Asia, in a joint effort to promote lawful sanctions on Israel to end its decades-old oppression of the Palestin…
(2020-08-20). Celebrity, War, and Presidential Elections. counterpunch.org On May 30, 1979, a letter appeared in 5 major newspapers in the US assailing the human rights record of Vietnam, a nation where the US killed about 3 million people and where about 58,000 of its own soldiers died. In bordering Cambodia, where the US war has spread besides a vicious air war over Laos, millions
(2020-08-20). German NGO sends in ambulance plane to pick up 'poisoned' Kremlin critic Navalny at Pussy Riot co-founder's request. rt.com 
The Berlin-based Cinema for Peace Foundation has readied an ambulance aircraft, specialized for transporting coma patients, to pick up Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny to transfer him to Germany for treatment. | The NGO said the plane will fly to Russia late on Thursday. The activists noted the transfer was requested by Navalny's fellow opposition figure, Pyotr Verzilov, best known as the co-founder of the punk band Pussy Riot. | "For humanitarian reasons, at Pussy Riots Pyotr Verzilov's request, we will send at midnight an air ambulance with medical equipment and specialists with which Navalny can be…
(2020-08-20). Battelships in Beirut —MES EP.68. thealtworld.com Several European navies have deployed vessels to Beirut port under the pretext of providing disaster relief and humanitarian assistance following the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut. The French Marine Nationale, British Royal Navy, German Deutsche Marine and Hellenic Navy have all dispatched vessels to Beirut as Lebanese people fear the return of 1982. To discuss this issue with us from Paris is Jean Pierre Duthion, political commentator. | Iraq cancelled a ministerial visit and summoned Turkey's ambassador last week as it blamed Ankara for a drone attack that killed two high-ranking Iraqi military o…
(2020-08-20). Red line? Biden rejects DNC guest Linda Sarsour's endorsement over her 'anti-Semitism' & BDS support. rt.com 
Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden hasn't encountered many far-left policies he won't embrace — from free healthcare for illegal aliens to free college — but he found one leftist supporter he won't abide: Linda Sarsour. | Sarsour, a Muslim activist and co-founder of the Women's March, endorsed Biden last week and spoke on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention's "Muslim Delegates and Allies Assembly." Biden responded by denouncing her. | "Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Israel and a vehement opponent of anti-Semitism his entire life, and he obviously condemns [Sarsour's] view…