Daily Archives: October 25, 2020

2020-10-25: News Headlines

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-10-25). Nothing Will Fundamentally Change: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com A propaganda machine that can make people worry about foreign governments while their own government is destroying lives in their own country and all over the world is a propaganda machine that can make people believe anything. | ~ | Americans are hurt by their own government infinitely more than they are hurt by Russia, China and Iran. People around the world are hurt by the US government far more than Americans are hurt by their own government. Stop worrying about foreigners, America. It serves only the powerful. | ~ | Joe Biden: Nothing will fundamentally change. | Liberals: THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION…

_____ (2020-10-25). Blaming Moscow for Hunter Biden's Laptop Is Russiagate Disinformation. strategic-culture.org Aaron MATÉ | Former intelligence officials, Democratic leaders, and media outlets dismissing the Hunter Biden story as "Russian disinformation" are spreading more Russiagate disinformation, ex-CIA officer Ray McGovern says. | Media outlets are amplifying the claims of former intelligence officials, including John Brennan and James Clapper, as well as of top Democrats, including Joe Biden and Adam Schiff, that the Hunter Biden laptop revelations are "Russian disinformation." | They have done so even though no one from the Biden camp has disputed the authenticity of a single leaked email or document, or denied that…

F. William Engdahl (2020-10-25). Will the Next Head of the WTO Impose a Gates-Davos "Great Reset" Agenda? globalresearch.ca It is all but certain that the next head of the influential World Trade Organization (WTO) will be an African by birth and a woman. But neither is what makes the all-but certain naming of Nigerian-born Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala cause for …

MEE and agencies (2020-10-25). Israel accepts US sale of F-35 warplanes to Qatar could happen. middleeasteye.net Israel accepts US sale of F-35 warplanes to Qatar could happen | Speculation in Israeli media that Trump administration will hold out sale of stealth fighter as inducement for Qatar to normalise ties with Israel | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 16: 04 | An F-35 fighter jet. 'I have no doubt that if they [Qatar] want it and are willing to pay, sooner or later they will get it,' said Israel's Energy Mini…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-25). Top al-Qaeda militant killed in Afghanistan. middleeasteye.net Top al-Qaeda militant killed in Afghanistan | Egyptian national Abu Muhsin al-Masri targeted by Afghan security forces, as Kabul accuses Taliban of still maintaining close ties with group | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 09: 30 | Afghan soldiers on patrol outside the US military base in Bagram, 50km north of Kabul (AFP) | Afghan forces have killed a top al-Qaeda operative wanted by the United States, a…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-25). Turkey extends seismic survey work in disputed Eastern Mediterranean waters. middleeasteye.net Turkey extends seismic survey work in disputed Eastern Mediterranean waters | Greece condemns move as 'illegal,' says Turkey stoking regional tensions by behaving like 'a pariah' | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 14: 17 | Turkish survey ship the Oruc Reis. Turkey and Greece are locked in a dispute over conflicting claims to hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean (Reuters) | Turkey announced…

Akram Al-Waara (2020-10-25). Family of Palestinian teen accuses Israeli soldiers of beating him to death. middleeasteye.net Family of Palestinian teen accuses Israeli soldiers of beating him to death | Amer Snobar died on Sunday from blunt-force trauma to the neck, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 14: 07 | Amer Snobar, 18, from the Nablus-area village of Yatma, was reported dead early Sunday morning (Supplied) | The death of a Palestinian teenager early on Sunday morning, allegedly at the h…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-25). Senior Labour frontbencher given 'dressing down' over criticism of Israel. middleeasteye.net Senior Labour frontbencher given 'dressing down' over criticism of Israel | Labour leader Keir Starmer reportedly angry with pro-Palestinian MP Stephen Kinnock for saying UK should ban products from illegal Israeli settlements | Sun, 10/25/2020 – 11: 28 | Keir Starmer has won praise from some UK Jewish groups since he became Labour party leader in April 2020 (AFP) | UK Labour leader Keir S…

Anthony Cartalucci (2020-10-25). US-funded Sedition in Hong Kong Officially "Join" Thai Mobs. thealtworld.com Thailand's protest movement is clearly part of the United States' regional anti-China campaign. | Bangkok Post in an article titled, "

The Canary (2020-10-25). Thai protesters rally in their thousands ahead of parliamentary debate. thecanary.co Thousands of pro-democracy protesters have gathered in Thailand's capital. They're seeking to keep up pressure on the government a day ahead of a special parliament session aimed at easing political tensions.Pressure: The rally took place on 25 October at the busy Rajprasong intersection, in the heart of Bangkok's shopping district. Few protesters turned out in the first hour of the rally but their numbers later swelled to several thousand. They listened to rude denunciations of the government in chants, speeches, and songs.Pro-democracy activists display a placard with Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-och…

RT (2020-10-25). 'Rocks' & punches thrown as anti-Trump protesters CLASH with 'Jews for Trump' parade in NYC (VIDEOS). rt.com A massive car parade of Jewish Donald Trump supporters was met with violent resistance in New York City, with counter-protesters throwing projectiles at cars and trading punches with the conservative demonstrators. | The cars, many of which sported American, Israeli, and pro-Trump flags, all crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and, at one point, passed Trump Tower, honking repeatedly as they passed the building. | #JewsForTrump rally @realDonaldTrump #Trump2020

South Front (2020-10-25). Video: Azerbaijani Forces Rush to Capture Lachin Corridor from Retreating Armenians. globalresearch.ca The Armenian defense in the southern part of the Nagorno-Karabakh region seems to be collapsing as the advancing Azerbaijani forces are about to reach the strategic Lachin corridor. | On October 23, Azerbaijani troops were filmed near the village of Muradxanlƒ±, …

yenisafak (2020-10-25). 'Regional consensus can drive peace in Afghanistan'. yenisafak.com Consensus among regional countries can drive peace in Afghanistan with people of the war-torn country in the driver's seat, speakers said at an international virtual conference said."The Afghan peace process seems long, [and] complex with the bumpy road," said Oguzhan Ertugrul, Turkey's ambassador in Kabul, at the conference hosted by Ankara-based Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) on Friday.In February, the US reached a deal with Taliban to end the war. The US promised to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the Taliban uphold the deal. The deal followed the intra-Afghan dialogue in…

yenisafak (2020-10-25). Kabul claims killing key al-Qaeda leader. yenisafak.com Afghanistan on Sunday claimed killing the deputy head of Al-Qaeda for the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) in a security operation. | The 'No. 2 of al-Qaeda' in the Indian Sub-Continent, Abu Mohsin Al-Misri, was killed in the central Ghazni province, some 150km south of the capital Kabul, the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan's intelligence service, said in a statement. | Al Masri alias Husam Abd-al-Ra'uf was on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists "for committing acts of terrorism…"Afghan president Ashraf Ghani hailed the killing, accusing the Taliban of still maintaining close ties with al-Qaeda.

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2020-10-25). Russia and United States Get Closer on Signing Nuclear Agreement. globalresearch.ca Russia and the United States, after several months of moving forth and back with negotiations, have finally moved closer to agree on extending the controversial nuclear treaty for one year. The one-year short-term agreement was on the initiative, or better …

Carla Stea (2020-10-25). US-China Confrontation: The Hijacking of the United Nations Security Council Continues. globalresearch.ca Former OPCW Director-General Bustani Banned From Speaking At UN Security Council | October 5: Western Delegations Oppose Presentation of Evidence that OPCW Report Of Chemical Weapons Attack on Douma, Syria May Have Been Falsified. | October 21: In New York Post Article, …

Editor (2020-10-25). America Is Complicit in Yemen's Spiral Toward Mass Starvation. scheerpost.com Embed from Getty Images Mark Lowcock of the United Nations gave an impassioned and apocalyptic speech recently warning that 4 million Yemenis who had been receiving aid no longer are, because of a shortfall in donor contributions, and the country could be on the cusp of mass starvation. There already is widespread malnutrition in Yemen, fueled by the war and more recently by the economic downturn… |

_____ (2020-10-25). Life Of Palestinian Hunger Striker In Immediate Danger. popularresistance.org Maher al-Akhras, who has been on a hunger strike since his administrative detention on July 27, is waging a battle against the mighty Israeli occupation apparatus. Every day brings him closer to death, as Israel seems to be trying to prove through his case that the life of Palestinians, like their freedom and human rights, are worth nothing. But the formidable insistence of his hunger strike against the principle of administrative detention, and his determination that the strike will end only once he is free or becomes a martyr, is mobilizing more and more people to his support.

Grant Smith (2020-10-25). Thursday 10/29: Censorship, Entanglement & Corruption: The Israel Lobby 2021 Agenda. indybay.org Webinar with participation through Zoom and YouTube. 9AM California time, Noon EDT.

Al Carroll (2020-10-25). Trump's Body Count: Could Be Over a Million. indybay.org The combined death toll from all of Trump's many crimes is not "just" the over 222,000 COVID deaths. It includes at least 40,000 Venezuelans, Syrian Christian and Yazidi refugees, Karen Christians, Rohingya, refugees from Latin America, Afghans, Iraqis, Somalis, Yemenis, and tens of thousands of Americans who died by Trump sabotaging their healthcare.

_____ (2020-10-25). Macron's Gamble Will Backfire as Brexit Will Make Both Him and France Big Losers of a No-Deal With Brussels. strategic-culture.org He couldn't save Lebanon, despite all the rhetoric. Libya too was a disaster, as was his more recent battle with the firebrand Turkish president over a row in the Eastern Med about energy exploration. And now, France's cursed President, Emmanuel Macron, is going to lead his nation in a campaign which will take him and the entire French economy over the abyss on Brexit. | Remarkably, as the EU stands and watches, Macron, a man tortured and cursed by defeat wherever he goes around the world, is about to throw the lever on the French economy as he prepares to go into battle against Boris Johnson over UK's rights to…

yenisafak (2020-10-25). Bombing kills 3 in southwest Pakistan. yenisafak.com At least three people were killed and several others injured in an explosion in southwest Pakistan on Sunday, local media reported.The blast — latest in a string of improvised explosive device explosions — occurred in a Shia-dominated locality in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.The bomb was planted in a motorcycle, it added.The incident coincided with an 11-party opposition alliance — Pakistan Democratic Movement — rally in Quetta, which was part of the opposition's ongoing anti-government campaign.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for t…

yenisafak (2020-10-25). French president encouraged Islamophobia: Pakistan PM. yenisafak.com The Pakistani prime minster has added his voice to the growing criticism of the French president for "encouraging Islamophobia" following the killing of a teacher who showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his pupils. | "Hallmark of a leader is he unites human beings… rather than dividing them. This is a time when President [Emmanuel] Macron could have put healing touch, and denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarisation and marginalisation that inevitably leads to radicalization," Imran Khan said in a series of tweets on Sunday. | "It is unfortunate that he has chosen to encourage Isl…

yenisafak (2020-10-25). Israeli cabinet approves Bahrain normalisation deal, minister says. yenisafak.com Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved Israel's normalisation deal with Bahrain, on…

yenisafak (2020-10-25). India's central bank chief tests positive for coronavirus. yenisafak.com "I have tested Covid-19 positive. Asymptomatic. Feeling very much alright," Das said in a tweet."Will continue to work from isolation. Work in the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) will go on normally," he said.Many top Indian politicians including Home Minister Amit Shah and actors such as Amitabh Bachchan have tested positive for the virus, and since recovered.Over 7.8 million Indians have tested positive for COVID-19 so far. The pandemic has claimed 118,534 lives in the world's second most populous country.

yenisafak (2020-10-25). Palestinian beaten to death by Israeli settlers. yenisafak.com A Palestinian teen was beaten to death early Sunday by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to eyewitnesses and a medical source.Amer Snobar, 18, from the town of Yatma, south of Nablus city, was attacked by settlers guarding a Jewish settlement and died of his wounds, witnesses said.A medical source said the teen was admitted to hospital with signs of assault on his body.An Israeli military statement said a Palestinian fell while escaping and hit his head while being chased by army forces.According to the army, the chase came after settlers said that their cars were attacked by stone-throwing P…

yenisafak (2020-10-25). Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi drone from Yemen. yenisafak.com The Saudi-led coalition on Sunday intercepted an explosive-laden drone fired by Houthi rebels from Yemen toward Saudi Arabia.Coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said the rebel drone was fired towards civilian areas in southern Saudi Arabia, according to the official Saudi news agency SPA.There was no comment from the Houthi group on the report.On Saturday, the Houthi group said it had fired three drones towards the Jizan and Abha airports and the Khamis Mushait base.The Houthi group regularly announces rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition's atta…

yenisafak (2020-10-25). Tens of people detained, tear gas deployed at protest in west Belarus. yenisafak.com Tens of people were detained by police in the town of Lida in western Belarus on Sunday during a protest, Russia's RIA news agency cited the regional branch of the Belarus interior ministry as saying.Police fired tear gas at protesters, RIA said.Protesters have been gathering ahead of the expiry at midnight on Sunday of an ultimatum for Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to resign, the latest in 11 weeks of demonstrations following a disputed election result.

Susan Price (2020-10-25). In a first, British trade unions commit to challenging Israeli apartheid. greenleft.org.au Bernard Regan reports that Britain's peak union body, representing 6 million workers, adopted a motion last month at its annual conference, reaffirming its solidarity with the Palestinian people's struggle for self-determination.

Pip Hinman (2020-10-25). Gundungurra Traditional Owners: 'Dam project must be stopped'. greenleft.org.au Traditional Owners and former Burragorang Valley residents are fighting to save Gundungurra heritage against the New South Wales government's plans to wipe out their culture. Tracey Carpenter spoke to Gundungurra woman Kazan Brown.

Shatha Hammad (2020-10-24). Palestine Cinema Days film festival kicks off despite cash, pandemic challenges. middleeasteye.net Palestine Cinema Days film festival kicks off despite cash, pandemic challenges | Social distancing, international funding curbs on Palestinian cultural institutions fail to deter event's seventh edition | Sat, 10/24/2020 – 10: 23 | Seats sealed off in line with strict Covid-19 social-distancing measures at the Ramallah Cultural Palace on 20 October (MEE/Shatha Hammad) | In the main hall of the Ram…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-24). Hopes rise of extension of New START arms control treaty as Russia offers to freeze arsenal. mronline.org Russia on Tuesday offered to freeze its current arsenal, and proposed an extension of the treaty by one year. The treaty signed in 2010 capped the number of nuclear warheads by the two countries and its deployment.

MEE and agencies (2020-10-24). Israel-Sudan normalisation: How the world reacted. middleeasteye.net Israel-Sudan normalisation: How the world reacted | While Palestinians categorically reject the deal, US allies welcome it as a boost to stability in the Middle East | Sat, 10/24/2020 – 11: 23 | Sudan, technically at war with Israel since 1948, has become the fifth Arab country to forge diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv (AFP) | US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Sudan has agree…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-24). France recalls ambassador from Turkey after Erdogan jibe at Macron. middleeasteye.net France recalls ambassador from Turkey after Erdogan jibe at Macron | Turkey's leader said French president 'needs mental treatment' after comments on Islam | Sat, 10/24/2020 – 21: 24 | The two Nato allies find themselves at loggerheads over a range of issues, including Syria and Libya (AFP)
| France on Saturday said it was recalling its ambassador to Turkey for consultations after comm…

The Canary (2020-10-24). Police 'threatened' parents of a murdered woman with £6,000 legal bill. thecanary.co A police force "threatened" an elderly couple with a £6,000 legal bill as they sought answers over their daughter's murder, their lawyer has claimed.Fighting for justice: Peter and Elizabeth Skelton have spent almost a decade fighting for justice after their daughter Susan Nicholson was killed in 2011. Initially, Sussex Police ignored their pleas for her death to be investigated. They insisted the circumstances were not suspicious, and an initial inquest found her death was accidental.Susan Nicholson was murdered by her boyfriend in 2011 (Family handout/PA)The West Sussex couple, who are in their eig…

RT (2020-10-24). Vostochny spaceport scandals continue: CEO of company operating new Far Eastern Russian cosmodrome arrested on corruption charges. rt.com A high-ranking official at the helm of the new state-of-the-art Vostochny spaceport, in Russia's Far East, has been arrested on charges of fraud in a high-profile scandal. The scheme reportedly cost the state over $6.5 million. | Roman Bobkov, the head of the state entity operating the cosmodrome, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months by a local

RT (2020-10-24). 'Many are inappropriate': UFC starlet Liana Jojua says she receives CRAZY messages from fans as she prepares for battle at UFC 254. rt.com When Liana Jojua steps into the octagon on UFC Fight Island, she'll have an army of fans cheering her on, but the Georgian starlet admits that some of her supporters take things a little too far on social media. | The 25-year-old flyweight will take on newcomer Miranda Maverick in the second fight of the event at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi, and she is hopeful of claiming her second victory in the UFC. | Jojua lost her octagon debut to Sarah Moras at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi last year, but bounced back in her most recent fight in the UFC, defeating Diana Belbita via first-round armbar on Fight Island in July. | Now the f…

RT (2020-10-24). CEO of new Russian cosmodrome's operator arrested on charges of abuse of office & forgery. rt.com A high-ranking official at the helm of the new state-of-the-art Vostochny spaceport has been arrested on charges of fraud in a high-profile scandal. The scheme reportedly cost the state over $6.5 million. | Roman Bobkov, the head of the space center, a state entity operating the cosmodrome, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months by a local

Vanessa Beeley (2020-10-24). BBC's upcoming White Helmets 'documentary' gears up to be a character assassination of those who challenge Syria war narratives. thealtworld.com The BBC is preparing an attack against journalists, former diplomats, academics and scientists who challenge the dominant …

RT (2020-10-24). 'NO, NO, NO!' Liana Jojua DISTRAUGHT after HUGE cut on her nose causes TKO defeat at UFC 254 (VIDEO). rt.com Georgian flyweight Liana Jojua's hopes of picking up her second UFC win on "Fight Island" at UFC 254 were left in blood and tears after she was stopped at the end of the first round due to a nasty cut on her nose.

RT (2020-10-24). 'I beat a Brazilian cowboy, maybe an American cowboy is next': Shavkat Rakhmonov hints at Donald Cerrone fight after UFC 254 win. rt.com Kazakhstan's undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov claimed a notable scalp at UFC 254 as he defeated Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira, then set his sights on another fighter with that famous nickname, Donald Cerrone. | Rakhmonov finished Oliveira in the first round via guillotine choke submission to pick up a notable win on his UFC debut, then told reporters, including RT Sport, that he would be interested in facing Cerrone next. | Just like I said before the fight, if he's going to make a mistake, I'm going to capitalize on it," he said after his win. | "I felt the move was there, I didn't think much, I just went for it and got…

RT (2020-10-24). 'Cold as ice': Birthday boy Alexander Volkov celebrates in style with second-round finish of Walt Harris at UFC 254. rt.com Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov celebrated his 32nd birthday in style with a TKO finish of Walt Harris on the main card of UFC 254 on "Fight Island." | Volkov's last fight, a loss against Curtis Blaydes back in June, was a frustrating one for the Moscow native as he spent much of the contest fighting off takedown attempts from the American wrestler. | Saturday's comeback fight against Harris saw Volkov in far more familiar territory as he dominated every aspect of the striking en route to a win which once again places his name among the heavyweight division's list of contenders. | Also on rt.com | |

Mohammed Amin (2020-10-24). Israel normalisation deal finds fury and favour in Sudan. middleeasteye.net Israel normalisation deal finds fury and favour in Sudan | Critics say US-backed deal 'humiliating', 'shameful' for Sudan; supporters welcome country's return to international fold | Sat, 10/24/2020 – 11: 14 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Sudan normalised relations with Israel on Friday (AFP) | Sudan on Friday become the third Arab countr…

_____ (2020-10-24). Israel Lobby Spreads More Lies About Palestine Groups At NYU. popularresistance.org New York University has agreed to settle with the US Department of Education over allegations that the university had not appropriately responded to claims of anti-Semitism. | Two attorneys filed the complaint last year on behalf of a student who alleged that she faced "two years of extreme anti-Semitism on the NYU campus which has created an intolerable and unlawful hostile atmosphere for Jewish students." | Echoing previous attempts by Israel advocates to silence Palestinian rights activists on campuses, the complaint accused Students for Justice in Palestine of creating the "hostile" climate due to the group's…

yenisafak (2020-10-24). Indonesia maintains both support for Palestine, ties with UAE. yenisafak.com An Indonesian expert on international relations has said despite its close relationship with the UAE, Indonesia, should not let this affect its unwavering support for Palestinian independence from Israeli occupation.Earlier this week, the UAE government inaugurated a street in the capital Jakarta dedicated to Indonesian President Joko Widodo as a symbol of bilateral ties between the two countries.Ramdhan Muhaimin, a lecturer at the Al-Azhar University in Jakarta, urged Indonesia to keep supporting the Palestinian cause, though several Arab countries, including UAE, have agreed to normalize relations with Israel."

WSWS (2020-10-24). Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.

WSWS (2020-10-24). Mounting evidence of systemic Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. wsws.org The atrocities flowed inevitably from the nature of the war—a brutal operation to crush all resistance to the US military occupation of the impoverished country.

Joe Glenton (2020-10-24). Here's why the Overseas Operations Bill is pretty much an establishment stitch-up. thecanary.co A top military lawyer has warned that the Tory war crimes immunity bill is not what it seems. On closer inspection, it looks more like a Ministry of Defence (MOD) cash-saving exercise. One that could rob wounded and sick soldiers of their right to compensation. | The criticism comes after new figures revealed that claims by military personnel against the military vastly exceed allegations of abuse from people in Iraq and Afghanistan. | On 18 October, shadow defence minister John Healey

WSWS (2020-10-24). Russian court extends prison sentence for historian of Stalinist terror to 13 years. wsws.org The brutal vendetta against Dmitriev speaks to the enormous fear of the Russian oligarchy about the growing interest in the historical truth about the October revolution and the Stalinist terror in broad sections of the population.

WSWS (2020-10-24). As US election approaches, New York Times intensifies its anti-Russia disinformation campaign. wsws.org The propaganda campaign by the Times and US intelligence agencies is aimed at fighting out conflicts within the ruling class over foreign policy while distracting attention from Trump's ongoing conspiracies.