Daily Archives: October 27, 2020

2020-10-27: News Headlines

Andrew Korybko (2020-10-27). The China-Russia "Threat to America": Biden's Intriguing "Attempt" to Unite Democrat and Republican Foreign Policy Hawks. globalresearch.ca Biden's description of Russia as "the biggest threat to America" and China as its "biggest competitor" is an intriguing attempt to unite the anti-Russian and anti-Chinese factions of America's permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies ("deep state") even if it's …

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Top EU official tests positive for COVID-19. yenisafak.com European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said on Tuesday he tested positive for coronavirus. | "I have just learned that my regular scheduled COVID-19 test before the College came back positive. I am now self-isolating as required. Stay safe," he tweeted. | Earlier this month, Mariya Gabriel, the European commissioner for innovation and research, also contracted the novel virus. | Other top officials who self-isolated after coming in contact with those who tested positive include foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, EU Commission President Ursula von der, and European Council President Charles Michel.

Joanna Frew (2020-10-27). New Report: Crowded Sky, Contested Sea: Drones over the South and East China Seas. globalresearch.ca Amid naval patrols, live military drills, island building, trade wars and diplomatic breakdown, drones are making an increasing impact on the security situation in the South China Sea and the relationship between China and the US. Smaller nations in the …

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2020-10-27). China: The Upcoming Global Superpower. globalresearch.ca Despite its large population of 1.5 billion which many have considered as an impediment, China's domestic economic reforms and collaborative strategic diplomacy with external countries have made it attain superpower status over the United States. While United States influence is …

James O'Neill (2020-10-27). The World Moves On, Yet Australia Clings to a Dangerous Past. dissidentvoice.org There are many definitions of stupid, but acting against one's interests, on either a personal or national level, must rank as among the more significant. It is certainly among the most of contemporary relevance. It is no better personified than in the current extraordinary anti-China campaign being waged by politicians of all the major parties …

news.un (2020-10-27). Global foreign direct investment halved amid pandemic, but China remained resilient. news.un.org Foreign direct investment (FDI), a bellwether of globalisation and economic confidence, fell by 49 per cent to $399 billion in the first half of 2020, amid the upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a new report from the UN trade and development organization UNCTAD showed on Tuesday.

Pepe Escobar (2020-10-27). China Is "Not Interested in War, but in Trade and Development, Both Internal and with Foreign Partners.": Pepe Escobar. globalresearch.ca China's ping-pong team invited members of the US team to China on April 6, 1971, and the momentum was begun to establish warm relations between the two nations. However, during the current Trump administration, we have seen the relationship drop …

Samantha Bruegger (2020-10-27). I Am the Wolf and So are You. counterpunch.org It's a feeling of tightness and pressure that has only increased since November of 2016. It began like a constrictive python, slowly enveloping me, wrapping around and around, tighter and tighter. The first pain was felt as a woman, a vocal misogynist would be our Commander in Chief. Fine, we have been here before, at

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Turkey denounces killing of French teacher. yenisafak.com Turkey's presidential spokesman on Monday condemned the brutal murder of French teacher Samuel Paty."We strongly condemn the murder of Samuel Paty in France and reject this barbarism. There is nothing legitimate about this murder," Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter.He said those who insult Prophet Muhammad fail to understand the love and reverence Muslims feel for him.However, he said: "To become monstrous while fighting evil is the worst disaster."Samuel Paty, 47, who taught history and geography at Bois-d'Aulne College in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, was brutally murdered by Abdullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old of Chech…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-27). Yemen: Houthi minister of youth 'assassinated' in Sanaa. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Houthi minister of youth 'assassinated' in Sanaa | The Houthis denounce the attack as 'a criminal act' by the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 10: 38 | Yemeni politician Hassan Mohamed Zaid, 66, was killed in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday (Twitter) | Yemen's Houthi movement announced on Tuesday that Hassan Zaid, its minister of youth and sports affairs, was g…

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Vivid memories of tribesman who fought in Kashmir. yenisafak.com Old and frail Akhunzada Bacha Khan, 99, has vivid memories of his march to Jammu and Kashmir in October 1947 as part of a tribal force aiming to liberate the region from its unpopular Hindu ruler."The Nawab [royal title for sovereign ruler] of Dir announced jihad [holy war] against the Hindu ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, who was conspiring against the Muslim majority," Khan, a resident of Dir district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told Anadolu Agency.Three months after India and Pakistan achieved freedom from the British in August 1947, thousands of tribals from neighboring North-West Frontier Province…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-27). US approves with arms sales to Taiwan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 27 (MNA) — US Department of States approved with selling costal defense systems, valued at $2.37bn, to Taiwan.

MEE and agencies (2020-10-27). Saudi Arabia condemns conflation of 'Islam with terrorism' amid regional anti-France protests. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia condemns conflation of 'Islam with terrorism' amid regional anti-France protests | Riyadh did not comment on growing calls for a boycott of French goods in the Middle East after Paris had defended caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 10: 45 | Palestinians burn a picture of French President Emmanuel Macron in Gaza City during a protest on 27 October 2020 (Reu…

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Algeria may take France to arbitration over 'stolen' archive. yenisafak.com Algeria said Tuesday it does not rule out international arbitration to resolve its dispute with France over the archives of the French colonial era. | "There is nothing that prevents the people from resorting to international arbitration or submitting the case to international judicial bodies in the future," presidential adviser Abdelmadjid al-Sheikh said in a radio interview. | The Algerian authorities say that during the colonial period (1830-1962) the French forces smuggled hundreds of thousands of maps and historical documents, including those dating back to the Ottoman era (1518-1830). | However, the French…

The Canary (2020-10-27). 20 things the government must do to tackle structural racism and protect BAME communities from coronavirus. thecanary.co Baroness Doreen Lawrence has set out 20 recommendations for the government to protect those most at risk from coronavirus and tackle inequality in the longer term.Here are her recommendations from her review into the impact of coronavirus (Covid-19) on Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities: | Set out an urgent plan for tackling the disproportionate impact of Covid on BAME people this winter | 2. Implement a national strategy to tackle health inequalities.3. Suspend the "no recourse to public funds" rule during the pandemic and review its impact on public health and health inequalities.4. Ensure Covi…

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Turkish parliament head meets Turkish Cypriot president. yenisafak.com Turkey's parliament speaker on Tuesday met with the newly elected president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) visiting the capital Ankara.According to a statement by the speaker's office, Mustafa Sentop and TRNC President Ersin Tatar discussed possible cooperation between the two countries.TRNC Ambassador Kemal Koprulu also took part in the meeting, after which Sentop offered a luncheon in Tatar's honor.Then-Prime Minister Ersin Tatar on Oct. 18 won a presidential runoff election in the TRNC with 51.74% of the votes, beating incumbent Mustafa Akinci's 48.26%.Tatar is the TRNC's fifth president, an…

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Rebel minister shot dead in Yemen. yenisafak.com Minister of Youth and Sport in the unrecognized Houthi government, Hasan Zeid, was gunned down in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Tuesday, according to a rebel official. | Unidentified gunmen opened fire on Zeid in Hadda district in central Sanaa, Osama Sari, the undersecretary of the so-called Youth and Sport Ministry, said in a statement. | He said Zeid, 66, was transferred to hospital where he was pronounced dead. | There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. | Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 20…

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Police arrest 33 FETàñ suspects across Turkey. yenisafak.com Turkish security forces arrested 33 people on Tuesday for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.In operations based in the northwestern Kocaeli province, police from the anti-smuggling and organized crime unit arrested seven suspects, including an expelled lieutenant and six former military school students.The arrests came during simultaneous operations also in Istanbul and Bursa after Kocaeli prosecutors issued arrest warrants for nine suspects as part of an investigation into FETO's infiltration into the Gendarmerie General Command…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-27). Child malnutrition reaches new highs in parts of Yemen: UN survey. middleeasteye.net Child malnutrition reaches new highs in parts of Yemen: UN survey | Programmes keeping millions from starvation and disease are gradually closing amid an acute funding shortage | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 07: 54 | The UN said it needs $50m urgently to boost nutrition programmes (AFP) | Parts of Yemen are seeing their highest levels of acute malnutrition in children, heightening warnings that the c…

South Front (2020-10-27). Video: Nobody Believes in Peace. Azerbaijan Attacks Armenian Forces Despite US-sponsored Ceasefire. globalresearch.ca As of October 26, Azerbaijan and Turkey kept their operational initiative in the war with Armenia in the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region. Their forces continue developing their offensive in southern Karabakh by trying to remove Armenian forces from of the Lachin …

Rep. Ron Paul (2020-10-27). 'Iraq War Diaries' at Ten Years: Truth Is Treason. globalresearch.ca The purpose of journalism is to uncover truth — especially uncomfortable truth — and to publish it for the benefit of society. In a free society, we must be informed of the criminal acts carried out by governments in the …

Rayhan Uddin (2020-10-27). UK renewal of arms sales to Saudi Arabia to face another legal challenge. middleeasteye.net UK renewal of arms sales to Saudi Arabia to face another legal challenge | Campaign Against Arms Trade to launch judicial review after UK government claimed international law violations in Yemen were 'isolated incidents' | Tue, 10/27/2020 – 12: 08 | Schools are among several non-military sites which have been attacked by air strikes since the war in Yemen broke out in 2015 (AFP/File photo) | The UK go…

_____ (2020-10-27). Republicans and Democrats Will Never Deliver Peace. strategic-culture.org The Libertarian Party presidential candidate makes her case for why a third party is needed to bring the troops home. | Jo JORGENSEN | The 2016 Republican presidential primary debates revealed a sea change. From 2008 to 2012, then-congressman Ron Paul was routinely booed for his criticism of America's foreign policy. It was even common to hear Republican office holders, commentators, and activists say they "agreed with Ron Paul on everything but foreign policy." Yet in 2016, candidate Donald Trump was cheered for calling the Iraq war the biggest blunder in American history. | One would have thought Trump's victor…

yenisafak (2020-10-27). Indonesian lawmakers, Muslim groups bash French leader. yenisafak.com Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mardani Ali Sera, a legislator from the country's Prosperous Justice Party, accused President Emmanuel Macron of Islamophobia that he said ruined the inter-faith harmony in the world."Indonesia rejects Macron's statement linking Islam with separatism and making fun of the Prophet Muhammad. I urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to condemn his racist remarks," said Sera.Also condemning Macron, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said the French president's actions and policies had fueled mounting Islamophobia.Muhyiddin Junaidi, deputy chairman of the MUI, said in a statement that Macron…

Staff (2020-10-27). AOC Pushes for Dems to "Expand the Court" After Amy Coney Barrett Confirmation. truthout.org Following the confirmation by the United States Senate of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) sent out a tweet that expressed her view of how Democrats should proceed from this moment onward. | "Expand the court," The congresswoman elaborated on the point in a second tweet, explaining that increasing the number of sitting justices on the high court was n…

WSWS (2020-10-27). The relaunched website facilitates the development of the world party of socialist revolution. wsws.org The remarks below were given by Wije Dias, general secretary of the Socialist Equality Party of Sri Lanka.

RT (2020-10-26). 'Chess piece against China': US & Japan launch major military exercise to prove 'growing strength' of their alliance (PHOTOS). rt.com Tokyo and Washington have kicked off a combined naval, land and air drill aiming to show their readiness to "fight and win" despite Covid-19. Beijing has been warning that such activities lead to more tensions. | The 'Keen Sword' drill, which is held every two years, involves around 46,000 troops, including 9,000 American personnel, as well as dozens of warships from the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. | The training will include amphibious landings on several smaller Japanese islands, as well as activities on Okinawa, according to a statement by the US Pacific…

Ian Goodrum (2020-10-26). Don't trust China's COVID-19 science? Try surviving without it. peoplesworld.org For as long as I can remember, I have been engaged in a practice many would consider masochistic. Get those images out of your head, I don't mean that. Or that. No, my self-defeating habit is all too mundane to the casual observer: I read China stories in the Western media. It's not as bad …

Kim Petersen (2020-10-26). 70 Years after China and the DPRK Defeated the United States in Korea. dissidentvoice.org There is a piece of news on an important anniversary missing from western state and corporate news. This year, 2020, is the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) army entering the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to help in, what the Chinese call, the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. …

sputniknews (2020-10-26). France, Turkey at Odds; China Hits US Arms Makers; No Stopping COVID. sputniknews.com Senator Chuck Schumer offers a perfect example of how his party fails Americans as the New York Times joins in election fear-mongering.

news.un (2020-10-26). Climate action: UN chief encouraged by Japan's 2050 net zero pledge. news.un.org UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed Japan's announcement on Monday that it would reduce carbon emissions to zero, by 2050, as part of the global effort to slow the worldwide rise in temperatures, and prevent the most damaging effects of human-made climate change.

_____ (2020-10-26). Nuking Itself… How Russophobia Led the U.S. to Bomb its Own Citizens. strategic-culture.org Generations of countless Americans have been contaminated and sickened by the first-ever atomic bomb test. The Trinity explosion on July 16, 1945, was carried out in the New Mexico desert. Three weeks later, two A-bombs were dropped on Japan, killing up to 200,000 people. | But the number of American victims caused by radiation fallout from the Trinity test is reckoned to be also imponderably high. The American government conducted the explosion in secret, unbeknownst to the population of New Mexico. That was in spite of warnings from Manhattan Project scientists of a high risk to public health from the extreme r…

yenisafak (2020-10-26). 'Armenia breaks cease-fire just minutes after start'. yenisafak.com Azerbaijan agreed on a fresh humanitarian cease-fire to exchange prisoners and bodies, but Armenia broke the truce only minutes after it was supposed to take effect, the Azerbaijani leader said Monday.President Ilham Aliyev stressed that those who want an Armenia-Azerbaijan humanitarian cease-fire are sending weapons to Armenia."I have the list. Why would anyone who wants a cease-fire would send weapons?" he asked.Referring to those supporting Armenia, Aliyev said: "If you want to save the Armenian state, tell them to leave our lands. They will go out with a word of yours."Azerbaijan on Monday said the Armenian f…

yenisafak (2020-10-26). FACTBOX: Nagorno-Karabakh: old tensions behind renewed fighting. yenisafak.com Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous and heavily forested patch of land that sits inside the territory of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.Under international law, Nagorno-Karabakh is recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up the vast majority of the population reject Azeri rule. They have been running their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops were pushed out in a war in the 1990s.Long-standing ethnic tensions in the region between Christian Armenians and their mainly Muslim neighbours flared in Nagorno-Karabakh in the late 1980s.New fighting that br…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-26). Thousands come out to mark anniversary of popular protests in Iraq. peoplesdispatch.org Protesters, who marched in several cities renewing their demands for an overhaul of Iraq's political system and an end to corruption, were met with police repression…

_____ (2020-10-26). Anti-Racist Activists Brutally Arrested In Michigan. popularresistance.org On Saturday, an anti-racist demonstration in Shelby Township, Michigan was brutally repressed by the police. According to a video posted online several dozen police turned out in full riot gear and riot shields and beat and assaulted protesters before arresting several of them. Many of those arrested were thrown to the ground and there are reports that officers reportedly kneeled on their necks while they were being restrained. One woman, a photographer, was stripped down to her underwear in the middle of the street before being searched and arrested.

WSWS (2020-10-26). Sri Lankan parliament boosts president's autocratic powers. wsws.org The move towards dictatorship in Sri Lanka coincides with the drive by the ruling classes in every country towards fascist and autocratic rule.

Areeb Ullah (2020-10-26). Lebanon court rejects new migrant worker contract to replace criticised kafala system. middleeasteye.net Lebanon court rejects new migrant worker contract to replace criticised kafala system | Officials said the new standard contract for domestic workers would be the first step needed to abolish the kafala system | Mon, 10/26/2020 – 10: 36 | Ethiopian workers let go because of Lebanon's economic crisis wait outside Ethiopia's embassy in Beirut (AFP) | A court in Lebanon has suspended the implementation of a…

yenisafak (2020-10-26). Baku frees 17 more villages from Armenia's occupation. yenisafak.com Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Monday announced the names of villages liberated from Armenia's occupation a day earlier.The Azerbaijani army liberated the Birinji Alibayli, Ikinji Alibayli, Raband and Yenikand villages of Zangilan district, the Govshudlu, Sofulu, Dagh Mashanli, Kurdlar, Hovuslu, Chalabilar villages of Jabrayil district and the Padar, Afandilar, Yusifbayli, Chaytumas, Khanlig, Sariyatag, Mollaburhan villages of Gubadli district and the city of Gubadli, state news agency Azertac quoted the president as saying.In an earlier tweet, Aliyev said Baku had taken control of seven border villages w…

yenisafak (2020-10-26). Turkish chess player comes 2nd in world schools c'ship. yenisafak.com In a statement, the Turkish Chess Federation (TSF) said that Can, 15, had 7 points to come in second in the under-17 male category.Armenian player Albert Gevorgyan was the winner of this category with 8 points.Separately, 15-year-old Turkish player Nil Ozturk ended the female's contest taking the 20th spot with 4.5 points last weekend.The chess body congratulated Turkish athletes for their efforts.The ISF World Schools Championship Online Chess 2020 was held on Oct. 3 through Oct. 25 with the finals.

MEE and agencies (2020-10-26). Iraq's Kurdish region says it foiled PKK plot to attack foreign diplomats. middleeasteye.net Iraq's Kurdish region says it foiled PKK plot to attack foreign diplomats | The statement from KRG intelligence service comes a year after the killing of a Turkish diplomat in Erbil | Mon, 10/26/2020 – 12: 31 | A picture shows a general view of Erbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region on 20 October 2020 (AFP) | Authorities in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region said…

sputniknews (2020-10-26). Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline Edges Closer to Completion as Broader US Sanctions Come Into Effect. sputniknews.com The EU imported the highest ever volume of LNG in 2019 at 108 billion cubic meters, marking 27% of total gas imports and 22% of the EU's gas consumption, according to the European Commission. The gas market report showed that Qatar supplied 30 bcm of LNG to the EU in 2019, followed by Russia with 21 bcm and the US with 17 bcm.

Lautaro Rivara (2020-10-26). Haiti Has a Long History of Being Assaulted by Its Latin American Neighbors. counterpunch.org Thirteen United Nations peacekeeping missions are underway in various countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Haiti has been the epicenter of the UN peacekeeping missions in Latin America and the Caribbean; there have been eight UN missions since the International Civilian Mission in Haiti (MICIVIH) was deployed in Haiti in 1993. On October

yenisafak (2020-10-26). Turkey's first car to provide longer battery life. yenisafak.com Turkey's first domestically manufactured car will have a longer battery life than its competitors, its producers said Monday.An NMC (Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt Oxide) cathode will be used in the car's lithium-ion batteries, which optimizes energy and power density, Turkey's Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG) tweeted.Pouch type cells with high energy density will be used in the battery modules which will be enclosed with aluminum coverage to provide high structural strength, according to TOGG.Maximum battery life, performance and safety will be ensured with highly efficient liquid cooling and innovative battery…

MEE staff (2020-10-26). Ex-CIA head slams Trump for suggesting MBS could be invited to White House. middleeasteye.net Ex-CIA head slams Trump for suggesting MBS could be invited to White House | John Brennan called Trump's suggested invitation to a 'big beautiful' White House party 'outrageous', given the Saudi crown prince's suspected involvement in Khashoggi murder | Mon, 10/26/2020 – 14: 53 | Protesters outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul on 25 October 2018 (AFP/File photo) | The former head of the CIA has slamm…

RT (2020-10-26). Bolivia promises to buy Russian Covid-19 vaccine as new leader pledges to restore relations that 'deteriorated' after 2019 coup. rt.com The newly-elected President of Bolivia Luis Arce has pledged to improve ties with Russia, and plans to order its Covid-19 vaccine once it's ready for sale, saying relations with Moscow 'deteriorated' under the previous government. | In an interview with Moscow's Sputnik news agency, Arce outlined the numerous avenues for partnership with Russia that he wants to open up, including the exchange of technology, gas imports and construction of a new nuclear facility together with state energy corporation Rosatom. | Arce blamed the outgoing interim government for tainting the relationship between the two countries.

Joan Walsh (2020-10-26). Can Georgia's Jon Ossoff Finish the Job This November? thenation.com Can Georgia's Jon Ossoff Finish the Job This November?

sputniknews (2020-10-26). Russian Embassy Criticises Proposed Visa Restrictions for Journalists in US. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Russian Embassy to the United States criticised the proposed US visa restrictions for journalists, saying that, in line with the principle of reciprocity, they could harm US journalists abroad.

yenisafak (2020-10-26). Turkey condemns deadly school attack in Cameroon. yenisafak.com Turkey on Monday condemned a deadly attack on a private school in southwestern Cameroon."We are saddened by the news that many children lost their lives and were injured in an attack on a private school in the city of Kumba in Cameroon on 24 October 2020," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement."We strongly condemn this heinous attack on the innocent children. We extend our sincere condolences to the friendly and brotherly people and Government of Cameroon and wish a speedy recovery to the injured children," the statement added.At least seven people died and 12 were injured on Saturday in an attack by gunmen wi…

RT (2020-10-26). You are 'not persecuted,' Islamic group tells Muslims in France amid Erdogan's call for French products boycott. rt.com Muslims in France have been told they are "not persecuted," after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blasted French President Emmanuel Macron over his "problem with Islam." | The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) sought to remind Muslims of their freedom in France, as it urged them to "defend the interest" of the country, amid a boycott campaign by Turkey. | It follows Erdogan's call on Monday for Turks "never" to buy French products, in response to Macron's toughened stance on radical Islam in the wake of a French teacher's murder. | The French president had warned that the country would not "not…