The Canary (2019-10-07). Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe questions detention as Australians freed from Iran. thecanary.co Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has asked why she is still incarcerated in Iran more three years after being detained — after Australia secured the release of two citizens from the country last week.Jolie King, a dual British-Australian citizen, and her Australian boyfriend Mark Firkin were returned to Australia last week, some three months after being arrested.The couple, who had been blogging and vlogging on their extended journey across Asia, were arrested on spying charges after flying a drone near a military base, Iranian officials confirmed.Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran…

Staff (2019-10-07). Blatant Case of Torture Exposes Israeli Occupation Methods. therealnews.com Twenty years after the Israeli High Court ruled against the use of torture, the law allows the secret police to continue to use it. Human rights groups warn that these circumstances are frequently evoked in cases like that of Samer Al-Arbid, who was almost tortured to death.

John McMurtry (2019-10-07). Lawless Trump-Canada Connections. counterpunch.org Canada recently seized and sold $30 million worth of Iranian properties in Ottawa and Toronto, a gross hypocrisy explains Yves Engler in light of oversights of more flagrant US and Israel terror victims. But the behaviour of Canada Foreign Affairs in joining the lawless US war of sanctions, embargos and military threats against Iran goes More

Staff (2019-10-07). Trump's Syria Withdrawal Announcement Draws GOP Condemnation. truthdig.com Sen. Lindsey Graham calls it "a disaster"; other Republicans express deep concerns, and Syria's Kurds accuse the U.S. of turning its back on allies.

Binoy Kampmark (2019-10-07). Turning 70: Xi's People's Republic of China. counterpunch.org During the era of Sovietology, experts would pour over images of the gathered politburo in Red Square, gazing with grey monolithic interest upon the military hardware moving across the forum. An absent figure might suggest a potential coup; a new face, a sinister reshuffle. A wink, a smile, a glare, a compendium of bodily moves More

Albert Bender (2019-10-07). Waiting on the Supreme Court to return eastern Oklahoma to Indigenous nations. peoplesworld.org All of Indian Country is waiting on the U.S. Supreme to do what is morally and legally right and return to reservation status the lands of the forcibly removed southern nations, the "Five Civilized Tribes"—Cherokees, Muscogee Creeks, Choctaws, Seminoles, and Chickasaws—in Eastern Oklahoma. These are lands that were illegally taken from those nations in 1907 …

Patrick Cockburn (2019-10-07). Iraq is in Revolt. counterpunch.org One of the strengths of the protest movement is that it has no leaders but is almost entirely spontaneous, with a wide variety of slogans, but this means the government has nobody to talk to, not that it is trying very hard to negotiate its way out of trouble. Many Iraqis say that it is a mistake to get rid of the government without knowing what will replace it but others argue that things could not be much worse for them and are prepared to take a leap in the dark. More

The Canary (2019-10-07). 16 years on from Western invasion, bloodbath continues in Iraq. thecanary.co Over six days of clashes in Iraq, government forces have killed around a hundred protesters.Authorities have killed 12 anti-government demonstrators as part of the ongoing protests in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the latest fatalities amid unrest that has left more than 100 people dead and thousands injured.Iraq's government has scrambled to contain the popular anger that has convulsed Baghdad and a number of southern cities since Tuesday.Security forces responded with a crackdown on the spontaneous rallies of demonstrators demanding jobs, better services and an end to endemic corruption in the oil-rich country.

Staff (2019-10-07). 18 Years Ago the Endless War in Afghanistan Began. therealnews.com Author and combat veteran Maj. Danny Sjursen and Afghan women's rights activist Fahima Gaheez speak on the tragedy of the longest war, what the past has wrought, and what the future portends.

Al Neal (2019-10-07). Death by overwork: Building trades union demands safety inspections at Tokyo Olympics. peoplesworld.org "The questions is: How many more deaths before they accept our proposals?" said Ambet Yuson, general secretary of the Building and Workers' International Union, following a meeting with officials of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games organizing committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the Japan Sport Council. Yuson continued, saying the BWI has documented four deaths directly …

Vijay Prashad, E. Ahmet Tonak (2019-10-07). What to Expect from Turkey's Coming Invasion of Syria. commondreams.org The SDF is now vulnerable to the full might of the Turkish army. (Photo: James Gordon/cc/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/syria_3.jpeg …

Ruth Milka (2019-10-07). Two women face 110 years in prison for attempting to sabotage the Dakota Access pipeline. nationofchange.org Two Catholic worker activists have been indicted on charges for their efforts to try and stop the Dakota Access pipeline. If found guilty, the women face up to 110 years in prison as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. | Two years ago Ruby Montoya and Jessica Reznicek confessed to acts of sabotage on the Dakota Access pipeline, including damaging pipeline vale sites using a welding torch. The women claimed that the actions were necessary to protect the rivers and waterways that the pipline's construction threatened. According to The Intercept, the woman reported that they had "no choice but to a…

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-07). Iraq Protests: Spontaneous or Made in the USA? globalresearch.ca Time and again, when peaceful protests turn violent in various countries, US dirty hands are involved. | There's no ambiguity about months of protests in Hong Kong, US dirty hands all over them, local elements involved having met with Trump regime …

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-07). US Hostility Toward North Korean Sovereign Independence. Why Talks Go Nowhere. globalresearch.ca The US under both right wings of its war party is militantly hostile toward nations it doesn't control. | It's longstanding aim throughout…

Staff (2019-10-07). Supreme Court Takes First Abortion Rights Case With Kavanaugh on the Bench. truthout.org | | The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday it would hear its first major abortion rights case since Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the bench, in a case challenging a clinic shutdown law in Louisiana. | The case threatens to upend the 2016 decision in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, which struck down parts of a Texas law meant to shut down abortion clinics. It could also affect the ability of clinics and doctors to sue on behalf of their patients to block abortion rights restrictions.

Staff (2019-10-07). Supreme Court Will Decide If Workers Can Be Fired for Being Trans or LGBQ. truthout.org | | On October 8, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether it is legal to fire workers for being trans, and whether it is legal to fire workers for being LGBQ. | Aimee Stephens, a funeral director, lost her job when she told her boss she was a transgender woman. Don Zarda, a sky diving instructor, and Gerald Bostock, an advocate for abused and neglected children, were both fired for being gay…

Larry Romanoff (2019-10-07). Let's Have a Financial Crisis: First, We Need a Central Bank. globalresearch.ca Westerners have been for generations infused with a conviction that a nation's central bank must, under threat of great 'moral hazard', be kept separate and independent of that nation's government. The reasons are unclear, but since this mythology qualifies as …

Paul Antonopoulos (2019-10-07). Pakistan -China -India Relations: Imran Khan's China Visit Meant to Influence President Xi's Upcoming India Meeting. globalresearch.ca Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will arrive in Beijing on Tuesday and he will likely try to coordinate with China over the Kashmir issue to gain strong Chinese backing. It is likely that China will also be asked by Khan …

Azadeh Shahshahani (2019-10-07). U.S. Police are Being Trained by Israel—And Communities of Color Are Paying the Price. progressive.org In recent years, Georgia has experienced troubling trends in fatal police shootings. As this has unfolded, the state continues to pursue a "police exchange" program with the state of Israel.

Hans Stehling (2019-10-07). If 4 Nuclear WMD Are More than Adequate for Israel's Defence — Why Is It Armed with an Estimated 400? globalresearch.ca Because the Israeli government refuses to be a party either to the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or the internationally agreed Chemical Weapons or Biological Weapons Conventions (CWC) (BWC), means that unlike the vast majority of UN Member States including …

Spenser Rapone (2019-10-07). The Inescapable Brutality of the Israeli Occupation. truthdig.com What follows is a conversation between journalist Richard Silverstein and Greg Wilpert of The Real News Network. Read a transcript of their conversation below or watch the video at the bottom of…

teleSUR (2019-10-07). Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas Vows Elections, Talks With Hamas. telesurenglish.net Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would discuss plans for new parliamentary elections with all groups including rival Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas. | ANALYSIS: | How War Criminal Elliott Abrams Orchestrated the 2007 Hamas-Fateh Palestinian Civil War | During a meeting with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah in…

Elijah J. Magnier (2019-10-07). The US-Iran Silent War Is Transformed into an "Iraq Uprising" globalresearch.ca The last four days have shown that the ongoing US-Iran war is acutely affecting the whole region. This is now evident in Iraq where more than 105 people have been killed and thousands wounded in the course of demonstrations that …

WSWS (2019-10-07). Pompeo signs US-Greek military alliance and threatens Iran, Russia, China. wsws.org Aggressive US and European foreign policy is intensifying the risk that great-power conflict over the Balkans and the Middle East can trigger a global war.

Jason Ditz (2019-10-07). US Troops Will Withdraw From Northeast Syria to Avoid Imminent Turkish Invasion. theantimedia.com U.S.-backed forces in Syria said they would "not hesitate to turn any unprovoked attack by Turkey into an all-out war."

Juan Cole (2019-10-07). Trump Is Inviting Genocide in Northern Syria. truthdig.com This piece originally appeared on Informed Comment. | Last week during the visit of the Finnish president, Trump acted out with a journalist, James Mason of Reuters who asked him a simple question. What exactly did Trump want from Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky during the notorious July telephone call? Trump did a bad de Niro impression, asking him, "You talking to me?" And then he browbeat the poor ma…

teleSUR (2019-10-07). US Pulls Troops from Syria as Turkey Prepares Offensive. telesurenglish.net The United States began pulling troops back from the northeast Syria border Monday, opening the way for a Turkish strike on Kurdish-led forces long allied to Washington, in a move U.S. President Donald Trump hailed as a bid to quit "endless wars." | RELATED: | Turkey Will Launch Operation Against Kurdish Forces: Erdogan | The major policy shift, which h…

Staff (2019-10-07). Trump Agrees to Let Turkey Invade Kurdish-Controlled Syrian Area. truthout.org | | U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from northeast Syria as Turkey prepares to invade Kurdish-controlled areas of the country. For years, the Kurds have been close allies to the United States in the fight against ISIS. On Sunday, however, the White House released a statement that surprised many in the region, announcing that Turkey would be "moving forward with its long-planned operation in Northern Syria," following a phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The…

Middle East Eye (2019-10-07). Turkey's Erdogan to Meet Trump in Washington DC to Discuss Syria. theantimedia.com There had been expectations in Turkey of Trump-Erdogan meeting on Syria last month on sidelines of UN General Assembly, but it did not happen.

Andrew Korybko (2019-10-07). India-South Korea Security Cooperation. What Impacts on China? globalresearch.ca The Chinese Communist Party-backed "Global Times" was absolutely correct in publishing an analysis last month warning that "China Should Remain Alert To Indian-South Korean Security Cooperation" because New Delhi is attempting to leverage its newfound military ties with Seoul for …

Juan Cole (2019-10-07). Trump Talks Tough With Journalists But Lets Real Strongmen Like Turkey's Erdogan Walk All Over Him. commondreams.org Trump clearly has signed off on this plan, apparently afraid to take Erdogan on. (Photo: Russian President, cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/erdogan_2.jpeg …

teleSUR (2019-10-07). Afghanistan: 10 Killed in Bomb Attack on Security Recruits. telesurenglish.net A suicide bomb targeted a minibus of recruits for the Afghan security forces in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 27, local government sources said. | The bomb detonated in a rickshaw-like vehicle, Attaullah Khogyani, the spokesman for provincial governor of Nangarhar, said. Casualties included recruits and civilians, including a child, local sources said. | Some of the wounded were in critical condition, Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the Nangarhar provincial council, said. | No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Islamic State group militants have…

Nicolas J S Davies (2019-10-07). Counting the Dead Through the Fog of War in Afghanistan. counterpunch.org During one week in late September, U.S.-led forces killed at least 70 civilians in two incidents in Afghanistan. A U.S. drone strike on September 19th killed at least 30 farmers harvesting pine nuts in Nangarhar province. Then on September 23rd, at least 40 civilians, including women and children, were reported killed in a combined U.S.-Afghan attack on a village in Taliban-controlled More

No Nukes Action (2019-10-07). SF Speak Out At Japan Consulate: Stop Olympics in Fukshima- Defend Fukushima Families. indybay.org Japanese Consulate | 275 Battery St. | San Francisco…

Staff (2019-10-07). "A Backlash Against Our Existence": Laverne Cox Speaks Out on Violence Against Trans Women of Color. democracynow.org At least 19 transgender people have been killed in the United States in 2019 — most of them trans women of color. Last year, there were at least 26 killings of transgender people. The American Medical Association has declared the wave of violence an "epidemic." Laverne Cox, the award-winning transgender actress and longtime trans rights activist, says such violence has long been part of the lives of trans people. "For my entire life as a trans woman, for 21 years, I have been hearing about, witnessing, going to memorials [and] going to Trans Days of Remembrance," she says. Cox says the violence reflects a s…

Staff (2019-10-07). "A Shakespearean Act of Betrayal": Trump Agrees to Let Turkey Invade Kurdish-Controlled Syrian Area. democracynow.org U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from northeast Syria as Turkey prepares to invade Kurdish-controlled areas of the country. For years, the Kurds have been close allies to the United States in the fight against ISIS. On Sunday, however, the White House released a statement that surprised many in the region, announcing that Turkey would be "moving forward with its long-planned operation in Northern Syria," following a phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in that operation, and the United States forces, having…

Staff (2019-10-07). Headlines for October 7, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Orders U.S. Troops to Step Aside for Turkish Assault on Kurdish Forces, 109 Killed and 6,000 Wounded as Anti-Government Protests Rage in Iraq, Second Whistleblower Has Firsthand Knowledge of Trump-Ukraine Scandal, Secretary of State Pompeo Calls Impeachment Inquiry "Silly Gotcha Game", Trump Calls GOP Senator Mitt Romney "Pompous" over Ukraine Rebuke, North Korea Calls Off Denuclearization Talks with the U.S., U.S. Meets with Taliban for First Time Since Trump Canceled Afghan Peace Talks, Israeli Forces Fire on Gaza Protesters, Killing One and Injuring Dozens, Protesters Call for Kavanaugh's Removal One Yea…

RT (2019-10-06). 1 suspect arrested, 1 at large after Kansas City bar shooting kills 4 (PHOTOS, VIDEO). rt.com One man has been arrested following a shooting in a Kansas City bar that killed four people and injured five others. Police say that a second suspect remains at large and should be considered "armed and dangerous". | The incident took place shortly before 1: 30am at the Tequila KC bar on Central Avenue in downtown Kansas City. | A truly heartbreaking moment, a circle of woman hugging one another, crying outside at a bar where 9 people were shot, 4 died in KCK. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/ljiyuIQRuQ—…

James Risen (2019-10-06). Why is the Army Still Honoring Confederate Generals? theintercept.com Photo illustration: Soohee Cho/The Intercept; Photos: National Archives, University of Georgia School of Law, Wikimedia Commons, Library of Congress, Getty Images | In the South in the years before the Civil War, it would have been difficult to find a more zealous advocate for slavery than Henry Lewis Benning. He was a firebrand from Georgia and an early advocate of Southern secession. As his public stature rose, Benning became an increasingly ardent voice for the creation of a pro-slavery Southern republic. He helped draft Georgia's ordinance of secession, which took the state out of the Union just before th…

RT (2019-10-06). 'Biden family was PAID OFF, pure and simple!' Trump in latest rant over Ukrainegate. rt.com Attacking the Bidens, the Democrats and the "fake news" media in one powerful swipe, President Donald Trump has fired a volley of trademark Sunday tweets, calling Joe and Hunter Biden's involvement in Ukraine "inexcusable." | "It is INCREDIBLE to watch and read the Fake News and how they pull out all stops to protect Sleepy Joe Biden and his thrown out of the Military son, Hunter," Trump started out, before launching into a Twitterstorm of seemingly damning facts about the Bidens, Ukraine and China. | He brought up Hunter's "$100,000 a month (Plus,Plus)" income from the Ukrainian gas company Burisma "even thou…

Dr. Hakim (2019-10-06). From Kabul: Youth on the Road to Peace. dissidentvoice.org In September 2019, facing everyday dangers of the war and under constant pressure to view those from other tribes as enemies, young people from each of Afghanistan's 34 provinces gathered for a three day "On the Road to Peace" conference in Kabul. ***** Despite the violent crises which we human beings have created for Afghanistan …

teleSUR (2019-10-06). Jordan Teachers Win Pay Raise After a Month of Strike. telesurenglish.net Jordan's government said Sunday it has reached a pay deal with the teachers union to end a one-month strike, the country's longest public sector strike that disrupted schooling for more than 1.5 million students. | RELATED: | Jordanians Protest Against IMF Austerity, For 'Bread, Dignity and Freedom' | The deal came after the strike threatened a deepening political crisis when the government last week began legal steps against the unions after they rejected pay hikes the…

Juan Cole (2019-10-06). Iraqi Government Teeters as Protest Death Toll Rises to 100, With 4,000 Wounded. commondreams.org Iraqi protesters during clashes amid a demonstration against state corruption, failing public services, and unemployment in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on October 5, 2019. (Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/iraq_protests.jpg …

teleSUR (2019-10-06). 18 Killed in Iraq Overnight, Gov't Issues New Reform Plans. telesurenglish.net At least 18 people were killed in clashes between anti-government protesters and police in Baghdad overnight, according to police and medical sources, as the cabinet tried to appease public anger over corruption and unemployment with a new reform plan. | RELATED: | Dozens of Iraqi Protesters Killed as Demonstrations Intensify | The scale of the protests, in which nearly 100 people have died since Tuesday, has taken the authorities by surprise. Two years after the defeat of the I…

teleSUR (2019-10-06). Chinese State Oil Company Withdraws from $5bn Deal With Iran. telesurenglish.net China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) has pulled out of a US$5 billion deal with Iranian company PetroPars consisting of the development of a portion of Iran's huge offshore natural gas field, the Islamic Republic's Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh announced Sunday. | RELATED: | Iran Foils Foreign-Backed Assassination Plot Against General | "China's CNPC is no longer in the project," the minister said without detailing or presenting any reason to the retraction, which also…

teleSUR (2019-10-06). EU Could Face Refugee Crisis Worst Than 2015: German Gov't. telesurenglish.net Europe may face a new refugee and migrant influx, Germany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Sunday, urging the EU to support Greece and Turkey and to agree on a quota system. | RELATED: | Judge Blocks Trump's Migrant Child Detention Law | "We must do more to help our European partners with controls on the EU external borders. We have left them alone for too long," the minister told German Bild am Sonntag newspaper after visiting Greece and Turkey. | Seehofer, a member of the German co…

RT (2019-10-06). 'I feel like never before': Russian-born LA 'Subway Soprano' gives tearful INTERVIEW after her 1st big stage performance (VIDEO). rt.com 'Subway Soprano' Emily Zamourka, a homeless singer who became a viral sensation overnight, couldn't hold back tears when talking to Ruptly after her first big stage performance. She said she's starting a full-time music career. | Speaking to RT's video agency Ruptly after her performance at the opening of the New Little Italy district in Los Angeles, the Russian-born Zamourka said she felt "like never before in her entire life." She sang an aria from Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini. | I feel this is… my chance of teaching people the real me, who I was the whole time. | It all started with a tweet o…

RT (2019-10-05). 'Shifty Schiff' an anti-semitic slur?! The latest fabricated racism scandal targeting Trump. rt.com Democrats have called President Donald Trump every synonym for "racist" in the book. But if you assume Trump's insults — calling his rivals "shifty," and "savages" — are coded references to Jews, doesn't that make you the racist? | With Adam Schiff leading an impeachment drive against him, Trump has made no secret of his animosity towards the California Democrat, calling him a "shifty," "lowlife" who should be "questioned at the highest level for Fraud & Treason." The president has also turned his anger on fellow impeachment Democrat Jerry Nadler (D-New York) and socialist New York Congresswoman Al…

The Canary (2019-10-05). Johnson 'wrote letter recommending US businesswoman for Tech City job'. thecanary.co Boris Johnson reportedly wrote a letter recommending American businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri for a job as the head of a technology quango when he was mayor of London.Amid a storm over his association with the former model, leaked emails seen by the Sunday Times showed Mr Johnson was listed as a reference in her application for the role at Tech City.Ms Arcuri was said to have been a 27-year-old student at the time of applying for the £100,000 a year job.It is claimed Boris Johnson wrote a job reference for Ms Arcuri (Danny Lawson/PA)In an email leaked to the paper, she allegedly later wrote: "I still have the…

Alexandra Jacobo (2019-10-05). Bloody Outrage: How party politics is obscuring human rights violations in China. nationofchange.org Earlier this year, a United Nations international tribunal concluded that the illegal, widespread, and systematic practice of forced organ harvesting in China is still ongoing. | Despite the overwhelming evidence of China's on-demand killing of prisoners — many of which are members of peaceful groups that the Chinese government has deemed "prisoners of conscience" — the Chinese government has denied the claims. | Such extraordinary acts of violence on hundreds of thousands of victims should be front and center in the media. Unfortunately, it seems party politics in the United States is getting in t…