Libya is Being Torn Apart By Outsiders
Vijay Prashad | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-07
With the United States walking out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)–more commonly known as the Iran accord–we all enter into a heightened zone of danger. Trump is threatening a war on Iran through his statements and tweets, and now by his actions, assassinating serving Iranian and Iraqi generals on Iraqi soil. Assassinations…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/07/libya-is-being-torn-apart-by-outsiders/
Libya is Being Torn Apart By Outsiders
Vijay Prashad | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-07
With the United States walking out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)–more commonly known as the Iran accord–we all enter into a heightened zone of danger. Trump is threatening a war on Iran through his statements and tweets, and now by his actions, assassinating serving Iranian and Iraqi generals on Iraqi soil. Assassinations…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/07/libya-is-being-torn-apart-by-outsiders/
'Protect protesters,' Iraq's top cleric tells security forces
rt.com | 2020-02-07
Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric has called for security forces to protect anti-government protesters. | Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's words came two days after at least eight protesters were killed in the holy southern city of Najaf. They died when followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed a protest site and fired live rounds, AP said. | Sistani, a revered Shiite religious figure whose opinion holds sway over Iraqis, said security forces were "indispensable" and responsible for maintaining law and order. The comments came in his weekly Friday sermon delivered by a representative in Najaf. He di…
rt.com/newsline/480343-protect-protesters-iraq-sistani/
Macron warns that European nations 'cannot remain spectators' in the face of a potential nuclear arms race
rt.com | 2020-02-07
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned of a looming arms race and called for new controls to limit the proliferation of conventional and nuclear weapons. | The French leader, speaking in Paris on Friday, argued that the European Union faces new security challenges following Britain's exit from the bloc. | "Europeans must realize collectively that in the absence of a legal framework, they could rapidly face a new race for conventional weapons, even nuclear weapons, on their own soil," Macron said. He stressed that Europeans "cannot remain spectators" in the face of such threats and urged leaders to create…
rt.com/news/480321-macron-arms-race-europe/
'Of course we are not alone': Russian scientist says we're using wrong tools to hunt for aliens
rt.com | 2020-02-07
A Russian scientist believes that the only way we can finally discover extraterrestrial life is for experts and researchers from different branches to work together. | Alexander Panov, a leading researcher at Moscow State University's Research Institute of Nuclear Physics, has spent many years working on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) at the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Radio Astronomy. | In a recent interview, he laments the lack of interaction between researchers involved in both t…
rt.com/news/480323-humans-not-alone-russian-scientist/
Risk of Nuclear War Rises as US Deploys New Nuke for First Time Since Cold War
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-07
The Federation of American Scientists revealed in late January that the U.S. Navy had deployed for the first time a submarine armed with a low-yield Trident nuclear warhead. The USS Tennessee deployed from Kings Bay Submarine Base in Georgia in late 2019. The W76-2 warhead, which is facing criticism at home and abroad, is estimated to have about a third of the explosive power of the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) call…
truthout.org/video/risk-of-nuclear-war-rises-as-u-s-deploys-new-nuke-for-first-time-since-cold-war/
Risk of Nuclear War Rises as U.S. Deploys a New Nuclear Weapon for the First Time Since the Cold War
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-07
The Federation of American Scientists revealed in late January that the U.S. Navy had deployed for the first time a submarine armed with a low-yield Trident nuclear warhead. The USS Tennessee deployed from Kings Bay Submarine Base in Georgia in late 2019. The W76-2 warhead, which is facing criticism at home and abroad, is estimated to have about a third of the explosive power of the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) called the news "an alarming development that heightens the risk of nuclear war." We're joined by William Arkin, longtime reporter…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/7/us_new_low_yield_nuclear_weapons
Risk of Nuclear War Rises as U.S. Deploys a New Nuclear Weapon for the First Time Since the Cold War
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-07
The Federation of American Scientists revealed in late January that the U.S. Navy had deployed for the first time a submarine armed with a low-yield Trident nuclear warhead. The USS Tennessee deployed from Kings Bay Submarine Base in Georgia in late 2019. The W76-2 warhead, which is facing criticism at home and abroad, is estimated to have about a third of the explosive power of the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) called the news "an alarming development that heightens the risk of nuclear war." We're joined by William Arkin, longtime reporter…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/7/us_new_low_yield_nuclear_weapons
Expansion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Tehran Wants to Build "the Golden Ring"
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-07
BRI-led Eurasian integration processes are one of the defining characteristics of contemporary International Relations, and the Golden Ring could eventually become the centerpiece of these efforts if Ambassador Hosseini's W-CPEC+ proposal succeeds, especially if it's done in parallel with N-CPEC+….
globalresearch.ca/iranian-ambassador-pakistan-wants-build-golden-ring/5703034
CBP Lied About Iranian-American Detentions, Leaked Memo Suggests
Scarlet Kim | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-07
Last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection adamantly denied that it was detaining U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents of Iranian descent and interrogating them about their religion and political views. The agency also assured the public that it had …
globalresearch.ca/cbp-lied-about-iranian-american-detentions-leaked-memo-suggests/5703043
China, Iran and North Korea Are Almost Encircled by 500 US Military Bases
Shane Quinn | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-07
US president Donald Trump's approval ratings, at 49%, are now at their highest ever level since his assumption to office three years ago (1). Trump is a heavy favourite to be re-elected in November, a likelihood which the ever-growing …
globalresearch.ca/china-iran-north-korea-almost-encircled-500-us-military-bases/5702990
Syria: With an Eye on Energy Dominance, Russia is Aligning with Israel Against Iran
Agha Hussain | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-07
In the second of a three-part series, Agha Hussein investigates Russia's financial motivation for teaming up with Israel and wealthy Gulf Arab states to curb Iran's influence in post-war Syria.
mintpressnews.com/syria-energy-dominance-russia-aligning-with-israel-against-iran/264661/
China, Iran and North Korea Are Almost Encircled by 500 US Military Bases
Shane Quinn | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-07
China is ringed by at least 400 of these bases stretching from northern Australia, up through the Pacific, across eastern and central Asia. This encirclement of China involving warships, submarines and bombers, was implemented by president Obama following his announcement in late 2011 of a "pivot" towards Asia.
globalresearch.ca/china-iran-north-korea-almost-encircled-500-us-military-bases/5702990
Iraq Is on the Brink of an Energy Crisis
Simon Watkins | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-07
As the deadline for the U.S. to renew its waiver on Iraq importing gas and electricity from Iran approaches later this month, the three key players in this ongoing geopolitical saga have been preparing for all possible outcomes. As always …
globalresearch.ca/iraq-brink-energy-crisis/5703024
France ready to partner with Europe on nuclear deterrence, says Macron
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-07
President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that France wanted to open a strategic dialogue with its European partners about the role of French nuclear deterrence policy in European security.The overture to Europeans chimes with Macron's insistence that Europe should reinforce its strategic autonomy in the face of growing global threats and stop relying solely on the United States and the transatlantic alliance for its defence.In a much-anticipated speech on French nuclear deterrence, a ritual for every French president under the Fifth Republic, Macron said that European nations who wanted to do so, could be associa…
yenisafak.com/en/world/france-ready-to-partner-with-europe-on-nuclear-deterrence-says-macron-3511500
French president lays out nuclear strategy in address
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-07
French President Emmanuel Macron Friday morning addressed the trainees of military academy outside Paris, as well as the military community, giving a speech on the strategy of defense and deterrence.In what is expected to be a milepost, Macron will address the threats posed by nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea, stepping in proactively to a shifting chess game on the world stage.Macron has earlier raised his concerns on the recent actions of the U.S., as it pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Weapons Treaty last year.With the U.K. now absent from the EU, France rem…
yenisafak.com/en/world/french-president-lays-out-nuclear-strategy-in-address-3511498
Interview: Trump's Nuclear Insecurities and Other Secrets from the Author of "The Bomb"
Fred Kaplan | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-06
In this interview, Bulletin contributing editor Dawn Stover speaks with Fred Kaplan about his just-published book, The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War (Simon & Schuster). Kaplan is a national-security columnist for Slate and the author …
globalresearch.ca/interview-trump-nuclear-insecurities-other-secrets/5702938
America's Newest Proxy Battle Could Spark World War 3
Maj. Danny Sjursen | truthdig.com | 2020-02-06
The Trump administration has put the U.S. on a collision course with Russia in Central Asia. It risks nothing less than a nuclear cataclysm.
truthdig.com/articles/americas-newest-proxy-battle-could-spark-world-war-3/
Refineries Are Spewing Cancer-Causing Benzene as Trump Slashes Enforcement
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-06
On a spring evening in 2018, the sky across the New Orleans metro area lit up with fiery light. Friends and neighbors turned to each other with raised eyebrows, anxiety and dark humor. Did a nuclear bomb go off? Is an asteroid about to fall into Lake Pontchartrain? Is this the end? | We would soon learn from the evening news that a massive fireball had erupted from the aging oil refinery in Chalmette, a community on the Mississippi Rive…
truthout.org/articles/refineries-are-spewing-cancer-causing-benzene-as-trump-slashes-enforcement/
Can the U.S. and Iran Avoid a Disastrous Collision?
Prabir Purkayastha | zcomm.org | 2020-02-06
Source: Independent Media Institute With the United States walking out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)–more commonly known as the Iran accord–we all enter into a heightened zone of danger. Trump is threatening a war on Iran through his statements and tweets, and now by his actions, assassinating serving Iranian and Iraqi generals Read…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/can-the-u-s-and-iran-avoid-a-disastrous-collision/
US Space Force conducts first ICBM launch after Moscow warned of threat of renewed arms race (PHOTOS)
rt.com | 2020-02-05
The newly-created US Space Force has test-fired a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time as Russia blasted it for "lowering the bar" on using nuclear weapons. | The unarmed land-based missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California shortly after midnight on Wednesday. It was the first such development test since the facility became part of the US Space Force, which was established as an independent military branch in late December. The US previously test-fired a missile of this type in October. | The Minuteman missiles are the key component of the US' land-…
rt.com/usa/480132-us-minuteman-icbm-test/
Trump Says War With Iran Was "Closer Than You Thought" Last Month
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-05
Trump told reporters that the U.S. came "closer than you thought" to war with Iran last month.
Trump Says War With Iran Was "Closer Than You Thought" Last Month
ACLU: Trump Is Expanding His Racist Travel Ban, This Time Targeting Africans
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-03
The Trump administration has expanded its contested travel ban to six additional countries
War with Iran Is at Stake–and Democrats' High Jumps Over Low Standards Aren't Helping
Norman Solomon | zcomm.org | 2020-02-02
The huge crisis with Iran is more dangerous because so many Democrats have been talking out of both sides of their mouths…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/war-with-iran-is-at-stake-and-democrats-high-jumps-over-low-standards-arent-helping/
War Crimes Against Iran
Marjorie Cohn | zcomm.org | 2020-02-02
Trump has already committed the crime of aggression against Iran…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/war-crimes-against-iran/
Israel has played a key role in US aggression towards Iran
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-01
Before the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, Israel played a key and overlooked role in the Trump administration's aggression campaign against…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/01/israel-has-played-a-key-role-in-us-aggression-towards-iran/
Headlines for January 31, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-31
Senate Poised to Acquit President Trump in Impeachment Trial, World Health Organization Declares International Public Health Emergency, U.S. Special Envoy Warns of International Crisis in Idlib, Syria, Britain Formally Withdrawing from European Union Tonight, Pentagon Deploys 1st Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead-Armed Submarine, Trump Admin Poised to Loosen Restrictions on Use of Landmines, Human Rights Groups Condemn Mexico for Crackdown on Central American Migrants, Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Found Dead, Bolivia's Movement for Socialism Candidate Luis Arce Returns to Bolivia, U.S. Pushes EU to End Ban on Chemic…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/31/headlines
House Votes to Rein in Trump's Iran War Powers While Ending Endless Wars
Jon Rainwater | peaceaction.org | 2020-01-31
Washington, D.C.
East LA demands: "No war against Iran"
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-01-31
Los Angeles, CA – On January 25, protesters joined together at the U.S. Marine recruitment center to demand "No war against Iran!" The event was organized by the 50th Chicano Moratorium Organizing Committee and was part of a day of action across the U.S. against war with Iran. | The largest Chicano Moratorium happened on August 29, 1970 in which 30,000 Chicanos marched through East Los Angeles (ELA) to demand an end of the Vietnam War and against the draft. The protest was met with heavy repression from the sheriffs, and hundreds were arrested and three left dead, including Chicano journalist Ruben Salazar. | Pr…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/1/31/east-la-demands-no-war-against-iran
US government censorship? Social media giants disappear accounts of Iranian and Venezuelan academics, journalists
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-01-30
Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks with Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. Professor Marandi's Facebook and Instagram…
thegrayzone.com/2020/01/30/social-media-giants-disappear-popular-iranian-venezuelan-accounts/
US government censorship? Social media giants disappear accounts of Iranian and Venezuelan academics, journalists
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-01-30
Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks with Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. Professor Marandi's Facebook and Instagram…
thegrayzone.com/2020/01/30/social-media-giants-disappear-popular-iranian-venezuelan-accounts/
Pentagon Now Says 50 US Troops Suffered Brain Injuries in Iran's Missile Strike
Tyler Durden | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-29
Hours after the attack, President Trump had announced that "no Americans were harmed."
Pentagon Now Says 50 US Troops Suffered Brain Injuries in Iran's Missile Strike
Gregory Shupak on Iran Assassination, Brett Hartl on Biodiversity Loss
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2020-01-10
Media…
fair.org/home/gregory-shupak-on-iran-assassination-brett-hartl-on-biodiversity-loss/
In the ongoing crisis, Congress must rein in Trump's war powers
Jon Rainwater | peaceaction.org | 2020-01-08
As we feared, President Trump's reckless assassination of Iran's Gen. Soleimani resulted in escalation