Daily Archives: August 12, 2020

2020-08-12: News Headlines

_____ (2020-08-12). Twitter Spreads Paid U.S. Gov't Propaganda While Falsely Claiming It Bans State Media Ads. strategic-culture.org Twitter says it bans ads from state-affiliated media outlets. However, US government propaganda organs like Voice of America's VOA Persian pay the social media corporation huge sums of money to spread disinformation against Iran and other foreign adversaries. | Ben NORTON | Twitter has demonstrated a clear, consistent bias in favor of the US government and its geopolitical interests. The social media giant has also repeatedly lied about its policies on state-backed media outlets. | Twitter unveiled a new feature on August 6 that labels government-affiliated media on the platform. Users immediately pointed out…

Melvin Goodman (2020-08-12). Trump's War On Arms Control and Disarmament. counterpunch.org Seventy-five years ago, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 Japanese and injuring another 100,000. The great fires that raged in each city consumed many of the bodies. If ever there was a visceral force for promoting a world free of nuclear arms, it should be the memory

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Iran COVID-19 update: 2,510 cases, 188 deaths. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry announced 2,510 new cases of infection with the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, putting the total number of cases in the country at 333,699.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Sidelines of Cabinet meeting. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — On the sidelines of the Cabinet meeting, some of the Iranian ministers and officials answered reporters' questions on Wednesday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Police seize 460 kg of narcotics in SE Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — The police force of Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province have seized 460 kg of illicit drugs in Saravan County.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). US clings personal position of PGCC's SG 'regional consensus'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the United States, in desperation, calls the position of the Secretary General of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) as 'regional consensus'.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). 'Inner Love' goes to Italian film festival's final. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Iranian short 'Inner Love' has made it into the final stage of the 8th edition of Spi Stories Film Festival in Italy.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). IRGC, Army commanders hold seasonal meeting. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — High-ranking commanders of the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guard Crops held a seasonal meeting on Wednesday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Qatar says stances of PGCC Sec. Gen. not of council members. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Qatari special envoy Majed Al-Qahtani said that the stances of the Secretary-General of the PGCC Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf about the extension of Iran's arms embargo can not be generalized to other council members.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Iran to set up pavilion at Chinese high-tech. fair. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) — Iranian knowledge-based companies are planning to set up a pavilion at 22nd edition of China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF), which is going to be held on November 11 to 15 at Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Shenzhen, China.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). 'Driving Lessons' wins at Beirut Intl. Women Film Festival. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Iranian Short 'Driving Lessons' has won at Beirut International Women Film Festival.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Iran symbol of power in region: Brig. Gen. Heidari. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces said that Islamic Republic of Iran is a symbol of power in the region and the Global Arrogance must leave the West Asia.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Zarif says US determines EU's trade partners not Union itself. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Criticizing the EU's dependency on the US, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that this is the United States Department of the Treasury that determines EU's trade partners, not Europe itself.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Iranian documentary wins at Ierapetra filmfest of Greece. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Mahmoud Reza's documentary 'Kiarostami and His Missing Cane' has won an award at the 2020 edition of Ierapetra International Documentary Film Festival in Greece.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). FAO supplies Iran with more desert locust equipment. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — FAO delivers two more consignments of desert locust control equipment and materials to Iran to further enhance national technical capacity to prevent and decrease the damages caused by this migratory pest.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Parliament's open session on Wed. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) — Iranian lawmakers held an open session on Wednesday and did not give the vote of confidence to Hossein Modarres Khiabani as the new industry minister.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Police dismantle 3 drug-smuggling bands in Tehran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — According to Tehran's Police Chief, the anti-narcotics police of the province have dismantled three drug-smuggling gangs and seized over 2 tons of illicit drugs in the Iranian capital during separate operations.

_____ (2020-08-12). Remembering Hiroshima And Nagasaki By Shutting Down A Nuclear Base. popularresistance.org At around 6: 45 AM on Monday, demonstrators arrived at the Main Gate and formed a vigil line along the roadway. At around 7: 05 AM, four "peacekeepers" entered the roadway and stopped traffic, while behind them, six demonstrators set themselves and their banners on the roadway. | Three of the demonstrators carried a banner stating, "Hiroshima Nagasaki Never Again!" Two demonstrators held a blue painted banner stating, "No More Genocide in My Name." One demonstrator carried a banner, "Peace Walk Nuclear-Free World, Black Lives Matter."

yenisafak (2020-08-12). Coronavirus deaths rise to almost 19,000 in Iran. yenisafak.com As many as 188 new coronavirus-related fatalities have raised the death toll in Iran to 18,988, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.A total of 2,510 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, pushing the tally to 333,699, according to ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari.She said more than 290,244 patients have recovered so far, while 3,940 are hospitalized in critical condition.Since appearing in China last December, the virus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.More than 20.3 mil…

Manlio Dinucci (2020-08-12). What Is Italy Doing for Nuclear Disarmament? globalresearch.ca On the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, reiterated that "Italy strongly supports the goal of a world free from nuclear weapons." He was echoed by the …

South Front (2020-08-11). Video: Chaos in Lebanon, Marked by Start of New Round of Israeli-Iranian Standoff. globalresearch.ca The explosion in the port of Beirut in early August that caused thousands of casualties became a trigger point for the further development of the already existing crisis in Lebanon. | In the following week days after the August 4 explosion, …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-11). Don't Stigmatise the Nuke! Opponents of the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty. dissidentvoice.org It would seem a logical step, at least from an existential perspective: to ban something so utterly horrendous to life; to forbid its use in any circumstances, whatever rationale employed to justify its use. But the nuclear weapon has its admirers. There are those who continue to worship its sovereign properties, and those who leave …

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Extending arms embargo on Iran lacks legal basis. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — A Chinese diplomat at the UN said that extending the Arms Embargo on Iran in whatever form lacks legal basis and will undermine efforts to preserve the Nuclear Deal.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Beirut Blast, chance for great unity in Lebanon. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — Leaving a note in the memorial notebook of Lebanon, an Iranian politician considered the threat caused by the recent blast in Beirut as an opportunity for reaching a great unity among the diverse Lebanese nation.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Regional states should strengthen coop. in combating COVID19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — Iranian Minister of Health Saeed Namaki held talks with WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmed Al-Mandhari on the expansion of regional cooperation in the fight against coronavirus via videoconference.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Saudi Arabia abusing old regulatory gap in IAEA: Mousavi. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said that Saudi Arabia continues to refuse to accept IAEA inspections, despite currently pursuing a comprehensive nuclear program.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Iran, Russia discuss on broadening bilateral media coop. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA)- Spokespersons of Iranian and Russian Foreign Ministry discussed about ways to expand bilateral cooperation in the field of media and to counter unrealistic atmosphere created by western states through video conference on Tue.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Over 331K people infected by COVID-19, death toll at 18,800. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — Iran's Health Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that 184 more Iranians have died from coronavirus (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours, bringing the total deaths to 18,800.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Iran exports $153.7mn worth of dairies in four months: IRICA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said that the country exported $153.7 million worth of dairy products in the first four months of the current year (from March 21 to July 22).

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Iran's Intelligence Min. arrests five spy teams. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — Deputy Counterintelligence Ministry of Intelligence said that forces of the ministry nabbed five intelligence teams of foreign countries and thwarted their conspiracies waged against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Stock market beats housing sector in attracting liquidity. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — In the first four months of the current Iranian year (March 21-July 21), the Iranian stock market could attract 840bn rials ($3.7mn) of liquidity beating its rival, the housing sector, which absorbed 600bn rials ($2.6mn).

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Police bust over 750kg of opium in southeastern Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) — Police forces of the Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran, have busted a big haul of opium in Iranshahr, weighing over 750 kilograms.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Iran to continue efforts to produce COVID-19 vaccine strongly. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that efforts to produce coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccine and drugs will continue vigorously until the final result is achieved.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Honey extraction in Daryan, NW Iran. en.mehrnews.com DARYAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — Some 15.025 tons of honey are produced per annum from 1,391,679 hives in East Azarbaijan Province, northwest Iran. The images show the process of honey extraction in Daryan Village in Shabestar County.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). 3rd Iranian film week opens in Japan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) — The third Iranian Film Week opened in Japan on Monday and was welcomed by a large number of Japanese enthusiasts on the first day.

_____ (2020-08-11). If Trump Wins, Russia Did It, If Biden Wins, It Was China And Iran. popularresistance.org Mass media throughout the western world are uncritically passing along a press release from the US intelligence community because that's what passes for journalism in a world where God is dead and everything is stupid. | The press release, from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and authored by National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina, claims that Russia wants Donald Trump to win re-election in November and is pushing to advance than goal, while China and Iran are doing the same with Joe Biden. What this completely unsubstantiated narrative means, of course, is th…

_____ (2020-08-11). 75 Anniversary of the Nuclear Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. strategic-culture.org 2020 marks the 75 anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The United States still remains the only nation to use atomic weapons on its enemies. But was incinerating untold numbers of Japanese really necessary? The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a political act to begin the Cold War, deliberately carried out by American leaders to assert U.S. hegemony. Watch the video and read more in the Editorial article.

Staff (2020-08-11). Is Trump Hoping Warmongering Against Iran Will Help Him Win the Election? truthout.org Was Donald Trump's January 3rd

Bob Dreyfuss (2020-08-11). Will October Surprise Be Trump-Provoked War With Iran? commondreams.org "Consider it beyond irony if, this October," writes Dreyfuss, "the latest election 'surprise' were to take us back to the very origins of the term in the form of some kind of armed conflict that could only end terribly for everyone involved." (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/no-war_with_iran_0.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-08-11). Progressive Groups Pressure Biden and Trump to Include Nuclear Disarmament in Campaign Platforms. commondreams.org "The United States urgently needs a leader who will have the courage to look at, think hard about, and speak openly about the dire perils posed by our country's vast nuclear arsenal." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/cropped-gettyimages-871194038_0_0.jpg

commondreams (2020-08-11). Coalition of Organizations Call on Presidential Candidates to Incorporate Nuclear Disarmament in Campaign Platforms. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Manlio Dinucci (2020-08-11). Cosa fa l'Italia per il disarmo nucleare? globalresearch.ca Nel 75 ∞ anniversario del bombardamento atomico di Hiroshima e Nagasaki, il presidente della Repubblica Sergio Mattarella ha ribadito che ´l'Italia sostiene con forza l'obiettivo di un mondo libero da armi nucleari ª. Gli ha fatto eco il presidente della Commissione Difesa …

Alan MacLeod (2020-08-10). Trump Appoints Disgraced Iran-Contra Hawk Elliott Abrams as Iran Envoy. globalresearch.ca Activists, the UN, and even mainstream news outlets expressed dismay at the Trump administration's decision to appoint regime-change champion Elliot Abrahams to the role of Special Representative for Iran. | *** | The Trump administration has appointed disgraced neoconservative hawk Elliott …

Ben Norton (2020-08-10). Twitter spreads paid US gov't propaganda while falsely claiming it bans state media ads. thegrayzone.com Twitter says it bans ads from state-affiliated media outlets. However, US government propaganda organs like Voice of America's VOA Persian…

Medea Benjamin (2020-08-10). Elliott Abrams' Appointment as the Next U.S. Special Representative for Iran. Spells Disaster. globalresearch.ca The appointment of Elliott Abrams to replace Brian Hook as the next U.S. Special Representative for Iran is another low point for the Trump administration's disastrous policy towards Iran. The dangerous conflict resulting from Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement …

Jane Green (2020-08-10). Worker's death sparks historic oil and gas strike in Iran. peoplesworld.org

Bill Hackwell and Alicia Jrapko (2020-08-10). US: Crimes against Humanity at Home and Abroad. dissidentvoice.org Photo Credit: Albert Eisenstaedt This month marks the second year since former President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, announced to the world a campaign promoted by a group of Latin American writers and academics to declare August 9 as International Day of US Crimes against Humanity. Appropriately the day is to remember the second nuclear bomb …

WSWS (2020-08-10). Iranian oil workers mount wave of strikes as COVID-19 rages across the country. wsws.org According to reports, at least 10,000 workers have participated in walkouts at nearly 30 oil and petrochemical facilities, including the Abadan, Parsian and Qeshm refineries.

news.un (2020-08-10). Young people have a major role to play in ridding the world of nuclear weapons. news.un.org Nuclear weapons are still one of the most serious threats to mankind, and the dangers are growing. Young people can play an important role in ensuring that they are eliminated once and for all, says the UN's top disarmament official, ahead of International Youth Day on 12 August.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-10). "Hormuz Peace Endeavor" can only be sustained strategically. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 10 (MNA) — Professor Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Chair of the Centre for Iranian Studies at the London Middle East Institute believes that "The "Hormuz Peace Endeavour" can only be sustained strategically.