Daily Archives: October 27, 2020

2020-10-27: News Headlines

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-27). Iranian amb. submits credential to Zimbabwean president. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 27 (MNA) — Iran's new ambassador to Harare submitted his credentials to Zimbabwean President Emerson Mnangagwa.

Al Carroll (2020-10-27). Trump's Body Count: Failed Brutal Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. indybay.org

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…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-27). Iranian envoy submits credentials to Yemeni Foreign Minister. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 27 (MNA) — Iran's new ambassador to Yemen submitted a copy of his credentials to the Foreign Minister of the Yemeni National Salvation Government.

Staff (2020-10-27). Headlines for October 27, 2020. democracynow.org Amy Coney Barrett Sworn In, Giving SCOTUS Heavy Conservative Majority Ahead of Pivotal Cases, SCOTUS Rules Wisconsin Cannot Count Ballots Received After Election Day, Surging COVID-19 Cases Trigger Curfews; Doctors Say 800,000 Children Have Been Infected, China Testing 5 Million People After One Asymptomatic Case in Xinjiang, New Lockdowns in Germany, Mask Orders in Russia as COVID-19 Cases Surge, Oxford Vaccine Shows Promising Results as New Data Suggests Antibodies in Recovered Cases Don't Last, U.S. Imposes Harsh New Sanctions on Iranian Oil, Airstrikes Kill Dozens at Training Camp in Idlib, Syria, Explosion a…

Robert Fantina (2020-10-27). The June 2018 Arrest in Germany of Iranian Diplomat Assadollah Assadi. Violation of International Law? globalresearch.ca In June of 2018, Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi was arrested in Germany on his way back to Vienna. He has been accused of involvement in a plot to bomb a rally of supporters of the People's Mojahedin Organization (MEK), a …

Elijah J. Magnier (2020-10-26). The US Proposed a Partial Withdrawal and Ease in Sanctions, Damascus Rejected the Offer. globalresearch.ca Damascus confirmed the visit of President Donald Trump's Special envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and Senior Director for Counterterrorism Kash Patel to Syria and their meeting with the Syrian Director of the National Security Ali Mamluk (sanctioned by the …

Vijay Prashad (2020-10-26). Argentina's Veteran Ambassador Makes a Stand for the Sovereignty of Latin America. counterpunch.org Alicia Castro does not shy away from her views. She came to diplomacy from the trade union movement, where she was a leader when she was a flight attendant with Aerolíneas Argentinas. Castro spent eight years as a member of parliament in the Argentine National Congress, where she fought for the rights of working people.

Adeyinka Makinde (2020-10-26). Recep Erdogan: Turkey's Meddlesome and Mischievious Neo-Ottoman Sultan. globalresearch.ca Turkish President Recep Erdogan's recent comments regarding his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron's mental state has led to the recall of the French ambassador from Ankara. His assertion that Macron was "in need of mental health treatment" was not his first …

yenisafak (2020-10-26). Russian airstrike targets Syrian opposition in Idlib. yenisafak.com Several people were reportedly killed in a Russian airstrike on the Al-Sham Legion of the Syrian National Army in Idlib province on Monday, according to opposition sources. | The sources told the Anadolu Agency that a Russian fighter jet violated the ceasefire and bombed the village of Al-Duwailah, in western Idlib province. | The sources pointed out that the attack resulted in a large number of deaths and injuries. | In May 2017, Turkey, Russia and Iran announced that they had reached an agreement to establish a de-escalation zone in Idlib, as part of the Astana talks on Syria. | Despite subsequent understandin…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-26). Turkey's Erdogan calls on citizens to boycott French goods. middleeasteye.net Turkey's Erdogan calls on citizens to boycott French goods | Turkey's leader continues sharp criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron over his attitude towards Muslims | Mon, 10/26/2020 – 12: 31 | Turkey and France have been at odds over issues including Syria and Libya, maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (AFP) | Turkish President Rece…

WSWS (2020-10-26). France recalls ambassador to Turkey over Turkish criticisms of law on Islam. wsws.org The recalling of an ambassador is the most serious gesture taken between states short of a complete breakdown of diplomatic relations and war.

yenisafak (2020-10-26). 'Denial of right to self-determination cause of Kashmir dispute'. yenisafak.com Pakistan's ambassador to Turkey has said that the UN Security Council holding three meetings on Kashmir since Aug. 5, 2019 negates the Indian notion that the disputed region is its "internal matter." Last August, the Indian government revoked special provisions of Articles 370 and 35A from its Constitution, scrapping the country's only Muslim-majority state with its nominal autonomy.As a party to the dispute, ambassador Syrus Sajjad Qazi says Pakistan will continue to fulfill its obligations.Anadolu Agency interviewed him ahead of Oct. 27 — the day Indian armed forces entered the disputed Himalayan region in 194…

Simon Hooper (2020-10-26). Families demand repatriation of all foreign nationals from Syrian camps. middleeasteye.net Families demand repatriation of all foreign nationals from Syrian camps | Western governments facing mounting legal challenges with thousands of young children among those still stranded in Kurdish-controlled camps | Mon, 10/26/2020 – 13: 00 | Girls play with a bicycle in a section of al-Hol camp for foreign families in January 2020 (AFP) | Western governments are facing growing pressure to repatriate…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-26). Russian air strikes kill dozens of Turkey-backed rebels in Syria's Idlib. middleeasteye.net Russian air strikes kill dozens of Turkey-backed rebels in Syria's Idlib | Sources told MEE that Idlib hospitals were calling for blood donations, while other fighters were transported to Turkey | Mon, 10/26/2020 – 11: 13 | Turkish officials fear Russia is laying the groundwork to overrun Idlib and take control of the last rebel-held area in Syria (AFP) | Russian air strikes killed dozens…

RT (2020-10-26). Turkish F-16s in Azerbaijan are not currently involved in fighting but will be used if there is 'foreign aggression,' says Baku. rt.com Azerbaijan will use Turkish F-16 fighter jets to defend itself from "foreign aggression," President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday, insisting that the planes were in the country prior to the recent fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. | F-16s are supersonic fighter aircraft built in the US by Lockheed Martin. In recent years, the jets have been used extensively, by Ankara, in battles with Kurdish insurgents, as well as in the Syrian Civil War. Famously, in 2015, a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 near the Syrian-Turkish border. | According to Aliyev, the planes are currently sitting idle in Azerbaijan and…

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…

_____ (2020-10-26). Chomsky: OPCW Cover-Up of Syria Probe Is 'Shocking'. strategic-culture.org Noam Chomsky says that the OPCW's cover-up, under US pressure, of a Syria chemical weapons probe raises "very severe suspicions." | Aaron MATÉ | In his first public comments on the OPCW's Syria cover-up scandal, Noam Chomsky criticizes the chemical watchdog for suppressing, under US pressure, evidence that undermined the pretext for the US-led bombing of Syria in April 2018. The censorship recently extended to the UN Security Council, where the US, UK, and France blocked former OPCW Director General José Bustani from testifying in support of the inspectors whose findings were kept from the public. | "What happene…

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…

Ricardo Vaz (2020-10-25). Venezuelan Hard Right Opposition Leader Leopoldo Lopez Flees to Spain. venezuelanalysis.com Lopez had been in the Spanish Ambassador's residence after escaping house arrest.

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.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-10-25). [UPDATED] Venezuelan Hard Right Opposition Leader Leopoldo Lopez Flees to Spain. venezuelanalysis.com Lopez had been in the Spanish Ambassador's residence after escaping house arrest.

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, …

_____ (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…

RT (2020-10-24). Ethiopia denounces Trump for INCITING WAR by saying Egypt will 'BLOW UP' disputed Blue Nile dam project. rt.com US President Donald Trump's comment that Egypt will "blow up" a disputed dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile has sparked an outcry in Addis Ababa, where the government is calling the statement an "incitement to war." | Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew summoned US Ambassador Michael Raynor for clarification on Saturday, a day after Trump spoke in the Oval Office about Ethiopia's $4.6 billion hydroelectric dam project. | Also on rt.com | | The project has cr…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-24). Renaissance Dam: Ethiopia summons US ambassador over Trump's 'incitement of war'. middleeasteye.net Renaissance Dam: Ethiopia summons US ambassador over Trump's 'incitement of war' | Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says his country 'will not cave in to aggressions of any kind' | Sat, 10/24/2020 – 11: 54 | The Renaissance Dam in Guba, Ethiopia, is at the centre of a dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over shares of the Nile water (AFP/file photo) | Ethiopia on Saturday summoned the US am…

yenisafak (2020-10-24). Turkey's top diplomat marks 75th UN Day. yenisafak.com Turkey's foreign minister on Saturday extended greetings on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations."Congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. Proud that Ambassador Volkan Bozkir is president of the UN General Assembly at this moment," Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter.Oct. 24 is observed worldwide as United Nations Day to mark the founding of the global body in 1945.In September, Bozkir became the first Turk to assume presidency of the UN General Assembly and will hold…

sputniknews (2020-10-24). France Recalls Its Ambassador to Turkey as Erdogan Claims Macron Needs 'Mental Checks'. sputniknews.com The development follows Turkish President Erdogan's harsh reaction towards new measures that his French counterpart announced in response to the beheading of a school teacher by a Muslim refugee for showing Prophet Muhammad cartoons to pupils in a Paris suburb.

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 …

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…

Ahmad Salah (2020-10-23). Syrian Refugees Have Become a Tool of Duplicitous Politics. globalresearch.ca Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria the issue of Syrian refugees and internally displace has been the subject of countless articles and reports with international humanitarian organizations and countries involved in the Syrian conflict shifting responsibility for the …

Elijah Magnier (2020-10-23). Lebanon politics- Saad Hariri, next Prime Minister. thealtworld.com Elijah Magnier speaks with PressTV about designation of ex-PM Saad Hariri as next Lebanon PM…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-23). Anti-Iran moves won't go unanswered: FM spox. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (MNA) — Stating that Iran has imposed sanctions on the US ambassador to Iraq and a number of other officials involved in the assassination of Martyr Soleimani, Khatibzadeh said that anti-Iran moves won't go unanswered.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-23). FM releases statement on blacklisting of US diplomats in Iraq. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (MNA) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Friday statement, announced sanctions on a number of US authorities including the country's ambassador to Baghdad.