Politics & environs articles 2020

[umbertino]

Fox host blames ‘deep state’ for Bannon arrest – Bannon says that's for 'nut cases'

 

Lou Dobbs claims ‘the deep state launched agents’ to arrest Trump’s ex-adviser, who pleaded not guilty to fraud charge

 

Martin Pengelly

Fri 21 Aug 2020 13.58 BST Last modified on Fri 21 Aug 2020 14.18 BST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/21/steve-bannon-lou-dobbs-deep-state-conspiracy-theory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexei Navalny's wife asks Putin to let him be treated in Germany

 

Letter appeals to Russian leader after doctors refuse to allow Kremlin critic to leave country

 

Andrew Roth in Moscow and Graham Russell

Fri 21 Aug 2020 13.54 BST

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/21/alexei-navalny-plane-leaves-germany-to-transport-putin-critic-after-suspected-poisoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belarus's struggle is a powerful reminder of the value of freedom

 

However uncertain the road ahead, these protests show how authoritarianism ultimately subverts itself

 

Fri 21 Aug 2020 07.00 BST Last modified on Fri 21 Aug 2020 12.11 BST

Timothy Garton Ash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/21/belarus-freedom-protests

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The coup in Mali is an ominous sign for Francophone west Africa

 

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta abused his position as president – but his ousting further destabilises an already volatile region

 

Fri 21 Aug 2020 10.41 BST

Rahmane Idrissa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/21/coup-mali-ominous-francophone-west-africa-ibrahim-boubacar-keita-ibk

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexei Navalny: a muckraking irritant to powerful Russians

 

The opposition leader who is in a coma after a suspected poisoning is known for his blockbuster investigations

 

Andrew Roth in Moscow

Fri 21 Aug 2020 04.00 BST

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/21/alexei-navalny-a-muckraking-irritant-to-powerful-russians

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Millions of Americans scrape by after benefits expire: 'I lost everything'

 

Americans struggle to survive after $600 unemployment benefits expire and are left to rely on state benefits while waiting on Trump’s reduced federal benefits of $400 a week

 

Michael Sainato

Thu 20 Aug 2020 11.00 BST Last modified on Thu 20 Aug 2020 21.11 BST

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/20/americans-struggle-to-survive-after-unemployment-benefits-expire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[umbertino]

Alexei Navalny to be flown to Germany for suspected poisoning treatment

 

Doctors treating Navalny permit hospital discharge after tense standoff with family

 

Andrew Roth in Moscow

Fri 21 Aug 2020 19.05 BST

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/21/alexei-navalny-to-be-flown-to-germany-for-suspected-poisoning-treatment

 

Good...At last

[umbertino]

 

Joe Biden’s full speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention

 

 

 

 

 

[umbertino]

From Washington to Minsk, democracy is under siege ... and losing the battle

 

The supposed triumph of western liberal values in the 1990s – the ‘end of history’ – now rings hollow indeed

 

Sun 23 Aug 2020 07.27 BST Last modified on Mon 24 Aug 2020 09.18 BST

Simon Tisdall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/23/from-washington-to-minsk-democracy-is-under-siege-and-losing-the-battle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bolsonaro tells journalist he would 'like to smash your face in' over corruption claims

 

Response came after Brazil’s president was asked a question about mystery payments to his wife

 

Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent

Mon 24 Aug 2020 02.54 BST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/24/bolsonaro-tells-journalist-he-would-like-to-smash-their-face-in-over-corruption-claims

 

Class ain't water....What a fantastic president.......

 

 

[umbertino]

Bolsonaro’s attempt to shut down debate over mystery payments backfires

 

After Brazilian president threatens journalist over questions about family’s financial dealings, reporters flood social media with the same question

 

Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent

Mon 24 Aug 2020 21.14 BST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/24/jair-bolsonaro-threat-journalist-backfires-social-media

[umbertino]

Kremlin rejects accusations Putin was involved in suspected poisoning of Alexei Navalny

 

Russian opposition critic remains in a coma in hospital in Berlin

 

Andrew Roth in Moscow

Tue 25 Aug 2020 13.20 BST

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/25/kremlin-rejects-accusations-putin-involved-alexei-navalny-suspected-poisoning

[umbertino]

It may seem Putin controls the Russian state personally. The reality is more dangerous

 

Alexei Navalny’s suspected poisoning sheds light on Russia’s complex power structures

 

Tue 25 Aug 2020 14.34 BST Last modified on Tue 25 Aug 2020 14.41 BST

Yana Gorokhovskaia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/25/alexei-navalny-putin-russian-activist-russia

[umbertino]

Dollar back in Cuba as pandemic and US sanctions hammer economy

 

The communist government has been forced to allow citizens to spend US currency at special shops, formalising a split between haves and have-nots

 

Ed Augustin in Havana

Tue 18 Aug 2020 10.00 BST Last modified on Tue 18 Aug 2020 14.43 BST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/18/cuba-dollar-stores-coronavirus

 

 

[umbertino]

German FM: A 'spark could lead to disaster' in eastern Med

 

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Germany's foreign minister appealed Tuesday for a de-escalation of tension in the eastern Mediterranean between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, warning that “any spark, however small, could lead to a disaster.”

 

August 25, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.mail.com/int/news/europe/10128216-german-fm-spark-lead-to-disaster-eastern-med.html

[umbertino]

QAnon explained: the antisemitic conspiracy theory gaining traction around the world

 

The visibility of the online movement has surged as a supporter appears headed to Congress and Trump fails to debunk claims

 

Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco

Tue 25 Aug 2020 20.36 BST

 

 

 

 

Conspiracy theorist QAnon demonstrators on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, on 22 August

Photograph: Kyle Grillot/AFP/Getty Images

 

 

 

 

 

 

More pics

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/25/qanon-conspiracy-theory-explained-trump-what-is

[umbertino]

Belarus protests: Putin ready to send Lukashenko military support

 

Kremlin says reinforcements will be dispatched if standoff with demonstrators escalates

 

Shaun Walker Central and eastern Europe correspondent

Thu 27 Aug 2020 14.42 BST Last modified on Thu 27 Aug 2020 15.05 BST

 

 

Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin during a 2019 meeting in Sochi

Photograph: Reuters

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/27/belarus-protests-putin-ready-to-send-lukashenko-military-support

 

B on b...Blonde on blonde?...No...Bastard on bastard....Dictators and murderers

 

 

 

[umbertino]

The FBI warned for years that police are cozy with the far right. Is no one listening?

 

I was an FBI agent who infiltrated white supremacists. Too many local police don’t take the far right seriously – or actively sympathize

 

Fri 28 Aug 2020 13.47 BST Last modified on Fri 28 Aug 2020 16.45 BST

Mike German

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/28/fbi-far-right-white-supremacists-police

 

 

Well...FWIW ...Here in Italy ....In the past ( 60's / 70's / 80's ) during the left-wing / right-wing terrorism years ....It turned out ( unfortunately) that  many times right-wing terrorists ( specialized in massacres / bomb attacks / killing many folks at random while left-wing terrorists  would target single individuals for whatever reason...Don't get me wrong...Always horrible acts of violence of course) were in cahoots with police and secret service big shots for various reasons ( one being masking the right-wing bombings as  left-wing, anarchist attacks in order to accuse  the latter and justify a possible right-wing coup d'etat for changing things).......No comment

 

Edited August 28, 2020 by umbertino

[umbertino]

'DemExit': virtual convention aims to create US leftwing alternative

 

The Movement for a People’s Party believes Democrats and Republicans will always choose profits over people, and 12,000 have signed up to hear more

 

David Smith in Washington

Sat 29 Aug 2020 09.00 BST

 

 

The Harvard professor and activist Cornel West backed Bernie Sanders’ two presidential campaigns but doubts the Democratic party will ever be a serious force for change

Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/29/demexit-peoples-convention-leftwing-alternative-democrats-republicans

[umbertino]

Berlin minister 'deeply regretful' over far-right Reichstag standoff

 

Andreas Geisel condemns ‘shameful’ scenes at rally against Covid restrictions

 

Kate Connolly in Berlin

Mon 31 Aug 2020 14.12 BST

 

 

 

 

 

Vid

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/31/berlin-minister-regretful-reichstag-covid-standoff-far-right-covid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Racism investigation after French magazine shows black MP as slave

 

Prosecutors’ inquiry follows outcry over images of Danièle Obono in Valeurs Actuelles

 

Agence France-Presse in Paris

Mon 31 Aug 2020 15.35 BST

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/31/racism-investigation-after-french-magazine-black-mp-slave-daniele-obono-valeurs-actuelles

 

[umbertino]

Turkey: Lawyer Ebru Timtik loses life on 238th day of her death fast demanding fair trial

 

 

August 27 2020 9:43 pm (+03)

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.duvarenglish.com/human-rights/2020/08/27/lawyer-ebru-timtik-loses-her-life-on-238th-day-of-her-death-fast/

 

 Turkey is a NATO member and tried for years to be part of EU ...Unsuccessfully ( till now) ...Thank God

[umbertino]

Black power: the fists and the fury that shook America – and inspired generations

 

Fifty-two years after Tommie Smith and John Carlos used the Olympic podium to protest against racial injustice, a new documentary examines the legacy of the gesture

 

Mon 31 Aug 2020 09.00 BST Last modified on Mon 31 Aug 2020 11.21 BST

Sean Ingle

 

 

 

 

Tommie Smith (centre) and John Carlos make the salute at the 1968 Olympic Games

Photograph: Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was an 11 yr old kid at the time...But I still recall that scene...Of course I couldn't grasp the meaning of it at the time.....

 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2020/aug/31/black-power-the-fists-and-the-fury-th

[umbertino]

How should Europe respond now its American ally has turned hostile?

 

As trusted friends join the ranks of predators, it could be time to take a tougher line – soft power is no longer enough

 

Sun 30 Aug 2020 08.30 BST Last modified on Sun 30 Aug 2020 17.40 BST

Simon Tisdall

 

 

 

 

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, speaks to Donald Trump during the G7 meeting in Quebec, 2018

Photograph: Reuters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/30/how-should-europe-respond-now-its-american-ally-has-turned-hostile

[umbertino]

How did the US's mainstream right end up openly supporting vigilante terror?

 

The apocalyptic conspiracy theories of rightwing groups afraid of losing their power give evil a name, and offer an answer

 

Tue 1 Sep 2020 09.32 BST Last modified on Tue 1 Sep 2020 13.51 BST

Richard Seymour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vid

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/01/us-mainstream-right-vigilante-terror

[umbertino]

Yoshihide Suga emerging as favourite to become Japan's prime minister

 

Chief cabinet secretary to confirm rumours he will join race to succeed Shinzo Abe

 

Justin McCurry in Tokyo

Tue 1 Sep 2020 10.50 BST

 

 

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, is being touted as the continuity candidate in the contest

Photograph: Jiji Press/AFP/Getty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/01/yoshihide-suga-emerging-as-favourite-to-become-japans-prime-minister

[umbertino]

This public US university has seen grades soar despite Covid. What's it doing right?

 

Most of Georgia State’s students come from low-income backgrounds hard-hit by the pandemic. The school could serve as a model for others nationwide

 

Andrew Gumbel

Tue 1 Sep 2020 11.00 BST Last modified on Tue 1 Sep 2020 14.53 BST

 

 

 

Georgia State University over the years has overturned received wisdom about the viability of lower-income, minority, and first-generation students

Illustration: Eric http://iqd.me/l/11/Georgia State University/The Guardian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/01/georgia-state-university-covid-19-low-in

[umbertino]

Alexei Navalny novichok finding prompts calls for answers from Moscow

 

Angela Merkel says poisoning was attempted murder and White House calls it ‘reprehensible’

 

Philip Oltermann and Shaun Walker

Thu 3 Sep 2020 05.30 BST

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vid

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/02/alexei-navalny-poisoned-with-novichok-says-german-government-russia

[umbertino]

Operation Condor: the illegal state network that terrorised South America

 

During the cold war, eight US-backed military dictatorships jointly plotted the cross-border kidnap, torture, rape and murder of hundreds of their political opponents. Now some of the perpetrators are finally facing justice

 

 

Thu 3 Sep 2020 06.00 BST

By Giles Tremlett

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/sep/03/operation-condor-the-illegal-state-network-that-terrorised-south-america

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Argentine_coup_d'état

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_dictatorship_of_Chile_(1973–1990)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_violations_in_Pinochet's_Chile

[umbertino]

 

‘For enemies we have the law’

Russia’s appointed billionaires

In the post-Soviet era, Russian corruption has been a public-private partnership run by an oligarch class profiting from state-led crony capitalism

 

by Tony Wood

September 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://mondediplo.com/2019/09/12russia

[umbertino]

For the Russian state, the poisoning of Alexei Navalny was simply business

 

The kleptocracy that controls the country behaves like a ruthless mafia clan - the world needs to start treating it like one

 

Fri 4 Sep 2020 14.50 BST Last modified on Fri 4 Sep 2020 15.35 BST

Oliver Bullough

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/04/for-the-russian-state-the-poisoning-of-alexei-navalny-was-simply-business

[umbertino]

'Get out of here': thousands in Israel call for Netanyahu to resign

 

Anger continues to build over prime minister’s handling of coronavirus crisis and corruption allegations

 

Associated Press

Sun 6 Sep 2020 02.06 BST Last modified on Sun 6 Sep 2020 13.20 BST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vid

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/06/get-out-of-here-thousands-in-israel-call-for-netanyahu-to-resign