2020-10-19: News Headlines

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-10-19). Former OPCW Chief Says His Office Was Bugged While USA Pushed Iraq War. thealtworld.com important new interview with The Grayzone's Aaron Maté, the first Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has revealed new insights into the way the US exerted control over the Organisation in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion and the suspicious way pro-US narratives appear to be dominating controversies in the supposedly impartial OPCW to this day. | The most significant piece of new information revealed in this interview with the acclaimed former OPCW chief José Bustani is his assertion that while the US wa…

David Swanson (2020-10-19). Military Bases Never Go Unused. globalresearch.ca If, like me, you have the unfortunate habit of pointing out the dishonesty of the cases made for various wars, and you begin to persuade people that the wars are not actually for the eradication of the weapons of mass …

Staff (2020-10-19). Headlines for October 19, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. COVID-19 Cases Surge as Trump Continues Unmasked Campaign Rallies, Cases Mounting Across Europe as New Restrictions Enacted, Top Palestinian Official Saeb Erekat in Critical Condition with COVID-19, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Accuses Trump of Inspiring, Incentivizing and Inciting Terrorism, White Supremacists Indicted for Arms Trafficking, Murder and Plotting to Bomb Synagogue, Death Toll in Nagorno-Karabakh Fighting Mounts as New Ceasefire Falls Apart, Kyrgyzstan Installs New President, Who Will Also Serve as Prime Minister, Alexei Navalny Calls on Trump to Denounce Use of Chemical Weapons, Car Bomb in…

Raul Diego (2020-10-19). With an Eye on Nearby Iran, Israeli Weapons Fuel the Violence in Azerbaijan. mintpressnews.com Hoping to profit, protect an important source of oil, and to antagonize nearby Iran, Israel is selling drones and weapons to Azerbaijan, fueling the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

yenisafak (2020-10-19). Iran plots course after end of 13-year arms embargo. yenisafak.com A 13-year UN-mandated arms embargo on Iran officially expired Sunday, effectively paving the way for the sanctions-battered country to import and export conventional weapons.In a statement, Iran's Foreign Ministry called it a "momentous day for the international community," which it said has protected the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and the 2015 nuclear deal."As of today, all restrictions on the transfer of arms, related activities and financial services to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and all prohibitions regarding the entry into or transit through territories of the UN member states previously…

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (2020-10-19). The US Military/Security Complex Is Destroying Both Peace and the US Economy. globalresearch.ca Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is a former Raytheon lobbyist and another example of President Trump's penchant for frustrating his own policies by appointing to power people who oppose his policies. Why does Trump think he can expect a representative …

Aaron Maté (2020-10-18). Ex-OPCW chief defends Syria whistleblowers and reveals he was spied on before Iraq war. thegrayzone.com Exclusive: former OPCW chief José Bustani defends the whistleblowers who challenged a cover-up of their Syria probe; reacts to the US and allies recently blocking his UN testimony; and reveals he was spied on before the Bush administration ousted him over the Iraq war. In a Grayzone exclusive, José Bustani, the former head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, speaks out in support of two veteran OPCW inspectors who challenged a US-backed cover-up of their investigation in …

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-18). Iran to export, import weapons based on its defense policy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to UK Hamid Baeedinejad said that as of today, Iran will export and import weapons based on its defense policy principles.

teleSUR (2020-10-17). Colombia: Another Community Leader Murdered in Antioquia. telesurenglish.net A group of armed man Saturday killed Colombia's social leader Jairo Pulgarin, who was a farmer and served as vice president of the Community Action Board of the Tesorito village, in Antioquia Department. | RELATED: | According to local outlets, the hitmen attacked Pulgarin with stabbing weapons and firearms until he was killed. | The events took place close to the town of Barro Blanco, approximately one hour from t…

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-16). Turkish and Israeli Weapons Fueling Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. globalresearch.ca Weapons-makers — aka merchants of death and mass destruction — fuel conflicts when occur. | The US by far dominates the global arms trade. | According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US accounted for 36% of major conventional …

_____ (2020-10-16). Priest Sentenced To 33 Months For Protesting Nuclear Weapons. popularresistance.org Fifteen supporters in a carefully Covid masked and distanced courtroom witnessed Father Steve Kelly receive a sentence of 33 months today. After a 20 minute delay to get the telephone conference line working and properly muted 160 people listened in to the proceedings on the audio link. | Fr. Steve's sentence falls in the middle of the proposed guidelines and will likely allow his release from the Glynn County Detention Center where he is presently being detained 30 months after the action.

William D. Hartung (2020-10-15). The U.S. of Arms: The Art of the Weapons Deal in the Age of Trump. globalresearch.ca The United States has the dubious distinction of being the world's