Daily Archives: June 16, 2020

2020-06-16: News Headlines

Lawrence Wittner (2020-06-16). Let Them Eat Weapons: Trump's Bizarre Arms Race. zcomm.org The price tag for this enormous nuclear buildup, which will occur over the next three decades, has been estimated as at least $1.5 trillion…

Thomas Gaulkin (2020-06-16). Curious Coincidence: The Birth of Donald Trump and the Struggle to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. globalresearch.ca The 45th president of the United States made his first international appearance on June 14, 1946. According to Donald Trump's Five minutes …

yenisafak (2020-06-15). Israel owns 90 nuclear warheads: Report. yenisafak.com Israel is believed to possess between 80 and 90 nuclear warheads, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said on Monday. | In a report, SIPRI said Israel continues to pursue a policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear program. | It said that the number of nuclear warheads in Israel rose to 90, up from 80 warheads in 2019. | "The nine nuclear-armed states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)—together possessed an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons at the start of 2020," the S…

Alan Macleod (2020-06-15). Trump Rips up Decades-Old WMD Treaty in Order to Sell Drones to Saudi Arabia. mintpressnews.com The Missile Technology Control Regime is the latest in a list of longstanding international agreements that the Trump administration has withdrawn from, often to the benefit of Saudi Arabia and US arms dealers.

South Front (2020-06-14). Video: The Hypersonic Strike Systems of the United States. globalresearch.ca Even two years ago, hypersonic weapons were barely an item of discussion among the US national security establishment. Today these weapons are all the rage. What accounts for that sudden emergence of US interest in this category of weapons, …

yenisafak (2020-06-14). Putin says Russia will be able to counter hypersonic weapons. yenisafak.com President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday Russia was developing the means to counter other countries' hypersonic weapons, local news agencies reported."It's very likely that we will have means to combat hypersonic weapons by the time the world's leading countries have such weapons," the RIA news agency cited Putin as saying.

RT (2020-06-13). Seattle cops banned from using tear gas & stun grenades amid 'anarchist takeover' endorsed by mayor. rt.com Seattle Police have been ordered to stop using pepper spray, tear gas and flash-bang grenades following a lawsuit, further tying their hands as the so-called 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' sprouted around their abandoned precinct. | Handed down by US District Judge Richard Jones on Friday, the order concludes that "on some occasions [Seattle police] used less-lethal weapons disproportionately and without provocation," having a "chilling" effect on free speech amid ongoing demonstrations over police brutality. | "What brings the parties to this Court today are peaceful protesters desiring to engage in their rig…

Marcus Weisgerber (2020-06-13). Pentagon Starts Bailing Out Defense Firms. anti-empire.com The Pentagon has begun to bail out U.S. companies that have seen large parts of their business dry up amid the coronavirus pandemic, in a bid to make sure they can still build weapons. | On Wednesday, officials announced that five mid-tier defense companies had received a total of $135 million to "help sustain defense-critical workforce capabilities in body armor, aircraft manufacturing, and shipbuilding," according to a Defense Department

yenisafak (2020-06-13). Fire on French nuclear submarine at Toulon extinguished. yenisafak.com A fire on a nuclear submarine docked at the French Mediterranean port of Toulon was extinguished early on Saturday morning, the Defence Ministry said.Some 100 firefighters had been called in to tackle the blaze on the Perle, which lasted 14 hours and ended at around 00: 50 a.m. (2250 GMT). the ministry said. It confirmed an earlier statement that no nuclear material was aboard when the fire broke out on Friday.Nobody was hurt and no nuclear materials or weapons were on board the vessel, which was in dry dock for repairs, authorities said on Friday.Toulon is France's biggest naval base and is home to most of its fl…

_____ (2020-06-12). Scottish Parliament Votes For Immediate Suspension Of 'Weapons Of Oppression' Exports To US. popularresistance.org The Scottish Parliament has called for the immediate suspension of exports of riot gear, tear gas and rubber bullets to the United States, in light of the police response to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. | A successful motion, which was backed by 52 votes to 0 with 11 abstentions, says the parliament "stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and considers that the UK government must immediately suspend all export licences for tear gas, rubber bullets and riot gear to the US". | Patrick Harvie, the Green MSP who proposed the successful amendment, said the "weapons of oppression", which…

Common Dreams staff (2020-06-12). Amid Push to 'Sell More Weapons Overseas,' Report Indicates Trump Moving to Expand Drone Exports. commondreams.org The expansion would come after a reinterpretation of an arms agreement between 35 nations. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/drones-reinterpret.jpg