<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[CO-OP NEWS]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://cooptv.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Coop Anti-War Cafe Berlin]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://cooptv.wordpress.com/author/zeitgeistmusic/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Standoff over Syria: U.S. and Russia trade chemical weapons warnings &#8211; The US, UK and France are preparing new airstrikes on Syria &#8211; Russia Threatens Use of Nuclear Weapons in&nbsp;Syria]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p><strong>Standoff over Syria: U.S. and Russia trade chemical weapons warnings</strong> | The Japan Times</p>
<p><a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/08/26/world/politics-diplomacy-world/standoff-syria-u-s-russia-trade-chemical-weapons-warnings/#.W4U65s4zapr" rel="nofollow">https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/08/26/world/politics-diplomacy-world/standoff-syria-u-s-russia-trade-chemical-weapons-warnings/#.W4U65s4zapr</a></p>
<p><b>Russia Warns: US Preparing &#8222;False Flag&#8220; Chemical Attack as Pretext to Attack Syria<br />
</b>(RT News &amp; Tyler Durden / Zero Hedge &amp; The Saker &amp; Sputnik)</p>
<p>The US, UK and France are preparing new airstrikes on Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that militants are poised to stage a chemical weapons attack to frame Damascus and provide a pretext for strikes. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov warned that eight canisters of chlorine have been delivered to a village near Jisr al-Shughur to stage the plot. Meanwhile, Trump advisor John Bolton has ominously threatened that any chemical attack will be met with force.<br />
<a href="http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=21179" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=21179</a></p>
<p><b>Russia&#8217;s Biggest Military Exercise in 40 Years Includes China &#8212; and Nuclear Scenarios<br />
</b>(Rebecca Perring / The Express &amp; Tyler Durden / Zero Hedge)</p>
<p>Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia&#8217;s military forces in the country&#8217;s east were on high alert ahead of a five-day &#8222;snap inspection&#8220; of troops to pave the way for the massive exercised called Vostok-2018. Shoigu said Vostok-2018 will be &#8222;unprecedented in scale, both in terms of area of operations and numbers of military command structure, troops and forces involved.&#8220; The largest military exercise since 1981, it also will include more than 3,200 troops from China and Mongolia.<br />
<a href="http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=21180" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=21180</a></p>
<p><b>WWIII Fears: US &#8222;Test-drops&#8220; Nuclear Bomb; Russia Threatens Use of Nuclear Weapons in Syria<br />
</b>(Kris Osborn / The National Interest &amp; Warrior Maven &amp; Matt Drake / The Express)</p>
<p>Russia has warned it may deploy nuclear weapons to Syria in response to the US policy of imposing sanctions over Moscow crossing &#8222;red lines&#8220;, a senior Russian lawmaker has warned. Meanwhile, a USAF B-2 Stealth bomber has test-dropped an upgraded B61-12 nuclear bomb. The Pentagon claims this more &#8222;usable&#8220; weapon &#8222;changes the strategic landscape with regard to nuclear weapons mission possibilities.&#8220;<br />
<a href="http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=21181" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=21181</a></p>
<p><b>US and Russia Continue Plans for a World-ending Nuclear War<br />
</b>(Tyler Durden / Zero Hedge &amp; Anna Nemtsova / The Daily Beast &amp; Nikolay Shevchenko / Russia Beyond &amp; Anton Valagin / Rossiyaskaya Gazeta)</p>
<p>FEMA has significantly updated its nuclear disaster plans. The new scenario has been described as &#8222;truly terrifying.&#8220; The new plan includes preparedness for a scenario involving large-scale thermonuclear detonations &#8212; 100 kiloton to 1,000 kiloton detonations &#8212; &#8222;over the 60 largest US cities.&#8220; In Russia, 40 million people recently participated nuclear-war &#8222;defense&#8220; drills and massive bunkers have been built below Moscow to shelter millions of civilians in the event of a nuclear attack.<br />
<a href="http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=21182" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?itemid=21182</a></p>
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