2020-02-24: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-24). Car rammed German parade crowd in 'attack' injuring dozens, no sign was politically-motivated — police (VIDEO). rt.com A silver Mercedes was intentionally driven into a crowd during a parade in the central German town of Volksmarsen on Monday, according to police, injuring around 30 people. One suspect has been arrested. | The incident unfolded at around 2: 30pm local time during a Carnival procession in the town, when the silver station wagon ran through a barrier and plunged into the crowd, German media reports. | The male driver was arrested at the scene, with police describing him as a 29-year-old German from the region. Frankfurt prosecutors have said that he is also injured, so cannot be questioned yet. | A silver Mercede…

RT (2020-02-24). Car rams into crowd during parade in Volkmarsen, Germany, more than 10 people injured. rt.com A silver Mercedes drove into a crowd during a parade in the central German town of Volksmarsen on Monday, according to police, injuring around a dozen people. | The incident unfolded at around 2: 30pm local time during a Carnival procession in the town, when the silver station wagon ran through a barrier and plunged into the crowd, German media reports. | The male driver was arrested at the scene, with police telling local media he is a 29-year-old German from the region. | A police spokesman said that the suspect drove his car into the crowd "deliberately," according to newspaper Die Welt. However, the driver'

Darius Shahtahmasebi (2020-02-24). 2021 Pentagon Budget Request Hints at Russia and China as the New Focus of US Empire. mintpressnews.com As the disastrous US wars in the Middle East begin to wind down, the Pentagon is shifting its strategy, budget and arsenal to focus on a confrontation with Russia and China, writes Darius Shahtahmasebi.

RT (2020-02-24). 'It was just a game': Estonian mother flees to Russia with 2 girls after court clears Norwegian ex-husband of pedophilia charges. rt.com He bathed with his own daughters naked and made them kiss his crotch, an Estonian mom told RT of her ex-husband after escaping to Russia. But the Norwegian man's lawyers claim she's using pedophilia allegations to keep the kids. | It all started like a happy love story in 2009, but eventually turned into a nightmare. | Anna from the Estonian capital, Tallinn, arrived in Norway to work as a nurse at a senior home. It was there that she met Jostein Finseraasen, a male nurse whom the wards simply adored and courted her like a true gentleman. The couple got married three month later, with Anna already being pregna…

Agha Hussain (2020-02-24). How a Subtle Turkey-Iran Entente is Helping Iran Secure a Firm Presence in Syria. mintpressnews.com In the last of a three-part series, Agha Hussein investigates how cooperation with Turkey is helping Iran resist pressure to leave Syria.

RT (2020-02-24). US proposals to start dialogue with terrorists in Idlib are unacceptable — Russian FM. rt.com Moscow will resist any attempts to whitewash the terrorists holed up in Idlib, Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that engaging in talks with them as the US is hinting is out of question. | Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Al-Qaeda offshoot previously known as Al-Nusra, which controls Idlib, has been designated as a terrorist organization not only by the UN, but by the US itself, Lavrov said. | However, officials in Washington, including the special envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey, "allow themselves statements, from which a conclusion can be made that 'it's not such a terrorist organization anym…

RT (2020-02-24). WATCH: Bored Vyborg resident uses flooding to go SURFING through Russian forest. rt.com After a night of particularly heavy storms in the Leningrad Region, one Vyborg resident reached his 'point break' and decided it was the perfect time to… go surfing in a local forest? | "It's a pity the waves were so small," surfer Denis Zinchuk joked in the caption accompanying video of his bodacious daredevil exploits through the flooded trees of a local forest. | The footage, taken on Saturday, gives a unique perspective on 'flood relief' and showcases some gnarly maneuvers between the sunken pines along the Gulf of Finland following some particularly heavy rains. | The water reportedly rose by up to a…

RT (2020-02-24). Coronavirus sends global stock markets in tailspin amid rising pandemic concerns. rt.com Asian and European stock markets tumbled sharply on Monday after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases beyond China, including in South Korea and Italy, jumped over the weekend. | South Korea's benchmark Kospi fell almost 3.9 percent and hit the lowest point since early December, closing at 2,079.04 points, while the Kosdaq index, which mainly includes small-cap technology stocks, ended the first trading day of the week down 4.3 percent. | Other Asian key indices such as Hong Kong's Hang Seng and China's Shanghai Composite also were down on Monday, losing 1.75 percent and 0.28 percent respectively. | Also…

Juan Cole (2020-02-24). Chris Matthews Has Sanders Derangement Syndrome. truthdig.com This piece originally appeared on I was watching MSNBC Saturday afternoon during the voting at the Nevada caucuses. I did a little channel surfing, checking in at CNN and at the real news on Al Jazeera. But mostly I had MSNBC on. And I nearly fell off my chair when I saw Chris Matthews compare Bernie Sanders' victory to the Nazi invasion of France. He said he had been reading about WW II, and told the anecdote of a French general calling Churchill as the war began to tell him "it is over." He said Churchill as…

Staff (2020-02-24). Headlines for February 24, 2020. democracynow.org Bernie Sanders Wins Nevada Caucuses by a Landslide, Calls for MSNBC's Chris Matthews to Resign After He Likens Sanders's NV Win to Nazi Takeover of France, Global Coronavirus Cases Surge, Trump Touts Defense Deal, Praises Modi at Massive Indian Rally, In Afghanistan, U.S. and Taliban Start Partial Truce, Iran: Conservatives Pick Up Bulk of Parliament Seats After 1,000s of Candidates Barred from Running, Outrage After Video Shows Israeli Bulldozer Removing Body of Killed Palestinian, Teck Resources Withdraws Application for Contested Alberta Oil Sands After Sustained Protests, Reports: Trump Admin Out to Purge Dis…

Stephen Lendman (2020-02-24). Russia Accused of Campaign Blaming US for Coronavirus Outbreak. globalresearch.ca Russia has been a prime US target since its 1917 revolution, relations between both countries uneasy at best from that time to now. | Propaganda by US officials and establishment media demonizes the country and its leadership, ongoing for over a …

WSWS (2020-02-24). Hesse, Germany: Right-wing extremist propaganda at state expense. wsws.org Shortly before the right-wing extremist terrorist attack in Hanau, the Hesse state government sent posters to all schools slandering opponents of fascism and capitalism as " left-wing extremists ."

WSWS (2020-02-24). Control of offshore gas and oil provokes conflicts in eastern Mediterranean. wsws.org A new "scramble for Africa" is being tied into a new "scramble" for the eastern Mediterranean, as Turkey, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, Lebanon and the European powers compete over gas exploration, production licenses and pipelines.

teleSUR (2020-02-24). Russia to Complete Observation Flight Over Turkey. telesurenglish.net Russia will carry out an observation flight over Turkey between Tuesday and Friday under the multilateral Treaty on Open Skies, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday. | RELATED: | Russia's Tu-154M LK-1 observation plane will take off from northwest Turkey's Eskisehir airfield and cover up to 1,900 kilometers over the member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the ministry said. | The Tr…

Andrew Korybko (2020-02-24). Venezuela's Next Economic Shock Might Come from India's Compliance with US Sanctions. globalresearch.ca India is Venezuela's largest oil customer but the two companies that import its oil just declared that they'll comply with the US' latest sanctions against the Bolivarian Republic's Russian intermediary, which could lead to the South American state experiencing an …

WSWS (2020-02-24). Democratic Party deploys Russian meddling smear against Sanders. wsws.org The Democratic establishment and the corporate media are now peddling the lie that Sanders is the beneficiary of Russian intervention in the 2020 elections.

WSWS (2020-02-24). Iran elections show growing alienation from bourgeois-clerical regime. wsws.org The 'principalist' faction more aligned with Russia and China won amid a collapse in voter turnout, falling from 62 percent in 2016 to just 42.6 percent.

WSWS (2020-02-24). This week in history: February 24-March 1. wsws.org 25 years ago: Professor Vadim Rogovin launches US lecture tour, "Was there an alternative to Stalinism in the USSR?"On February 27, 1995, Professor Vadim Zakharovich Rogovin, a leading Marxist historian in the former Soviet Union, began a US tour with a lecture delivered at Michigan State University in East Lansing. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for European and Russian Studies, was titled "Was there an alternative to Stalinism in the USSR?" The historic event marked the first time a Soviet scholar presented to American audiences an analysis of the struggle waged by Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition aga…

WSWS (2020-02-24). US defense secretary launches simulated nuclear attack against Russia in Pentagon war game. wsws.org The war game took place as more than 20,000 troops and 20,000 military vehicles began to arrive in Europe for the massive "Defender 2020" exercise targeting Russia.

WSWS (2020-02-24). Cities quarantined in Italy, Iran, South Korea as coronavirus spreads globally. wsws.org Medical staff are racing to avert a deadly global pandemic, underscoring the need for a coordinated, international medical campaign to halt the spread of the disease.

Juan Cole (2020-02-24). The Fall of France to the Nazis? Chris Matthews and Corporate Democrats' Bernie Derangement Syndrome. zcomm.org

yenisafak (2020-02-24). Sit-in against PKK keeps growing day by day in E. Turkey. yenisafak.com Another family on Monday joined a months-long sit-in protest in southeastern Turkey against the PKK terror group.On the sit-in's 175th day, Emine Ustek, mother of Metin who was kidnapped by the PKK five years ago when he was 16, joined the protest staged outside the Diyarbakir office of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a political party accused by the government of having links to the terrorist YPG/PKK.Metin's parents Omer and Emine Ustek travelled from the southeastern Sirnak province to join the protest, which continues to grow by the day.Omer Ustek vowed not to give up until their son returned, claiming hi…

yenisafak (2020-02-24). Russian airstrikes kill 5 civilians in northern Syria. yenisafak.com Russian warplanes targeted residential areas in Syria's Idlib de-escalation, killing at least five civilians, a civil defense group working in the war-torn country said Monday.The Syrian opposition aircraft targeted 18 residential areas, according to The White Helmets.These areas include Kafr Nabl, Ehsim, Kansafra, Sufuhon, Hizareen, Kafar Aweed, Hass, Deir Sunbul villages in the south of Idlib as well as Darat Izza and Kafr Nouran towns in the west of Aleppo.Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on the pro-democracy protests. | Since then, hundreds of tho…

yenisafak (2020-02-24). Iraq confirms first case of coronavirus. yenisafak.com Iraq on Monday confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in the country's Najaf city.Ridvan Kindi, the head of the Health Department in Najaf city in south of capital Baghdad, said an Iranian student has tested positive for the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.The student was immediately quarantined and necessary measures were taken, Kindi said.Earlier on Monday, Iran's state television announced that the death toll from the virus in the country rose to 12 with 47 confirmed cases.Turkey on Sunday temporarily closed its border with Iran and halted flights from Iran to prevent the spread of the virus.The…

yenisafak (2020-02-24). Turkish Airlines cancels flights to four Iranian cities. yenisafak.com Turkish Airlines has cancelled its flights to four Iranian cities and decreased the frequency of flights to Tehran until Feb. 27, the company said on Monday.The company said it cancelled flights to Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz and Shiraz until that date. It also decreased the frequency of Tehran flights to two per day.Turkey has already closed its land border with Iran and halted incoming flights as a precaution to stop the potential spread of coronavirus, the health minister said on Sunday.

yenisafak (2020-02-24). Turkish, Iranian FMs discuss COVID-19 over phone. yenisafak.com In a phone call, Javad Zarif expressed his condolences over the death of nine Turkish people from the 5.9 magnitude earthquake in the border region, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.On Sunday, Khoy in northwestern Iran was hit by two quakes, whose tremors were also felt in Turkey's Van province, according to Turkey's National Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).The duo also discussed the coronavirus outbreak, which has so far killed 12 people in Iran, with 47 confirmed cases, according to the Health Ministry.Turkey on Sunday temporarily closed…

yenisafak (2020-02-24). Russia, Turkey preparing talks on Syria's Idlib. yenisafak.com Russia and Turkey are preparing talks on how to de-escalate fighting in Syria's Idlib province, TASS news agency reported on Monday, citing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov."Another series of consultations, which we hope will lead us to an agreement on how to ensure that this is indeed a de-escalation zone and that terrorists do not operate there, is being prepared now," Lavrov was quoted as saying.

yenisafak (2020-02-24). France plans new medical units to handle coronavirus. yenisafak.com France's Minister of Health Olivier Veran said Monday that plans would be put underway to activate 70 new urgent medical care facilities nationwide to handle possible outbreaks of the coronavirus.The announcement came after an emergency session with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and other government officials amid a surge in cases from the virus in neighboring Italy.The facilities, known as SAMUs, are used for medical care alongside university hospital centers.France was the first European country to report a case of coronavirus.The country's junior transport minister, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari told local TV chann…

yenisafak (2020-02-24). EU allocates $251M fund to tackle coronavirus outbreak. yenisafak.com The European Commission on Monday announced an allocation of ‚Ǩ232 million (some $251 million) for global efforts to tackle the deadly coronavirus."The European Commission is working around the clock to support EU Member States and strengthen international efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19," the commission said in a statement.The commission noted that a part of these funds will be allocated immediately to different sectors, while the rest will be released in the next months.Janez Lenarcic, a commissioner for crisis management, said: "With more than 2,600 lives lost already, there is no opti…

sputniknews (2020-02-24). 'It Would be the End of Free Speech': Protest Against Assange's Extradition at Belmarsh Prison. sputniknews.com Today is the day a London court begins hearing on what looks to become (or at least precede) one of the defining cases of the decade — the extradition trial of Julian Assange. The WikiLeaks founder has found support from human rights advoctes from across the globe, including France's Yellow Vest movement.

sputniknews (2020-02-24). MP Says US Has 'Unhealthy Interest With Russian Borders' as Video Shows Warship Sailing to Black Sea. sputniknews.com On Sunday, the Russian Navy confirmed that it had picked up and was closely monitoring the USS Ross, a US Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer with Tomahawk cruise missile and AEGIS capability, as the warship headed north after entering the Black Sea.

sputniknews (2020-02-24). Berlin Starts Rent Freeze to Stop Residents Leaving the City — Reports. sputniknews.com Rental rates for housing in Berlin are to be frozen for five years starting from 23 February, according to the Independent.

sputniknews (2020-02-24). "Rent Freeze" in German Capital Draws Praise & Criticism from Tenants, Politicians. sputniknews.com While proponents of the new initiative argue that it's about time Berlin acted to stop "spiraling rent costs", its detractors insist that the move "does not help anybody".

sputniknews (2020-02-24). IAF Pilot Killed as Microlight Aircraft Crashes in India's Punjab. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian Defence Ministry purchased 194 microlight aircraft from a Slovenian firm in 2015 to train youngsters in the National Cadet Corps (NCC). The aircraft is powered by an 80 HP aviation certified engine and can reach a maximum speed of more than 220 km/hour.

RT (2020-02-24). France warns UK it will not be blackmailed into signing 'bad' post-Brexit trade deal. rt.com France will not rush to accept a trade agreement between the UK and EU at the cost of its economic future, French Secretary of State for European Affairs Amelie de Montchalin has warned. | Speaking to France 2 TV, the minister said she will have a "clear Brexit message" when she heads to Brussels for talks. | "Just because [British Prime Minister] Boris Johnson wants an agreement at all costs on 12/31 does not mean that we will sign a bad agreement for the French under the pressure of blackmail or timing," she wrote on Monday, posting the video of her interview on Twitter. She added that Paris is not going to…

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2020-02-24). How India's Modi is Playing on Trump's Ego to His Advantage. counterpunch.org One thing about U.S. President Donald Trump is that he can be brutally frank. Trump recently picked up the phone and called British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to convey his displeasure over the latter's decision to allow Huawei to operate in the United Kingdom despite Washington's repeated urgings not to do business with the Chinese tech company.

RT (2020-02-23). Austria stops passenger train traffic from and to Italy amid coronavirus panic. rt.com Authorities in Austria have stopped an incoming train at the Italian border, after it emerged that two passengers may be infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus. Later, all train traffic to and from Italy was halted. | The Eurocity 86 train was stopped at the Brenner Pass border crossing on Sunday, after officials at Italian State Railways told their Austrian counterparts that two passengers on board had fever symptoms consistent with the Covid-19 coronavirus. | The train, bound for Munich in Germany, was halted and returned to the Italian side of the alpine crossing, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer confirmed.

RT (2020-02-23). Blitzkrieg Bernie? Sanders' victory in Nevada like NAZI invasion of France — MSNBC's Chris Matthews. rt.com MSNBC's Chris Matthews has compared Bernie Sanders' win in the Nevada caucuses to Adolf Hitler's WWII takeover of France. As Sanders pulls ahead of the pack, the media has labeled him a nazi, a communist, and a Russian stooge. | Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders declared a resounding victory in Saturday's Nevada caucuses, the third major showdown of the primary season. With some results still outstanding on Sunday morning, Sanders has won just over 46 percent of the vote, more than doubling the score of former Vice President Joe Biden, currently in second place with 19 percent. | After a strong showing in Iowa an…

Juan Cole (2020-02-23). Why the Russian Petro-State Is Actually Terrified of a Bernie Sanders Presidency: The Green New Deal. commondreams.org Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) introduce public housing legislation as part of the Green New Deal outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, November 14, 2019. (Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bernie_sanders_10.jpg

Aaron Maté (2020-02-23). Russiagate 2.0 drowns out Trump's reckless escalation of US-Russia nuclear arms race. thegrayzone.com Amid new fear-mongering about "Russian interference," former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter on Trump's overlooked, reckless escalation of the US-Russia…

Stephen Lendman (2020-02-23). Is Moscow Aiding the Sanders Campaign? "Russia AgainGate", But this Time in Favor of the "Progressive Dems" globalresearch.ca At this stage in the Dem party campaign to choose its standard bearer in November, Sanders leads other aspirants in national polls. | As in 2016, DNC bosses likely prefer another candidate to head their ticket, a more reliable figure to …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-02-23). Italy, France and Germany Call on Israel to Halt Settlement Expansion. imemc.org Italy expressed deep concern over the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement to proceed with the construction of 5,000 housing units in the illegal settlements of Har Homa and Givat Hamatos in occupied East Jerusalem, the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported. Italy's foreign ministry in a press statement …

Andrew Korybko (2020-02-23). The Syrian Arab Army's Victorious Liberation of Aleppo. Historical Comparisons. globalresearch.ca While there are certainly some structural similarities between the Syrian Arab Army's ongoing liberation offensive in Northwestern Syria and Saakashvili's previous desire to restore Georgia's full sovereignty over Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008, the international legal and situational differences …

Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski (2020-02-23). Video: Brzezinski's Foreign Policy Perspective on China and Russia. globalresearch.ca We bring to the attention of our readers the following video on the late Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski's foreign policy perspective. | Brzezinski was national security advisor under the Carter administration. He worked in close collaboration with the CIA. He was …

Staff (2020-02-23). Democratic Party Dinosaurs Have Seen the Meteor, and It's Coming From Vermont. truthout.org The Berniegeddon is upon us! It's France falling to the Nazis in World War II! It's the Russians! It's the end of everything! Flee! Flee for your lives! | Sorry about that. Just trying out for a talking head guest spot on MSNBC. | Vermont senator and Brooklyn native Bernie Sanders

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (2020-02-23). "Fake News": No Evidence of Russia Interference in 2020 Elections "in Order to Reelect Trump" globalresearch.ca There is no evidence that Russia is interfering in the 2020 US presidential election in order to reelect Trump. Nor is there any reason for Russia to prefer Trump, who has done nothing for Russia. Indeed, Trump has imposed sanctions …

The Canary (2020-02-22). David Dimbleby says move to scrap BBC licence fee is 'dangerous'. thecanary.co Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby has said that the BBC is under threat in "in a way it has never been before".The former Question Time host, 81, said the Government was using the "pernicious route" by arguing the licence fee is "wrong and unfair".It follows claims last week suggesting that Number 10 could be prepared to scrap the TV licence fee as part of a move to scale back the broadcaster's operations.Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Matt Dunham/PA)The Daily Mail reported that Dimbleby told Germany's ARD state TV channel that moves to undermine the BBC were "dangerous".He said: "The BBC is under threat in a way…

RT (2020-02-22). 'Totally sane': Dems can't make up their minds about who is a supposed 'Russian agent'. Trump? Bernie? Or… both? rt.com Former presidential candidate Eric Swalwell performed mental gymnastics on CNN to defend Bernie Sanders over alleged help from Russia, claiming Moscow does it in order to help its 'agent' Donald Trump. | The Democrats' overuse of Russian collusion conspiracy theories appears to be collapsing in on itself. First Trump supposedly worked with the country to meddle in the 2016 presidential election — something there is still no actual proof of, despite the extensive Mueller investigation — and now even Dems like Sanders are facing accusations of getting help from Moscow. | Thanks to a Washington Post <...

Eric Zuesse (2020-02-22). How Bernie Sanders Will Destroy the Deep State if He Becomes President. dissidentvoice.org Joe Lauria at Consortium News headlined on February 21st, "Apparent US Intel Meddling in US Election With 'Report' Russia is Aiding Sanders", and he noted that, If the story is true and if intelligence agencies are truly committed to protecting U.S. citizens, the Sanders campaign would have been quietly informed and shown evidence to back …

RT (2020-02-22). Russia isn't only behind election hacking! They're also trying to smear US over coronavirus … according to State Department. rt.com Not satisfied with just blaming Russia for election meddling, US officials are now claiming Moscow is trying to "sow discord" by spreading disinformation about the coronavirus and the US' role in its creation and global response. | US State Department officials are claiming Moscow is behind an internet campaign to blame the coronavirus on the US government. | Without citing specific examples, officials told