How the international community is helping Colombia confront the coronavirus
Adriaan Alsema | colombiareports.com | 2020-05-18
The governments of the United States and Canada have announced financial aid to help Colombia's authorities combat the coronavirus pandemic while European nations plan to do the same. The US…
colombiareports.com/how-the-international-community-is-helping-colombia-confront-the-coronavirus/

Britain's covert operations to overthrow Syrian government exposed
wsws.org | 2020-05-18
Sarkha is one of many programmes in a vast network of fake news activities carried out by the intelligence arms of the US and European powers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/18/syri-m18.html

Spike in Kawasaki-like disease linked to coronavirus in France and Italy, one child dies
wsws.org | 2020-05-18
This is a damning indictment of capitalist governments internationally which are reopening schools and asserting that the virus does not harm children.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/18/kawa-m18.html

German Defence Ministry plans to wage international drone warfare
wsws.org | 2020-05-18
Germany's ruling elite is responding to the mounting tensions between the major powers triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic by intensifying its drive to war.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/18/dron-m18.html

Growing resistance in Germany to returning to schools as coronavirus pandemic continues
wsws.org | 2020-05-18
Resistance is growing among German teachers and pupils against this irresponsible policy, which threatens to turn schools into new hotspots of COVID-19.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/18/retu-m18.html

The last resort of the EU fighting refugees in Greece–armed force and COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-05-18
Greek soldiers used tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and live ammunition against refugees stranded in the no-man's-land between Greece and Turkey.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/18/gree-m18.html

War and Power in Classical Greece: Lessons for Superpowers and the World
Evaggelos Vallianatos | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-18
Prologue Humans have had almost ceaseless difficulties in working and living together. Superstition, religious ideas, race, geography, ownership of land, and language engulf them so much, they often fail to extend a friendly hand to people who don't fit their schizophrenia of who among humans is like them. This culture has been generating a deadly…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/18/war-and-power-in-classical-greece-lessons-for-superpowers-and-the-world/

Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 news briefing
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-05-18
On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, covers the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poland discusses how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is changing, and how scientists and researchers are rapidly gaining new knowledge about the virus and the disease that it …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-covid-19-news-briefing/

Spring cleaning takes on a new importance during COVID-19 pandemic
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-05-18
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released reopening guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools and homes. Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert, suggests taking a practical approach to spring cleaning. If no one in your household has been infected, he says standard spring cleaning practices …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/spring-cleaning-takes-on-a-new-importance-during-covid-19-pandemic/

UN sends 89 trucks carrying aid to Syria's Idlib
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-18
The United Nations sent Monday 89 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib, a northwestern Syrian province where millions are in urgent need of assistance.The trucks loaded with the supplies entered Syria through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's southern Hatay province bordering Idlib.The aid will be distributed to vulnerable people in Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within…
yenisafak.com/en/world/un-sends-89-trucks-carrying-aid-to-syrias-idlib-3529806

Turkey condemns pig's-head vandalism of German mosque
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-18
An Islamophobic incident in which a pig's head was mounted onto the door of mosque in southern Germany drew condemnation from Turkey on Monday."Even during the holy month of Ramadan and the epidemic, racism and hostility against Islam continues in Europe. The ugly attack on our mosque in Germany is the latest example of this," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted on Monday.Denouncing the perpetrators' "sick mentality," he urged that they be caught immediately.The incident took place Saturday at the Fatih Mosque in the city of Vaihingen, run by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs. The incident too…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-condemns-pigs-head-vandalism-of-german-mosque-3529803

Fast in, first out: Denmark leads lockdown exit
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-18
Four weeks after Denmark began easing its lockdown, Danes on Monday returned to cafes and restaurants, confident that the coronavirus outbreak is under control.Denmark last month became the first country in Europe to reopen schools, day-care centres and smaller businesses. It did not see a subsequent rise in COVID-19 cases."The quick shutdown and the fact that Danes actually listened to messages from authorities about good hygiene and social distancing are the main reasons we've come this far," said Hans Jorn Kolmos, a professor in clinical microbiology at the University of Southern Denmark.Contrary to the French…
yenisafak.com/en/world/fast-in-first-out-denmark-leads-lockdown-exit-3529808

Germany hopes to end global travel warning in June, but no return to normal
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-18
Germany is hoping to replace a travel warning that is in place for all touristic trips abroad until June 15 with softer guidelines, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday, but warned there would be no quick return to holidays as usual."June 15 is not the starting date for taking holidays – June 15 is the date when we need to make a decision on whether we will lift the global travel warning and we're working on replacing this travel warning with travel guidelines," Maas said.He said he wanted summer holidays to be possible but stressed that this needed to be done in a responsible way and added that it was too…
yenisafak.com/en/world/germany-hopes-to-end-global-travel-warning-in-june-but-no-return-to-normal-3529811

Coronavirus pushes Swedish deaths to highest since 1993 in April
yenisafak.com | 2020-05-18
More Swedes died in April than in any one month since 1993, figures from the Statistics Office showed on Monday, as the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pushed the death toll higher.Sweden, which has stopped short of the strict lockdown measures enforced by many countries, has suffered a higher death rate during the coronavirus pandemic than its Scandinavian neighbours.In Sweden, the pandemic has caused around 3,700 deaths since the first reported fatality in March, but has not been as deadly as some seasonal flu over the last three decades, when the toll in December 1993 and January 2000 was higher, the Statist…
yenisafak.com/en/world/coronavirus-pushes-swedish-deaths-to-highest-since-1993-in-april-3529812

Traditional Beer Gardens in Munich Welcome First Visitors After Lockdown Restrictions Eased – Video
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-18
Since late April, Germany has started scaling back some of the coronavirus-related restrictions imposed on public life amid a declining COVID-19 infection rate.
sputniknews.com/europe/202005181079337307-traditional-beer-gardens-in-munich-welcome-first-visitors-after-lockdown-restrictions-eased—video/

Italian MP Claims Bill Gates Should Be Tried for 'Crimes Against Humanity' in Jab at COVID Vaccine
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-18
Bill Gates has already injected hundreds of millions of dollars, including $100 million via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, into the development of COVID-19 vaccines and testing, part of an international effort to tackle the coronavirus crisis.
sputniknews.com/europe/202005181079340375-italian-mp-claims-bill-gates-should-be-tried-for-crimes-against-humanity-in-jab-at-covid-vaccine/

Merkel Played Like a Fiddle
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-18
Angela Merkel is a formidable European leader, having served as German Chancellor for 15 years and still going strong. She also no doubt has a formidable intellect, having earned a doctorate in quantum chemistry and previously working as a research scientist before she entered politics.
sputniknews.com/columnists/202005181079342407-merkel-played-like-a-fiddle/

China's Oppo Inks Pact With UK's Vodafone to Push 5G Adoption Worldwide Starting With Spain, Germany
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-18
New Delhi (Sputnik): In a bid to compete globally, countries around the world are making plans and taking actions to boost their high speed 5G capabilities. South Korea, Turkey, Sweden, Japan, and China are just a few of the countries already deploying and testing the fifth generation of super fast connectivity.
sputniknews.com/india/202005181079337870-chinas-oppo-inks-pact-with-uks-vodafone-to-push-5g-adoption-worldwide-starting-with-spain-germany/

Easy as Pie: Russian MoD Releases Video Showing Air-to-Air Refuelling of Sukhoi Fighter Jets
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-18
The process itself was carried out by an Ilyushin-78 four-engine tanker, which is capable of refuelling up to ten jets during a single flight. Additionally, more than 20 Su-24M, Su-34, and Su-30 jets practiced air combat manoeuvring.
sputniknews.com/military/202005181079340722-easy-as-pie-russian-mod-releases-video-showing-air-to-air-refuelling-of-sukhoi-fighter-jets/

US Attorney General Barr Accuses Apple of Cooperating With Chinese, Russian Governments
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-18
Earlier, Apple refused to help American law enforcement unlock data on its smartphones, namely the one possessed by a Saudi cadet responsible for a mass shooting at a Pensacola military base in 2019. However, there is no evidence that the tech giant ever provided such services to either Moscow or Beijing.
sputniknews.com/us/202005181079342821-us-attorney-general-barr-accuses-apple-of-cooperating-with-chinese-russian-governments/

Putin, Erdogan Discuss Coronavirus Response, Situation in Syria and Libya
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-18
ANKARA (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed cooperation on the coronavirus fight and the situation in Syria, both the Kremlin and the office of the Turkish president said Monday.
sputniknews.com/world/202005181079341632-putin-erdogan-discuss-coronavirus-response-situation-in-syria-and-libya/

Six of Russian State Duma Members Diagnosed With COVID-19 – Speaker's Aide
sputniknews.com | 2020-05-18
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Six of 450 members of the State Duma, the Russian parliament's lower house, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, Anastasia Kashevarova, an aide to the State Duma Chairman, said on Monday.
sputniknews.com/russia/202005181079342663-six-of-russian-state-duma-members-diagnosed-with-covid-19—speakers-aide/

Iran chides EU's impracticality towards US hostile anti-Iranian actions
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-18
TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA)

'The Unseen' to go on screen at Krakow Film Festival
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-18
TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA)

Russia sends three batches of fabric for face masks to Iran
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-18
TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) –Russia has delivered to Iran three batches of fabric for manufacturing face masks, a press attache of the Russian diplomatic mission Andrei Ganenko said.
en.mehrnews.com/news/158816/Russia-sends-three-batches-of-fabric-for-face-masks-to-Iran

VIDEO: Russian envoy talks of Iran, Russia bilateral relation, regional issues
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-18
TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA)

Russia terms US struggles to retain JCPOA rights 'groundless'
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-18
TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA)

'Idiotic & unimplementable': Chief of Europe's largest lowcoster Ryanair slams UK response to Covid-19
rt.com | 2020-05-18
Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary has blasted the British government for mismanaging the Covid-19 crisis, and hit out at fresh measures for quarantining travelers coming from abroad. | "It's idiotic and it's unimplementable. You don't have enough police in the UK," O'Leary told BBC radio. | "This [is] the same government that has… mismanaged the crisis for many weeks. | Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that all travellers arriving in Britain will be quarantined for 14 days. The measure is expected to take effect in the end of the month. | O'Leary had previously criticized the idea of q…
rt.com/uk/488919-uk-government-ryanair-idiotic/

UK 'still in talks' with France over quarantine exemption for visitors
rt.com | 2020-05-18
Britain is still in talks with France over whether French travelers should be exempt from a requirement for a 14-day quarantine when they arrive in the United Kingdom, according to the culture minister. "Discussions are ongoing with the French on that," Oliver Dowden told Sky News on Monday. | Britain won't impose quarantines on travelers coming from France "at this stage," France and Britain said earlier this month. | The two countries added that any such measure would be reciprocal and would only be imposed after mutual consultation. However, London has still not set out the full details, Reuters said.
rt.com/newsline/488925-uk-france-exemption-visitors/

Italian lawmaker demands Bill Gates be ARRESTED for 'crimes against humanity'… But WHY?
rt.com | 2020-05-18
An Italian lawmaker has managed to bring the conspiracy blame-game to an entirely new level, exercising her parliamentary privilege to blast Bill Gates as a "vaccine criminal" and globalist tool. | Bill Gates and his latest anti-coronavirus efforts have been at the center of the wildest theories that explore possible sinister motives behind the billionaire's activities. In arguably the most high-profile outcry last week, an Italian MP for Rome Sara Cunial delivered a speech rarely (if ever at all) heard in any parliament. | In her passionate address, Cunial called upon fellow lawmakers to defy any plans for…
rt.com/news/488912-italy-parliament-bill-gates-coronavirus/

Dump the dollar: Russia has now gotten rid of over 96% of its US debt holdings
rt.com | 2020-05-18
Moscow has continued to sell off US Treasury securities, cutting its stockpile by US$8.73 billion in March, according to the latest data from the US Department of the Treasury. | Russia's holdings of US state debt amounted to $3.8 billion in March, compared with $12.5 billion a month earlier. Three years ago, the amount stood at $105 billion. Moscow has liquidated over 96 percent of its holdings in that period. The country's long-term US Treasury securities decreased by $928 million, while short-term securities plunged by $7.8 billion to just $473 million. | Japan remains the biggest holder of US state debt si…
rt.com/business/488928-russia-dumps-us-dollar-debt/

Spain may reopen borders to tourists in late June, transport minister says
rt.com | 2020-05-18
Spain aims to reopen borders to visitors around the end of June as its coronavirus lockdown fully winds down, Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos said on Monday. Madrid last week surprised its EU partners by imposing a two-week quarantine on all overseas travelers and effectively keeping borders closed, Reuters said. | Spain then explained that the measures were needed to avoid importing a second wave of the Covid-19 disease. However, the move was meant to be temporary and the transport minister said it would be phased out in parallel with travel being allowed within Spain, whose regions are easing restriction…
rt.com/newsline/488953-spain-reopen-borders-tourism/

EU calls for independent probe of the WHO's pandemic response
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-18
The European Union and other countries have called for an independent evaluation of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) response to the coronavirus pandemic "to review experience gained and lessons learned". | The resolution has the support of more than half of the WHO's member countries and will be discussed this week at the decision-making body of the UN health agency, being held virtually this year. | The proposal is intended to initiate "a stepwise process of impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of the WHO's efforts to coordinate the international response to Covid-19, including the function…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/05/18/eu-calls-for-independent-probe-of-the-whos-pandemic-response/

Labour brands new immigration legislation a 'threat to national interest'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-18
Ministers have been accused of "rank hypocrisy" over their attitude to key workers as Labour claimed new immigration legislation would make it harder to fill NHS roles.The government's measures to replace European Union freedom of movement rules in the UK face their first Commons hurdle on Monday.The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) bill is part of the move towards the government's new points-based immigration system, to be introduced from 2021, although it does not set out the details on this. | These will be fleshed out in the immigration rules, which will explain the future system…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/05/18/labour-brands-new-immigration-legislation-a-threat-to-national-interest/

Video: Syrian Army Suffers Casualties in Daraa. Militants Attack Russian-Turkish Patrol
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
The security situation has been escalating in southern Syria. Over the past 24 hours, at least 3 pro-government fighters and a civilian have been killed in attacks by gunmen in al-Musayfrah and Saida-al-Taebah. The attacks followed the March 14 and …
globalresearch.ca/video-syrian-army-suffers-casualties-daraa-militants-attack-russian-turkish-patrol/5713174

Secretive Right-Wing Nonprofit Plays Role in COVID-19 Organizing
Alex Kotch | commondreams.org | 2020-05-17
A right-wing protester holds a sign which reads "Be like Sweden" while another called the coronavirus pandemic a "fake crisis" during an April anti-lockdown demonstration in Minnesota. (Photo: AP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/be_like_sweden_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/05/17/secretive-right-wing-nonprofit-plays-role-covid-19-organizing?cd-origin=rss

America's Newest Wedge Issue and the Tale of the Bizarre 2020 Presidential Elections
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-17
The answer to 1776 is not 1984 and if anything needs to be protested it would be any efforts by the government to make elections "go digital". Ironically such a move would actually be the way that the Chinese and Russians could actually get the guy they want in the Oval Office.
strategic-culture.org/video/2020/05/17/americas-newest-wedge-issue-and-tale-bizarre-2020-elections/

1000 rally in Brunswick, Georgia demanding justice for Ahmaud Arbery
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-17
Brunswick, GA

'Guard of dishonor': VIDEO shows nurses & doctors giving ICY welcome to Belgian PM over govt's Covid-19 response
rt.com | 2020-05-17
Belgium's PM Sophie Wilmes has visited one of the nation's hospitals battling the pandemic

Putin calls Russia a 'distinct civilization' that needs to be SAVED with homegrown high-tech
rt.com | 2020-05-17
President Vladimir Putin has compared his multi-ethnic and multi-faith nation to an entire civilization, saying that if Russia is to maintain its independent status, it has to develop its own cutting-edge technologies. | In an interview that aired on Sunday, Putin told the Rossiya-1 channel that Russia was "more than merely a country, but truly a distinct civilization." Being "a multi-ethnic country with many traditions, cultures and faiths," the nation has to maintain its status and power by nurturing modern tech, he said. | I…
rt.com/russia/488904-putin-russia-distinct-civilization/

The ŸêAnnexation After Seventy-Two Years Of Continuous Nakba
Staff | imemc.org | 2020-05-16
By: Marwan E. Toubassi, Ambassador of the State of Palestine in Greece:…
imemc.org/article/the-%d9%90nnexation-after-seventy-two-years-of-continuous-nakba/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-%25d9%2590nnexation-after-seventy-two-years-of-continuous-nakba

As Gerry Adams' internment conviction is 'quashed', Britain's shameful past in Ireland comes back to haunt it
Peadar O'Cearnaigh | thecanary.co | 2020-05-16
On 13 May, the Supreme Court quashed the 1973 and 1975 convictions of former leader of Sinn Féin ( SF) Gerry Adams. The court held that because Adams "was not detained lawfully" it "follows that he was wrongfully convicted of the offences of attempting to escape from lawful custody". This means "his convictions for those offences must be quashed". | The floodgates of similar cases could…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/05/16/as-gerry-adams-internment-conviction-is-quashed-britains-shameful-past-in-ireland-comes-back-to-haunt-it/

Ecuador's pandemic: Rightist regime fails to confront crisis
Michael Otto | workers.org | 2020-05-16
Ibarra, Ecuador May 9

Progressives in Slovakia slam pro-EU/NATO joint declaration by leadership
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-16
The declaration emphasizes that EU and NATO membership is vital for Slovakia. It also envisages increasing defense spending along with the preparation of a new security strategy…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/16/progressives-in-slovakia-slam-pro-eu-nato-joint-declaration-by-leadership/

EU takes legal action against UK on free movement
graham | truepublica.org.uk | 2020-05-16
The European Commission launched infringement proceedings against the U.K. on Thursday, accusing it of failure to comply with EU law on free movement. During the Brexit transition period, which is due to end on December 31, EU law on free movement applies to the U.K. as if it were still a member of the bloc, …
truepublica.org.uk/newsbits/eu-takes-legal-action-against-uk-on-free-movement/

Lenin, 150 years on
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-05-16
Socialism Julian CoppensIssue 1266 Australia Paris Commune Social Democratic Labour Party of RussiaMay 16, 2020For Stalinists and liberals, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known…
greenleft.org.au/content/lenin-150-years

Russia makes a botch of its Syrian alliance
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-05-15
Russia's relationships with its client states have never been easy. Of course, managing client states is always a complicated exercise. The Kremlin's cupboard is full of skeletons

In Spain, demands for ensuring safety of Basque political prisoners
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-15
Patxi Ruiz, a political prisoner belonging to the Basque ethnicity in Spain, started a hunger strike in the Murcia II prison where he is being held to protest harassment and threats by the jail authorities…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/15/in-spain-demands-for-ensuring-safety-of-basque-political-prisoners/

Millions of migrants across Russia, Central Asia, 'teetering on the brink', as UN launches urgent appeal
news.un.org | 2020-05-15
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched an urgent $7 million appeal on Thursday, to ease the impact of COVID-19 on migrant communities in five Central Asian countries and the Russian Federation, where the pandemic is pushing a growing number of migrant workers into poverty.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1064182

NYT Has Trouble Talking Seriously About the Swedish Approach
Dean Baker | cepr.net | 2020-05-15
Opinion columns are always given more leeway than news articles, but it would be reasonable to expect that an opinion column in a major newspaper have some connection to reality. That does not appear to be the case with this one that tells us "I live in Sweden. I'm not panicking." The piece is a …
cepr.net/nyt-has-trouble-talking-seriously-about-the-swedish-approach/