(2020-05-29). What's NATO Up to These Days? Provoking Russia, Draining Healthcare Budgets and Protecting Its Own from COVID. counterpunch.org 
In November 2019, as experts warned that a novel coronavirus was likely to develop in the near-future, NATO boasted that its European Allies, including the UK, as well as Canada, were boosting their military budgets by an average of 4.6 percent, or an additional $130bn since 2016. The implication is that this increase in military spending is at the expense of healthcare, which is being privatized worldwide.
(2020-05-29). Trump isn't the Pope and This Ain't the Middle Ages. counterpunch.org 
President Trump orders governors to open up the churches. Churches defy governors and seek to open. Someone needs to remind both the president and religious institutions that the Middle Ages are over and Modernity won. President Trump and many religious institutions are pushing arguments reminiscent of those found in the Medieval Christian Europe where secular
(2020-05-29). Bethune's socialized medicine and the public health crisis today. mronline.org 
We are at war! The heads of states throughout the globe are posing as chieftains in this quixotic war against an enemy who no one understands.
(2020-05-29). Trump the "Peace Candidate": Contemplating War During Pandemic against Two Global Competitors. Nuclear Weapons "Tests" against China and Russia. globalresearch.ca Let us consider why the Donald Trump White House is currently considering
(2020-05-29). Coronavirus excess deaths: UK has one of highest levels in Europe. theguardian.com Data since start of Covid-19 crisis shows almost 60,000 additional deaths, a fifth higher than usual
(2020-05-29). 'We are losers in this crisis': research finds lockdowns reinforcing gender inequality. theguardian.com Campaign groups warn women across Europe risk being pushed back into traditional roles
(2020-05-29). 30 migrants in Libya killed after death of human trafficker. peoplesdispatch.org The chaos created by the NATO-led invasion of Libya in 2011 has made the country a breeding ground for human trafficking to Europe, leading to hundreds of deaths each year…
(2020-05-29). Amid worsening economic downturn, European Union moves to set up bailout fund. wsws.org The move to establish the new fund comes amid warnings that the effects of the pandemic on the European economy are far more serious than had been initially anticipated.
(2020-05-29). Cyprus offers to cover cost of holidays affected by coronavirus. theguardian.com Free healthcare for Covid-19 patients and hotel expenses for dependents will give island unbeatable edge, it says
(2020-05-29). UK lockdown rules: what you are allowed to do from Monday. theguardian.com Varying rules for meeting outside will apply in England, Wales and Scotland
(2020-05-29). Monkeys steal Covid-19 test samples from health worker in India. theguardian.com Blood samples later recovered undamaged after fears incident could have helped spread virus
(2020-05-29). Minneapolis Police Murder Handcuffed Man with Neck-Kneel. globalresearch.ca "I can't breathe" were some of the last words of the latest victim to police terror. | Memorial Day in Minneapolis saw the echoing of the same words as Eric Garner before he was killed by police six years …
(2020-05-29). Future Perspectives of Russia-Africa Cooperation. globalresearch.ca While celebrating the Africa Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Russia's commitment to offer support and participate in the sustainable development processes in Africa. In a videoconference held May 28 with local and foreign media, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman …
(2020-05-29). Is It Time to Boycott the United States? zcomm.org The G7 kicked Russia out over its invasion of Crimea. Does the U.S. assault on international laws, treaties, and democracy itself warrant the same treatment?>
(2020-05-29). Russia's right-wing opposition tries to gain from COVID-19 crisis. wsws.org As President Vladimir Putin's poll numbers fall to historically low levels, right-wing opposition leader Alexei Navalny seeks to present himself as a defender of health care workers and "the people."
(2020-05-29). Future Perspectives of Russia-Africa Relations. globalresearch.ca While celebrating the Africa Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Russia's commitment to offer support and participate in the sustainable development processes in Africa. In a videoconference held May 28 with local and foreign media, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman …
(2020-05-29). Towards a "Soft Coup" in Spain? globalresearch.ca The Spanish State establishment would be made up of the financial-business, political, military, Catholic hierarchy, university and mass media sub-elites of the Spanish State, natural heirs to the legacy of General Franco who would have engulfed all decision-making spheres (according …
(2020-05-29). Greece selects 29 countries whose tourists can fly in starting June 15. rt.com 
Greece on Friday listed 29 countries it will accept visitors from as of June 15, the Tourism Ministry said. Travelers from these countries will be able to enter Greece on direct flights to Athens and to the northern city of Thessaloniki. | The list will be expanded on July 1 to include other countries. "Our aim is to be able to welcome every tourist who has overcome their fear and has the ability to travel to our country," Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said on Antenna television. | The country so far has a total of 175 deaths and over 2,900 confirmed cases, AP reports. No cases have been detected on the vas…
(2020-05-29). EU foreign ministers agree on tougher China policy but are ready for 'honest dialogue'. rt.com 
Foreign ministers from EU states agreed to toughen their strategy on China on Friday amid concerns about China's new security law for Hong Kong, Reuters said. The ministers had a meeting via video link for the first discussion before two EU-China summits this year. One is expected at the end of June and another in September. | "We need, and are ready, to have an open and honest dialogue with China," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after the meeting. "There's a lack of progress on negotiations (on market access for European companies in China)," Borrell said. | The bloc will prepare a new E…
(2020-05-29). Denmark will conduct random checks for Covid-19 at borders and holiday sites, PM says. rt.com 
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said random checks for the Covid-19 virus will be carried out at the country's borders and holiday destinations as it prepares to reopen to visitors from some European countries. | Frederiksen said Friday that Denmark will open its borders to tourists from Norway, Germany and Iceland on June 15. She said tourists who wish to visit must book in advance a hotel outside of Copenhagen for at least six nights. | "Like everyone else, we are opening Denmark again. We are doing it in a controlled and gradual manner," Frederiksen said. | The country is planning to reopen its…
(2020-05-29). Austria says shoppers won't need to wear face masks from June 15 as lockdown rules are relaxed. rt.com 
Austria's shoppers will no longer be required to wear face masks, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Friday, as he outlined the next phase of loosening coronavirus restrictions. "Face masks will no longer be compulsory in shops or in school," Kurz told reporters. The changes will take effect on June 15. | Masks will still be compulsory on public transport, in health facilities including pharmacies, and at service providers where social distancing cannot be ensured, such as hairdressers. | A limit allowing bars and restaurants to seat no more than four adults at a table will be lifted, and a mandatory closing ti…
(2020-05-29). Ankara may begin oil exploration in E. Mediterranean under Libya deal in 3-4 months — minister. rt.com 
Turkey may begin oil exploration in the eastern Mediterranean within three or four months under a deal it signed with Libya, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Friday. The agreement has been condemned by others in the region. | Libya's internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) signed the maritime delimitation deal last year with Ankara. Turkey says it creates an exclusive economic zone from its southern coast to Libya's northeast coast, and protects rights to resources. | Greece, Cyprus and others oppose the accord and call it illegal, an accusation Ankara has rejected. The EU also oppos…
(2020-05-29). Russian military, diplomats to negotiate agreement with Syria on more facilities & maritime access. rt.com 
President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's defense and foreign ministries on Friday to hold talks with Damascus, with a view to Moscow obtaining additional facilities and maritime access in Syria. | A protocol could be signed to the agreement with Syria on deploying Russia's air task force, which stipulates the transfer of additional facilities and water area to the force, according to the president's instruction posted on the government's legal information web portal. | The ministries were instructed to hold negotiations with the Syrian side and, upon reaching an agreement, sign the protocol on Russia's behalf…
(2020-05-29). WATCH Russian jets chase US nuclear bombers away from country's borders. rt.com 
Russian jets were scrambled to intercept US B-1B Lancer strategic bombers, which approached the country's airspace over the Black and Baltic Seas, with the high-altitude action captured on video. | The American nuclear-capable warplanes heading in the direction of Russian airspace were first tracked by radar, before the Sukhoi Su-27P and Su-30SM were sent to greet them in the skies above neutral Black Sea waters. | The jets approached the US bombers at a "safe distance," with the move resulting in the B-1Bs reversing their course, the Defense Ministry said as it released the footage. | The Russian planes th…
(2020-05-29). Russian officials clash over proposals to reduce funding of abortion clinics and restricting drugs. rt.com 
The debate over abortion has once again reared its head in Russia, after an official proposed restricting the sale of abortion drugs in pharmacies and reducing the funding of clinics. Many politicians disagree. | On Friday, Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Anna Kuznetsova proposed restricting pharmacies from selling abortion drugs, and suggested reducing the funding of clinics so that the amount of allocated funds is inversely proportional to the quantity of abortions. | Her report states that "the clinic should be interested in preserving the child, and not in providing services for artificial…
(2020-05-29). Hero Moscow taxi driver saves woman from capture & torture after she orders a ride. rt.com 
A Russian taxi driver is being hailed as a hero for helping to save a woman from captivity. While en route to pick her up, the hostage relayed her story to the driver through a taxi app, he subsequently called the cops.
(2020-05-29). Toxic vapor leak discovered at Russia's space booster in French Guiana. rt.com 
A toxic vapor leak was detected coming from the Russian Fregat upper-stage rocket which is stored at the space center in French Guiana. It was supposed to deliver satellites, but the operation was halted over the coronavirus. | The oxidizer vapor detection system at the booster's storage facility began giving sporadic alarm signals a week ago, the press-service of Russia's space agency Roscosmos said. | A group of experts from the makers of the rocket at NPO Lavochkin and other Russian space industry firms are getting ready to make the journey to French Guiana, which borders Brazil and Suriname. They're expect…
(2020-05-29). Germany: Defend climate activist group "Ende Gelà§nde" against the secret service. wsws.org An official secret service report classifies the climate change movement "Ende Gelà§nde" ("End of the Road"), which has organized several mass protests against opencast lignite mining, as "left-wing extremist."
(2020-05-29). Chicanos in Boyle Heights to participate in the National Day of Action May 30. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, May 30 at 3 p.m. Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) will be participating in the National Day of Protest to demand the mass release of all prisoners due to COVID-19. The action is called by the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression and CSO is an affiliated organization with the Alliance. We are protesting the murders of Ahmaud Aubery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and George Floyd in Minneapolis because they are outraging, and we must demand justice. This lynch-style, racist terrorism must stop and perpetrators must be punished. | The Boyle Heig…
(2020-05-29). Rent Strike: Can't Pay, Won't Pay. popularresistance.org The Covid-19 crisis has triggered an international rent strike. Housing activists hope to build strong networks of solidarity as a financial crisis and mass evictions loom. Across the world, significant amounts of people have stopped paying rent, and in some places mortgage payments, in the wake of Covid-19. Many simply don't have the money and now face homelessness. Rent strikes are taking place in the US, Spain, Canada, France, Britain, South Africa, and elsewhere as activists call for a stop to rent payments and evictions and for everyone to have shelter and space to get through the pandemic. Most of us would…
(2020-05-29). Russia Wants to Unlock 4.5 Billion Year Old Secret by Gathering Soil Samples From Across the Moon. sputniknews.com Russia is one of several space powers with plans to return to the Moon in the coming years, and has expressed a willingness to cooperate with NASA in this area. However, Roscosmos has also warned that the Trump administration's recent 'Artemis Accords' plans to divvy up the Moon are comparable to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
(2020-05-29). German Official Leaks Report Denouncing Corona as 'A Global False Alarm'. strategic-culture.org Germany's federal government and mainstream media are engaged in damage control after a Some of the report key passages are: | The dangerousness of Covid-19 was overestimated: probably at no point did the danger posed by the new virus go beyond the normal level. | The people who die from Corona are essentially those who would statistically die this year, because they have reached the end of their lives and their weakened bodies can no longe…
(2020-05-29). Imperial PhD student named in community of Europe's best young innovators. imperial.ac.uk Swapnil Jagtap has been named as one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Europe for his research on reducing the carbon impact of aviation.
(2020-05-29). Hopes of Alien Life Fuelled by Presence of Earth-Sized Planet Around Nearest Star Revealed in Study. sputniknews.com Fresh observations have revisited the rather dim red dwarf star, Proxima b, orbiting roughly in the middle of the habitable zone around the star Proxima Centauri, that was first studied by a group of astronomers using the High Accuracy Radial-velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) at the European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile.
(2020-05-29). French automaker Renault cuts jobs, costs. yenisafak.com France's biggest automobile manufacturer Groupe Renault announced Friday an aggressive plan to cut costs by more than ‚Ǩ2 billion ($2.23 billion) over three years and slash 15,000 jobs worldwide, 4,600 of those in France.The move for the company is huge as April losses from the coronavirus crisis caused an unprecedented 90% drop in the French car market for new vehicles.In a Friday morning press conference, Groupe Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard and CEO Clotilde Deblos announced plans to rebuild "the sustainable foundations of Renault." The plans had been presented to Renault's board Wedn…
(2020-05-29). Turkey resumes mass prayers after pandemic lockdown. yenisafak.com Turkey on Friday partially resumed mass prayers in mosques, including Friday prayers, as the country began easing measures against the novel coronavirus pandemic.After a 74-day-halt due to measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, Friday prayers
(2020-05-28). General Appeal Regarding the International Health Emergency —Covid 19. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following appeal that was initiated by the German Communist Party (DKP), Communist Party Of Peoples Of Spain (CPPS), and the Communist Party Of Venezuela (CPV). Freedom Road Socialist Organization is among the signers. | The Communist and Workers' parties that suscribe the present APPEAL declare: | 1. The serious international situation which has come from the unstoppable global capitalist crisis – now expressed as a health emergency that spreads throughout so many countries – requires strong and decisive social and political action that puts the needs of the worki…
(2020-05-28). Video: Russian Warplanes in Libya. globalresearch.ca The US has finally discovered whom to blame for the ongoing escalation of the conflict in Libya. | On May 26, the US African Command (AFRICOM) claimed that Russia had deployed warplanes to Libya to support the Libyan National Army of …
(2020-05-28). IKEA values vs Polish traditions: Manager faces up to TWO YEARS behind bars after firing employee opposing pro-LGBT event. rt.com 
An IKEA HR manager has been charged in Poland with violating the religious rights of a Bible-citing employee, who was fired after refusing to endorse a pro-LGBT event. Now, the manager could end up behind bars. | The Warsaw-Praga District Prosecutor's Office has decided to press charges against the manager, whose identity has not been revealed, arguing that this person has infringed upon an employee's rights on the basis of religion. The decision to sack the employee was based on "arbitrary assessment and prejudice" toward a man expressing "Christian" views, it added. Now, this person could face anything betwe…
(2020-05-28). Australia & the Working of the American Imperial Hand. strategic-culture.org 
The paradox of Australia: a wealthy country whose complacent, U.S.-indoctrinated political elites are betraying its promise in so many important ways, writes Tony Kevin. | Tony KEVIN | It is hard to explain Australia to foreigners: a complicated former British colonial society that likes to think of itself as simple and honest, and sometimes persuades others that this may be true. The Australia of the "Dustyesky Russian Choir" that recently became a brief sensation on Russia's mainstream Channel One is a reassuring image: one in which some Russians might still sentimentally like to believe. | Yet there is a darke…
(2020-05-28). 'Test and Trace will fail if workers are pushed into financial hardship'. thecanary.co 
The Test and Trace system will fail to work effectively if statutory sick pay is not increased, the government has been warned. | Those self-isolating will be eligible for statutory sick pay but there are fears that many workers will not be able to afford to isolate and will be forced to keep working. | NHS Test and Trace — seen as key to easing the coronavirus lockdown restrictions — will be rolled out across England on Thursday, and there are concerns that people could be asked to self-isolate for period of 14 days more than once in the coming weeks. | TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "We…
(2020-05-28). Stealth flying wing: Russia's next-gen STRATEGIC BOMBER already in the works. rt.com 
Russian aircraft makers have reportedly started the assembly of a new, next-generation bomber aircraft, known under the designation PAK DA. RT has learned more about the highly-secretive machine. | The launch of the PAK DA's assembly was reported earlier this week by TASS news agency. The cockpit of the plane has already been partially built and the whole machine is expected to be ready next year, sources within the country's aircraft industry told the agency. | The PAK DA designation stands for 'perspective aircraft complex (PAK) for long-range aviation (DA)'. The PAK programs were launched by Russia in the e…
(2020-05-28). NSA urges email providers to update software warning that 'Russian military hackers' already gained 'dream access' to them. rt.com 
The notorious US spy agency NSA has issued a rare warning to Exim mail server owners, calling on them to update the operating system and claiming that otherwise Russian "military cyber actors" could virtually take control of them. | A request to update one's operating system is usually so routine, pretty much every personal computer user is accustomed to it. That suddenly ceases to be the case when the request comes from none other the National Security Agency (NSA ), which does not issues such warnings all too often. | As if such a demand coming from a spy agency infamous for its world-spanning secret surveil…
(2020-05-28). Norway: Municipality Forced to Receive NATO Nuclear Submarines. telesurenglish.net The port of Tromso, located in a Norwegian municipality above the Arctic Circle, will receive nuclear submarines from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) even though local politicians have opposed the decision. | RELATED: | "The government and parliament do not dare say 'no' to the U.S.," Norway's Greenpeace leader Frode Pleym said. | After private investors bought the Olavsvern naval base in Tromso, NATO pushed for a…
(2020-05-28). The Spectre of a "China-centric World" globalresearch.ca A spectre is haunting the United States—the spectre of a "China-centric world". By voicing this concern President Trump pledges to "Keep America Great". Some of the European allies echo this concern. Others remain conspicuously silent. But what exactly is this …
(2020-05-28). Americas are the new epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. peoplesdispatch.org With nearly 2.45 million confirmed cases, the Americas reached the current largest number of COVID-19 cases worldwide, with almost 500,000 cases more than Europe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). | Two of the region's countries occupy the first and second places in the number of infected people. The United States lead the ranking of COVID-19 cases, with over 1 million 700 thousand cases while Brazil comes in second place, with 391.222 thousand cases. | The world has surpassed, last Wednesday May 21, the mark of 5 million COVID-19 cases, according to the US Johns Hopkins University's real time das…
(2020-05-28). Security Council: Paralysis and 'political infighting' must end, to boost COVID-19 fight: EU foreign affairs chief. news.un.org The global coronavirus pandemic is testing the multilateral system like never before and the Security Council must stop the "infighting", and step up to the challenge, the European Union's foreign policy chief told the 15-member body on Thursday.
(2020-05-28). Federal Prison 'Should Not Be a Death Sentence'. progressive.org Advocates press for the release of Native inmates due to COVID-19.
(2020-05-28). The Unfolding Catastrophe. What Can Hegel Teach Us Today? globalresearch.ca G. W. F. Hegel was born in 1770 in Stuttgart, Germany. In light of this anniversary I reassess what Hegel's philosophy of nature can contribute to our contemporary understanding — what it …
(2020-05-28). U.S. Empire: Biden and Kerry Gave Orders to Ukraine's President. strategic-culture.org On May 19th, an implicit international political warning was issued, but it wasn't issued between countries; it was issued between allied versus opposed factions within each of two countries: U.S. and Ukraine. In the United States, it's a Republican Party warning to the Democratic Party: a warning by Trump, against Biden and against Obama. It's saying: "We've got the goods on you, and we're not releasing it yet. But here's a sample. So, let's deal." | It's a warning that comes from the current President of Ukraine, Volodmyr Zelenskiy, and that places into an exceptionally bad light his immediate predecessor, Petr…