Daily Archives: May 17, 2020

2020-05-17: News Headlines

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-17). Trump Regime Aims to Block Legal Cooperation Between Iran and Venezuela. globalresearch.ca The US is at war by hot or others means against all nations unwilling to subordinate their sovereign rights to its interests. | Russia and China top its regime change target list, Iran and Venezuela close behind. | The Islamic and Bolivarian …

RT (2020-05-17). Bloomberg changes headline YET AGAIN amid backlash over article on why Covid-19 'didn't kill more Russians'. rt.com Bloomberg has yet again had to correct the title of an article, after rolling out a report about why Covid-19 hasn't "killed more Russians." Moscow has argued that Western media distort Russia's fight against the disease. | US-based Bloomberg News had published the story, originally titled "Experts Want to Know Why Coronavirus Hasn't Killed More Russians," on Wednesday. The news piece was ostensibly about how Russia's relatively low death toll from Covid-19 "puzzles health experts," especially since the nation has the second-highest number of officially-recorded cases of the disease, trailing only behind the…

RT (2020-05-17). 'Contradicting the idea of solidarity': France slams Italy for unilateral plan to reopen borders to tourists. rt.com Italy shouldn't have moved to reopen its borders without coordinating with other EU member states first, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said, as a non-uniform Covid-19 pandemic response tests the bloc's unity. | Following more than two months of statewide lockdowns, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Saturday that the country will allow entry to European tourists, while the mandatory 14-day quarantine will be scrapped from June 3. France immediately slammed its neighbor for undermining the idea of European solidarity. | "It's very important for us to coordinate our decisions on th…

RT (2020-05-17). 'Guard of dishonor': VIDEO shows nurses & doctors giving ICY welcome to Belgian PM over govt's Covid-19 response. rt.com Belgium's PM Sophie Wilmes has visited one of the nation's hospitals battling the pandemic — but the medical staff literally turned their backs on her to show that her "display of support" for frontline workers was not enough. | Prime Minister Wilmes faced a cold welcome at the Saint-Pierre hospital in the Belgian capital Brussels, where the doctors and nurses found a novel way to show their dissatisfaction with the government's policies amid the novel coronavirus epidemic. The nation has had one of the highest Covid-19 mortality rates in Europe. | Footage obtained by RT's video agency Ruptly shows do…

RT (2020-05-17). 'Questioning EU's ability': Eurocrat accuses Russian media of spreading Covid-19 'CONSPIRACIES,' offers no examples. rt.com An EU Commission spokesperson alleged, giving no details, that the Russian media and "Kremlin-friendly" sources push conspiracy theories about Covid-19. The news comes on the heels of anti-lockdown protests in Germany and the UK. | Not mincing his words, Peter Stano

RT (2020-05-17). Coronavirus brings diamond sales to an almost complete halt. rt.com A leading global diamond producer, Russia's ALROSA, is reporting that its sales were down tenfold in one month alone, as the impact of Covid-19 ripples through the global economy and supply chains. | In April, ALROSA sold a total of just $15.6 million-worth of rough and polished diamonds. This is down from over $152 million a month earlier and from $400 million in sales in the beginning of the year. | "Restrictions imposed to fight the coronavirus and a decline in demand for diamond jewelry have minimized the trade in rough and polished diamonds across the world," Evgeny Agureev, Deputy CEO of ALROSA, said in…

RT (2020-05-17). Putin calls Russia a 'distinct civilization' that needs to be SAVED with homegrown high-tech. rt.com 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 I…

RT (2020-05-17). NO PROOF to support 'Russian assassin' story, Czech govt concedes — yet minister claims suspicions are still 'credible'. rt.com The Czech interior minister has admitted that Prague has no evidence against a Russian diplomat branded by media as a poison courier in an alleged assassination plot. It didn't stop the minister pushing the theory further, though. | An acting head of the Russian foreign aid agency's office in the Czech Republic, Andrey Konchakov, has recently found himself at the center of a scandal, after local media identified him as a suspected "spy" supposedly involved in a plot to assassinate several local officials. | Now, Czech Minster of the Interior Jan Hamacek is explaining that expelling the man could prove complica…

RT (2020-05-17). 'EYE' in the sky: Russia's National Guard launches BLIMP to spot Covid-19 lockdown violators… to mixed reviews (VIDEO). rt.com Russia's National Guard has added a steampunk vibe to the coronavirus dystopia as it launched a blimp to monitor how the lockdown is being observed in Moscow Region. Not everyone was impressed, though. | Equipped with the OKO ("eye") surveillance system, the air balloon was deployed to hover several hundred meters above the ground, allowing servicemen to observe an area of around five square kilometers. | The blimp's prime task is to monitor the park and forest areas during the quarantine. Data gathered by the OKO system is transferred to patrols on the ground in real time, who are then dispatched to disperse…

South Front (2020-05-17). Video: Syrian Army Suffers Casualties in Daraa. Militants Attack Russian-Turkish Patrol. globalresearch.ca 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 …

South Front (2020-05-17). Russia's COVID Game of Elites. globalresearch.ca Implementing President Putin's directives, Russian federal authorities intensified their efforts to contain both the economic and social impact of the nation-wide coronavirus lockdown, and also some local authorities' overzealous efforts. This move was impatiently awaited by the Russian society for …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-05-17). Normalized Relations with Russia Can Improve Baltic Economies During Pandemic. globalresearch.ca In 2020, Lithuania's and Latvia's gross domestic product (GDP) will decrease by seven per cent, according to a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

en.mehrnews (2020-05-17). 'War and Peace' to go on screen in Italian film festival. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA) — Iranian short film 'War and Peace' directed by Ehsan Mirzaie will take part in the 9th Tracce Cinematografiche Film Fest International Short Film in Rome, Italy.

Andrey Areshev (2020-05-17). America's Newest Wedge Issue and the Tale of the Bizarre 2020 Presidential Elections. strategic-culture.org 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.

Michael Harris (2020-05-17). Should "Slavery in California" be considered in CA Reparations Bill AB 3121. indybay.org Slavery in California, a hidden secret by design, may be included in the consideration for AB 3121, the trade in human cargo is known to have source documents that predate the year 1450 Spain, Portugal, Danish governments and countless other vessels are raiding the vast African coastal villages for the express purpose of trade in human cargo for economic exploitation.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-17). US needs to read text of JCPOA more carefully: Ulyanov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov has strongly criticized the United States' new stance on restoring UN sanctions against Iran.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-17). Iran, Turkey to cooperate on manufacturing wind turbine blades. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA) — Head of Iran's Materials and Energy Center (MERC) announced on Sunday that Iran and Turkey are to jointly start designing, manufacturing and testing of new wind turbine blades.

Peter Koenig (2020-05-16). The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020" globalresearch.ca WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.

RT (2020-05-16). Air traffic won't return to pre-pandemic levels until 2023 — IATA. rt.com Demand for air travel has plunged more than 90 percent in Europe and the United States since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said. | It warned that passenger traffic won't rebound to pre-crisis levels until at least 2023, noting that recovery will be even slower if lockdowns and travel restrictions are extended. | "We are asking governments to have a phased approach to restart the industry and to fly again," Alexandre de Juniac, the IATA's director general and CEO, told CNBC, raising hopes that some flying will resume by summer. | According to him, the…

John Church (2020-05-16). The Xhosa Cattle Killing Movement — The Forerunners of the COVID Lockdown Cult. anti-empire.com

"During this time many Xhosa herds were plagued with "lung sickness", possibly introduced by European cattle"

| This week-end we were all hoping to hear about a lifting of restrictions and a view of a rapid road back to normality. I know I am not alone in being seriously alarmed by the direction of travel that is the opposite to what was wanted. We were initially locked-down in March to ensure the 'NHS wasn't overwhelmed'. Then in April it was extended to 'save lives' and this has now morphed into a rationale to 'prevent a second wave'. This weekend we were to hear about reduced restrictions,…

RT (2020-05-16). Italy to lift international and domestic travel restrictions in June. rt.com Italy will allow international travel, as well as transit between the country's regions, from June 3, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Saturday. | The authorities, however, have not ruled out curbing travel again in some areas — but only in the event that there is a new spike in infections. | The European state, one of the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, has begun to slowly ease restrictions that were put in place to stop the spread of the illness following a steady decline in the number of new cases recently. | Factories and parks opened in early May, while shops and restaurants are se…

RT (2020-05-16). POLAND would gladly host American nukes if Germany refuses, US envoy claims, fanning 'Cuban missile crisis 2.0'. rt.com As the US ambassador to Germany — and acting spy chief — tried persuading Berlin to keep hosting US nuclear weapons, his colleague in Warsaw suggested Poland would be willing to take them instead, an act sure to provoke Moscow. | "If Germany wants to diminish nuclear capability and weaken NATO, perhaps Poland — which pays its fair share, understands the risks, and is on NATO's eastern flank — could house the capabilities here," Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher tweeted on Friday. | If Germany wants to diminish nuclear capability and weaken NATO, perhaps Poland – which pays its fair share, un…

RT (2020-05-16). Hungary's Orban says Budapest lockdown will now be gradually lifted amid Covid-19 powers row with EU. rt.com The gradual removal of coronavirus restrictions will begin in Budapest from Monday, bringing Hungarian PM Victor Orban closer to fulfilling his promise to give up the emergency powers that had angered the EU. | "It has become clear that we have managed to curb the epidemic in Budapest as well…and thus we can lift the lockdown," Orban announced in a video address on his Facebook page. | However, the prime minister pointed out that the government will be moving "cautiously" towards what he called the second phase of defense against the virus in Hungary's capital and largest city, which has a population of mor…

RT (2020-05-16). 'They used to be Vikings': Norwegian PM & ministers earn praise & ridicule for festive dance video. rt.com Norway's prime minister and members of her cabinet have been roasted in a pyre of internet mockery after performing a creative dance routine to mark the country's national day. | Prime Minister Erna Solberg and more than a dozen government ministers agreed to dance to a popular children's song as a lighthearted tribute to the country's independence day, which is celebrated on May 17. The routine was filmed for a children's television network, local media reported. | In the clip, Solberg leads her cabinet in hand waving, hip thrusting and flag waving — with some ministers clearly showing more enthusiasm th…

RT (2020-05-16). In major gaffe, US envoy MISTAKES Holocaust victims for Crimean Tatars… and he is NOT the first to do it. rt.com A top US diplomat was left red-faced after using a picture of a Jewish ghetto in Poland as part of his post on the 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars, a blunder described as "disgusting" and which also drew ridicule on him.

RT (2020-05-16). 'A bad joke': Trio held after police raid admit to photo-bombing Russian WWII honor-roll site with Nazi pics. rt.com Three suspects have admitted to uploading photos of Third Reich leaders to a website honoring Soviet veterans of World War II. They admitted it was a lame joke — after getting arrested and facing criminal charges. | The suspects were detained in a series of raids this week in the cities of Perm, Samara, Ulyanovsk and Volgograd — the latter being the scene of WWII's bloodiest engagement, the Battle of Stalingrad. | | Screenshot from YouTube © Russia's Investigative Committee | Faced with the evidence, three of the four suspects confessed to putting photos of the likes of Adolf Hitler, SS chief…

RT (2020-05-16). Russia's biggest automaker to jump-start production next week. rt.com Major Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ has announced that after more than a two-week shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic it will resume production on May 18. | "Due to the virus situation, work will be organized according to a safe schedule to avoid crowds of people in transport and at checkpoints. The start of shifts on the assembly lines and office staff work schedules will be timed," the company said. Starting from June 29, AvtoVAZ will switch over to a four-day work week. | Production of cars at AvtoVAZ was suspended from April 29 due to the spread of coronavirus infection in Russia, which led to a drop…

RT (2020-05-16). 'We surrender!' Roscosmos chief taunts Trump for bragging about 'super-duper' US missile. rt.com The head of Russia's space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, fired off a tongue-in-cheek tweet in response to Donald Trump's brag about the uber-powerful missile that he alleges leaves Russian or Chinese analogues far behind. | While unveiling the flag of the Space Force in the Oval Office on Friday, US President Donald Trump made some headline-grabbing remarks. | "We have no choice. We have to do it, with the adversaries we have out there…I call it the super-duper missile, and I heard the other night [it's] 17 times faster than what they have right now," Trump bragged. | The US president didn't give away a single clu…

RT (2020-05-16). 'A bad joke': Trio admits to photo-bombing Russian WWII site with Nazi pics after police raid. rt.com Three suspects have admitted to uploading photos of Third Reich leaders onto a website honoring Soviet veterans of World War II. They admitted it was a lame joke — after getting arrested and facing criminal charges. | The suspects were detained in a series of raids this week in the cities of Perm, Samara, Ulyanovsk and Volgograd — the latter being the scene of the world's bloodiest WWII Battle of Stalingrad. | | Screenshot from YouTube © Russia's Investigative Committee | Faced with the evidence, three of the four suspects have confessed to putting up the photos of the likes of Adolf Hitler,…

RT (2020-05-16). Moscow hits lowest daily Covid-19 cases mark since early May, with 3,505 infections recorded. rt.com The Russian capital, which accounts for a half of all Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country, has reported the lowest new daily infections number since early May. | Some 3,505 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Moscow on Saturday. This has become the minimum daily rate in the city since the beginning of May, the capital's operational headquarters for monitoring the pandemic reported. | The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the capital has now reached 138,969. According to the officials, in the third decade of April, an average of 2,700 to 2,800 cases were recorded every day in Moscow. As the t…

Denis Prager (2020-05-16). The Worldwide Lockdown Is the Biggest Man-Made Culling Since the Great Leap Forward. anti-empire.com

"The truth is, like most of the elites, it is Barber who is "merely inconvenienced." Indeed, the American battle today is between the merely inconvenienced and the rest of America."

| The idea that the worldwide lockdown of virtually every country other than Sweden may have been an enormous mistake strikes many — including world leaders, most scientists (especially health officials, doctors and epidemiologists), those who work in major news media, opinion writers in those media and the hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people who put their faith in these people — as so prep…

Nils Karlson (2020-05-16). Sweden's Coronavirus Strategy Will Soon Be the World's. anti-empire.com China placed 50 million people under quarantine in Hubei Province in January. Since then, many liberal democracies have taken aggressive authoritarian measures of their own to fight the novel coronavirus. By mid-March, almost all Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries

Erick-Woods Erickson (2020-05-16). Media Screamed Georgia Reopening Would Mean Bodies in the Street. Instead Cases Are Falling. anti-empire.com On April 20, 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp became one of the first governors in America to announce plans to reopen his state. He had been one of the last to impose a shelter-in-place order. Critics had blasted him for waiting so long. He did not impose shelter-in-place until the beginning of April. | On April 20, 2020, Kemp announced he would begin letting certain small businesses that were mostly sole proprietors with direct, personal relationships with customers reopen on April 25, 2020. Those included barber shops, nail salons, tattoo parlors, and, curiously, bowling alleys. What the media ignored was…

Michael Otto (2020-05-16). Ecuador's pandemic — Part 1: Rightist regime fails to confront crisis. workers.org Ibarra, Ecuador May 9 — During March and April, U.S. and European media spewed out shocking images from Guayaquil, the biggest city in Ecuador and capital of the province of Guayas on the Pacific Coast. No one in the port city of 2.9 million is untouched by the death of . . . |

teleSUR (2020-05-16). Jordan Warns Israel of 'Massive Conflict' Over Annexation. telesurenglish.net Jordan's King Abdullah II warned Friday that if Israel annexes the West Bank, it would lead to a "massive conflict" with Jordan, while European Union (UE) foreign ministers agreed to step up diplomatic efforts to try to head off such a move. | RELATED: | "If Israel really annexes the West Bank in July, it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," King Abdullah II said in an interview published by De…

Michael Otto (2020-05-16). Ecuador's pandemic: Rightist regime fails to confront crisis. workers.org Ibarra, Ecuador May 9 — During March and April, U.S. and European media spewed out shocking images from Guayaquil, the biggest city in Ecuador and capital of the province of Guayas on the Pacific Coast. No one in the port city of 2.9 million is untouched by the death of . . . |

WSWS (2020-05-16). Coronavirus crisis exposes devastating conditions in the German meat processing industry. wsws.org German slaughterhouses have become coronavirus hotspots, with hundreds of workers, most of them sub-contracted from Eastern Europe, infected with the virus.

Peadar O'Cearnaigh (2020-05-16). As Gerry Adams' internment conviction is 'quashed', Britain's shameful past in Ireland comes back to haunt it. thecanary.co On The floodgates of similar cases could…

WSWS (2020-05-16). One dead and more than 600 Irish meat processing workers infected with coronavirus. wsws.org There are 23,956 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Republic of Ireland and 1,518 deaths—one of the highest death ratios in the world. In Northern Ireland, 4,317 people have tested positive, with 469 deaths.

teleSUR (2020-05-16). Businessman Accused of Rwandan Genocide Arrested After 26 Years. telesurenglish.net The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) reported that Felicien Kabuga, one of the most wanted fugitives from the 1994 Rwandan genocide, was arrested in Paris on Saturday and is expected to be transferred to the Netherlands, where he will appear before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. | RELATED: | Kabuga played a key role in financing the massacres of hundreds of thousands of people committed…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Russian amb. rejects reports on Iran, Turkey, Russia agreement on removal of Assad. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — Rejecting some reports on Iran, Russia and Turkey's agreement to remove Syrian President from the power, Russian ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan told Mehr News Agency that the future of President Assad and Syria will be decided by Syrian people through free transparent elections, not by us.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Nuclear deal opponents helpless, ignorant: Ulyanov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov termed the opponents of the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as Iran deal, ignorant and helpless.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-16). Russian amb. talks of Iran, Russia bilateral relation, regional developments. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA) — Russian Ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan in an exclusive interview with Mehr News Agency on Wednesday talked of Tehran-Moscow bilateral relations, as well as the recent developments in Syria and region.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-16). Progressives in Slovakia slam pro-EU/NATO joint declaration by leadership. peoplesdispatch.org 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…

teleSUR (2020-05-16). Spain Wants to Extend the COVID-19 Measures for Another Month. telesurenglish.net Spain's RELATED: | The Prime Minister explained that, if there is no new outbreak, the country could…

WSWS (2020-05-16). Herd immunity policy in Turkey risks thousands of new deaths. wsws.org The government is launching a "normalization" policy forcing employees back to work over opposition from medical experts.

WSWS (2020-05-15). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.

Zero Hedge (2020-05-15). "My Job Is to Make Syria a Quagmire for the Russians": CIA Doctrine Made Official Policy. globalresearch.ca Like with the disastrous Iraq quagmire years before the US war machine came to Syria under Obama, Washington's rationale and justification for occupying the Syrian Arab Republic has shifted and changed drastically multiple times over. | When ultimately what started …

Mike Whitney (2020-05-15). In the Race for Immunity, Sweden Leads the Pack. globalresearch.ca In a pandemic, there is no substitute for immunity, because immunity provides the best protection against reinfection. That's why Sweden set its sights on immunity from the very beginning. They crafted a policy that was designed to protect the old …

RT (2020-05-15). Nord Stream 2 to challenge German regulator's decision denying waiver of 'discriminatory' EU rules for gas pipeline from Russia. rt.com The company building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has vowed to appeal Germany's refusal to remove the multibillion-dollar project from the restrictions laid out in the "discriminatory" EU Gas Directive. | The latest amendment to the EU rules was greenlighted in April last year, long after Nord Stream 2 construction began. The legislature made the rules governing the European gas market apply to all pipelines to and from third countries. The new rule means Russia's Gazprom, which designed the project, will be allowed to use not more than 50 percent of the pipeline capacity while allowing third parties to use…

2020-05-17: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

Trump Regime Aims to Block Legal Cooperation Between Iran and Venezuela
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
The US is at war by hot or others means against all nations unwilling to subordinate their sovereign rights to its interests. | Russia and China top its regime change target list, Iran and Venezuela close behind. | The Islamic and Bolivarian …
globalresearch.ca/trump-regime-aims-block-legal-cooperation-between-iran-venezuela/5713152

Trump Regime Aims to Block Legal Cooperation Between Iran and Venezuela
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
The US is at war by hot or others means against all nations unwilling to subordinate their sovereign rights to its interests. | Russia and China top its regime change target list, Iran and Venezuela close behind. | The Islamic and Bolivarian …
globalresearch.ca/trump-regime-aims-block-legal-cooperation-between-iran-venezuela/5713152

Bloomberg changes headline YET AGAIN amid backlash over article on why Covid-19 'didn't kill more Russians'
rt.com | 2020-05-17
Bloomberg has yet again had to correct the title of an article, after rolling out a report about why Covid-19 hasn't "killed more Russians." Moscow has argued that Western media distort Russia's fight against the disease. | US-based Bloomberg News had published the story, originally titled "Experts Want to Know Why Coronavirus Hasn't Killed More Russians," on Wednesday. The news piece was ostensibly about how Russia's relatively low death toll from Covid-19 "puzzles health experts," especially since the nation has the second-highest number of officially-recorded cases of the disease, trailing only behind the…
rt.com/news/488893-bloomberg-story-russia-covid19/

Russia's COVID Game of Elites
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
Implementing President Putin's directives, Russian federal authorities intensified their efforts to contain both the economic and social impact of the nation-wide coronavirus lockdown, and also some local authorities' overzealous efforts. This move was impatiently awaited by the Russian society for …
globalresearch.ca/russia-covid-game-elites/5713171

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

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

Russia's COVID Game of Elites
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
Implementing President Putin's directives, Russian federal authorities intensified their efforts to contain both the economic and social impact of the nation-wide coronavirus lockdown, and also some local authorities' overzealous efforts. This move was impatiently awaited by the Russian society for …
globalresearch.ca/russia-covid-game-elites/5713171

Normalized Relations with Russia Can Improve Baltic Economies During Pandemic
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
In 2020, Lithuania's and Latvia's gross domestic product (GDP) will decrease by seven per cent, according to a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development report published only days ago. Estonia's GDP is projected to decline by six percent. A six …
globalresearch.ca/normalized-relations-russia-can-improve-baltic-economies-pandemic/5713165

Normalized Relations with Russia Can Improve Baltic Economies During Pandemic
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-17
In 2020, Lithuania's and Latvia's gross domestic product (GDP) will decrease by seven per cent, according to a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development report published only days ago. Estonia's GDP is projected to decline by six percent. A six …
globalresearch.ca/normalized-relations-russia-can-improve-baltic-economies-pandemic/5713165

'Questioning EU's ability': Eurocrat accuses Russian media of spreading Covid-19 'CONSPIRACIES,' offers no examples
rt.com | 2020-05-17
An EU Commission spokesperson alleged, giving no details, that the Russian media and "Kremlin-friendly" sources push conspiracy theories about Covid-19. The news comes on the heels of anti-lockdown protests in Germany and the UK. | Not mincing his words, Peter Stano told German paper Bild am Sonntag: "Our observations show that various official and state-backed sources from Russia

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/

'War and Peace' to go on screen in Italian film festival
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-17
TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA)

'Contradicting the idea of solidarity': France slams Italy for unilateral plan to reopen borders to tourists
rt.com | 2020-05-17
Italy shouldn't have moved to reopen its borders without coordinating with other EU member states first, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said, as a non-uniform Covid-19 pandemic response tests the bloc's unity. | Following more than two months of statewide lockdowns, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Saturday that the country will allow entry to European tourists, while the mandatory 14-day quarantine will be scrapped from June 3. France immediately slammed its neighbor for undermining the idea of European solidarity. | "It's very important for us to coordinate our decisions on th…
rt.com/news/488879-italy-france-border-coronavirus/

'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

Should "Slavery in California" be considered in CA Reparations Bill AB 3121
Michael Harris | indybay.org | 2020-05-17
Slavery in California, a hidden secret by design, may be included in the consideration for AB 3121, the trade in human cargo is known to have source documents that predate the year 1450 Spain, Portugal, Danish governments and countless other vessels are raiding the vast African coastal villages for the express purpose of trade in human cargo for economic exploitation.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/14/18833033.php

Coronavirus brings diamond sales to an almost complete halt
rt.com | 2020-05-17
A leading global diamond producer, Russia's ALROSA, is reporting that its sales were down tenfold in one month alone, as the impact of Covid-19 ripples through the global economy and supply chains. | In April, ALROSA sold a total of just $15.6 million-worth of rough and polished diamonds. This is down from over $152 million a month earlier and from $400 million in sales in the beginning of the year. | "Restrictions imposed to fight the coronavirus and a decline in demand for diamond jewelry have minimized the trade in rough and polished diamonds across the world," Evgeny Agureev, Deputy CEO of ALROSA, said in…
rt.com/business/488662-diamond-sales-halted-coronavirus/

'EYE' in the sky: Russia's National Guard launches BLIMP to spot Covid-19 lockdown violators… to mixed reviews (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-05-17
Russia's National Guard has added a steampunk vibe to the coronavirus dystopia as it launched a blimp to monitor how the lockdown is being observed in Moscow Region. Not everyone was impressed, though. | Equipped with the OKO ("eye") surveillance system, the air balloon was deployed to hover several hundred meters above the ground, allowing servicemen to observe an area of around five square kilometers. | The blimp's prime task is to monitor the park and forest areas during the quarantine. Data gathered by the OKO system is transferred to patrols on the ground in real time, who are then dispatched to disperse…
rt.com/russia/488876-russia-blimp-coronavirus-lockdown/

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/

US needs to read text of JCPOA more carefully: Ulyanov
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-17
TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA)

Iran, Turkey to cooperate on manufacturing wind turbine blades
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-17
TEHRAN, May 17 (MNA)

The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020"
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-16
WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-causes-effects-real-danger-agenda-id2020/5706153

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/

Jordan Warns Israel of 'Massive Conflict' Over Annexation
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-16
Jordan's King Abdullah II warned Friday that if Israel annexes the West Bank, it would lead to a "massive conflict" with Jordan, while European Union (UE) foreign ministers agreed to step up diplomatic efforts to try to head off such a move. | RELATED: | On the 72nd Nakba Palestine Faces Its Biggest Threat | "If Israel really annexes the West Bank in July, it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," King Abdullah II said in an interview published by De…
telesurenglish.net/news/Jordan-Warns-Israel-of-Massive-Conflict-Over-Annexation-20200516-0008.html

Jordan Warns Israel of 'Massive Conflict' Over Annexation
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-16
Jordan's King Abdullah II warned Friday that if Israel annexes the West Bank, it would lead to a "massive conflict" with Jordan, while European Union (UE) foreign ministers agreed to step up diplomatic efforts to try to head off such a move. | RELATED: | On the 72nd Nakba Palestine Faces Its Biggest Threat | "If Israel really annexes the West Bank in July, it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," King Abdullah II said in an interview published by De…
telesurenglish.net/news/Jordan-Warns-Israel-of-Massive-Conflict-Over-Annexation-20200516-0008.html

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

Italy to lift international and domestic travel restrictions in June
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Italy will allow international travel, as well as transit between the country's regions, from June 3, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Saturday. | The authorities, however, have not ruled out curbing travel again in some areas

Coronavirus crisis exposes devastating conditions in the German meat processing industry
wsws.org | 2020-05-16
German slaughterhouses have become coronavirus hotspots, with hundreds of workers, most of them sub-contracted from Eastern Europe, infected with the virus.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/16/meat-m16.html

POLAND would gladly host American nukes if Germany refuses, US envoy claims, fanning 'Cuban missile crisis 2.0'
rt.com | 2020-05-16
As the US ambassador to Germany

Hungary's Orban says Budapest lockdown will now be gradually lifted amid Covid-19 powers row with EU
rt.com | 2020-05-16
The gradual removal of coronavirus restrictions will begin in Budapest from Monday, bringing Hungarian PM Victor Orban closer to fulfilling his promise to give up the emergency powers that had angered the EU. | "It has become clear that we have managed to curb the epidemic in Budapest as well…and thus we can lift the lockdown," Orban announced in a video address on his Facebook page. | However, the prime minister pointed out that the government will be moving "cautiously" towards what he called the second phase of defense against the virus in Hungary's capital and largest city, which has a population of mor…
rt.com/news/488872-hungary-orban-budapest-lockdown/

Hungary's Orban says Budapest lockdown will now be gradually lifted amid Covid-19 powers row with EU
rt.com | 2020-05-16
The gradual removal of coronavirus restrictions will begin in Budapest from Monday, bringing Hungarian PM Victor Orban closer to fulfilling his promise to give up the emergency powers that had angered the EU. | "It has become clear that we have managed to curb the epidemic in Budapest as well…and thus we can lift the lockdown," Orban announced in a video address on his Facebook page. | However, the prime minister pointed out that the government will be moving "cautiously" towards what he called the second phase of defense against the virus in Hungary's capital and largest city, which has a population of mor…
rt.com/news/488872-hungary-orban-budapest-lockdown/

One dead and more than 600 Irish meat processing workers infected with coronavirus
wsws.org | 2020-05-16
There are 23,956 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Republic of Ireland and 1,518 deaths–one of the highest death ratios in the world. In Northern Ireland, 4,317 people have tested positive, with 469 deaths.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/16/meir-m16.html

Businessman Accused of Rwandan Genocide Arrested After 26 Years
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-16
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) reported that Felicien Kabuga, one of the most wanted fugitives from the 1994 Rwandan genocide, was arrested in Paris on Saturday and is expected to be transferred to the Netherlands, where he will appear before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. | RELATED: | Rwanda Honors Those Killed in Genocide 25 Years Ago | Kabuga played a key role in financing the massacres of hundreds of thousands of people committed…
telesurenglish.net/news/Businessman-Accused-of-Rwandan-Genocide-Arrested-After-26-Years-20200516-0001.html

'They used to be Vikings': Norwegian PM & ministers earn praise & ridicule for festive dance video
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Norway's prime minister and members of her cabinet have been roasted in a pyre of internet mockery after performing a creative dance routine to mark the country's national day. | Prime Minister Erna Solberg and more than a dozen government ministers agreed to dance to a popular children's song as a lighthearted tribute to the country's independence day, which is celebrated on May 17. The routine was filmed for a children's television network, local media reported. | In the clip, Solberg leads her cabinet in hand waving, hip thrusting and flag waving

In major gaffe, US envoy MISTAKES Holocaust victims for Crimean Tatars… and he is NOT the first to do it
rt.com | 2020-05-16
A top US diplomat was left red-faced after using a picture of a Jewish ghetto in Poland as part of his post on the 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars, a blunder described as "disgusting" and which also drew ridicule on him. | …
rt.com/news/488845-us-envoy-tatars-jewish-ghetto/

Should "Slavery in California" be considered in CA Reparations Bill AB 3121
Michael Harris | indybay.org | 2020-05-16
Slavery in California, a hidden secret by design, may be included in the consideration for AB 3121, the trade in human cargo is known to have source documents that predate the year 1450 Spain, Portugal, Danish governments and countless other vessels are raiding the vast African coastal villages for the express purpose of trade in human cargo for economic exploitation.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/14/18833033.php

Nuclear deal opponents helpless, ignorant: Ulyanov
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

'We surrender!' Roscosmos chief taunts Trump for bragging about 'super-duper' US missile
rt.com | 2020-05-16
The head of Russia's space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, fired off a tongue-in-cheek tweet in response to Donald Trump's brag about the uber-powerful missile that he alleges leaves Russian or Chinese analogues far behind. | While unveiling the flag of the Space Force in the Oval Office on Friday, US President Donald Trump made some headline-grabbing remarks. | "We have no choice. We have to do it, with the adversaries we have out there…I call it the super-duper missile, and I heard the other night [it's] 17 times faster than what they have right now," Trump bragged. | The US president didn't give away a single clu…
rt.com/news/488847-rogozin-trump-super-duper-missile/

'A bad joke': Trio held after police raid admit to photo-bombing Russian WWII honor-roll site with Nazi pics
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Three suspects have admitted to uploading photos of Third Reich leaders to a website honoring Soviet veterans of World War II. They admitted it was a lame joke

Moscow hits lowest daily Covid-19 cases mark since early May, with 3,505 infections recorded
rt.com | 2020-05-16
The Russian capital, which accounts for a half of all Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country, has reported the lowest new daily infections number since early May. | Some 3,505 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Moscow on Saturday. This has become the minimum daily rate in the city since the beginning of May, the capital's operational headquarters for monitoring the pandemic reported. | The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the capital has now reached 138,969. According to the officials, in the third decade of April, an average of 2,700 to 2,800 cases were recorded every day in Moscow. As the t…
rt.com/russia/488853-moscow-coronavirus-infected-sobyanin/

Russian amb. rejects reports on Iran, Turkey, Russia agreement on removal of Assad
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

Russian amb. talks of Iran, Russia bilateral relation, regional developments
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-16
TEHRAN, May 16 (MNA)

'A bad joke': Trio admits to photo-bombing Russian WWII site with Nazi pics after police raid
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Three suspects have admitted to uploading photos of Third Reich leaders onto a website honoring Soviet veterans of World War II. They admitted it was a lame joke

Russia's biggest automaker to jump-start production next week
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Major Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ has announced that after more than a two-week shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic it will resume production on May 18. | "Due to the virus situation, work will be organized according to a safe schedule to avoid crowds of people in transport and at checkpoints. The start of shifts on the assembly lines and office staff work schedules will be timed," the company said. Starting from June 29, AvtoVAZ will switch over to a four-day work week. | Production of cars at AvtoVAZ was suspended from April 29 due to the spread of coronavirus infection in Russia, which led to a drop…
rt.com/business/488789-avtovaz-car-production-restart/

'A bad joke': Trio admits to photo-bombing Russian WWII site with Nazi pics after police raid
rt.com | 2020-05-16
Three suspects have admitted to uploading photos of Third Reich leaders to a website honoring Soviet veterans of World War II. They admitted it was a lame joke

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/

Spain Wants to Extend the COVID-19 Measures for Another Month
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-16
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that he will request authorization from Congress to extend the state of alarm decreed on March 14 for a further month to stop the advance of the pandemic. | RELATED: | Spain to Close Sea and Air Borders within the Schengen Area | The Prime Minister explained that, if there is no new outbreak, the country could…
telesurenglish.net/news/Spain-Wants-to-Extend-the-COVID-19-Measures-for-Another-Month-20200516-0002.html

The Worldwide Lockdown Is the Biggest Man-Made Culling Since the Great Leap Forward
Denis Prager | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-16

"The truth is, like most of the elites, it is Barber who is "merely inconvenienced." Indeed, the American battle today is between the merely inconvenienced and the rest of America."

| The idea that the worldwide lockdown of virtually every country other than Sweden may have been an enormous mistake strikes many

Sweden's Coronavirus Strategy Will Soon Be the World's
Nils Karlson | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-16
China placed 50 million people under quarantine in Hubei Province in January. Since then, many liberal democracies have taken aggressive authoritarian measures of their own to fight the novel coronavirus. By mid-March, almost all Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries had implemented some combination of school, university, workplace, and public transportation closures; restrictions on public events; and limits on domestic and international travel. One country, however, stand…
anti-empire.com/swedens-coronavirus-strategy-will-soon-be-the-worlds/

Herd immunity policy in Turkey risks thousands of new deaths
wsws.org | 2020-05-16
The government is launching a "normalization" policy forcing employees back to work over opposition from medical experts.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/16/turk-m16.html

Media Screamed Georgia Reopening Would Mean Bodies in the Street. Instead Cases Are Falling
Erick-Woods Erickson | anti-empire.com | 2020-05-16
On April 20, 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp became one of the first governors in America to announce plans to reopen his state. He had been one of the last to impose a shelter-in-place order. Critics had blasted him for waiting so long. He did not impose shelter-in-place until the beginning of April. | On April 20, 2020, Kemp announced he would begin letting certain small businesses that were mostly sole proprietors with direct, personal relationships with customers reopen on April 25, 2020. Those included barber shops, nail salons, tattoo parlors, and, curiously, bowling alleys. What the media ignored was…
anti-empire.com/media-screamed-georgia-reopening-would-mean-bodies-in-the-street-instead-cases-are-falling/