(2020-05-20). The US' "Medical Terrorism" Against Syria Threatens to Make World War C Much Deadlier. globalresearch.ca The Syrian Ambassador to Russia slammed the US' sanctions against his country as a form of medical terrorism that prevents it from importing much-needed "medicines, and medical goods, and other means to combat [COVID-19]", which strongly suggests that America wants …
(2020-05-20). Video: Turkey's 'Neo-Ottoman' Project Shifts Focus From Syria to Libya. globalresearch.ca This week, massive Turkish military support has finally allowed the Government of National Accord to achieve some breakthrough in the battle against the Libyan National Army (LNA). | On May 18, GNA forces and members of Turkish-backed militant groups from Syria …
(2020-05-20). Video: Caliphate in Miniature: Rift Between Turkey and Al-Qaeda in Idlib. globalresearch.ca In the second half of April and early May, the Syrian province of Idlib became the epicenter of a military political drama developing between Turkish forces and their al-Qaeda-linked allies. | The escalated tensions even led to a military incident on …
(2020-05-20). How Russia is Botching Its Relationship With Syria. counterpunch.org What complicates Russia's relationship with Syria, which has sometimes been referred to as a Russian client state, is that two strong-willed, highly self-opinionated leaders are also involved here—Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Syria Bashar al-Assad. Both enjoy unshakeable clan support and can hold their ground. Assad is by no means a Russian protege, and the interests of the two countries do not always overlap, either.
(2020-05-20). Another Bank Bailout Under Cover of a Virus. counterpunch.org When the Dodd Frank Act was passed in 2010, President Obama triumphantly declared, "No more bailouts!" But what the Act actually said was that the next time the banks failed, they would be subject to "bail ins" — the funds of their creditors, including their large depositors, would be tapped to cover their bad loans. But bail-ins were tried in Europe, and the results were disastrous.
(2020-05-20). Conspiracies and the Coronavirus in the USA and Germany. counterpunch.org By early May 2020, Coronavirus and Conspiracies had become a pressing issue. It should not come as a surprise that the global right-wing is linking the coronavirus to conspiracies. The use of conspiracies is nothing new. In 2018, CNN reported that within 72 hours, three hate crimes killed two African-Americans in Kentucky, nail bombs were
(2020-05-20). Spring cleaning takes on a new importance during COVID-19 pandemic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org 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 …
(2020-05-20). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 news briefing. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org 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 …
(2020-05-20). COVID-19 spreads among Ford workers in Turkey. wsws.org Unsafe and even deadly conditions during the pandemic are an international issue facing workers of every country.
(2020-05-19). Left Gatekeepers Through the New Left: Monitored Rebellion. dissidentvoice.org 
The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters by Frances Stonor Saunders Cultural containment meant "ring around the pinkos" Leftist Patron Saints What do the following people have in common: Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, Naomi Klein, Robert Reich, Michael Albert, Howard Zinn, Amy Goodman, Medea Benjamin, Norman Solomon, Chris Hedges, …
(2020-05-20). 145,000 Ukrainians Accepted Into Russian Citizenship in Just Four Months of 2020. anti-empire.com 
Related:
| Machine translated from Russian. | Russia granted citizenship to 215.9 thousand people in the first four months of 2020. This is 2.5 times more than for the same period last year, follows from the
(2020-05-20). German govt obtains new powers to block hostile foreign takeovers in healthcare. rt.com 
The government in Berlin gave itself new powers to veto hostile foreign takeover bids for German healthcare companies on Wednesday. The measure is designed to ensure a continuous supply of essential products during the coronavirus crisis. | The regulation, approved by the cabinet, will allow the government to block takeovers of makers of vaccines, precursor chemicals, medicines, protective equipment or medical machinery such as ventilators. | In the future, the government will be allowed to examine the security implications of a bid from outside the European Union as soon as the buyer holds more than 10 percen…
(2020-05-20). Tomb of jewelry-clad Iron Age 'PRINCESS' unearthed in France (PHOTOS). rt.com 
An ancient tomb, dating back to the early Iron age, has been unearthed in France, revealing the resting place of an upper-class woman buried with a treasure trove of jewelry and other fancy trinkets. | Stumbled upon by accident during construction works at a burial site near Saint-Vulbas — some 32km (20 miles) from Lyon — one of the tombs contained remains of an evidently upper-crust woman who lived in the 8th century BC. She was found inside an oak coffin, carved from a log, along with other signs of her high status — perhaps royalty, even — according to researchers from the National Insti…
(2020-05-20). Netherlands to reopen schools in June, public transport to resume regular schedules. rt.com 
The Netherlands will press ahead with a further easing of lockdown measures in June due to a steady decline in the number of coronavirus infections and hospital admissions, according to PM Mark Rutte. | High schools will reopen on June 2 and elementary schools will return to full schedules on June 8, Rutte said on Tuesday. The easing will take place nearly two and a half months after lockdown measures were imposed across the country of 17 million in mid-March. | Public transport will resume regular schedules, with non-medical face masks compulsory for anyone over 13 years of age. Gyms and dance venues will rem…
(2020-05-20). 'If you're riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount': Veteran Kremlin insider Chubais says oil is DONE. rt.com 
It's time for Russia to move away from oil and reduce its dependency on oil prices. That's according to Anatoly Chubais, the CEO of technology company Rusnano and former deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin. | Speaking to the Russian-language edition of American business magazine Forbes, Chubais explained that Russia is hugely dependent on oil prices and has based its national accounts on a rate that may not be reached. | "Look at any oil price forecasts. Even the biggest optimists — how much do they say? $40 a barrel? This year's budget is calculated at $42.5 per barrel. If we rely on this…
(2020-05-20). Russia plans to open consulate general in China's Wuhan — ambassador. rt.com 
Russia's Foreign Ministry plans to open a consulate general in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province, Ambassador to Beijing Andrey Denisov said on Wednesday. "The city of Wuhan has been well-known to us for a long time. Before Wuhan, there was the city of Hankou. Our country was present in Hankou in the late 19th century, there was a consulate general," the envoy told an online briefing. | "Now the Russian Foreign Ministry has decided to reopen the consulate general in Wuhan. We hope that when the budget allows, we will restore our presence in Wuhan," TASS quoted Denisov as saying. "I am very pleased to…
(2020-05-20). Another day, another fail: Bloomberg MIXES UP hospital bed stats of Russia & OECD in attack on country's Covid-19 response. rt.com 
Shortly after asking "why the coronavirus did not kill more Russians," Bloomberg illustrated a stinging op-ed with a graph suggesting Russia is far behind OECD states in hospital beds… though the exact opposite is true. | Everything's fine if it fits the narrative, Bloomberg Opinion editors might have thought when they misquoted World Bank statistics on the number of hospital beds per 1,000 residents, including the misrepresented data in a Russia-bashing
(2020-05-20). Is the Covid-19 financial crash the right time for India to cut 40% of military budget? It may be, if played right. rt.com 
India ranks behind only the US and China for military spending. With massive budget cuts coming, it needs a model that gets it more for its money — like Russia's. | Faced with an impending economic crisis, India is looking to review its military spending. Following indications by the Ministry of Defence that the military budget could be cut by up to
(2020-05-20). Spain's Health Ministry orders citizens, including children over 6, to wear masks in public spaces. rt.com 
The Spanish Health Ministry has made it compulsory for all citizens, including children over six, to wear masks in public spaces. Its order said the masks would be needed from Thursday for indoor public spaces and outdoors when impossible to keep a two-meter distance. Masks' efficiency in curbing the coronavirus is hotly debated globally. | Spain has suffered 27,778 deaths and had 232,037 cases of Covid-19, Reuters reports. The tourism-dependent economy is forecast to contract up to 12.4 percent in 2020. | The pace of new fatalities has slowed to under 100 a day, and PM Pedro Sanchez's left-wing coalition is a…
(2020-05-20). 'Mountain' to take part in Hamburg Intl. Filmfest. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Iranian short film 'Mountain' by Teimour Ghaderi will take part in the 36th edition of the Hamburg International Short Film Festival in Germany.
(2020-05-20). 'The other' wins at Venice Intercultural Filmfest. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Iranian short film 'The other' by Saman Hosseinpour has won the best short film award at Venice Intercultural Film Festival in Italy.
(2020-05-20). Iran ready to create barter mechanism with Kazakhstan: Rouhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has expressed country's readiness to establish a barter system for trades with Kazakhstan.
(2020-05-20). UK PM Boris Johnson Faces Labour Party Leader Starmer in Parliamentary Q and A – Video. sputniknews.com UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was grilled by Labour Party leader Keir Starmer at the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons in London over the government's response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
(2020-05-20). Lockheed Martin Forced to Make Sharp Cutbacks to F-35 Production Due to Parts Shortages. sputniknews.com In a related development, last week, the Government Accountability Office concluded that as many as 15 key components for the F-35 once made in Turkey were currently not being produced "at the needed production rate" following Ankara's unceremonious removal from the fighter programme.
(2020-05-20). EU plans to halve pesticide use, expand organic farming. yenisafak.com The European Commission said on Wednesday it planned to increase organic farming and cut agricultural chemical use to protect the environment, proposals welcomed by green groups but which farmers said would make them less flexible.Agriculture is a contributor to climate change — producing around 10% of EU greenhouse gas emissions — and is at the forefront of its consequences, with European farmers battling more intense droughts and flooding.The EU Commission, the bloc's executive, proposed goals to restore natural ecosystems and steer agriculture towards its EU-wide target to reduce net emissions to z…
(2020-05-20). Turkey's Boƒüaziàßi University, Swiss CERN cooperate on collider. yenisafak.com A university in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul and the Swiss-based European Organization for Nuclear Research, also known as CERN, are set to collaborate on advanced interdisciplinary research.Bogazici University, in collaboration with one of the world's leading research centers, will set up a lab focusing on advanced electronic devices used in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, it said in a statement. The LHC is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider and the largest machine in the world. It has been built to further our understanding of the universe.Bora Akgun, a researcher at CERN and a…
(2020-05-20). Croatia president calls parliamentary election for July 5. yenisafak.com The Croatian President Zoran Milanovic called on Wednesday a parliamentary election for July 5, a statement issued by his office said.The election will pit the ruling centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) against the top opposition party Social Democrats (SDP) which slightly trail behind in opinion polls. Neither party is expected to win an outright majority, so a coalition government with smaller parties is almost certain.
(2020-05-20). Spain to open doors for tourists this summer. yenisafak.com Spain expects to open its tourism sector to international visitors this summer, the country's transport minister has said.Earlier this month, Spain announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the country, which will be lifted once nationwide coronavirus restrictions end.Jose Abalos said that could be as early as late June. But it will likely depend on the progress of regions still struggling with coronavirus like Madrid and Barcelona, which are lagging weeks behind other parts of the country in terms of re-opening."We couldn't say someone from Madrid couldn't go to their holiday home in Valencia,…
(2020-05-20). Turkey eyeing post-virus production recovery. yenisafak.com Turkey's main priority is to ensure a permanent recovery on the production front in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the country's technology and industry minister said on Wednesday.Addressing a virtual meeting organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board, Mustafa Varank said the expectations of the real sector are improving, and the last two weeks have also seen positive signs on normalization from the pandemic."Electricity consumption in the organized industrial zones started to rise in the beginning of May," he said, adding ,that all main automotive factories are operating, and there is a recovery in…
(2020-05-20). Turkey eases quarantine restrictions on arrivals from abroad. yenisafak.com Turkey will ease existing 14-day quarantine restrictions for citizens coming from abroad as the country starts softening measures taken to stem spread of the coronavirus, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday.Turkish citizens ferried from abroad were spending 14 days under quarantine in student dorms where they were monitored for possible symptoms of COVID-19 disease.The people arriving on scheduled flights will go through medical check and will be monitored for 14 days at their homes.
(2020-05-19). News Stories Avoid Naming Israel. thealtworld.com There are two stories that seem to have been under-reported in the past couple of weeks. The first involves Michael Flynn's dealings with the Russian United Nations Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. And the second describes yet another bit of espionage conducted by a foreign country directed against the United States. Both stories involve the State of Israel. | The bigger story is, of course, the dismissal by Attorney General William Barr of the criminal charges against former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn based on malfeasance by the FBI investigators. The curious aspect of the story as it is being rel…
(2020-05-19). Think Trump and Republicans Wouldn't Try to Cancel an Election? Look at What GOP in Georgia Just Pulled Off. commondreams.org Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will be permitted to select the state's next Supreme Court Justiceafter canceling the special election that was set to take place Tuesday, the state's high court ruled. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-05-19_at_5.26.38_pm.png …
(2020-05-19). Headlines for May 19, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Claims He Is Taking Hydroxychloroquine Despite FDA Warnings, Navajo Nation Has Highest Coronavirus Infection Rate in the U.S., 60-Year-Old Burmese Refugee Becomes Eighth COVID-19 Victim at Colorado Meat Plant, 74-Year-Old Man at California ICE Prison Dies of Suicide, Trump Attacks WHO as U.S. and China Trade Barbs over Pandemic Response, Early COVID Vaccine Trials Show Positive Results, Outbreak at Refugee Center in Germany Infects at Least 70 people, France and Germany Propose 500 Billion-Euro Coronavirus Assistance Fund for EU, Sà£o Paulo's Hospitals "Near Collapse" as Brazil Becomes Third Most Infe…
(2020-05-19). Listening to the Coronavirus 'Experts' Has Led to Death and Despair. globalresearch.ca On April 21st the Washington Post savaged Georgia governor Brian Kemp's decision to begin opening his state after locking down for weeks. "Georgia leads the race to become America's No. 1 Death Destination," sneered the headline. | The author, liberal …
(2020-05-19). Tomorrow's Arctic: Theatre of War or Cooperation? The Real Story Behind the Alaska Purchase. strategic-culture.org 
Today, the Arctic has increasingly become identified as a domain of great prosperity and cooperation amongst world civilizations on the one side and a domain of confrontation and war on the other. | In 2007, the Russian government
(2020-05-19). VIDEO: Lukashenko Publicly Calls Out Putin for Blundering With Lockdown — Putin's Reaction Says It All. anti-empire.com 
At the latest summit of the Eurasian Economic Union, Lukashenko of Belarus also had something to say about covid-19 and lockdowns (be sure to switch on the subtitles): | | Putin's posture and shuffling of papers says it all. I've never seen him look smaller.The current situation in the world and…
(2020-05-19). Sweden Has Covid-19 Beat, Leaving Everyone Who Locked Down With Egg on Their Face. anti-empire.com 
| The culture of social distancing does strange things to us. A few weeks ago I got an invitation to an offline work dinner, and I can't remember the last time I had such a sudden rush of joy. Even if life in Sweden over the past two months have been surprisingly normal, the truth is that we all have hunkered down a bit. Many of us have worked from home. The first two weeks, I admit, felt as life in remission — like a sudden gift of time. But then we all sunk into the apathy of having our lif…
(2020-05-19). Grenfell Inquiry to resume when possible, but not for several weeks. thecanary.co 
The latest stage of the Grenfell Inquiry will not resume until at least July — more than three years after the west London tower block blaze that killed 72 people.The second phase of the investigation was halted on 16 March by chair Martin Moore-Bick as the coronavirus swept through Europe, with at least one panel member falling ill with suspected Covid-19 and concerns over the safety of other participants.The panel had spent more than a month hearing evidence from witnesses to examine the circumstances and causes of the disaster — on 14 June 2017 — before proceedings were drawn to an abrupt end.
(2020-05-19). COMEY urged probe into Flynn by misrepresenting Russian contacts, declassified memo shows. rt.com 
Ex-FBI director James Comey pushed to investigate Trump's incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn despite lacking any evidence Flynn had shared classified info with Russian officials, a newly-declassified memo reveals. | It was Comey who told President Barack Obama and other administration officials that "incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador Kislyak" in a meeting documented in the January 2017 memo by National Security Advisor Susan Rice, the unredacted first page of which was obtained by CBS on Tuesday. | The FBI director admits he "has no indication thus far that Flynn h…
(2020-05-19). German Left demands national rent cover, protests CDU's pro-real estate policies. peoplesdispatch.org Die Linke (The Left) in Germany has demanded that rent hikes be halted. It has also called for a ban on evictions during this period of crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic…
(2020-05-19). From fields to supermarkets, solidarity with laborers on strike. peoplesdispatch.org On May 21, migrant agricultural workers across Italy are set to strike in protest over the new immigration rules announced by the government. These rules — offering only six month permits for workers in limited sectors — fall far short of what has been demanded…
(2020-05-19). The Bubonic Plague in San Francisco. jamanetwork.com We have always regarded the plague as something very distant and impossible, and have read of its ravages in India and China with much the same feeling of composure and security that we read about an uprising of the natives in Madagascar. Or perhaps we have considered it as a matter of historic interest on account of the fearful epidemics which in pre-sanitary days used to sweep over Europe, devastating countries and hardly leaving enough people behind to keep up the archives and records of the state. Even now that it is among us, and in America for the first time, there seems to be a tendency to underrate its im…
(2020-05-19). Washington's New Anti-China Strategy. thealtworld.com Regardless of the anti-Chinese hysteria of the group that imposed Western health policy responses to the Covid-19 epidemic, it demonstrated Western dependence on Chinese manufactured products. This led the Trump administration to move from a desire to rebalance trade to a military confrontation, without however resorting to war. The sabotage of the Silk Roads has officially begun. | One of the consequences of the Coronavirus epidemic is that Westerners have realised their dependence on Chinese manufacturing capacity. Neither the Europeans nor the Americans were able to manufacture the millions of surgical masks t…
(2020-05-19). Read some Ho Chi Minh for his birthday. fightbacknews.org To mark the birthday of Ho Chi Minh, May, 19, 1890, Fight Back is circulating his 1960 article The path which led me to Leninism. | After World War I, I made my living in Paris, now as a retoucher at a photographer's, now as painter of "Chinese antiquities" (made in France!). I would distribute leaflets denouncing the crimes committed by the French colonialists in Viet Nam. | At that time, I supported the October Revolution only instinctively, not yet grasping all its historic importance. I loved and admired Lenin because he was a great patriot who liberated his compatriots; until then, I had read none of his boo…
(2020-05-19). The policy of "malign neglect": How the Russian oligarchy sacrifices the health and lives of the people. wsws.org The government's policy of malign neglect has provoked an initial upsurge in opposition from the working class, including Gazprom workers in Yakutia, northern Russia.
(2020-05-19). Syria: UN relief chief appeals for renewal of lifesaving cross-border aid operation. news.un.org The UN's top aid official has urged the Security Council to renew a mechanism that provides lifesaving assistance to millions of desperate people in northwest Syria, through cross-border deliveries from Turkey.
(2020-05-19). Ukrainian National Police official demands a list of Jews living in Kolomyya. wsws.org The intimidation and persecution of ethnic and religious minorities within Ukraine has become routine, with far-right elements operating openly as officials of the Ukrainian state.
(2020-05-19). Turn Out the Lights, Russiagate Is Over. strategic-culture.org The possibility that Trump will not chicken out this time, and rather will challenge the Security State looms large since he felt personally under attack. | Ray McGOVERN | Seldom mentioned among the motives behind the persistent drumming on alleged Russian interference was an over-arching need to help the Security State hide their tracks. | The need for a scapegoat to blame for Hillary Clinton's snatching defeat out of the jaws victory also played a role; as did the need for the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex (MICIMATT) to keep front and center in the minds of Ame…
(2020-05-18). [Commentary] The 2019-nCoV pandemic in the global south: A Tsunami ahead. thelancet.com During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, high-income countries have faced shortages of medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), ICU beds and ventilators [1]. In this unexpected scenario, physicians working in the world's richest nations have been left to decide who will receive mechanical ventilation and, ultimately, who lives and who dies. Most countries in the Global South have yet to experience a significant wave of COVID-19, but are predicted to follow a similar trajectory as the Global North.
(2020-05-18). The Nakba: 72 years of ongoing catastrophe. workers.org 
May 15 is the day commemorating Youm al-Nakba, the Day of Catastrophe, when white European settlers declared war on the people of Palestine in 1948. In the violence that immediately followed the settlers' so-called "independence" declaration, at least 700,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes, and hundreds of towns . . . |