Daily Archives: June 12, 2020

2020-06-12: News Headlines

Robert Glynne-Jones, Mark Harrison, Drostan Cheetham (2020-06-13). [Correspondence] NICE guideline for rectal cancer: already out of date. thelancet.com As members of a colorectal multidisciplinary team, some of whom have contributed to previous National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance1 and European Society of Medical Oncology guidelines in rectal cancer,2 we disagree with the current recommendations in the update to NICE guidance that was published in 2020: "offer preoperative radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy to people with rectal cancer that is cT1-T2, cN1-N2, M0, or cT3-T4, any cN, M0."3…

R Todd Stravitz, William M Lee (2020-06-13). [Correspondence] Acute liver failure — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We appreciate the additional insights provided by Sandro Vento and Francesca Cainelli regarding the incidence and diagnosis of acute liver failure in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Beyond the differences in known causal factors (viruses, drugs) between high-income countries and LMICs, the predominance of the indeterminate group in these regions is of concern to all. In our study,1 only 5% of patients remained indeterminate after thorough serological testing and review of history and available liver histology.

Sandro Vento, Francesca Cainelli (2020-06-13). [Correspondence] Acute liver failure. thelancet.com In their Seminar, R Todd Stravitz and William Lee1 state that estimates of the incidence of acute liver failure range from one case per million people per year to about 2000—3000 cases per year in the USA; that viral hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis E are the main causes of acute liver failure in "developing countries"; and that only about 5% of all diagnoses have indeterminate causes.

Andre Vltchek (2020-06-12). It is all About Race: Awful Hypocrisy to Say it is Not! dissidentvoice.org While I am following closely various discussions on Western mass media and social media, simultaneously engaging in several direct exchanges, one overwhelming leitmotif that I see is clearly emerging: "What is happening in the United States (and the UK, France and other parts of Western Empire) is not really about the race. Let us protest …

Philip Giraldi (2020-06-12). Russians "Stirring Up Trouble": An Obama Retread Sees Moscow's Hand in US Protests. globalresearch.ca If one ventures into the vast wasteland of American television it is possible to miss the truly ridiculous content that is promoted as news by the major networks. One particular feature of media-speak in the United States is the tendency …

Staff (2020-06-12). Georgia's Elections Were A Voter Suppression Horror Show. therealnews.com Georgia's primary election could be a warning for what's to come when Americans head to the polls in November.

Bill Hackwell (2020-06-12). Distortions and Attempts to Undermine the Cuban Medical Brigades Will Not Succeed. dissidentvoice.org Cuban medical brigade returning from Italy (Photo: Ismael Fransisco Gonzalez) Every evening for the past two and a half months the people of Cuba have come out on their streets and porches to applaud and cheer for the 3,000 members of the Henry Reeve medical brigades who are fighting the Covid-19 pandemic on the front …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-12). Europe's top human rights court overturns French conviction of BDS activists. peoplesdispatch.org A French court had convicted 11 BDS activists for 'incitement to economic discrimination' after they organized a boycott protest against Israel outside a supermarket in France during the Israeli invasion of Gaza in 2009-10…

Scott Ritter (2020-06-12). NATO's Call on 'Like-minded Nations' to Stand Up to the Rise of China Is Just a Desperate Bid for Global Relevance. globalresearch.ca As the influence of the US and Europe wanes in the face of a new geopolitical reality, their Cold War progeny, NATO, seeks to redefine itself as a global player. The problem is NATO is not capable of even stepping …

Gary Younge (2020-06-12). What Black America Means to Europe. zcomm.org Many have attempted to claim that `things are better here' for black people than in the US. This ignores both Europe's colonial past and its own racist present…

Fight Back (2020-06-12). Stock market tanks as reality sinks in. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Thursday, June 11, reality finally caught up with Wall Street. For weeks there was a huge gap between the economy, where millions upon millions of people had lost their jobs and livelihood, and the soaring stock market which had turned positive for the year. But today reality seems to have sunk in, sending the headline Dow Jones Industrial Average down more than 1800 points, or almost 7%. The broad S&P 500 index fell almost 6%, and the technology-heavy NASDAQ fell more than 5%. Stock market from Asia to Europe also fell. | The day before, on June 10, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave a ve…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-12). Austrian communists criticize government bailout to private airline. peoplesdispatch.org On June 9, Tuesday, Austrian leftist groups, including the Party of Labour of Austria (PdA) and the Communist Youth of Austria (KJO), criticized the government's bailout to the private sector Austrian Airlines (AUA), a subsidiary of the Germany-based Lufthansa Group. The conservative Austrian People's Party (àñVP)-Green-led government in the country has issued EUR 150 million (USD 170 million) as direct state aid, and EUR 300 million (USD 340 million) worth of loans to the airline. | Responding to the move, KJO stated "Once again, àñVP and Greens prove which side they really are on. While there are…

Daniele Pozzati (2020-06-12). German Official Leaks Ministry of Interior Report Denouncing Corona as 'A Global False Alarm'. globalresearch.ca Germany's federal government and mainstream media are engaged in damage control after a
| Wir machen unsere Leser auf die Zusammenfassung dieses wichtigen durchgesickerten Berichts aufmerksam, der …

Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi (2020-06-12). COVID-19 , "Global False Alarm". Leaked German Government Report. globalresearch.ca We bring to the attention of our readers details concerning the Leaked Report of Germany's Ministry of Interior. | What is at stake is a …

Manlio Dinucci (2020-06-12). No Economic Sovereignty Without Political Sovereignty. globalresearch.ca There is a current discussion on how much and what kind of funding Italy will receive from the European Union and under what conditions. Reassuring messages arrive from Brussels. But since such financing will be mostly provided in the form …

Press TV (2020-06-12). Iran Air seals deal with Italy's Rimini airport. iranian.com AIRiminum, the company that operates Italy's Federico Fellini International Airport says it has signed a deal with Iran's flag carrier airline, Iran Air. The deal will ensure three flights per week connecting the Iranian capital and the seaside city of Rimini. The move is in line with efforts to revamp the airport named after the …

yenisafak (2020-06-12). UK won't extend Brexit transition period: Minister. yenisafak.com The UK on Friday confirmed to the EU that it will not extend the Brexit transition period. | Michael Gove, minister for the Cabinet Office, wrote on Twitter that he chaired a "constructive" EU Joint Committee meeting with European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic. | "I formally confirmed the UK will not extend the transition period the moment for extension has now passed. On 1 January 2021 we will take back control and regain our political economic independence," he wrote. | This came after Scottish and Welsh first ministers sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, requesting an extension to c…

yenisafak (2020-06-12). UK to introduce EU border controls in stages from 2021. yenisafak.com Britain said on Friday it would introduce border controls in stages on European Union goods after the end of the Brexit transition period, to try to soften the blow for companies already battling the coronavirus pandemic.Reversing an original plan to impose full border controls on imports coming into Britain from the EU from next year, the government said it would introduce the changes in stages up until July 1, 2021, giving firms more time to deal with paperwork.Companies have long called on the government to give them more clarity about what new border checks will be in force at the end of this year, when the s…

Andrey Areshev (2020-06-12). Why the Sudden U.S. Keenness for Arms Control Talks With Russia? strategic-culture.org The answer to the above question comes down to one word: China. | U.S. envoy Marshall Billingslea is, rather belatedly, making enthusiastic sounds about arms control talks to be held with Russia later this month. The talks are scheduled for June 22 in Vienna. The Kremlin has confirmed the venue and discussions, with deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov representing the Russian side. | On

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2020-06-12). U.S. President Trump sparks renewed interest in Juneteenth Celebrations Globally. indybay.org "In 1535, the first enslaved Pan African were recorded in California. Spanish conquistadors brought enslaved Pan Africans for conquest and who were later breed with indigenous population (Afro-Latino) throughout "New Spain" and much, much later evolved into today's Republic of Mexico. Authentic Alta California History remains cloaked in slavery and secrecy that remains off limits for any principled dialogue as the California State Legislature prepares for a 2020 Juneteenth State Budget due next week.

yenisafak (2020-06-12). EU warns COVID-19 health crisis not over yet, urges vigilance. yenisafak.com The public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic in Europe is not over yet, the European Union's top health official warned on Friday, urging governments to remain vigilant and plough ahead with testing and tracing the population."This is not behind us yet. We need to be vigilant," EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told EU health ministers in a videoconference, amid fears of a new surge in infections as EU states gradually reopen business and borders and after mass protests in recent days across the continent [ nL8N2DO589].

yenisafak (2020-06-12). Families' sit-in against PKK terror continues in SE Turkey. yenisafak.com A sit-in in southeastern Turkey by families pleading for the return of their children kidnapped by the YPG/PKK terror group has entered its 284th day.The protest started on Sept. 3, 2019, in Diyarbakir province outside the office of the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a party accused by the government of having links to the YPG/PKK.Solmaz Ovunc, whose son was abducted five years ago, said she has been staging a sit-in for 284 days and that she will continue the sit-in until the return of her son."HDP took my son and handed him over to the PKK. The PKK did not come and take my son from the neighborhood…

yenisafak (2020-06-12). Turkey calls on Germany to lift travel warning. yenisafak.com Turkish foreign minister on Friday called on Germany to lift travel warning for Turkey.Speaking to German weekly Der Spiegel, Mevlut Cavusoglu commented on Germany's decision to lift travel warning for EU countries while extending it for all other countries until Aug. 31."It is hard to understand scientific reasons behind this decision," said Cavusoglu, and called on Berlin to also lift its travel warning for Turkey, which has successfully managed the pandemic process."German tourists are most warmly welcome. All kinds of hygiene measures will be taken against COVID-19 from the moment the German tourists start th…

yenisafak (2020-06-12). UNHCR urges Greece to investigate refugee pushbacks. yenisafak.com The UN Refugee Agency on Friday urged Greece to investigate multiple reports of pushbacks by Greek authorities at the country's sea and land borders, possibly returning migrants and asylum seekers to Turkey.UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said at a twice-weekly UN press briefing that allegations of people being turned back had increased since March.He said reports indicate that several groups of people may have been summarily returned after reaching Greek territory."UNHCR has continuously addressed its concerns with the Greek government and has called for urgent inquiries into a series of alleged incidents reported…

yenisafak (2020-06-12). Turkish economy sees total turnover down 20.9% in April. yenisafak.com The Turkish economy's total turnover saw an annual decrease of 20.9% in April, the nation's statistical institute reported on Friday.The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) said turnover in industry slipped 24.9% during the same period.On the services side, the turnover index declined 23.9% and the figure in trade fell 17.4% year-on-year.The construction sector's turnover dropped 19.6% on a yearly basis in the same month.The official report also revealed that Turkey's seasonally and calendar-adjusted total turnover index

yenisafak (2020-06-12). Turkey's industrial output down 31.4% y-o-y in April. yenisafak.com Turkey's industrial production saw a decline of 31.4% year-on-year in April 2020, the country's statistical authority said on Friday.Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) revealed that all three main sub-indices

yenisafak (2020-06-12). Turkish stocks down 0.87% at Friday's opening. yenisafak.com Turkey's benchmark stock index started the day at 108,201.50 points on Friday, down by 0.87% or 953.91 points from previous close.At Thursday's close, Borsa Istanbul's BIST 100 index was down 0.57% at 109,155.41 points, with a daily trading volume of 16.1 billion Turkish liras ($2.4 billion).The US dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate stood at 6.8400 as of 9.30 a.m. local time (0630GMT) Friday, compared to 6.8220 at Thursday's close.The euro/Turkish lira exchange rate dropped to 7.7320 from 7.7610, and one British pound traded for 8.6270 Turkish liras, down from 8.6550 at the previous close.One barrel of Brent crude…

yenisafak (2020-06-12). Turkey: COVID-19 narrows retail sales volume in April. yenisafak.com Turkey's retail sales volume shrank 19.3% on an annual basis in April due to coronavirus crisis, the country's statistical authority said on Friday.Food, drinks and tobacco sales in April grew 12.5% compared to the same month last year, according to TurkStat.Non-food

yenisafak (2020-06-12). Turkey's current account posts $5.06B gap in April. yenisafak.com Turkey's current account balance posted a $5.06 billion gap in April, widening from a $469 million deficit in the same month last year, the Turkish Central Bank announced on Friday.According to the balance of payments figures released by the bank, the country's 12-month rolling deficit totaled $3.3 billion.The figure beat market expectation of $4.1 billion deficit in the month as the coronavirus' impact started to be felt in earnest in mid-March and April.An Anadolu Agency survey on Thursday showed that a group of 16 economists' projections ranged from $2.2 billion to $5.2 billion for the fourth month of this yea…

_____ (2020-06-12). Court of Human Rights Deals Major Blow To Israel's War On Palestine Solidarity. popularresistance.org The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled unanimously that the French highest court's 2015 criminal conviction of activists with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement advocating nonviolent boycotts of Israeli goods violated article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights. | Reacting to the breaking news, Rita Ahmad from the Palestinian-led BDS movement said: | This momentous court ruling is a decisive victory for freedom of expression, for human rights defenders, and for the BDS movement for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality. It confirms a 2016 European U…

yenisafak (2020-06-12). FETàñ 'infiltrated' US missions in Turkey, says Foreign Ministry. yenisafak.com His comments came a day after a Turkish court sentenced Metin Topuz, a US Consulate employee, to eight years and nine months in prison on charges of helping FETO, the terror group behind the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.Shortly after the court's decision, the US embassy questioned the decision, saying its observers "have seen no credible evidence to support this conviction and hope it will swiftly be overturned."In response, Hami Aksoy said Turkey anxiously observes how the US has become a safe haven for members of FETO."Essentially, Metin Topuz is not the only FETO affiliated person working in the US representati…

Andrey Areshev (2020-06-11). The EU Continues to Talk Utter Baloney About Libya. But What's the Real Reason Its Warships Are in the Eastern Mediterranean? strategic-culture.org It's often said that the EU plays no role whatsoever in the conflict in Libya and takes no side. And given that Italy, being the odd man in Europe, supports the incumbent government and its ragtag coalition of soldiers and militias it employs fighting under the so-called GNA — whereas most EU countries are more aligned to General Haftar (supported by Russia, Egypt, UAE and Saudi Arabia), it's easy to see how the EU can't take a single position. | But it has. Although at the end of May there was more waffling by the EU's foreign policy wonk, Spanish socialist Josep Borrell, who, undoubtedly frustrated by…

Juan Cole (2020-06-11). Russia shoots down "Ridiculous" Trump demand for Arms Embargo on Tehran. zcomm.org The Neoconservative wing of the Trump administration, which is dying to drag the United States into a war with Iran, suffered an embarrassing setback on Monday when its latest flimsy scheme crashed and burned.

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-06-11). Greek-Italian Maritime Deal Disrupts Turkey's Endeavour for East Mediterranean Dominance. globalresearch.ca Greece and Italy signed a historic agreement yesterday that demarcates the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the two countries in the Ionian Sea. The agreement signed between Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio has …

Tracy Keeling (2020-06-11). Palestinians score huge victory against Israel's apartheid regime in a European court. thecanary.co Palestinians have scored a major victory against Israel's apartheid regime in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). | On 11 June, the ECHR passed a ruling on a French court's conviction of people boycotting Israeli goods to show solidarity with Palestinians. It found that the convictions violated the European Convention on Human Rights. | As the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2020-06-11). New Evidence Suggests Turkey Preparing for Libya-Style Military Intervention in Yemen. mintpressnews.com Turkey is sending advisors and weapons into Yemen and flexing its influence in the war-torn country as it seeks to expand its power across the Middle East.

South Front (2020-06-11). Video: Explosion Targets Russian Military Police Patrol in Northern Syria. Who Was Behind It? globalresearch.ca On June 9, an improvised explosive device exploded on the route of the patrol of the Russian Military Police near the town of Ayn al-Arab (also known as Kobani) in northern Syria. Initially, Kurdish sources claimed that at least 3 …

RT (2020-06-11). EU 'sees trajectory of compromise' in post-Brexit trade deal, but Britain should more realistic — adviser. rt.com The European Union sees a path towards a compromise on a trade deal with Britain, an adviser to the EU's chief trade negotiator said on Thursday. However, London must first be more realistic in what it expects to achieve, according to Stefaan de Rynck. | He told a virtual Irish conference that Britain had shown a lack of serious engagement on a number of issues, and the talks needed to be unblocked. The areas where Brussels was seeing this obstruction were in regard to standards for open and fair competition, fisheries, an overarching governance structure, and on judicial and law enforcement cooperation, Reute…

Pien Huang (2020-06-11). WHO Believes That Mass Protests Are Important Even in a 'Pandemic' Provided They're More Popular Than WHO. anti-empire.com In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization took time at its daily press conference to address another pressing issue: the wave of protests against police violence and racial injustice. The demonstrations began in the U.S. when George Floyd died on May 25 after a police officer had pressed a knee into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while detaining him in Minneapolis. | The protests are now spreading around the world to Europe, Africa and other regions. | "WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds," said WHO director…

Marko Marjanoviƒá (2020-06-11). The Powers That Be Are Ecstatic That the Left Believes the Biggest Problem Right Now Are Statues of Dead White Men. anti-empire.com In the US and the EU both, we've witnessed the biggest monetary heist in history. We're sailing into a depression that central banks have set up for us over the past two decades. And we're doing so in the worst possible condition thanks to the Draconian, harebrained and unnecessary lockdowns that the politicians imposed on us. | Several of Empire's wars and occupations continue in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria. Tension is being needlessly cultivated with China and Russia, and the entire architecture of nuclear arms control is just about done being thrown in that trash bin of history. | Simultaneously the…

Armstrong Economics (2020-06-11). Country Formerly Known as Spain Decides to Institute a Permanent COVID Dystopia, Flog Itself to Death. anti-empire.com FROM A READER IN SPAIN FROM A FORMER COMMUNIST STATE: | The So, masks are obligatory in all closed spaces (work, office, schools, transport, shops, etc… even at home when you receive friends/family who are not living with you in the same household —…

RT (2020-06-11). European Court of Human Rights backs BDS activists convicted in France, orders Paris to pay €101,000 in compensation. rt.com The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that France violated the rights of 11 pro-Palestinian activists when it convicted them for campaigning against Israeli goods, and has ordered the government to pay damages. | The criminal conviction against the activists with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement "had no relevant and sufficient grounds," the ECHR

RT (2020-06-11). Biden indulges fantasy of Trump refusing to leave office in November, says election-stealing is his 'single greatest concern'. rt.com Joe Biden says he has "great concern" that Donald Trump will not only "steal" the 2020 presidential election, but could also refuse to leave the White House should he lose. | 'Daily Show' host Trevor Noah is one of a growing number of liberals concerned about November's election, partly due to recent reports out of Georgia showing people waiting hours in line to cast their ballots. | "What is the plan up until November, to make sure the people can vote, everybody can, whether it's Republican or Democrat, black or white, has the opportunity to vote without being in a line that's six hours long?" Noah asked Bide…

RT (2020-06-11). WATCH as Russian police bike is OBLITERATED during high-speed crash in Moscow. rt.com A Moscow cop suffered serious injuries after his motorbike crashed into a taxi during a high-speed chase. The impact was so powerful that the bike was shattered into pieces, while the officer was sent flying into the air. | The freak accident occurred in the Russian capital on Thursday afternoon, with surveillance footage surfacing online shortly afterwards. | The disturbing video shows a police motorbike approaching an intersection at high speed and crashing into a taxi, which was turning left. The bike apparently passed a red light. | The impact appears to have been very powerful, as the vehicle was liter…

Palestinian BDS National Committee (2020-06-11). European Court of Human Rights Deals Major Blow to Israel's War on Palestine Solidarity. globalresearch.ca ECHR rules unanimously that French highest court's criminal conviction of Israel boycott advocates violates the European Convention on Human Rights' freedom of expression article | *** | The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)

Fight Back (2020-06-11). Native Americans pull down Christopher Columbus statue at Minnesota Capitol. fightbacknews.org Saint Paul, MN – On June 10, Native Lives Matter, AIM of Twin Cities and AIM Patrol of Minneapolis led a protest that pulled down the 10-foot tall statue of Christopher Columbus that had stood in front of the Minnesota State Capitol since 1931. A couple hundred people cheered as protesters put a rope around Columbus's neck and dozens pulled until the statue came crashing down face-first. | Generations of children in the U.S. have been taught that Christopher Columbus was a hero that 'discovered America'. But for generations, Native Americans have made clear that Columbus represents the start of a genocidal Europe…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-11). Greeks say no to education system which only serves capitalist needs. peoplesdispatch.org Teachers and students in Greece observed an education strike on June 9, Tuesday, and staged protests across the country denouncing a controversial education bill proposed by the conservative New Democracy (ND) government.

Andrey Areshev (2020-06-11). Russians Stirring Up Trouble: An Obama Retread Sees Moscow's Hand in Protests. strategic-culture.org If one ventures into the vast wasteland of American television it is possible to miss the truly ridiculous content that is promoted as news by the major networks. One particular feature of media-speak in the United States is the tendency of the professional reporting punditry to go seeking for someone to blame every time some development rattles the National Security plus Wall Street bubble that we all unfortunately live in. The talking heads have to such an extent sold the conclusion that China deliberately released a lethal virus to destroy western democracies that no one objects when Beijing is elevated from b…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-11). Finnish communist youth slam proposal to remove friendship memorials. peoplesdispatch.org A Conservative MP in Finland has proposed the removal of the Hakaniemi World Peace Statue in Helsinki and the Friendship of Peoples Monument in Ità§keskus, both symbolic of friendship with the people of Russia…

WSWS (2020-06-11). Report finds European lockdowns saved millions of lives, ending it threatens millions. wsws.org The report is an indictment of governments' initial delays in implementing public health measures and a warning of the terrible consequences of the return to business as usual.