(2020-06-22). Health workers across Belgium demand structural refinancing of healthcare. peoplesdispatch.org Health workers hit the streets in several Belgian cities on Thursday June 18 demanding the structural refinancing of healthcare, along with increased staff, employment guarantees, and better wages. Mobilizations were carried out in Brussels, Liège, Charleroi, Ghent, Hasselt, Sint-Truiden, Namur, and others. According to reports, 1,500 people staged a protest in front of the university hospital in Leuven (UZ Leuven). The Workers Party of Belgium (PTB/PVDA) also expressed solidarity with the health workers' protest. | The PTB/PVDA stated, "the white coats have already succeeded in getting the government to swallow…
(2020-06-22). UN dispatches 36 trucks carrying aid to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com The UN on Monday dispatched a total of 36 trucks carrying humanitarian aid for needy people in Idlib city of northwestern Syria.Truckloads of supplies entered the Syrian city through the Cilvegozu border crossing of Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement…
(2020-06-22). Turkey sends 6 truckloads of aid to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com Two Turkish charities on Monday sent six trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Idlib, northwestern Syria, where millions of people are in need of assistance due to internal conflict in the country.Truckloads of supplies, including flour, clothing and dry food, by Adana Dosteller and Eskisehir Gunisigi charities, entered Idlib through the Yayladagi border crossing of Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed among families living in tents in Idlib.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people h…
(2020-06-22). Riot Police Deployed in the Hague Against Anti-Lockdown Protesters, Hundreds Arrested. sputniknews.com As thousands of people gathered in central Hague on Sunday to voice concerns over the government's COVID-19 restrictions, agents in riot gear, mounted police units and water cannon were sent to disperse the crowd.
(2020-06-22). Voter suppression looms over the 2020 election. peoplesworld.org 
ATLANTA—You've heard or read about a wide range of ways the right wing is suppressing the votes of people it hates, but this takes the cake: Postage stamps, or lack of them, for absentee voters in the entire state of Georgia. It's as bad as having one polling place for a county with 767,000 people …
(2020-06-22). Anne Sacoolas's diplomatic immunity claim an absurdity — diplomacy expert. thecanary.co 
An expert on diplomacy has described the diplomatic immunity claim from Harry Dunn's alleged killer as a "palpable absurdity".Anne Sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity after the teenager died in a crash outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on 27 August 2019.Ivor Roberts, a former British ambassador in Serbia, Ireland and Italy, said it was "wholly illogical … to waive immunity for a member of staff" at RAF Croughton and "not to do so for a member of his or her household".Ivor Roberts said the immunity claimed by Anne Sacoolas was a 'palpable absurdity' (Chris Bacon/PA)Sacoolas's claim to immunity is s…
(2020-06-22). US Media Propaganda Claiming that Putin Supported "Left-Wing Terrorists" globalresearch.ca Politico's scandalous "report" alleging that Putin secretly supported and even possibly organized the left-wing terrorist activities of the "Baader-Meinhof Group" during his time with the KGB in East Germany is pure propaganda which is intended to serve the purpose of …
(2020-06-22). Syrians confirm death of missing relatives by photos. yenisafak.com Hundreds of thousands of Syrians searching for their relatives have stepped up their efforts after the US adopted the Caesar Act, a law which imposes sanctions on the Syrian regime for war crimes.Families, who have long given up on ever finding their relatives, click on web links where photos of people killed in regime prisons are posted, in a desperate attempt to confirm the death of their loved ones.Imaduddin Rasit, the founding member of a France-based association monitoring Syrian casualties of war and prisoners, said more than 6,000 photos of people tortured to death were shared on the internet.The photos we…
(2020-06-22). US blows OECD tax reforms to bits. truepublica.org.uk By Alex Cobham — Tax Justice Network: Boom. The US has blown up 'BEPS 2.0', the OECD's tax reform process with the Financial Times reporting that US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has written to four European finance ministers to say that the US was "unable to agree even on an interim basis, changes to global …
(2020-06-22). The Rhetoric of Democracy-building in Ukraine. NATO and the Militarization of Eastern Europe. globalresearch.ca Buying Freedom on the Free Market | Obscured by the mythology of pursuing economic and political autonomy, Ukraine plays the latest role in a long, unfolding process of western corporate, political and military interests establishing the "territorial integrity" not of independent …
(2020-06-22). Demonstrators in Tunisia demand freedom for George Abdallah and other revolutionaries in jail. peoplesdispatch.org Abdallah, a prominent Lebanese communist leader, has been languishing in a prison in France for the last 35 years. The demonstrations in Tunisian capital Tunis on Saturday were part of the International Week of Action between June 15-22…
(2020-06-22). June 22, 1941: Nazi Germany Attacks the Soviet Union. globalresearch.ca War against the Soviet Union was what Hitler had wanted from the beginning. He had already made this very clear on the pages of Mein Kampf, written in the mid-1920s. Furthermore, as a German historian has recently convincingly demonstrated, it …
(2020-06-22). Canada's UN Security Council Loss Shows Its Foreign Policy Weaknesses and Might Embolden a Reform Movement. counterpunch.org India, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, and Kenya after a second round, won the June 17 elections at the 74th United Nations Assembly for five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council for a two-year term starting on January 1, 2021. The biggest loser was Canada in its competition with Ireland and Norway for two seats available.
(2020-06-22). Canada's UN Security Council Loss Shows Its "Foreign Policy Weaknesses" globalresearch.ca India, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, and Kenya after a second round, won the June 17 elections at the 74th United Nations Assembly for five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council for a two-year term starting on January 1, 2021. | The …
(2020-06-22). Lawyers Press Downing Street To Publish Russia Report. truepublica.org.uk By James Ball and Isobel Koshiw: Lawyers acting for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism have written to Number 10 urging it to publish a long-overdue report by parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) into Russian interference in the UK. The report by the ISC, parliament's watchdog on intelligence matters, had been cleared for release by the …
(2020-06-22). Municipalist Politics and the Specter of Emancipation. zcomm.org The past decade saw the rise of a new emancipatory politics, embodied in Spain's municipalist movement. But to build the new, one must first overcome the old.
(2020-06-22). Germany arrests suspected Assad regime torturer. yenisafak.com German police arrested a Syrian former secret service employee on suspicion of crimes against humanity, officials said on Monday. | Alaa M., who arrived in Germany as a refugee in 2015, was arrested in the central state of Hesse on Friday, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. | The suspect worked for the military intelligence as a doctor, and he was strongly suspected of torturing inmates in 2011 at an Assad regime prison in the city of Homs. | The prosecutors accused the Assad regime of using brutal force to suppress the political opposition, torturing and murdering many of them in prisons…
(2020-06-22). Muslim bloc to address situation in Kashmir. yenisafak.com The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) "upon the request of Pakistan" will hold an emergency meeting at the level of foreign ministers over the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will also participate in the Emergency Meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, where "possible joint actions within the OIC concerning the ongoing problems regarding human rights and freedoms in Kashmir will be discussed," said the statement.Additionally, foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Niger, Pakistan and Saudi Arab…
(2020-06-22). No new coronavirus deaths in Netherlands as cases fall. yenisafak.com The Netherlands registered 69 new coronavirus cases on Monday, and no deaths from the disease, the country's health authorities said in their daily update.It was the first 24-hour period with no new deaths registered by the National Institute of Health (RIVM) since March 9.Dutch cases have declined gradually since reaching a peak at the start of April. Lockdown measures have been gradually phased out, though social distancing rules remain in place.
(2020-06-22). Putin visits huge army church ahead of vote on extending his rule. yenisafak.com President Vladimir Putin visited a huge new Orthodox Christian cathedral dedicated to the military on Monday as Russia prepares to vote on reforms that could let him stay in power until 2036.Putin, 67, addressed hundreds of soldiers to commemorate Russia's remembrance day following a prayer ceremony led by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Orthodox Church, at the Patriot cathedral, which opened earlier this month."We have gathered here outside the walls of the main cathedral of the Russian armed forces to remember the heroes of the past with deep respect," he said.The lavishly decorated cathedral, some 55 km (34 mile…
(2020-06-22). Turkish security forces nab explosives belonging to PKK. yenisafak.com Security forces in southeastern Turkey seized explosives and ammunition on Monday belonging to the PKK/YPG terror organization.According to the local authorities in Hakkari province, the forces located and launched an operation on a hideout of the terror group. Searching the area, the local gendarmerie forces seized at least five handmade explosives totaling 8.5 kilograms (18 pounds), nine detonators, four rocket launchers, cables and other explosive materials they found buried underground.The explosives were destroyed at the scene.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a te…
(2020-06-22). Turkish training plane crashes, 2 pilots survive. yenisafak.com According to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the Hurkus aircraft crashed during a test flight in Ankara's Beypazari district at around 12.30 p.m. local time (0930GMT).The two military pilots — one active duty, one retired — were taken to the hospital for health checks, said a TAI statement.Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), gendarmerie, and health teams went to the crash scene after learning of the incident.The cause of the crash is unknown and will be investigated, said the statement.Based in Ankara, TAI serves the aerospace and defense industries by manufacturing unmann…
(2020-06-22). Tourist visits to Turkey drop in January-May period. yenisafak.com By Aysu BicerANKARA (AA) – Turkey received more than 4.2 million foreign visitors during the first five months of this year, according to new data released by the Culture and Tourism Ministry on Monday.Due to the pandemic, the number of foreigners visiting the country plummeted 66.35% in the January-May period on an annual basis, according to the data.Turkey's historic metropolitan city of Istanbul was the top destination for tourists, hosting 54.86% of all visitors — around 2.3 million.This is followed by the northwestern Edirne province with 13.27% or nearly 570,000 foreign visitors in the same period.The Medi…
(2020-06-22). Iran to send black box of Ukrainian plane to France: Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held phone talk with his Canadian counterpart Francois-Philippe Champagne and said that the Islamic Republic will send the black box of the Ukrainian plane to France in the upcoming days.
(2020-06-21). Confusion reigns after Pussy Riot co-founder detained in Moscow – Pyotr Verzilov says he was questioned over 2019 protests. rt.com 
Pyotr Verzilov, a controversial Russian shock artist and co-founder of 'punk' art collectives Pussy Riot and Voina along with ex-wife Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, says police have questioned him over last year's Moscow protests. | The activist was detained at a rented apartment in the Russian capital on Sunday. Between two and 10 people forced their way into the flat and Verzilov "disappeared" afterwards, according to MediaZona — an alternative media outlet created as a spin off from Pussy Riot — which cited eyewitnesses. Footage circulating online shows the door of the flat badly damaged in the aftermath…
(2020-06-21). VIDEO: Anti-racism protests in the Netherlands. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) — In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in the US that has fueled the Black Lives Matter movement around the globe, the Netherlands in recent weeks has seen protests across the country against police violence and racism.
(2020-06-21). 'Just blame the Russians!' Moscow's deputy UN envoy mocks Nikki Haley over blaming US unrest on Russia. rt.com 
The only task US officials seemingly have is finding a way of pinning the blame for literally any incident on Moscow, Russia's deputy UN envoy jokingly said as former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley did just that. | The ex-UN envoy apparently decided to jump on the bandwagon of Russia bashers and put all the blame for the massive riots gripping the US following the murder of an African American by a cop on Moscow. | Haley stated in a Twitter post that "playing up" the "allegations" of police abuse in America has been the new tactics of Russian intelligence apparently hell bent on disrupting yet another US…
(2020-06-21). How We Sold Soviet Union And Czechoslovakia For Plastic Shopping Bags. popularresistance.org For months, this has been a story that I want to share with young readers in Hong Kong. Now it seems to be the really appropriate time when the ideological battle between the West and China is raging, and as a result of it, Hong Kong and the entire world is suffering. | I want to say that none of it is new, that the West already destabilized so many countries and territories, brainwashed tens of millions of young people. | I know, because in the past, I was one of them. If I weren't, it would be impossible to understand what is now happening in Hong Kong. | I was born in Leningrad, a beautiful city in the Soviet…
(2020-06-21). OIC to hold emergency meeting on Jammu and Kashmir. yenisafak.com The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir will hold an emergency meeting via videoconference on Monday to discuss the latest situation in the disputed territory.The online meet will bring together the foreign ministers of the Jammu And Kashmir Contact Group member states: Azerbaijan, Niger, Pakistan Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the OIC said in a statement."The meeting is part of a series of continuous Jammu And Kashmir Contact Group meetings to address the issue," OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen was quoted as saying. The OIC, founded in 1967 and consists of 67 coun…
(2020-06-21). Turkey conveys condolences to UK over knife attack. yenisafak.com Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke to Dominic Raab over the phone, according to diplomatic sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.During the conversation, Cavusoglu expressed sorrow over the stabbing incident, and said that he shared the pain of the families of the deceased and the injured.Raab thanked Cavusoglu for his good wishes.On Saturday night, a knife-wielding man killed three people and seriously wounded three others in the town of Reading, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the capital London.Thames Valley Police have declared it as a terrorist incident.
(2020-06-21). 'Difficult': Health workers on fatherhood in pandemic. yenisafak.com Balancing family life during the coronavirus pandemic is not easy. Yet some healthcare workers have been great role models to their children, and are also helping save the lives of COVID-19 patients.Dads in Turkey's southern Mersin province carry on with their devoted fight against the virus even on Father's Day.They continue to serve at the Mersin City Training and Research Hospital, and have to take extra care when meeting their families due to a possible risk of virus transmission. Mehmet Muku, 51, says it is hard to express the feeling of paternity, which he met in his later years.Responsible for the PCR lab…
(2020-06-21). There is no difference between Europe, US: Amir-Abdollahian. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) — Iranian Parliament Speaker's Special Adviser for International Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that there is no difference between Europe and the US, and some European countries are the main US' agents.
(2020-06-21). 'Headless' to go on screen at 2020 Cannes Film Market. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) — Iranian movie 'Headless', directed by Kaveh Sajjadi Hosseini, will be screened at the the 2020 Cannes Film Market (the Marche du Film) in France.
(2020-06-21). Iran calls for urgent clarification of judge Mansuri's cause of death. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) — Inviting Romanian ambassador to Iranian foreign ministry in Tehran, the Islamic Republic called for Romania to announce the cause of death of the Iranian judge Golamreza Mansouri as soon as possible.
(2020-06-21). Ulyanov underscores full commitment of E3, Russia to JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) — In a tweet, Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov underlined full commitment of his country and that of E3 to JCPOA and diplomatic efforts to save it.
(2020-06-21). Russia Can Play Crucial Role in Calming China-India Conflict. strategic-culture.org The timing of a Russia-India-China summit next week could not be more apt following a deadly skirmish in the disputed Himalayan region which resulted in dozens of military casualties. | The summit
(2020-06-20). Uprising topples racist statues from Belgium to Tennessee. liberationnews.org 
The international uprising against racist police terror have been in the streets for weeks. The people have taken it upon themselves to destroy statues dedicated to white supremacist figures. From the UK to Belgium to the United States, over a dozen statues glorifying white historical figures involved in genocide, white supremacist rhetoric, slavery, and colonialism have …
(2020-06-20). BLM Demonstrators in St Andrews Square Demand Removal of Melville Monument. sputniknews.com The United Kingdom has, alongside the US, become embroiled in controversy surrounding statues of historic figures involved in Britain's former slave trade. Black Lives Matter protesters in Scotland have centered disapproval toward the Melville Monument in Edinburgh's St Andrews Square.
(2020-06-20). [Comment] The Lancet Commission on dengue and other Aedes-transmitted viral diseases. thelancet.com The past 50 years have seen the emergence of epidemic arboviral diseases transmitted by the urban mosquito, Aedes aegypti. More than 120 countries are affected by frequent and cyclical dengue epidemics that result in an estimated annual 400 million infections and 100 million symptomatic cases.1 Chikungunya virus re-emerged in 2004 from east Africa and spread to Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, and Europe.2,3 Zika virus spread from sub-Saharan Africa through Asia and the Pacific to the Americas, where it caused a major outbreak associated with severe birth defects and neurological complications.
(2020-06-20). [Comment] Men's health: COVID-19 pandemic highlights need for overdue policy action. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic is shining a cruel light on the state of men's health globally. In 38 out of 43 countries for which provisional data were available, as of June 10, 2020, more men than women have died from COVID-19 despite a similar number of confirmed cases in each sex.1 In several countries, including the Netherlands, Dominican Republic, and Spain, about twice as many men as women have died from COVID-19.1 International Men's Health Week on June 15—21 is an opportune time to focus attention on this issue and the need for a new and systematic approach to improve the health of men generally.
(2020-06-20). Head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund volunteers to test experimental Covid-19 vaccine on himself. rt.com 
The head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev was one of the first to step forward to get the home-grown Russian coronavirus vaccine. The injection is currently in the trial phase, human testing began just days ago. | Speaking to Moscow business daily RBK, Dmitriev "Well, for now, you see, everything is fine. I will keep you posted. A vaccine is, of course, the most important element, but…
(2020-06-20). 100 degrees Fahrenheit! Eastern Siberian town shatters record for hottest-ever temperature inside Arctic Circle. rt.com 
The small town of Verkhoyansk, home to 1,000 people in Russia's Yakutia region, broke the record on Saturday for the highest temperature ever recorded within the Arctic Circle, hitting a maximum of 38 degrees Celsius. | Verkhoyansk already
(2020-06-20). Drone captures LENIN's name spelled out in giant letters from trees in Siberia, a relic of Soviet land art propaganda. rt.com 
A Russian photographer used his drone to secure an unusual Vladimir Lenin-related photo opportunity. Not the Bolshevik revolutionary's preserved body, but rather his name written with trees by Soviet foresters, back in the day. | The pictures | This particular geoglyph was planted some…
(2020-06-20). EU's Aviation Deal with Israel 'The Pinnacle of Hypocrisy'. ahtribune.com 
I had barely finished my rant against the British Government for showering new rewards on the Israelis (see ' The UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement signed last year comes into force next January. The Government says it loves this relationship and is committed to strengthening it. "We will seek to work with counterparts in the new Israeli government to host a bilateral trade and investment summit in London." This will "
(2020-06-20). How Did Syria Control the Pandemic So Well? ahtribune.com 
How is it that Syria, targeted by war and economic siege, has had such striking success in controlling the COVID19 pandemic? With epidemics raging on either side — across Europe and all around the Persian Gulf — how did the embattled Syrian Arab Republic emerge (by mid-June) with so little damage, and indeed with the lowest number of cases and deaths in the entire Middle East region? | This was not due to luck, nor to a laissez-faire Swedish style practice, as some pandemic denier friends of Syria have reported. On the contrary, the Syrian government: (1) took the virus threat seriously, communicat…
(2020-06-20). It Will Take More Than One B-1 Bomber Run From South Dakota to Faze Russia's Black Sea Fleet. anti-empire.com 
Related:
| It has become clear that the U.S. Air Force now regards itself as an implement of sea power. Its metamorphosis is a beautiful thing to behold for any Western-leaning nautical enthusiast. In recent years, land-based warbirds have trained to
(2020-06-20). 'Belgium Should Apologize for Its Colonial Past,' Kompany Says. telesurenglish.net The Ganshoren major Pierre Kompany emphasized that Belgium should apologize for the atrocities that King Leopold II (1835-1909) allowed to happen when Congo was a colony of this European country. | RELATED: | "If the State apologizes, it would be a big step. But if the King does the same, we would come out of this even better," Kompany said, as reported by VTR NWS. | These statements occurred amidst the World Refugee Day on June 20, when the…
(2020-06-20). OECD warns of deep recession in Britain and Europe due to pandemic. wsws.org The OECD envisages no "return to normal" in the world economy, predicting instead mass unemployment and instability.
(2020-06-20). Workers of Europe: Compete. zcomm.org In response to neoliberalism's internationalism, European workers have turned to the nation state. It is time for the left to reclaim the narrative…
(2020-06-20). Capitalist counterrevolution and the rise of fascism in southeastern Europe since 1989. wsws.org Though fatally flawed by its equation of Stalinism with communism, and the author's reluctance to discuss the social character of the restoration of capitalism, the book exposes the close relationship between capitalist counterrevolution and the rise of fascist forces.