2020-02-19: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-20). 'Journalism is not a crime': Australian MP says charges against Assange must be dropped after visiting him in UK prison. rt.com Continued persecution of the WikiLeaks co-founder is a "crazy situation," Australian lawmaker George Christiansen told RT, adding that Julian Assange did not commit any crime aside from running afoul of US elites. | Christiansen, a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, questioned the integrity of the legal process against Assange, who is now facing the possibility of extradition to the US over "unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defense." | The journalist was hauled out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his asylum was revoked in April 2019, an…

Staff (2020-02-20). Passengers Leave Ship Docked Off Japan After Quarantine Ends. truthdig.com The two-week action failed to stop the spread of the new virus, with the Diamond Princess the site of the most infections outside of China.

RT (2020-02-19). 2 Iranians die after testing positive for coronavirus. rt.com Two Iranians who were that country's first cases of coronavirus have died, health officials in Qom announced on Wednesday. | The deaths were also confirmed by health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur in a The highly contagious novel coronavirus emerged in China in December 2019, with the death toll there exceeding 2,000 for the first time on…

RT (2020-02-19). 'Throat of fire' volcano signalling imminent, devastating COLLAPSE. rt.com Scientists are warning that the Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador is showing early signs of impending catastrophic collapse, after satellite data showed substantial internal damage from ongoing magma activity. | Tungurahua, has been persistently active since 1999 so wear and tear was inevitable, especially given that the 'Throat of fire,' or 'Black giant' as the Quechua indigenous people named it, has already collapsed twice before thousands of years ago. | | Tungurahua erupting on November 2nd, 1999. © US Geological Survey | "Using satellite data we have observed very rapid deformation of Tungurahua's west…

RT (2020-02-19). A year in jail & quarter million fine since, lawyers seek freedom for Chelsea Manning refusing to testify against WikiLeaks. rt.com Chelsea Manning's attorney has filed a new motion requesting her release from jail, where she has been for nearly a year for continuously refusing to testify before a grand jury against WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. | Manning's incarceration has "exceeded its lawful scope" by moving from being a coercive tactic to a criminal punishment, her lawyer Moira Meltzer-Cohen said in a Manning was jailed in March of 2019 for refusing to testify before a gran…

RT (2020-02-19). Venezuela slams US sanctions on Russia's Rosneft as an attempt at grabbing control of global oil market. rt.com Russian oil giant Rosneft's investments and commercial activities in Venezuela are legal, says state energy firm PDVSA, pledging to provide the necessary support for the producer's "operational and commercial continuity." | The PDVSA statement follows Washington's blacklisting of a Rosneft subsidiary on Tuesday over its trade ties with Venezuela. The US accused the oil brokerage subsidiary of handling over 70 percent of Venezuela's exports, in circumvention of US sanctions. It has also given the companies doing business with Rosneft Trading 90 days to disentangle those arrangements. | COMUNICADO OFICIAL&#63743…

RT (2020-02-19). Last ones to leave: 130+ Indian crew members to remain quarantined for TWO MORE WEEKS on coronavirus-hit cruise ship. rt.com After the last passenger leaves the coronavirus-struck vessel, more than 100 Indian crew members, tending the quarantined guests, will be stuck on the Diamond Princess for another two weeks. | The Indian crew will not only be the last to disembark from the disease-hit luxury liner Diamond Princess, but will be quarantined for additional two weeks after all the passengers leave, the Times of India reported on Wednesday. | Passengers, who have tested negative for the virus began stepping ashore in the Port of Yokohama, Japan, earlier that day, after spending 14 days confined to the vessel. Indian personnel has b…

RT (2020-02-19). Russia's tourism sector could lose $455 million if Chinese coronavirus crisis continues until summer – tour operators. rt.com Health concerns over the new COVID-19 coronavirus have led to strong measures in Russia. The Far Eastern border with China has been closed, and most Chinese visitors face restrictions. Now financial losses are being assessed. | Experts forecast that the country's tourism industry may lose almost 3 billion rubles ($47 million), in just the next two months. That's according to ATOR, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia. China is typically the largest single source of tourists to Russia: providing 1.5 million visitors in 2019. | While the situation is bad, it could get much worse. If Chinese holidaymakers…

RT (2020-02-19). Overseas investors increase holdings of Chinese bonds despite coronavirus uncertainty. rt.com Demonstrating confidence in China, international investors continued to invest in the country's economy. Net purchases of Chinese bonds were worth 43 billion yuan ($6.1 billion) after the Spring Festival, market data showed. | According to China Foreign Exchange Trade System, the country's bond market has become an important part of global asset allocation. It said, as cited by Xinhua News, that it will continue to improve overseas services and enhance financial infrastructure to facilitate bond trade. | Analysts largely expect growth to rebound after the containment on pent-up demand and production, the forei…

RT (2020-02-19). Iran confirms first 2 cases of new coronavirus — official. rt.com Tehran confirmed on Wednesday its first two cases of the new coronavirus shortly after reports that preliminary tests on two patients had come back positive. | "As we had promised to announce any confirmed cases, a few minutes ago the health minister confirmed the two cases of the new coronavirus in the city of Qom," Ali Rabiei, the government spokesman, tweeted. | The Health Ministry said earlier that the patients had been put in isolation. Rabiei did not give the nationality of the two people infected, but some reports suggested that they were Iranian nationals. | The death toll from the new coronavirus in m…

Dave Lindorff (2020-02-19). Truly Remaking Social Security is the Key to Having a Livable Society in the US. counterpunch.org Social Security is back in the news, as both Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg, two emblematic one-percenter oligarchs, raise the issue of its future as part of their campaign strategy. Trump (a faux wannabe billionaire) has put Americans on notice that while he may have promised during his 2016 campaign "not to touch" the New

David Schultz (2020-02-19). Bernie Sanders and the Revenge of the Superdelegates. counterpunch.org Unless Bernie Sanders wins enough delegates to capture the Democratic Party nomination on the first ballot, he is not going to be the nominee. The reason will be that the superdelegates—those same people who were his wrath in 2016—will come back to deny him the nomination. The Democratic Party's superdelegates were a reaction to the

Linda Pentz Gunter (2020-02-19). Hysteria Isn't Killing Nuclear Power. counterpunch.org Time was, that a woman suffering from menopause, pre-menstrual syndrome, a heightened libido or lack thereof, was labeled "hysterical." Her very real medical or psychological troubles were put down to an "emotional reaction." For a while these symptoms were even attributed to a "wandering womb." What? Yes, really. For years, if you were a woman

Nick Licata (2020-02-19). The Rule of Law Under Trump. counterpunch.org William Galston, a Brookings Institution senior fellow, said that "we are a government of men and not law." It has no force until people enforce it. That is the underlying theme of Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig's A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America. The test is how far can one person,

Ishmael Reed (2020-02-19). Social Media: The New Grapevine Telegraph. counterpunch.org During the weekend of February 9th, MSNBC regular Tiffany Cross blurted out the conditions under which MSNBC black pundits work. She said, "If I said a lot of the things that I really think, I would get filtered–we just can't say that, we have to filter our own voices." This explains why the black women on Joy Reid's show can weigh in on the stupid sexist brutish moves of some black athletes and entertainers, but can't discuss the effect of Michael Bloomberg's Stop and Frisk policy on black and brown women. They can't address the rampant sexism at NBC, where, according to journalist Ronan Farrow, wealthy white p…

Howard Lisnoff (2020-02-19). The Wealth That's Killing Us Will Save Us: Politics Through the Looking-Glass. counterpunch.org The Bloomberg for President campaign office looks like a complete anachronism in the heart of Harlem in New York City. The office is located on Harlem's famous 125th Street near the Metro North commuter railway station. The Bloomberg campaign office, a space that has the depth of a bowling alley, has a few campaign staffers

RT (2020-02-19). 'Worst case scenario': Kremlin slams Turkey's threat of military operation against Syrian government in Idlib. rt.com Turkey sending troops to Syria to fight against the government would be the 'worst case scenario', Kremlin spokesman said after Ankara threatened that such an operation was imminent. | Turkey's President Erdogan said on Wednesday Ankara was prepared to launch a military incursion into Idlib to force the Syrian army out. Russia's reaction to such a development would depend on what goals the Turkish troops decide to pursue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. | "If it will be an operation against terrorist forces in Idlib, that would certainly be within the spirit" of Russia's agreements with Turkey, he said.

Andre Vltchek (2020-02-19). Could the Latest Outburst of Ankara's Temper lead to Escalation in Syria? dissidentvoice.org So far Turkey, militarily the second mightiest NATO country, has been able to get away with virtually anything it has chosen to brew in the Middle East. The reason why is simple: to confront Turkey's bullying and expansionism militarily would be like confronting the United States or Israel; thousands of innocent people would die as …

Staff (2020-02-19). Latinx Group Mijente Backs Bernie Sanders in First-Ever Presidential Endorsement. democracynow.org In its first-ever presidential endorsement, the Latinx and Chicanx organization Mijente endorsed Bernie Sanders on Tuesday ahead of the Nevada caucuses. The group tweeted its decision, saying, "We know that in 2020, Trump's potential re-election is a life-or-death threat for us, for our people, and for our planet. This moment demands a historic mobilization. That's why Mijente is uniting with the movement to elect @BernieSanders." A video accompanied the announcement. After the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the electorate is overwhelmingly white, Nevada is the first election with a diverse population.

Staff (2020-02-19). Bernie Sanders' Campaign to Request Recount of Iowa Caucuses. truthdig.com The plans come after the results of a recanvass by state party officials show the Vermont senator and Pete Buttigieg in an effective tie.

RT (2020-02-19). Arctic kiss: Two Russian nuclear icebreakers rendezvous in spectacular night-time DRONE FOOTAGE. rt.com Two Russian nuclear icebreakers have met up somewhere on the endless white plains of the Arctic Ocean, providing for a sight both spectacular and romantic. | The video, posted by Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom, showed its Taymyr and Vaygach icebreakers almost touching with their bows, before settling in to "cuddle" side by side. | With the after-dark "coupling" filmed from the air and edited to a smooth soundtrack, some internet users found the scene "erotic." | There were other interesting comparisons as well, with one commentator saying that the two massive ships positioned so close to each other resemb…

Tim Libretti (2020-02-19). To compete in global economy, Trump says workers' lives have to get worse. peoplesworld.org What if America competed with other nations to have the best universal healthcare system or the best public education system? If we competed to be the leader in creating a green economy to address climate change? If we competed to end poverty and inequality? Donald Trump wants America to compete in the global economy, but …

The Canary (2020-02-19). Priti Patel defends PM after Dave brands him 'real racist' in Brit Awards rap. thecanary.co Home secretary Priti Patel has criticised rapper Dave for branding Boris Johnson a "real racist" during the Brit Awards.The Tory MP said the artist's comments shortly before winning album of the year were "utter nonsense", and she defended the prime minister as "not a racist at all".Dave added verses to the end of his song Black criticising the government for the Windrush scandal and its handling of the Grenfell disaster. | "The truth is our prime minister's a real racist," he rapped during the performance at London's O2 Arena.Patel was asked about Dave's criticism as she defended the government's immigration pla…

RT (2020-02-19). 'Unreasonable & unacceptable': Beijing slams Washington for press freedom hypocrisy after Chinese media branded 'foreign missions'. rt.com China has denounced Washington for advocating freedom of the press while obstructing media, after it tightened control over Beijing-run outlets operating in the US by equating them to diplomatic missions. | Washington's move against Chinese state media are "unreasonable and unacceptable," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters on Wednesday. | The United States has always advertised freedom of the press, but it interferes with and obstructs the normal operation of Chinese media in the United States. | Geng stated that Beijing reserves "the right to respond further to this matter." | The US Dep…

RT (2020-02-19). US attempts to hurt China & Huawei 'so badly' will only hurt itself, Huawei USA chief tells Boom Bust. rt.com US officials said recently they have evidence that the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks around the world. | RT's Boom Bust welcomes Andy Purdy, chief security officer of Huawei Technologies USA, to discuss the growing tension in the 5G space and the company's role in international trade. | "We welcome the opportunity to see what the evidence is but we really have to look at this in a broader context of an ongoing geopolitical dynamic between the US and China," Purdy says. | The United States has "major issues with China and right now it wants to hurt China so badly…

RT (2020-02-19). Albania's president calls on citizens 'to topple govt for violation of constitution'. rt.com Albania's President Ilir Meta on Wednesday called on the people to topple the left-wing government, which he accused of violating the constitution and of alleged links to organized crime, AP reported. | Meta said at a news conference that he hopes people will come to the capital Tirana on March 2, when he plans to sign the first decree against what he says is a 'coup d'etat' being carried out by the government through the justice system. | The Balkan nation of nearly 3 million has been enacting reforms in hopes of getting a green light to launch membership talks with the EU. The president said that justice sys…

RT (2020-02-19). Clicks-hungry media warns Ireland of 'Russian ghost ship with CANNIBAL RATS,' but Twitter's not amused. rt.com An Irish news outlet has posted an alarming tweet warning that a cannibal rat-laden Russian 'ghost ship' is "heading for Ireland." Rather than spark concern, the clickbait tweet has merely generated eye-rolls from Twitter users. | Wednesday's tweet from the Irish Times shared a link to a feature about a couple of ghost ships currently at large somewhere on the high seas that could — maybe, possibly, in the right conditions — wind up washing ashore along Ireland's coast. And the vessel of most concern is apparently "an abandoned former Soviet cruise liner [called] Lyubov Orlova" which is apparently ma…

RT (2020-02-19). 'We can't have Turkish laws on French ground': Macron vows to fight foreign imams preaching 'Islamist separatism'. rt.com Paris will clamp down on imams from Muslim countries that arrive in France to push worshipers into violating the law, the country's President Emmanuel Macron said, warning Turkey it can't "feed separatism" on French soil. | Macron promised to "gradually" end the program allowing Muslim countries to send imams and teachers to France in order to teach languages and culture unsupervised by the state. Speaking at the town of Mulhouse near the German border, he said that the influence of foreign imams leads some to "separate themselves from the Republic and therefore not respect its laws." | The French leader sing…

Staff (2020-02-19). Nevada Culinary Workers Union Member: I Would Trade My Union Healthcare for Medicare for All. democracynow.org The third presidential contest of the primary season takes place Saturday in Nevada. One of the state's most coveted endorsements is from the Culinary Workers Union, which represents some 60,000 workers in the restaurant and hospitality industries in Las Vegas and Reno. Its membership is 54% Latinx. But last week they decided not to endorse any of the candidates. Nevada is a "right to work" state, and the Culinary Workers Union has attracted members by offering them healthcare. It has said it supports "choices" in healthcare. The mobilization of service employees could be critical to winning the Nevada caucuses.

Eric A. Gordon (2020-02-19). Nevada: Democratic primary intensifies the debate over class divisions in America. peoplesworld.org In the lead-up to the statewide Democratic primary caucus on Saturday, Feb. 22, Nevada's early voters on Feb. 15, the first day, turned out in record numbers—more than 18,500 Democrats, almost twice the turnout on the first day of advance caucusing in 2016. Enthusiasm over this election is mounting, and the eyes of the nation …

Staff (2020-02-19). Bloomberg Gains in Democratic Primaries, But Has History of Hostility to Unions Key to Voter Turnout. democracynow.org We continue our conversation with Marcie Wells, activist and waitress who is a member of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 in Nevada, and Hamilton Nolan, labor reporter with In These Times. Nolan says 2020 had been "the most promising election year for organized labor in a long time," with Democratic candidates releasing platforms with strong labor protections. But Michael Bloomberg's entry into the race threatens to upend the Democratic Party's pro-worker shift. The billionaire former mayor of New York has a long track record of hostility toward organized labor, particularly teachers' unions, whom he has comp…

RT (2020-02-19). Saudi Arabia's oil exports dropped 11% in 2019. rt.com Saudi Arabia's oil exports dropped by 10.75 percent year on year in 2019, according to data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI), as carried by local news outlet Mubasher. | The total Saudi oil exports, including crude oil and petroleum products, averaged 8.339 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2019, down from an average 9.344 million bpd in total oil exports in 2018, according to JODI data quoted by Mubasher. | According to the data released by the JODI database, which collects self-reported figures from 114 countries, Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports in December remained unchanged month on mont…

Ed Rampell (2020-02-19). The things we do for love: Styx and Stones in new opera 'Eurydice'. peoplesworld.org LOS ANGELES—LA Opera's world premiere of composer Matthew Aucoin and librettist Sarah Ruhl's sublime Eurydice is an optically and aurally stunning reinterpretation of the ancient Greek myth about Orpheus (baritone Joshua Hopkins) and the title character (Danielle de Niese, but substituted on Feb. 14 by Erica Petrocelli). Like Romeo and Juliet, there have been many …

RT (2020-02-19). Russian cops bust banned radical Islamist group Tablighi Jamaat's 'training camp,' detain leaders & participants. rt.com Seven members of a hardline Islamic organization were arrested in Moscow on Wednesday, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB). They are charged with disseminating extremist propaganda and trying to recruit new supporters. | Tablighi Jamaat, which means the Outreach Society or the Society for Spreading Faith, is banned in Russia. Its philosophy is based around the idea that Muslims should revert to practicing their faith as it was done in the 7th century, when the Prophet Mohammed himself lived. It particularly focuses on styles of dress, personal behavior, and forms of ritual. | | Religious literatu…

RT (2020-02-19). Turkish military op in Idlib only 'matter of time', Erdogan warns Damascus. rt.com A new Turkish military incursion into Syria's Idlib governorate has been planned and may start at any moment, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned, ramping up a tense standoff with Damascus. | "As with all [previous] operations, we say 'we could suddenly come one night.' In other words, an Idlib operation is a matter of time," Erdogan said, referring to incursions into Syria conducted in 2016, 2018 and last year. | Ankara will not "leave Idlib to the Assad regime and its backers," Erdogan vowed, referring to the Syrian government and, apparently, to Russia and Iran. Speaking to lawmakers on Wednesday, he…

RT (2020-02-19). Houthi rebels block half of UN's aid delivery programs for Yemen — officials. rt.com Yemen's Houthi rebels have blocked half of the United Nations' aid delivery programs in the war-torn country, AP reported Wednesday, citing aid officials and internal documents. The rebels are trying to force the agency to give them greater control over the massive humanitarian campaign, along with a cut of billions of dollars in foreign assistance, according to the report. | The rebel group has made granting access to areas under their control contingent on a flurry of conditions that aid agencies reject. | For months, the Houthis demanded a 2 percent cut from the entire aid budget be given to them, a conditi…

RT (2020-02-19). 'Impeached president says what?' Bloomberg hits back at Trump 'Mini Mike the pathetic debater' jibe. rt.com US President Donald Trump has lashed out at billionaire Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg (again), this time calling him a "pathetic debater" with no respect for American farmers. Bloomberg hit back with some snark of his own. | Tweeting on Wednesday, Trump asked whether the "corrupt" Bloomberg News channel would admit that its owner "Mini Mike" was a pathetic debater. The tweet came ahead of the upcoming Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas — the first in which Bloomberg will take part. Trump previously bestowed the nickname 'Mini Mike' on the former New York mayor in reference to his short stat…

Robert W. McChesney (2020-02-19). If Bloomberg wants to buy an election, he should run as a Republican against Trump—not sabotage Democrats. mronline.org The mega-billionaire should be running against Trump in the Republican primaries, not as a Democrat. If he actually cared about this country more than stroking his massive ego that is exactly what he would be doing. |

Staff (2020-02-19). Yale Study Says Medicare for All Would Save U.S. $450 Billion, Prevent Nearly 70,000 Deaths a Year. democracynow.org As the Democratic presidential hopefuls prepare to take to the debate stage tonight, we turn to a central issue of the campaign: Medicare for All. In a new study, Yale scholars have found that Medicare for All will save Americans more than $450 billion and prevent 68,000 deaths every year. The study in The Lancet — one of the oldest and most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals — found that Medicare for All, supported by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, will save money and is more cost-effective than "Medicare for All Who Want It, "a model supported by Pete Buttigieg. Sanders referenced the…

RT (2020-02-19). Third time's the charm? Soros AGAIN accuses Facebook of helping Trump re-election, demands Zuckerberg & Sandberg exit. rt.com Billionaire speculator George Soros has once again called for the de-platforming of Facebook leadership, accusing them of collusion with US President Donald Trump, after CEO Mark Zuckerberg begged for more government regulation. | "It goes without saying that I support government regulation of social media platforms," Soros said in a letter to Financial Times published Tuesday, but added that Zuckerberg does not need government regulation to stop accepting all political advertising until after the November 2020 US election. | Facebook is unlikely to do so, the Paris-based oligarch wrote, accusing Zuckerberg of…

RT (2020-02-19). WATCH Aleppo intl airport receive FIRST flight ending years-long shutdown after Syrian troops clear recovering city of militants. rt.com A Syrian Air flight has landed at Aleppo International Airport for the first time in years, marking a milestone in the recovery of the city, which has been returning to normal life from the abyss of its civil war. | The commercial flight, carrying Syrian officials and journalists, landed in Aleppo on Wednesday, some 40 minutes after taking off from the capital, Damascus. The arrival of the Airbus A320 has become a symbolic message, marking the resumption of flights between Syria's two biggest cities. | Footage taken on the spot showed a crowd of people that came to the airport to welcome the first flight. Some…

RT (2020-02-19). Russian Defense Minister Shoigu discusses Libya with east forces' commander Haftar. rt.com Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with the commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Libya. | They discussed matters and "stressed the importance of talks held on January 13 in Moscow for establishing ceasefire and launching the process of normalizing the situation in the country," the Russian Defense Ministry said. | Shoigu and Haftar confirmed the need to fulfill the decisions made at the Berlin conference on Libya. | They also noted that there is no alternative to settling the domestic Libyan crisis by political means and confirmed commitment to L…

RT (2020-02-19). Erdogan slams EU plan to enforce Libya arms embargo. rt.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday criticized the European Union's decision to launch a maritime effort focused on enforcing the UN arms embargo around Libya, accusing the European states that have agreed to the operation of "interfering in the region." | Erdogan also hailed a decision by Libya's UN-supported government to withdraw from talks with rivals following an attack Tuesday on the sea port of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The US called for the talks to be resumed "quickly." | EU foreign ministers agreed earlier this week to end 'Operation Sophia', the bloc's naval mission in the Mediter…

RT (2020-02-19). Reddit experiences major outage as 1000s of reports come flooding in from around the world. rt.com Popular online news aggregator Reddit experienced a major outage Wednesday with thousands of users reporting issues around the world. | Almost 10,000 reports have been made on crowdsourcing website monitor DownDetector.com with a roughly 50/50 split of reports indicating outages on the app and website. | The majority of the reports about the social media platform meets meme workshop have come from the Eastern seaboard of the US and Western Europe. | | © Down Detector | Visitors to the site were met with a message reading: "Our CDN was unable to reach our servers". Reddit confirmed they are aware of the…

RT (2020-02-19). 'Utter nonsense': UK Home Secretary Patel hits back at 'Dave' after British rapper calls BoJo a 'real racist' at music awards show. rt.com UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has lashed out at British rapper, Dave, after the musician used his performance at the BRIT music awards to brand PM Boris Johnson a racist. Patel called the accusation "utter nonsense." | The 21-year-old black rapper from Streatham in South London — who won album of the year at the prestigious awards show in the UK capital on Tuesday night — added a final verse to his performance of song 'Black,' in which he singled out Johnson. | It is racist whether or not it feels racist. The truth is our prime minister is a real racist. They say, you should be grateful we're the lea…

RT (2020-02-19). Oh ire of Scotland: US huntress who invoked online OUTRAGE for posing with dead animals in UK avoids prosecution. rt.com An American trophy hunter who claims she received death threats after posing with her kills in Scotland will reportedly face no criminal charges, despite a torrent of online abuse and outrage. | TV presenter Larysa Switlyk, 34, was reported for firearms offenses and 'wild goat trophy hunting' on Islay in September 2018 after posting photos of her smiling with a dead goat, a stag and a ram. | | © Instagram/ LarysaUnleashed | While it is legal to hunt feral goats in Scotland, as they are classed as an invasive species, many took issue with the American's brazen attitude towards Scottish wildlife and cultu…

RT (2020-02-19). Foreign powers working against India as it moves to become global guru — defense minister. rt.com "Many foreign powers" are seeking to undermine the Indian government, fearful of the nation's rise to global prominence, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has warned. | "Many foreign powers are trying to break our country. They do not want a stable government in India, because they can see our future — the country is not only on its way to becoming a global superpower, but also a universal teacher or master," the top defense official told a gathering in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state. | Singh was a guest of honor during a three-day event hosted by Ekal Vidyalaya, an NGO dedicated to education an…

RT (2020-02-19). CNN reporter triggered by Fox interviewing InfoWars' 'Gun Girl' quickly reminded of own network's history with racists & criminals. rt.com In a case of pot calling the kettle black, Oliver Darcy fumed at Fox News describing Kaitlin Bennet as a "gun rights activist" after her tumultuous visit to a college campus. Twitter was quick to remind him of CNN's own sins.

RT (2020-02-19). U-turn: Ex-Democratic candidate Andrew Yang joins CNN as political commentator. rt.com Fresh from abandoning his dreams of presidential glory, entrepreneur and failed presidential hopeful Andrew Yang has lowered his sights to the corridors of CNN's newsrooms instead, joining the network as a political commentator. | Yang announced he was ending his long-shot campaign following last week's New Hampshire primary in which he finished in eighth place. "I am not someone who wants to accept donations and support in a race that we will not win," he said graciously. | It wasn't long, however, before Yang had found another route to political stardom: a cushy commentator job with CNN. | I'm excited to joi…

RT (2020-02-19). Russia may grant ex-presidents immunity from prosecution & ban ministers from holding foreign bank accounts. rt.com When Vladimir Putin announced his intention to amend Russia's Constitution, it drove the pundits and pontificators into a frenzy of speculation. Since then there's been a raft of proposals but two in particular stand out. | According to Pavel Krasheninnikov, co-chair of the working group set up to propose changes to the code, the idea of making former presidents exempt from subsequent criminal charges has been floated; along with a restriction on cabinet members from keeping money in financial institutions abroad. | Reports about Russian officials taking money out of the country have long aroused anger. Back i…