(2020-03-07). A "win-win" over Afghanistan and Syria. iranian.com Two peace agreements within a week are a bit too much. Hot on the heels of the US-Taliban peace agreement signed in Doha on February 9, Russia and Turkey have signed a peace agreement over the Syrian conflict in Moscow on March 6. On the face of it, the two are unconnected events but they …
(2020-03-07). Alibaba founder Jack Ma donates one million masks to Iran. iranian.com Chinese entrepreneur, industrialist and chief executive of Alibaba Group Jack Ma has announced the donation of one million masks to Iran. Jack Ma announced his decision in his Chinese-language Vibo account. Releasing images of several children hospitalized for coronavirus infection, he referred to the thousands of miles between China and Iran but said the huge distance …
(2020-03-06). Amazon burning in 2019 was bad, but nowhere near as apocalyptic as MSM would have us believe. rt.com 
Despite a media furor over the widespread burning of Amazon rainforest in 2019, the latest analysis by the ESA's Fire CCI project reveals that the total number of fires in the Amazon was only slightly above the long-term average. | Far from the apocalyptic headlines depicted in the mainstream media frenzy, it appears that the Amazon may not be doomed just yet. While there was a small increase year-on-year between 2018 and 2019, the number of fires in relation to the national average over two decades was only slightly up. | Changes in climate conditions, regulations as well pre-existing deforestation and degrad…
(2020-03-06). The New Idlib Ceasefire Forces Turkey-Backed Extremists to Fall Back. mintpressnews.com 
Putin and Erdogan met in Moscow in a last-ditch effort to strike a deal over the escalating violence in Idlib, Syria. Steven Sahiounie weighs in on who prevailed and what likely comes next.
(2020-03-06). Russian billionaire banker Tinkov stranded in London for US extradition probe reveals he has BLOOD CANCER. rt.com 
Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov, whom the US wants to extradite from Britain over alleged tax evasion, has revealed he cannot leave his home in London because he is undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia. | The 52-year-old Russian-born businessman said he chose to make his condition public because of "speculation" since the US Department of Justice indicted him over a failure to pay taxes when he renounced his American citizenship in 2013. Tinkov, according to the US authorities, underreported his income and wealth to dodge liabilities. | "I have been diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia. The diagnosis came…
(2020-03-06). 'Snapchatization' has users declaring #RIPTwitter, but vulture capitalist takeover is what they should REALLY be worrying about. rt.com 
A notorious hedge-funder who's left a trail of broken companies (and countries) in his wake has set his sights on ousting Twitter's Jack Dorsey. Users complaining about new features should know the platform may never be the same. | Elliott Management, euphemistically called an "activist investor" by timid media who fear its legendary founder Paul Singer, has reportedly snapped up a four percent ($1 billion) stake in Twitter, nominating four directors to its board as the start of a bid to oust Dorsey. The hedge fund supposedly resents the CEO dividing his attentions between Twitter, Square, and a six-month move…
(2020-03-06). Math is hard when counting millions? MSM makes a blooper figuring out how much Bloomberg spent on his campaign. rt.com 
An MSNBC host made the "disturbing discovery" that Michael Bloomberg could afford to give "each American $1 million" from his presidential campaign fund. If only their production team had used a calculator before going on air. | MSNBC's Brian Williams was talking to NYT board member Mara Gay when he cited a tweet by a Washington Post contributor, Mekita Rivas, who literally claimed the former New York mayor and billionaire could present every single American with a whopping $1 million — supposedly all out of his $500 million fund he spent on his Democratic primaries campaign. | MSNBC's Brian Williams read…
(2020-03-06). War averted as Russia & Turkey reach deal on Idlib… but is peace on horizon? rt.com 
After a new agreement with Russia dispelled the specter of a major conflict arising from the recent escalation of tensions in Syria's Idlib, RT finds out whether it will be a lasting solution for Ankara and Damascus. | Damascus had launched an offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib against armed groups, which Ankara had supported as well as launching a military operation of its own. However, a heated standoff between the Syrian Army and Turkey seems to have been avoided. This was all thanks to the diplomatic efforts of Moscow and Ankara, which led to a new agreement on the troubled province following…
(2020-03-06). 120 migrants rescued by Turkish coastguard off western coast — report. rt.com 
Turkey's coastguard rescued around 120 migrants trying to reach a Greek island on three dinghies early on Friday after they said their passage was blocked by Greek coastguard vessels, Reuters reported. | Migrants shouted as coastguard vessels approached them off the coast of western Turkey's Izmir province. | The migrants included people from Syria, Afghanistan, Iran and various African countries. | Last week, Ankara said it would no longer stop hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers on its territory from trying to reach Europe. | Several migrants on two of the rescued dinghies claimed their boats' motors wer…
(2020-03-06). Top Afghan political leader Abdullah unharmed in attack on ceremony in Kabul. rt.com 
An attack happened at a ceremony in the Afghan capital on Friday where a top Afghan political leader, Abdullah Abdullah, was present but he escaped unharmed, according to his spokesman. | "The attack started with a boom, apparently a rocket landed in the area, Abdullah and some other politicians… escaped the attack unhurt," the spokesman, Fraidoon Kwazoon, who was also present, told Reuters by telephone from Kabul. | Broadcaster Tolo News showed live footage of people running for cover as gunfire was heard. Special police forces had been sent to the area, Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said. It wa…
(2020-03-06). Erdogan vows to keep migrants flowing as THOUSANDS keep trying to storm Greek border (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Turkey's border will remain open for migrants seeking to reach the EU, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says. Thousands of illegal migrants have amassed at the border with Greece, facing off with police and trying to break through. | Ankara will not try to stop the refugees flowing to Europe, Erdogan told reporters Friday, as he was flying home from Moscow, where he had agreed a ceasefire document on Syria's Idlib with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. | Are the borders open or closed? We don't have time to discuss it anymore. It is done. | The situation at the Greek-Turkish border remains very tense [m…
(2020-03-06). NOPEC! Oil prices plummet after Russia rejects new crude production cuts. rt.com 
Cooperation between Russia and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has got to an abrupt stop after Moscow refused to back new deeper cuts on oil output. The move has sent oil prices into a downward spiral. | The OPEC and non-OPEC countries held the consultations on oil cuts consultations in Vienna on Friday, yet failed to agree on them. | The talks followed the OPEC decision to cut the output by an extra 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) in the second quarter of this year — but only if Russia joins in. The new cuts were expected to come on top of the already existing cuts of 2.1 mill…
(2020-03-06). From fossil capitalism to energy democracy? mronline.org As the 21st Century's second decade opens, the increasingly severe symptoms of climate change comprise a pivot in the struggle for hegemony, globally and within national formations. With the highest per capital carbon emissions among the G20 states, Canada is a climate laggard and, in some respects, a first-world petro-state (Nikiforuk 2010), organized as a […] |
(2020-03-06). Josh Bivens on Coronavirus Economics, Mandy Smithberger on Military Economics. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-03-06). Yellow-caking an epidemic: New York Times spreads the virus of hatred, again. mronline.org 
In a repeat of the gutter journalism used to justify the 2003 Iraq War, the New York Times has had to "yellow-cake" up a foul brew of innuendo, half-truths, misrepresentations, outright lies—spiked fiercely with stereotypes, racial hatred, and red-baiting—to makes its case for a China "cover-up." |
(2020-03-06). Moscow medics responding to possible child coronavirus case BEATEN by father for wearing protective suits. rt.com 
Did you hear the one about the paramedic who went to help a sick child, and ended up being beaten by the kid's father? Well, you have now. | On Thursday, medics in Moscow showed up to examine a youngster suspected of having coronavirus, the Russian police press service reported. Unfortunately, the child's dad is said to have taken exception to the fact that they were wearing protective suits. | According to media reports, the young patient had pneumonia, which presents with symptoms similar to Covid-19. The attendant paramedic and doctor therefore put on special suits to protect themselves from the possibility…
(2020-03-06). Virus Hits 100,000 Cases as Its Economic Impact Snowballs. truthdig.com 
BANGKOK — Crossing more borders, the new coronavirus hit a milestone Friday, infecting more than 100,000 people worldwide as it wove itself deeper into the daily lives of millions, infecting the powerful, the unprotected poor and vast masses in between. | The virus, which has killed more than 3,400 people, edged into
(2020-03-06). Trump Signs $8.3B Bill to Combat Coronavirus Outbreak in U.S. truthdig.com 
The rapid spread of the virus has rocked financial markets, interrupted travel and threatens to affect everyday life in the United States.
(2020-03-06). US 'BLOCKS' UN from supporting Russian-Turkish ceasefire in Syria's Idlib. rt.com 
US opposition reportedly blocked the UN Security Council from backing the agreement between Russia and Turkey for a ceasefire in Syria's Idlib province. US diplomats earlier sought to back Turkey's incursion in the area. | Friday's meeting was requested by Russia, after President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan hammered out a ceasefire after a six-hour meeting in Moscow the day before. | However, "one of the parties" blocked the Security Council statement that would have expressed support for the agreement, Russian envoy to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said. | Also on rt.com | | <...
(2020-03-06). Turkish forces 'to react' to any attack of Syrian Army in Idlib, Erdogan warns. rt.com 
Turkish Armed Forces in Syria's Idlib would fight back any attack from the Syrian forces, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday. | "We would invariably stay vigilant for any attacks and violations," Erdogan said, according to Yeni Safak. | Ankara's main goal is "implementation of UN resolution 2254 and launch of political process and end of civil war in Syria," TASS quoted the Turkish president as saying. He also noted that "the Turkish observation points would retain their status" and that any changes regarding them "are off the table." | On Thursday, Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agree…
(2020-03-06). Refugees attacked with water canons and tear gas on the Greek-Turkish border. thecanary.co 
Refugees faced more attacks on the Greek-Turkish border as people attempted to enter Greece, while the European Union's foreign ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation on the border and in Syria, where Turkish troops are fighting.Greek authorities used tear gas and a water cannon to repulse an attempt by refugees to push through the border from Turkey in the morning, while Turkish authorities fired volleys of tear gas onto the Greek side of the frontier.Thousands of refugees have been trying to get into Greece through the country's eastern land and sea borders over the past week, after Turkey…
(2020-03-06). Ukrainian Chess grand master and girlfriend FOUND DEAD in Moscow — 'laughing gas' suspected. rt.com 
Stanislav Bogdanovich, a chess grand master from Odessa, Ukraine, has been found dead in Moscow with his girlfriend, Alexandra Vernigora. The two Ukrainians lived together in the Russian capital's Filyovsky Park district. | Moscow media reports say the pair were apparently poisoned by laughing gas, with their bodies found near balloons containing nitrous oxide. A source told Interfax that the heads of both victims were in plastic bags, and next to their bed was a gas canister. | www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1034065026734009&set=pb.100003915636851.-2207520000..&type=3&theater | Bogdanovich recently r…
(2020-03-06). Serbia will continue to source weapons from 'friendly states' despite US sanctions threat — minister. rt.com 
Serbia will continue to source weapons from "friendly states," despite a looming threat of US sanctions in the event of further such deliveries from Russia, Serbian defense minister said on Friday. "Serbia is not a colony" and will decide for itself about "the strengthening and equipping of its armed forces," Aleksandar Vulin said in a statement. | US officials have spoken openly about introducing sanctions against Serbia if Moscow sends more arms to the country. Belgrade has recently received a sophisticated anti-aircraft system from Russia, which has also provided fighter jets, attack helicopters and armored…
(2020-03-06). Deadly & beautiful: Find out how Russian female soldiers train for their big day (no, not a wedding day). rt.com 
Trim, fit and synched. That's how these 24 young soldiers have to look when they march through Ekaterinburg in May to open the Victory Day parade. And it takes a lot of training to get every detail right. | The all-female tattoo was gathered from ladies serving in Russian military units in Siberia, the Urals and the Volga region. They are now learning how to work as a well-oiled team and are undergoing physical endurance training to be in peak form by May 9. | | © Russian Defense Ministry | Footage of their regimen was released by the defense ministry ahead of the International Women's Day. | A heads…
(2020-03-06). Of course it's coincidence: Kremlin spokesman denies trolling Erdogan with bronzework of Russo-Turkish war. rt.com 
Some believe the Kremlin wanted to rattle Turkey's President by placing him next to a work of art depicting a crushing Ottoman defeat at the hands of the Russians, but Vladimir Putin's spokesman says it was pure coincidence. | Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Moscow on Thursday to discuss with the Russian President ways to
(2020-03-06). "Supreme Inequality": Author Adam Cohen on the Supreme Court's 50-Year Battle Against Justice. democracynow.org 
The makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court has come under intense criticism in recent years after two Trump-nominated justices joined the bench. Senate Republicans confirmed Neil Gorsuch in 2017 after having refused to consider President Barack Obama's nominee in his final year in office, and they confirmed Brett Kavanaugh a year later despite multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the judge. During the 2020 Democratic presidential contest, several candidates floated the idea of "packing the court" — appointing more than nine justices — in order to counter the court's rightward drift. But while t…
(2020-03-06). Progressives Urge Elizabeth Warren to Rally Behind Bernie Sanders After She Drops Out of 2020 Race. democracynow.org 
Senator Elizabeth Warren suspended her bid for the presidency Thursday, leaving the 2020 Democratic presidential race down to two older white men: former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders. Warren's decision to end her campaign comes after she failed to perform as well as she had hoped in early primary states and on Super Tuesday, including placing third in her home state of Massachusetts. Warren gave no indication whether she will endorse either of her former rivals. Supporters of Sanders say they hope she will throw her support behind their candidate in order to form a united "progressive front…
(2020-03-06). Congress slams 'fundamentally flawed' Boeing 737 MAX & 'grossly insufficient' FAA in scathing report. rt.com 
Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft was doomed by the manufacturer's "culture of concealment" that prioritized cost-cutting over safety, while the Federal Aviation Administration's poor judgment sealed its fate, the US House has concluded. | A software glitch that should have been discovered and repaired instead shipped by default with all new 737 MAX planes, resulting in a pair of horrific crashes that killed a total of 346 people and forced the grounding of 737 MAX planes worldwide. The error had been concealed by Boeing executives and ignored by FAA regulators, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee fo…
(2020-03-06). Police raided innocent family's home because they got the time zone wrong. thecanary.co 
Police raided the home of an innocent family after recording the wrong time zone during a child abuse probe, according to a watchdog.The "serious error" occurred when officers confused Greenwich Mean Time with British Summer Time, as they tried to track who was uploading and sharing indecent images on public WiFi, a report from the Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPC) said.The mix-up put the information in the investigation out by one hour and led to the warrant mistakenly being carried out at the address.The body, set up in 2017 to scrutinise spying powers used by police, intelligence agencies and other publi…
(2020-03-06). In the Land of the Gerontocrats. truthdig.com As much as I like Bernie Sanders and hope he prevails in the Democratic primary, I confess that there's something gray and depressing about a crusty, seventy-something, New-Deal liberal representing the great electoral hope of the American left. There are, of course, a number of engaging young progressives in office now, but the fame and near-celebrity profiles of newcomers like Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez belie the still fundamentally local power bases of these congresswomen, none of whom has yet been tested even in a statewide election. Victories at the state and local levels have bee…
(2020-03-06). Espionage Act Reform Bill Would Protect Journalists Like Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Ro Khanna introduced a bill to reform the Espionage Act, the archaic piece of legislation used to prosecute Julian Assange and other Whistleblowers.
(2020-03-06). As anger mounts over Assange's persecution, former foreign minister Carr calls for moral appeals to Australian government. wsws.org Veteran Labor leader Bob Carr is attempting to divert the growing movement for the release of Assange into dead-end appeals to the Australian parliament.
(2020-03-06). Coronavirus: Remember the "Fake" 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic: Manipulating the Data to Justify a Worldwide Public Health Emergency. globalresearch.ca A Worldwide public health emergency is unfolding, 4.9 billion doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine are envisaged by the WHO.
(2020-03-06). Elizabeth Warren: Which Side Are You On? indybay.org We'll soon find out…
(2020-03-06). Former Nobel Peace Prize Nominates Morales for 2020 Distinction. globalresearch.ca "It is an honor for me to inform you that I have nominated comrade Evo Morales Ayma for the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2020," the Argentinian Adolfo Perez Esquivel announced on his Twitter account. | *** | The Argentinian activist …
(2020-03-06). Another Farcical Ceasefire in Syria. globalresearch.ca Time and again, ceasefires agreed to on Syria were breached straightaway by US/NATO/Turkish supported terrorists. | Is this time different? Will belligerent Trump and Erdogan regimes turn a page for restoration of peace and stability in Syria? | Will they renounce years …
(2020-03-06). Circle in the Darkness: Memoir of a World Watcher (2020). globalresearch.ca First, Diana Johnstone's memoir is a classic, and will be read and quoted as long as we keep struggling for peace and justice. It is one of the great personal accounts of the anguished decline of our uncivilization, …
(2020-03-06). Trump's Afghanistan Deal Prioritizes Bragging Rights Over Lasting Peace. zcomm.org It's true that the Trump administration signed a "peace deal" with the Taliban — something that eluded both George W. Bush and Barack Obama — but a closer look at the agreement reveals it to be riddled with conditions that are fraught with obstacles…
(2020-03-06). Yes, Trump Should Talk with the Taliban. counterpunch.org On March 3, US president Donald Trump spoke (via telephone) with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, chief of the Taliban's Doha diplomatic office and signer, on behalf of his organization, of the recently concluded Afghanistan "peace deal." "The direct contact between an American president and a top Taliban leader would once have been unthinkable," writes Michael
(2020-03-06). The US-Taliban Deal Changes Little on the Ground. thenation.com The US-Taliban Deal Changes Little on the Ground…
(2020-03-06). Headlines for March 6, 2020. democracynow.org 3,500 Cruise Ship Passengers Quarantined Off California Coast over Coronavirus Fears, Seattle Area Residents Urged to Work from Home as Coronavirus Spreads Across U.S., World Health Organization's Coronavirus Warning: "This Is Not a Drill", Stocks Tumble as Coronavirus Rattles Global Economy, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Suspends 2020 Presidential Bid, Bernie Sanders Campaign Rally Disrupted by Protester with Nazi Flag, Russia and Turkey Agree to a Ceasefire in Syria's War-Torn Idlib, Israel Accused of Collective Punishment After Demolishing Palestinian Homes, Israeli Opposition Parties Bidding to Unseat Netanyahu After…
(2020-03-06). Israeli Troops Attack Protest in Kufur Qaddoum, Injuring Two Palestinians. imemc.org Two young men were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets, while dozens more suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, when Israeli forces invaded Kufur Qaddoum village and began assaulting non-violent demonstrators. Each week, the townspeople of Kufur Qaddoum hold a march and protest to challenge the Israeli closure of their …
(2020-03-06). Chile: New Protests Are Scheduled Amid Plebiscite Campaign. telesurenglish.net Chile's political and social organizations called for a new wave of protests throughout March, a decisive month for the Chileans on their way to the plebiscite on the new Constitution to be held on April 26. | RELATED: | To begin with, the Workers' United Center of Chile (CUT) called for a demonstration to commemorate the upcoming International Women's Day. | "On March 8 and 9, starting at noon, we will take to the stre…
(2020-03-06). The Brooklyn Yeshiva Anthem Protest: Why It's Not Antisemitic. counterpunch.org "An anti-Semite used to be a person who disliked Jews. Now it is a person who Jews dislike." — Hajo Meyer, Jewish German-born Dutch physicist and Auschwitz survivor. "Antisemitism is a trick we always use." — Shulamit Aloni, Jewish Israeli, former Israeli Minister of Education, longtime member of the Israeli parliament. On Sunday, February 23
(2020-03-06). Trump's Real Base Is the Ruling Class. commondreams.org Trump's war chest is stocked by big money super-PACS. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_american_fuhrer.jpeg …
(2020-03-06). They Rule: No Easter Bernie. counterpunch.org Former MSNBC (MSDNC) talk show host Chris Matthews' execution by the Bernie Sanders campaign today was quick and painless. A guillotine was set up near Central Park's Pond & Gapstow Bridge. A crowd of 15,000 applauded politely after Matthews' head was held up and placed inside a model Cold War era television. Ticket fees (ranging from $27 to $200) were dedicated to the Sanders campaign. Sanders addressed the crowd, calmly explaining why Matthews had been condemned. Sanders asked attendees to go to berniesanders.com to contribute further to his campaign and to nominate other broadcast journalists for executio…
(2020-03-06). Bolivia: El Alto Citizens Seek Justice for the Sekata Victims. telesurenglish.net During a rally carried out in El Alto city on Thursday, Bolivians demanded the self-proclaimed President Jeanine Añez to respond for the Senkata massacre, which left 36 dead in Nov. 2019.‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã | RELATED: | The former senator has not offered a convincing response to those affected by the violence that the Bolivian security forces deployed to guara…
(2020-03-06). WaPo Prints Study That Found Paper Backed an Undemocratic Bolivia Coup. commondreams.org The OAS repeatedly made statistical claims about Bolivia's election that were clearly false. (Photo: Alexis Demarco/APG/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/evo_morales_0.jpeg …
(2020-03-06). A Green New Deal for South African workers? zcomm.org COSATU, South Africa's largest trade union federation, has a plan to simultaneously tackle climate change and unemployment…
(2020-03-06). Trump's Second Term? Not Worth Freaking Out About. counterpunch.org You've heard it so often that you may well believe it's true: Trump's second term would be a disaster. For the Democratic Party. For the United States. For democracy itself. "The reelection of Donald Trump," warns Nancy Pelosi, "would do irreparable damage to the United States." But would it really? Exceptions are a normal part