2020-05-03: News Headlines

Marko Marjanović (2020-05-03). Europe's Largest? 3500 Protest Anti-Virus Overreach in Slovenia. anti-empire.com As in the rest of Europe (except Belarus) protest is not permitted in Slovenia. Cycling however, is since recently again allowed. So Slovenians had the mind they would mess with the government by taking their again-permitted once-daily bicycle ride and do it all at once. | A mass of 3500 cyclists rode through the center of the city and circled in front of the parliament building. | | On the one hand, a bicycle protest (and largely masked) is somewhat lame, certainly compared to the

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-05-03). Towards A New World Order? The Global Debt Crisis and the Privatization of the State. globalresearch.ca This is the true picture of what is happening. Poverty is Worldwide. While famines are erupting in Third World countries, closer to home, in the richest country on earth, "millions of desperate Americans wait in long crowded lines for handouts"

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-05-03). 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Caused Brain Damage in Children. Dr. Anthony Fauci on "Vaccine Safety" Issues. globalresearch.ca In 2009, NIAID Director Anthony Fauci was firmly in support of a multibillion dollar H1N1 vaccine project | Today he is an avid supporter of a COVID-19 vaccine. | What he fails to acknowledge is that the 2009 H1N1 Vaccine caused brain …

Rebecca Burns (2020-05-03). May Rent Is Due, and Hundreds of Thousands of Tenants Are Going on Strike. zcomm.org Activists and some members of Congress are calling for rent to be canceled, as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks economic havoc…

teleSUR (2020-05-03). Venezuelan Military Foils Terrorist Infiltration from Colombia. telesurenglish.net The Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace of Venezuela, Nestor Reverol, announced on Sunday the disarticulation of an incursion by a terrorist group into the country via sea. | RELATED: | Reverol said the infiltration attempt came from a terrorist group trying to enter Venezuela from Colombia. | Reverol highlighted that the objective of this incursion was to commit terrorist acts in the country, like carrying out asassinations…

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-03). Bojaya commemorates massacre for the first time with lost loved ones, but without peace. colombiareports.com The people of Bojaya on Saturday commemorated the 2002 massacre in their northwest Colombia village for the first time in the presence of those they lost, but without the peace…

Eugene E Ruyle (2020-05-03). Lenin on Democracy and Dictatorship & its relevance for our time. indybay.org Online ZOOM Meeting. | LOG-IN INFORMATION AT OUR WEBSITE | ICSSMARX.ORG | OR EMAIL CUYLERUYLE@MAC.COM

Marjorie Cohn (2020-05-03). Israel's New Government Is Exploiting Pandemic to Annex 30 Percent of West Bank. zcomm.org One of the central pillars of this new regime is the unlawful annexation of the Jordan Valley and illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The annexation has the full backing of U.S. President Donald Trump…

Tyler Durden (2020-05-03). Pompeo Demands Countries Block Airspace to Iran's Sanctions-Busting Air Bridge to Venezuela. anti-empire.com The US is going on the offensive once again against Venezuela, this time attempting to break up growing Iranian cooperation and assistance to Caracas. The two so-called 'rogue states' recently targeted for US-imposed regime change are helping each other fight coronavirus as well as Washington-led sanctions. Specifically Tehran has ramped up cargo deliveries related getting Venezuela's derelict oil refineries fully operational. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in new statements has called on international allies to block airspace specifically for Iran's Mahan Air, currently under US sanctions, and which has in…

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-03). Big Pharma Controlled FDA Approves Inadequately Tested Drug for COVID-19. globalresearch.ca Big Pharma officials run the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), its mandate focused on profit-making over human health and welfare. | Consumer advocate Ralph Nader earlier slammed "unrestrained drug industry havoc." | Big Pharma "receives billions of dollars in tax credits …

WSWS Repost (2020-05-03). Former top officials in Bernie Sanders campaign form super PAC to back Joe Biden. indybay.org With the Democratic Party uniting to promote Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders holds his nose to let his supporters build a super PAC.

Federico Fuentes (2020-05-03). Bolivia vs Venezuela: COVID-19 response reveals true nature of governments. zcomm.org Because Venezuela represents an alternative to the profit-driven capitalist system, the US has chosen the COVID-19 crisis as a time to ramp up its attacks on the Maduro government…

teleSUR (2020-05-03). UK: Venezuela's Support Organization Condemns Violent Attack. telesurenglish.net/rss/google-news/news.xml Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (VSC) on Sunday rejected the armed attack against Venezuela. Dr. Francisco Dominguez, national secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, emitted the communication. | RELATED: | The Bolivarian Revolution support organization expressed its backing of Nicolas Maduro's government after the violent events. | "We have just received information from Venezuela that a heavily armed mercen…

South Front (2020-05-03). Video: Golan Heights Escalation and New Drama in Idlib. globalresearch.ca Early on May 1, several missiles launched from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights hit positions of the Syrian Army near Tell Ahmar and Quneitra city. The strike reportedly led to no casualties among Syrian personnel, but destroyed several pieces of military …

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-03). Lancet Editor Praises China, Slams Western Mishandling of COVID-19 Outbreaks. globalresearch.ca Lancet editor Richard Horton debunked phony claims by the US and West, falsely blaming China for spreading COVID-19 outbreaks. | Friday on China's CCTV, he stressed that Beijing "isn't responsible for" what's happening. | Calls by US and other Western leaders for …

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-03). The Trump Regime Redeploys Its ISIS (Terrorist) "Freedom Fighters" to Iraq, Courtesy of the Pentagon. globalresearch.ca For over 40 years, Iraqis suffered from the scourge of US wars by hot and other means with no let-up, millions perishing, an entire population immiserated. | The Iraqi government and vast majority of its people want their country back — …

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-03). The Trump Regime's Latest Diabolical Anti-Iran Scheme. With the Support of Bibi. globalresearch.ca Decades of US hostility toward Iran for not bowing to its hegemonic will reached a fever pitch under Trump. | Regime hardliners and Netanyahu convinced him to wage all-out war by other means on Tehran, an agenda that risks things turning …

Mike Whitney (2020-05-03). Why Sweden Succeeded While Others Failed. globalresearch.ca How do you measure success in dealing with an illness for which there is no cure? | This is the question we need to ask ourselves before judging which country's approach has been most successful in dealing with the coronavirus. The …

RT (2020-05-03). South Korea moves forward with relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions as new infection numbers remain low. rt.com Health authorities in South Korea have been reporting fewer than 15 new cases of Covid-19 for over two weeks now, with international travel being a major source. With domestic transmissions thought to be in check, the government will now move forward with plans to lift some of the social distancing restrictions, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun confirmed on Sunday. | The anticipated change will come starting Wednesday, after the Asian nation emerges from a period of long holidays. The government will have a set of guidelines for businesses and public venues, which will be allowed to reopen, on how to minimize the…

RT (2020-05-03). North & South Korea 'exchange gunfire' in demilitarized zone — Seoul. rt.com A South Korean guard post in the demilitarized zone was hit by "multiple gunshots" from the North, forcing Seoul's military to "return fire," Yonhap reports citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff. | The South Korean military says it issued a "warning broadcast" and fired back only "two shots" after a volley of gunfire hit a guard post inside the DMZ, causing no injuries. | It was not immediately clear if anyone was hit on the North Korean side. Seoul and Pyongyang are reportedly in contact to resolve the incident. | (URGENT) Multiple gunshots fired from N. Korea hit S. Korean guard post inside DMZ, no casualties rep…

RT (2020-05-03). Kim gossip never dies: 'Resurrected' North Korean leader's footage 'evidence' of heart surgery. rt.com For more than a week, the mainstream media got a lot of mileage out of speculating as to whether North Korea's leader had died. It turns out Kim Jong-un is alive, but that hasn't stemmed the flow of rumors about his health.

RT (2020-05-03). Your passport and corona test, please: Vienna airport starts on-site screening for those who wish to avoid quarantine. rt.com Starting Monday, passengers arriving at Vienna International Airport will be offered an on-site Covid-19 test to avoid the mandatory 14-day quarantine. | Austrian health officials require everyone arriving in the country by air to provide a health certificate ensuring they are not carrying the coronavirus. Without one issued no less than four days prior to arrival, travelers must sign up for two weeks of self-isolation. Starting Monday, there will be an alternative — an on-site express test with a three-hour wait before the results come through. | The same PCR express test will be available to people leav…

RT (2020-05-03). 'As long as coronavirus doesn't go on vacation': German interior minister warns against 'reckless' reopening of borders. rt.com Germany's interior minister said that early decisions to reopen borders could backfire in terms of the spread of Covid-19. The leader of Austria had earlier floated the idea of inviting German tourists to return. | "As long as the virus does not go on vacation, we also have to restrict our travel plans. As understandable as the desires of people and the tourism industry are, the disease protection has its own timetable," Horst Seehofer told Bild am Sonntag. | No one wants to restrict citizens' freedom of movement longer than is absolutely necessary. But the reckless opening [of borders], which later backfires…

RT (2020-05-03). Covid contradiction? Pompeo believes coronavirus was 'man-made,' also agrees with intelligence that it was not. rt.com In his rush to accuse Beijing of unleashing the scourge of Covid-19 on an unsuspecting world, the US Secretary of State said the coronavirus was man-made, before making a U-turn without even blinking. | "The best experts so far seem to think it was man-made. I don't have reason to disbelieve them at this point," Mike Pompeo told ABC's 'This Week' when asked about a statement from the US intelligence community that unequivocally said the opposite. | Host Martha Raddatz twice asked Pompeo to clarify whether his view differed from that of American intelligence, and he voiced his total support for the spies &#150…

The Canary (2020-05-03). Poll shows that most people oppose loosening UK lockdown this week. thecanary.co More than four in five Britons are against lockdown restrictions being eased for schools, pubs and restaurants this week, a poll suggests.Boris Johnson said the country had passed the peak of Covid-19 infections and he would be setting out a "road map" for easing measures in the near future.But only 17% of those polled thought the time was right to consider re-opening schools, with smaller proportions of people thinking conditions had been met to allow cinemas, sporting stadia and nightclubs to open their doors.The Opinium poll for the Observer questioned 2,000 adults between 29 April and 1 May and showed 79% of…

RT (2020-05-03). Nearly ONE FIFTH of British households have trouble feeding children as result of LOCKDOWN — report. rt.com A significant number of poor and vulnerable families in the UK have been suffering from food insecurity after schools were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report has said. | Almost a fifth of households with children have been unable to obtain enough food in the past five weeks, the Observer (the Guardian's sister paper) reported, citing data from London-based NGO the Food Foundation. | The report also highlighted that some groups are finding it particularly difficult, with 30 percent of lone parents and 46 percent of parents with a disabled child experiencing problems in receiving food. | Poorer fa…

RT (2020-05-03). 'Nothing attractive': Warren Buffett's Berkshire sells ALL stakes in US airlines, reports $50bn Q1 loss amid Covid-19 shutdown. rt.com With Berkshire Hathaway Inc reporting a record quarterly loss of nearly $50bn amid the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, Warren Buffett remains optimistic that in the long run, "nothing can stop America." | Speaking at an annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, which for the first time was livestreamed and held without shareholders, the 89-year-old billionaire tried to reassure everyone by recalling the hardships of the past that the US successfully survived. | The famously bullish Buffett, however, expressed doubt that the markets have hit the bottom yet, saying "this is a very good time to borrow money…

sputniknews (2020-05-03). Minnesota Weatherman Sacked For Repost Likening Anti-Lockdown Protesters With Nazi Sympathisers. sputniknews.com A group dubbed "Liberate Minnesota" has been protesting lockdown measures introduced in the state, and are calling for the reopening of the economy. The state has recently extended the stay-at-home order to 18 May to slow the spread of COVID-19.

sputniknews (2020-05-03). Taliban Kill 3 Soldiers in Attack on Checkpoints in Eastern Afghanistan – Official. sputniknews.com KABUL (Sputnik) – Three Afghan soldiers were killed and five others injured overnight in a gunfight with Taliban militants in the eastern Afghan province of Paktia, a spokesman for the governor told Sputnik on Sunday.

Stephen Lendman (2020-05-03). Iran Bashing, a US Media Specialty. iranian.com Operating as imperial mouthpieces, US establishment media are hostile toward all sovereign independent nations on its target list for regime change. They're countries unwilling to sacrifice their sovereign rights to US interests. Iran tops the list of Middle East nations Washington wants transformed into a vassal state — to gain control over its vast hydrocarbon …

The Canary (2020-05-03). Minister admits that failures in coronavirus testing capacity led to more deaths. thecanary.co Fewer Britons would have died from coronavirus if more tests had been available earlier, a cabinet minister has admitted. He also warned life would not return to "business as usual" when Boris Johnson sets out his exit strategy.Decisions: Transport secretary Grant Shapps said "many things" could have been different if the UK's testing capacity was above 100,000 before coronavirus (Covid-19) spread in the country. More than 28,000 people have now died after testing positive for the virus in the UK.Shapps also confirmed the NHSX contact tracing app — which he said would need 50%-60% of people to use for…

RT (2020-05-03). Over 10,000 for the 1st time: Russia hits new daily record for fresh coronavirus cases. rt.com With 10,633 cases registered in a single day, Russia has seen its largest daily increase in reported Covid-19 infections. While the Moscow area remains the worst affected, the disease is spreading across the country. | The number of people confirmed to have contracted coronavirus nationwide rose to 134,687 on Sunday, disease response officials said. Fifty-eight more patients have died, bringing the overall national death toll from Covid-19 to 1,280. | With over 82,700 infections recorded in Moscow and its surrounding eponymous region, the capital remains the centre of Russia's outbreak. It's followed by the se…

RT (2020-05-03). CIA & MI6 put together 'scientific' dossier 'targeting China's Covid-19 cover-up' – as West readies to demand Beijing COMPENSATION. rt.com The West's wish to pin the blame on China (and probably the bill too) for the Covid-19 pandemic has been reportedly incarnated in a 15-page dossier compiled by intelligence agencies, which has now leaked, according to reports. | The document,

RT (2020-05-03). 'Invasion by sea': Venezuela thwarts 'mercenary' infiltration attempt from Colombia. rt.com Venezuelan authorities say they have foiled a raid by "foreign mercenaries" trying to reach the Latin American nation by sea to launch terrorist attacks and assassinate government officials. | A group of mercenaries have tried to infiltrate Venezuela's major port of La Guaira, located just north of the nation's capital of Caracas, Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said in a televised address. The incident, which the minister called "an invasion by sea," was part of preparations for another coup attempt, he added. |

RT (2020-05-03). 'Wasteful' US and China-chasing India: What 5 biggest military powers are spending more than a TRILLION DOLLARS on. rt.com Global defense spending saw its largest annual increase in a decade in 2019, proving that the trend for bloated military budgets is here to stay — but expenditure doesn't always correlate simply with power, analysts told RT. | With military budgets peaking at a colossal $1.9 trillion last year (a 3.6 percent increase on 2018), it is clear that governments are still deeply in love with throwing massive amounts of money into the production and acquisition of the latest and fanciest new weapons of war. We have now reached the "highest level of spending since the 2008 global financial crisis," according to t…

RT (2020-05-03). Nuclear deal will 'die forever' if US extends conventional arms embargo — Iran's security council chief. rt.com A top Iranian official has warned that the US extending the ban on conventional arms sales to Iran would be the last nail in the coffin for the 2015 nuclear deal. He called on the EU to choose between "dignity" and "humiliation."

The Canary (2020-05-03). 'I've had dreams where I've seen myself on ventilators'. A GP shares his experience of coronavirus. thecanary.co As a part-time GP and Labour cabinet

BBC (2020-05-03). The COVID Rouge Covers a Spanish Beach in Bleach 'to Protect the Children'. anti-empire.com Authorities in a Spanish coastal resort have apologised after spraying a beach with bleach in an attempt to protect children from coronavirus. | Zahara de los Atunes, near Cadiz, used tractors to spray more than 2km (1.2 miles) of beach with a bleach solution a day before Spain allowed children out of lockdown for the first time. | Environmentalists say the move caused "brutal damage" to the local ecosystem. | Spain has been badly affected by the coronavirus, with 23,800 deaths. | It recently announced a four-phase plan to lift its stringent lockdown measures and return to a "new normality" by the end of June.

The Canary (2020-05-03). 'Don't exclude healthy pensioners from lockdown easing' say doctors' leaders. thecanary.co Doctors' leaders have said excluding any section of the population from lockdown easing based solely on age would be "discriminatory".NHS England's national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said on 1 May, that officials will be studying whether stricter measures will or will not have to continue to apply to the elderly when restrictions are relaxed.But the British Medical Association (BMA) said excluding any section of the population from lockdown easing based on age would be "unacceptable". | BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: "Any proposal to impose stricter social distancing for those at higher…

Emily Apple (2020-05-03). Gogglebox is doing a better job holding the government to account than the mainstream media. thecanary.co Twitter users have noticed something disturbing about Channel 4's Gogglebox. Namely that the participants on the show seem to be doing a better job at holding the government to account than the mainstream media: | Surely we should be worried when — The Secret Nurse (@SecretPandemic) "What success?": | This was…

RT (2020-05-03). High-ranking Indian military staff killed in prolonged hostage rescue operation in Kashmir. rt.com An Indian colonel and major were among security personnel killed in a gun battle following a hostage crisis in Handwara, Kashmir. The colonel was the highest-ranking army official to die in an operation of this type in five years. | Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, the commander of the special 21 Rashtriya Rifles counter-terrorism unit, was killed in an hours-long gunfight in the Kupwara District of the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, officials told Indian media. | It is reported that Sharma — the recipient of gallantry awards in the past — was the first Indian commanding officer or a colonel-rank militar…

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-03). Colombia is not a democracy if army considers journalists military targets. colombiareports.com The list of media and journalists who have been "profiled" by Colombia's military is so terrifyingly long I don't know whether I am reporting on a mafia state or an…

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-03). Colombia sacked officials never mentioned in illegal army spying scandal. colombiareports.com Seven of nine army officials who were sacked by Colombia's defense ministry on Friday over their alleged role in reported intelligence gathering for President Ivan Duque's far right party were…

RT (2020-05-03). 'I'll rip your HEAD off': Eddie Hall warns Hafthor Bjornsson he will 'knock him the f*ck out' as strongman row erupts (VIDEO). rt.com Eddie Hall and "Game of Thrones" giant Hafthor Julius Bjornsson are on a collision course for a fearsome fight between two of the strongest men on the planet after a war of words broke out over the world deadlift record. | Bjornsson, who is best known for his enormous screen presence while playing "The Mountain" in the hit TV series "Game of Thrones," stunned fans by lifting 501kg (1,105lbs) on Saturday, breaking the record held by Hall since 2016 and appearing to find the feat easier than his relatively diminutive English rival. | 'The Beast' seemed to offer his fellow warrior support before his long-await…

Pacifica COVID-19 Taskforce (2020-05-03). 24 hour May Day programing on mayday.pacifica.org. indybay.org Pacifica COVID-19 Taskforce is hosting May Day with programing from throughout the world. Live streaming from South Africa, Korea, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and other countries.

Staff (2020-05-03). As We Shelter in Place, Access to Outdoors Should Not Only Be for the Privileged. truthout.org On the weekend that shelter-in-place orders were announced in California,

Staff (2020-05-03). Over 70 Percent of Jobless Americans Didn't Receive March Unemployment Benefits. truthout.org The vast majority of Americans who lost their jobs did not receive Millions of Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits in March but 71% of them did not receive their benefits that month, delaying a…

Staff (2020-05-03). Corporations Don't Need Another Bailout — Schools Do. truthout.org Money matters in education. Someone needs to tell Mitch McConnell that. | The Senate majority leader said on April 22 that the federal government should let states battling COVID-19 go

Staff (2020-05-03). Families Need Help Paying for COVID Burials But Trump Hasn't Released the Money. truthout.org As the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus mounts, President Donald Trump has yet to free up a pool of disaster relief funding specifically intended to help families cover burial costs. | Approximately 30 states and territories have requested the funding as the pandemic spreads across the country and struggling families ask for help burying their dead. The funding is part of the wide array of "individual assistance" programs handled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help disast…

Staff (2020-05-03). For Families Divided by ICE, the Pandemic Compounds the Nightmare. truthout.org On March 25, Alexandra Seo's mother sent her a message: "Alexandra. Call 911 for me. We don't have any water." Seo watched as more messages came in: Her mother told her there was no bathroom she could use. There was a foul chemical smell in the air that made it hard to breathe. And there was no running water for her to wash her hands to try to protect herself from the coronavirus. "It's panic around here," she messaged. "Everyone is going crazy. Tell dad please." Seo felt nauseous as more texts arrived.