(2020-05-18). Ottawa's Ties with Far Right Colombian President Undermines Human Rights Rhetoric Regarding Venezuela. globalresearch.ca A week ago a former Canadian soldier instigated a harebrained bid to kidnap or kill Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Launched from Colombia, the plot failed spectacularly with most of the men captured or killed. | Still, the leader of the …
(2020-05-18). Trump's Megalomania and Boris Johnson's Incompetence Have Only Increased in COVID Pandemic. counterpunch.org It was the pandemic that turned Trump's and Johnson's character and behavioural flaws into lethal failings that have since killed many people. Both had risen to power by skilfully exploiting nativist fears and ambitions and scapegoating foreigners at home and abroad. They had become like a pair of conmen who have been successfully peddling lies and fantasies, but who must suddenly grapple with a highly-dangerous reality.
(2020-05-18). Opening Up for Demonstrations? zcomm.org Stop racist killings! Act together to end the pandemic! Living wages or income now! A Green New Deal and Medicare for All! Trump must go!
(2020-05-18). Iran — Powerful and Determined. globalresearch.ca I refuse to describe Iran as a victim. It is not. It is one of the most influential and strong-minded nations on Earth. | When facing mortal danger, its people unite, harden themselves and get ready to face invaders, no matter …
(2020-05-18). The Bouficha Appeal: Universal Call for Humanity to End Militarism and Stop War. counterpunch.org On March 15, 1950, the World Peace Council sent out the Stockholm Appeal, a short text that called for a ban on nuclear weapons and that would eventually be signed by almost 2 million people. The appeal was made up of three elegant sentences: + We demand the outlawing of atomic weapons as instruments of
(2020-05-18). North Colombia paramilitaries had access to classified US counternarcotics documents: report. colombiareports.com 
A paramilitary group from northern Colombia had access classified information from Colombian and international counternarcotics agencies allowing it to avoid drug seizures, according to Noticias Uno. According to the the…
(2020-05-18). Trump unveils plan that would see Big Pharma reap massive profits from COVID-19 vaccine. mronline.org 
President Trump has revealed a plan to mobilize the US military to deliver mass vaccinations across the country, coupled with Operation Warp Speed, a "Manhattan project-style" race to produce a COVID-19 vaccine.
(2020-05-18). UK COVID-19 Death-toll now exceeds 61,000. mronline.org 
The public, according to incessant government polling and monitoring of the public mood through focus groups and mass data has confirmed that the nation is quickly being 'traumatised' by the UK's experience of the pandemic.
(2020-05-18). Chicago nursing home workers achieve historic contract. liberationnews.org 
Nursing homes are among the places hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-05-18). Freedom Rider: New attacks on Venezuela. mronline.org 
The Democratic Party's "left" wing is mute on the latest US aggression against the people and government of Venezuela, thus giving assent to Trump by their silence.
(2020-05-18). Sanctions in the Era of Pandemic. zcomm.org From Venezuela to Iran, Washington's illegal and inhumane economic sanctions are putting millions of lives at risk…
(2020-05-18). Taliban blamed for over 3,800 attacks after peace deal. yenisafak.com Afghan government on Monday blamed the Taliban for "blatantly violating" terms of their peace deal with the US signed in February.Flanked by the country's army chief and interior minister, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Zia Siraj, the head of the secret service NDS, told a news conference the Taliban continued their assaults across the country.Siraj also accused the Taliban of having close ties with foreign terrorist groups such as al-Qaida, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamic Movement of Eastern Turkistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba and others."The Taliban, after the peace deal with the US orchestrated over 3,800 attacks in differen…
(2020-05-18). Down and Out in Portland: Retired in Style in Waldport, OR. dissidentvoice.org 
The irony of this quote from the Dustin Hoffman movie, The Graduate, is not wasted on Duane Snider: — One word: plastics. That was Benjamin Braddock, just graduated from college, sitting in a swimming pool. Giving him advice on gaining the American dream, the neighbor's statement says it all. Today? Hedge funds? Flipping houses? Coronavirus …
(2020-05-18). Dump the dollar: Russia has now gotten rid of over 96% of its US debt holdings. rt.com 
Moscow has continued to sell off US Treasury securities, cutting its stockpile by US$8.73 billion in March, according to the latest data from the US Department of the Treasury. | Russia's holdings of US state debt amounted to $3.8 billion in March, compared with $12.5 billion a month earlier. Three years ago, the amount stood at $105 billion. Moscow has liquidated over 96 percent of its holdings in that period. The country's long-term US Treasury securities decreased by $928 million, while short-term securities plunged by $7.8 billion to just $473 million. | Japan remains the biggest holder of US state debt si…
(2020-05-18). Saudi-backed Yemen's govt accuses Houthis of covering up coronavirus outbreak, calls for global assistance. rt.com 
Yemen's Saudi-backed government accused the Houthi movement of covering up a big outbreak of coronavirus in areas it holds. The Aden-based government also called for urgent global assistance to help Yemen's war-ravaged health sector deal with Covid-19, Reuters said. | The United Nations warned that the country could suffer a "catastrophic" food security situation due to the pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is spreading undetected among the population in the country, control of which is divided between the government in the south and the Houthi group in the north. | The government ha…
(2020-05-18). A huge fleet of 117 tankers is bringing super cheap crude to China. rt.com 
While the rest of the world is tentatively coming out of lockdowns, China is taking advantage of the cheapest crude oil in years to stock up as demand is starting to return in the world's largest oil importer. | At present, a total of 117 very large crude carriers (VLCCs) — each capable of shipping 2 million barrels of oil — are traveling to China for unloading at its ports between the middle of May and the middle of August. If those supertankers transport standard-size crude oil cargoes, it could mean that China expects at least 230 million barrels of oil over the next three months, according to Blo…
(2020-05-18). Spain may reopen borders to tourists in late June, transport minister says. rt.com 
Spain aims to reopen borders to visitors around the end of June as its coronavirus lockdown fully winds down, Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos said on Monday. Madrid last week surprised its EU partners by imposing a two-week quarantine on all overseas travelers and effectively keeping borders closed, Reuters said. | Spain then explained that the measures were needed to avoid importing a second wave of the Covid-19 disease. However, the move was meant to be temporary and the transport minister said it would be phased out in parallel with travel being allowed within Spain, whose regions are easing restriction…
(2020-05-18). 'Idiotic & unimplementable': Chief of Europe's largest lowcoster Ryanair slams UK response to Covid-19. rt.com 
Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary has blasted the British government for mismanaging the Covid-19 crisis, and hit out at fresh measures for quarantining travelers coming from abroad. | "It's idiotic and it's unimplementable. You don't have enough police in the UK," O'Leary told BBC radio. | "This [is] the same government that has… mismanaged the crisis for many weeks. | Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that all travellers arriving in Britain will be quarantined for 14 days. The measure is expected to take effect in the end of the month. | O'Leary had previously criticized the idea of q…
(2020-05-18). China supports WHO-led review of global response to pandemic after virus is under control — Xi Jinping. rt.com 
China supports a comprehensive review of the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic led by the World Health Organization (WHO) after the virus is brought under control, President Xi Jinping said on Monday. | In a video speech to the World Health Assembly, Xi said China has been open and transparent about the outbreak that first emerged in the country in late 2019, and will support an investigation conducted in an objective and impartial manner, Reuters reports. | The Chinese leader also pledged US$2 billion over two years to help with the Covid-19 response, adding that any vaccines developed against the dise…
(2020-05-18). Beijing says it's premature 'to immediately begin investigation' into coronavirus origins. rt.com 
China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it was premature to immediately launch an investigation into the origins and spread of the coronavirus. Spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing that the vast majority of countries in the world believe the pandemic is not yet over. | The ministry also said separately that President Xi Jinping will give a video speech for the opening ceremony of the World Health Assembly later on Monday. | Health ministers from around the world are expected to call for an independent evaluation of the World Health Organization's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic during a WHO meetin…
(2020-05-18). Hungarian govt to table motion on May 26 to end its emergency powers — Orban aide. rt.com 
Hungary's government will submit a proposal to parliament on May 26 to end its special coronavirus emergency powers, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff was quoted by media as saying. Gergely Gulyas put a date on a similar statement by Orban on Friday, Reuters reports. | Parliament would take a few days to pass the bill, which will end the emergency powers by early June, according to Gulyas. | No end date was set when parliament gave the government permission to rule by decree in matters related to the coronavirus.
(2020-05-18). Italian lawmaker demands Bill Gates be ARRESTED for 'crimes against humanity'… But WHY? rt.com 
An Italian lawmaker has managed to bring the conspiracy blame-game to an entirely new level, exercising her parliamentary privilege to blast Bill Gates as a "vaccine criminal" and globalist tool. | Bill Gates and his latest anti-coronavirus efforts have been at the center of the wildest theories that explore possible sinister motives behind the billionaire's activities. In arguably the most high-profile outcry last week, an Italian MP for Rome Sara Cunial delivered a speech rarely (if ever at all) heard in any parliament. | In her passionate address, Cunial called upon fellow lawmakers to defy any plans for…
(2020-05-18). Is that Big Brother behind the medical mask? Bill Gates to co-fund South Korean research of next-gen quarantine methods. rt.com 
South Korea's biggest telecom firm is banding with Bill Gates to develop next-generation quarantine methods. The $10-million project may stir uncomfortable thoughts in those who suspect the billionaire of having a sinister agenda. | KT, the Seongnam-based multinational giant,
(2020-05-18). Two asteroids to approach Earth on Monday, one of them BIGGER than STATUE OF LIBERTY. rt.com 
Just in case anyone was getting too comfy, NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies is warning that two asteroids are heading towards Earth this Monday. Another one is expected to come close to us early on Tuesday. | All three of the near-Earth asteroids are expected to make close approaches at some point between Monday May 18 and Tuesday May 19, at speeds of between 13,000 and 31,000 miles per hour. | The first of the week's incoming asteroids, 2020 JE2, boasts a diameter of 56 feet, or the equivalent of two London buses one in front of the other, and will fly past us at roughly 2: 19 pm EDT, at a mercifull…
(2020-05-18). Labour brands new immigration legislation a 'threat to national interest'. thecanary.co 
Ministers have been accused of "rank hypocrisy" over their attitude to key workers as Labour claimed new immigration legislation would make it harder to fill NHS roles.The government's measures to replace European Union freedom of movement rules in the UK face their first Commons hurdle on Monday.The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) bill is part of the move towards the government's new points-based immigration system, to be introduced from 2021, although it does not set out the details on this. | These will be fleshed out in the immigration rules, which will explain the future system…
(2020-05-18). Loss of smell or taste added to NHS Covid-19 symptoms list. thecanary.co 
A loss or changed sense of taste or smell are to be added to the NHS coronavirus symptoms list, weeks after experts first raised concerns that Covid-19 cases are being missed.Anyone suffering loss of taste or smell, or a noticeable change, should now self-isolate for seven days to reduce the risk of spreading the infection, England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said.If the symptomatic person lives with others, they should stay at home for seven days, while all other household members should stay home for 14 days even if they do not have symptoms.The move means loss of smell or taste w…
(2020-05-18). Poetry in the Time of the Pandemic & Other Earthly Ills. indybay.org Zoom (access registration after ticket purchase)…
(2020-05-18). Profiting From Coronavirus. strategic-culture.org 
Much has been written about the possibility for a new and better kind of world to emerge after coronavirus. Yet our governments cannot conceive of any model for fighting this threat to the whole world, other than the capitalist, money-making model. The much-touted "race to develop a vaccine" is not a race to save lives. It is a race to make billions.
(2020-05-18). US Headed For Another 'Tanker War' With Iran — This Time Off Venezuela's Coast. iranian.com Iranian state TV has announced at least five least five Iranian-flagged tankers are transporting fuel to Venezuela through the Atlantic Ocean and plan to break the American blockade on the Latin American country. Iran has warned that any US attempt at intercepting its fuel tankers "would have serious repercussions for the Trump administration ahead of the November elections." State-funded PressTV underscores that "Iran is shipping …
(2020-05-18). Iran Is Not A Victim, It Is One of The Most Influential and Strong-Minded Nations on Earth. iranian.com When facing mortal danger, its people unite, harden themselves and get ready to face invaders, no matter how threatening they might be. Iran is home to one of the oldest and deepest cultures in the world, and it's precisely this culture that helps Iranian people to survive the most frightening moments. And one such moment …
(2020-05-18). Disgraceful yet illuminating reactions to the 2002 coup that briefly ousted Hugo Chavez: IACHR, CPJ and RSF. zcomm.org The Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) The IACHR claimed in 2009 report on Venezuela that its reaction to the "the attempted coup d'état [of 2002] was immediate and decisive" and that it "warned that these acts constituted an interruption of the constitutional order as defined in the Democratic Charter." The evidence it offered
(2020-05-18). World Health Assembly 2020: Is our response to COVID-19 adequate? peoplesdispatch.org Activists of the People's Health Movement talk about the World Health Assembly that begins today, the key issues that will come up for discussion, and the collapse of the global governance system in the realm of public health…
(2020-05-18). Taking the Air out of Balloon Pollution: Grassroots Environmental Activist of the Year Danielle Vosburgh. counterpunch.org Danielle Vosburgh has been selected as the Fund for Wild Nature's Grassroots Activist of the Year for 2020. Danielle is co-founder of the Florida-based grassroots group Balloons Blow, which opposes helium balloon releases and their harmful impact on wildlife. Discarded balloons are particularly dangerous for animals living in the ocean. When balloons deflate and fall
(2020-05-18). Outspoken Palestinians — transformed into antisemites simply because they call for peace. truepublica.org.uk By Jonathan Cook: An attack on a prominent British-Palestinian doctor and academic, Ghada Karmi, by a self-styled "antisemitism watchdog" looks suspiciously like a new trend in anti-Palestinian bigotry and bullying dressed up as victimhood. Late last month, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), which claims to represent the interests of the UK's Jewish community, said it …
(2020-05-18). COVID-19: Podemos, social-democrats prepare to send Spanish police against workers' protests. wsws.org The "left populist" Podemos party is backing plans for Civil Guards to attack working class protests and monitor social media for signs of online dissent.
(2020-05-18). UN sends 89 trucks carrying aid to Syria's Idlib. yenisafak.com The United Nations sent Monday 89 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib, a northwestern Syrian province where millions are in urgent need of assistance.The trucks loaded with the supplies entered Syria through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's southern Hatay province bordering Idlib.The aid will be distributed to vulnerable people in 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…
(2020-05-18). Iraqi protesters storm Saudi channel HQ in Baghdad. yenisafak.com Iraqi demonstrators on Monday stormed the premises of the Saudi-owned MBC channel in Baghdad to protest what they describe as an insult to late Shia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. | Scores of angry protesters gathered outside the MBC office in central Baghdad before forcing their way into the building and destroying everything inside, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter at the scene. | Waving photos of al-Muhandis and Iraqi flags, protesters chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia during their rally. | "We don't accept any insult to al-Muhandis, who is one of Iraq's symbols," Hussein al-Jumaili, a protester, told…
(2020-05-18). Protest at Fort Mason Against CCSF Cuts. indybay.org People young and old protest CCSF cuts in programs that benefit seniors, immigrants and working people.
(2020-05-18). Guaido Was the 'Commander in Chief' of the Failed Mercenary Operation Against Venezuela. globalresearch.ca New information divulged this week reveals that Juan Guaidó was designated as "commander and chief" of the mercenary operation that completely unraveled on the shores of Venezuela. The 41 page contract that formed the basis of the already known eight …
(2020-05-18). Colombia's most infamous far-right group 'founded by important personalities'. colombiareports.com Presumed members of Colombia's far-right group "Aguilas Negras" said Saturday they were founded by "important national personalities" in a death threat sent to politicians, a unionist and a journalist. In…
(2020-05-18). How the international community is helping Colombia confront the coronavirus. colombiareports.com The governments of the United States and Canada have announced financial aid to help Colombia's authorities combat the coronavirus pandemic while European nations plan to do the same. The US…
(2020-05-18). Britain Warned Against 'Coup-mongering' in Venezuela After Embassy Discovery. globalresearch.ca Venezuela has warned Britain against "coup-mongering" after the discovery of a "Venezuelan reconstruction unit" in the Foreign Office. | Demanding an urgent explanation, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreeaza lodged a formal complaint with ambassador Duncan Hill, who the minister said confirmed …
(2020-05-18). Britain's covert operations to overthrow Syrian government exposed. wsws.org Sarkha is one of many programmes in a vast network of fake news activities carried out by the intelligence arms of the US and European powers.
(2020-05-18). On "This Week" news show, Sanders urges supporters to vote for Biden. wsws.org Sanders used the national platform afforded him to once again urge his supporters to vote for the right-wing Democratic candidate.
(2020-05-18). Amazon eliminates pay raises for workers as COVID-19 toll mounts. wsws.org As the number of infections and deaths continues to rise at Amazon, the world's richest man joins Trump's murderous campaign to "reopen" the economy.
(2020-05-18). Caring About the Murder of Ahmaud Arbery. counterpunch.org Black men are being stalked and killed in the US—business as usual. Ahmaud Arbery's murder was based on: "He's a black man running down our road." Punishment for the crime of being black is sometimes death. Video footage has surfaced to challenge the citizen's-arrest-self-defense narrative. Of course, prosecutors were reluctant to charge the former law
(2020-05-18). Covid-19, Big Ag and the Failing Food System. counterpunch.org Big Ag has separated humankind from the process of creating food that sustains existence. This separation has been done for material gain. Big Ag has interrupted the most natural relationship, a spiritual relationship, between humanity and the land. This human/land connection supersedes all religions. It is humankind's association with land that feeds us and fortifies
(2020-05-18). Convalescent plasma advocate donates at Mayo Clinic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org A recovered COVID-19 patient who has become a strong nationwide advocate for the Convalescent Plasma Expanded Access Program made a plasma donation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Chaim Lebovits became involved with the program in March and since then has rallied thousands, who have also recovered, to donate.The initiative, which Mayo Clinic is leading, studies …
(2020-05-18). German Defence Ministry plans to wage international drone warfare. wsws.org Germany's ruling elite is responding to the mounting tensions between the major powers triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic by intensifying its drive to war.
(2020-05-18). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 news briefing. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, covers the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poland discusses how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is changing, and how scientists and researchers are rapidly gaining new knowledge about the virus and the disease that it …