(2020-02-21). Saudis 'intercept missiles fired from Yemen' as Pompeo tours kingdom with 'Iranian threat' show & promotes US air defenses (VIDEO). rt.com 
Several ballistic missiles fired from the direction of Yemen were allegedly intercepted by Saudi Arabia's air defenses, as the US secretary of state travels the country talking up the "Iranian threat" and the might of US weapons. | The missiles are said to have been launched from the direction of Yemen's capital, Sanaa and reportedly targeted an oil terminal near the city of Yanbu early on Friday morning local time, though few details about the attack have been confirmed. | "The Royal Saudi Air Defense intercepted ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Iran-backed Houthi militia towards Saudi cities," th…
(2020-02-21). How dare you! Climate-sensitive snail named after Greta Thunberg. rt.com 
In addition to Time magazine's Person of the Year and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has received a new accolade from the scientific community, and it's something. | To mark all of her achievements, a team of researchers has decided to endow her with arguably the greatest honor of all: they… erm… named a snail after her. | The 'Craspedotropis gretathunbergae' is a new species of temperature-sensitive land snail discovered by Taxon expeditions in the forests of Borneo. | "The newly described snail belongs to the so-called caenogastropods, a group of land snai…
(2020-02-21). Venezuela declares an energy emergency. rt.com 
Nicolas Maduro has declared an energy emergency in Venezuela in order to protect the nations oil and ensure energy security. | "I declare an emergency situation in the oil industry by constitutional and presidential decree in order to take urgent and necessary measures to ensure the country's energy security and protect the industry from imperialist aggression," Maduro said. | "Clause 2 creates a plenipotentiary presidential commission for the protection, restructuring and reorganization of the national oil industry." | Tomando como base la actual coyuntura geopolítica de permanente agresión contra Venezuela,…
(2020-02-21). 'Tough year for airlines': Global air traffic could fall for 1st time since 2003 due to coronavirus. rt.com 
The International Air Transport Authority (IATA) has warned that declining travel demand amid the Covid-19 virus outbreak could cost global carriers tens of billions of dollars in lost revenue. | The IATA's forecast assumes that the outbreak will remain mostly in China, which means airlines in Asia will be hit the hardest and could lose nearly $28 billion in revenue this year. Carriers outside the region are likely to suffer a smaller sales hit of $1.5 billion. | What is the estimated impact of
(2020-02-21). Trump's Wall is Destroying the Environment We Worked to Protect. counterpunch.org 
Imagine dedicating your entire life to protecting a place. Then imagine watching everything you've worked to protect be bulldozed by a desperate, self-serving president. That's what's happening right now to career scientists and conservationists at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on Arizona's border with Mexico. I used to work there too. It breaks my heart.
(2020-02-21). 'Inappropriate': Tokyo mayor rejects idea of moving 2020 Olympics to London amid coronavirus scare. rt.com 
The mayor of Tokyo has rebuffed a British politician's suggestion to have London host the Olympics instead of the Japanese capital, after several planned sporting events there were disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. | "While the coronavirus has become a global topic, it is inappropriate to make statements on the issue in a [London] mayoral election," Yuriko Koike told reporters on Friday. | Koike's words were a rebuke aimed at Shaun Bailey, the Conservative Party's candidate for Mayor of London, who urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to "seriously consider" moving the 2020 Summer Olympics from…
(2020-02-21). US sanctions on Iranian election watchdog signify 'failure, frustration & defeat' of pressure policy — Tehran. rt.com 
The latest anti-Iranian US sanctions have targeted the country's candidate-vetting body ahead of a parliamentary election. Tehran called the move a sign of desperation that highlights the failure of Washington's approach to Iran. | On Friday, Iranians are electing members of its 290-seat parliament — known as the Guardian Council — for a four-year term, with some 7,000 candidates running. A day before the polling stations opened, the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions against three members of the Council. | The 12-member supervisory body consists of Islamic scholars appointed by Iran's supr…
(2020-02-21). Week-long 'reduction in violence' in Afghanistan to begin on Saturday. rt.com 
A week-long "reduction in violence" between the Taliban, the US, and Afghan security forces will commence at midnight (1930 GMT), officials said on Friday, ahead of the signing of a possible deal between Washington and the insurgents. "The reduction in violence will start from 22 February and will last for one week," according to Javed Faisal, Afghanistan's National Security Council spokesman. | Three senior Taliban leaders in Doha and Afghanistan confirmed to Reuters that they had agreed to reduce violence in Afghanistan for seven days from Friday night. | The agreement was struck during protracted negotiatio…
(2020-02-21). A Russia-Ukraine team would be a powerhouse, so competitors will do anything to tear us apart — Putin. rt.com 
Efforts by some foreign actors to drive a wedge between Russia and Ukraine make sense, since the synergies coming from both countries working together would be of great mutual benefit, Vladimir Putin has said. | Russia and Ukraine have common historic roots and great potential for benefiting each other from joint efforts, so it's no surprise that hostile players put so much energy into preventing any rapprochement, the Russian president said in an interview. | "Since any integration of Russia and Ukraine, along with their capacities and competitive advantages would spell the emergence of a rival, a global riva…
(2020-02-21). Turkey's Erdogan says will not withdraw from Syria's Idlib. rt.com 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed not to remove Turkish troops from Syria's Idlib region and said that his upcoming phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin will help Ankara determine its policies. | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed not to remove Turkish troops from Syria's Idlib region until Damascus ends "violence". Exact policies will depend on the upcoming talk with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, he said. | DETAILS TO FOLLOW…
(2020-02-21). Reports of 'hundreds of thousands' of civilians heading to Turkish border because of hostilities in Idlib not true — Russian MoD. rt.com 
The Russian military has denied claims that scores of refugees are fleeing Syria's Idlib province and moving towards the Turkish border due to battles between the Syrian Army and terrorists in the area. | "There are no verifiable photos and videos, or any other data to confirm the statements that 'around a million' refugees are supposedly moving from the Idlib de-escalation zone," the head of Russia's Reconciliation Center for Syria, Rear Admiral Oleg Zhuravlyov, said in a statement. | The information alleging that 'hundreds of thousands' of civilians are heading for the Syrian-Turkish border because of battle…
(2020-02-21). Kremlin: Claims of Russian backing for Trump in US election 'untrue' & down to 'paranoia'. rt.com 
Vladimir Putin's spokesman says statements suggesting Russia plans to interfere in this year's US Presidential election "don't have anything in common with the truth." | Dmitry Peskov slammed the idea Moscow will attempt to help President Donald Trump achieve re-election as being of "paranoid character." | He was responding to US media reports which claimed US intelligence has warned politicians that Moscow is already laying the groundwork to get behind the Republican Party incumbent. | CNN, quoting its usual anonymous sources, told of a briefing where Russian readiness to use hacking, the 'weaponisation' of s…
(2020-02-21). Withdrawal of mercenaries and Turkish troops from Libya is a condition for end of hostilities — General Haftar. rt.com 
Ankara and Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) have used the truce to deploy fresh troops and mercenaries from Syria, Libyan National Army Commander Khalifa Haftar said in an interview. | Haftar told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that his forces will halt their advance towards Tripoli if Turkish troops and mercenaries leave Libya. The Libyan National Army has been closing in on the city, which is controlled by UN-backed GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj. | Ankara and allied GNA have been deploying reinforcements to Tripoli during the ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey, Haftar said. | The…
(2020-02-21). Another 'highly likely'-style accusation: Moscow brushes aside 'evidence-free' Georgia cyberattack. rt.com 
The US and its allies have claimed Russia's military intelligence defaced Georgian websites with an image of the country's former president. Moscow says the accusation is not backed by any evidence and is clearly just a PR stunt. | In late October last year, Georgia suffered what was described as the largest cyberattack in its history. Over 15,000 web pages — including those of government agencies, newspapers and banks — were defaced and later became inaccessible. The original content was replaced with a photo of former Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili, currently a fugitive from justice, with t…
(2020-02-21). Shadow of war: What are the odds Turkey will start a full-scale offensive against Syria in Idlib? rt.com 
Tensions are boiling over between Ankara and Damascus as Turkey vowed to take matters into its own hands and openly intervene in Syria's Idlib province, where government forces are routing the Turkish-backed militants. | The troubled north-western province is the last major bastion of the militants in war-torn Syria. It saw another round of escalating violence on Thursday. Local armed groups seeking to push back the Syrian Army from the territories along the strategic highway it recently seized were counting on support from Turkish artillery, which only stood down after Russian forces in the area intervened.
(2020-02-21). Tunisian parliament to vote on new govt next week as moderate Islamist party backs lineup. rt.com 
Tunisia is set to hold a confidence vote on a new government on February 26, after more than four months of political wrangling following elections in the country, according to a parliamentary statement. | The parliament announced a date for the vote on Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh's government after the premier unveiled a revised cabinet lineup earlier this week. | An initial version of the list had been rejected by the Islamist-inspired party Ennahdha, which won the most seats in October's legislative election but fell far short of a majority in the 217-seat assembly. | The party won seven portfolios in the…
(2020-02-21). 'I want to kill myself': Sports stars rally round as mother shares heartbreaking video of bullied son (VIDEO). rt.com 
A video of a nine-year-old boy has gone viral after an Australian mother shared the heartbreaking clip of her inconsolable son, who suffers from constant bullying due to his condition. | Quaden Bayles was born with Achondroplasia dwarfism, and gets bullied at school for his height, and he bullying has gotten so bad that the youngster has reached the point where he wants to take his own life. | In the powerful video, a distraught Quaden says, "Give me a knife. I want to kill myself." And later says, "I wish I could stab myself in the heart. I want someone to kill me." | His mother, Yarraka Bayles, shared the…
(2020-02-21). You write injustice on the Earth; we will write revolution in the skies. mronline.org 
'Scientists are wrong', the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano said with a warm smile on his face. 'Human beings are not made of atoms; they are made of stories'. It is why we want to sing and draw, tell each other about our lives and our hopes, talk about the wonders in our lives and the […] |
(2020-02-21). Half of Indians hate Trump's trade war policies, but increasingly trust him on other 'world affairs'. rt.com 
As US President Donald Trump nears the end of his first term in office, his popularity among Indians is soaring, but the same cannot be said about his protectionist trade policies, which enjoy little fanfare. | On the heels of Trump's first state visit to India early next week, the Pew polling firm has released new data on Indians' attitudes toward the US president, showing that while his confidence rating in the realm of world affairs has jumped over four-fold since he took office in 2016 — from 14 to 56 percent — Indians are increasingly skeptical about his aggressive approach to trade. | | ©…
(2020-02-21). 'Pathway to Peace' Would Revolutionize US Foreign Policy. zcomm.org The seven bills would steer US foreign policy towards international norms and remove support for human rights violators. While the chances are slim that these bills will pass, they outline a progressive foreign policy.
(2020-02-21). Veteran "Four Corners" journalist Andrew Fowler denounces Australian government's refusal to defend Assange. wsws.org "The persecution of Assange is an attack on anyone who speaks out against the power and authority of the United States. It is a warning to every journalist: 'Pull your head in. Shut up. Don't question.'"
(2020-02-21). UK Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell visits Julian Assange in Belmarsh Prison. wsws.org McDonnell described the Assange case as "one of the most important and significant political trials of this generation," but made clear that his party will do nothing to mobilise the immense popular support that exists for the WikiLeaks publisher.
(2020-02-21). Global Protest Call Monday 24 Feb To Demand Freedom Of Julian Assange. indybay.org British Consulate General | 1 Sansome Street | San Francisco, CA | Along with Belmarsh Prison, London and UK embassies and consulates around the world…
(2020-02-21). Standing Up for Left Literature: In India, It Can Cost You Your Life. counterpunch.org On February 16, 2015, Govind and Uma Pansare went for a morning walk near their home in Pune (Maharashtra, India). Two men on a motorcycle stopped near them and asked for directions, but the Pansares could not help them; one of the men laughed, removed a gun, and shot the two. Uma Pansare was hit
(2020-02-21). One Winning Way to Build the Peace Movement and One Losing Way. counterpunch.org Q. What cloaks the empire and turns a mighty movement into a mirage? A. Narrow partisan politics. When anti-war activism plays second-fiddle to "follow the leader" the chosen champion and the opposing villian loom so large that they become the main focus of attention obscuring the empire and dumbing the movement down. But, build independent
(2020-02-21). UN List of Firms Aiding Israel's Settlements was Dead on Arrival. counterpunch.org Nazareth. After lengthy delays, the United Nations finally published a database last week of businesses that have been profiting from Israel's illegal settlement activity in the West Bank. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced that 112 major companies had been identified as operating in Israeli settlements in ways that violate human
(2020-02-21). More Real-Time Reflections from Your Friendly South Loop Marxist. counterpunch.org Sunday 2/16 Monday, 2/17 Nina Simone 1968: "Ain't got no class, ain't got no culture, ain't got no faith, ain't got no water, ain't got no money, ain't got no country…ain't got no God." Stirring the Caldron So the demented fascist oligarch Donald Trump took "the Beast" on a Victory Lap around the Daytona 500
(2020-02-21). 'The Donald Trump I know': Abbas' UN Speech and the Breakdown of Palestinian Politics. counterpunch.org A precious moment has been squandered, as Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, had the chance to right a historical wrong, by reinstating Palestinian national priorities at the United Nations Security Council on February 11, through a political discourse that is completely independent from Washington and its allies. For a long time, Abbas has been a
(2020-02-21). Bernie Should Own the Socialist Label. counterpunch.org Bernie Sanders is currently the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. He and everyone else knows exactly how the Republicans will attack him if and when he becomes the nominee: old-fashioned redbaiting. China became communist in name only during the 1980s, the Soviet Union shut its doors in 1991, the Cold War is dead, and
(2020-02-21). Bloomberg Versus Bernie: The Upcoming Battle? counterpunch.org Between January 11 and April 14, 2019, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Marianne Williamson, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg had all announced their presidential bids. Sanders after entering the race formally on Feb. 19 was the immediate front runner. Biden entered the race on April 25, immediately replacing Bernie as the new
(2020-02-21). On JFK, Tulsi Gabbard Keeps Very Respectable Company. counterpunch.org On Monday night in Fairfax, Virginia, Donald Jeffries, author and talk radio host, asked Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard about a book she was seen carrying, "JFK and the Unspeakable." Published in 2008, the book is a Catholic philosopher's meditation about the assassination of liberal president John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, one of
(2020-02-21). Brazilian Army general takes over as Bolsonaro's chief minister's government. wsws.org The Brazilian military now holds 9 of 22 cabinet seats—including all of those with offices in the Planalto presidential palace—and has gained a presence in practically every ministry.
(2020-02-21). "One must not forget": A musical tribute in Berlin to Jewish members of the Deutsche Oper orchestra persecuted by the Nazis. wsws.org A moving concert paid tribute to four Jewish members of the Deutsche Oper orchestra who were forced into exile or murdered after Hitler came to power in 1933.
(2020-02-21). Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos launches $10 billion climate change fund. wsws.org In response to growing opposition within Amazon, as well as society as a whole, to the growing climate crisis and the role of super-rich billionaires in it, Bezos, the world's richest person, has launched a new philanthropic fund.
(2020-02-21). Resistance To Putting Billionaire Doris Fisher's KIPP Hunters Point Charter On TI. indybay.org There is resistance to putting billionaire GAP owner Doris Fisher's KIPP Charter on Treasure Island. The SF School District wants to put her charter on radioactive contaminated Treasure Island at the closed Treasure Island Elementary School. | Doris Fisher pushed to have her school co-locate with the Malcom X Academy Public school and want to grab more of the space at the public school. This is allowed under Proposition 39 which allows charter schools to bust up public schools by taking their space. Prop 39 was written by Netflix billionaire Reed Hastings and supported by the Fisher family which owns the GAP, The…
(2020-02-21). Bloomberg is a Climate Change Con Man. counterpunch.org It's an open secret in green circles that Michael Bloomberg is a climate change con man, and organizations like the Sierra Club that take hundreds of millions in donations from the former New York City mayor to fight coal, are complicit in his fraudulent scheme to coopt the climate change movement.
(2020-02-21). 2020 Youth Climate Action Summit Grades 9-12 in San Jose. indybay.org The Tech Interactive, 201 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113…
(2020-02-21). Pathways to Climate Smart Careers Fair for High School Students. indybay.org Fairmont Hotel San José, 170 South Market Street, San José , CA 95113…
(2020-02-21). Climate Restoration: Save the Arctic and the Earth (Cupertino). indybay.org Quinlan Community Center, 10185 N. Stelling Rd., Cupertino, CA 95014…
(2020-02-21). A Trump Sentence Commutation Attorneys Generals Liked. counterpunch.org The year was 2008. Hundreds of ICE officers swooped down on Agriprocessors, the nation's largest kosher slaughterhouse located in Postville, Iowa, in the largest single-site raid to date in U.S. history. Half of the 800 person workforce was arrested. In addition to kosher brands, Agriprocessors meat was sold as Iowa Best Beef Brand in Albertson's, Kroger, Shop
(2020-02-21). 'Extremists,' Not Collaborators, Have Kept Wilderness Whole. counterpunch.org Recently there have been commentaries published advocating collaboration to "settle" wilderness designation issues. Collaboration proponents often criticize those who are unwilling to compromise about wildlands protection as "extremists." One of the most ardent and extreme wilderness advocates in Montana was a guy named Robert Marshall — better known as "Bob." In the 1930s, as chief
(2020-02-21). Duterte Does the Right Thing for a Change. counterpunch.org Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's termination of a key military pact with the United States, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which governed the deployment of US troops in the country, has evoked varied responses. In some liberal and progressive circles, the move provoked trepidation owing to Duterte's perceived closeness to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Others were
(2020-02-21). Apocalypse Now! Insects, Pesticide and a Public Health Crisis. counterpunch.org In 2017, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, and UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics, Baskut Tuncak, produced a report that called for a comprehensive new global treaty to regulate and phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and move towards sustainable agricultural practices. In addition to the devastating impacts on human health,
(2020-02-21). A New Solar Power Deal From California. counterpunch.org I met Devon Hartman a few years ago in Claremont, California, where I have been living since 2008. He is tall and lean, wearing glasses and a pointed small beard. He grew up in Kansas. And for thirty-five years, he presided over a successful architectural firm, building and renovating expensive houses with little awareness of
(2020-02-21). The Debate Question That Really Mattered. counterpunch.org The last question asked during the recent Democratic debate was the one that laid reality bare. The question was basically "are you okay with the will of the voters being subverted in order for the DNC establishment to place their own selected candidate as their nominee?" The answers came without hesitation from all but candidate
(2020-02-21). We Can Fireproof Homes But Not Forests. counterpunch.org Using wildfires as their cover, Montana's Republican Senator Steve Daines announced that he and California's Democrat Senator Diane Feinstein are introducing legislation to weaken federal environmental laws and allow more logging and thinning of our national forests. Private, for-profit timber companies have already over-cut the private forest lands in the West and now Feinstein and Daines
(2020-02-21). Roma: How Romans Differ From Europeans. counterpunch.org Drive across the Alps into Italy and set out southwards and you're surprised that the capital city on the Mediterranean is still hundreds of kilometers away. That long road ahead makes you conscious of the isolation of the ancient city called Roma. And you are right. Rome is isolated. Far away from the "real" Europe
(2020-02-21). A Paradoxical Colonel: He Doesn't Know What He is Talking About, Because He Knows What He is Talking About. counterpunch.org 'Woke … a political term of African-American origin refers to a perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice' (Wikipedia 2010). 'Woke' can be about matters other than social justice. This brief essay is a appraisal of David Kilcullen's The Accidental Guerrilla, Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One [TAG].[1]
(2020-02-21). Britain First leader Paul Golding charged under the Terrorism Act. thecanary.co The leader of far-right political group Britain First has been charged with an offence under the Terrorism Act after refusing to give police access to his phone. | Paul Golding was stopped at Heathrow Airport in October on his way back from a trip to the Russian Parliament in Moscow by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command. | He refused to give the pin codes for a number of his electronic devices. | Golding was later charged with refusing to comply with a duty under Schedule 7 of the act. | In a statement, Golding said he was not a terrorist and described the charges as "an abuse of legislation". | Sc…
(2020-02-21). Fighting mounts as Washington backs Turkish attack on Syria, Russia. wsws.org US-backed Turkish military operations targeting Syrian and Russian units in Syria could escalate into an all-out clash between Russia and the entire NATO alliance.