(2020-06-04). Pollution Rises As China Ends COVID-19 Shutdown. therealnews.com 
As China's economy reopens, old pollution trends are reappearing. It's a cautionary tale for other countries as they end stay-at-home orders.
(2020-06-04). How American Cities Were Reduced to Esper's "Battlespace": From Fallujah to Minneapolis. globalresearch.ca The Bush administration's war of aggression on and military occupation of Iraq that began in 2003 shifted the United States to a militaristic society. Some 2.7 million Americans have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, an astonishing number. The Bush administration …
(2020-06-04). India must follow Supreme Court orders to protect 100 million migrant workers: UN rights experts. news.un.org The Indian Government must urgently comply with a Supreme Court order to ensure the wellbeing of more than 100 million migrant workers, after coronavirus measures left them jobless, forcing them to travel long distances home, UN independent human rights experts said on Thursday.
(2020-06-04). None of Your Business: China, Hong Kong and a Question of Sovereignty. globalresearch.ca Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam seemed to relish it before the cameras this week. The United States was enduring extensive shudders of internal instability in the wake of
(2020-06-04). The Forgotten Workers of Tiananmen Square. thenation.com The Forgotten Workers of Tiananmen Square…
(2020-06-04). With USA in Retreat, China Reassesses Its Options. counterpunch.org Beijing. Beijing is looking at the world today through a prism where the United States can be accounted for. The US is too weak, it believes, except in purely military terms, to counter China's interests. The image has been seen the world over. A black man dies after a US policeman kneels on his neck. Civil
(2020-06-04). Jakarta: Force and Fraud at Home and Abroad. What's Next? dissidentvoice.org I'm guessing that "Jakarta Is Coming" or "Plan Jakarta" won't elicit immediate recognition from most of you and until very recently that was also true for me. But before defining it, here's a bit of necessary background: In 1965-66, the United States engineered a systematic mass murder in Indonesia that killed more than one million …
(2020-06-04). Afghanistan faces medical emergency as COVID-19 cases rise. peoplesdispatch.org Two senior officials in Kunduz province reportedly died due to COVID-19 on June 3. According to observers, the Afghan government does not have adequate testing capacity and tens of thousands of samples are going untested every day…
(2020-06-04). Georgia police officers charged after brutal assault on college students returning from protest. wsws.org The students were viciously assaulted returning from protests against the murder of George Floyd on Saturday night despite doing nothing to provoke the officers or arouse suspicion.
(2020-06-04). Tamil nationalists exploit remembrance of war victims to advance pro-imperialist agenda. wsws.org Last month marked the eleventh anniversary of the bloody end of Sri Lanka's nearly 30-year war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
(2020-06-04). Sri Lankan health workers protest wage and transport cuts during pandemic. wsws.org While hospital workers across all grades and union affiliations participated in the protests the unions are seeking to head off a confrontation with the government.
(2020-06-04). Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor Was Killed by Police in March. Why Haven't the Officers Faced Charges? democracynow.org 
We go to Louisville, where protesters are calling for charges against the officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old African American woman who was an emergency room technician treating COVID patients and was shot to death by police inside her own apartment in March. This comes as the National Guard fired shots at a crowd of protesters on Monday, killing David McAtee, a local barbecue restaurant owner who regularly gave police officers free meals. We speak with Sadiqa Reynolds, president and CEO of Louisville Urban League.
(2020-06-04). Turkey Rejoices at Deepening US-Chinese Cold War, Appreciating It Increases Its Value to Both. anti-empire.com 
Related:
| Turkish vice president Fuat Oktay said that the United States and Turkey have a "creative opportunity to understand each other" as U.S.-China tensions accelerate. | The
(2020-06-04). Breonna Taylor Was Killed by Police in March. Officers Haven't Faced Charges. truthout.org We go to Louisville, where protesters are calling for charges against the officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old African American woman who was an emergency room technician treating COVID patients and was shot to death by police inside her own apartment in March. This comes as the National Guard fired shots at a crowd of protesters on Monday, killing David McAtee, a local barbecue restaurant owner who regularly gave police officers free meals. We speak with Sadiqa Reynol…
(2020-06-04). Blue Planet Live presenter condemns 'way we manipulate wildlife'. thecanary.co The mismanagement of the environment and the destruction of natural wildlife habitats have allowed viruses like coronavirus (Covid-19) to emerge, according to a zoologist and broadcaster. | Liz Bonnin, who co-presents Blue Planet Live, described the coronavirus pandemic as an "existential crisis" and blamed the over-extraction of natural resources and the "manipulation" of wildlife. | Scientists believe Covid-19 has origins in animals, likely from bats, and may have come from live animal markets in China. | Previous global epidemics including severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Ebola have also been linke…
(2020-06-04). EU and China postpone Leipzig summit due to coronavirus as Europe seeks broader scrutiny of foreign investment. rt.com 
A summit between China and the European Union, planned for September in the German city of Leipzig, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the German government has said. | The decision was made after Chancellor Angela Merkel held separate phone calls with Chinese President Xi Jinping and European Council President Charles Michel, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Wednesday. "They agreed that the meeting cannot take place at the envisaged time given the pandemic but should be rescheduled," Seibert added. | A similar summit that was due to take place at the end of March in China was also…
(2020-06-04). Gandhi statue near Indian Embassy in US capital 'desecrated' by vandals amid ongoing police brutality protests (PHOTOS). rt.com 
A statue of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi has been defaced in the US capital, with vandals spray-painting obscenities on the monument as heated protests carry on in the city. Police have yet to identify the culprits. | Photos of the statue circulated on social media on Wednesday, some appearing to show the words "rapist" and "racist" scrawled on its base in bright orange paint. The DC Park Police have launched an investigation, though few other details were made public, according to ANI. | Walked by
(2020-06-04). Oil prices slide amid OPEC+ production cuts meeting uncertainty. rt.com 
Major global oil producers could still hold a ministerial video conference this week if Iraq and other non-complying OPEC+ members promise to deepen their production cuts, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing its sources. | A ministerial conference could be called at short notice this week if there was an agreement, the sources said, adding that a meeting on Friday could be arranged. | OPEC and non-OPEC allies were originally scheduled to review their production cuts on June 9-10. However, Algeria, which currently holds the rotating OPEC presidency, proposed last month to bring the meeting forward. | On Wednes…
(2020-06-04). 'Near normality': Jordan to reopen hotels & shorten night curfew from Saturday. rt.com 
The government in Jordan said on Thursday it would reopen hotels and cafes, allow sporting events without spectators and shorten a night curfew as of Saturday. The night curfew will be shortened to begin at midnight rather than 7pm, and day-long curfews in place every Friday are being scrapped. | However, PM Omar al-Razzaz told reporters that while the country had now returned to near normality, it would now toughen enforcement of social distancing to ensure there was no risk of a resurgence of coronavirus infections. | Jordan took early steps in mid-March to restrict the mobility of its 10 million people, sea…
(2020-06-04). 'Kiss my shoes': Two British teenagers arrested after video showing pair racially abusing black boy goes viral. rt.com 
Two teenagers have been arrested in England after a shocking video went viral on social media, showing a young man and woman racially bullying a black boy and telling him to get on his knees and kiss their shoes. | Footage of two youths in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire abusing the boy was shared on Snapchat on Wednesday night. West Yorkshire Police confirmed on Thursday morning that the two teenagers had been arrested in connection with the racially aggravated incident. | Chief Superintendent Julie Sykes of Kirklees Police said a 17-year-old male had been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated common assa…
(2020-06-04). What would Ranger Smith say? Driver stunned to see WILD BEAR running through Russian city (VIDEO). rt.com 
A wild beast was filmed running through the center of a Siberian town, just a month after a man was nearly killed in a bear attack on the streets of another Russian city. | The bear was spotted racing down an empty narrow road in downtown Yeniseysk, a city of around 18,000 people in Siberia. A short video filmed by a driver shows the wild animal moving in front of the car before turning away from the road onto a lawn and fleeing somewhere near houses. | –ù–∏—á–µ–≥–æ –Ω–µ–æ–±—ã[mda…
(2020-06-04). Facebook selectively slaps 'state-controlled media' warning on some government-funded outlets ahead of 2020 US elections. rt.com 
Facebook is labeling content posted by state-funded media outlets and plans to bar them from running ads in a conveniently loophole-packed effort to prevent "foreign influence" in the 2020 US presidential election. | Russian and Chinese media outlets' pages have already been graced with the new warning labels, which Facebook announced on Thursday in a
(2020-06-04). US nuclear secrets reportedly stolen from missile contractor. Surprised to learn that Russian hackers are blamed again? rt.com 
Cyber extortionists have stolen confidential documents possibly containing information about the United States Minuteman III nuclear deterrent, according to reports. | The hackers The Minuteman III is a key nuclear deterrent system that controls thermonuclear warheads that c…
(2020-06-04). Ahmaud Arbery Case Advances After Georgia Judge Rules Charges Meet Probable Cause Threshold. sputniknews.com Georgia judge Wallace E. Harrell ruled on Thursday that the charges in the Ahmaud Arbery case meet the probable cause threshold, indicating the case against the three men involved in Arbery's killing will be advancing.
(2020-06-04). Sky News Blames Russians for US Defense Contractor Hack Without Evidence. sputniknews.com After discovering that hackers hit a US defense contractor with ransomware, the UK's Sky News reported on Wednesday that "Russian-speaking" people were suspected of the attack, wholly without evidence.
(2020-06-04). UNESCO Chief Condemns Killing of Ruptly Journalist Al-Quaiti in Yemen. sputniknews.com UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Audrey Azoulay on Thursday condemned the killing of Ruptly stringer Nabil Hassan al-Quaiti in Yemen.
(2020-06-06). [Review] Quality of primary health care in China: challenges and recommendations. thelancet.com China has substantially increased financial investment and introduced favourable policies for strengthening its primary health care system with core responsibilities in preventing and managing chronic diseases such as hypertension and emerging infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, widespread gaps in the quality of primary health care still exist. In this Review, we aim to identify the causes for this poor quality, and provide policy recommendations. System challenges include: the suboptimal education and training of primary health-care practitioners, a fee-for-service payment s…
(2020-06-04). Millions Of Tenants Are Ready For A Rent Strike Revolution. popularresistance.org Calls to "cancel rent" are catching fire. First came a couple of tweets on Twitter. Then progressive firebrands like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed the #CancelRent movement. Now, millions are on a rent strike. Even presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has declared his support for rent and mortgage forgiveness. As millions of tenants mobilize to cancel rent, they are not asking nicely or relying on lip service from politicians. Rather, millions of tenants are taking action by using a powerful time-tested strategy: rent strikes. | As the desperation builds and another month of bill…
(2020-06-06). [Editorial] Salient lessons from Russia's COVID-19 outbreak. thelancet.com Alexander Myasnikov, Russia's COVID-19 information chief, said in mid-April that it would be "impossible" for Russians to get the virus, estimating the probability of extensive spread in Russia at "0 ∑0%". This hubris has been sorely exposed. As of June 2, Russia has 423‚Äà186 cases, the third most in the world, while relatively few deaths from COVID-19 (5031) have been recorded. The rapid spread of the epidemic in Russia has highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the health system, and presents the traditionally strong Russian leadership with a new challenge.
(2020-06-04). Democrats Casually "Blame Russia" for the Riots. globalresearch.ca The riots engulfing the U.S. were provoked by Moscow, according to National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017 and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013, Susan Rice. She even took it …
(2020-06-04). Turkey, Azerbaijan mark 102 years of diplomatic ties. yenisafak.com Shortly after the foundation of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic (ADR) on May 28, 1918, it inked the Treaty of Batumi with the then-Ottoman Empire on June 4, 1918, thus marking the friendly relations in political, legal, commercial and military fields.With the treaty, the Ottoman Empire recognized the independence of Azerbaijan, which could in turn apply to the Empire for military help in the case of any threat.The agreement was signed by Halil Bey Mentese, the head of the Ottomans' Chamber of Deputies. and the Commander of the Caucasian Front of the Ottoman Army, Mehmet Vehip Pasa, and the President of the Az…
(2020-06-04). German official hopeful for summer holidays in Turkey. yenisafak.com Germany is in talks with Ankara over measures that could make it possible for German tourists to travel to Turkey for summer holidays, a senior government official said on Thursday. | Thomas Bareiss, Germany's commissioner for tourism, expressed hope that they would be in a position to lift travel warnings for non-EU member countries like Turkey in the coming weeks, depending on the pandemic situation. | "We are working to ensure that travel warnings for third countries can also be lifted step-by-step in the coming weeks," he said in an interview with German press agency DPA. | "I don't see any reason to keep a t…
(2020-06-04). Turkish president marks World Environment Day. yenisafak.com Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday marked World Environment Day, highlighting the importance of global efforts to resolve environmental problems."Humanity today strives for a greener and more liveable world where sustainable use of resources is adopted, biodiversity is preserved, hunger and poverty are minimized, and environmental pollution is prevented," Erdogan said in a statement ahead of the day.Stressing the solution of environmental problems requires the cooperation of all countries at the global scale and the implementation of long-term policies through joint efforts, he stated that Turkey…
(2020-06-04). 'Deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944 was genocide'. yenisafak.com The Soviet Union's brutal 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars bears all the hallmarks of genocide, according to a foreign policy expert.Hakan Kirimli, a political scientist at Bilkent University in Turkey's capital Ankara, told Anadolu Agency that on May 18, 1944, the Soviet Union exiled all the Tatars from Crimea, leaving not a single one."They were kept in extremely harsh conditions where they were sent, and half of them were killed," Kirimli added.Describing the deportation as a "genocide," Kirimli said: "They wanted the Crimean Tatars to completely disappear from history, and they even removed the phrase 'Crim…
(2020-06-04). LA City Council President Introduces Motion To Cut LAPD Funding. popularresistance.org The president of Los Angeles's city council introduced a motion Wednesday that would direct officials to identify millions of dollars' worth of funding cuts to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) following criticism of the department's treatment of protesters. | Councilwoman Nury Martinez (D) said in a statement released on Twitter that the move was about resetting the city's priorities in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody last week. Video of Floyd's arrest and death sparked protests around the country, including in Los Angeles. | "Today we intrdcd a mo…
(2020-06-04). Our Disaster — The Horrific War On Yemen. popularresistance.org An entire generation of Yemeni children has suffered the traumas of war, many of them orphaned, maimed, malnourished, or displaced. The United Nations reports a death toll of 100,000 people in that nation's ongoing war, with an additional 131,000 people dying from hunger, disease, and a lack of medical care. A report from Save the Children, issued in November 2018, estimated at least 85,000 children had died from extreme hunger since the war began in 2015. | Since then, 3.65 million people have been internally displaced and the worst cholera outbreak ever recorded has infected 2.26 million and cost nearly 4,000 l…
(2020-06-04). History: The 1887 Alaska Purchase and the US-Russia Bering Strait Rail Tunnel Project. globalresearch.ca In a recent paper entitled
(2020-06-04). Russia OKs Use of Nukes in Response to Non-Nuclear Attacks. globalresearch.ca Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new government policy for nuclear deterrence on Tuesday that allows the use of nuclear weapons in response to conventional arms attacks. | Russia says its nuclear weapons are developed in order to deter potential attacks …
(2020-06-03). China's National Security Law Could End Hong Kong's Autonomy. therealnews.com 
The announced law could establish Chinese security institutions in Hong Kong, ending historically protected freedom around dissent and free speech.
(2020-06-03). Voters dump a white supremacist and make a Black woman mayor. peoplesworld.org 
In the midst of the worst multi-layered crisis in U.S. history, the nation has cause to celebrate today after voters in two states delivered a powerful double victory to the forces of progress. In Iowa, as Republican primary voters were dumping Rep. Steve King, one of the country's most notorious white supremacists, people in Ferguson, …
(2020-06-03). US Navy Sails Into Russia's Barents Sea for the First Time Since the 1980s in What Is to Be "the New Normal" anti-empire.com 
The US and UK naval group leaves the Barents Sea Friday evening after five days in waters where Russia's Northern Fleet normally exercises. The voyage marks a new age with U.S. Navy surface warships sailing in the north. | The U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs office at the headquarters in Naples, Italy, confirms in a phone interview with the Barents Observer that the group of warships is now sailing west into the Norwegian Sea. | This was the
(2020-06-03). Susan Rice Blames Russia for George Floyd Riots: 'Right out of the Russian Playbook'. anti-empire.com 
Editor's note: So is CNN's Chris Cuomo (of the twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1267987525198585856 |
| Former Obama adviser Susan Rice has blamed the violent protests that rocked major American cities over the weekend on "foreign actors," and even suggested that Russia could be involved in stirring them up. | "I'm not reading the intelligence today, or these days — but based on my experience, this is right out of the Russian playbook," Rice, who served as national-security advise…
(2020-06-03). An Unavoidable Recognition of Failure: Trump's Withdrawal From Afghanistan. strategic-culture.org Patrick COCKBURN | In October 2001 I was standing on a hilltop 40 miles north of A few weeks later the US-backed anti-Taliban forces advanced south and captured Kabul without the Taliban putting up any resistance. It looked as if they had suf…
(2020-06-03). Revolution, Not Riots: Prospects for Radical Transformation in the Covid-19 Era. counterpunch.org Within the context of these intensified protests, many self-identified radicals I have talked to believe we are witnessing the beginnings of a political and economic revolution, in light of the violent protests that have now taken over dozens of cities in the U.S. But we should be wary of romantic celebrations of revolution. Americans are nowhere near developing the radical working-class consciousness that's needed for a socialist revolution.
(2020-06-03). 85% of Indian domestic workers not paid during lockdown, says survey. peoplesdispatch.org The survey by the Domestic Workers Sector Skill Council (DWSSC) also stated that they are facing discrimination and stigma as employers doubt them of being carriers of the virus…
(2020-06-03). Food and Agroecology: Coping with Future Shocks. dissidentvoice.org The food crisis that could follow in the wake of the various lockdowns that were implemented on the back of the coronavirus may have long-lasting consequences. We are already seeing food shortages in the making. In India, for instance, supply chains have been disrupted, farm input systems for the supply of seeds and fertilisers have …
(2020-06-03). From Mississippi to Minneapolis: Leaving the 'Abyss of Despair'. counterpunch.org In the early morning hours of August 28th, 1955, two white men burst into the Mississippi home of Moses Wright where 14-year-old Emmett Till slept. Till had come down from Chicago to visit his cousins and was accused of having flirted with a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, while at a local country store with some
(2020-06-03). Protests break out in Balochistan region of Pakistan after murder of woman. peoplesdispatch.org Hundreds staged a protest in Turbat city seeking #JusticeForBramsh, an eight-year-old girl who was fired upon along with her mother by armed robbers. The attack on the girl has triggered massive protests in the Balochistan region…
(2020-06-03). Public Health England denies parts were missing from BAME coronavirus report. thecanary.co Public Health England (PHE) has insisted it published its review on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups in full following claims that parts were removed by government officials. | The study, unveiled by health secretary Matt Hancock on Tuesday, found BAME individuals have a much higher risk of death from Covid-19 than white people, as do those from poorer backgrounds, men and anyone who is obese or suffering from diabetes. | A report in the Health Service Journal (HSJ) said that sources had informed it that the Department of Health removed a key section from the review. | It said a draft that was circu…
(2020-06-03). Cholesterol levels dropping in Western nations — but rising in Asia. imperial.ac.uk Cholesterol levels are declining sharply in Western nations, but rising in low- and middle-income nations — particularly in Asia.