(2021-05-29). Syrian president Bashar al-Assad wins fourth consecutive term in office. peoplesdispatch.org The speaker of the Syrian parliament, Hammouda Sabbagh, announced that Bashar al-Assad had won the elections held on Wednesday with an overwhelming 95.1% of the votes…
(2021-05-29). Assad Wins Syria's Presidential Election. orinocotribune.com 
President Assad's win was largely anticipated as his competitors in the race are a low-profile opposition figure and a former cabinet minister. | Damascus, May 27 (Xinhua) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won his fourth seven-year term in the 2021 presidential race, the Syrian Parliament announced on Thursday, May 27. | The Speaker of the parliament, Hamoudeh Sabbagh, informed that Assad won 95.1% of the vote, which was a significant increase from the 88.7% that he received in the 2014 election. Assad's win was largely anticipated, as his competitors in the presidential race were a low-profile oppositi…
(2021-05-29). New Tamil Nadu state government keeps India's disastrous pandemic policy. wsws.org Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's government is keeping workers on the job, letting the virus spread unchecked while protecting the wealth of the region's billionaires.
(2021-05-29). SEP (Sri Lanka) to hold online meeting this Sunday on COVID-19 catastrophe in India. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka) is holding an online meeting—"The COVID-19 pandemic and the need for a socialist strategy"—this Sunday, May 30, at 6: 00 p.m. Indian Standard Time.
(2021-05-29). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and New Zealand. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
(2021-05-29). Australia's second-largest state on a knife-edge amid outbreak of Indian COVID variant. wsws.org While infection numbers remain low, the cases have grown swiftly and most of the population remains unvaccinated.
(2021-05-29). [World Report] Cambodia ends controversial COVID-19 restrictions. thelancet.com Strict policies that prevented hundreds of thousands of people from leaving home, and left many without food or supplies for weeks, have been lifted. Megan Tatum reports.
(2021-05-29). [Perspectives] Cultures of contagion. thelancet.com The Science Gallery Bengaluru's online exhibition CONTAGION opened in April, 2021, just as India approached a staggering 20 million reported cases of COVID-19, a number likely to be a vast undercount. The alarming second wave of COVID-19 in India gives this exhibition an immediacy and relevance.
(2021-05-29). La vacunación masiva provoca un aumento de casos y muertes. globalizacion.ca 
*** | Los casos de COVID han aumentado considerablemente en casi todos los países que han lanzado una campaña de vacunación masiva. | Camboya inició su campaña de vacunación a principios de febrero después de haber recopilado cero muertes; después de que…
(2021-05-29). Genocide In Canada: Mass Grave of Indian Children Found. telesurenglish.net An indigenous community in British Columbia says it has found evidence of what happened to some of its missing children: a mass grave containing the remains of 215 children on the grounds of a former residential school, operated by the Church. | RELATED: | Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation said on Friday that ground-penetrating radar had discovered the remains near the site of the Kamloops Indian Resi…
(2021-05-29). After inner Mongolia Bitcoin ban, Sichuan mulls mining shutdown. mronline.org 
Will the province, rich in hydropower, change its welcoming stance toward cryptocurrencies? | May 29, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-05-29). U.S., EU threaten Belarus while defending pro-Nazi forces. workers.org 
Western imperialists and their media pundits are once again crying "foul" against the sovereign government of Belarus and its duly elected president, Alexander Lukashenko. On May 23, a Ryanair passenger plane, scheduled to fly from Greece to Lithuania, was forced to land in Minsk, Belarus. Neo-Nazi Roman Protasevich taking part . . . |
(2021-05-29). Four, Including Terrorist Leader, Killed In Clashes Between Turkish Proxies, ISIS Cells In Syria's Al-Bab. southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | On May 28, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) announced that it had eliminated the mastermind behind ISIS assassinations in Turkish-occupied areas in northern Syria during a joint operation with the so-called Free Syrian Police. | In an official statement, the SNA said that a joint force had raided a hideout in the town of al-Bab where ISIS assassination commander was taking shelter. Information obtained from two members of the terrorist group, who were apprehended in a recent operation, l…
(2021-05-29). Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham Is Rounding Up Government Supporters In Greater Idlib — Reports. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is reportedly rounding up government supporters in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib. | On May 29, the General Security Agency, the security wing of HTS, carried out an arrest campaign in the region. Dozens of government supporters were arrested from the towns of Salqin, Harem, Darkoush, and Kafr Takharim in northern Idlib as well as from the town of Jisr al-Shughur in western Idlib. | The campaign targeted anyone who voiced hi…
(2021-05-29). Military Situation In Nagorno-Karabakh On May 29, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On May 27, six Armenian soldiers were captured, they were allegedly trying to cross the border in Gegarkunik region, according to the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry | On May 26, a 32-year-old contract soldier at the border near the village of Verin Shorzha was killed as a result of a shootout with Azerbaijani military servicemen, according to the Armenian MoD | On May 28, an Azerbaijani soldier was wounded by Armenian artillery shelling on the border with the Na…
(2021-05-29). Turkey Pushed NATO Allies Into Softening Reaction To Belarus Plane Incident — Report. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image. | Turkey had pressured NATO allies into softening their official reaction to the ' The incident, which took place on May 23, saw…
(2021-05-29). 'Epic Makers 3': ISIS Released Horrifying Footage From Recent Attacks In Iraq. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image. | On May 28, ISIS published a new video release documenting some of the attacks which were carried out by its cells in Iraq recently. | The video release, titled "Epics Makers 3," includes horrifying footage from a number of terrorist attacks in the provinces of Saladin, Diyala, al-Anbar as well as near the capital Baghdad. | In the 10-minute video, ISIS terrorists can be seeing executing many civilians, Sunnis and Shiites, as well as tribal leaders and government service members. Most of the victim…
(2021-05-29). "The Myanmar police came for me: my mom offered them tea" telesurenglish.net I am a 21-year-old freelance journalist from a town in Shan State, and began my journalism career in late 2018. One day in early February 2021, I was covering and filming a huge protest rally against the Myanmar military coup in my hometown, when armed police and soldiers broke it up violently. | RELATED: | Residents fled, looking for safer locations. I, too, ran for cover and went into a two-storey building nearby where a charity gro…
(2021-05-29). Sri Lankan president imposes strikes ban on state-sector workers. wsws.org Sri Lankan opposition parties and the unions who are equally nervous about the developing social opposition among workers and the poor, have not opposed Rajapakse's repressive measures.
(2021-05-29). Por el derecho a vivir: Las consecuencias de las armas químicas de EE.UU. en Vietnam. globalizacion.ca "Soy hija del Mekong, del colonialismo y de la guerra, hija de una tierra mágica y envenenada" (Tran To Nga) | Vietnam es un minúsculo país de gigantes lecciones históricas; tanto en los parámetros de la dignidad de la lucha por…
(2021-05-28). Syria's Assad Says Winning Election "Slap in Faces of Enemies" telesurenglish.net After scoring a sweeping victory in the presidential election, incumbent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Friday that the vote was "a slap in the faces of enemies." | RELATED: | Assad made the remarks in a televised speech after his election victory, where he said the vote constituted an "unprecedented challenge to enemies of the homeland," apparently referring to the Western-backed exiled opposition, the ar…
(2021-05-28). Bashar Al-Assad Elected For His 4th Term As Syrian President. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | In an expected outcome, Syria's incumbent president Bashar al-Assad won the May 26th election with 95.1% of the vote. | Assad's government said the election shows Syria is functioning normally despite the decade-old conflict. | Syria's parliament speaker, Hammouda Sabbagh announced the results at a news conference, saying voter turnout was around 78%, with more than 14 million Syrians taking part. | The Speaker went on to say that the second candidate to…
(2021-05-28). How America Does Regime-Change Propaganda. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | Written by Eric Zuesse. | In the case of Saddam Hussein, it was by lying about "WMD" and about Saddam's being behind Al Qaeda. | In the case of Muammar Qaddafi, it was by lying about Qaddafi's being hated (instead of supported) by most Libyans. | In the case of Bashar al-Assad, it was by lying about Assad's being hated (instead of supported) by most Syrians. | In the case of Xi Jinping, it is by lying about Xi's being a dictator. | In the case of Vladimir Putin, it is by lying about Putin's being…
(2021-05-28). Syrian Security Forces Clash With Protesters In Daraa City (Video). southfront.org 
Screen grab from the protest video. | Late on May 27, Syrian security forces clashed with pro-opposition protesters in the southern city of Daraa, a former stronghold of the rebels. | Dozens of opposition supporters took to the streets in the southern part of Daraa, known as Daraa al-Balad, to protest against the presidential elections which saw President Bashar al-Assad The gathering was pea…
(2021-05-28). "Somos conejillos de indias humanos": Las alarmantes tasas de víctimas de las vacunas de ARNm requieren acción urgente. globalizacion.ca 
*** | A medida que surgen datos oficiales del gobierno en Europa y EE. UU. Sobre el alarmante número de muertes y parálisis permanente, así como otros efectos secundarios graves de las vacunas experimentales de ARNm, está quedando claro que se…
(2021-05-28). Necropolis Now: The U.S. Assault on Iraqi Healthcare. counterpunch.org The recent Baghdad hospital fire, Western reporters told Iraq, is a "you" problem. The Washington Post blamed the country's "endemic corruption" for the 82 deaths. The New York Times denounced its "mismanagement" and "legacy of decrepit infrastructure." And the Wall Street Journal, quoting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, cited "negligence." But Iraqi healthcare wasn't always
(2021-05-28). What Does It Mean to be a Woman, a Mother and a Grandmother in Gaza? counterpunch.org Don't think that I'm addressing this to both genders out of concern for gender equality or to ensure gender-sensitive language. No. I want each of you, man or woman — those that God placed outside of Gaza, whether you're Palestinian or not — to try to seriously imagine yourselves in Gaza now, even for just
(2021-05-28). At Least 120,000 Displaced in Myanmar Since the Coup. telesurenglish.net The latest update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Asia and the Pacific indicates that "Around 46,000 people were displaced in the south-eastern part of Myanmar between April and May due to the conflict and insecurity, about 37,000 of them displaced in late May following the clashes in Kayah State."
(2021-05-28). Vijay Prashad on India, Covid and Modi. fair.org 
New York Times ( This week on CounterSpin: A May 25 New York Times
(2021-05-28). Indian and Sri Lankan workers and students explain why they are attending the May 30 meeting on India's COVID-19 catastrophe. wsws.org SEP members in Sri Lanka and the ICFI supporters in India spoke with workers and students who plan to attend this Sunday's meeting.
(2021-05-28). Students back on UK campuses amid explosive growth of Indian covid variant. wsws.org The reopening of campuses last September led to the massive spread of covid, forcing thousands of students to self-isolate after travelling away from friends and family, and the government is repeating the same reckless policy, recommending that all students be "eligible to return to in-person teaching and learning."
(2021-05-28). California Assembly bill aims to remove derogatory term 'alien' from state law. peoplesworld.org 
SACRAMENTO — Assemblywoman Luz Rivas's (D-Arleta) Assembly Bill 1096 was approved by the California Assembly Thurs., May 20, with bipartisan support and will now move on to the State Senate. It is expected that that bill will also pass in the Senate. AB 1096 eliminates the offensive term "alien" from all state codes. The legislation …
(2021-05-28). Chicago ordinance bringing laid-off hotel workers back to work stalls. peoplesworld.org 
CHICAGO—Marie Lourdie Pierre-Jacques, a naturalized Haitian immigrant who was a banquet server in Swissotel in Chicago's Loop, gave her life to her job for 18 years. She almost had her first baby at the hotel. After only six weeks of leave, she returned to work. After that, her first son called her sister "Mommy" and …
(2021-05-28). Iraqi Security Forces Thwarted Rocket Attack In Baghdad (Photos). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image. | On May 28, the Iraqi Security Media Cell announced that the Federal Police had thwarted a rocket attack on an unspecified target in the capital Baghdad. | An improvised rocket launched loaded with three "Katyusha" [107 mm] rockets and wired to a timer was found in the al-Jihad neighborhood, which is located around 5 kilometers to the east of Baghdad International Airport. | "A security force uncovered a rocket launcher prepared to targ…
(2021-05-28). Three Turkish Proxy Groups Merged In New Formation In Northern Syria. southfront.org 
File image. | On May 28, three Turkish-backed armed groups in northern Syria merged in a new formation led by the Syrian National Army (SNA) called the 13th Division. | In a joint statement, the groups, the Mehmed the Conqueror Division, the Samarkand Brigade and the Waqqas Brigade, said that the step is meant organize military forces in Turkish-occupied areas in northern and northeastern Syria. | The three groups are among the smallest factions of the SNA, which was formed in 2017 to unify Turkish-backed groups and pla…
(2021-05-28). Marco Rubio García, monomaniaco y mitómano. globalizacion.ca Sin duda alguna el senador republicano Marco Rubio García en EEUU, se ha convertido en el estratega de presión contra Cuba y Venezuela. Su verborrea barata, repetitiva, politiquera y mentirosa, lo hace ser un monomanà¨aco y mentiroso. | Su última perla…
(2021-05-28). Sherry Buchanan:The Women Warriors Who Stopped the American War in Vietnam. scheerpost.com Photo courtesy of Sherry Buchanan] Click to subscribe on: Apple / Spotify / Google Play The Vietnam War—or, as it is more accurately called in Vietnam, the American War—has become an inextricable and tragic part of the fabric of both Vietnamese and American society. America's Cold War intervention in the Asian country was as much an act of neocolonialism as it was a consequence of the country's… |
(2021-05-28). Tens of thousands observe 6 months of farmers' protests in India. peoplesdispatch.org Six months into the historic farmers' agitation in India, organizations have reiterated that they will not back down until three contentious farms laws introduced by the Narendra Modi government are revoked.
(2021-05-28). Sherry Buchanan:The Women Warriors Who Stopped the U.S. Genocide in Vietnam. scheerpost.com Photo courtesy of Sherry Buchanan] Click to subscribe on: Apple / Spotify / Google Play The Vietnam War—or, as it is more accurately called in Vietnam, the American War—has become an inextricable and tragic part of the fabric of both Vietnamese and American society. America's Cold War intervention in the Asian country was as much an act of neocolonialism as it was a consequence of the country's… |
(2021-05-28). Mapping Faultlines: Battles over airspace, geopolitics in Belarus. peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha talks about the recent incident in Belarus where a plane carrying dissident and anti-government activist Roman Protasevich was made to land and he was detained…
(2021-05-28). The Long Silence of Bao Ninh. counterpunch.org In the fall of 2018, Rohit Inani, a freelance journalist based in New Delhi, contacted CounterPunch contributor Marc Levy after reading his 1998 interview with Bao Ninh. Rohit, who admires Ninh's work, asked to be put in touch with Ninh. Several weeks later, with help from the Joiner Institute, and the Vietnamese Writer's Association, Rohit