(2021-03-05). Ex-PMs Call on Japan to 'Eradicate' Nuclear Power. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2021-03-05). Beijing boosts defense budget, sets growth above 6%, hardens HK stance. laprensalatina.com Update 2: Adds defense budget increase, changes slug, headline, lede, minor edits Beijing, Mar 5 (efe-epa).- China will increase its 2021 defense budget by 6.8 percent, according to the government's preliminary report presented at the National People's Congress (NPC), which began Friday. The defense spending of the Asian power this year is expected to total …
(2021-03-05). PETA protests in Seoul over Thailand's coconut-picking monkeys. laprensalatina.com Seoul, Mar 5 (efe-epa).- Animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held a performance protest in front of the Thai embassy in Seoul on Friday against what it says is "cruelty" to monkeys made to work in the Southeast Asian country's coconut industry. A PETA member dressed as a monkey overturned …
(2021-03-05). The Odyssey of An Wei, the Forest Gump of China. counterpunch.org 
The story of An Wei overlaps almost perfectly with the story of Communist China. Born in a small village some distance from the northwestern city of Xian, An Wei was seven years old when Mao took control of the country in 1949. As the son of peasants, he was part of the first generation of
(2021-03-05). Top Pentagon commander requests astronomical sum of money to prepare for war with China. liberationnews.org 
The funding increase that Davidson is seeking for his command — not the total allocation — is greater than the entire budget of the whole armed forces of Brazil.
(2021-03-05). China achieves goal of eradicating absolute poverty. peoplesdispatch.org On February 25, President Xi Jinping declared end of absolute poverty in China. He stated that all remaining regions that had been afflicted with absolute poverty have now successfully defeated it. Over the last eight years, China has lifted a total of 98.99 million poor out of poverty.
(2021-03-05). Amelia Pang on the Human Cost of America's Addiction to Cheap Goods. scheerpost.com Click to subscribe on: Apple / Spotify / Google Play As mass consumerism took hold in the United States over the past several decades, Americans became increasingly expectant that the goods available to them would be cheaper than previously imaginable. One of the costs of this phenomenon has been off-shored to factories primarily in China, where factory labor conditions are well known to be… |
(2021-03-05). China sets a 2021 growth target above 6%. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Mar 5 (efe-epa).- China established a 2021 growth target for "above 6 percent," according to the government's work report, to which EFE had access, delivered to the National People's Assembly, which began Friday. The document said the objective is set taking into account "the recovery of economic activity" — GDP grew by 2.3 percent …
(2021-03-05). China sets a 2021 growth target above 6%, hardens Hong Kong stance. laprensalatina.com Update 1: Adds Hong Kong policy plans, updates headline Beijing, Mar 5 (efe-epa).- China established a 2021 growth target for "above 6 percent," according to the government's work report, to which EFE had access, delivered to the National People's Assembly, which began Friday. The document said the objective is set taking into account "the recovery …
(2021-03-05). Boom to gloom in China's Super League. laprensalatina.com By Víctor Escribano Shanghai, China, Mar 5 (efe-epa).- Just five years ago the Chinese Super League was making a name for itself with high-profile signings and eye-watering salaries but now it is mired in financial woes. Alarm bells started to ring in February when the company that owns the league's defending champion Jiangsu Suning announced …
(2021-03-05). What the Ecuadoran Elections Mean for the U.S. counterpunch.org 
The pink tide is coming back in — much to the chagrin of many in the U.S. government. With leftist governments in Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, Nicaragua, Mexico and Cuba, the prospect of yet another, this time in Ecuador, doubtless keeps regime changers, right-wing think tankers and other assorted Washington imperialists up at night. All those leftists the U.S. had murdered over the years, all the death squads the U.S. gave the nod to, all those dictators the North American empire supported — for what? After generations of slaughter, the victims' heirs keep taking over. The U.S. sponsored the exterm…
(2021-03-05). Killer Kim Reynolds and the Fascist State of Iowa. counterpunch.org 
The affluent and older white male "leftists" who minimize the threat posed by the ever more fascistic Republican Party tend to live in big "blue" cities where the Amerikaner Republivolk are a distinct minority. Some of these privileged urbanites might want to spend some time in a pandemo-fascist white-supremacist state like Iowa, which sent Steve
(2021-03-05). Leftist and Liberal Unite! counterpunch.org When Jordan Peterson debated Slavoj Zizek, Peterson pointed to his typical villain, the "cultural Marxist". Douglas Lain rightly saw that this was Peterson's Lacanian symptom. Jacques Lacan describes the symptom as such: "the symptom can only be defined as the way in which each subject enjoys (jouit) the unconscious in so far as the unconscious
(2021-03-05). Covid-19 has been 'really good' for CNN's ratings, WarnerMedia CEO says at Morgan Stanley conference. rt.com 
While Covid-19 has claimed more than 2.5 million lives worldwide, the chief executive at CNN's parent firm is looking on the bright side, telling a virtual audience the pandemic has been "really good" for the outlet's ratings. | Jason Kilar — the CEO of WarnerMedia, which owns the cable network — appeared at Morgan Stanley's 'Technology, Media and Telecom' virtual conference on Thursday, where he was asked about CNN and whether it could keep up its current momentum. | "I'd say that it turns out that pandemic is a pretty big part of the news cycle, and that's not going away anytime soon," he replied,…
(2021-03-05). Ph.D university entrance exam. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 05 (MNA) — This year's Ph.D university entrance exam started on Friday morning. The following photos show the students doing the test at Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran (SBU) while wearing a face mask amid the pandemic.
(2021-03-05). Why the Biden Administration Is Dead Wrong to Oppose International Criminal Court War Crimes Inquiry in Occupied Palestine: A Betrayal of the Rule of Law. globalresearch.ca
(2021-03-05). The US has dropped 326,000 bombs on people in other countries since 2001, Most Recently in Syria. juancole.com ( Code Pink) — On February 25th, President Biden ordered U.S. air forces to drop seven 500-pound bombs on Iraqi forces in Syria, reportedly killing 22 people. The U.S. airstrike has predictably failed to halt rocket attacks on deeply unpopular U.S. bases in Iraq, which the Iraqi National Assembly passed a resolution to close over …
(2021-03-05). Trump and Biden's Secret Bombing Wars. dissidentvoice.org 
Credit: The Intercept: U.S.-led coalition airstrike — Mosul, Iraq on November 7, 2016 On February 25th, President Biden ordered U.S. air forces to drop seven 500-pound bombs on Iraqi forces in Syria, reportedly killing 22 people. The U.S. airstrike has predictably failed to halt rocket attacks on deeply unpopular U.S. bases in Iraq, which the …
(2021-03-05). Trump and Biden's Secret Bombing Wars. counterpunch.org 
On February 25, President Biden ordered U.S. air forces to drop seven 500-pound bombs on Iraqi forces in Syria, reportedly killing 22 people. The U.S. airstrike has predictably failed to halt rocket attacks on deeply unpopular U.S. bases in Iraq, which the Iraqi National Assembly passed a resolution to close over a year ago. The
(2021-03-05). Blood for Oil. counterpunch.org Amid the ongoing horror, it's important to find ways to atone for war crimes —including reparations. Thirty years ago, when the United States launched Operation Desert Storm against Iraq, I was a member of the Gulf Peace Team. We were 73 people from 15 different countries, aged 22 to 76, living in a tent camp close to
(2021-03-05). ArcelorMittal is 'slowly becoming a burial site'. peoplesdispatch.org 
Three ArcelorMittal workers were trapped in a control room in the early hours of Wednesday 17 February when the room collapsed after a stack structure fell on it, following an explosion. Workers who witnessed the scene at the company's plant in Vanderbijlpark in south Gauteng paint a grim picture. But the company denies an explosion occurred, despite no managers being there at the time. | The workers say the flames from the batteries were unusual that day, resembling an explosion, with large flames in the ovens. Gas escaped to the stack structure adjacent to the control room, where Thami Molefe, 53, Lesenyeho Mof…
(2021-03-05). Michigan high school students fight racism. liberationnews.org 
"It can be scary to be Black in America. [Our kids] shouldn't have to be scared at school."
(2021-03-05). Houston demonstration demands, "Fix our broken pipes, no more airstrikes!" liberationnews.org 
Texans were told to drink pool water while Biden prioritized bombing Syria.
(2021-03-05). Economic Growth is the Cause of Climate Change, Not the Solution to It. counterpunch.org 
Through 2019, the last year for which data is available, greenhouse gas emissions and global GDP growth remained as highly correlated as they have been for the last half century. What this means is that despite the rhetorical back-and-forth over technological innovation and government policies as potential solutions to climate change, the role of economic
(2021-03-05). Atlanta DA refuses to prosecute killer cop in Rayshard Brooks' murder. liberationnews.org 
Although nearing a year since the murder of Rayshard Brooks, Fulton County officials have yet to prosecute the two killer cops of the Atlanta Police Department. Brooks was killed by officers Garret Rolfe and Devin Brosnan on the night of June 12, 2020, outside a Wendy's restaurant near Atlanta's Pittsburgh neighborhood. Brooks was shot twice …
(2021-03-05). The Private Health Insurance Industry: Should It Be Eliminated? counterpunch.org 
Many Americans assume that the private health insurance industry is an unmovable fixture in the U. S. health care system, but there is a growing need to re-examine that premise. Over recent decades, its performance has been increasingly profit-driven to the point of now becoming unaffordable for patients, their families, employers and taxpayers. The time
(2021-03-05). From the Murder of Berta Cáceres to Dam Disaster in Uttarakhand. dissidentvoice.org 
March 2, 2021 was the five year anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, who opposed the Agua Zarca dam in Honduras. That date was less than one month after the deaths of dozens of people from Tehri Dam disaster in Uttarakhand, India. The two stories together tell us far more about consequences of the …
(2021-03-05). Failing Upward: Pentagon's more and more Expensive Boondoggles (that don't even work). juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com) — Cancel culture is a common, almost viral, term in political and social discourse these days. Basically, somebody expresses views considered to be outrageous or vile or racist or otherwise insensitive and inappropriate. In response, that person is "canceled," perhaps losing a job or otherwise sidelined and silenced. In being deplatformed by Twitter, …
(2021-03-05). Abbott forces Texas "OPEN 100%" just weeks after deadly storm. liberationnews.org 
Abbott has billed the new order as a victory for "freedom," even as he undermines cities' freedom to protect their own populations with mask mandates and protective measures.
(2021-03-05). From the Murder of Berta Cáceres to the Dam Disaster in Uttarakhand. counterpunch.org 
March 2, 2021 was the five year anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, who opposed the Agua Zarca dam in Honduras. That date was less than one month after the deaths of dozens of people from Tehri Dam disaster in Uttarakhand, India. The two stories together tell us far more about consequences of the insatiable greed of capitalism for more energy than either narrative does by itself.
(2021-03-05). A fight for free speech in Selah, Wash. liberationnews.org 
In a small, conservative town in central Washington, sidewalk chalk has become a highly contentious issue between residents and the City Council.
(2021-03-05). The case for abolition, for skeptics. mronline.org 
In the final piece of the series, NLG Anti-Racism Committee Co-Chair and one of the proponents of the 2020 policing resolution Kira Kelley makes the case for the abolition of policing and offers examples of individuals and projects taking power and resources away from police and prisons to create non-carceral, non-punitive alternatives.
(2021-03-05). Israel: Orthodox Religious Parties Shaken by Supreme Court Ruling on Law of Return. mintpressnews.com 
The Israeli Supreme Court ruling on the application of the Law of Return threatens ultimate dilution of the political power of Israel's Orthodox religious parties, and thus has the potential to shake up the upcoming election's dynamics.
(2021-03-05). GOP, Senate filibuster in way of 'next great Civil Rights bill'. peoplesworld.org 
The Democratic-led House of Representatives is responding to the largest assault on voting rights since Reconstruction with the For the People Act (H.R. 1). The measure passed in the lower chamber on March 3. The fight to win final adoption of the bill now passes to the nearly evenly divided Senate. But passage in the …
(2021-03-05). PRO Act, biggest labor law reform in decades, headed for House vote. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The narrowly Democratic U.S. House will vote during the week of March 8 on the nation's most wide-ranging, pro-worker labor law reform in decades, the PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize). Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced the scheduled vote on March 3. His schedule statement comes as unions, led by the AFL-CIO, are stepping …
(2021-03-05). California's Newsom doubles down (literally) on mask-wearing as he says Texas made 'terrible mistake' in lifting mandate. rt.com 
California Governor Gavin Newsom has urged state residents to double up on their mask-wearing, issuing new guidelines calling for two face coverings in public after condemning Texas and other states for easing their restrictions. | Asking Californians to "get the most out of masking," the state's
(2021-03-05). 'It's the Cuomo way': MORE aides describe 'cult' workplace as top NY Democrat says governor should quit if new accusers speak out. rt.com 
Numerous former staffers for Andrew Cuomo have described the toxic and cult-like work environment they worked under amidst the governor's multiple worsening scandals, including three accusations of sexual harassment. | "There's no right or wrong way. It's the Cuomo way," one staffer told the Gothamist about a warning she received when interviewing for a job in the Cuomo administration. "He wants people who are literally going to fall on the sword for him, and they all will." | Another described being told to wear stiletto heels because she was blonde and the governor "likes blondes" in stiletto heels. Her desk…
(2021-03-05). Republican senator forces clerks to read Biden's Covid bill for TEN HOURS, in last-ditch effort to block. rt.com 
Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) has infuriated Democrats by demanding that Senate clerks read each and every page of Joe Biden's $2 trillion Covid-19 relief bill aloud. To some Dems, bills are better passed with no debate. | President Joe Biden's Covid-19 relief bill, which passed the House of Representatives last week, weighs in at a whopping 628 pages. It offers relief checks of $1,400 to eligible Americans, though more than three quarters of its $1.9 trillion
(2021-03-05). Harris reaffirms US opposition to ICC probe of Israel in call to Netanyahu. middleeasteye.net 
Harris reaffirms US opposition to ICC probe of Israel in call to Netanyahu | US vice president also 'emphasized the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security' | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 08: 26 | The call was the first between Harris and Netanyahu since she became US vice president in January (AFP) | US Vice President Kamala Harris, in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Ne…
(2021-03-05). Arabic press review: Palestine slams Washington's 'lack of understanding' of ICC jurisdiction. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Palestine slams Washington's 'lack of understanding' of ICC jurisdiction | Meanwhile, British ambassador in Jordan says her country is committed to the two-state solution, and Iraq imposes curfew during Pope's visit | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 17: 07 | US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks about priorities for administration of President Joe Biden in the Ben Franklin…
(2021-03-05). Roaming Charges: No Neanderthal Ever Bombed Syria. counterpunch.org 
+ There were many reasons to vote against Trump, starting with the fact that he was the incumbent running for reelection. All incumbent presidents should be voted against as matter of principle, because they almost certainly started committing war crimes within weeks of taking office, a truism Biden has now reconfirmed with his bombing of
(2021-03-05). Germany-Morocco tensions: Why is Rabat so upset with Berlin? middleeasteye.net 
Germany-Morocco tensions: Why is Rabat so upset with Berlin? | Western Sahara, Libya negotiations, German organisations… the suspension of contact between Rabat and the German embassy in Morocco has been attributed to 'an accumulation of grudges'
| Fri, 03/05/2021 – 13: 17 | German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Berlin in November 2019 (AFP) | A d…
(2021-03-05). Princess Latifa: UN 'still waiting' for evidence from UAE that she is alive. middleeasteye.net 
Princess Latifa: UN 'still waiting' for evidence from UAE that she is alive | Recent footage showed the daughter of Dubai's ruler saying she was being held captive by her father | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 11: 27 | Friends of Princess Latifa say she has had little medical care and went over a year without a toothbrush (Screengrab/Sky News) | The United Nations has said it is still waiting for proo…
(2021-03-05). Egypt: Toddler traumatised after two years in detention with mother. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: Toddler traumatised after two years in detention with mother | Amnesty International says a 27-year-old woman and her baby were 'forcibly disappeared' by Egyptian security services | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 15: 40 | Manar Adel Abu el-Naga and her husband Omar Abdelhamid Abu el-Naga | Egyptian authorities have been urged to fully investigate the two-year-long "enforced disappearance" of…
(2021-03-05). 'Baba al-Vatican': Pope Francis arrives in Iraq for historic visit. middleeasteye.net 
'Baba al-Vatican': Pope Francis arrives in Iraq for historic visit | Head of Catholic Church greeted by dancing and dignitaries for Iraq's first ever papal visit | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 13: 21 | Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi welcomed Pope Francis at Baghdad International Airport (Reuters) | Pope Francis said he was "happy" to land in Iraq for the first ever papal visit to the country…
(2021-03-05). What is Ur, the 'birthplace' of Abraham? middleeasteye.net 
What is Ur, the 'birthplace' of Abraham? | Pope Francis is due to lead an interfaith service at the ancient Iraqi city where the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam is thought to have lived | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 13: 14 | The ziggurat at Ur was a temple to the moon god Nannar, and has been dated to the second millennium BC (Reuters) | On Saturday, Pope Francis will hold an inter-faith s…
(2021-03-05). Algeria: Bill to revoke citizenship met with anger and fear among activists. middleeasteye.net 
Algeria: Bill to revoke citizenship met with anger and fear among activists | The proposed law would target people deemed detrimental to the state, in a move condemned as dangerous and vague | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 14: 22 | Demonstrators carry the national flag on a march in Algiers to demand political change (Reuters) | A new bill being considered by the Algerian government, which could see people have thei…
(2021-03-05). Tens of thousands of Palestinians protest against Israeli police violence and inaction. middleeasteye.net 
Tens of thousands of Palestinians protest against Israeli police violence and inaction | Demonstration held on eighth Friday in a row and said to be the largest in 20 years | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 11: 04 | Palestinians take part in a protest against a wave of crime and violence in their communities, amid tensions with Israeli police who the protesters say are unwilling to deal with th…
(2021-03-05). UN expert warns counter-terror policies led to 'further stigmatisation' of Muslims. middleeasteye.net 
UN expert warns counter-terror policies led to 'further stigmatisation' of Muslims | UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed said Islamophobia has reached 'epidemic proportions' across the world | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 16: 21 | UN expert Ahmed Shaheed said Muslim women face the triple threat of discrimination due to their gender, ethnicity, and religion (AFP) | A United Nations expert has warned that counter-ter…
(2021-03-05). Michigan high school students fight racism. liberationnews.org "It can be scary to be Black in America. [Our kids] shouldn't have to be scared at school."
