(2021-03-16). Boston School Bus Drivers Union blasts bosses' reopening schemes. workers.org 
In direct confrontation with the U.S. ruling class' monolithic drive to "reopen" schools and businesses, even as the pandemic continues to rage, Boston School Bus Drivers picketed their employer, Transdev, March 9. They gave voice to the outrage of frontline workers over this dangerous gamble with the lives of both . . . |
(2021-03-16). Test and Trace is the Dead Elephant in the Room. counterpunch.org 
As Britain enters a post-pandemic era, its struggle with Covid-19 reveals a country that is a complicated mix of strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, Britain has developed, manufactured and distributed effective vaccines quicker than any other nation. On the other, it has constructed the biggest gravy train in British history, one that pays
(2021-03-16). New York Boricua Resistance: No International Working Women's Day without trans women. workers.org 
This statement was co-written by Alicia Rodriguez and Gabriela Malespin of New York Boricua Resistance and presented by Malespin during the March 13 webinar sponsored by New York City-based International Working Women's Day Coalition. The webinar was entitled "Women and oppressed-gender workers rise up: The real pandemic is capitalism. The . . . |
(2021-03-16). Immigrant Advocate: Unaccompanied Minors Are Not a "Border Crisis" But a Humanitarian Crisis. democracynow.org 
Thousands of migrant children seeking refuge are being held in crowded cells amid an increase in asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite claims by Republican lawmakers during a tour of the southern border aimed at warning against rollbacks of Trump's immigration policy, most adults at the border are still being turned away, while the Biden administration is allowing unaccompanied children to cross while their cases are processed. Thousands of the unaccompanied minors are being sent to cities across Texas to be housed and processed, including Dallas, where FEMA will hold as many as 3,000 unaccompanied te…
(2021-03-16). NY State Senator Alessandra Biaggi Says Cuomo Has Abused His Power for Years & Must Resign. democracynow.org 
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is refusing to step down despite growing calls for his resignation after multiple accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct, as well as his cover-up of thousands of COVID-19 nursing home deaths. Alessandra Biaggi, a New York state senator representing parts of the Bronx and Westchester, says it's long past time for Cuomo to go and that the many scandals surrounding the governor reveal a consistent pattern. "The governor has not only abused his position of power, but he has used it in a way that is political and as a way to have the executive branch essentially protect himself…
(2021-03-16). Washington in Afghanistan: How Long Must This Go On? counterpunch.org 
The United States military and mercenary forces need to leave Afghanistan now. Even Donald Trump understood this, at least in public. The US mission was a failure within a year of its 2001 invasion. It could not and cannot reshape the political landscape in that nation. It tried in the 1970s and the 1980s when it created and armed the mujaheddin to fight the Soviet-supported government. It couldn't mold the nation of Afghanistan into a willing client after the Taliban marched into Kabul. It has failed to do so since it invaded the country in 2001 under the pretense of going after Osama bin Laden. To repeat, the U…
(2021-03-16). Perfidy Meets Putty — Congressional Democrats Betray Voters. counterpunch.org 
Do you remember the promises made by the Democratic Party's presidential and Congressional candidates on universal health insurance? You can forget their pledges and somber convictions now that your votes put the Democrats in charge of the House and the Senate. The Democrats' leaders are abandoning their promises and retreating into a cowardly corporatist future.
(2021-03-16). Yemen: Evidence mounts that Houthis started Sanaa migrant centre fire. middleeasteye.net 
Yemen: Evidence mounts that Houthis started Sanaa migrant centre fire | A new Human Rights Watch investigation confirms MEE findings that Houthis started a fire that killed scores of people | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 11: 02 | African migrants, mainly from Ethiopia, receive food and water inside a football stadium in the Red Sea port city of Aden, Yemen, on 23 April 2019. (AFP) | New details revealed by Human Ri…
(2021-03-16). US set to face more migrants on Mexico border than in 'last 20 years' — Homeland Security boss. rt.com 
The US is set to encounter more migrants on its southwestern border than it had over the past 20 years, warns Secretary of Homeland Security, defending Washington's handling of the ongoing influx of unaccompanied child migrants. | The prediction was "The situation we are currently facing at the southwest border is a difficult one. We are tackling it," Mayorka…
(2021-03-16). Biden administration to house up to 3,000 migrant kids in Dallas convention center turned into 'decompression' facility — reports. rt.com 
The Biden administration reportedly plans to use a Dallas convention center to hold as many as 3,000 migrant teenagers, easing overcrowding in detention facilities as open-borders policies spur a surge in illegal immigration. | Federal agencies will use the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for up to 90 days, starting as early as this week, to detain 15- to 17-year-old migrant boys, the Associated Press
(2021-03-16). Peace Delegation Visits Nicaragua To Explore Impact Of US Sanctions. dissidentvoice.org 
For the next two weeks, I am in Nicaragua on the first delegation organized by the Sanctions Kill coalition and the Friends of the ATC (Asociacion de Trabajadores del Campo — Association of Rural Workers) to study the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States on Nicaragua and learn about the Sandinista Revolution. The …
(2021-03-16). Israel sentences 14-year-old Palestinian boy to two months in prison. middleeasteye.net 
Israel sentences 14-year-old Palestinian boy to two months in prison | Abdullah Obaid handed himself to Israeli authorities after being accused of throwing stones at police | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 14: 19 | Abdullah Obaid, 14, hugs his mother farewell before handing himself to an Israeli detention centre in West Jerusalem, 16 March 2021 (Screengrab) | An Israeli court on Tuesday sentenced a 14-year-old Palestinian…
(2021-03-16). A record 6 Native Americans elected to Congress, here's where they stand on climate. peoplesworld.org 
Indigenous peoples have a critical role to play in the fight against climate change. Though they make up just 5 percent of the world's population, their lands encompass more than 80 percent of global biodiversity. Indigenous lands are also at greatest risk from the multiple threats posed by climate change: rising sea levels, warmer temperatures, …
(2021-03-16). VIDEO: A Guide to US Empire in Africa: Neocolonial Order & AFRICOM. liberationnews.org 
Abby Martin speaks to Eugene Puryear to discuss the big picture of U.S. imperialism in Africa…
(2021-03-16). Blood-drenched Bolivian coup leader in prison. liberationnews.org 
Photo: Demonstration in Fresno, California in solidarity with the Bolivian people's struggle against the coup Bolivian coup leader and former self-proclaimed president Jeanine àÅñez, was arrested on Saturday in the department of Beni, where she was found hiding in a box to avoid detection from authorities. Earlier today, àÅñez made her first appearance in front …
(2021-03-16). Biden calls on local preachers & doctors to promote vaccines… dismissing Fauci's appeal for Trump to help get skeptics on board. rt.com 
President Joe Biden apparently doesn't share his chief Covid-19 adviser's view that Donald Trump would be a "game changer" in promoting vaccines, instead saying local church leaders and doctors would have the biggest impact. | "The thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preacher, what the local people in the community say," Biden said on Monday of the advice he's getting from staffers. "So I urge all local docs and ministers and priests to talk about why, why it's important to get that vaccine, and even after that until everyone is, i…
(2021-03-16). Vanity Fair accuses Trump of KILLING 400,000 people with Covid, Trump supporters want to see the mag sued. rt.com 
Vanity Fair is seemingly holding Donald Trump responsible for murdering 400,000 Americans with Covid-19. Needless to say, there's no mention of Andrew Cuomo or Joe Biden. Some suggested a libel suit might teach the mag a lesson. | The story begins with Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to the former president, who on Monday
(2021-03-16). Sanitized Tyranny: The Weaponization of Truth. dissidentvoice.org 
On Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the Capitol Hill "insurrection", the Parler social media app was the number #1 most downloaded app in the Apple App Store. On "January 10, 2021, Parler CEO John Matze announced the company had been 'dropped by virtually all of its business alliances after Amazon, Apple and Google ended …
(2021-03-16). °Los trabajadores no son robots! Racismo, aceleración de la alta tecnología y la campaña sindical de la Amazon. workers.org 
Una campaña de organización histórica está en marcha en Bessemer, Alabama, en el almacén de Amazon BHM1. Casi 6.000 trabajadores, en su mayoría negros, casi la mitad mujeres, están decidiendo si unirse al Sindicato de Minoristas, Mayoristas y Grandes Tiendas (RWDSU siglas en ingles). La votación continúa hasta el 29 . . . |
(2021-03-16). Maine Medical Center nurses want a union, need support. peoplesworld.org 
PORTLAND, Me. — Nurses at Maine Medical Center (MMC) in Portland, the region's pre-eminent referral center, have taken steps to organize a union. On their behalf, the Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA) in January petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to authorize a secret vote on forming a union for the hospital's 1600 nurses. Ballots …
(2021-03-16). Poor People's Campaign takes voting rights drive to state capitals. peoplesworld.org 
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(2021-03-16). University Spiralists and Aca-Zombies. counterpunch.org 
As in many places where the ideology of neoliberalism holds sway, universities have been contaminated with the self-invented business imperatives of neoliberalism. For the better part of the last forty years, the conversion of universities from places where academics and students wanted to go to learn because knowledge was good to have into places to
(2021-03-16). Court rejects vote recount claimed by Yaku Perez. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-16). 8M: For a revolutionary feminism, which is not a cover photo but a struggle against all exploitation. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-16). Race reductionism: Neocolonialism and the ruse of "Chinese privilege" mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-16). Re B: soldiers and the criminal process in Northern Ireland. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Re B's application [2020] NIQB 76 was a challenge to a decision to prosecute a soldier for offences going back to 1972. Part of the small but politically divisive cohort of prosecutions arising out of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Re B provides a classic example of how courts approach the issue of fairness in …
(2021-03-16). India's Right-Wing Government is So Hungry for Profit It Will Risk a Famine for the Country. counterpunch.org 
India's right-wing government has been deploying all the modern tools of repression against a historic farmers' protest. Much is at stake. For the people of India, their agricultural system is about to get far more precarious. For its farmers, ruin, and bankruptcy for millions, is all but guaranteed. For the government of Narendra Modi and
(2021-03-16). What is Ramadan? Essential Information for Students and Teachers. juancole.com 
This FAQ was distributed by Samer Ali, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan, but it is useful for any campus and any community with a Muslim minority. RAMADAN 2021 AT U-M This Winter Semester, around finals, many Muslims at U-M will abstain from food and …
(2021-03-16). Centennial Mountain Heli-Skiing. counterpunch.org 
On Friday, March 12th, Ashton/Island Park District Ranger Liz Davy withdrew the possibility of a permit to allow helicopter skiing in a portion of the Centennial Mountains on the Idaho side of the range for the following reasons: + Research indicates use of helicopters has significant negative impacts to denning grizzly bears, a threatened species.
(2021-03-16). The Crushing Environmental Burden of Greek Tourism. counterpunch.org 
Tourism is the heavy industry of Greece. It annually earns a fourth of the country's income. The pestilence year 2020, however, was bad for Greek tourism. In 2020, some 70 percent fewer tourists visited the country. This drastic decline meant less money for debt trapped Greece. Compared to 2019, tourist receipts in 2020 dropped by 78.2 percent.
(2021-03-16). Defense argues Floyd family settlement prejudices potential jury in Chauvin trial. peoplesworld.org 
MINNEAPOLIS—As had been expected, Erik Nelson, Derek Chauvin's attorney raised questions Monday regarding the timing and impact of the city's $27 million civil settlement with the Floyd family that was announced Friday. Typically, such settlements are announced after the conclusion of a criminal trial. Nelson argued that such pretrial publicity can have prejudicial effect on …
(2021-03-16). After the insurrection, America's far-right groups get more extreme. juancole.com 
By Matthew Valasik and Shannon Reid | — As the U.S. grapples with domestic extremism in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, warnings about more violence are coming from the FBI Director Chris Wray and others. The Conversation asked Matthew Valasik, a sociologist at Louisiana State University, and Shannon E. …
(2021-03-16). Biden's retaliatory cyberattacks against Russia are folly. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-16). $1.9 Trillion stimulus bill: relief or ripoff? workers.org 
These slightly edited remarks were made during Workers World Party's March 11 webinar, "Stimulus Bill — Relief or Ripoff?" moderated by Ted Kelly, WWP-Philadelphia. Ted Kelly. Credit: WW PHOTO Ted Kelly: The U.S. Congress passed a bipartisan stimulus bill on March 6. Tonight's roundtable with young revolutionary workers from Workers . . . |
(2021-03-16). Intersectional Imperialism: A Wholesome Menace. mintpressnews.com 
WASHINGTON (Substack // In order to identify where woke imperialism exists, we have to define it first. So what is it? It's certainly not the first iteration of hegemonic domination buttressed by moralism. | The doctrine of Responsibility t…
(2021-03-16). Bay Area elites attempt to divide and conquer in aftermath of violence against Asian residents. liberationnews.org 
The violence oppressing both Black and Asian communities is a symptom of capitalism, a system that puts profits over people.
(2021-03-16). Senate makes history with vote confirming Haaland as first Native American Interior secretary. juancole.com 
By Sarah Oven | — (Cronkite News) — (WASHINGTON — The Senate Monday confirmed New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as the next Interior secretary, a historic vote that makes her the first Native American to head a Cabinet agency. The confirmation came over the objection of Senate Republicans, particularly those representing Western states dependent on …
(2021-03-16). Border influx slows Biden administration's effort to reverse Trump immigration policies. peoplesworld.org 
The coming of a spring season signifies new beginnings, quite like the transition from one presidential administration to another. And as with all things newly budding and beginning to bloom, some of the changes in Washington are gradual ones. President Joe Biden inherited a politically fractured nation and a Trump-sized mess, yet his first 50-plus …
(2021-03-16). Desnudando a los Padres Fundadores y la Constitución de Estados Unidos. globalizacion.ca 
Todos los artículos del Centro de Investigación Sobre Globalización (Global Research) se pueden leer en 27 idiomas activando el menú desplegable "Traducir sitio web" en el banner superior de nuestra página de inicio (versión de escritorio). | *** | Esencialmente la propiedad,…
(2021-03-16). Vijay Prashad Warns Biden Is "Doubling Down" on Trump's Anti-China Cold War Policy. democracynow.org 
Beijing has accused the U.S. of perpetuating a Cold War mentality as President Joe Biden and senior administration officials shore up alliances in the Pacific region to counter China's growing influence and increasingly describe the country as a geopolitical threat. Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, says the "bellicose" tone out of Washington is not because the U.S. sees China as a military threat, but because China threatens U.S. dominance in the scientific, technological and diplomatic spheres. "It's very chilling what the U.S. government is doing in ramping up this cold…
(2021-03-16). The Institutional Bias of Forestry School Research. counterpunch.org 
Institutional bias doesn't just exist in race relationships. The Forest Service and Forestry Schools have been the handmaiden of the timber industry for so long they do not even recognize their own biases. A good example is a recent announcement by the Oregon State University Forestry School that: "A quarter-century-old harvesting restriction intended to last
(2021-03-16). Horrifying research shows two cops a month commit violent or sexual offences against women and children. thecanary.co 
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS REFERENCES TO RAPE AND MURDER SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND DISTRESSING | Eight police officers have been convicted of murdering their wives or girlfriends in the past 11 years. This figure comes from
(2021-03-16). Trump chastises WaPo for 'hoax' report after paper corrects story alleging ex-president pressured Georgia election official. rt.com 
Donald Trump has hit back at the Washington Post after it corrected an article claiming that the former US president tried to strongarm a Georgia official, criticizing the report as an example of biased journalism. | The now-discredited story, published in January, alleged that Trump had instructed the state's top elections investigator to "find the fraud" that led to Democrat Joe Biden's election victory, and that she would be a "national hero" if she did. But on Monday, the paper issued a lengthy correction after an audio recording of the conversation showed that Trump said no such things.
(2021-03-16). Two killed after single-engine plane crashes into car with woman & child inside (GRAPHIC VIDEO). rt.com 
Two people were killed and two others injured after a small plane crashed in south Florida, erupting into flames as it smashed into a car carrying a mother and child, leaving them in a serious condition. | The single-engine plane crashed down outside North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida on Monday afternoon, killing the two people on board. The incident was captured in shocking footage, showing the craft as it careened into a vehicle and skidded across the ground, with its fuel igniting a sizable fire. | "We heard like a bomb, like a tremendous noise and everything was on fire and it dived into a car,…
(2021-03-16). Bill Burr's black wife is a 'minority sex servant'? Woke activist called out for 'worst tweet ever'. rt.com 
Comedian Bill Burr has angered the cancel crowd with offensive jokes. They're calling him racist, but the fact that he's married to a black woman isn't placating them. To one, it actually means he owns a "minority sex servant." | Burr hosted last weekend's Grammy Awards, and his jokes rubbed woke viewers up the wrong way. He jibed at feminists, mispronounced Latino names, and (imagine the horror) made fun of K-pop. | A torrent of outrage followed, with some commenters threatening Burr with violence and death. Amid the uproar, one Twitter user stepped in to defend Burr from the racism accusations, posting a pic…
(2021-03-16). Who needs solidarity? Columbia offering SIX niche graduation ceremonies to cater to students' race, sexuality & income. rt.com 
Ivy League Columbia University has joined the growing pool of colleges hosting identity-politics-based graduation ceremonies, offering students not one but six commencements in a baffling bid to scatter their sense of belonging. | The prestigious college plans to hold six separate graduation ceremonies for students based on race "and other aspects of how they identify," celebrating attributes including low-income/first-generation collegiate status as well as sexual orientation (with a "Lavender" event aimed at the "LGBTIAQ+ community"). | Columbia's website mentioned additional graduation ceremonies for Native…
(2021-03-16). Attractive chamber works by Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor on new CD. peoplesworld.org 
The name Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) often appears on lists of African-descended composers, but in truth I don't know that I'd ever heard any of his compositions, certainly not in live performance. Have you, Reader? A new CD has just appeared from Azica Records called UNCOVERED Volume 1 that is entirely dedicated to his music, and …
(2021-03-16). Fugazi: The Path of Most Resistance. counterpunch.org 
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(2021-03-16). Saudi Arabia closes Turkish schools amid unofficial boycott. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi Arabia closes Turkish schools amid unofficial boycott | Eight Turkish schools in Mecca and Medina were shut down in 2020, as Riyadh reportedly continues unofficial sanctions against Ankara over Khashoggi probe | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 11: 52 | Students from the Mecca International Turkish School celebrate Turkey's Republic Day in 2019 (Screenshot) | Saudi Arabia reportedly closed eight Turkish schools i…
(2021-03-16). Iran calls on US and its allies to halt military actions in Syria at Security Council. middleeasteye.net 
Iran calls on US and its allies to halt military actions in Syria at Security Council | Iran's envoy to the UN slammed the US and Israel for striking Iran-backed targets in Syria and called for a political settlement to end 10-year war | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 17: 22 | Israeli troops take part in a drill on 2 March in the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, which it says it has permanen…
(2021-03-16). Lebanon currency hits new low on black market amid political crisis. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon currency hits new low on black market amid political crisis | The Lebanese pound has lost 90 percent of its value on the black market over the last 18 months | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 13: 45 | A protester blocks a bridge with burning tyres on the Saida-Ghazieh highway, southern Lebanon, after demonstrations erupted following the sharp drop of the Lebanese pound, 16 March 2021 (AFP) | Leb…
(2021-03-16). Yemen: Protesters storm presidential palace demanding payment of wages. middleeasteye.net 
Yemen: Protesters storm presidential palace demanding payment of wages | Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and other officials were initially trapped in the building in the port city of Aden | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 11: 22 | Security forces loyal to the separatist Southern Transitional Council stand next to vehicles as they are deployed in the southern port city of Aden (Reuters) | Yemeni…
(2021-03-16). Egypt mobilises institutions to respond to UN statement on rights record. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt mobilises institutions to respond to UN statement on rights record | Meanwhile, Algeria threatens to withdraw France 24 accreditation over alleged bias, and Saudi Arabia detains hundreds suspected of fraud | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 12: 27 | An Egyptian police officer stands at the entrance of the Tora prison, Cairo, 11 February 2020 (AFP) | Cairo directs response to damning UN report:…
(2021-03-16). Israel increasing Palestinian home demolitions, UN agency says. middleeasteye.net 
Israel increasing Palestinian home demolitions, UN agency says | The monthly average of Palestinian structures targeted by Israel has increased by 65 percent this year compared to 2020 | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 19: 23 | Israeli soldiers at a demolition site in the Humsa area of the occupied West Bank on 8 February (AFP/File photo) | Israeli forces demolished or seized a total of 153 Palestinian-owned structures acro…
(2021-03-16). Jordan: Tens of thousands at risk of prison over unpaid debt. middleeasteye.net 
Jordan: Tens of thousands at risk of prison over unpaid debt | A new report reveals that people unable to repay their loans face harsh treatment and prison sentences | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 14: 24 | An increasing number of Jordanians end up in prison each year for failing to repay their loans (Reuters) | A report published on Tuesday has raised concerns over the increasing number of Jordanians who end up in…
(2021-03-16). Syria: Ambush of government forces in south kills dozens, says monitor. middleeasteye.net 
Syria: Ambush of government forces in south kills dozens, says monitor | At least 21 Syrian soldiers were killed in an attack by unknown gunmen in Daraa, according to Observatory | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 15: 51 | A Syrian man rides a motorcycle while carrying a gas cylinder as he drives past the Omari mosque in the southern Syrian city of Daraa (AFP) | A military convoy came under an ambush in…
(2021-03-16). Yemen: Protesters storm presidential palace demanding payment of wages. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Protesters storm presidential palace demanding payment of wages | Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and other officials remain holed up in the building in the port city of Aden | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 11: 22 | Security forces loyal to the separatist Southern Transitional Council stand next to vehicles as they are deployed in the southern port city of Aden (Reuters) | Yemeni public…
(2021-03-16). Erdogan says Saudi Arabia wants to purchase armed Turkish drones. middleeasteye.net 
Erdogan says Saudi Arabia wants to purchase armed Turkish drones | Turkish president voiced displeasure at kingdom's decision to conduct joint air exercises with longstanding rival Greece | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 18: 40 | Turkey has emerged as one of the world's premier makers of armed drones (AFP) | Saudi Arabia is seeking to buy armed drones from Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, as he voice…
(2021-03-16). Shifty Shifters: Movers and Shapers like a Trillion Locusts. dissidentvoice.org 
The final report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) concludes that the project has been 'the most successful anti-poverty movement in history'. Two key claims underpin this narrative: that global poverty has been cut in half, and global hunger nearly in half, since 1990. This good-news narrative has been touted by the United Nations and …
(2021-03-16). Selected Articles: Ten Years Ago: The US-NATO-Israel Sponsored Al Qaeda Insurgency in Syria. globalresearch.ca 
By It was not a protest movement,…
(2021-03-16). Mumia Abu-Jamal's health emergency: Interview with Dr. Ricardo Alvarez. workers.org 
Mumia Abu-Jamal, the internationally renowned journalist, Pennsylvania prison inmate and former Black Panther widely considered to be a political prisoner, is now experiencing a health emergency. A Feb. 27 call from Mumia alerted supporters who immediately began a campaign to telephone Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections John Wetzl, Philadelphia District Attorney . . . |
(2021-03-16). Vaccine nationalism: Poor countries wait while profits roll in for pharma giants. peoplesworld.org 
On Jan. 18 this year, the head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed that 25—yes, just 25 doses—had been administered across all the poorest countries, compared with 39 million doses in wealthier ones. He said the world was on the edge of a "catastrophic moral failure." Dr. Tedros criticized pharmaceutical companies …
(2021-03-15). Ten Problems With Biden's Foreign Policy — and One Solution. counterpunch.org 
The Biden presidency is still in its early days, but it's not too early to point to areas in the foreign policy realm where we, as progressives, have been disappointed—or even infuriated. There are one or two positive developments, such as the renewal of Obama's New START Treaty with Russia and Secretary of State Blinken's
(2021-03-15). Congress Urged to Stop Debt Collectors From Snatching Relief Checks. truthout.org 
Direct payments from the newly approved coronavirus relief package began landing in people's bank accounts with Unlike the Covid relief bi…
(2021-03-15). People's World emergency fund appeal sets new goal: $75,000 by May Day. peoplesworld.org 
Each of us knows someone, perhaps a loved one, who has gotten sick or died. We mourn this tragic loss of life, pain, and grief, much of it avoidable. We're writing to update you on how People's World has adjusted to the pandemic crisis. Due to revenue losses, our talented and dedicated staff is unfortunately …
(2021-03-15). Long-haulers struggle with symptoms as scientists work to solve coronavirus mystery. peoplesworld.org 
(AP) There was no reason to celebrate on Rachel Van Lear's anniversary. The same day a global pandemic was declared, she developed symptoms of COVID-19. A year later, she's still waiting for them to disappear. And for experts to come up with some answers. The Texas woman is one of thousands of self-described long-haulers, patients […] | In the aftermath of the recent war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, drone warfare is being touted as the latest breakthrough in military technology, a "magic bullet" that makes armored vehicles obsolete, defeats sophisticated anti-aircraft systems,…
(2021-03-15). Bitcoin: Nature's Money That Can Save Our Civilization. dissidentvoice.org 
The Covid-19 pandemic that blazed across 2020 has thrown the world into disarray. Economic damage that has triggered the breakdown of the system signals a dire need for change. As the old system is getting dismantled and global leaders jump in to fix the problems, Bitcoin is now gaining traction, increasing in price and welcoming …
(2021-03-15). CDC Insisted Surgical Masks Were Enough. Caregivers of Color Suffered Most. truthout.org 
This story also ran on Since the start of the pandemic, the most terrifying task in health care was thought to be when a doctor put a breathing tube down the trachea of a crit…
(2021-03-15). U.S. Lawyer Steven Donziger Speaks from House Arrest in NYC After Suing Chevron for Amazon Oil Spills. democracynow.org 
Decades of reckless oil drilling by Chevron have destroyed 1,700 square miles of land in the Ecuadorian Amazon, but the company has refused to pay for the damage or clean up the land despite losing a lawsuit 10 years ago, when Ecuador's Supreme Court ordered the oil giant to pay $18 billion on behalf of 30,000 Amazonian Indigenous people. Instead of cleaning up the damage, Chevron has spent the past decade waging an unprecedented legal battle to avoid paying for the environmental destruction, while also trying to take down the environmental lawyer Steven Donziger, who helped bring the landmark case. Donziger, who…
(2021-03-15). "Huge Victory": Black Farmers Hail $5B in New COVID Relief Law to Redress Generations of Racism. democracynow.org 
A major provision in President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill aims to address decades of discrimination against Black, Hispanic, Native American and Asian American farmers who have historically been excluded from government agricultural programs. The American Rescue Plan sets aside $10.4 billion for agriculture support, with about half of that amount set aside for farmers of color, and allocates extra federal funds to farmers who were "subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of a group." The U.S. Department of Agriculture has faced accusations of racism for dec…
(2021-03-15). US has 1,000 'off-the-books' troops in Afghanistan, some of whom work with the CIA — media. rt.com 
The US military's presence in Afghanistan is larger than the public has been led to believe, the New York Times has reported, as Washington mulls a full withdrawal from the country as part of a deal with the Taliban. | Citing US, European and Afghan officials, the Times
(2021-03-15). Facebook exec says Zuckerberg is TOO POWERFUL and Facebook should be BROKEN UP, in undercover interview. rt.com 
Benny Thomas, Facebook's Global Planning Lead, told a reporter from Project Veritas that his company is as powerful as a country, and needs to be broken up. "No king in history" is as powerful as Mark Zuckerberg, he claimed. | "No king in the history of the world has been the ruler of two billion people, but Mark Zuckerberg is," Thomas told a Project Veritas reporter, in an interview published by Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe on Monday. Thomas claimed that Facebook is "doing a lot of damage in the world," citing CEO Mark Zuckerberg's forays beyond social networking and into healthcare and even gene edi…
(2021-03-15). 'Immigrants are welcome here,' San Diego protesters in solidarity with migrant caravan. liberationnews.org 
All revolutionary and progressive people should defend the freedom of movement for all people fleeing the horrors of U.S. imperialism regardless of their documentation status.
(2021-03-15). Republican leaders claim TERRORISTS are sneaking across Mexican border amid surge in illegal immigration. rt.com 
As the Biden administration deals with a record-breaking surge in illegal immigration, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy claimed that people on the "terrorist watch list" are "rushing" the southern border. | As Democrats prepare to introduce an ambitious immigration reform bill on behalf of President Joe Biden, which would offer a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants living in the US, a crisis is unfolding at the country's border with Mexico. Illegal crossings this year are set to
(2021-03-15). Thomas Piketty and Karl Marx: Two totally different visions of Capital. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-15). Palestinians lambast Netanyahu's visit to archaeological site near settler outpost. middleeasteye.net 
Palestinians lambast Netanyahu's visit to archaeological site near settler outpost | The PA's foreign ministry says the visit will embolden settlers to attack Palestinians | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 14: 38 | Palestinian women chant slogans as Israeli soldiers stand guard during a protest in the Palestinian village of Susya in the occupied West Bank, 14 March 2021 (AFP) | Palestine's foreign affairs ministry on Monday…
(2021-03-15). Western Media Blitz Aimed at Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine May Already Be Costing Lives. mintpressnews.com 
People are already needlessly suffering as a result of renewed great power competition as a recent DHHS report reveals that the first deaths in the second Cold War may have already occurred.
(2021-03-15). Black Farmers Hail $5 Billion in COVID Relief to Redress Generations of Racism. truthout.org 
A major provision in President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill aims to address decades of discrimination against Black, Hispanic, Native American and Asian American farmers who have historically been excluded from government agricultural programs. The American Rescue Plan sets aside $10.4 billion for agriculture support, with about half of that amount set aside for farmers of color, and allocates extra federal funds to farmers who were "subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice bec…
(2021-03-15). A Number of Republicans in Congress Aren't Getting Vaccinated. truthout.org 
As national and global vaccination rates continue to rise, one place that has long had access to COVID-19 vaccines is hitting an unexpected roadblock to reaching a higher threshold of immunity: the United States Congress. | Members of the House of Representatives
(2021-03-15). European drugs regulator calls emergency vaccine summit after EU states press pause on AstraZeneca jab rollout. rt.com 
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to consider its next move after several EU nations suspended their rollouts of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. | The regulator said Monday it was reviewing data on reports of blood-clotting incidents potentially related to the AstraZeneca jab. Authorities have reported one death each in Denmark and Austria related to blood-clotting in people who had received injections from one batch of a million AstraZeneca doses distributed across 17 European nations. | In Italy, prosecutors in the north of the country have opened a mans…
(2021-03-15). Spain halts AstraZeneca vaccinations amid safety concerns, joining 17 other nations as EU says jab's 'benefits outweigh risks'. rt.com 
Spain has suspended its rollout of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, after reports of adverse side effects prompted more than a dozen other states to do the same, despite assurances from EU regulators that the jab is safe. | Spanish health officials said on Monday night that they would halt vaccinations for the AstraZeneca inoculation for at least two weeks, pending a safety review, a decision mirrored in France, Portugal, Cyprus and Slovenia on the same day. All pointed to recent reports of blood clotting and several deaths among recipients of the vaccine. | While the EU's top drugs regulator, the European Medi…
(2021-03-15). Macron warns of more Covid-19 measures 'in coming days' amid France's stubbornly high infection rate and new pressure on hospitals. rt.com 
France will likely be hit with further restrictive measures in the next few days in a bid to curb the country's rising Covid-19 infection rate, French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Monday. | "We will have to take in the days to come, no doubt, new decisions," Macron said during a summit with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. | The French president said his officials were working quickly on deploying new measures, because the virus is the "master of time." | He added that any new restrictions must take into account multiple factors, including the protection of the most vulnerable, the education of you…
(2021-03-15). Zuckerberg unveils new Facebook feature aimed at helping people get their Covid vaccine. rt.com 
Facebook is rolling out a tool that will make it easier for people to find information about where and when they can receive a Covid-19 shot, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced, as the platform fights disinformation about the jab. | In a message posted to the social media platform, Zuckerberg said that Facebook was launching a feature that will show users places nearby that are offering the shot, and will also help them make an appointment for it. The tool, part of the platform's 'Covid Information Center,' could help "millions" of people make vaccination appointments, the CEO said. The tool will also be availa…
(2021-03-15). US lawmakers urge Israel to vaccinate Palestinians as 'occupying entity'. middleeasteye.net 
US lawmakers urge Israel to vaccinate Palestinians as 'occupying entity' | Seventeen House members call for 'continued pressure' on Israel to meet its obligations under international law | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 19: 12 | Progressive House members Marc Pocan (L) and Andre Carson led the letter to Secretary of State Tony Blinken (AFP) | Progressive members of the US Congress renewed their call for the Israeli government…
(2021-03-15). Selected Articles: The Hidden Truth Behind the Too-Good-to-be True COVID-19 Vaccines. globalresearch.ca 
By "Founding Father" John Jay possessed a vision that "the people who own the country ought to govern it". This referred to those who owned …
(2021-03-15). Cuba Working on a 'People's Vaccine': the US and the world should get behind it. counterpunch.org 
From my hospital bed, as the global emergency around me escalated, I witnessed how the Cuban government swiftly mobilized resources to protect its citizens from Covid-19: at-home testing for anyone with symptoms, door to door preventative education in the most vulnerable neighborhoods, and coordinated isolation when necessary. While deaths soared toward 100,000 in the U.S., Cuba was able to get the average daily Covid-19 related deaths close to zero for most of May-August.
(2021-03-15). Mexico's Imminent Marijuana Legalization Law Leaves US Lawmakers Holding the Joint. mintpressnews.com 
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is expected to make Mexico the largest legal cannabis market in the world when he signs a new marijuana law awaiting passage in the Senate. When he does, U.S. lawmakers will have to choose between the people and the prison industrial complex.
(2021-03-15). Amazon alienation: Alabama union drive isn't just about wages. peoplesworld.org 
In a recent interview with The Real News Network, Amazon worker Darryl Richardson described his job as a picker in the Bessemer, Ala., fulfillment center. He clocks in, and a video stream tells him where to go. He logs in at his station, then waits until the robot comes. A video stream tells him what …
(2021-03-15). Women and nature: Towards an ecosocialist feminism. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-15). Profit Shares Fall to the Lowest Level Since 2009. cepr.net 
The Federal Reserve Board released an item of good news that might be missed. The Financial Accounts for the fourth quarter showed a decline in profit share of national income to 12.0 percent, the lowest annual share since 2009. It is far too early to know if this shift will be enduring, but it is …
(2021-03-15). Sudan's Progressive, Secular Revolutionary Government faces Food Riots and Ethnic Violence. juancole.com 
By Andrew E. Yaw Tchie | — Sudan's political transition is in a precarious phase. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's government is facing a wide variety of challenges, including protests over the price of goods and commodities, and a resurgence of violence in the country's Darfur region. If the situation continues to unravel, the country could …
(2021-03-15). GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin backs Jan. 6 insurrectionists. peoplesworld.org 
Over the past few days, we've seen yet again a major indication that top Republican lawmakers are defending and promoting the white supremacists who attempted to overthrow the government on Jan. 6. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has intensified his prior defense of the right-wing insurrectionists by saying that he had nothing to fear from them …
(2021-03-15). Honor the Tribal Vision for Bears Ears National Monument. counterpunch.org 
President Obama's team lopped off more than half a million acres from the tribes' proposal in the final designation, including Wilson Mesa, lands between White Canyon and Red Canyon, and the eastern slopes of the Abajo Mountains. These changes were made to appease local concerns, following public meetings senior Obama administration officials held with area residents. In the end, the concessions were fruitless, and the political backlash was immediate.
(2021-03-15). Bronx tenants to local politicians: 'Cancel the rents!'. liberationnews.org 
The tenant movement is growing more determined each day to expose and fight the injustice of housing under capitalism.
(2021-03-15). Reflections on Chauvin jury selection: Can anyone really be impartial? peoplesworld.org 
The commitment and ability to maintain impartiality looms large in the jury selection process in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd. When the judge swears in a potential juror, he asks whether they can maintain impartiality and render judgment based on the facts, evidence, and the …
(2021-03-15). Why does Jackson, Mississippi have unsafe water? liberationnews.org 
The government—at the national, state, and city levels—is responsible for Jackson's water crisis and is also responsible for repairing the water system in its entirety.
(2021-03-15). Pat Barile: A century of devotion to workers, equality, and socialism. peoplesworld.org 
Pat Barile learned the meaning of the word devotion from the rank-and-file workers at the Sonotone Corporation plant in White Plains, N.Y. in the mid-1940s and 1950s. Repeatedly, they elected him president of United Electrical Workers Local 428 for ten years—even after Cold Warriors had branded him a Communist and instigated a witch hunt and …
(2021-03-15). Murdoch Paper gives away the game: Cuomo is on their side. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-15). Myanmar: a Defiant Nation, Still Denied Justice. counterpunch.org 
Considering that the entire population of Myanmar, save the Tatmadaw and its shills, are now effectively prisoners to a politics anathema to all ordinary citizens, here's an update. The army are inveigling and paying villagers and retired military personnel to go and batter anti-coup protesters, in a darkly satirical take on astroturfing straight out of
(2021-03-15). How a Colombian Ex-President Went to Bat for Trump in Florida. counterpunch.org 
Latin Americans are used to the US government interfering in their politics. Over the years, the US has helped orchestrate a number of coups throughout the hemisphere, most notoriously the 1954 ouster of Guatemala's Jacobo àÅrbenz, and the 1973 military coup against Chile's Salvador Allende. But there are far more recent examples of meddling, including
(2021-03-15). California prisons: A public health disaster. therealnews.com 
California is experiencing a public health disaster by keeping people incarcerated in overcrowded, unsanitary, and violent conditions. TRN Executive Producer Eddie Conway speaks with Amber-Rose Howard, Executive Director of Californians United for a Responsible Budget, about how her organization is fighting for prison closures, divestment, and mass releases.
(2021-03-15). Statement of Concern: The OPCW investigation of alleged chemical weapons use in Douma, Syria. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-15). Making America more Equal . . . by Rebuilding the Country. juancole.com 
(Tomdispatch.com ) — During the Trump years, the phrase "Infrastructure Week" rang out as a sort of Groundhog Day-style punchline. What began in June 2017 as a failed effort by The Donald's White House and a Republican Senate to focus on the desperately needed rebuilding of American infrastructure morphed into a meme and a running …
(2021-03-15). 'Capitol rioter' reportedly told colleagues Nazis 'should have finished the job,' sported 'Hitler mustache' at Navy base (PHOTO). rt.com 
Army reservist and former Navy contractor Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, charged in the US Capitol riot probe, has been described as a Nazi sympathizer and was reportedly reprimanded by a supervisor for having a "Hitler mustache." | Hale-Cusanelli was arrested on January 15 as part of an ever-expanding investigation into the Capitol riot, which is on course to become the largest investigation in the history of the country. | One contractor colleague said Timothy Hale-Cusanelli discussed his dislike for Jews every day. A supervisor told investigators she had to admonish him for sporting a "Hitler" mustache (images of…
(2021-03-15). WATCH: Jeffrey Epstein THANKED at Grammys in cringe-inducing nameswap. rt.com 
While accepting an award at the 63rd Grammys ceremony, one hapless producer inadvertently dropped one hell of a clanger, thanking disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. | While accepting the award for 'Best Music Film' for his documentary 'Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice' on Sunday night, producer James Keach, 73, appearing via videolink, made the miserable mixup. | HE ACTUALLY SAID JEFFREY EPSTEIN OMG ?üò≠üò≠üò≠üò≠
(2021-03-15). The Weekly Round-Up: Women's Rights — a Long Way to Go. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In the news: Women's rights and gender equality issues have been at the forefront of the news this week. The appalling murder of Sarah Everard, abducted when walking home in London, has elicited a huge social media response. In particular, it has highlighted the problematic phenomenon of victim-blaming directed at women, with advice focusing on …
(2021-03-15). Netanyahu UAE trip: Israel's PM uses Jordan as fall guy to cover up blunder. middleeasteye.net 
Netanyahu UAE trip: Israel's PM uses Jordan as fall guy to cover up blunder | Relations between the Israelis and Jordanians hit new low after the prime minister uses kingdom to escape embarrassment | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 14: 45 | A bird flies in front of a Likud Party election campaign banner depicting its leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters) | An odd concoction of a cancelled meet…
(2021-03-15). Netanyahu UAE trip: Israel's PM uses Jordan as fall guy to cover up blunder. middleeasteye.net Netanyahu UAE trip: Israel's PM uses Jordan as fall guy to cover up blunder | Relations between the Israelis and Jordanians hits new low after the prime minister uses kingdom to escape embarrassment | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 14: 45 | A bird flies in front of a Likud Party election campaign banner depicting its leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters) | An odd concoction of a cancelled mee…
(2021-03-15). Stacey Abrams Calls GOP Voter Suppression Effort "Jim Crow in a Suit and Tie" truthout.org 
On Sunday, Stacey Abrams panned the slate of voter suppression laws being pushed by Republicans in Georgia, saying that the "racist" laws are "a redux of Jim Crow in a suit and tie." | "We know that the only thing that precipitated these changes — it's not that there was a question of security. In fact, the secretary of state and the governor went to great pains to assure America that Georgia's elections were secure," Abrams told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday. | Following their losses in t…
(2021-03-15). More Surveillance Won't Stop White Supremacy. It Will Target Activists of Color. truthout.org 
For mainstream lawmakers, the January 6 attack was a wake-up call to a simmering threat. No longer able to pretend white nationalist violence is a fringe remnant of a bygone era, some elected officials have drawn attention to law enforcement's negligence to prevent the violence at the capitol and are calling for new approaches. | However, some of their calls to action point toward old approaches that have only entrenched the forces of white supremacy: domestic terrorism laws. In the immediat…
(2021-03-15). Biden to Push for Higher Taxes on Wealthy, Most Ambitious Plan Since Early 1990s. truthout.org 
President Joe Biden is expected to push to raise taxes in the near future, primarily for corporations and for those earning higher incomes, in order to fund future high-spending priorities for the U.S. |
(2021-03-15). Phasing Out Fossil Fuels Is Possible. These State-Level Plans Show How. truthout.org 
When it comes to climate change, state governments across the United States have been way ahead of the federal government in providing leadership toward reducing carbon pollution and building a clean energy economy. For example, when Trump announced in 2017 his intention to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the governors of California, Washington and New York pledged to support the international agreement, and by 2019, more than 20 other states ended up joining this alliance to combat glob…
(2021-03-15). Infrastructure Should Be the Great Economic Equalizer. truthout.org 
During the Trump years, the phrase "Infrastructure Week" rang out as a sort of Groundhog Day-style punchline. What began in June 2017 as a failed effort by The Donald's White House and a Republican Senate to focus on the desperately needed rebuilding of American infrastructure morphed into Despite the focus in rec…
(2021-03-15). Ron Johnson Says He Wasn't Afraid on Jan. 6 But Would Have Been If It Were BLM. truthout.org 
While violent Donald Trump supporters shoved their way past police lines on January 6 in order to breach the Capitol building, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) says he wasn't afraid. But if those people had been Black Lives Matter protesters, then he might have feared them, he said on a conservative talk show last week. | "Even though those thousands of people that were marching to the Capitol were trying to pressure people like me to vote the way they wanted me to vote, I knew those were peopl…
(2021-03-15). Stimulus Aid and Child Tax Credit Should Be Made Permanent Say Senate Democrats. truthout.org 
After passing a stimulus package last week that is projected to raise Several Democrats are specifically focused on making the expanded child tax credit permanent; currently, the expansion only lasts for the next year. Some Democrats have pushed…
(2021-03-15). Stimulus Aid and Child Tax Credit Should Be Made Permanent, Say Senate Democrats. truthout.org After passing a stimulus package last week that is projected to raise Several Democrats are specifically focused on making the expanded child tax credit permanent; currently, the expansion only lasts for the next year. Some Democrats have pushed…
(2021-03-15). A new book is aiming to show how we can have 'life-changing' conversations about race. thecanary.co 
This fascinating read dives into a world of new vocabulary coined to initiate conversations around race. And it seeks to discuss "the race construct" which keeps "the di…
(2021-03-15). NATO changes tone: Chief of US-led bloc tells EU officials its members face 'no imminent military threat' from Russia or China. rt.com 
There is no imminent threat of a military attack from Russia — or China — against any NATO member states, but the bloc's very existence is the main reason for this situation, its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has told the EU.
(2021-03-15). Lukashenko's claim that Belarus has 'no friends' doesn't apply to Russia, as the two nations have a brotherly bond, says Kremlin. rt.com 
Russia and Belarus are not just friends but have a fraternal bond. That's according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who rubbished claims from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that Minsk has no pals on the world stage. | Speaking to the press, Peskov said that Lukashenko's statement "can hardly apply to Russia" as they are members of the same Union State. | "Rather, we are not friends, but brothers," he clarified. | The Union State agreement, signed in 1999, officially linked the two nations with the goal of greater political, economic and social integration. However, in the years since, many of it…
(2021-03-15). Portugal's top court rejects bill to legalize euthanasia as unconstitutional. rt.com 
The constitutional court of Portugal has turned down a bill approved by parliament earlier this year to decriminalize the euthanasia of terminally-ill patients, saying that it threatened the principle of "inviolability of life". | Seven out of the top court's panel of 12 judges, including the head of the Constitutional Court Joao Caupers, voted against approving the legislation on Monday. | Caupers pointed out that the conditions under which medically-assisted death stops being a punishable offense must be "clear, precise, predictable and controllable" — a bar the court said the legislation had failed to…
(2021-03-15). We ARE living in a material world! Scientists reveal hi-tech textiles breakthrough in wearable, washable electronic displays. rt.com 
Chinese scientists have unveiled next-generation wearable tech in the form of flexible, breathable electronic fabric which serves as a wearable, washable, interactive display, with diverse applications from telecoms to medicine. | Polymer scientists Peining Chen and Huisheng Peng at Fudan University in Shanghai achieved the remarkable feat by weaving electrically conductive transparent fibers and luminescent threads together with cotton yarn. | This intricate yet flexible framework could form the basis for 'smart clothing' to accompany the already largely ubiquitous smartphones and smart watches seen around th…
(2021-03-15). 'God cannot bless sin': Vatican firmly refuses to bless gay unions. rt.com 
The Vatican's orthodoxy office has ruled out any possibility of same-sex couples receiving an ecclesial blessing, maintaining that the Church does not approve such unions as God "cannot bless sin." | A detailed explanation delving into the Catholic Church's stance on same-sex unions was
(2021-03-15). 'Can't wait to see her response': Colby Covington makes crude claims about fellow UFC star Polyana Viana. rt.com 
Colby Covington issued some coarse comments when he was asked why he didn't step in to face Leon Edwards in Saturday's UFC headliner, claiming he had been romancing fellow fighter Polyana Viana despite her claims to the contrary. | Long considered to be one of the UFC's most outspoken trash-talkers, Covington's mouth may have got him in some hot water with fight queen Viana days after she took to social media to clarify their relationship as being "just friends" after a picture of the two embracing on the training mats swirled around social media in recent days and sparked relationship rumors between the pair.
(2021-03-15). 'Kill the bill': Protesters block Westminster Bridge, urge UK MPs to axe policing plan in wake of Sarah Everard murder (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Hundreds of protesters marched through the heart of Westminster, London, for a third straight day on Monday to protest a new UK policing bill and to vent their anger at violence against women after the murder of Sarah Everard. | The crowd swelled in Parliament Square where they could be heard shouting "kill the bill" as MPs in the nearby House of Commons had started debating a controversial new policing legislation which could heavily limit protests. | Many demonstrators then walked onto Westminster Bridge, chanting slogans, including "our streets," and blocking traffic, before leaving the area after around 10…
(2021-03-15). Two men charged with assault on Capitol Hill cop who died after pro-Trump riot. rt.com 
Two men have been arrested and charged with assault on Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died after the pro-Trump riot in January. Sicknick's cause of death, however, is still unknown. | Julian Elie Khater of Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios of West Virginia, both in their 30s, were arrested on Sunday and are scheduled to appear before a federal court on Monday. | NBC News: Julian Elie Khater, 32, from Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios, 39, from West Virginia were arrested Sunday and charged with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick. | Documents say Khater sprayed Sicnick in…
(2021-03-15). A decade of war: RT visits Khmeimim air base from where Russian jets helped turn the tide in Syria's anti-terrorism campaign. rt.com 
Since the arrival of the Russian military five years ago, the Syrian government was able to retake most of the country from terrorists, while the Khmeimim Air Base has grown from a few tents into a well-protected town. | The Russian military was deployed in Syria in September 2015 after Damascus approached Moscow for assistance in the quickly deteriorating conflict. At that time, some 70 percent of Syria had fallen to anti-government forces, including radicals from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and various Al-Qaeda-linked groups. | As Syria marks a decade since the start of the conflict, RT's Maria Fi…
(2021-03-15). Definitely maybe: Zidane hints Real Madrid will try to lure Cristiano Ronaldo back to Bernabeu. rt.com 
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has refused to rule out the possibility of the club making a move for Cristiano Ronaldo, amid persistent reports that the Portuguese superstar wants to leave Juventus. | Speaking ahead of Real's Champions League last-16 second leg against Italian side Atalanta, Zidane replied "yes, it could be" when questioned if the rumors were true of a bid to bring Ronaldo back. | The 36-year-old star left Real for Turin in 2018, having become Los Blancos' all-time top scorer with 450 goals in 438 appearances. | Ronaldo helped the club to four Champions League titles — three of which…
(2021-03-15). Biden's border crisis: Number of kids detained soars past record levels as Dems blame Donald Trump. rt.com 
The surge of unaccompanied children across the US' Mexican border continues unabated, with more than 4,200 kids held in makeshift facilities. Democrats, who accused Donald Trump of caging kids, have blamed the former president. | More than 4,200 minors were being held in "jail-like" holding facilities near the US' southern border as of Sunday morning, according to a
(2021-03-15). WaPo issues huge correction to story on Trump's pressuring of Georgia election official, says he was misquoted, but resumes attack. rt.com 
The Washington Post has quietly corrected a January story accusing Donald Trump of pressuring a Georgia election official, admitting it had misquoted him — but it then used the new information to target the ex-president again. | The reported claims that Trump had told the state's top elections investigator to "find the fraud" behind Joe Biden's election victory, and that she would be "a national hero" if she did, were completely false,…
(2021-03-15). Hazard warning: Real Madrid medical department panned as Belgian star Eden Hazard picks up ELEVENTH injury in less than two years. rt.com 
Serious questions are being asked as to the efficacy of Real Madrid's medical team after record signing Eden Hazard picked up his ELEVENTH injury in less than two seasons with the Spanish giants last weekend. | Hazard was plucked from the Premier League to become Real Madrid's latest 'Galactico' prior to the start of last season after seven largely successful seasons with Chelsea, but what was initially a dream move for the Belgian maestro has turned into something more resembling a nightmare after repeated injury misery has limited his appearances to just 36 over the course of his spell at the Bernabeu to dat…
(2021-03-15). Derek Chauvin lawyers 'gravely concerned' about juror impartiality after George Floyd civil settlement, ask for trial delay. rt.com 
Lawyers for Minneapolis ex-cop and accused murderer Derek Chauvin are desperate to postpone his trial, hoping to find impartial jurors to hear the high-profile case after the city of Minneapolis delivered a massive settlement. | With nine jurors seated as of Monday afternoon, the defense was granted a motion to eventually recall those who'd already been seated before the city of Minneapolis delivered the largest-ever civil settlement to the family of George Floyd on Friday. | Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill agreed to "call back the seven [jurors] to see if they've read anything or if it changes their minds…
(2021-03-15). Swipe right, if you dare? Tinder parent company throws weight behind police background checks for dating apps. rt.com 
Online dating powerhouse Match Group, which owns and operates Tinder and other widely-used dating apps, will soon allow users to quietly run background checks on their dates with nothing more than a phone number or surname. | Match Group has announced a hefty (seven-figure) investment into nonprofit snoopware provider Garbo, throwing its considerable weight behind the technology on Monday with the supposed aim of keeping users safe. According to Match, the partnership is meant to allow users of its suite of online dating apps to run discreet background checks on their would-be partners with the aim of uncoveri…
(2021-03-15). 3 dead after driver plows into at least 8 pedestrians near San Diego City College — police. rt.com 
Three people have been killed and several more injured after being struck by a car in an underpass at San Diego City College in California on Monday, local police have said. One person has been arrested. | The driver has been arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired, San Diego Police Department Chief David Nisleit said. | The man is reported to be a 71-year-old who drove a Volvo station wagon, and was detained by police after identifying himself to officers. | Three people died from their injuries at the scene, San Diego Fire Department chief Colin Stowel told reporters. A further six people have been h…
(2021-03-15). Elon Musk declares himself 'Technoking' of Tesla, company's CFO now its 'Master of Coin' — SEC filing. rt.com 
According to a somewhat baffling filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, in addition to being electric carmaker Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk is now also the company's 'Technoking.' | Tesla's chief financial officer Zach Kirkhorn also now holds a new position of "Master of Coin," in apparent reference to George RR Martin's 'Game of Thrones' series of books and TV shows. | "Elon and Zach will also maintain their respective positions as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer," the
(2021-03-15). Signed, sealed & delivered: Contract for blockbuster Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua showdown is DONE, promoter says. rt.com 
The long-anticipated 'Battle of Britain' between the two men who hold all the marbles in boxing's heavyweight fold, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, has taken a giant step forward as Eddie Hearn confirms contracts have been signed. | Both Fury and Joshua have long stated their ambitions to fight one another in what would be the highest stakes heavyweight bout in a generation – but top level negotiations between the Fury and Joshua camps (and their respective exclusive broadcasters ESPN and DAZN) had repeatedly hit a brick wall. | Until now, it seems. It was revealed by ESPN on Monday afternoon, via Joshua's prom…
(2021-03-15). Russian-born skydiving star plunges to his death in front of horrified onlookers after parachute fails to open. rt.com 
Skydiver Dimitri Didenko fell to his death in front of shocked onlookers after his parachute failed to open during an event at the Virtual Australian Skydiving Championships in Jurien Bay, north of Perth, on Sunday. | Russian-born Didenko, 30, was competing solo in the wingsuit category — an elite form of the extreme sport — when the tragedy struck. | Around two-dozen people, including friends, witnessed Didenko fall to his death from a reported height of more than 20,000ft, while fellow skydivers on the ground tried desperately to save him. | Didenko was a respected skydiver and had completed more t…
(2021-03-15). Syria: UK announces new sanctions on Assad officials. middleeasteye.net 
Syria: UK announces new sanctions on Assad officials | British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab reveals new targeted sanctions against six members of the Syrian government, including Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 11: 20 | President Bashar al-Assad and wife Asma (R) look at apple-tree saplings in al-Drekish, western Syria, in a picture released by the official Syrian Arab…
(2021-03-15). Are Egypt's jailed journalists becoming pawns in their union's election game? middleeasteye.net 
Are Egypt's jailed journalists becoming pawns in their union's election game? | The release of a handful of journalists ahead of their syndicate elections raises questions on the outgoing chairman's motivations | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 13: 31 | Diaa Rashwan, the outgoing head of the Journalists' union, has been accused of failing to defend press freedom during his term (Facebook) | Egyptian…
(2021-03-15). Syria: Turkey asks for western support amid Russia-backed attacks. middleeasteye.net 
Syria: Turkey asks for western support amid Russia-backed attacks | Erdogan calls for an 'investment in peace and stability', and says Turkey is the only actor that could resolve the Syria crisis | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 10: 20 | Members of the White Helmets extinguish a fire following a reported bombardment of makeshift oil refining installations in the Tarhin area, north of Aleppo province, on 5 March 2021…
(2021-03-15). Online fury in Saudi Arabia after Dubai deputy police chief's Mecca tweet. middleeasteye.net 
Online fury in Saudi Arabia after Dubai deputy police chief's Mecca tweet | Saudi Twitter users criticise Dhahi Khalfan for calling for the mobilisation of Sunni Muslims to protect Mecca from Shia-led forces | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 11: 48 | Khalfan's tweets were in response to Yemen's Houthi movement expressing its loyalty to Iran (AFP) | Dubai's deputy chief of police, Dhahi Khalfan, has sparked fury from Saud…
(2021-03-15). Iran warns Israel it will 'consider all options' in response to cargo ship attack. middleeasteye.net 
Iran warns Israel it will 'consider all options' in response to cargo ship attack | Iranian spokesman accuses Israel of purposefully attempting to 'create unrest' in the region, hinting at plans for retribution | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 14: 54 | Iranian-flagged container ship Shahr e Kord sails in Bosphorus on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey on 9 February 2020 (Reuters/File photo) | Iran's fore…
(2021-03-15). Saudi Arabia-Israel normalisaton is 'in sight', says Jared Kushner. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi Arabia-Israel normalisaton is 'in sight', says Jared Kushner | Former Trump adviser calls on President Biden to continue push for formal ties between Israel and Arab states | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 16: 16 | Jared Kushner at the Royal Palace in Rabat after the normalisation deal between Israel and Morocco on 22 December 2020 (AFP/File photo) | Jared Kusher, Donald Trump's son-in-law who served as an adviser in…
(2021-03-15). Yemen: Houthis claim drone attack on airports in southern Saudi Arabia. middleeasteye.net 
Yemen: Houthis claim drone attack on airports in southern Saudi Arabia | Saudi-led coalition confirms that it had intercepted an armed drone headed to Khamis Mushait | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 08: 29 | Yemen's Houthi soldiers march during a funeral procession in Marib as it escalates its campaign to take control of the city (Reuters) | Yemen's Houthi movement on Monday said its armed drones had s…
(2021-03-15). Middle East arms imports increase by 25 percent while global numbers drop. middleeasteye.net 
Middle East arms imports increase by 25 percent while global numbers drop | Competition among several Gulf states was one of reasons for increase in arms sales, according to SIPRI | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 20: 09 | The increase in Middle East arms imports reflects "regional strategic competition among several states in the Gulf region", SIPRI said (AFP/File photo) | Countries in the Middle East increased arms import…
(2021-03-15). Iraqi drug trafficker freed in ambush while travelling to court. middleeasteye.net 
Iraqi drug trafficker freed in ambush while travelling to court | Armed men posing as soldiers forced more than 100 police officers to hand over the suspected drug trafficker | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 14: 43 | Iraqi policemen who numbered about 100 had no choice but to surrender their prisoner to armed men, a police source said (AFP/file photo) | An Iraqi drug trafficker suspected of having ties…
(2021-03-15). Saudi scholar Salman al-Odah trial delayed for four months. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi scholar Salman al-Odah trial delayed for four months | Odah's son says the prominent scholar was handcuffed when he appeared in court on Sunday | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 09: 57 | Odah has spent three years in solitary confinement after being detained for a tweet calling for reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar (AFP) | Imprisoned Saudi scholar Salman al-Odah attended a closed trial…
(2021-03-15). Syria: Landmark legal case in Russia brought against Wagner over abuses. middleeasteye.net 
Syria: Landmark legal case in Russia brought against Wagner over abuses | Three rights groups are facilitating a legal case against mercenary group over involvement in death of Syrian man in 2017 | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 15: 19 | Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visit the Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus, one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in the Syria…
(2021-03-15). Iraq set to offer foreign visitors two-month visas on arrival. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq set to offer foreign visitors two-month visas on arrival | New move in the wake of Pope Francis's visit could help boost prospects for tourism in war-ravaged country | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 15: 57 | Visitors walk through a gateway at the archaeological site of ancient Babylon, about 100km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad (AFP) | Iraq is set to begin issuing two-month visas on arrival for visi…
(2021-03-15). Four-year-old Canadian girl released from Syrian detention camp. middleeasteye.net 
Four-year-old Canadian girl released from Syrian detention camp | The young child is on her way to Canada, but her mother has been left behind | Mon, 03/15/2021 – 15: 41 | More than 64,000 individuals, mostly women and children, are languishing in detention camps in Syria (AFP) | A four-year-old girl has been released from a detention camp in northeast Syria and is on her way to Canada without her mother, offi…
(2021-03-14). Nancy Pelosi BLAMES TRUMP for escalating crisis at America's southern border under Biden. rt.com 
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi leaned on a familiar nemesis when pressed to address the surge in illegal alien traffic at the nation's southern border, blaming ex-President Donald Trump for handing his predecessor a broken system. | "What the (Biden) administration has inherited is a broken system at the border, and they are working to correct that in the children's interest," Pelosi said on Sunday in an interview with ABC News. She went on to praise President Joe Biden for sending FEMA to help accommodate a surge in unaccompanied minors arriving at the border. | Pelosi blames the Trump administration for the b…
(2021-03-14). Pelosi says Cuomo should 'look inside his heart' when asked whether he should resign over scandals. rt.com 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) came to fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo's defense in a new interview, saying people should wait for the "results of the investigation" into an allegation he sexually assaulted a woman. | "I think we should see the results of the investigation," Pelosi told ABC's This Week when asked about the New York governor on Sunday. "Hopefully, this result will be soon." | Cuomo has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, including former aides. The latest allegation found him accused of groping a woman. New York Attorney General Letitia James has opened an investigation…
(2021-03-14). Met Police chief REFUSES to resign as protesters amass outside Scotland Yard over crackdown on Sarah Everard mourners (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Demonstrators gathered outside New Scotland Yard to protest a police crackdown on Saturday's vigil for kidnap and murder victim Sarah Everard, but London's top cop is standing by the actions of her officers and refusing to resign. | "We're still in a pandemic," Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick told reporters on Sunday. "Unlawful gatherings are unlawful gatherings. Officers have to take action if people are putting themselves massively at risk." | She said she had not considered resigning, as the Everard case "makes [me] more determined, not less, to lead," and added that she would have been in at…
(2021-03-14). Vaccine Passports Risk Worsening Pandemic Inequalities. truthout.org 
After a year of
(2021-03-14). Calls for Met Police commissioner to step down as Home Office demands explanation for crackdown on Sarah Everard vigil. rt.com 
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has been urged to resign after officers forcefully broke up a vigil for Sarah Everard, a woman recently killed in London. | The event, held in defiance of a police order against large gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic, ended in chaos after officers arrived at the scene to disperse the crowd. | Photographs and videos showing police roughing up women attending the candlelight vigil spread across social media, sparking outrage over the crackdown. | In a letter addressed to Dick, Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey described the Met's decision to interven…
(2021-03-14). US could reach 'certain' post-Covid 'degree of normality' by mid-summer, 'no exact date' for events like indoor weddings. rt.com 
White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has expressed confidence in President Joe Biden's Covid-19 vaccination plan, but says he can give no timeline for a return to normal. | "There are two issues: getting enough doses, which we will have with the new contracts with the pharmaceutical companies. But once you get those doses, to get it into people's arms," Fauci told CNN on Sunday when discussing Covid-19 vaccine distribution plans. | Fauci expressed support for Biden's wish that the US would be able to mark "independence" from the pandemic by July 4 and gather without masks or social distancing for tradi…
(2021-03-14). Biden administration directs FEMA to help shelter child migrants amid claims it denied lawyers access to cramped border facility. rt.com 
As the number of migrant children in border detention facilities has swelled to a record high, the Biden administration has ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help house them. | FEMA will help "safely receive, shelter and transfer" children who cross the southwestern border on their own, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced on Saturday, saying the assistance will last 90 days. | Today
(2021-03-14). Video evidence of 'massacre' by UK special forces in Afghanistan mysteriously VANISHES — report. rt.com 
Video allegedly showing a "rogue" SAS unit committing war crimes in Afghanistan has supposedly disappeared, as an investigation into the squad's alleged "massacres" has been plagued by missing evidence and silence from witnesses. | Saifullah Yar was just 19 when his family were shot dead in an SAS raid on their Afghan village in 2011. When British military investigators flew to Kabul in 2017 to investigate the raid, he
(2021-03-14). Islamists in Germany fraudulently received ‚Ǩ1 MILLION in Covid-19 aid, some funds used to 'direct terrorism financing' — media. rt.com 
Around ‚Ǩ1 million in Covid-19 relief funds aimed at businesses might have ended up in the pockets of hardline Islamists, German media reported, citing sources in the Berlin police who opened more than 100 probes into the fraud. | The misuse of coronavirus aid to finance terrorist activities was "In individual cases there is a suspicion of direct terrorism financing," a source within Be…
(2021-03-14). Police dogs & water cannons: Anti-lockdown protest meets heavy police response in The Hague (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Anti-lockdown protests have continued in the Netherlands, with scores of people taking to the streets of The Hague to condemn the government's coronavirus policies. The protest has been met with a forceful police response. | Hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered in The Hague on Sunday on the eve of the country's general election, which is set to span over three days in order to avoid large crowds gathering at the voting stations as a precaution against the coronavirus. | The protesters carried various placards decrying the government's strict coronavirus measures. A large banner reading "Love & Freed…
(2021-03-14). Socialist Debates & Political Struggles in the Anti-War Movement: From Gulf War to Today. liberationnews.org 
Brian Becker reviews the history of heated debate within the socialist movement over the necessity of taking a principled, anti-imperialist position in opposition to the U.S. war machine.
(2021-03-14). Pathological Entitlement and the Supremacist Mindset. counterpunch.org 
In recent days, the CPAC conference has brought us a number of most unusual spectacles. It has brought us (1) the militantly tawdry respawning of Donald Trump, (2) the platform constructed using the serif odal rune shape of the SS, (3) the golden calf cult idol (and laughs for all eternity), and (4) the inclusion
(2021-03-14). Against the odds, South Australia is a renewable energy powerhouse; and they're showing the world how to do it. juancole.com 
By Michael McGreevy and Fran Baum | — Less than two decades ago, South Australia generated all its electricity from fossil fuels. Last year, renewables provided a whopping 60% of the state's electricity supply. The remarkable progress came as national climate policy was gripped by paralysis — so how did it happen? Our research set …
(2021-03-14). Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe wins against 'not in my backyard' racists. liberationnews.org 
The tribe's goal is to set a new precedent for the way our society deals with the problem of addiction with a clinic in Sequim, Washington.
(2021-03-14). Barack Obama and the Cunning of American Exceptionalism. counterpunch.org 
Barack Obama's new memoir, A Promised Land, came out as the world was looking at the US with anticipation and mistrust. It was published as the world awaited the results of the US presidential elections, between the clownish Donald Trump and the visibly incompetent Joseph Biden. The book trumpets the American model as the "promised
(2021-03-14). How the U.S. is Able to Dictate to the Rest of the World. counterpunch.org 
The United States government is able to impose its will on all the world's countries. The rest of the world, even some of the strongest imperialist countries of the Global North, lie prostrate at the feet of the U.S. What is the source of this seemingly impregnable power? Which of course leads to the next
(2021-03-14). Kosovo inaugurates embassy to Israel in Jerusalem. middleeasteye.net 
Kosovo inaugurates embassy to Israel in Jerusalem | Kosovo joins US and Guatemala as only countries with embassies in city whose status is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Sun, 03/14/2021 – 16: 01 | Kosovo government officials stand in front of Kosovar and Israeli flags during a ceremony at the foreign ministry in Pristina on 1 February 2021 as the two countries establish…
(2021-03-14). German Scientists: Without Drastic Climate Action, World could be headed to Dangerous 7.2 ∞ F. extra Heating. juancole.com 
By Benjamin Wehrmann | — ( Clean Energy Wire ) — Current emissions reduction efforts around the world are insufficient to limit global warming to up to 2 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, Germany's Meteorological Service (DWD) has said. Despite globally reduced mobility and depressed industrial production due to the coronavirus …
(2021-03-14). Can fuel cell cars compete with the EV boom? rt.com 
If there has ever been a misleading headline, it has to be the one above, at least according to European carmakers. Hydrogen cars, they say, are not a viable alternative to battery electric vehicles. | And that is despite billions of dollars that their own governments are pouring into hydrogen. | "You won't see any hydrogen usage in cars," Volkswagen's chief executive Herbert Diess In this, Diess ap…
(2021-03-14). Days of '49: Remembering Peekskill. dissidentvoice.org 
Tayo Aluko ∑ Paul Robeson's Love Song (trailer) A new radio play by Tayo Aluko based on events surrounding Paul Robeson's concert in Peekskill, New York in 1949, and the racist, anti-communist riots that came before and after it, drops on Paul Robeson's birthday — April 9th — and it seems more timely than ever. …
(2021-03-14). Finally. The DWP £20 uplift is facing legal action. thecanary.co 
The Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) £20 uplift to Universal Credit is facing a legal challenge. It's from people on so-called legacy benefits. And the case may open the floodgates for thousands of other claimants. | DWP uplift: one rule for workers: | The £20 uplift for Universal Credit from chancellor Rishi Sunak and the DWP has been
(2021-03-14). Perfect 10: Medvedev beats home favorite Herbert to reach milestone ATP title in Marseille. rt.com 
Russia's Daniil Medvedev celebrated his ascension to the world number two spot by picking up a 10th ATP title as he beat Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in three sets in their final at the Open 13 Provence. | Medvedev will become the first man outside of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to occupy a spot in the world's top two since 2005 when he overtakes Nadal in the rankings on Monday, and marked the occasion with a victory over three sets against Herbert to capture a maiden title in Marseille on Sunday. | Building a new winning streak in Marseille üí™ | Ma…
(2021-03-14). Spain's National Library hid theft of Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius for FOUR YEARS — media. rt.com 
Authorities in Spain are scrambling after it was revealed that a Galileo masterpiece on display at the National Library had actually been replaced by a forgery over four years before the theft was revealed. | The Sidereus Nuncius, or 'Starry Message', originally published by father of modern science and astronomy Galileo Galilei on March 13, 1610, was the first systematic and published scientific study based on observations made through a telescope. | The astronomical treatise was completed using Galileo's first telescopes, which had 8x to 10x linear magnification — the astronomer improved this to 20x in…
(2021-03-14). London mayor savaged for plan to cut numbers of 'white men' in science and engineering. rt.com 
Mayor Sadiq Khan says he wants fewer white men working in science and engineering. His plan to "fix" the situation has sparked a furious backlash online. | "There's no good reason why 65% of people working in science and engineering should be white men," Khan tweeted on Saturday, citing figures from the British Science Association. Khan went on to claim that "inequality costs people's futures & the economy billions," but reassured voters that "we're working on fixing it." | There's no good reason why 65% of people working in science and engineering should be white men. Inequality costs people's futures & the e…
(2021-03-14). 'Die-in' in NYC & vandalism in LA as protesters mark 1yr anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Protesters took to the streets in America's two largest cities to mark the one-year anniversary of the police shooting that killed Breonna Taylor. Her death became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement. | Hundreds of people gathered in New York City's Times Square to participate in a 'die-in' to remember her killing. Footage from RT's video agency Ruptly shows people lying on the ground, with some holding signs reading "Black Lives Matter" and "Abolish the police." | Elsewhere in the city, demonstrators carrying signs and chanting Taylor's name shut down the Brooklyn Bridge. Similar protests were…
(2021-03-14). Portland police confiscate guns, hammers & other weapons after corralling 100 protesters during violent demonstration. rt.com 
Portland police seized numerous weapons, including firearms, after kettling dozens of protesters during a night of unrest in the Oregon city. | Law enforcement intervened in a march on Friday when a group of demonstrators began breaking windows in the downtown area. Officers responded by establishing a perimeter around the crowd and announcing that the protesters were being detained. | According to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), some of the demonstrators refused to comply and locked arms in an attempt to prevent officers from carrying out their orders. Around 100 people were identified and photographed as p…
(2021-03-14). China demands end to violence and looting of its factories in Myanmar as 39 reported killed in anti-coup protest. rt.com 
At least 38 protesters and one police officer were killed in Myanmar on Sunday, with most casualties reported in the city of Yangon where demonstrators set Chinese-financed factories on fire, a local advocacy group said. | The figures provided by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) would make it the bloodiest day of the protests, which have engulfed Myanmar since a military coup on February 1. | Demonstrators armed with sticks and knives faced off with police in Hlaingthaya, the industrial area of Yangon. The officers responded by firing shots at the crowd, which led to at least 22 people…
(2021-03-14). Cristiano Ronaldo 'sends message to critics' after blasting 32-minute hat-trick as he puts Champions League woe behind him. rt.com 
Cristiano Ronaldo bounced back from Champions League disappointment and speculation over his Juventus future as he plundered a first-half hat-trick against Cagliari in Serie A on Sunday. | Ronaldo struck first after 10 minutes, rising highest to head in a Juan Cuadrado cross. The Portuguese star doubled his tally 15 minutes later as he converted from the penalty spot after he had been brought down by Alessio Cragno inside the box. | The 36-year-old star completed his hat-trick in style in the 32nd minute, cutting inside his marker to rifle into the top left-hand corner of the net. | Header ‚ú&icir…
(2021-03-14). Woman arrested for creating NAKED 'deepfake' videos of daughter's cheerleading rivals. rt.com 
A Pennsylvania mother has been charged with multiple counts of cyber harassment after she was caught making and distributing deepfake videos and photos of her daughter's cheerleading rivals. | The deepfake photos and video, digitally manipulated media which superimposes one person's face on the body of another, depicted the teenage girls naked, drinking and smoking. | Also on rt.com | | Raffaela Spone, 50, reportedly sent the fake content t…
(2021-03-14). President Tucker Carlson? CNN brands Fox News host 'the new Donald Trump' as ratings slip with Biden in office. rt.com 
Critics are blasting CNN over a segment deeming Fox News host Tucker Carlson "the new Donald Trump," claiming the dig is a desperate attempt to win back viewers. | "Tucker Carlson is the new Donald Trump," Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter declared on Sunday. The segment later ran on CNN's website, touting Stelter as the network's "chief media correspondent." | "Tucker has taken Trump's place as a right-wing leader, as an outrage generator as a fire-starter, and it's all taking place on Fox, just as Trump's campaign did," Stelter said, claiming Carlson is "tapping into white male rage and resentment" and "st…
(2021-03-14). Experts warn MURDER HORNETS could resurface in US this spring. rt.com 
Experts are warning that murder hornets could be making a comeback in the US come the spring as queen bees emerge from underground following the winter months. | "Only the queens survive the winter, and right now, any [hornet] hibernating won't come out until it's warm enough to do so, in mid-to-late April," Doug Yanega, a scientist at the Entomology Research Museum in California who has studied murder hornets, told the New York Post. | Murder hornets gained nationwide attention last year after the first nest in the US was found in December 2019. It was later dismantled by the Washington State Department of Ag…
(2021-03-14). 'Get right before you get left, boomer': Marines backtrack after jumping into Fox host Tucker Carlson's row with Pentagon. rt.com 
The US Marine Corps is adjusting its aim after facing public backlash over suggesting that men critical of the Pentagon's mission creep towards wokeness should serve, get pregnant, and only then speak on the issue. | "What it looks like in today's armed forces [Tucker Carlson], Get right before you get left, boomer," the Marines tweeted on Friday, accompanying the tweet with an image of a smiling female officer carrying a fellow officer. | What it looks like in today's armed forces Get right before you get left, boomer | &sbqu…
(2021-03-14). 'Outrageous': Spurs star Erik Lamela scores RIDICULOUS rabona nutmeg goal vs Arsenal — then gets sent off (VIDEO). rt.com 
Tottenham Hotspur star Erik Lamela went from hero to zero in the North London derby as the Argentine scored a brilliantly inventive goal to put his team in front against Arsenal at the Emirates, only to later get sent off. | With the scores level at 0-0 in the 33rd minute, Lamela produced a remarkable finish after the ball had been laid off into his path by Lucas Moura inside the Arsenal box. | Despite being surrounded by Gunners players, the Spurs star executed a 'rabona' to send the ball between Thomas Partey's legs and into the bottom corner of the net. | It was a sublime strike which instantly sent social…
(2021-03-14). 'Frustrated' Bouchard blows chance of first title in 7 years after proclaiming 'new chapter' in bid to break back into top 100. rt.com 
Canadian social media favorite Genie Bouchard saw her chance of a first WTA title since 2014 slip away as she lost to Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo in straight sets in the final of the Guadalajara Open in Mexico. | Chasing a first title since she won the Nuremberg Cup in Germany seven years ago, Bouchard instead suffered defeat for the seventh time in eight appearances in WTA finals. | The Canadian 27-year-old surrendered 6-2, 7-5 to her rival, letting slip a way back into the match when she was 5-3 up in the second set but went on to lose the next four games. | üèÜ FIRST TITLE FEELS …
(2021-03-14). Sanctimonious UK has its own dodgy doctor & full-blown doping row — let's see if quest for the truth is as loud as with Russia. rt.com 
Often when things seem too good be true, it's because they are. UK sport is finding that out after the guilty verdict delivered against doctor Richard Freeman, a man behind the scenes in a golden era for British cycling. | On Friday, a medical tribunal found Freeman guilty of ordering the banned substance testosterone "knowing or believing" it would be used to dope an unnamed rider back in 2011, while Freeman was working with both British Cycling and Team Sky. | It was a long and convoluted case which — by Freeman's own admission — involved distortions of the truth and downright lies from the disgrac…
(2021-03-14). Roscosmos names Russian cosmonaut expected to fly to ISS aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon ship. rt.com 
Sergey Korsakov is the top candidate to become the first cosmonaut to travel to the International Space Station aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft, made by Elon Musk's private company SpaceX, the Russian training center chief said. | Russia and the US are planning to perform "mixed flights" to orbit, Pavel Vlasov, the head of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, told Komsomolskaya Pravda radio on Sunday. "It means that a Roscosmos cosmonaut will travel on Crew Dragon, and a NASA astronaut, on our ship." | "Sergey [Korsakov] is one of the first contenders to fly on Crew Dragon. He has already completed the nec…
(2021-03-14). Elon Musk's plans for life on Mars a 'dangerous delusion', British chief astronomer says. rt.com 
British chief astronomer Lord Rees and world-renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson have dismissed billionaire Elon Musk's Mars colonization ambitions as a "dangerous delusion" and "unrealistic." | The pair made their buzzkilling remarks at the World Government Summit panel in Dubai this past week. | "The only reason for humans to go to space would be for adventure. To live on Mars is not going to be easy. Mars has a hostile environment," Lord Rees said, pulling no punches. | "The idea of Elon Musk to have a million people settle on Mars is a dangerous delusion. Living on Mars is no better than living on…
(2021-03-14). Palestinians condemn opening of Czech Jerusalem office. middleeasteye.net 
Palestinians condemn opening of Czech Jerusalem office | The Palestinian Authority and the Arab League accuse the Czech Republic of committing 'a flagrant violation of international law' | Sun, 03/14/2021 – 06: 30 | Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis hailed the new office as a "milestone in our co-operation" (AFP) | The Palestinian Authority and the Arab League on Saturday condemned the Cze…
(2021-03-14). British-Iranian Zaghari-Ratcliffe faces new charges in Tehran court. middleeasteye.net 
British-Iranian Zaghari-Ratcliffe faces new charges in Tehran court | A week after the end of a five-year sentence, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe attended a hearing over accusations of 'propaganda against the system' | Sun, 03/14/2021 – 09: 56 | Zaghari-Ratcliffe was recently released from a five-year sentence for espionage, a charge she has consistently denied (MEE/family handout) | British-I…
(2021-03-14). Oman blocks Clubhouse, citing 'lack of proper authorisation'. middleeasteye.net 
Oman blocks Clubhouse, citing 'lack of proper authorisation' | Blocking the audio app has prompted a backlash by free-speech advocates online | Sun, 03/14/2021 – 10: 29 | The iOS-only app has been at the top of many national download lists in the Middle East (Illustration by Hossam Sarhan/MEE) | Oman blocked the audio app Clubhouse on Sunday, citing "lack of proper authorisation," accordin…
(2021-03-14). Yemen: Houthi missile attack kills three children in Taiz. middleeasteye.net 
Yemen: Houthi missile attack kills three children in Taiz | A missile fired at a school where pro-government forces are based killed 15 soldiers and three children nearby | Sun, 03/14/2021 – 16: 04 | A Yemeni boy looks for bullet casings to sell as scrap metal in a Taiz street on 27 April 2019 (AFP) | Yemen's rebel Houthi forces fired a missile on Sunday at a school where pro-government fo…
(2021-03-14). Syria war: Ten years on, Syrian Christians say Assad 'has taken us hostage'. middleeasteye.net 
Syria war: Ten years on, Syrian Christians say Assad 'has taken us hostage' | Members of Syria's Christian minority now in exile say president has manipulated the community while cracking down on dissent | Sun, 03/14/2021 – 14: 05 | An Assyrian Christian Syrian in the Assyrian Church of the Virgin Mary, destroyed by the Islamic State group, in the village of Tal Nasri, south of Tal Tamr in northeas…
(2021-03-13). Ten Problems With Biden's Foreign Policy and One Solution. dissidentvoice.org 
The Biden presidency is still in its early days, but it's not too early to point to areas in the foreign policy realm where we, as progressives, have been disappointed — or even infuriated. There are one or two positive developments, such as the renewal of Obama's New START Treaty with Russia and Secretary of …
(2021-03-13). Owners of Hospital Conglomerate Made Billions as Health Care Workers Lacked PPE. truthout.org 
Not everyone is suffering during the pandemic. | The Frist family of Tennessee are the founders and biggest shareholders of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), the largest for-profit hospital conglomerate in the U.S. Thomas F. Frist Jr. and his family have seen their personal wealth increase from $7.5 billion on March 18, 2020 to $15.6 billion on March 8, 2021, an increase of $8.1 billion or 108 percent, according to an analysis by the Institute for Policy Studies. | Almost half of thes…
(2021-03-13). OSHA Performed Half as Many Workplace Inspections in 2020 Compared to 2019. truthout.org 
This article was first published at According to a recent report, during the first nine months of the Covid-19 pandemic the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) received more complaints but performed far fewer inspections than usual. Between February 1 and October 26, 2020, OSHA received 15 percent more complaints but performed 50 p…
(2021-03-13). Police round up women mourning London kidnapping-murder victim in crackdown on VIGIL held despite Covid ban (VIDEOS). rt.com 
A London vigil for murder victim Sarah Everard — held in defiance of a police order amid the Covid-19 pandemic — turned ugly after large numbers of officers arrived and tried to clear people from the area. | Several organizers of Saturday's vigil at Clapham Common were reportedly arrested, and footage from the scene showed clashes with police. One clip posted on Twitter shows several women standing on the edge of a bandstand where police congregated, including one holding a sign that says, "We aren't safe in our homes." Four women are then grabbed from behind by officers, pulled back and arrested after…
(2021-03-13). 'It could have been prevented': Relatives of NY nursing home victims tell RT they hold Cuomo responsible for their deaths. rt.com 
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is at fault for the state's disastrous nursing home policies amid the Covid-19 crisis, relatives of care home patients who succumbed to the virus told RT, voicing hopes for accountability. | Grace Colucci, whose elderly father passed away following a 20-day stint in a New York nursing home for physical rehabilitation, told RT's Colon Bray that she and other family members were unable to contact her dad during his stay due to pandemic restrictions, and that he emerged from the home with "very severe symptoms" of what later was confirmed to be Covid-19. | "We were not able to have…
(2021-03-13). Human rights report on the Lasalin massacre. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-13). Israeli settlers attack Palestinian family in West Bank farmland. middleeasteye.net 
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian family in West Bank farmland | The parents of eight children have been hospitalised after settlers threw rocks at them | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 10: 33 | The father of the Alyan family carried by Israeli soldiers after being attacked by settlers (Courtesy of the Alyan family) | Israeli settlers, some masked and equipped with batons, attacked a Palestinian family in the South Hebro…
(2021-03-13). Biden's Trade Policy With India Could Accelerate Global Climate Catastrophe. truthout.org 
The new Biden administration's centering of the climate crisis — including through the cabinet appointment of Indigenous leader Deb Haaland, the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and the creation of a nation-wide climate policy task force — is a significant At the same time, there are also aspects of Biden's climate plan, his international agenda in par…
(2021-03-13). Syria's first lady faces possible prosecution and loss of UK citizenship. middleeasteye.net 
Syria's first lady faces possible prosecution and loss of UK citizenship | Britain's Metropolitan police have opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that Asma al-Assad incited war crimes | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 22: 19 | British-born Asma al-Assad has been under EU and US sanctions since 2012 (AFP) | London's Metropolitan police have opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that Asma al-Assa…
(2021-03-13). Celebrating our Declaration of Independence from Covid with Poetry of Omar Khayyam. juancole.com 
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — President Biden on Thursday expressed the expectation that the vaccination of the US population will have proceeded to the extent by July 4 that we can look forward to small gatherings of friends and family then. The calculation is that when 70% of the population is inoculated, the virus will …
(2021-03-13). Right-wing Texas college president assaults free speech, ignores COVID. liberationnews.org 
Matkin, who according to college records could receive a salary as high as $1 million, recently decided not to renew the contracts of three faculty members who have been vocal about unsafe work conditions during COVID-19.
(2021-03-13). The governor of Texas, Neanderthals and COVID-19. workers.org 
The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, made a surprise announcement March 2 in Lubbock, a city of 200,000 people in West Texas. All state mandates to combat the spread of COVID-19 were being lifted. Counties and municipalities cannot require basic public health policies to limit the spread of disease after March . . . |
(2021-03-13). Vaccines DO help to stop coronavirus transmission, recent study suggests. rt.com 
A new study has found that Covid-19 vaccines stop people passing the virus on to others. The study is one of several with similar findings, and may pave the way for scientists to support the introduction of 'vaccine passports.' | A preprint Good news üëè in this new pre-print studying vacci…
(2021-03-13). 'I have unfinished business with Masvidal': UFC star Leon Edwards eyes 3-piece & soda revenge 'inside or outside the cage' (VIDEO). rt.com 
UFC welterweight Leon Edwards confesses he has "unfinished business" with contender Jorge Masvidal and division champ Kamaru Usman after his fist fight with the former and first fight with the latter ahead of UFC Las Vegas 21. | Brit Edwards will make his octagon return after 20 months out against Chicago-based Palestinian Belal Muhammad, a late replacement for Covid-stricken original…
(2021-03-13). Danish anti-lockdown activist gets double jail time for inciting violence… after telling crowd to 'smash city in non-violent way'. rt.com 
A Danish woman has been jailed for two years after telling people to "smash the city" at an anti-lockdown protest. The activist is the first protester hit by a law enabling courts to double sentences for Covid-related offenses. | The unusually harsh ruling was announced by the Copenhagen court on Friday. The defendant, a 30-year-old woman, was found guilty of making offensive statements that contributed to a "gross disturbance of public order as well as the use of violence against police" during an anti-lockdown protest in early January. | "Are you ready to walk around and smash the city in a non-violent way?"
(2021-03-13). The Heat: Biden pledges vaccines for all Americans by May. america.cgtn.com 
After a year of unimaginable loss, U.S. President Biden says every American will have access to a COVID-19 vaccine in the next two months.
(2021-03-13). Jordan: Health minister submits resignation after Covid-19 patients die of oxygen shortage. middleeasteye.net 
Jordan: Health minister submits resignation after Covid-19 patients die of oxygen shortage | An investigation is underway to determine what led to shortage of oxygen in state-run hospital | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 12: 40 | Jordan's King Abdullah II visiting a room during the inauguration of the health ministry's Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed field hospital for Covid-19 patients in Aqaba on 24 January…
(2021-03-13). Defeating Climate Denialism by showing People how they will Win by Greening Society. juancole.com 
By Sarah Sharma and Matthew Hoffmann | — Canada and the United States are suddenly steeped in policy proposals to aggressively cut carbon emissions. In the face of a climate emergency and on the heels of numerous climate disasters, this is welcome news indeed. In the U.S., the newly minted Biden administration has unleashed a …
(2021-03-13). Sarah Everard vigil cancelled. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Reclaim These Streets v Metropolitan Police Sarah Everard, a 33 year old woman living in London, was walking home from a friend's house at around 9pm on Wednesday 3rd March 2021 when she disappeared without trace. In the days that followed, public appeals for information and press coverage ensured that the case was widely discussed. A …
(2021-03-13). Black Lives Matter protests are saving lives. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-13). February revolution in Burma. mronline.org 
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(2021-03-13). What's behind the Biden Administration's new $100 billion nuclear missile system? mronline.org 
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(2021-03-13). Lula's right to run for president of Brazil restored in major victory for people's movemen. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-13). Floyd family gets $27M settlement; activists say 'no substitute for change'. peoplesworld.org 
MINNEAPOLIS—By a unanimous vote of the Minneapolis City Council Friday, the city agreed to pay a $27 million settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the George Floyd family. According to media reports, it is the largest pre-trial settlement in U.S. history. The settlement was announced as the first week of jury selection was …
(2021-03-13). San Francisco: Haitian community denounces murderous coup regime. workers.org 
San Francisco — Waving Haitian flags, a crowd of 80 demonstrated March 1 to mark the anniversary of the bloody U.S.-backed coup d'etat in 2004 that overthrew the popular government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The beloved former president was kidnapped and flown to Africa on a U.S. military plane, beginning a . . . |
(2021-03-13). Knoxville, TN, activists present 'award' to city's top evictor. liberationnews.org 
When activists arrived at the housing complex owned by Robert Greene, the residents who lived there came out of their homes and cheered the protesters on — a visible sign of how urgently these demands speak to working class people.
(2021-03-13). Perilous Journey — My Experiences as a Delegate Inside the Democratic Party. realprogressives.org 
"I have lived inside the belly of the Monster and know him from within." Cuban revolutionary Jose Marti | I only spent a brief time inside the Democratic Party as an elected delegate for Bernie Sanders in 2020, but it was enough to determine that the monster is indeed irreformable. My delegate journey exposed me to the gross incompetence and corruption within the party. The following reflects my personal experience as a delegate from Colorado's Congressional District 2. My conclusion from these few months is there is no path forward inside the Democratic Party. This should be no surprise at all, as…
(2021-03-13). Moscow joins 5G club as ultrafast next-generation internet service arrives at some of Russian capital's most iconic spots (VIDEO). rt.com 
The high speeds of 5G internet can now be experienced at over a dozen of some of the most well-known locations in Moscow, and a number of locals who spoke to RT didn't seem to share the concerns of skeptics about the technology.
(2021-03-13). Party's over: South Dakota's request for July 4th fireworks on Mount Rushmore DENIED over health & environment concerns. rt.com 
A repeat of last year's large-scale celebration at Mount Rushmore, headlined by then-President Donald Trump, is apparently not going to happen this year, after a federal agency refused a request for a fireworks display. | National Park Service (NPS) Regional Director Herbert Frost said in a letter seen by the Hill that the agency was "unable to grant a request" to stage fireworks at the memorial due to "potential risks to the park itself and to the health and safety of employees and visitors." | Frost also cited opposition by "many tribal partners" of the park to the sight of fireworks, and noted that while th…
(2021-03-13). National Public Radio Makes Stuff Up to Tell a Story About Interest Rates and Budget Deficits. cepr.net 
A story on All Things Considered last night told listeners: "In the early '90s, President Bill Clinton's administration was troubled by this looming problem. Year after year, both government deficits and interest rates were going up. Here's one of his top economic advisers, Laura Tyson. "LAURA TYSON: 'And then he said, oh, my goodness, if …
(2021-03-13). Right-to-Work Laws Are Rooted in Racism. The PRO Act Would Strike Them Down. truthout.org 
The U.S. House of Representative passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act this week, with 42 House Democrats from Southern states as The bill is one of the most ambitious attempts to strengthen the rights of workers and unions in decades. Its centerpiece is a provision that would override so-called "right-to-work" laws by allowing unions to collect dues from represented workers in…
(2021-03-13). 4 killed, 2 survive after Antonov An-26 military transport aircraft crashes in Kazakhstan. rt.com 
Four people were killed and two others injured in Almaty, Kazakhstan, after a Soviet-designed Antonov An-26 plane crash-landed at the city's airport. The aircraft belonged to the Kazakh National Security Committee (NSC). | The intelligence agency confirmed that its plane with six crew members aboard crashed during landing in Almaty at 5: 22pm local time (11: 22 GMT) on Saturday. | Four people were killed in the incident, while two others survived and were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, the NSC said. The reasons for the crash are currently being investigated, it added. | Eyewitness footage purporte…
(2021-03-13). AstraZeneca warns of new shortfall in deliveries to EU as five nations seek summit on 'unfair' vaccine distribution. rt.com 
AstraZeneca has announced new shortfalls in its planned vaccine shipments to the EU. The latest setback comes as five of the bloc's nations called for an emergency summit to address what they call "unfair" vaccine distribution. | The already lagging behind vaccine deliveries are expected to be delayed further, the company admitted Saturday. The pharmaceutical giant blamed the disruption on production issues as well as on export restrictions. | "Unfortunately, export restrictions will reduce deliveries in the first quarter, and are likely to affect deliveries in the second quarter," AstraZeneca said in a statem…
(2021-03-13). 'F**k, promote, fire': Editor of Germany's Bild tabloid steps down amid sexual misconduct investigation. rt.com 
Julian Reichelt, editor-in-chief of German tabloid Bild, has stepped down from his job as the paper's publisher investigates allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Meanwhile, Bild is gearing up for lawsuits. | Bild's publisher, Axel Springer,
(2021-03-13). Moscow joins 5G club as ultrafast next-gen internet arrives at Russian capital's most iconic spots (VIDEO). rt.com The high speed of 5G internet can now be experienced at over a dozen of the most well-known locations in Moscow, and the locals who spoke to RT didn't seem to share the concerns of skeptics about the technology. | 5G being available to the public is a "breakthrough" because "it is the only way we can make sure mobile networks keep developing," Victor Belov, president for technology at Russian telecom giant MTS, which is behind the pilot project, told RT. | The new standard will allow mobile phone users to "watch videos in Ultra HD and even some newer formats." The people "won't have any trouble doing a live-st…
(2021-03-13). Police disrupt Moscow summit of banned pro-Western group linked to ex-oligarch, making around 200 arrests. rt.com 
Opposition activists, as well as several local deputies, were detained on Saturday as police descended upon a summit staged by an 'undesirable' organization linked to exiled former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. | Several dozen officers reportedly entered the convention hall of the Izmailovo Hotel in eastern Moscow shortly after the event started, interrupting the opening speech by the former mayor of Yekaterinburg, Yevgeny Roizman. | Footage from the scene showed one of the officers announcing that the meeting was illegal due to being staged by a foreign NGO, the activities of which have been deemed 'undesira…
(2021-03-13). US declares Huawei threat to national security, pouring cold water on Beijing's hopes for reset with Washington. rt.com 
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has deemed Chinese telecom giant Huawei a threat to US national security, maintaining pressure on Beijing that some believed could ease under the new Biden administration. | The FCC announced on Friday that the firm, as well as four other Chinese companies, pose "an unacceptable risk to US national security or the security and safety of US persons." | The regulator's acting chief, Jessica Rosenworcel, said that the move would help "restore trust" in US communications networks. She did not explain what specific actions would be taken against the Chinese companies. Hua…
(2021-03-13). Israel most likely responsible for blast on Iranian container ship in Mediterranean — media. rt.com 
A member of an Iranian investigation team has told a local news outlet that Tel Aviv was most likely behind the attack on a Europe-bound Iranian container ship in the Mediterranean Sea earlier this week. | "Considering the geographical location and the way the ship was targeted, one of the strong possibilities is that this terrorist operation was carried out by the Zionist regime (Israel)," an unnamed investigator Several cont…
(2021-03-13). Too risque? Pakistani students expelled from university after hugging on camera. rt.com 
A Pakistani couple was booted from the University of Lahore after a video of them embracing went viral. The institution said in a letter that the pair were expelled after being found guilty of violating its code of conduct. | Photos and videos circulating on the internet show a young woman proposing to her partner as she bends down on one knee and offers him a bouquet. The man then takes the flowers and pulls her up for a hug. The heartwarming moment was met with applause and cheers from bystanders, but it appears that the university's administrators felt differently about the seemingly benign affair. | &euro…
(2021-03-13). 'That's my guy': Snoop Dogg challenges UFC boss Dana White to $2 MILLION wager on winner of Jake Paul vs Ben Askren. rt.com 
Rapper Snoop Dogg has told UFC boss Dana White to put his money where his mouth is and enter into a wager with him on the winner of the boxing bout between YouTuber Jake Paul and former MMA star Ben Askren.
(2021-03-13). WATCH: Activist swarmed by group of attackers after protesting against use of puberty-blocking drugs on children. rt.com 
A Canadian activist who traveled to Montreal to demonstrate against giving puberty blockers to children was attacked by black-clad assailants who allegedly punched him, stole his camera, and broke his arm him with a traffic cone. | The incident occurred on Friday night in downtown Montreal, where Vancouver resident Chris Elston said he was having a "peaceful conversation" with a local man when about seven "thugs" swarmed him. Video footage shows several assailants, including at least one woman, pursuing Elston and another man, hitting them with traffic cones and demanding that they leave the area. At one point…
(2021-03-13). Mass protests across Germany mark one year of anti-coronavirus restrictions (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Several separate rallies were held in Germany's capital city of Berlin. The largest one, with some 1,000 people in attendance according to police estimates, began at noon outside the federal health ministry. | The event was not marred by any major incident, the police | Another large protest was held in the southwestern city of…
(2021-03-13). UK warns China is in state of 'non-compliance' after Hong Kong 'patriot' electoral reform. rt.com 
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab declared China to be in a state of non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, accusing the nation of restricting democracy in Hong Kong. | "Beijing's decision to impose radical changes to restrict participation in Hong Kong's electoral system constitutes a further clear breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration," Raab said in an official government
(2021-03-13). Big energy emerges as winner from Texas winter storm. rt.com 
As smaller companies are hit hard following grid failures in the storm, people look to big energy firms such as Vistra, NRG, Exelon and Calpine to provide a more stable source of energy. | This is likely to lead to bigger energy companies across the state acquiring smaller, local companies that people no longer trust to supply their power. | The four major Texan companies, together,
(2021-03-13). Bitcoin hits $60k record high as cryptocurrency's rally continues. rt.com 
Bitcoin has shot past $60,000 as the world's leading digital asset continues to surge upwards. | The cryptocurrency climbed more than five percent on Saturday, reaching $60,200 on Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of trading volume. | The price sur…
(2021-03-13). Return to Real? Ronaldo 'in discussions with former club FOR MONTHS' as speculation mounts after latest Juve flop in Europe. rt.com 
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in discussions with Real Madrid for months regarding a potential return to the club, according to reports in Spain, as speculation mounts over where the star will be playing next season. | Ronaldo and his Juventus team suffered more disappointment in the Champions League this week as they crashed out to unfancied Porto on away goals. |
(2021-03-13). Scammer charged with money laundering & wire fraud after bilking $450k from donors for fake Black Lives Matter charity, DOJ says. rt.com 
A fraudster has been indicted on federal charges for his alleged role in swindling hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors who thought they were giving to a Black Lives Matter group, instead pocketing the funds for himself. | Ohio man Sir Maejor Page, 32, was slapped with four federal counts this week, the DOJ announced in a
(2021-03-13). US judge temporarily removes China's Xiaomi from Trump-era blacklist. rt.com 
A US judge has temporarily removed Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi from a Trump-era blacklist prohibiting American investment in "Communist Chinese military companies." | The ruling was announced by US District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington on Friday. The judge argued that the US Departments of Defense and Treasury "have not made the case that the national security interests at stake here are compelling," issuing a preliminary injunction removing Xiaomi from the blacklist. | Xiaomi was hit with the ban as then-President Donald Trump took a fresh series of hostile moves against China during his last day…
(2021-03-13). Politically homeless? Sarah Silverman says she doesn't want to be associated with 'elitist' Democratic Party anymore. rt.com 
Comedian and cancel culture opponent Sarah Silverman has expressed uncertainty about her affiliation with the Democratic Party, eliciting cheers from pundits who hailed the breakup as long overdue. | In a video posted to Instagram, Silverman confessed that she found the Democrats to be too uncompromising and self-righteous for her liking. | "It's the absolutist-ness of the party I am in that is such a turnoff to me. It's so f****** elitist. You know, for something called 'progressive', it allows for zero progress." | She added that after reflecting on the issue, she feels like she doesn't want to be "associate…
(2021-03-13). Police disrupt Moscow summit of banned pro-Western group linked to UK-based former-oligarch Khodorkovsky, making dozens of arrests. rt.com Police detained a number of Russian liberal opposition activists, as well as several local deputies, in Moscow on Saturday at a summit staged by an 'undesirable' organization linked to exiled former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. | Several dozen officers reportedly entered the convention hall of the Izmailovo Hotel, in the east of the capital, shortly after the event started, interrupting the opening speech by the former mayor of Yekaterinburg, Yevgeny Roizman. | Footage from the scene showed one of the officers announcing that the meeting was illegal due to being staged by a foreign NGO, the activities of whi…
(2021-03-13). 'Wrong on every level': Charlie Hebdo condemned for 'disgusting' cartoon making fun of royals, Meghan Markle and George Floyd. rt.com 
Notorious French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has published a new cover making fun of Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle, and George Floyd at once. Amid the outrage, some liberals demanded blood. | "Why Meghan Markle left Buckingham Palace," read the cover of this week's Charlie Hebdo, followed by the punchline, uttered by Markle: "Because I couldn't breathe." The illustration depicts Markle pinned under the hairy knee of a smiling Queen Elizabeth II, with the pose and punchline a reference to George Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis last summer. "I can't…
(2021-03-13). Key 'Oath Keeper' granted pretrial release as prosecutors find no evidence of wide-ranging conspiracy to storm Capitol. rt.com 
A US judge has ordered the release of retired Navy officer Kenneth Caldwell, accused of being part of an Oath Keepers militia plot to invade the Capitol, pending trial, as no evidence to back the conspiracy claims has turned up. | Judge Amit Mehta said that Caldwell did not enter the Capitol building, nor was there direct evidence of him trying to force his way in. | "There are no text messages, communications by him, that speak to entering a building or trying to enter the building. And ultimately, he did not enter the building," Mehta said, as he ordered the 65-year-old's release from jail. Because he did no…
(2021-03-13). 'The Bachelor' host who was 'canceled' after defending contestant hounded by 'woke police' won't return for next season. rt.com 
Fans of Chris Harrison were saddened to learn that he will not be hosting the upcoming season of 'The Bachelorette'. Harrison stepped down from the show amid a controversy surrounding an allegedly racist contestant. | Harrison, who went on leave from 'The Bachelor' in mid-February after taking heat for defending one of the participants from accusations of racism, will not be part of the next season of 'The Bachelorette', the gender-swapped version of the show. ABC Entertainment and Warner Horizon confirmed earlier speculation that this would be the case in a statement, saying that former contestants Tayshia Ad…
(2021-03-13). 'Largest investigation in American history': 100+ people to be charged in storming of US Capitol, court filings say. rt.com 
At least another hundred people connected to the January 6 storming of the US Capitol are expected to be charged with a variety of crimes, according to prosecutors. | "The investigation continues and the government expects that at least one hundred additional individuals will be charged," claimed the prosecutors in court filings first
(2021-03-13). 'Respect to him': Crystal Palace ace Zaha becomes first Premier League star NOT to take a knee after describing it as 'degrading'. rt.com 
Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha made good on his vow not to take a knee anymore as he became the first Premier League star to go against the grain since the gesture was introduced. | Zaha stood tall while others around him knelt before the kick-off as Palace took on West Brom in the Premier League on Saturday, making the 28-year-old Ivory Coast star the first footballer in England's top flight to shun the move. | üó£"I will continue to stand tall" | Wilfried Zaha becomes first Premier League player to not take a knee
(2021-03-13). Liverpool star Salah 'high-maintenance' and has 'imperfect' relationship with strike partner Mane — report. rt.com 
Liverpool strike pairing Mo Salah and Sadio Mane have an "imperfect relationship" and the Egyptian is "high-maintenance" despite being a popular figure at the Anfield club, according to a report on the team's woes this season. | Liverpool have endured a disastrous defence to their Premier League title, falling to an historic sixth home defeat in a row against Fulham last Sunday and languishing down in eighth in the table before the start of play this weekend. | Despite obvious big-name injury absences, observers have still struggled to explain the alarming slump from Jurgen Klopp's men which has seen them deri…
(2021-03-13). Bridges praises 'tough as f*ck' rival as 'Blonde Bomber' wins on ring return and fans demand big-name fight. rt.com 
Aussie 'Blonde Bomber' Ebanie Bridges earned a unanimous decision win over durable rival Carol Earl on her ring return as fans claimed big-name promoters could "sell the sh*t" out of the curvy pugilist for future bouts. | Bridges improved her unbeaten record to 5-0 as she picked up the ANBF Australasian title with victory against the 45-year-old New Zealander Earl in their super bantamweight bout in New South Wales on Saturday. | The bout had been preceded by a typically racy trip to the scales from Bridges — who also works as a math teacher in Sydney — as she stripped down to a blue bikini. That…
(2021-03-13). U.S. calls Europe to arms against China, Russia. workers.org 
The author's Art of War column published in the Italian web daily, Il Manifesto, March 9. Translation: John Catalinotto. The EU-China Agreement on investments, signed Dec. 30 by the European Commission, may be rejected by members of the European Parliament on the grounds that Beijing violates human rights. This is . . . |
(2021-03-13). Iran says Israel likely behind attack on container ship in Mediterranean. middleeasteye.net 
Iran says Israel likely behind attack on container ship in Mediterranean | Ship was hit by 'an explosive object' which caused a small fire, but no one on board was hurt in incident on 10 March | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 16: 01 | Iranian-flagged container ship Shahr e Kord at Haydarpasa port in Istanbul, Turkey on 13 December 2019 (Reuters) | Israel is highly likely to have been behind an attack i…
(2021-03-13). Morocco extradites Saudi-Australian national to Riyadh. middleeasteye.net 
Morocco extradites Saudi-Australian national to Riyadh | Relatives and rights groups had warned that Osama Hasani could face torture if sent to Saudi Arabia | Sat, 03/13/2021 – 14: 28 | Saudi-Australian dual national Osama al-Hasani was arrested on 8 February while visiting his newborn child in Morocco (Twitter) | Moroccan authorities have extradited Saudi-Australian dual national Osama al…