2021-03-03: News Headlines

Kenneth Surin (2021-03-03). Policing Universities by Neoliberal Governments in the UK And France. counterpunch.org The respective motivations, and their specific underlying conditions, are of course different in the UK and France, but both culminate in plans for universities to curb the expression of leftist points of view. In the UK this gives a potential pulpit to "maverick" speakers on the right, such as Steve Bannon, who (facetiously?) approved the delivery of pipe bombs to critics of Trump, and who lost his book deal for having a favourable view of underage sex.

Ramzy Baroud, Romana Rubeo (2021-03-03). "Engaging the World": The "Fascinating Story" of Hamas's Political Evolution. dissidentvoice.org On February 4, representatives from the Palestinian Movement, Hamas, visited Moscow to inform the Russian government of the latest development on the unity talks between the Islamic Movement and its Palestinian counterparts, especially Fatah. This was not the first time that Hamas's officials traveled to Moscow on similar missions. In fact, Moscow continues to represent an …

Howard Lisnoff (2021-03-03). What We Got in Biden. counterpunch.org The wrenching appeals by some on the political left to vote for Biden must sting for some of those who actually did cast their vote for him, or at least against Trump in November 2020. This is the game that plays itself out again and again and again, ad nauseam, in US politics, the politics

Areeb Ullah (2021-03-03). ICC prosecutor opens investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel and Hamas. middleeasteye.net ICC prosecutor opens investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel and Hamas | Fatou Bensouda formally begins her investigation after the International Criminal Court ruled it had jurisdiction in the Palestinian territories | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 14: 26 | Bensouda said the decision to begin an ICC investigation comes after a five-year preliminary inquiry (Reuters) | The International Criminal Court's pros…

Paul Street (2021-03-03). Ruling Class Joe and the Essence of American Politics. counterpunch.org It's a damn good thing that the demented pandemo-fascist oligarch Donald Trump no longer sits in the White House and that his Republifascist Party no longer holds the majority in the U.S. Senate. But make no mistake: Americans continue to live under an unelected dictatorship of money and empire. Just because that class dictatorship isn't quite ready for Door #1, open fascist rule, don't look for Door #2, neo-New Deal reformist social democracy, anytime soon. No, we are still getting slammed in the face with Door #3, a neoliberal corporate-imperial authoritarianism that cancels #2 while setting us up for a harsher…

CP Editor (2021-03-03). Cornel West — "My Ridiculous Situation at Harvard" counterpunch.org

Special to People's World (2021-03-03). The devastating, irreparable death of Aruká Juma. peoplesworld.org Manaus, Amazonas — The death of the last survivor of the Juma people, the warrior Amoim Aruká, from complications linked to COVID-19, is an incalculable tragedy. The Juma people suffered innumerable massacres throughout their history. There were 15,000 of them at the turn of the 20th century and by 2002 there were only five Jumas …

Raul Diego (2021-03-03). The Bits and Bytes of The Great Reset: COVID-19 and the Scaling Up of Data-Capitalism. mintpressnews.com The so-called Great Reset amounts to little more than a campaign to turn humanity into datasets, which the world's most powerful hedge funds and transnational corporations can use to create more profits for themselves and their clients.

Tomdispatch (2021-03-03). The Real Threats to America are the Pandemic and Poverty; why Give Ever More Money to the Pentagon? juancole.com By Mandy Smithberger | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — This country is in a crisis of the first order. More than half a million of us have died thanks to Covid-19. Food insecurity is on the rise, with nearly 24 million Americans going hungry, including 12 million children. Unemployment claims filed since the pandemic began have …

Eds. (2021-03-03). The class character of the expansion of COVID-19: The case of Peru's Capital City Lima. mronline.org At the end of December 2019, the world was notified about the existence of a new coronavirus in the city of Wuhan in China. This virus, SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19), rapidly spread and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.

Global Research News (2021-03-03). Selected Articles: C.Y.A. and "Fraudulent Marketing": The Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine is an "Unapproved Product" globalresearch.ca By Pfizer Inc…

Staff (2021-03-03). Latinx Farmworkers Risk Their Lives During Pandemic. Many Now Struggle to Access Vaccines. democracynow.org There are about 2.5 million farmworkers around the U.S., many of them undocumented immigrants working under dangerous and exploitive circumstances without sick leave or healthcare. Despite their status as essential workers, however, many farmworkers are facing an uphill battle to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Estella Cisneros, legal director of the Agricultural Worker Program for California Rural Legal Assistance, says an uneven rollout in California as well as technical barriers have left many farmworkers unvaccinated. "There's been a lot of inequities that we've seen," she says. We also speak with Mary Jo Du…

Staff (2021-03-03). Latinx Farmworkers Risk Their Lives During Pandemic. Many Now Struggle to Access Vaccines. democracynow.org There are about 2.5 million farmworkers around the U.S., many of them undocumented immigrants working under dangerous and exploitive circumstances without sick leave or healthcare. Despite their status as essential workers, however, many farmworkers are facing an uphill battle to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Estella Cisneros, legal director of the Agriculture Worker Program for California Rural Legal Assistance, says an uneven rollout in California as well as technical barriers have left many farmworkers unvaccinated. "There's been a lot of inequities that we've seen," she says. We also speak with Mary Jo Dud…

Kareem Chehayeb (2021-03-03). Covid-19 in Lebanon: Health workers yet to receive vaccines as MPs jump the queue. middleeasteye.net Covid-19 in Lebanon: Health workers yet to receive vaccines as MPs jump the queue | After Lebanese lawmakers were controversially inoculated, half of the country's overwhelmed medical workers anxiously await their turn | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 10: 58 | A medic prepares a dose of the Covid-19 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at Lebanon's American University Medical Centre in the capital Beirut, on 14 Februa…

RT (2021-03-03). You're not supposed to say that out loud! Covid-19 vaccines & 'return to normal' might hurt Facebook's bottom line, CFO admits. rt.com Facebook's CFO is concerned that as more people get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, they'll be less likely to click on Facebook ads and more likely to seek out travel and non-sedentary pursuits. | CFO David Wehner Speaking at the Morg…

Staff (2021-03-03). Cuomo Must Go: Calls Grow to Remove NY Governor over COVID Nursing Home Cover-up & Sexual Harassment. democracynow.org New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing mounting calls from fellow Democrats and progressive organizations to resign or be impeached over sexual harassment allegations and his cover-up of thousands of COVID-19 deaths in New York nursing homes. New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched an investigation after three women — two former aides and a woman who met Cuomo at a friend's wedding reception — accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. "Credible accusations of sexual harassment made by these courageous women coming forward show a clear pattern of Cuomo's abuse of power," says New York Assembly…

RT (2021-03-03). Can we kick out immigrants like Denmark does? Critics snicker after AOC lauds McDonald's workers' wages in European nation. rt.com A time-tested talking point about wages of McDonald's workers in Denmark was invoked by AOC in a call for a minimum wage boost in the US. Her opponents asked if Washington should also adopt Copenhagen's harsh immigration policies. | The fact that paying workers a living wage is even up for debate is "embarrassing," progressive lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) tweeted on Tuesday as she called to override the Senate parliamentarian and push forward with the $15/hour minimum wage. The official ruled last Thursday that the proposal cannot be included in President Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus bill…

Joseph Grosso (2021-03-03). Andrew Cuomo: Legend of a Fall. counterpunch.org Future historians will have a field day examining the daily commentary of the COVID pandemic. Early on there was Madonna sitting nude in a marble bathtub filled with rose petals proclaiming COVID 'the great equalizer.' Trump of course supplied his daily dose of schizophrenic fare so incoherent that even conservative TV hacks were unable to morph it into a convincing picture of brave leadership. Yet nothing tops the spectacle of Ellen Degeneres and Trevor Noah actually declaring themselves to be 'Cuomosexuals', in honor of New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a term that was immediately plastered on various merchandise…

Staff (2021-03-03). Asian American Communities Organize Against Rise in Hate Crimes, Say More Policing Is Not the Answer. democracynow.org Anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked across the U.S. over the past year, fueled in part by Donald Trump's racist rhetoric about the coronavirus. One recent study found a 150% increase in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in 2020, even though overall hate crimes fell last year. Ron Kim, member of the New York State Assembly representing the 40th District in Queens, New York, says anti-Asian sentiment tends to flare up during times of crisis. "There's a long history of Asian Americans in this country feeling targeted and scapegoated whenever we experience economic downturns," says Kim. We also speak with Kim Tran…

Rayhan Uddin (2021-03-03). Syria: Majority in opposition areas impacted by attacks on medical facilities. middleeasteye.net Syria: Majority in opposition areas impacted by attacks on medical facilities | New report documents devastating impact of a decade of assaults on health care in the country's northwest | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 16: 10 | An aerial view of a hospital reportedly hit by an air strike in the Syrian village of Shinan, 30 kilometres south of Idlib (AFP/File photo) | A majority of Syrians living in the country's e…

Martha Grevatt (2021-03-03). Support keeps building for #BAmazon union drive, Biden feels pressure. workers.org A people's movement against an anti-people corporation has intensified, backing the union drive at Amazon's Bessemer, Ala., warehouse. The courageous Southern union warriors are finally starting to get the support they need and deserve. People's Organization for Progress rally to support Amazon workers outside Whole Foods, Newark, N.J., Feb. 27. . . . |

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-03-03). Arabic press review: Egypt tries to boost human rights credentials for Biden. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Egypt tries to boost human rights credentials for Biden | Meanwhile, Jordan has reportedly received $1bn from the European Union to fight the pandemic, and Iraq's PM vows to crack down on militias | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 15: 03 | Watchtowers at the notorious Tora prison on the southern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo on 11 February 2020 (AFP) | Egypt concerned by US…

Christian Noakes (2021-03-03). The Bessemer front in the international class struggle. workers.org Bessemer, Ala., is now the site of a historic labor struggle between the majority-Black Amazon warehouse workers there and the $1.7 trillion international capitalist monopoly corporation. About 80% of the warehouse workers are African American, and almost half are women. Rally for Amazon workers, Bessemer, Ala., Feb. 6. In March . . . |

Joyce Chediac (2021-03-03). 7 lies Amazon tells about the union. liberationnews.org In a historic development, 5,800 workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, are right now voting on whether to be represented by the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union.

A Guest Author (2021-03-03). Global labor federation backs #BAmazon union. workers.org The World Federation of Trade Unions issued the following statement on March 3. USA: WFTU in solidarity with Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama The World Federation of Trade Unions, which is the militant voice of 105 million workers from 132 countries around the globe, extends its internationalist solidarity with Amazon . . . |

Beau Peters (2021-03-04). Creating a Safe Space at Work for Discussing Social Justice Topics. dissidentvoice.org Image Source: Pexels There's a lot going on in the world at the moment, which means there's a lot we need to talk about. It seems as though every day there is another incident that raises issues related to the socio-economic imbalances in our society, systemic racism, or the political decisions that shape our lives. …

Don Fitz (2021-03-04). From the Murder of Berta Cáceres to Dam Disaster in Uttarakhand. mronline.org March 2, 2021 was the five year anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, who opposed the Agua Zarca dam in Honduras. That date was less than one month after the deaths of dozens of people from Tehri Dam disaster in Uttarakhand, India. The two stories together tell us far more about consequences of the …

Gloria Rubac (2021-03-03). Solitary confinement abuse sparks hunger strike in Louisiana's Angola Prison. workers.org Incarcerated workers in Louisiana's notorious Angola Prison began a hunger strike early Feb. 17. The reason: Prison officials refused to release them back into the prison population after they served their sentence in solitary for a rule infraction. Angola State Prison was the 18,000-acre Angola Plantation before the Civil War, . . . |

Joe Piette (2021-03-03). Community demands Sanctuary Schools in Philadelphia, a 'sanctuary city'. workers.org Erika Guadalupe Nuñez speaking, March 1. "Philadelphia has declared itself a 'sanctuary city,' but how can it be a sanctuary city without its schools being sanctuaries for all students?" asked Erika Guadalupe Nuñez of Juntos at a well-attended March 1 press conference outside the School District of Philadelphia headquarters. . . . |

Sandra Plantier (2021-03-03). What the trees of Notre Dame have to tell us. peoplesworld.org On April 15, 2019, watching television footage of Notre Dame Cathedral burning, I wept like millions of other French people and others around the world. The flames which invaded the screen brought back memories of my first visit to the cathedral as a child, reading the novel by Victor Hugo (Notre Dame de Paris, 1831), …

Lambert Strether (2021-03-03). CDC school reopening guidance suppresses aerosols based on thin evidence and driven by budgetary concerns. mronline.org For a period of time after this article was originally published (February 18, 2021) it was scrubbed from Google's search index. When the author, Lambert Strether, realized the piece had been "censored," it was published a second time on March 1, 2021 with an analysis of the purging. Subsequently, the article magically reappeared in the search …

Liberation Staff-Yakima (2021-03-03). Richland, Wash., protesters demand 'no kids in cages'. liberationnews.org Facilities used to cage children that were closed under Trump's administration are being reopened under Biden's administration.

Ed Rampell (2021-03-03). 'Back of the Moon': A Noirish apartheid-era South African film. peoplesworld.org Director/co-writer and Oscar nominee Angus Gibson's Back of the Moon is another example of why I love PAFF—the Pan African Virtual Film + Arts Festival. If not for this festival film buffs like moi probably would never have heard of, let alone had the opportunity to see, this highly entertaining South African movie. Moon is …

Karen Conner (2021-03-03). Workers Should be Wary Now that Private Equity Is Going Retail. cepr.net Eight years after passage of the 2013 JOBS Act that let private equity firms market directly to individuals to solicit their investments, retail investors — largely high net worth individuals — finally account for a significant share of assets under management (AUM) at some of the largest PE firms. Apollo claims to be "among the …

Jamal Rich (2021-03-03). Solidarity rallies call for end to U.S.-backed dictatorship in Haiti. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON——On the morning of March 1 at the Embassy of Haiti, local D.C. organizers with Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) held a solidarity rally with the people of Haiti who are rising up against a U.S.-backed dictator. Jovenel MoàØse's term of office ended Feb. 7, but he has so far refused to relinquish power. MoàØse, …

Melvin Goodman (2021-03-03). Biden's Quandry: Proxy Wars and Endless Wars. counterpunch.org From the end of the Second World War until the administration of Ronald Reagan, there were very few American battlefield deaths in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and Southwest Asia. Since the administration of George H.W. Bush, however, most American battlefield deaths have taken place in those regions. The turning point took place in 1979 with the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Liberation Staff-Yakima (2021-03-03). Richland, Washington protesters demand 'No kids in cages'. liberationnews.org Facilities used to cage children that were closed under Trump's administration are being reopened under Biden's administration.

Eds. (2021-03-03). Debt relief with Chinese characteristics. mronline.org As China is poised to become the world's largest creditor, concerns about debt sustainability have grown. Yet considerable confusion exists over what is likely to happen when a government runs into trouble repaying its Chinese loans.

Ted Kelly (2021-03-03). Biden pick for Secretary of Agriculture no friend of farmworkers or small farmers. workers.org President Joe Biden nominated former Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a job he held for the entire Obama administration from 2009 to 2017. Vilsack testified before the Senate on Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — and was confirmed a few weeks later. . . . |

John Wojcik (2021-03-03). Republicans make the FBI look like the good guys. peoplesworld.org Not too many years ago, it would have been unthinkable that at a congressional hearing on right-wing terror the FBI would be defending left and progressive demonstrators, saying that it was not them but rather white supremacists that were the real threat to security in the U.S. At the obvious displeasure of Republican senators Tuesday, …

Melvin Goodman (2021-03-03). Biden's Quandary: Proxy Wars and Endless Wars. counterpunch.org From the end of the Second World War until the administration of Ronald Reagan, there were very few American battlefield deaths in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and Southwest Asia. Since the administration of George H.W. Bush, however, most American battlefield deaths have taken place in those regions. The turning point took place in 1979 with the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Ted Kelly (2021-03-03). Biden pick for Secretary of Agriculture no friend of farmworkers or small farmers. workers.org President Joe Biden nominated former Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a job he held for the entire Obama administration from 2009 to 2017. Vilsack testified before the Senate on Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — and was confirmed a few weeks later. Vilsack's . . . |

The Conversation (2021-03-03). A common soil pesticide cut wild bee reproduction by 89% — here's why scientists are worried. juancole.com By Philip Donkersley | — When you think of bees, a hive humming with activity probably comes to mind. But most of the world's 20,000 bee species don't call a hive home. These wild species lead solitary lives instead, and around 70% of them build nests underground where they raise their offspring on the nectar …

Mirinda Crissman (2021-03-03). Congelación de Texas: los ricos, más ricos mientras obreros sufren. workers.org Houston Una tormenta invernal sin precedentes azotó a Texas el 15 de febrero y trajo temperaturas bajo cero. Una semana después, grandes sectores de la población siguen sin electricidad, calefacción y/o agua. El horizonte de Houston brilla, mientras millones sufren sin calefacción ni agua en medio de cortes de energía . . . |

Nigel Bouvart (2021-03-03). Buffalo demands mental health help, not death-by-cop. workers.org Buffalo, N.Y., City Hall, Feb. 28 Buffalo, N.Y. — Activists demonstrated here Feb. 28 in solidarity with the family of Daniel Prude and the people of Rochester, N.Y, where police killed Prude while answering a mental health crisis call in March 2020. The police response was to put a "spit . . . |

teleSUR Desk (2021-03-03). Ecuador: Indigenous organizations announce national strike. mronline.org Supporters of Indigenous presidential candidate Yaku Perez demand the recount of electoral records due to alleged electoral fraud.

Jenny Farrell (2021-03-03). Rosa Luxemburg at 150: Toward 'a social order worthy of the human race'. peoplesworld.org On March 5, 2021, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Rosa Luxemburg's birth. No one who wishes to get a sense of Rosa Luxemburg as a person, both political and private, will regret watching Margarethe von Trotta's meticulously researched 1986 film of the same name. It is available with English subtitles. The film begins on …

Eds. (2021-03-03). Ecuador: from horror to electoral debate. mronline.org Amidst denunciations and accusations the campaign for the April 11 runoff begins.

ProPublica (2021-03-03). How Facebook Suppressed Kurdish Site for sake of its Business in Turkey. juancole.com By Jack Gillum and Justin Elliott | — ( ProPublica ) — As Turkey launched a military offensive against Kurdish minorities in neighboring Syria in early 2018, Facebook's top executives faced a political dilemma. Turkey was demanding the social media giant block Facebook posts from the People's Protection Units, a mostly Kurdish militia group the …

Joseph Grosso (2021-03-03). Andrew Cuomo: Legend of a Fall. counterpunch.org Future historians will have a field day examining the daily commentary of the COVID pandemic. Early on there was Madonna sitting nude in a marble bathtub filled with rose petals proclaiming COVID 'the great equalizer.' Trump of course supplied his daily dose of schizophrenic fare so incoherent that even conservative TV hacks were unable to morph it into a convincing picture of brave leadership. Yet nothing tops the spectacle of Ellen Degeneres and Trevor Noah actually declaring themselves to be 'Cuomosexuals', in honor of New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a term that was immediately plastered on various merchandise…

Russell Mokhiber (2021-03-03). Defend the Guard Act Stirs Debate in West Virginia Over Military Industrial Complex. counterpunch.org A debate over the military industrial complex is raging in West Virginia. The debate was kicked off in the West Virginia legislature again this year by Patrick McGeehan, a Republican member of the House of Delegates from the northern panhandle. McGeehan has introduced House Bill 2138 — the Defend the Guard Act. It's a short

John Wojcik (2021-03-03). Biden: With Defense Production Act, enough vaccines by end of May. peoplesworld.org President Joe Biden made history in the nation's fight against the coronavirus Tuesday by announcing that the United States will have enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all American adults for coronavirus by the end of May, two months earlier than the end-of-July date he had previously rolled out. Biden credited the stepped-up timetable to his …

Anand Naidoo (2021-03-03). The Heat: The Arab Spring — 10 years later. america.cgtn.com A decade after mass anti-government protests shook the Middle East, we ask what's the legacy of the Arab Spring?>

Joanna Curtis (2021-03-03). ECtHR orders Russia to release Navalny from prison. ukhumanrightsblog.com On 16 February 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) granted further interim measures against Russia in relation to political opposition figure Alexei Navalny, requiring that Navalny be immediately released from prison due to the risk to his life and health. Background This is not the first time that the Court has granted Navalny's …

Jessica Buxbaum (2021-03-03). Emboldened by Trump and Netanyahu, Jewish Settler Terrorism is Spiking. mintpressnews.com "I saw a lot of settlers be proud of attacking Palestinians, be open about annexation and apartheid — all of this behavior came out during the Trump administration." — Issa Amro, Founder Youths Against Settlements…

RT (2021-03-03). Design firm had 'no idea' CPAC stage resembled Nazi symbol, but takes responsibility after liberal conspiracy spirals out of hand. rt.com The design firm behind a stage setup at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has emphatically dismissed conspiracy theories that their work was intended to resemble Nazi insignia. | Design Foundry, a firm based in Maryland, has come forward to say they "had no idea" their stage layout for the conservative conference held last week in Orlando, Florida resembled the Othala Rune, a symbol found on Nazi uniforms. | The resemblance was highlighted by numerous critics on social media following the event, with even host Hyatt Hotels releasing a statement calling the supposed connection "abhorrent" a…

Ralph Underhill (2021-03-03). UK media coverage of Scottish politics. thecanary.co Image description | This cartoon is titled "UK media coverage of Scottish politics". It shows a bar graph, and the first bar is tiny, coloured green, and labelled "Usual". The second bar is massive, coloured like a Scottish flag, and labelled "When a distraction from Westminster is needed". | By

Steve Topple (2021-03-03). Here's the BBC's most insidious bit of Rishi Sunak propaganda yet. thecanary.co BBC News couldn't let Budget day go by without an insidious Who is Rishi Sunak?: | On Wedn…

Qassam Muaddi (2021-03-03). Palestinian Authority's push to regulate NGOs raises fear of power grab. middleeasteye.net Palestinian Authority's push to regulate NGOs raises fear of power grab | New decree restricting activities of nonprofit organisations condemned by campaigners | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 17: 07 | Palestinian lawyers demonstrate in front of the legislative council to reject controversial amendments undertaken by the Palestinian Authority, in Ramallah, West Bank, on 9 February 2021(AFP) | Palestinian civil…

Rayhan Uddin (2021-03-03). Macron admits France tortured and murdered Algerian freedom fighter. middleeasteye.net Macron admits France tortured and murdered Algerian freedom fighter | Ali Boumendjel's death in 1957 was disguised as suicide, French president tells nationalist's grandchildren | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 12: 58 | Malika Boumendjel, the late widow of Algerian lawyer Ali Boumendjel, during an interview in May 2001 (AFP) | French President Emmanuel Macron has admitted that France's army "tortured and murdered"

MEE, agencies (2021-03-03). US calls on Saudi Arabia to forgo 'developing' country status at WTO. middleeasteye.net US calls on Saudi Arabia to forgo 'developing' country status at WTO | Washington says Riyadh is 'wealthy and influential player' that should not get special treatment by World Trade Organisation | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 19: 02 | Saudi Arabia is a member of the G20, a forum of the world's largest economies (AFP/File photo) | The United States is calling on Saudi Arabia to give up its "developin…

Tom Westcott (2021-03-03). Iraq: Christians in Iraq's devastated Qaraqosh await Pope Francis's visit. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Christians in Iraq's devastated Qaraqosh await Pope Francis's visit | Iraq's drastically diminished Christian communities are full of hope for the pope's trip, while senior church officials remain more circumspect | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 10: 03 | Posters adorn the front of the Mar Yusef church in Baghdad, where Pope Francis will lead a mass on 6 March 2021 (MEE/Tom Westcott) | In the Christian-major…

Paul Cochrane (2021-03-03). 'Digital Suez': How the internet flows through Egypt – and why Google could change the Middle East. middleeasteye.net 'Digital Suez': How the internet flows through Egypt – and why Google could change the Middle East | Most web traffic between Europe and Asia passes through fibre optic cables crossing Egypt. Could a proposed new route through Israel and Saudi Arabia break the 'Red Sea bottleneck'? | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 14: 55 | Most internet traffic between Europe, the Middle East and Asia passes through Egypt (MEE/…

Tom Westcott (2021-03-03). Iraq: Christians await Pope Francis's visit. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Christians await Pope Francis's visit | Iraq's drastically diminished Christian communities are full of hope for the pope's trip, while senior church officials remain more circumspect | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 10: 03 | Posters adorn the front of the Mar Yusef church in Baghdad, where Pope Francis will lead a mass on 6 March 2021 (MEE/Tom Westcott) | In the Christian-majority, northern Iraqi town of Qa…

Ragip Soylu (2021-03-03). Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict: How Baku destroyed Russian S-300s with Israeli suicide drones. middleeasteye.net Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict: How Baku destroyed Russian S-300s with Israeli suicide drones | The Azerbaijani military used decoy aircraft to lure out the air-defence systems deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 14: 21 | An S-300 missile system at the rehearsals of Victory Day parade in Moscow in 2009 (Creative Common/Vitaly V Kuzmin)
| Azerbaijani forces used a sophisticated method to des…

Nadda Osman (2021-03-03). Khashoggi murder: Twitter suspends thousands of pro-Saudi accounts following report release. middleeasteye.net Khashoggi murder: Twitter suspends thousands of pro-Saudi accounts following report release | Huge uptick in spam activity as US publicly accuses Mohammed bin Salman of being behind journalist's assassination | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 16: 28 | Thousands of accounts have been investigated by Twitter for suspicious and spam activity (AFP) | Twitter has announced the removal and investigation of thousands of acco…

MEE staff (2021-03-03). Former US envoy says Israel is now 'wedge issue' in American politics. middleeasteye.net Former US envoy says Israel is now 'wedge issue' in American politics | In interview with Jerusalem Post, David Friedman says 'uniform support for Israel is being challenged' in the United States | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 16: 16 | Friedman dismissed the prospect of Israeli-Palestinian talks under Biden (AFP/File photo) | Former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman has said that Israel has "become a wedge issue" in…

Peter Allen (2021-03-03). Financial Times investigating complaint over Macron's claims about French Muslims. middleeasteye.net Financial Times investigating complaint over Macron's claims about French Muslims | UK newspaper examining accuracy of French president's published letter, in which he said young girls were wearing the veil and being separated from boys | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 16: 49 | French President Emmanuel Macron has described Islam as a 'religion in crisis' (AFP) | The Financial Times is investigating a complaint that…

MEE staff (2021-03-03). Biden State Department nominee suggests some sanctions against Iran will remain. middleeasteye.net Biden State Department nominee suggests some sanctions against Iran will remain | Deputy Secretary of State nominee says she agrees that US should keep some sanctions on Iran, regardless of nuclear deal talks | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 18: 50 | Serving as Under Secretary of State for political affairs in 2015, Wendy Sherman helped negotiate the nuclear deal with Iran (Reuters/File photo) | Wendy Sherman, US President…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-03). Iraq: Civilian contractor dies in rocket attack on base hosting US troops. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Civilian contractor dies in rocket attack on base hosting US troops | The attack on the Ain al-Asad base comes two days before Pope Francis's historic visit to the country | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 08: 15 | The Ain al-Asad base hosts Iraqi forces as well as troops from the US-led coalition helping Iraq fight remnants of Islamic State (File pic/AFP) | A civilian contractor with the US-led c…

MEE staff (2021-03-03). Iran says US must be held accountable for 'crimes in Yemen'. middleeasteye.net Iran says US must be held accountable for 'crimes in Yemen' | Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh rejects Washington's claim that Iran is fanning 'the flames of conflict' in Yemen | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 22: 00 | Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, lashed out at Washington for selling weapons to Saudi-led coalition (AFP) | Iran's foreign ministry hit back at American accusations that Teh…

Areeb Ullah (2021-03-03). Philippines to allow domestic workers to be employed in UAE after ending suspension. middleeasteye.net Philippines to allow domestic workers to be employed in UAE after ending suspension | Move comes after two countries agreed deal guaranteeing additional protections for Filipino domestic staff | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 11: 52 | The Philippines Department of Labour and Employment said the new agreement was similar to one now being used in Kuwait (AFP) | The Philippines will lift a suspension on its maids workin…

Chuck Collins (2021-03-03). Time for the Warren-Jayapal Wealth Tax. counterpunch.org This week Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced her updated wealth tax proposal, the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act. The legislation was introduced in the House by Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Brendan Boyle (D-PA). According to an analysis by the Institute for Policy Studies/Inequality.org (IPS) and the Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF), America's billionaires alone would have paid

PAI (2021-03-03). Biden inaction on Saudis' Khashoggi assassination angers News Guild. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON (PAI)—Democratic President Joe Biden's decision to take no action, including no sanctions, against Saudi Arabia's de facto supreme ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, for ordering the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is angering The News Guild. A Bin Salman-sent hit squad murdered and dismembered Khashoggi, a contributing writer for The Washington Post, when …

Betsey Piette (2021-03-03). Fracking banned in Delaware River Basin. workers.org In a historic ruling, the Delaware River Basin Commission voted Feb. 25 to permanently ban fracking (hydraulic fracturing) for natural gas in the Delaware River Watershed. This ruling formally affirms a drilling moratorium the DRBC imposed in 2010. Protesters call for ban on fracking at Delaware River Basin Commission hearing . . . |

_____ (2021-03-03). Should We Fear a German Ministry of Social Cohesion? strategic-culture.org The idea that there needs to be a ministry to make certain ethnic groups feel a greater sense of equality is of course a red flag. | Hearing the idea of a "Ministry of Social Cohesion" was quite exciting for someone who writes about politics, geopolitics and ideology on a regular basis. On the surface this sounds like a systemic answer to the paradox of our time — that our omnipresent Liberalism only acknowledges the individual and yet humans have always lived in groups from the darkness of prehistory. This sort of ministry sounds like it could be a part of a new rising Chinese Communism or the dreams of a s…

_____ (2021-03-03). Canadian Hypocrisy Shines Embarrassingly With New Accusations of China's Muslim Genocide. strategic-culture.org China has managed to both find a sustainable cure for terrorism without destroying a single nation, while providing a foundation for extending the Belt and Road into the Middle East and beyond, Matthew Ehret writes. | This week, the Canadian parliament, became the second nation of the Five Eyes (after the USA) to pass a motion condemning

Yanis Varoufakis (2021-03-03). In defense of Ken Loach. mronline.org Ken Loach, thankfully no smear campaign against him can succeed. Not only because Ken's work and life are proof of the accusation's absurdity, but also because of the courageous Israelis who take awful risks by defending the right of Jews and non-Jews alike to criticise Israel.

Chauncey K. Robinson (2021-03-03). Narrative of fear: Republicans try to block pro-LGBTQ Equality Act. peoplesworld.org While the Republican Party is making headlines for opposing President Biden's American Rescue Plan aimed at saving millions of Americans from total ruin, it's still got plenty of energy to block another piece of progressive legislation coming out of Washington. On Feb. 25, a divided House narrowly passed the Equality Act, an historic bill that …

A Guest Author (2021-03-03). Cuban 'Red Rose' wins journalism honor. workers.org By Rubén G. Abelenda This slightly edited article was published in Resumen-english.org. Photo: Ismael Francisco Feb. 27 — It was José Martí who said "Honor for those who deserve honor" — but he could never have imagined that the highest distinction awarded to journalists in Cuba would bear his name . . . |

Kathy Kelly (2021-03-02). Blood for Oil. dissidentvoice.org Amid the ongoing horror, it's important to find ways to atone for war crimes —including reparations. Thirty years ago, when the United States launched Operation Desert Storm against Iraq, I was a member of the Gulf Peace Team. We were 73 people from fifteen different countries, aged 22 to 76, living in a tent camp …

Patrick Cockburn (2021-03-02). ISIS and the UK: the Case of Shamima Begum. counterpunch.org A former Isis fighter once complained to me that western volunteers who travelled to the so-called Islamic State in northeastern Syria were a burden because they did not speak Arabic, had no military experience, knew little about Islam and had often come because they were bored or unhappy at home. He said that their main

Chris Banks (2021-03-02). Mumia has COVID! Take action now to save his life. liberationnews.org World renown political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal has contracted COVID-19. His life is in imminent danger, not only from the deadly illness, but from Pennsylvania prison officials known to cruelly deny prisoners effective and lifesaving medical treatment. Mumia is particularly vulnerable. He is 66 years old with underlying medical conditions. As such, his life is in …

Editor (2021-03-02). Raise the minimum wage to $15 — at least! workers.org A $15-per-hour minimum wage cannot be included in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill proposed by Congressional Democrats. So ruled the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth McDonough, on Feb. 25. This unelected official called it "irrelevant to budget legislation." This edict is a brutal blow to millions of struggling workers. Nevertheless, the . . . |

RT (2021-03-02). Dr. Anthony Fauci publicly opposes delaying second doses of Covid vaccines to inoculate more people. rt.com Dr. Anthony Fauci has disagreed with calls to delay the second dose of Covid-19 jabs to inoculate more Americans, rejecting the strategy adopted by the UK government and others to speed up their vaccine rollout. | America's top infectious disease official made the comments to the Washington Post, as he said the United States must stick to its current two-dose strategy for both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. | Fauci warned that, while delaying second doses of the vaccines could allow health officials to provide more individuals with their first dose, it also presents risks, such as leaving people wit…

Staff (2021-03-02). Black People Face Higher COVID Infections & Deaths. Should They Have Lower Age Cutoffs for Vaccines? democracynow.org As the U.S. vaccine rollout continues to expand, health justice advocates worry about a racial gap in vaccinations. Black communities have been hard hit by the pandemic, but rates of vaccination in communities of color lag behind largely white communities across the country. Dr. Oni Blackstock, a primary care and HIV physician, argues that age cutoffs should be lowered or removed for Black people in order to speed up inoculations, noting that Black Americans are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as white Americans and also dying at rates similar to those of white Americans who are 10 years older. "These fixed-…

RT (2021-03-02). Johnson & Johnson's newly-approved Covid vaccine met with pushback as Catholic diocese condemns it for 'ties to abortion cells'. rt.com As Johnson & Johnson rolls out its freshly approved Covid-19 vaccine in the US, it faces a religious controversy as the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans has labeled it "morally compromised" over links to abortion cells. | Catholics are advised not to receive the vaccine because Johnson & Johnson used cell lines derived from decades-old abortions in both testing and production of the new product, the Archdiocese Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have utiliz…

RT (2021-03-02). 'It is time!' Mississippi governor to end mask mandate & lift all Covid-19 business restrictions, following Texas' lead. rt.com Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he will soon axe the state's mask mandate and end all coronavirus-related business restrictions, pointing to improved case and hospitalization numbers after Texas took a similar step. | "Starting tomorrow, we are lifting all of our county mask mandates and businesses will be able to operate at full capacity without any state-imposed rules," Reeves said in a tweet on Tuesday. | Our hospitalizations and case numbers have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed. It is time! | Starting tomorrow, we are lifting all of our county mask mandates and businesses will…

RT (2021-03-02). US won't share Covid-19 vaccines with Mexico as Americans must be inoculated first — White House. rt.com The Biden administration has rejected the idea of sharing Covid-19 vaccines with the hard-hit neighbor Mexico, White House press-secretary Jen Psaki said, adding that it can only be discussed after all Americans get their shots. | "The administration's focus is on ensuring that every American is vaccinated. And once we accomplish that objective we're happy to discuss further steps," Psaki said when asked about possible vaccine sharing during a briefing on Monday. | The comments came hours before the virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. | Also…

Areeb Ullah (2021-03-02). Covid-19: Saudi Arabia says vaccine is a must for Hajj. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Saudi Arabia says vaccine is a must for Hajj | It is still unclear if Riyadh will allow people to travel to the kingdom for the annual pilgrimage this July | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 12: 57 | Saudi Arabia introduced social distancing rules to protect pilgrims from the coronavirus (AFP) | Saudi Arabia said pilgrims hoping to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage would need to be vaccinated against Covid-1…

Staff (2021-03-02). Anti-Choice Forces Use Pandemic to Slash Abortion Access in Preview of Post-Roe v. Wade World. democracynow.org We look at how people across the U.S. have struggled to access abortions during the pandemic with reporter Amy Littlefield, who says that even before the COVID-19 outbreak, many states had restrictions, including three-day waiting periods and counseling sessions filled with misinformation. Then, many tried to use the pandemic as a pretext for banning abortion as a nonessential service. "Texas, in the early weeks of the pandemic, sort of gave us a dress rehearsal for what it could look like when states try to ban abortion entirely," says Littlefield. "We saw how half a century worth of attempts to whittle away at…

RT (2021-03-02). Italy shuts all schools in Covid-19 hotspots, toughens travel rules until after Easter amid spread of variants. rt.com The Italian government has ordered all schools to close in the areas with the highest Covid-19 infection rates as part of a series of new measures set to last until after Easter amid the threat of more contagious viral variants. | On Tuesday, Italy's new prime minister Mario Draghi signed an emergency decree that will see public health measures tightened in so-called 'red zones' from March 6 to April 6. | Under a new

RT (2021-03-02). Back from the brink? Chechen head Kadyrov says he's persuaded Chimaev to reignite UFC title dream for 'millions of fans in Russia'. rt.com Just as UFC fans were coming to terms with their shock at Khamzat Chimaev's pained retirement announcement, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has claimed that he has convinced the rising star to stay in the sport with a personal call. | Unbeaten MMA sensation Chimaev admitted defeat in his bid to return from Covid-19 complications on Tuesday, stunning supporters who had watched him rapidly become one of the promotion's most hotly-tipped fighters before being forced to call off a succession of bouts while he struggled to recover from illness. | UFC president Dana White had insisted that Chimaev, who he justifiably…

RT (2021-03-02). 'Mass murder' and 'reckless': Texas ending mask mandates triggers Democrat meltdown. rt.com The announcement by Governor Greg Abbott that Texas will fully reopen next week is drawing backlash from mask mandate champions such as his California colleague Gavin Newsom and other Democrats — and counter-backlash as well. | Abbott marked the anniversary of the 1836 Texan independence on Tuesday by announcing that the state will reopen "100 percent" by next week in order to "restore livelihoods and normalcy." | Also on rt.com | | While Covid-19 has not disappeared,…

RT (2021-03-02). Texas gov lifts mask mandate & OKs businesses to operate at 100% capacity. rt.com Texas Governor Greg Abbott has lifted many of the Covid-19 restrictions in his state, permitting businesses to operate at 100-percent capacity starting March 10 and repealing the requirement for people to wear face coverings. | Abbott delivered the "exciting news" during a speech to the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, informing the assembled small business and community leaders that the mask mandate — in place since July — was no more. | "We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans by opening Texas 100 percent," Abbott said in a statement on Tuesday — Texas' Indepe…

RT (2021-03-02). 'This is why Americans don't trust media': CNN's Cuomo ripped for claiming he 'obviously' can't cover brother's scandals. rt.com CNN's Chris Cuomo is igniting anger by claiming he cannot objectively cover the numerous sexual harassment and misconduct allegations against his brother, with critics pointing to past puffy interviews between the two. | Promising to "shoot straight" with his audience, Cuomo finally acknowledged the numerous scandals plaguing his brother Andrew Cuomo's administration on Monday evening. | "Obviously I am aware of what's going on with my brother," he said. "And obviously I can't cover it because he is my brother." | Cuomo promised his network would "extensively" cover the ongoing situations with the New York go…

Staff (2021-03-02). Anti-Choice Forces Use Pandemic as Pretext to Slash Abortion Access. truthout.org We look at how people across the U.S. have struggled to access abortions during the pandemic with reporter Amy Littlefield, who says that even before the COVID-19 outbreak, many states had restrictions, including three-day waiting periods and counseling sessions filled with misinformation. Then, many tried to use the pandemic as a pretext for banning abortion as a nonessential service. "Texas, in the early weeks of the pandemic, sort of gave us a dress rehearsal for what it could look like when states tr…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-02). Covid-19: Turkey reopens restaurants, schools as infection rates drop. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Turkey reopens restaurants, schools as infection rates drop | President Erdogan declares the beginning of 'controlled normalisation' policy with the coronavirus | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 07: 54 | A man feeds seagulls on the shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul during heavy snowfalls on 14 February 2021 (AFP) | Turkey is beginning to ease coronavirus restrictions from Tuesday in new guide…

Betsey Piette (2021-03-02). Protest demands freedom for Mumia, suffering COVID symptoms. workers.org Political prisoner and Black journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, including difficulty breathing, Feb 26. Hearing this news, his family and supporters called a protest. Less than 24 hours later, about 70 people turned up outside the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to call for Abu-Jamal's immediate . . . |

_____ (2021-03-02). Billionaire Wealth, U.S. Job Losses and Pandemic Profiteers. strategic-culture.org Check back for our regular updates on U.S. unemployment and billionaire wealth during the pandemic emergency. | By Chuck COLLINS | February 24, 2021 Update: US Billionaire Wealth Grows $1.3 trillion Since Mid-March 2020. | As the US crosses the threshold of half a million deaths from the Covid pandemic, the nation's billionaires continue to reap extraordinary financial gains. After 11 months of pandemic misery, where millions have lost their jobs, health and wealth, total US billionaire wealth increased $1.3 trillion since mid-March, 2020, an increase of 44 percent. | As of the market close on Friday, February…

Staff (2021-03-02). A New Form of Jim Crow: Ari Berman on the GOP's Anti-Democratic Assault on Voting Rights. democracynow.org The Republican-led House in Georgia has passed a sweeping bill to make it harder to vote, in a move aimed to prevent Democrats from winning future elections. The bill limits access to absentee ballots, limits weekend early voting hours and curbs ballot drop boxes, among other provisions. Across the U.S., Republican lawmakers have introduced more than 250 bills in 43 states aimed at restricting voting access. Ari Berman, author and reporter for Mother Jones, says Republicans are "breaking democracy" with their push to restrict voting. "The Republican Party has no interest in appealing to a majority of Americans. I…

RT (2021-03-02). US sanctions leaders of Yemen's Houthi rebels for 'prolonging civil war and exacerbating humanitarian crisis'. rt.com The US has slapped sanctions on two key figures of Yemen's Houthi rebel movement following the Biden administration's recent calls for the Iran-backed group to help end the Yemeni Civil War. | The Treasury Department said in a statement on Tuesday that it had blacklisted Mansur Al-Sa'adi, the Houthi Naval Forces Chief of Staff, and Ahmad 'Ali Ahsan al-Hamzi, the commander of the Houthi-aligned Yemeni Air Force and Air Defense Forces. The sanctions effectively amount to US asset freezes. | "The United States condemns the destruction of civilian sites by the Houthi militants designated today. These individuals c…

MEE staff (2021-03-02). US sanctions Houthi commanders in Yemen for 'worsening humanitarian crisis'. middleeasteye.net US sanctions Houthi commanders in Yemen for 'worsening humanitarian crisis' | In announcing sanctions, Washington also rebuked Iran's 'involvement' in protracted conflict | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 17: 24 | Houthi supporters in Sanaa protest against blockade imposed on Yemen by Saudi-led coalition, 26 February (AFP) | The Biden administration imposed sanctions on two Houthi commanders on Tuesday, accusing the Yemeni…

Binoy Kampmark (2021-03-02). War Mongering for Artificial Intelligence. counterpunch.org The ghost of Edward Teller must have been doing the rounds between members of the National Commission on Artificial Intelligence. The father of the hydrogen bomb was never one too bothered by the ethical niggles that came with inventing murderous technology. It was not, for instance, "the scientist's job to determine whether a hydrogen bomb

Devin Cole (2021-03-02). Nadezhda Krupskaya: Bolshevik revolutionary and educator. workers.org Feb. 14 is the birth date of Nadezhda Krupskaya — Bolshevik revolutionary, educator and library advocate. Although born to a formerly aristocratic family, her family had descended into poverty, which led her to study Marxism. She joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903. Nadezhda Krupskaya In 1905, Krupskaya . . . |

RT (2021-03-02). Amazon revises new app logo after users liken it to Adolf Hitler's smirk. rt.com Amazon quietly changed the design of its app logo after social media users claimed the image of a box with tape on it bears a resemblance to Nazi Germany's dictator, Adolf Hitler. | The original logo, which Amazon rolled out in January, was meant to portray a brown Amazon box with a piece of jagged tape above the company's iconic smile icon. The combination of the smile and tape, however, ended up vaguely resembling Hitler's infamous toothbrush moustache. | Amazon's revised version of the logo has ditched the jagged tape for a more square piece of tape with a folded corner. | lmao I completely missed that amaz…

Climate Nexus (2021-03-02). Sky-high levels of fracking chemicals detected in children's bodies. peoplesworld.org While the hazards of fracking to human health are well-documented, first-of-its-kind research from Environmental Health News shows the actual levels of biomarkers for fracking chemicals in the bodies of children living near fracking wells far higher than in the general population. The research fills a gap in the science between the health harms experienced by …

E.L. Melrose (2021-03-02). Erie, PA: Residents skeptical towards corporation's "green" promises. liberationnews.org The plight of this area has left the door open to the opportunism of "green" industry and it is currently being courted by International Recycling Group (IRG).

E.L. Melrose (2021-03-02). Erie, PA: Residents skeptical of corporation's 'green' promises. liberationnews.org The plight of this area has left the door open to the opportunism of "green" industry and it is currently being courted by International Recycling Group (IRG).

Staff (2021-03-02). Faith without workers is dead. therealnews.com Working in the Church is a lot like working for other nonprofits, according to Rev. Lindsey Joyce. The work is fulfilling, but it can also be exploitative, and we need to talk about it.

Ben Cowles (2021-03-02). At least 15 refugees dead in Mediterranean shipwreck. peoplesworld.org At least 15 people drowned in the central Mediterranean at the weekend while attempting to flee Libya, though the death toll could have been much higher if civilian rescuers had not intervened. Activist network Alarm Phone received a distress call early yesterday morning from a rubber boat carrying about 125 people. The boat was deflating, …

The Conversation (2021-03-02). Decline of Coal shows Gov't Policy, Renewables crucial to Reducing Carbon Emissions: The Market isn't Enough. juancole.com By David Drake and Jeffrey York | — The big idea People often point to plunging natural gas prices as the reason U.S. coal-fired power plants have been shutting down at a faster pace in recent years. However, new research shows two other forces had a much larger effect: federal regulation and a well-funded activist …

Jim Soliz (2021-03-02). Congressional Republicans Kevin McCarthy, Mike Garcia met with protests. peoplesworld.org SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Planned protests against two Congressional Republicans from Southern California, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (23rd C.D.) and Rep. Mike Garcia (25th C.D.) took place as scheduled on Fri., Feb. 26. The actions took place in the cities of Santa Clarita, Lancaster, and Bakersfield, three bulwarks of the far right in California, as …

Robert Penner (2021-03-02). Struggle for justice forces reopening of two cases of police violence in Milwaukee. liberationnews.org The cases of Christopher Davis, killed by Milwaukee Deputy Juan Ortiz, and Jay Anderson, killed by Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah, have been re-opened in the Milwaukee area.

Berry Craig (2021-03-02). Biden just proved to workers that he's got our backs. peoplesworld.org Going on 86 years ago, Franklin D. Roosevelt made the most pro-union statement ever uttered by an American president. Joe Biden just broke FDR's record. Said the 46th president in a video posted to Twitter: "…Workers in Alabama and all across America are voting on whether to organize a union in their workplace. This is vitally important—a vitally …

Margaret Flowers (2021-03-02). Small Acts Can Become A Power No Government Can Suppress. dissidentvoice.org The American Rescue Plan (ARP) was passed in the House this past week and now heads to the Senate, where it will no doubt be changed before it becomes law some time in mid-March. The current unemployment benefits expire on March 14. While we don't know what the final bill will look like, at least …

E.L. Melrose (2021-03-02). Erie, PA: Residents skeptical towards corporation's 'green' promises. liberationnews.org The plight of this area has left the door open to the opportunism of "green" industry and it is currently being courted by International Recycling Group (IRG).

James Bovard (2021-03-02). The Afghanization of American Democracy? counterpunch.org Acrimony and recriminations continue to swirl around the 2020 presidential election. Three out of four Republicans believe that there was "widespread fraud" in the election, while Democrats have sought to turn into criticisms of the election into a "Big Lie" heresy against democracy. Senior congressional Democrats are pressuring the nation's largest cable providers to cease carrying conservative networks such as Fox News that raised too many questions about Biden's victory.

Phil Knight (2021-03-02). Yellowstone Wasn't Saved by Chance. counterpunch.org Yellowstone National Park, the original "Best American Idea", turns 149 on March 1 this year. We tend to take for granted that we have lots of great national parks and that ones like Yellowstone are protected. But Yellowstone was the first national park and we almost lost that wonderland. In the 1870s and '80s, opportunists

Joe Sims (2021-03-02). Getting it right on Hampton, the Panthers, and 'Judas and the Black Messiah'. peoplesworld.org The young freedom fighters of the Black Panther Party, as brilliantly portrayed in the film Judas and the Black Messiah, were most certainly "uncompromising," as described in Brian W. Major's recent People's World review. The recently released film, directed by Shaka King and starring Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfiel, Dominique Fishback, and Martin Sheen, unfolds a …

PAI (2021-03-02). Senate Democrats pull $15 wage from rescue package; progressives target filibuster. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The Senate's barely ruling Democrats apparently have given up for now on raising the minimum wage, but the nation's unions, the New Poor People's Campaign, and their allies haven't. By a 219-212 vote after midnight on Feb. 27, the Democratic-run House approved the $1.9 trillion economic aid bill, called the American Rescue Plan. It includes …

Ian Cobain (2021-03-02). Labour faces legal challenge over recruitment of former Israeli spy. middleeasteye.net Labour faces legal challenge over recruitment of former Israeli spy | British Palestinian party member says ex-military intelligence officer's 'social listening' role raises questions about data security | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 12: 04 | Labour leader Keir Starmer has been criticised by other senior party figures over the appointment (Reuters) | The UK Labour Party is facing a legal challenge over its decision t…

RT (2021-03-02). Newsweek forced to admit Buffalo schools teaching kids to blame 'all white people' is true, not 'HALF-TRUE' in big fact-check FAIL. rt.com After public schools in Buffalo, New York have been called out for blaming "all white people" for perpetuating systematic racism, "fact-checkers" tried to disprove it — only to be left red-faced when confronted with evidence. | Journalist Chris Rufo has been vindicated after fact-checkers accused him of misreporting the contents of a Black Lives Matter-themed curriculum being employed at Buffalo Public Schools (BPS) last month. The magazine quietly confirmed that BPS was, in fact, teaching its students to blame all white people for the suffering of others. | While Rufo showed the curriculum claimed that…

RT (2021-03-02). British holiday camp firm blacklisted Irish families based on their names, UK rights body rules. rt.com The operator of a chain of holiday camps in the UK has admitted it racially discriminated against Irish guests by trying to exclude Travellers or Gypsies from using their facilities, and kept a blacklist of Irish family names. | Pontins, which operates six holiday parks in England and Wales, admitted it engaged in a series of practices that discriminated against people with an Irish accent or surname. | The UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said on Tuesday that Pontins monitored calls at its contact centre, blocking bookings from people with Irish accents, kept a blacklist of family names it dee…

MEE correspondent (2021-03-02). Egypt: 'Homesick' journalist detained after return from exile in Turkey. middleeasteye.net Egypt: 'Homesick' journalist detained after return from exile in Turkey | Gamaal el-Gamal, who suffers five chronic illnesses, is at risk of death in custody, his friends warn | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 14: 24 | Gamaal el-Gamal, an Egyptian journalist and columnist, was detained at Cairo airport on 22 February (Social media) | Egypt has ordered the pre-trial detention of journalist and governm…

Anand Naidoo (2021-03-02). The Heat: U.S. immigration reform. america.cgtn.com U.S. President Joe Biden pursues immigration reform as his first major legislative initiative. But can he deliver?>

Editor (2021-03-02). Digamosle a Biden: °Deja de bombardear Siria! workers.org La administración de Biden solo tardó 36 días en el cargo para mostrar al mundo, a través de un bombardeo en Siria, que es beligerante, agresivo y empeñado en la guerra. Solo hubo un breve respiro de las viles palabras y acciones de Trump. Ahora tenemos que enfrentar los viles . . . |

Antonio García (2021-03-02). Protestas contra congresistas republicanos en el sur de California. peoplesworld.org BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Las manifestaciones contra los congresistas republicanos Kevin McCarthy (castaño 23) y Mike Garcia (castaño 25) se llevaron a cabo tal como se había planeado este viernes pasado 26 de febrero. Las acciones tomaron lugar en las ciudades de Santa Clarita, Lancaster y Bakersfield. En Santa Clarita, inmediatamente los manifestaciones fueron confrontados con …

RT (2021-03-02). Piers Morgan calls for joggers on high streets to be BANNED as he hosts panel on masking-up exercisers. rt.com ITV's Good Morning Britain has attempted to guilt runners into masking up, hosting a professor who called joggers a hazard for dog-walking old ladies as host Piers Morgan groused they spoiled his strolls. It wasn't well-received. | "The puffing and panting jogger" is a public menace, Oxford University professor Trish Greenhalgh warned the audience in Tuesday's episode of the programme. She urged runners to wear masks outdoors lest they unknowingly be spreading the virus. | "There's no doubt the virus is in the air, there's no doubt that you can catch it if you inhale air that someone else has exhaled," Greenha…

RT (2021-03-02). The Limb Reaper: Horrific scenes as MMA fighter's leg SNAPS after thunderous low kick (GRAPHIC VIDEO). rt.com In scenes reminiscent of Anderson Silva's gruesome leg break many years ago, MMA fighter Dean Maxwell is facing an extended spell on the sidelines from his shin giving way after taking a thunderous kick in a fight in Australia. | Low kicks are quickly becoming an in-vogue technique in MMA. Weeks after Dustin Poirier employed numerous calf kicks to stifle and eventually knock out Conor McGregor in Abu Dhabi in January, another effective use of the move has gone viral online — but this one is more than a little tough to watch. | Aussie fighters Dean Maxwell and Randall Ray were doing battle in a heavyweight…

RT (2021-03-02). 'Tell her to come without a bra': Russian footballer Bystrov reignites row with ice queen Semenovich who he told to 'cut boobs'. rt.com A simmering row between Russian footballer Vladimir Bystrov and former ice-dancer Anna Semenovich has been reignited after the ex-Russia winger asked her to meet him without a bra in order to be able to show off her breasts. | The spat between the two celebrated former athletes erupted last month after Bystrov said that the former skater could have "cut her boobs" in order to have remained competitive and enjoyed a longer sporting career. | In an interview with Russian sports outlet Sport Express, the footballer suggested that having a curvy figure might be problematic for a professional skater, as big breasts…

RT (2021-03-02). 'Absolute legend': Ex-Russia & Chelsea football ace Smertin plays keepy-uppy on ice — then wins notorious extreme marathon (VIDEO). rt.com Former Russia captain Alexey Smertin has been filmed delicately juggling a football on the icy surface of a vast lake in Siberia — a day before battling through freezing conditions to win one of the world's toughest marathons. | Dressed in gloves and a woolly hat, brave Smertin showed nifty knee and footwork to keep a ball up on the ice with friends ahead of the annual Baikal Ice Marathon, a remarkable 26.2-mile race which takes place on a lake surface. | The daring 45-year-old showed he still possessed some of the ample skills that took him to the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 in a much-needed warm-up, a…

RT (2021-03-02). 'Athletes unite the world, politics divide it': Football megastar Zlatan reignites feud by telling LeBron James to stick to NBA. rt.com Outspoken striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has once again said that politics and sport must be kept separate amid a brewing feud with NBA icon LeBron James, who he suggested last week should stay in his lane and "do what he's good at".

RT (2021-03-02). Russia's raciest whistle-blower Ekaterina Kostyunina strips naked for erotic shoot in 'hottest photo session' of her life (PHOTOS). rt.com Russian referee Ekaterina Kostyunina, dubbed the country's "most beautiful football official," has taken part in a naked photoshoot, sharing raunchy pictures online that haven't gone unnoticed by her fans. | The whistle-blower and Instagram model stripped off, proudly displaying her fit body in a shoot that she described as "the hottest photo session" of her life. | Kostyunina is seen in one photo posing in a white bathtub with one arm barely covering her breasts. In another set of raunchy pictures she lays languidly across a bed, leaving little to the imagination. | The referee said she received the pic…

RT (2021-03-02). Twitch reverts back to 'women' after tweet celebrating 'Womxn's History Month' savaged online. rt.com Streaming platform Twitch has returned to the conventional spelling for "women" after its social media post hailing "Womxn's History Month" — avoiding any "gender-binary language" — backfired and angered critics on all sides. | Though the company took to Twitter on Monday to inform users that "March is Womxn's History Month," using an alternative styling of "women" in a bid to include non-binary gender identities, it made an abrupt about-face just a few hours later, announcing that it would revert back to the standard spelling. | "While we originally wanted to use a word that acknowledges the short…

RT (2021-03-02). YouTube REMOVES video of Trump's CPAC speech from RT channels — yet it's ok with the SAME video posted by Western outlets. rt.com Having a video of former US President Donald Trump's speech at CPAC may get you warnings and a deletion from YouTube, but apparently only if you're RT, as the platform seems to selectively apply its arbitrary and capricious rules. | UPDATE: In the hours following the publication of this article, some of the other outlets mentioned in it have also had their videos of Trump's CPAC speech removed. | On Tuesday, RT and its German-language channel RT DE got a notice from YouTube that the video of Trump speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida on Sunday was being flagged for a "stri…

RT (2021-03-02). Americans more concerned with violent protests in US cities than Capitol riot, more certain pro-Trump rioters get convicted — poll. rt.com A new poll has found people are more concerned about protests that turned violent over the summer in major cities than the violence at the US Capitol, and that most believe it's the January 6 rioters who will face full justice.

RT (2021-03-02). New York Governor Cuomo faces THIRD sexual harassment accuser after state AG announces probe into prior allegations. rt.com Yet another woman has come forward to accuse New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, becoming the third to go on record with similar charges after the state's attorney general signaled she would open an investigation. | Anna Ruch, a former staffer in the Barack Obama administration and a member of Joe Biden's 2020 campaign team,

RT (2021-03-02). WATCH Iranian missiles rain down on US base in Iraq following Soleimani assassination in newly declassified VIDEO. rt.com The Pentagon has declassified never-before-seen drone footage showing a barrage of Iranian missiles pounding an American airbase in Iraq last year, launched in response to the US kill strike on Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. | US Central Command released the declassified footage to CBS for a '60 Minutes' segment over the weekend, in which six Qiam 1 missiles are seen raining down on the Ayn al-Asad airbase, which houses US troops in Iraq's western Anbar Province. | Filmed in grainy infrared, the brief annotated video shows incoming missiles as they slam into aircraft maintenance hangars and other base facil…

RT (2021-03-02). Former CIA director John Brennan 'embarrassed to be a WHITE MALE'… and critics agree they're embarrassed he's a white male. rt.com John Brennan, the former CIA director and perjurer who's now an MSNBC contributor, apparently found a point on which he and his conservative critics can agree: Both sides are ashamed that he's a white male. | Responding to an MSNBC discussion Monday about Republican claims regarding the January 6 Capitol riot, Brennan said, "I'm increasingly embarrassed to be a white male these days, in light of what I see of my other white males saying." | John Brennan should be ashamed to be John Brennan

RT (2021-03-02). 'We have to DO STUFF NOW': Biden adviser says White House to start redressing systemic racism, not just wait for reparations study. rt.com President Joe Biden will push ahead on making amends for America's "systemic racism," creating more opportunities for black people right away rather than waiting for a reparations study, a White House adviser said. | "We don't want to wait on a study," Cedric Richmond, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, said in an 'Axios on HBO' | White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on February 17 that Biden s…

RT (2021-03-02). Harry Potter video game will allow transgender characters, but unsated critics want 'reparations' from 'transphobic' JK Rowling. rt.com The upcoming Harry Potter video game 'Hogwarts Legacy' will allow players to customize characters beyond two genders, but social justice warriors upset over creator JK Rowling and a "far-right" designer are saying it's not enough. | The game, which is set to be released next year, will let users customize their character's voice, body type, and gender placement, according to a report from Bloomberg citing sources working on the project. The only identifying marker for characters will be whether they are a "wizard" or a "witch." | The move came after some working on the game were concerned with numerous public…

RT (2021-03-02). No fake Trump supporters or Antifa behind Capitol riot, FBI director testifies — adds agency must GROW amid domestic terror threat. rt.com FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate the "domestic terrorism" at the heart of the US Capitol riot has been "metastasizing" for years, but there is no evidence of involvement from Antifa or fake Donald Trump supporters. | In a Tuesday hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Wray made it clear he believed the January 6 riot was an example of "domestic terrorism," an issue he sees as an increasing problem in the US. | "January sixth was not an isolated event. The problem of domestic terrorism has been metastasizing across the country for a long time now and it is not going away anytime soon,"

RT (2021-03-02). Dr. Seuss canceled: Six of author's beloved books to cease publication over 'hurtful & wrong' racist imagery. rt.com Six books by the iconic children's author Dr. Seuss will cease publication after the publishing company said they contain stereotypes that are considered "hurtful and wrong" in the modern age. | In a

RT (2021-03-02). Former CIA director John Brennan 'embarrassed to be a WHITE MALE'… and critics agree they're embarrassed he's a white male too. rt.com John Brennan, the former CIA director and perjurer who's now an MSNBC contributor, apparently found a point on which he and his conservative critics can agree: Both sides are ashamed that he's a white male. | Responding to an MSNBC discussion on Monday about Republican claims regarding the January 6 Capitol riot, Brennan said, "I'm increasingly embarrassed to be a white male these days, in light of what I see of my other white males saying." | John Brennan should be ashamed to be John Brennan

RT (2021-03-02). Attempt at civil discourse on 'Wokeism' ends in Clubhouse room 'coup,' Jewish prof shut down as 'SPICY WHITE' & demands for CASH. rt.com Evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein had to relive his Evergreen College moment whe he was attacked from all sides in a Clubhouse room hijacked by hostile "anti-racist" mob aghast at the idea of white people discussing "wokeism." | The room, dubbed "Is Clubhouse Obsessed with 'Wokeism'?" was created by independent journalist Michael Tracey, who said he thought the Clubhouse chats "almost inevitably evolve into a discussion of 'woke-ism'… but there's seldom anyone in the room who identifies enough with the ideology to give a defense of it." | His attempt to create a safe space for a civil discourse and let b…

RT (2021-03-02). US hits Russian officials & organizations with new blacklist sanctions over Navalny jailing & alleged 'chemical weapons' claims. rt.com The United States has imposed sanctions on Russian officials and businesses as part of a growing row over the imprisonment of opposition figure Alexey Navalny, President Joe Biden's administration told reporters on Tuesday. | Speaking to journalists during a conference call, a spokesperson said that the new measures had been introduced as part of a coordinated move with the European Union. Brussels also announced a package of penalties on Tuesday against Russian officials it deemed responsible for Navalny's arrest and for "human rights" abuses during the policing of subsequent protests. | The list of officials…

RT (2021-03-02). Roads blocked at fiery protests in Lebanon as currency crashes to record low against US dollar (VIDEOS). rt.com Fresh protests have erupted in Lebanon on Tuesday, following the record crash of the Lebanese pound against the US dollar on the black market, as the country lurches further into crisis. | Demonstrators blocked off several of the main thoroughfares in the capital Beirut by burning tires and dumpsters, causing traffic jams, including on roads leading to the airport, according to Lebanon's National News Agency. | ŸÖÿ≠ÿߟàŸÑÿßÿ™ ÿߟÑÿ¨Ÿäÿ¥ ŸÅÿ™ÿ≠ ÿ&pound…

Romana Rubeo (2021-03-02). Engaging the World: The 'Fascinating Story' of Hamas's Political Evolution. mintpressnews.com On February 4, representatives from the Palestinian Movement, Hamas, This was not the first time that Hamas's officials traveled to Moscow on similar missions. In fact, Moscow continues to represent an important political breathing space for Hamas, which has been isolated by Israel's Western benefactors. Involved in this isolation are also several Arab governments wh…

Eliza Egret (2021-03-02). 'People are calling us, crying for help'. Heartbreaking tweets expose how 15 people were left to drown in the Mediterranean. thecanary.co As coronavirus continues to dominate headlines into 2021, mainstream news coverage of the refugee crisis has gone from poor to non-existent. We rarely read about the people stuck on Lesbos or Samos, and we barely hear about those who are so desperate to get out of Libya that they are willing to gamble with their lives. But these people still very much exist, and racist Europe is still willing to let them drown rather than provide them with a home. | More than

Aaliyah Harris (2021-03-02). In conversation with Rianna Patterson about dementia and her new documentary. thecanary.co According to

MEE staff (2021-03-02). Biden administration 'enthusiastically embraces' IHRA antisemitism definition: Report. middleeasteye.net Biden administration 'enthusiastically embraces' IHRA antisemitism definition: Report | Secretary of State sends letter to American Zionist Movement in support of controversial definition | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 18: 21 | US Secretary of State said he supported the antisemitism definition in a letter sent to American Zionist Movement President Richard Heideman (AFP) | US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said t…

MEE staff (2021-03-02). UN experts call on Israel to stop repeated demolition of rural Palestinian community. middleeasteye.net UN experts call on Israel to stop repeated demolition of rural Palestinian community | Special rapporteurs stress that Israel's justification that village lies within military firing zone does not meet requirements of international law | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 21: 32 | A resident reacts as Israeli forces demolish Bedouin tents and structures in Humsa area in northern Jordan valley, on 8 February (AFP/File photo)…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-02). Morocco cuts contact with German embassy over diplomatic tensions. middleeasteye.net Morocco cuts contact with German embassy over diplomatic tensions | Officials say the suspension is a warning over Berlin's 'disregard' for Rabat on Western Sahara and Libya issues | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 11: 15 | German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) conference on 19 November 2019 in Berlin (AFP) | Morocco has s…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-02). Libya: Peace process threatened by vote-buying allegations. middleeasteye.net Libya: Peace process threatened by vote-buying allegations | Political rival and UN weigh in after claims delegates offered up to $500,000 to elect interim prime minister-designate Abdul Hamid Dbeibah | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 16: 31 | A UN staff member empties a ballot box after delegates vote for Libya's new interim government during LPDF meeting on 5 February 2021 near Geneva (AFP/United Nati…

MEE staff (2021-03-02). Austria: Outrage after authorities target academic as part of 'terrorism' crackdown. middleeasteye.net Austria: Outrage after authorities target academic as part of 'terrorism' crackdown | Farid Hafez's house was raided at gunpoint in wake of Vienna terror attack as he was also accused of supporting the removal of Egypt's Sisi | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 11: 10 | Farid Hafez in a photo taken from social media (Twitter) | An Austrian academic's account of being interrogated at gunpoint over alleged "terrorist" sympathie…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-02). Libya peace process threatened by vote-buying allegations. middleeasteye.net Libya peace process threatened by vote-buying allegations | Political rival and UN weigh in after claims delegates offered up to $500,000 to elect interim prime minister-designate Abdul Hamid Dbeibah | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 16: 31 | A UN staff member empties a ballot box after delegates vote for Libya's new interim government during LPDF meeting on 5 February 2021 near Geneva (AFP/United Natio…

MEE staff (2021-03-02). US lawmakers ask Biden to push Turkey on 'human rights abuses'. middleeasteye.net US lawmakers ask Biden to push Turkey on 'human rights abuses' | In a bipartisan letter, 170 House lawmakers asked State Department to make 'the gross violation of human rights' in Turkey a foreign policy priority | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 14: 52 | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during an AK Party meeting in Ankara on 24 February (AFP/File photo) | One hundred and seventy bipartisan members…

Ali Harb (2021-03-02). Khashoggi murder: US lawmakers introduce bills to sanction MBS. middleeasteye.net Khashoggi murder: US lawmakers introduce bills to sanction MBS | Biden administration has refused to impose sanctions on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to avoid 'rupture' in ties with Riyadh | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 21: 55 | 'There is no reason not to sanction Mohammed bin Salman,' Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says (Reuters/File photo) | The US intelligence report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi stated what many…

Areeb Ullah (2021-03-02). Khashoggi murder: Press watchdog files criminal complaint against Saudi crown prince. middleeasteye.net Khashoggi murder: Press watchdog files criminal complaint against Saudi crown prince | Reporters Without Borders pursues Mohammed bin Salman in German court following declassified US report into assassination | Tue, 03/02/2021 – 11: 28 | Jamal Khashoggi's murder in 2018 sparked an international outcry for justice (Screengrab) | A press freedom watchdog has filed a historic criminal complaint in Germany a…

Staff (2021-03-02). Democracy Is More Than the Vote. It's Also Our Health and Reproductive Rights. truthout.org Framed as a battle to save democracy, the 2020 election and its aftermath only exposed the vulnerabilities within the U.S. political system. While millions of voters overcame the "big lie" at the national level, the focus on federal elections has overshadowed the ongoing struggle at the state level to protect democracy. | Republicans

Staff (2021-03-02). If Biden Wants to Protect Troops, He Should Bring Them Home — Not Bomb Syria. truthout.org The United States has bombed Syria more than 20,000 times over the past eight years, so last week's attack on a border post in northeastern Syria, which killed 22 militiamen and apparently no civilians, may not seem surprising to some. However, taking place barely five weeks into his presidency, it is nevertheless disappointing that President Biden appears determined to continue the failed policies of his predecessors, regardless of their illegality. | Some members of Congress challenged Biden's…

Staff (2021-03-02). Bernie Sanders to Force Vote on $15 Minimum Wage Amendment. truthout.org Calling on the Senate Democratic majority to disregard the advice of the unelected parliamentarian, Sen. Bernie Sanders late Monday announced he will force a vote this week on an amendment to include a $15 minimum wage provision in the pending $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. | "At a time when millions of workers are earning starvation wages, when the minimum wage has not been raised by Congress since 2007 and stands at a pathetic $7.25 an hour, it is time to raise the minimum wage to a living wage," S…

Global Research News (2021-03-02). Selected Articles: US Foreign Policy: "War Is Peace" globalresearch.ca By As documented below in a September 1998 Senate hearing, Joe Biden was a firm supporter of the Invasion …

Nick Pemberton (2021-03-02). The George Floyd Murder Was First Degree. counterpunch.org "There is … only a single categorical imperative and it is this: Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." —Immanuel Kant "Among the organizations joining arms for the protest are the Anti-War Committee, Black Lives Matter MN, CAIR-MN, CAIR-MN, Climate Justice

Sam Pizzigati (2021-03-02). The Average American Pay Tax on Half of Their Wealth, Shouldn't Rich Americans? counterpunch.org Might the United States, home to the world's wealthiest people, sometime soon sport a tax on wealth? Media outlets the nation over have begunspeculating on just that question. But many of these reflections are missing the point: The United States already has a wealth tax. We call this already existing levy the "property tax," and

John Feffer (2021-03-02). The Claudius Presidency? counterpunch.org Caligula was by all accounts a nasty piece of work. During the nearly four years that he ruled over the Roman empire in the first century CE, Caligula was notorious for sexual predation and extravagant spending. Never one to sell himself short, he proclaimed early on that he was a god. He held the Senate

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-01). Coup Leaders, Aung San Suu Kyi Betrayed Democracy in Burma. counterpunch.org What is taking place in Burma right now is a military coup. There can be no other description for such an unwarranted action as the dismissal of the government by military decree and the imposition of Min Aung Hlaing, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, as an unelected ruler.

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-01). Military coup leaders, Aung San Suu Kyi both betrayed democracy in Burma. peoplesworld.org What is taking place in Burma right now is a military coup. There can be no other description for such an unwarranted action as the dismissal of the government by military decree and the imposition of Min Aung Hlaing, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, as an unelected ruler. However, despite the endless talk about democratization, …

Gareth Porter (2021-03-01). U.S. State Department accusation of China 'genocide' relied on data abuse and baseless claims by far-right ideologue. mronline.org The Trump and Biden administrations have relied on the work of a right-wing religious extremist, Adrian Zenz, for their "genocide" accusation against China. A close review of Zenz's research reveals flagrant data abuse and outright falsehoods.

RT (2021-03-01). It's always Putin! Russian president engineered coup in Armenia because Pashinyan insulted Moscow's missiles, Western media claims. rt.com Not content with fixing US elections and making sure your favorite sports team loses, Vladimir Putin's shadowy hand is now behind a power struggle in Yerevan, after a row over rockets. At least, that's according to American media. | In an article by journalist Anna Nemtsova published on Friday, New York-based outlet The Daily Beast

MEE staff (2021-03-01). Israel demolishes Palestinian family's home in Jerusalem for fourth time. middleeasteye.net Israel demolishes Palestinian family's home in Jerusalem for fourth time | Hatem Hussein Abu Rayaleh's house bulldozed on grounds of lacking building permits, as Israelis step up demolitions in occupied territories | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 16: 17 | Palestinian Hatem Hussein Abu Rayaleh points at his house which was demolished again by Israeli forces in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Issawiya, 1 March 2021 (AFP…

Nadda Osman (2021-03-01). Israel annexation: European lawmakers denounce 'de facto' takeover of the West Bank. middleeasteye.net Israel annexation: European lawmakers denounce 'de facto' takeover of the West Bank | Over 400 parliamentarians have called on EU nations and the Biden administration to work together to halt annexation | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 13: 04 | Israeli workers dismantle tents during a demolition operation of a Palestinian Bedouin encampment in the area of Humsa, in the Occupied West Bank on 22 February (AFP) | Hundre…

Shatha Hammad (2021-03-01). Israel: Thousands of unregistered Palestinians fear deportation, separation from families. middleeasteye.net Israel: Thousands of unregistered Palestinians fear deportation, separation from families | Many live in 'a double prison' as Israel continues to deny them IDs, a policy enforced since the outbreak of the Second Intifada | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 14: 00 | Women protesters hold banners that read in Arabic 'Family Reunification' and 'Between diaspora and deportation' in front of the Palestinian General Aut…

Arturo Pineda (2021-03-01). New Haven youth target gun violence, inequality at Black history month march. peoplesworld.org NEW HAVEN, Conn.—A caravan of 20 cars and a group of 65 people took to the streets of New Haven on Feb. 20 to call for an end to gun violence and police brutality, taxing the rich, and to demand state and federal relief for communities of color impacted by COVID-19. The Annual Black History …

RT (2021-03-01). Indian PM Modi receives domestic coronavirus vaccine as country expands inoculation program to seniors. rt.com Indian PM Narendra Modi has received his first shot of the country's domestically produced Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, kicking off the second stage of the nation's massive inoculation drive, which is now focused on the elderly. | India entered its next stage of the mass-vaccination campaign on Monday, expanding the drive to include people aged over 60 and those over 45 who have chronic illnesses. The 70-year-old prime minister became the first person to get the jab at Delhi's AIIMS hospital. | "Remarkable how our doctors and scientists have worked in quick time to strengthen the global fight against Covid-19,"

RT (2021-03-01). 'I don't want the vaccine': Jamaican running champ Yohan Blake insists he 'would rather miss the Olympics' than take Covid-19 jab. rt.com Sprint star Yohan Blake has said he is staying "strong in his mind" over taking a Covid-19 vaccine and would rather miss the rescheduled 2021 Olympic Games than receive a jab — even if it's made obligatory for Games participation. | The former men's 100m world champion has revealed that his strident stance on not getting a Covid-19 jab hasn't changed, stressing that even the threat of not being allowed to compete in Tokyo wouldn't dissuade him from rejecting one. | The four-time Olympic medalist said he had his "own reasons" for abstaining from the Covid-19 vaccination program and wouldn't be drawn into…

RT (2021-03-01). Deep 'psychological pain': Japan urges China to stop subjecting its citizens to Covid-19 ANAL SWABS. rt.com Tokyo has requested Beijing stop subjecting Japanese nationals in China to anal swab testing for Covid-19, urging it use alternative methods instead. The procedure is said to inflict "great psychological pain" on test subjects. | The coronavirus testing issue was brought up by Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato during a press conference on Monday. | Some Japanese reported to our embassy in China that they received anal swab tests, which caused a great psychological pain. | Japan has already requested Beijing halt the controversial testing, sticking to other methods instead. So far, China has not re…

RT (2021-03-01). Prague deploys troops on Czech streets to enforce severe new Covid rules amid record infection rate, spike in hospitalizations. rt.com Some 30,000 police and soldiers have been deployed across the Czech Republic and at 500 security checkpoints set up in a bid to enforce toughened coronavirus rules, as the country battles the world's worst infection rate. | The new measures, introduced on Monday, ban Czechs from leaving their district except for essential reasons, like caring for vulnerable people or working. | Officers are allowed to conduct random spot checks and people are required to produce personal documentation on request, with fines of up to 20,000 Czech koruna ($920) for rule-breakers. | Higher-grade face masks are also now mandatory…

RT (2021-03-01). Spain begins to ease Covid lockdown, but says border with Portugal will be sealed for at least 2 more weeks. rt.com The Spanish border with Portugal will remain largely closed until at least March 16, Madrid confirmed on Monday, even as it began to ease some regional restrictions implemented to slow the spread of Covid-19. | The restrictions have been in place along the 1,200km-long border since January 29, with only Spanish residents or Schengen-area travelers who are en route to their homes allowed to cross. | The Spanish government has begun to ease regional Covid lockdown regulations that imposed overnight curfews and restrictions on restaurants, bars, and shops, as well as limiting the number of people who could meet u…

RT (2021-03-01). Macron says France's Covid curfew in place for another '4 to 6 weeks' as contagious UK variant accounts for more half of all cases. rt.com French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the nation to "hold out" for at least another month before the country can think about easing Covid-induced restrictions and the current 6pm curfew. | Speaking with a group of industrial trade trainees on Monday, Macron dismissed, with a smile, the request of a young man to relax France's 6pm curfew. The president told the students that the nation's curfew would need to remain in place for another four to six weeks, amid indicators the epidemic is on the rise again in France. | Further measures may be brought in across the 20 departments in France which have alrea…

RT (2021-03-01). Covid-19 virus didn't originate naturally but is actually a BIOWEAPON, most Russians believe, according to explosive new poll. rt.com The world has been savaged by a killer virus that escaped a top-secret lab or was unleashed by shadowy forces. It might sound like the plot of a Hollywood film, but a new poll has found it's also how most Russians see Covid-19.

RT (2021-03-01). Finland declares STATE OF EMERGENCY over Covid-19 cases surge. rt.com Helsinki has declared a state of emergency on Monday in a bid to stem the rapid spread of coronavirus. The measure would allow it to impose a lockdown and potentially "restrict the fundamental rights of citizens." | The state of emergency is effective "immediately" and will stay in force for an indefinite period of time "until it is repealed," the government said in a

RT (2021-03-01). UK authorities' plea for mystery person infected with 'Brazilian' Covid-19 strain to come forward. rt.com Health officials in England are looking for an unidentified person who was infected with a mutated 'Brazilian variant' of SARS-CoV-19 and slipped under the radar. They are one of six known cases in the UK. | The P1 strain was first detected in people coming to Japan from the Brazilian city of Manus and resembles the so-called South African variant, which is more infectious than 'regular' variants of the virus. Samples collected from six individuals were sequenced as part of the UK's national research of Covid-19 mutations. Public Health England (PHE) could not determine who provided one of them, the organisati…

RT (2021-03-01). Fauci brushes off critique after South Dakota Governor Noem says Biden's Covid czar 'IS WRONG A LOT' to standing ovation at CPAC. rt.com White House adviser Anthony Fauci and his media allies have joined forces in rebuking Kristi Noem after the lockdown-skeptic South Dakota governor had the temerity to criticize the Covid czar's forecast she said hadn't come true. | Noem on Saturday took on Fauci's lockdown advice while making her case at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) for conservative values and respecting individual liberties. | "He told me that on my worst day, I'd have 10,000 patients in the hospital," Noem said. "On our worst day, we had a little over 600. Now, I don't know if you agree with me, but Dr. Fauci is wrong…

RT (2021-03-01). Progressives make last push for $15 minimum wage as relief bill heads to Senate. rt.com Progressive Democrats have made a desperate call asking the Biden administration to overturn a Senate rule keeping a minimum-wage raise out of the upcoming Covid-19 relief bill. But Biden is unlikely to listen. | Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough

RT (2021-03-01). Chinese investment in Australia plunges to RECORD LOW amid escalating trade row. rt.com New data from the Australian National University (ANU) showed Chinese investment in Australia dropped by more than 61 percent in 2020, to just over a billion Australian dollars (US$780 million) — the lowest in the past six years. | According to figures from the Chinese Investment in Australia Database (CHIIA), the drop followed a 47 percent fall in 2019, when Chinese investment totaled US$1.57 billion. It was also well short of the peak of US$12.7 billion recorded in 2016. | "It reflects the effects of Covid, but also more scrutiny of foreign investment by the Australian government, particularly that fro…

Staff (2021-03-01). Burmese Scholar: Military Junta Using Terror Against "Entire Population" to Keep Power After Coup. democracynow.org In Burma, mass protests continue after at least 18 people were killed in anti-coup protests, marking the deadliest day since the February 1 military coup which deposed and detained de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Police fired live ammunition into crowds as Burmese forces steadily escalated their crackdown. One local group says 1,000 people were arrested, including journalists and medical professionals. "The coup group and the entire security sector … have essentially terrorized the entire population," says Maung Zarni, a Burmese scholar, dissident and human rights activist. "I have seen absolutely nothing lik…

Staff (2021-03-01). Biden "Illegally" Bombs Iranian-Backed Militias in Syria, Jeopardizing Nuclear Talks with Tehran. democracynow.org The Biden administration is facing intense criticism from U.S. progressives after carrying out airstrikes on eastern Syria said to be targeting Iranian-backed militia groups. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports at least 22 people died. The Pentagon called the assault a response to recent rocket attacks on U.S. forces in northern Iraq. Those attacks came more than a year after Iraq's parliament voted to expel U.S. troops — an order ignored by both the Trump and Biden administrations. "Very quickly the Biden administration is falling into the same old patterns of before, of responding…

Staff (2021-03-01). U.S. Says Saudi Crown Prince MBS Approved Assassination of Khashoggi, But He Avoids Any Sanctions. democracynow.org The Biden administration has released a declassified report that finds Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, responsible for the assassination of Saudi dissident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. But the U.S. does not plan to sanction the crown prince, though the administration has announced travel restrictions to dozens of other Saudi officials. The decision is being criticized by human rights groups and friends of the late Khashoggi. "It's important to not point fingers but also to sanction MBS … and to treat him as the pariah he is, like Biden promised during…

RT (2021-03-01). Syria & Russia accuse US of funneling supplies on pretext of 'humanitarian aid' to militants in war-ravaged Middle Eastern nation. rt.com Washington is pressuring the United Nations to deliver international assistance to an overpopulated desert refugee camp but secretly planning to use the cargo to resupply armed militias it supports, Moscow and Damascus claim. | In a joint statement issued on Monday, the coordination headquarters of Russia and Syria insisted that their military coalition is "making significant efforts to restore peaceful life in the country and provide comprehensive assistance to Syrian citizens in voluntary and safe return to their homeland." | However, they add, the US is actively working to fuel fighting in the bloody civil…

Rayhan Uddin (2021-03-01). 'Disastrous decision': UK slashes aid to Yemen while approving arms sales to Saudi Arabia. middleeasteye.net 'Disastrous decision': UK slashes aid to Yemen while approving arms sales to Saudi Arabia | Politicians and non-governmental organisations condemn major humanitarian cut as military exports to Riyadh continue | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 17: 50 | A Yemeni civilian receives food aid in a displacement camp in northern district of Abs (AFP/File photo) | The UK will halve its foreign aid to Yemen in 2021, in a mov…

Chuck Collins — Omar Ocampo (2021-03-01). Financial Reserves and the Racial Wealth Gap. counterpunch.org Why is it that the wealthiest country on earth has the highest death toll of any nation in the world? And why are Black and Latino people among those experiencing the greatest mortality and hardship during the pandemic? There is excellent research on how the Black-white wealth gap left Black households more vulnerable (see resources

RT (2021-03-01). CYBERWAR is imminent & will affect ordinary Americans, claims CEO of company that 'discovered' SolarWinds hack. rt.com Cybersecurity firm FireEye has warned Americans that they'll be targeted by the next big cyberattack, whether they know it or not. Disrupted supply chains and the chaos of cellular and internet networks crashing will follow. | "The next conflict where the gloves come off in cyber, the American citizen will be dragged into it, whether they want to be or not. Period," FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia told Axios on HBO on Sunday. | "People don't even know all the things they depend on. All of a sudden the supply chain starts getting disrupted because computers don't work," he continued, threatening viewers with his descr…

Binoy Kampmark (2021-03-01). Culpability and Recalibration: MBS and the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi. counterpunch.org It was a brutal way to go, and it had the paw prints of the highest authorities. On October 2, 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi Arabian insider turned outsider, was murdered by a squad of 15 men from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He was dismembered and quite literally cancelled in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Staff (2021-03-01). 'Zionist' is not hate speech, activists say. therealnews.com A Saturday Night Live joke about Israel's vaccine apartheid sparked outrage from some ardent supporters of the Israeli government, but the controversy speaks to larger threats to free speech in the digital age, especially when it comes to criticisms of Zionism. At this very moment, tech giant Facebook is considering whether or not to respond to calls to ban the term "Zionist" as anti-Semitic hate speech. | TRNN's Jaisal Noor speaks with Jewish Voice For Peace's Rabbi Alissa Wise about the "Facebook, We Need to Talk" campaign and the long history of tech companies censoring the voices of Palestinians who are…

The Conversation (2021-03-01). Where does the 10 Million Tons of Plastic we put into the Oceans Annually actually go? juancole.com By Bruce Sutherland, Michelle DiBenedetto and Ton van den Bremer | — Of the hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic waste we produce each year, it's estimated that around ten million tonnes enters the ocean. Roughly half of the plastics produced are less dense than water, and so they float. But scientists estimate that …

Staff (2021-03-01). Black mass incarceration in the so-called Free State. therealnews.com Maryland holds itself up as a progressive state when it comes to criminal justice, but a recent report highlights a stark reality: Maryland incarcerates Black people at more than twice the national rate.

Zach Carlson (2021-03-01). SEIU Graduate Workers Union in stalled talks at Illinois State University. peoplesworld.org NORMAL, Ill.—In October 2018, Illinois State University's more than 400 graduate workers voted to officially unionize and be represented as SEIU Local 73. The long months of meetings, difficult one-on-one conversations, procedural documents, and learning the process of organizing a workplace paid off for the graduate workers involved. All unionizing efforts are difficult, and the …

Claudia Drdul (2021-03-01). Family of Navy veteran murdered by Antioch police in George Floyd-style killing seeks justice. liberationnews.org Two members of the Antioch, California, Police Department murdered Navy veteran Angelo Quinto (age 30) in his home on Dec. 23, 2020, while he was experiencing a mental health crisis. Quinto's mother and sister, who witnessed the execution of their loved one, initially called the police believing they would help Quinto through his crisis. However, …

Terry Bisson (2021-03-01). The "Murder" of John Hunt Morgan: "You Have Just Killed the Best Man in the Confederacy!" counterpunch.org John Hunt Morgan, the "Kentucky Cavalier," readily embraced the role he was born into. Raised in wealthy Lexington, a scion of Bluegrass planter aristocrats, famously expelled from Transylvania College for dueling, he had eagerly enlisted in the 1848 invasion of Mexico, where he had performed with honor and the requisite gallantry. After that that brief, one-sided conflict he had returned to Lexington, traded in slaves, hemp and wool, and unerringly faithful to the ideal of the Southern gentleman, gambled, drank, raced horses, hunted squirrels, charmed the ladies and defended his honor from rivals both real and i…

Claudia Drdul (2021-03-01). Family of Navy veteran killed by Antioch police in George Floyd-style killing seeks justice. liberationnews.org Two members of the Antioch, California, Police Department killed 30-year-old Navy veteran Angelo Quinto in his home on Dec. 23, 2020, while he was experiencing a mental health crisis. Quinto's mother and sister, who witnessed the horrific death of their loved one, initially called the police believing they would help Quinto through his crisis. However, …

Rosalind English (2021-03-01). Law Pod UK: AI and the Law. ukhumanrightsblog.com In the latest episode of Law Pod UK Rosalind English talks to Matt Hervey, co-editor with Matthew Lavy of a new practitioner's text book on Artificial Intelligence. Matt is Head of Artificial Intelligence at Gowling WLG., and advises on all aspects of AI and Intellectual Property, particularly in relation to the life sciences, automotive, aviation, …

Rosalind English (2021-03-01). Parent company owes duty of care in transnational cases — Hague Court of Appeal. ukhumanrightsblog.com The Hague Court of Appeal has recently handed down a ruling that is of profound importance to environmental lawyers. It is not only the first case at the appellate level in Europe that has resulted in a victory on the merits for the victims, but also the first case to hold that a parent company …

Michael Berkowitz (2021-03-01). 'Nomadland': Moving on with America's homeless van dwellers. peoplesworld.org Fern stands forlorn, surveying the desert before her. She is a small figure looking out over the beautiful, austere, infinite landscape. The desert is her own world writ large. She navigates that world in "Vanguard," her turtle shell van remodeled to carry her few possessions on her back. She drifts toward temporary jobs as low-skill …

Staff (2021-03-01). 'We've made this kind of war invisible'. therealnews.com The reality of war has become so distant and abstract for U.S. civilians that most have no idea how many wars we're actually engaged in. And that, as writer and combat veteran Danny Sjursen argues, is by design.

Maxximilian Seijo (2021-03-01). Heterodox Properties with Lua Kamal Yuille. mronline.org Money on the Left is joined by Dr. Lua Kamal Yuille to discuss heterodox economics, property law & the politics of vulnerability. We chat with Yuille about her path from law to heterodox economics, and, more specifically, about how Modern Monetary Theory has variously shaped and affirmed her critical perspective toward property law.

Stephen F. Eisenman (2021-03-01). A Modest Proposal for Establishing a Strategic Toddler Reserve. counterpunch.org For the purpose of maintaining adult friendships, protecting household pets, saving monkeys, and benefiting biomedical research — prompted by a recent, reckless article in the NYTimes (With Apologies to Jonathan Swift) How many times have we had the unfortunate experience of visiting the home of a dear friend or colleague, only to discover everything changed.

Tim Wheeler (2021-03-01). Black Lives Matter vigil mourns Derek Hayden, shot by Seattle police. peoplesworld.org Scores of protesters joined a Black Lives Matter street-corner vigil in Sequim, Wash., Sunday, Feb. 28, several holding signs protesting the Feb. 16 slaying by Seattle police of Derek J. Hayden, who grew up in Sequim and had many friends and admirers here. Marion "Honeybee" Burns, held a sign, "Derek Hayden: His Life Matters" as …

Eds. (2021-03-01). BJP begins to pay political price as farmers struggle completes three months. mronline.org IN the week before the historic nationwide farmers' struggle completed three months on February 26, the BJP has begun to pay a heavy political price for its pro-corporate adamancy.

Dave Clennon (2021-03-01). Hollywood's New Blackface. counterpunch.org Many more black faces on your movie screen. Same old shuck and jive from finance capital. AND . . . why are so many foreign Blacks impersonating African-Americans? I saw "Selma" six years ago. I could feel earnest sincerity radiating from the screen. It was pretty clear the filmmakers were trying to do justice to

Ed Rampell (2021-03-01). 'Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story' at PAFF. peoplesworld.org Co-directors Royal Kennedy Rodgers and Kathy McCampbell Vance's Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story is a nonfiction biopic about the African-American talent who rose to become the so-called "Architect of the Stars" when Jim Crow was still the scourge of the land. Born 1894 in L.A., Paul Revere Williams's real-life story of overcoming adversity …

William Craig Cohen (2021-03-01). The Weekly Round-Up: Unconventional Harm Reduction and Shamima Begum's Final Appeal. ukhumanrightsblog.com In the news: The UK has seen an increasingly falling rate in arrests and prosecutions for cannabis possession over recent years, as police forces no longer see the point in enforcement. The Liberal Democrats have campaigned for its legalisation since 2016, and the first medically-prescribed cannabis was permitted in the UK in 2018. However, crucial …

Andrea Mazzarino (2021-03-01). Perspectives on the Storming of the Capitol from a Military Spouse. counterpunch.org "Are you okay?" asked a friend and military spouse in the voicemail she left me on the afternoon the mob of Trump supporters breached the Capitol so violently. At home with a new baby, her Navy reservist husband stationed in Germany, the thoughts running through her head that day would prove remarkably similar to mine. As she said when we spoke, "It's as if the U.S. has become a war zone."

Tomdispatch (2021-03-01). The Unpatriots: What the Storming of the Capitol looks Like to a Military Spouse. juancole.com By Andrea Mazzarino | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — "Are you okay?" asked a friend and military spouse in the voicemail she left me on the afternoon the mob of Trump supporters breached the Capitol so violently. At home with a new baby, her Navy reservist husband stationed in Germany, the thoughts running through her head …

John Wojcik (2021-03-01). GOP: We'll destroy the country in order to return to power. peoplesworld.org With the economy on the brink of collapse for so many, Republicans are totally united against a rescue plan that is the last hope to save millions of Americans from total ruin. The stand they are taking can have far worse consequences than the last time, in 2009, that they opposed a national stimulus plan …

David Hearst (2021-03-01). Avi Shlaim slams UK government over 'shameful legacy' of support for Israel. middleeasteye.net Avi Shlaim slams UK government over 'shameful legacy' of support for Israel | Oxford historian says efforts to push IHRA antisemitism definition on universities are part of a long history of support for Zionism | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 11: 59 | Shlaim has called for British universities to resist the threat to their autonomy posed by government's efforts to push them to adopt the IHRA definition (AFP) | An…

RT (2021-03-01). Mars striking back? Extremely bright meteor ignites wild banter on social media (VIDEOS). rt.com Befuddled Brits from Scotland in the North to Somerset in South were astonished by a phenomenally bright flash in the night sky which lasted some seven seconds and ended with a loud boom, according to some reports. | The fireball was so bright it triggered doorbells across the UK shortly before 10pm local time from Manchester to Cardiff, Bath, and Milton Keynes and everywhere in between, with the UK Meteor Network receiving over 120 reports of sightings. | Social media was flooded with videos purporting to show the celestial fireworks display. | Nice meteor hit the earth's atmosphere at 21: 54 slightly obscured…

Staff (2021-03-01). Biden's Trade Rep Nominee Backs Policies That Hinder Global Vaccine Distribution. truthout.org Katherine Tai, President Joe Biden's nominee to serve as the next top U.S. trade negotiator, acknowledged during

RT (2021-03-01). Novak Djokovic closes in on eclipsing Serena Williams run as Serbian tennis ace admits 'relief' at equaling mammoth Federer record. rt.com Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has matched a remarkable feat achieved only by rival Roger Federer in the men's game — and he is targeting Serena Williams and several women's records after topping the ATP rankings for 310 weeks. | Just a week after winning his 18th Grand Slam by beating Russian Daniil Medvedev to retain his Australian Open crown, the sporting legend will break Federer's record for the longest time as men's number one next Monday and wants to scale new heights. | After becoming the sole holder of the record in the men's game, Djokovic will be just eight weeks shy of catching up with women…

RT (2021-03-01). Japanese PM apologizes after spokesperson quits over expensive dinner scandal that breached ethics law. rt.com Japanese leader Yoshihide Suga has apologized after his spokeswoman, Makiko Yamada, resigned for "breaching the ethics law" by attending expensive dinners hosted by the prime minister's TV executive son, Seigo Suga. | Yamada formally quit her position as the cabinet public relations secretary in the wake of the scandal around her attendance at the expensive dinners after being admitted to hospital due to ill health, according to a statement from the government. | Japanese officials are barred from accepting gifts, including dinners and entertainment from companies under the National Civil Service Ethics Law, m…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-01). Iran says not behind blast on Israeli-owned ship. middleeasteye.net Iran says not behind blast on Israeli-owned ship | Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu has accused Tehran of attacking the ship in the Gulf of Oman last week | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 08: 01 | This picture taken on February 28, 2021 shows a view of the Israeli-owned Bahamian-flagged MV Helios Ray cargo ship docked in Dubai's Mina Rashid (Port Rashid) cruise terminal (AFP) | Iran strongly rejects I…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-01). Iran says it is not behind blast on Israeli-owned ship. middleeasteye.net Iran says it is not behind blast on Israeli-owned ship | Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu has accused Tehran of attacking the ship in the Gulf of Oman last week | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 08: 01 | The Israeli-owned Bahamian-flagged MV Helios Ray cargo ship docked in Dubai's Mina Rashid cruise terminal on 28 February (AFP) | Iran strongly rejects Israel's claim that Tehran was behind a blast aboa…

RT (2021-03-01). Tehran rejects Netanyahu's accusations over explosion of vessel in Gulf of Oman and is 'closely monitoring' Israeli actions. rt.com Tehran has dismissed claims made by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that Iran was behind an attack on an Israeli merchant ship in the Gulf of Oman last Thursday, adding that security in the region is just as important for Iran. | "The Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are Iran's immediate security areas," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters on Monday, adding that Tehran would not allow these priorities to be undermined by Israeli accusations. | Khatibzadeh lambasted Israel for its "incorrect" claims that Iran was behind last Thursday's attack on the vessel. | Not only do we strongly reject…

RT (2021-03-01). 'This is Nazi Germany!': Airline faces calls for boycott after Jewish family booted from flight over mask-less BABY. rt.com A Hasidic Jewish family was allegedly kicked off a flight because their 18-month-old child was not wearing a face mask. The airline is now facing accusations of anti-Semitism. | In a series of videos that were posted to Twitter on Sunday, the family could be seen making its way off the Frontier Airlines flight as other passengers shouted, "This is Nazi Germany!" and "This is gonna go all over the news!" | Disturbing incident the last hour on a

RT (2021-03-01). Latvia for the Latvians! Baltic nation's President says it will be true ethnic homeland by 2030, despite fact 1 in 4 are Russians. rt.com In less than a decade, Latvia could take its place among the top tier of European nations, its president has claimed, arguing that its language and culture will become dominant despite much of the country speaking Russian at home. | Egils Levits made the remarks in a discussion on parliamentary democracy on Friday, insisting that, by 2030, "we could become one of the most modern European countries." This, he claimed, is not because the nation would accept every innovation, but because it would accept only the most important ones, and can discern what really matters. | However, he added, Latvia will "also becom…

RT (2021-03-01). US touts patrol boats unwanted by its own Navy in $125 million package of 'lethal aid' to Ukraine. rt.com Washington is so eager to help Ukraine counter what it calls "Russian aggression," it is sending Kiev patrol boats that the US Navy wants to phase out, and holding another $150 million back pending "defense reforms." | The Pentagon

RT (2021-03-01). Plane forced to land in Sudan after CAT ATTACKS pilot mid-air, 'hijacking' cockpit. rt.com A passenger plane was forced to return to the airport in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum after an angry cat, which somehow got into the cockpit, attacked the pilots shortly after takeoff, local media reports. | This Wednesday's flight of the Sudanese Tarco airline bound for Qatar's capital, Doha, was proceeding in a totally routine manner — that is, until a most unlikely passenger caused an emergency mid-air. | Having departed from the Khartoum International Airport, the plane was in the air for roughly half an hour when an unregistered passenger was spotted inside the pilot's cabin. The passenger in que…

RT (2021-03-01). Class dismissed: England's poorer students 'five grades behind' richer ones — report. rt.com A report from the UK's Education Policy Institute (EPI) has found that a "disadvantage gap" has emerged between English pupils aged 16-19, with poorer students finding themselves up to five grades behind their wealthier peers. | The EPI has declared that the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and others is "one of the greatest challenges facing England's education system," warning that "the gap grows larger in each phase of education." | On average, the study found that, by the time students reached the age of 16-19, they were the equivalent of three grades behind more affluent peers, with some in par…

RT (2021-03-01). Plane forced to land in Sudan after CAT ATTACKS pilot in mid-air, 'hijacking' cockpit. rt.com A passenger plane was forced to return to an airport in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum after an angry cat, which somehow got into the cockpit, attacked the pilots shortly after takeoff, local media report. | Wednesday's flight of the Sudanese Tarco airline bound for Qatar's capital, Doha, was proceeding in a totally routine manner — that is, until a most unlikely passenger caused an emergency in mid-air. | Having departed from Khartoum International Airport, the plane was in the air for roughly half-an-hour when an unregistered passenger was spotted inside the pilot's cabin. The passenger in question wa…

RT (2021-03-01). 'Being Muslim raises fundamental problems with living a Danish life': Political party wants would-be citizens' religion on record. rt.com The Danish People's Party has renewed calls for the religion of would-be citizens to be recorded on a publicly visible register, while also proposing a ban on granting citizenship to applicants married to foreign nationals. | The right-wing populist Danish People's Party (DPP) is proposing that, as part of an ongoing overhaul of immigration and naturalization rules in the country, in future, would-be citizens should declare their faith, or lack thereof, in order to be considered for Danish citizenship. | "For many people being Muslim raises some fundamental problems with living a Danish life. Whether that is v…

RT (2021-03-01). German soldier, relatives arrested over 'hoarding' weapons & ammo, and making 'extremist statements'. rt.com In the latest suspected insurgency case, a German Army soldier and two of his relatives were arrested in a special police forces operation. Police say the suspects have been "hoarding" weapons and making "extremist" statements. | On Monday, police in the German western state of Hesse said they arrested two men, including a 21-year-old Bundeswehr soldier, as part of a series of raids over the weekend. While searching their apartments, the Special Forces officers discovered "extensive evidence" of their illegal activities and seized "military-grade weapons, various ammunition and explosives." | Also on rt.com

RT (2021-03-01). Canberra should reflect on reasons for poor relations with China, says Beijing, as Chinese investment in Australia falls by 60%. rt.com Beijing has urged Canberra to take a look at the reasons behind worsening relations between the two nations and called on Australia to abide by the free-market conditions and trade rules it has always advertised. | On Monday, foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, cited a study by the Institute of East Asian Economics of the Australian National University, showing that China's direct investment in Australia fell by 61 percent last year to US$783 million, a six-year low. | Wang said the data was cause for Australia to reflect on the reasons behind the deteriorating economic and politics relations. | "Austr…

RT (2021-03-01). Saint Petersburg cop arrested after allegedly leaking information about flight on which opposition figure Alexey Navalny fell ill. rt.com A Russian policeman has been arrested, suspected of leaking information from the country's centralized database of travel records, which is available only to law enforcement. He is accused of transferring data to a third party. | That's according to Moscow daily Kommersant, which reported that the unnamed St. Petersburg police officer could have handed over information to the team of Alexey Navalny, the Russian opposition figure who was allegedly poisoned and fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow in August. The newspaper claims that, in September, the individual concerned checked the database for informati…

RT (2021-03-01). Duterte threatens to end military cooperation with US if he gets 'hard info' on nukes stored in Philippines. rt.com President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed that he will "immediately" demand that US troops leave the Philippines if Washington ever attempts to place its nuclear weapons in the Southeast Asian country. | While there appear to have been no recent statements from American officials about plans to place nukes in the Philippines, Duterte was on Sunday asked about the possibility during a press conference. | "We do not want it… but I am warning you that if I get hold of hard information that nuclear armaments are brought by you here, I will immediately ask you to go out and I will terminate the Visiting Forces Agreemen…

RT (2021-03-01). Man United's Shaw facing BAN after backtracking on claim that ref rejected penalty in Chelsea draw because he feared public uproar. rt.com Luke Shaw could be banned by the Premier League after he accused the referee who shunned Man United's penalty claim against Chelsea of malpractice — but Harry Maguire has admitted his fellow defender misheard the conversation. | United were unlucky not to be awarded a spot kick in the first half of Sunday's stalemate against Thomas Tuchel's re-energized Chelsea team after the ball appeared to strike Callum Hudson-Odoi's hand as be battled for possession with Mason Greenwood. | Following a brief delay in which both the VAR and referee Stuart Attwell considered and ultimately denied the penalty claim, full…

RT (2021-03-01). 'Everything offends everybody': US football rep axed over speech querying 'social justice warriors', knee-taking & slavery claims. rt.com The US Soccer Federation's athletes' council has axed one of its members after he gave a speech at an AGM criticizing "progressive culture", sports stars who take a knee for Black Lives Matter and "social justice warriors". | Seth Jahn, a former member of the US seven-a-side Paralympic team, was speaking in opposition to the policy which was put in place in support of United States football superstar Megan Rapinoe's decision to follow the lead of ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick by carrying out silent "kneeling" protests before games. | The United States Soccer Federation voted at the weekend to repeal the 2017…

RT (2021-03-01). Police 'arrest former Barcelona president Bartomeu and two club bosses' as staff see football giants' offices raided by officers. rt.com Josep Maria Bartomeu has been arrested alongside two senior Barcelona officials in the latest development in a police investigation less than a week before the club's presidential elections end, a Spanish news source has said. | Catalonian cops have raided the offices of the Spanish football giants and reportedly swooped on ex-president Bartomeu, who resigned at the end of October along with the club's entire board of directors. | Local force the Mossos d'Esquadra are said to have taken action — moving in just six days before the long-awaited presidential elections to permanently replace Bartomeu end &#15…

RT (2021-03-01). White House refuses to release 'virtual visit' logs, claims they are like phone records, as watchdogs urge transparency from Biden. rt.com The Biden administration has refused to release details of "virtual" White House visitor logs despite fresh calls for transparency from watchdogs and repeated promises of accountability. | Biden's virtual visits "will not be subject to release," an unnamed White House official told

RT (2021-03-01). Cuomo accused of 'gaslighting' after he rejects sexual harassment allegations as 'jokes' & 'being playful'. rt.com New York Governor Cuomo's attempt to apologize after two former aides accused him of sexual harassment backfired online, after he suggested his "good-natured" teasing about personal life was "minsinterpreted" as flirtation. | A day after emphatically denying any improper conduct towards his second accuser, former aide Charlotte Bennet, Cuomo appeared to make a U-turn on Sunday, admitting that some of his "jokes" might have come across the wrong way. | In a lengthy statement, the embattled governor said that he "now understands" that some of his interactions with the staffers "may have been insensitive or too p…

RT (2021-03-01). US inspector finds AT LEAST $2.4 billion 'wasted' on buildings in Afghanistan in 'clear pattern' of misuse and destruction. rt.com Billions of US taxpayer dollars have been wasted on building infrastructure in Afghanistan that isn't actually needed or can't be used or maintained properly, says a new report from a special inspector, unlikely to change things. | The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) identified "about $2.4 billion in assets that were unused or abandoned, had not been used for their intended purposes, had deteriorated, or were destroyed" out of nearly $7.8 billion the US has spent on capital assets in the country. | Only $1.2 billion worth of assets were being used as intended, and only $343.2 m…

RT (2021-03-01). 'Mass craziness': Daily Beast uses Al-Qaeda torture survivor to compare Capitol rioters to ISLAMIST TERRORISTS. rt.com Mainstream media took its demonization of Donald Trump supporters to a new level, with the Daily Beast using an Al-Qaeda torture survivor to compare the US Capitol rioters to his brutal captors, and the former president to ISIS. | "Most of these MAGA guys, they believe they are on a spiritual quest to make America great," the Daily Beast quoted journalist They have…

RT (2021-03-01). Vanity Fair says Saturday Night Live sucked, and DONALD TRUMP is to blame. rt.com While Saturday Night Live's ratings fell during the Trump years, it wasn't the writers' fault for churning out 'Orange Man Bad' sketches, Vanity Fair claims. No, it was Donald Trump's fault for being so "noxious." | By the time Donald Trump left office, Saturday Night Live's reliance on the divisive president as a source of material had worn thin. 2019's season opened to the show's lowest ratings in five years, parodies of Robert Mueller, Rudy Giuliani and Jeff Sessions fell flat, and former cast member Gary Kroeger admitted last year that Alec Baldwin's Trump impersonation had been "done to death." | Also on…

RT (2021-03-01). 'Pretty-much everything on Gab': Leaks publisher offers private data of 'alt-tech Twitter' users to researchers of 'neo-Nazis'. rt.com The Gab accounts of Donald Trump and Gab's own CEO are among those "compromised" by a hack of the microblogging service popular among US conservatives and right-wingers. The data is being offered to researchers and journalists. | A 70-gigabyte trove of data dubbed "Gableaks" includes public posts on the platform, but also "private posts, user profiles, hashed passwords for users, DMs, and plaintext passwords for groups,"

RT (2021-03-01). NY attorney general gets green light to investigate sexual harassment claims against sinking Cuomo. rt.com New York State Attorney General Letitia James has been given the authorization to move forward with an independent investigation into two former staffers' sexual harassment claims against Governor Andrew Cuomo. | James has received the letter from the governor's office that she needed to open an independent investigation into Cuomo's alleged sexual harassment, her office revealed on Monday. Cuomo will not receive weekly updates on the probe; however, the investigation's findings will be made public at its conclusion. | Cuomo's office had previously called on James to "select a qualified private lawyer to do an…

RT (2021-03-01). Trump calls for breaking up Big Tech, says failure to restore freedom of speech would doom Republican Party. rt.com Former president Donald Trump has called for giant technology companies to be broken up and for their Section 230 liability protections to be removed. He argued that the Big Tech mutes conservative voices like his own. | "The time has come to break up Big Tech monopolies and restore fair competition," Trump said on Sunday at the CPAC in Orlando. "Republicans, conservatives must open our platforms and repeal section 230 liability protections," he added. | While in the past the public had a chance to hear both sides of the argument before making an informed decision, Big Tech censorship disproportionately target…

RT (2021-03-01). Ex-US president Trump uses major speech return to warn Biden that 'crazy' transgender athlete rules will 'destroy women's sports'. rt.com Ex-US president Donald Trump has won widespread support after reports claimed he had "attacked" the transgender community and "mocked" athletes in his first major speech since leaving office, voicing his fears for women's sports. | Reacting to the move by his replacement in the White House, Joe Biden, to sign a new gender discrimination act as one of his first jobs in office and a sign of his departure from his predecessor's policies, Trump said that women's records were being "smashed with ease" by competitors whose biological gender was male. | Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sund…

RT (2021-03-01). 'I'd rather be called a b**ch': Twitch unites commenters in disgust with tweet celebrating 'Womxn's History Month'. rt.com Streaming platform Twitch is so woke that it managed to enrage women, conservatives and the transgender, all in a bid to celebrate "Womxn's History Month." | March is Women's History Month, and Twitch wants its users to celebrate. It's putting female streamers on its front page, showcasing female musicians, and dishing out thousand-dollar grants to deserving female students and entrepreneurs. Oh, and it's also spelling "Women's History Month" as…

RT (2021-03-01). Scientists discover THOUSANDS of previously unknown virus species in the human gut. rt.com A new database project has identified and classified some 140,000 viral species found in the human gut, more than 50 percent of which were previously unknown to science. | The Among the truly staggering amount of data were tens of thousands of newly discovered viruses and 142,809 viral species that call the human gu…

RT (2021-03-01). Champion trainer Gordon Elliott 'apologizes profoundly' after Grand National winner admits controversial dead horse photo is real. rt.com Industry-leading racehorse trainer Gordon Elliott has issued a "profound apology" after a photograph showing him straddling a dead horse drew outraged accusations of animal cruelty after it began circulating on social media. | Elliott, who trained the world-famous Tiger Roll to two successive Grand National wins in 2018 and 2019, came under fire after the image, which shows him taking a phone call while sitting atop the deceased animal, went viral on social media over the course of the weekend. | The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) announced that they were opening an investigation into the matter, to…

RT (2021-03-01). Amman condemns Israeli authorities after orthodox Jews break into Al-Aqsa Mosque during Jewish festival. rt.com The Jordanian foreign ministry has blasted Israeli authorities after police failed to stop a group of orthodox Jews bursting into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites, in Jerusalem on Sunday. | Daifallah Al-Fayez, a spokesman from the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Expatriates, claimed the failure to prevent the breach represents a "stark violation" of a historic and legal status quo. | On Sunday, dozens of people, reportedly comprising Jewish settlers, broke into the holy site while celebrating the Jewish festival of Purim. Some of the intruders were seen dressed in colorful costumes, dri…

RT (2021-03-01). Russia slams Twitter for breaking regulations as US tech giant ignores demands to delete thousands of posts with illegal material. rt.com By not deleting banned material, Twitter has 'maliciously violated' Russian law. That's according to media regulator Roskomnadzor, which has revealed that the tech giant has refused to remove 2,862 posts with illegal content. | On Monday, the watchdog revealed that it had sent the California-based company a combined total of 28,000 deletion demands, with around 10 percent being refused. These include 2,336 posts on suicide, as well as 352 containing pornographic images of minors. | According to Russian law, violating the rules governing the restriction of access to illegal content could see the firm hit with a…

RT (2021-03-01). Two Ukrainian diplomats ARRESTED at border in Poland-bound minibus allegedly packed with cigarettes and gold (PHOTOS). rt.com A pair of Ukrainian diplomats have been recalled after being arrested for trying to smuggle 16kg of gold, thousands of packets of cigarettes and tens of thousands of dollars into neighboring Poland, officials said. | A driver for Ukraine's embassy in Warsaw and an attache for consular affairs were detained by Ukrainian border guards on Sunday after being stopped in an official minibus at a checkpoint on their way to Poland. | Two other officials were also allegedly involved in the attempted smuggling, including the attache's father, who works at the embassy, Ukraine's state investigative bureau said in a state…

RT (2021-03-01). Tiger Woods praises 'really touching' red-and-black tribute from stars after golf icon was badly injured in high-speed car wreck. rt.com Tiger Woods has thanked golfers who donned his famous red and black attire on the final day of a tournament, saying it was "hard to explain" his emotions as he recovers from multiple leg injuries suffered in a car crash last week.

RT (2021-03-01). Russian 'striptease' skating star Elizaveta Tuktamysheva says she wants to 'get satisfaction' from 2021 World Championships. rt.com Figure skating ace Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, who recently earned the right to represent Russia at the showpiece, has said her main goal at the upcoming 2021 World Figure Skating Championships is to "enjoy it and get satisfaction." | The 24-year-old beat reigning European gold medalist Alena Kostornaia at the Russian Cup final in Moscow, earning the sole remaining spot on the national squad, which will travel to Sweden later this month. | Known as The Empress by her fans, Tuktamysheva finished third, behind legendary coach Eteri Tutberidze's trio, led by 14-year-old Kamila Valieva. | However, as none of the podiu…

RT (2021-03-01). Paige Spiranac sermonises about being 'more real on social media' as golf stunner backs Max Homa over Tiger Woods tribute backlash. rt.com Golf stunner Paige Spiranac has hit out at fans who criticized Max Homa for not taking part in the "red-and-black" tribute to Tiger Woods following his severe injuries in a high speed car accident outside of Los Angeles last week. | Several top golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Tommy Fleetwood, donned red and black gear in tribute to Woods' trademark colors at Sunday's final round of the WGC Championships event in Florida, with Woods himself later tweeting that he was "touched" at the wide-ranging gesture from several members of the field. | However, there are many sides to social media — and…

RT (2021-03-01). Nationalists stage torch-lit march, demand 'return' of Nagorno-Karabakh amid Armenian political crisis. rt.com Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Yerevan to demand the resignation of embattled Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and the reinstatement of control over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh in a torch-lit march. | The nationalists hit the streets of the Armenian capital on Sunday, marching with lit torches and Armenian flags to folk tunes that blared from a car. As the music paused, protesters chanted "Free and independent Armenian" and "Retake Nagorno-Karabakh" among other slogans. The protesters have also repeatedly called for Pashinyan's resignation. | The fiery procession, led by the supporters of the Sasna Tsr…

RT (2021-03-01). Myanmar military reportedly fire on anti-coup protesters a day after 18 killed on 'bloody Sunday'. rt.com Demonstrators in Myanmar were shot at by law enforcement on Monday, local media reported, less than a day after 18 protesters were killed on what was the country's bloodiest day yet since the military seized power on February 1. | In the southern city Yangon — Myanmar's largest — police and the military fired live rounds at protesters and used tear gas on Monday, according to Burmese-language broadcaster RFA. Security officials also reportedly deployed sound bombs, a crowd control device that emits high frequency sound waves, which can cause deafness. | Amid the violence, which reportedly took place…

RT (2021-03-01). Myanmar's ousted leader Suu Kyi is seen for first time in weeks & now faces new charges, as anti-coup protests rage on. rt.com A Myanmar court has slapped the country's ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi with additional charges, as mass-protests against the military coup that toppled her refuse to die down, even after a deadly weekend. | The ousted politician appeared before the court via videolink on Monday, and was seen in public for the first time since the February 1 coup. | Suu Kyi was slapped with two additional charges, one stemming from the colonial-era penal code over alleged publication of information that may "cause fear or alarm" or disrupt "public tranquility." The other one was brought under a telecommunications law…

RT (2021-03-01). 'He'll be gone in the spring': Belarusian opposition figurehead Tikhanovskaya says Lukashenko will be removed from office in 2021. rt.com Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will leave his post this year, maybe even before spring ends. That's according to former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who says peaceful protest will soon reap rewards. | Speaking to the German weekend newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Tikhanovskaya revealed her belief that both external and internal pressure on the long-time leader will lead to his replacement. | "We hope for a strong alliance with the new US administration and the EU. Pressure will increase day by day, and at some point, it will become too much for Lukashenko, and he will leave," she said.

RT (2021-03-01). Quarantine hotel in Toronto accused of running out of FOOD & WATER as guests let loose on staff (VIDEOS). rt.com Quarantined travelers formed an angry mob in the lobby of a Toronto hotel after it allegedly ran out of food and bottled water, leaving guests waiting hours to be fed during their mandatory stay. | Canada's system of mandatory quarantine hotels for those entering the country from abroad are now in question, after a series of endless, chaotic setbacks including food shortages and even alleged sexual assaults. | Some of those experiencing the quarantines, which are mandatory for all incoming travelers for a minimum of three days and at a cost of up to Can$2,000, have documented the problems on social media. | Al…

Rayhan Uddin (2021-03-01). 'He'll be like Khashoggi': Wife fears for Saudi-Australian detained in Morocco. middleeasteye.net 'He'll be like Khashoggi': Wife fears for Saudi-Australian detained in Morocco | Australian consular officials intervene, as fears grow that dual citizen arrested last month may be extradited to Riyadh | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 13: 02 | Osama al-Hasani was arrested on 8 February hours after arriving in Morocco to visit his newborn child (Screengrab/Twitter) | A Saudi-Australian citizen detained in Morocco l…

MEE staff (2021-03-01). Khashoggi murder: Three Saudi names disappear from revised US intelligence report. middleeasteye.net Khashoggi murder: Three Saudi names disappear from revised US intelligence report | US says it removed names 'erroneously' included in the initial report, which identified individuals complicit in the killing of the journalist | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 11: 17 | A man lights a candle by posters of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a gathering outside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 20…

Joe Gill (2021-03-01). Oman: Crackdown in Dhofar over criticism of plans to develop camel-grazing areas. middleeasteye.net Oman: Crackdown in Dhofar over criticism of plans to develop camel-grazing areas | Poet Salem Ali al-Maashani the latest to be arrested as discontent over governor's decision to remove herders grows online | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 13: 07 | A camel walks on a road in Salalah, in Oman's Dhofar governorate, January 2018 (MEE/Joe Gill) | Authorities in Oman have intensified a crackdown on critics of plans to remove camel…

Ragip Soylu (2021-03-01). Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict: Israeli defence system shot down Russian missile Yerevan fired at Baku. middleeasteye.net Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict: Israeli defence system shot down Russian missile Yerevan fired at Baku | Russia urged Yerevan to fire rocket at Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict's final days as Moscow pushed for a ceasefire | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 12: 30 | Russian officials give a presentation of the Iskander M missile at the 4th international military technical forum in August 2018 in Kubinka. (AFP) | Ar…

MEE staff (2021-03-01). US probes Israeli spyware firm NSO following WhatsApp lawsuit: Report. middleeasteye.net US probes Israeli spyware firm NSO following WhatsApp lawsuit: Report | Justice Department reached out to WhatsApp over hacking of 1,400 of its users through NSO Group's spyware Pegasus, Guardian reports | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 16: 16 | NSO says it should benefit from "sovereign immunity" because it sells its software to unidentified sovereign government clients (AFP) | The US Department of Justice has renewed its…

Joe Gill (2021-03-01). Oman crackdown over criticism of plans to develop Dhofar camel-grazing area. middleeasteye.net Oman crackdown over criticism of plans to develop Dhofar camel-grazing area | Poet Salem Ali al-Maashani the latest to be arrested as discontent over governor's decision to remove camel herders grows online | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 13: 07 | A camel walks on a road in Salalah, in Oman's Dhofar governorate, January 2018 (MEE/Joe Gill) | Authorities in Oman have intensified a crackdown on critics of plans to remove camel…

Ali Harb (2021-03-01). 'Case closed': Saudi diplomat calls for moving on from Khashoggi murder. middleeasteye.net 'Case closed': Saudi diplomat calls for moving on from Khashoggi murder | UN's Agnes Callamard rejects assertion by Saudi envoy, saying case will not be closed until masterminds are 'held accountable' | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 22: 07 | US intelligence report found that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi (Reuters/File photo) | Saudi Arabia's envoy to the United Nations has cri…

MEE staff (2021-03-01). Top US Senate Republicans warn Biden against reviving Iran deal. middleeasteye.net Top US Senate Republicans warn Biden against reviving Iran deal | Leading Republicans on national security-related committees urge White House to engage Congress, Israel and Gulf partners on Iran | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 17: 12 | The letter was signed by key Senate Republicans, including (L-R) Jim Risch, Marco Rubio and Jim Inhofe (AFP/File photos) | Top US Senate Republicans have warned President Joe Biden against…

Julian Pecquet (2021-03-01). Release of Khashoggi report sparks new push to punish Saudi crown prince. middleeasteye.net Release of Khashoggi report sparks new push to punish Saudi crown prince | Advocacy groups start campaigning for sanctions against Mohammed bin Salman and deep reforms inside the kingdom | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 21: 31 | A demonstrator dressed as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with blood on his hands protests outside Saudi embassy in Washington DC on 10 October 2018 (AFP/File photo) | Any hopes Sau…

Staff (2021-03-01). Biden Jeopardizes Nuclear Talks With Iran by Bombing Militias in Syria. truthout.org Image Credit: 2021 Maxar Technologies (photo left) | The Biden administration is facing intense criticism from U.S. progressives after carrying out airstrikes on eastern Syria said to be targeting Iranian-backed militia groups. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports at least 22 people died. The Pentagon called the assault a response to recent rocket attacks on U.S. forces in northern Iraq. Those attacks came more than a year after Iraq's parliament voted to expel U.S. troops [mda…

Global Research News (2021-03-01). Selected Articles: Joe Biden and the Pentagon's "Ides of March 2021": Best Month to Go to War? globalresearch.ca By According to the research data analyzed and published by Comprar Acciones, imports from China to the EA increased …

_____ (2021-03-01). Icelanders: Can This Peaceful, Politically Engaged People So Continue? strategic-culture.org More people in Iceland than in most countries are politically conscious and motivated to take on corruption in politics and business in Iceland than in most countries, Ron Ridenour writes. | We all can learn from the Icelandic people, from their sense of assuming responsibility, for their political consciousness, their tenacity, from their culture that fosters more authors per capita than any country in the world, where there is no army, and folk live in tight-knit fellowship. | I am concerned, however, that if the current trend with the fast life continues, especially in the ever-growing Capital Region where 60%…

Staff (2021-03-01). Biden Jeopardizes Nuclear Talks With Iran by Bombing Militias in Syria. truthout.org Image Credit: 2021 Maxar Technologies (photo left) | The Biden administration is facing intense criticism from U.S. progressives after carrying out airstrikes on eastern Syria said to be targeting Iranian-backed militia groups. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports at least 22 people died. The Pentagon called the assault a response to recent rocket attacks on U.S. forces in northern Iraq. Those attacks came more than a year after Iraq's parliament voted to expel U.S. troops [mda…