(2020-02-28). In Defense of Mother Earth: Indigenous Rights Are Human Rights! RCMP Out of Wet'suwet'en! globalresearch.ca In the dark early morning on February 6, 2020, the RCMP violently raided Wet'suwet'en territory in Northern British Columbia, Canada. | "They're invading our people again, starting in the wee hours of the morning, arresting people who have been providing food …
(2020-02-28). Pentagon Papers Case Vindicates Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca On June 30, 1971, the US Supreme Court ruled that the NYT and Washington Post were legally permitted to publish what's known as the Pentagon Papers — material leaked by Daniel Ellsberg. | Six justices concurred, a per curiam statement saying …
(2020-02-28). Your Man in the Public Gallery — The Assange Hearing Day 3. globalresearch.ca In yesterday's proceedings in court, the prosecution adopted arguments so stark and apparently unreasonable I have been fretting on how to write them up in a way that does not seem like caricature or unfair exaggeration on my part. What …
(2020-02-28). Eight Negative Arguments Smearing China's Virus Fight Must be Refuted. globalresearch.ca The COVID-19 outbreak in China has begun to decline outside Hubei Province, meanwhile in some countries it is on the rise. This fully shows that the epidemic is a challenge faced by all humanity and needs to be addressed by …
(2020-02-28). The War Scenario Between Israel and Hezbollah. globalresearch.ca Notwithstanding the increase in power of the "Axis of the Resistance", with its precision missiles and unrivalled accumulated warfare experience, the possibility of war is still on the table. The "Axis of the Resistance" is increasing its readiness based on …
(2020-02-28). Providing Security in the Sahel: A 'Traffic Jam' of Military Interventions, and Al Qaeda Terrorists. globalresearch.ca Despite the presence of multiple military actors in West Africa's Sahel region, a steady growth in jihadi activity seems to thrive in the presence of foreign military operations. With their focus on fighting cross-border terrorism and reconstructing 'failed states', while …
(2020-02-28). The Unspoken War against Organic Farming in Africa: Tanzanian Farmers Are Facing Heavy Prison Sentences if They Continue Their Traditional Seed Exchange. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in 2016. | In order to receive development assistance, Tanzania has to give Western agribusiness full freedom and give enclosed protection for patented seeds. "Eighty percent of the seeds are being shared and sold in an …
(2020-02-28). George W. Bush: May I Quote You, Mr. President? globalresearch.ca A selection of 50 quotes from President George W. Bush, for entertainment or meditation…
(2020-02-28). Capture of M5 Hama-Aleppo Highway: One of the Most Celebrated Prizes in Damascus' Campaign to Regain Territory. globalresearch.ca As soon as the Syrian government announced that the north-south highway was open last weekend, my courageous friend Jamil drove from Damascus to Aleppo and back. "The road was fine and very quick," he told me on the phone on …
(2020-02-28). Anonymous Sources and "the Guys and Gals" Who Made the Iraq War a Reality Are Now Claiming that the Kremlin Is at it Again! globalresearch.ca Those hapless individuals who run the United States are again slipping into a fantasy world where Americans are besieged by imaginary threats coming from both inside and outside the country. Of course, it is particularly convenient to warn of foreign …
(2020-02-28). Brexit Lie — Johnson Now Looking to Break Agreement with EU on Northern Ireland Checks. globalresearch.ca The lies are unravelling, aren't they? We've had so many from this government it's time someone in the UK got a Johnson-lie-tracker online. Unfortunately,
(2020-02-27). Video: "Fake News": "The Shining Forces of Idlib Democracy" = Al Qaeda Terrorists backed by Turkish Army. globalresearch.ca The shining forces of Idlib democracy are crushing the Assad regime's brutal aggression in eastern Idlib dealing blow after blow to the pro-government sectarian militias so cynically backed by Teheran and Moscow… at least according to mainstream media. | Hayat Tahrir …
(2020-02-27). Should Journalists Be Punished For Exposing War Crimes? zcomm.org Source: Caitlinjohnstone.com This is a speech I gave yesterday at a demonstration for Assange with the Socialist Equality Party Australia. Tomorrow in the UK a judge will start the process of answering a very important question. It's a question that many of us knew was the heart of this debate back in 2010, ten years ago,
(2020-02-27). Julian Assange condemns court for preventing him from speaking to lawyers. wsws.org WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange issued a defiant protest in court yesterday, opposing the flagrant abuse of his legal rights in extradition proceedings brought against him by the United States government.
(2020-02-27). Julian Assange, Political Offences and Legal Restraints: Day Three of Extradition Hearings. globalresearch.ca Wednesday, February 26, Woolwich Crown Court. Today, the focus shifted to the protagonist himself and the nature of the Julian Assange, whose …
(2020-02-27). Is the World about to witness the end of the war in Afghanistan? mronline.org 
Neither the Indian political leadership nor the "deep state" seems to grasp that the geopolitics of the South Asian region is transforming with far-reaching consequences. |
(2020-02-27). The Important Word in "Democratic Socialism" is Democratic. counterpunch.org fter the Nevada caucuses, Bernie Sanders is now the front-runner in the Democratic presidential race. In South Carolina, the next primary, former Vice President Joe Biden is the favorite, buoyed by his support among African American voters. But Sanders will come into the state with real momentum, having won the popular vote in each of
(2020-02-27). Attacks against Sanders intensify ahead of South Carolina primary. wsws.org Sanders' opponents are warning that he may take an insurmountable lead in delegates in the 14 states voting next Tuesday.
(2020-02-27). Free Assange and Manning! SEP and IYSSE to hold demonstration in Colombo. wsws.org Assange and Manning are being persecuted because they dared to expose US war crimes and government corruption.
(2020-02-27). "The fight for Assange's freedom requires the political mobilisation of the working class" wsws.org This speech was delivered by Oscar Grenfell, a leading member of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) to a public rally in defence of Julian Assange, held in London on Sunday.
(2020-02-27). Julian Assange Against the Imperium. counterpunch.org The second day of extradition hearings against Julian Assange and by virtue of that, WikiLeaks, saw Mark Summers QC deliver a formidable serve for the defence at Woolwich Crown Court. "It's difficult to conceive of a clearer example of an extradition request that boldly and blatantly misstates the facts as they are known to be
(2020-02-27). Montreal: Demonstration outside US consulate demands freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org Speakers denounced the persecution of Assange as a major threat to democratic rights, exposed the complicity of Canada's ruling elite and stressed the importance of a global mobilization of the working class to secure his freedom.
(2020-02-27). Assange is a Political Prisoner and by Law Cannot Be Extradited. telesurenglish.net The charges brought by the United States against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are purely political and the extradition to the U.S. is not permitted by law, the Australian journalist's defense said Wednesday. | RELATED: | Julian Assange, 48, could receive a sentence of up to 175 years in prison in the United States on charges of espionage and computer hacking, "but these crimes are purely political," the lawyer for…
(2020-02-27). John Pilger: Llegó el momento para que Julian Assange sea liberado, no traicionado. thegrayzone.com La verdad es que Australia podía haber rescatado a Julian Assange, y todavía puede. Los líderes de su tierra natal…
(2020-02-27). Indigenous Blockades Don't Just Decry Destruction — They Affirm Life. truthout.org A few days ago, I attended the annual regional gathering of Dehcho K'ehodi Stewardship and Guardian program at the Liidlii Kue Regional High School in the Dehcho region of Denedeh (Northwest Territories, Canada) as part of my work with
(2020-02-27). UN Warns About Colombia's Endemic Violence. telesurenglish.net Last year, Colombia's continuous human rights violations were marked by record-breaking massacres and murders of social leaders that show that violence is endemic in that Latin American country, a United Nations (UN) report warned Wednesday. | RELATED: | The national homicide rate in Colombia has risen to 25/100,000 people in 2019 and 36 massacres have killed 133 people, the highest figures recorded since 2014, accor…
(2020-02-27). No escape from low growth. mronline.org 
Discussions on the state of the world economy centre around the likely negative impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic and the potential positive effect of the truce reflected in the "phase 1" trade deal between China and India. |
(2020-02-27). The Afghanistan 'Peace Deal' Riddle. globalresearch.ca As far as realpolitik Afghanistan is concerned, with or without a deal, the US military want to stay in what is a priceless Greater Middle East base to deploy hybrid war techniques | *** | Nearly two decades after the invasion and …
(2020-02-27). A Difficult Peace‚Ä®. zcomm.org Nearly a thousand of us were gathered in Chicago beneath the alarming edifice of Chicago's "Trump Tower." Iran's General Qassem Soleimani had been brutally murdered the day before in Iraq, with several of his associates; and the welcome surprise of Iran's relatively measured response was yet a few days off. A region-wide conflagration seemed just
(2020-02-27). India's Waging a State-on-Citizen Hybrid War to Build Modi's Hindu Rashtra. globalresearch.ca New Delhi, the capital of the self-professed "World's Largest Democracy", has turned into a dystopia after anti-government protests during the time of Trump's geostrategically pivotal visit quickly descended into Islamophobic attacks and a state-backed killing spree as a direct result …
(2020-02-27). Return to Bahrain: Nine Years After the Uprisings, the Nation's Human Rights Record Has Worsened. counterpunch.org It's been nine years since Bahrain's February 2011 uprising. Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in cities and towns across the country to protest the ruling Al Khalifa family's tight grip on power, discrimination against the country's majority Shia population, and arrests of political critics. The 2011 uprising itself came 10 years after the 2001
(2020-02-27). Trump in Modi's India. counterpunch.org I've been in New Delhi for over a week, attending a conference organized by the Muslim-majority Jamia Millia Islamia University. Jamia has been a focal-point of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which came into law in December last year. The CAA provides a fast-track to citizenship for refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, who sought refuge in India prior to 2015. The CAA does not however include Muslims, while including Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian and Parsi refugees.
(2020-02-27). Bernie Sanders and the Military Industrial Complex. Bernie 2.0. globalresearch.ca No one on the left was more critical of Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential run than late Black Agenda Report Editor Bruce Dixon. However, after Bernie's speech announcing that he planned to run again this year, Bruce asked me, …
(2020-02-27). Bernie Finally Puts a Number on Cutting Military Spending. counterpunch.org Bernie Sanders' campaign has published a fact sheet on how everything he proposes can be paid for. On that fact sheet we find this line in a list of items that collectively will pay for a Green New Deal: "Reducing defense spending by $1.215 trillion by scaling back military operations on protecting the global oil
(2020-02-27). The Red-Baiting Attacks on Bernie Sanders Ignore His Flawed Foreign Policy Record. mintpressnews.com The right needs to stop pretending that Bernie Sanders is a Chavista, Sandinista, or the next Che Guevara, and some elements of the left need to stop doing the same.
(2020-02-27). Don't Equate Russia's Purely Speculative Preference for US President with "Election Meddling" globalresearch.ca Democrats and Republicans alike are weaponizing purely speculative reports about Russia's supposed preference for President by deceptively equating them with imagined so-called "meddling" in support of their opponent, which amounts to nothing more than the American elite waging a sophisticated …
(2020-02-27). Trump Betrays His Promise to Protect and Fight for American Workers. counterpunch.org Campaigning for the presidency in 2016, Donald Trump promised that, if he was elected, "American worker[s] will finally have a president who will protect them and fight for them." Has he kept this promise? When it comes to protecting workers' health and safety, his administration has been a disaster. Once in office, Trump packed the leadership of U.S. regulatory agencies
(2020-02-27). Syria: "Moderate Rebels" or "Intelligence Assets"? globalresearch.ca "Moderates" never existed except as an "intelligence" agency narrative to protect and arm all the terrorists. "Rebels" never existed except as an "intelligence" agency ploy to falsely portray a Regime Change war as a "revolution" or a "civil war". | Prof. …
(2020-02-27). In alliance with Workers' Party, Bolsonaro sends Brazilian army to contain police strike. wsws.org Bolsonaro's use of the army for domestic repression and his granting troops a license to kill with impunity are in continuity with policies pursued by the PT when it was in power.
(2020-02-27). The Slander Sanders Shout-Fest: The South Carolina Democratic Primary Debate. globalresearch.ca Tonight, February 25, 2020 the Democrats held their 10th debate on the eve of the South Carolina primary this coming weekend. It's also the last debate before next week's Super Tuesday string of primaries held in 14 states. | A lot …
(2020-02-27). The Fix Is In: Overseeing the Payouts to Boeing Crash Victims' Families. globalresearch.ca Boeing's appointment last week of Kenneth Feinberg to administer the aerospace giant's $50 million Community Investment Fund to compensate the communities affected by the two 737 Max 8 crashes and the resulting 346 deaths leaves little doubt that the account …
(2020-02-27). Toxic Agriculture and the Gates Foundation. globalresearch.ca The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was launched in 2000 and has $46.8 billion in assets (December 2018). It is the largest charitable foundation in the world and distributes more aid for global health than any government. One of the …
(2020-02-27). UK: Google Data Transfer to USA Just the Start — "Possibilities for Abuse Are Enormous" globalresearch.ca Google is planning to move its British users' accounts out of the control of European Union privacy regulators, placing them under US jurisdiction instead, the company confirmed on 19 February. The shift, prompted by Britain's exit from the EU, will …
(2020-02-27). Centrist Candidates Are Losing the Plot. truthdig.com I thought I might end up watching an Iowa-style meltdown when my cousin, a precinct chair in Nevada, invited me to Reno to watch the complicated vote counting at the Nevada Democratic caucuses on Feb. 24, less than three weeks after Iowa's disaster. | I hate to admit it, being a cynical correspondent for a skeptical progressive website, but things went pretty well. Those tallying up the votes appeared to be honest and dedicated to doing a good job. | The participants gathered at Swope Middle School on a Sunday morning were in a good mood. Under the direction of chairs like my cousin, they divided up quickly, as t…
(2020-02-27). Democratic Socialism: From Fromm to Sanders. counterpunch.org "His value as a person lies in his salability, not in his human qualities of love, reason, or in his artistic capacities. Happiness becomes identical with consumption of newer and better commodities, the drinking in of music, screen plays, fun, sex, liquor and cigarettes. Not having a sense of self except the one which conformity
(2020-02-27). The NYT's Analysis of Democratic Tax Plans: a Really Big Number Orgy. counterpunch.org I have often gone after the media on printing large numbers that are meaningless to almost all their readers. The point is that when you throw out numbers in the millions, billions, and trillions, very few readers have any idea what these numbers mean. It is possible to make them meaningful by simply adding some
(2020-02-27). How We Stay Blind to the Story of Power. counterpunch.org If one thing drives me to write, especially these posts, it is the urgent need for us to start understanding power. Power is the force that shapes almost everything about our lives and our deaths. There is no more important issue. Understanding power and overcoming it through that understanding is the only path to liberation we can
(2020-02-27). Jammu and Kashmir Cannot be Reduced to Rubble. counterpunch.org While I have been highly critical of the extended detentions of former heads of government, former legislators, and a former civil services officer under the Public Safety Act (PSC), I cannot forget the 200 Kashmiri men being held in jails outside the Valley. These incarcerated Kashmiris have been detained under the Public Safety Act (PSC)
(2020-02-27). Dancing Bears Weren't Having Fun. counterpunch.org People send me all sorts of wildlife related videos. Most recent was a series of bears dealing with an itch by rubbing parts of their body against a tree. When people watch a YouTube video, complete with music and voice over, of a bear "dancing", I get it that some people think this is "cool"
(2020-02-27). Wilderness Preservation is Our Best Protection Against Wildfires. counterpunch.org In recent weeks, misinformed Douglas County politicians have expressed opposition to the 500,000 acre Crater Lake Wilderness proposal based on the misguided belief that wilderness designation poses a wildfire threat. They argue that "active management," meaning logging, can preclude or prevent such blazes. But this demonstrates a fundamental failure to understand fire ecology. Just as
(2020-02-27). Germany: Nazi terrorist group planned mass murder of Muslims. wsws.org German police arrested 12 right-wing extremists who were actively preparing mass murder against refugees, Muslims and political opponents.
(2020-02-27). US Sanctions Hezbollah-Linked Lebanese Companies. telesurenglish.net United States Treasury Department blacklisted Wednesday several companies and individuals of investment firms in Lebanon, accusing them of being owned or controlled by Hezbollah's Martyrs Foundation. | RELATED: | The department blacklisted Beirut-based Atlas Holding and its affiliates as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists," therefore, the targeted individuals' and companies' assets in the U.S. territory are frozen and prohibits U.S. nati…
(2020-02-27). Death Toll from Coronavirus Rises to 26 in Iran. telesurenglish.net The outbreak of coronavirus, officially named as COVID-19, in Iran has affected 245 people, Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced on Thursday. | RELATED: | Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said that among the infected people, 26 have died. | Jahanpur said that Iran has raised the number of the laboratories for testing the vir…
(2020-02-27). If Venezuelan Embassy Protectors Are Retried, Jury Should Hear About US Crimes. truthout.org On February 28, federal prosecutors will announce whether they plan to retry four people who spent 37 days in the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C.,
(2020-02-27). Trump's Expansion of the Muslim Ban May Be Enabling Rohingyan Genocide. truthout.org Three years ago, Donald Trump instituted a racist, xenophobic Muslim ban prohibiting people in predominately Muslim nations from traveling to the U.S. On This expansion is expec…
(2020-02-27). Top DNC Committee Is Packed With Fossil Fuel and Bank Lobbyists. truthout.org This article was produced by It's likely that going into the Democratic National Convention in July, none of the presidential candidates will have the outright majority of pledged delegates needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot. If…
(2020-02-27). The coronavirus pandemic and the need for global socialized medicine. wsws.org A planned, rational deployment of worldwide medical and industrial resources is essential to keep the disease from potentially claiming millions of lives.
(2020-02-27). Smoking and drinking link to recreational drug use by young people: UN-backed report. news.un.org The use of alcohol and tobacco by young people and children is closely linked to the use of illicit drugs, a UN-backed narcotics control body warned on Thursday.
(2020-02-27). Salvadoran Assembly Passes Law of Reconciliation. telesurenglish.net The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador approved on Wednesday a law of reconciliation which is strongly opposed by victims of civil war and human rights organizations. | RELATED: | The Special Law on Transitional Justice, Reparation and National Reconciliation was passed with 44 votes and in the midst of strong rejections by war victims, who have cataloged this regulation as a "new disguised amnesty." | With just 58 deputies presen…
(2020-02-27). At Least 5 Killed, 20,000 Displaced in Jakarta Floods. telesurenglish.net At least five people were killed, three were missing and nearly 20,000 had been displaced by floods in Jakarta following torrential rains, Indonesian authorities said on Wednesday. | RELEASED: | The floods, which saw waters rising as high as 1.5 meters in some areas of the city, affected some 75,000 people and 22,000 houses, national disaster management authority (
(2020-02-27). Syrian troops repel all militant attacks on strategic Saraqib city in Idlib — military. rt.com 
Reports by some Turkish media outlets asserting that Syrian "moderate opposition" units have captured the city of Saraqib in Idlib province are out of sync with reality, TASS reported a military source as saying on Thursday. | "Militants' attacks against the city of Saraqib have been successfully repelled by Syrian government troops. The city is fully controlled by the Syrian government," the source said, adding that mine clearance and preparations for restoring civilian life are continuing there. | Saraqib, a strategically important city located to the southeast of the province's center, Idlib, at the interse…
(2020-02-27). Trump appoints VP Pence to lead coronavirus response, says US 'totally prepared'. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump brushed off concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus spreading in the US, saying containment measures so far have been very effective but that his government is also fully prepared if they fail. | Holding a press conference at the White House on Wednesday evening, shortly after returning from India, Trump told Americans not to panic and argued that the measures he ordered — including travel restrictions on China, where the virus originated — have successfully kept the US safe. | He put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of coordinating the government's response to the corona…
(2020-02-27). WATCH protesters hurl stones at police during second night of riots against migrant camps in Lesbos. rt.com 
Scores of angry Greeks clashed with police on Wednesday night as violent protests continued over plans to build a new detention center for irregular migrants on the island of Lesbos, with dozens reported injured. | The Greek government plans to build new camps for refugees in response to overcrowding on Lesbos and four neighboring islands, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos. Local residents were enraged with the news and used stones, sticks and fire to express their anger. The Greek police used tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators on Wednesday night as rioting entered its third consecutive night. | T…
(2020-02-27). World Cup-winner Del Piero prevented from receiving Russian visa over killer coronavirus fears – reports. rt.com 
A Russian visa is notriously difficult to obtain, so spare a thought for World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero who was prevented from obtaining a visa in Italy, instead traveling from LA to Armenia due to coronavirus fears. | For those of you who have ever attempted traveling to Russia, you'll know that ahead of the extreme climate and imposing language barrier, there is one roadblock that stands above all as the most difficult to circumvent: the Russian visa process. | Jumping through the obligatory hoops to get your hands on a visa can be exasperating, so spare a thought for Italian World Cup winner Alesssan…
(2020-02-27). Brightly burning meteor lights the sky BLUE as it streaks across the heavens (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Early risers in Arizona were treated to some celestial fireworks earlier this week when a suspected meteor lit up the entire sky, and in spectacular fashion, giving a brief, blue hue to the morning. | The American Meteor Society received multiple reports of sightings from across the state around 5: 30am local time on Wednesday. Eyewitness footage, from doorbells, dashcams and everything in between, shows this meteor went out with a bang! | #phoenix #meteor captured by my
(2020-02-27). China's Foreign Ministry summons US embassy official over Pompeo's threat to eject Chinese reporters, promises response. rt.com 
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called for a meeting with a US embassy official after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened to expel Chinese reporters working in the US, as the two sides become embroiled in a "press war." | "In recent years, the US government has adopted various restrictions on Chinese news organizations in the United States," said Hua Chunying, head of the Foreign Ministry's news department. | "If the US takes further harassment and restriction measures against Chinese news organizations in the US, the Chinese side will certainly respond further." | The stern statement comes after the T…
(2020-02-27). Iran's VP for women and family affairs is latest official to test positive for coronavirus. rt.com 
Iranian's vice president for women and family affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, has contracted the coronavirus. Three high-ranking officials, including Iran's deputy health minister, were already known to be infected. | "Ms. Ebtekar showed signs of infection with coronavirus and was tested. The results came back positive," IRNA quoted a spokesperson for the vice president as saying. | Earlier in the day, the head of the parliamentary security and foreign relations commission Mojtaba Zonnour said he had also tested positive for the virus. | Iran is enduring a large coronavirus outbreak; 26 people have died from the di…
(2020-02-27). It's just business: US & Britain buying more and more oil from Russia. rt.com 
Russia more than doubled crude oil supplies to the United States and Britain in 2019, data from the Federal Customs Service (FCS) has revealed. | A fall in prices for the Russian Urals oil, combined with US sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, were among the reasons for such an increase in purchases. | According to the data cited by business news outlet RBC, in October Russia became the second-largest supplier of oil and petroleum products to the United States. At the end of 2019, crude oil exports from Russia amounted to almost $2.2 billion, 2.4 times more than in 2018. In physical terms, the volume of oil e…
(2020-02-27). Save lives, earn money! Chinese city offers $1,000+ REWARD for self-reporting coronavirus symptoms in bid to quell outbreak. rt.com 
A city in China decided that a money giveaway would be the best motivation for people to report coronavirus symptoms to authorities as the death toll from the infection continues to grow. | The new measure is set to "incentivize" residents to report their symptoms to authorities, the disease prevention taskforce of the city of Qianjiang in central Hubei Province said in a notice on Thursday. | According to the scheme, those whose diagnosis is confirmed will be paid 10,000 yuan ($1,426). Likewise, people who cannot be immediately ruled out as having contracted the disease will be given 1,000 yuan ($142.50), whi…
(2020-02-27). California confirms first possible 'community transmission' of coronavirus as China reports fewest new fatalities in a month. rt.com 
California health officials have detected what may be the first local transmission of the deadly COVID-19 virus in the US — with no known ties to other confirmed cases — as China reported the lowest number of new deaths in weeks.
(2020-02-27). Earth has had TWO MOONS for past three years… and no one noticed. rt.com 
The boffins at the Catalina Sky Survey have stumbled upon an amazing and slightly goofy discovery, apparently Earth has had a second moon for the past three years and nobody noticed. | This 'mini-moon' is actually an asteroid, measuring between 1.9 and 3.5 metres (6.2 and 11.5 feet) in diameter, that was temporarily captured by our planet's gravity. Named 2020 CD3, we picked up our second moon some time in 2017 but, given how vast the sky is and how dark the moon is, it never caught anyone's attention, until now. | pic.twitter.com/zLkXyGAkZl— Kacper Wierzchos (@WierzchosKacper) (2020-02-27). Major bank sees abysmal demand growth for oil. rt.com 
Oil prices could bounce around between $50 and $70 through 2025, with both demand growth and supply growth slowing, according to a new report. | The oil market faces a steep supply surplus in the near-term due to the coronavirus and the prospect of demand destruction and economic deceleration. But the US shale industry likely won't rebound from its current slump, at least not to the explosive growth rates of recent years, keeping supply in check. | "Shale production economics in the US continue to point to a Brent price floor around $50/bbl or a WTI price floor of $45/bbl," Bank of America Merrill Lynch wrote…
(2020-02-27). Media 'infodemic' causes more damage to Italy than coronavirus outbreak — FM Di Maio. rt.com 
The "infodemic" around COVID-19 is more damaging to Italy than the virus itself, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has said. This is as the number of registered Italian cases jumped by 100 overnight and two more people have died. | "The epidemic of misleading information will do more damage to Italy than the risk of the virus epidemic itself," Di Maio told reporters Thursday. "We have gone from an epidemic risk to an 'infodemic' one." | The spread of "misleading" reports damages not only the fragile economy of the country — that has seen three recessions in just over a decade — but also the reputation…
(2020-02-27). Pants on fire! Joe Biden's campaign says he was never 'arrested' trying to visit Nelson Mandela. rt.com 
Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden claimed he was arrested in the 1970s while trying to visit jailed South African civil rights campaigner Nelson Mandela. After critics called him out, his campaign now denies the claim. | Courting the black vote in South Carolina and Nevada this month, Biden brought up his 1970s visit to South Africa when he was a senator for Delaware. He told a South Carolina crowd that he "had the great honor of being arrested with our UN ambassador on the streets of Soweto trying to get to see [Mandela] on Robben Island." At a black history awards event in Las Vegas last week, he cla…
(2020-02-27). Britain rejects EU trade demands, threatens to walk away from post-Brexit talks — document. rt.com 
The UK warned on Thursday that it would not commit to following European Union rules in a post-Brexit trade deal, and threatened to abandon talks in June if no compromise is possible. | Two days after EU ministers approved their own joint approach to the negotiations, which start on Monday, PM Boris Johnson's government set out its own red lines. The formal negotiating mandate says London wants to agree a relationship "based on friendly cooperation between sovereign equals" before the end of…
(2020-02-27). Biden treated Ukraine 'as his private property', says purged prosecutor Shokin on Burisma scandal — UkraineGate documentary. rt.com 
Former top Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin says he was pushed out under pressure from US Vice President Joe Biden, after he seized the assets of the oligarch behind Burisma, the gas company that employed Biden's son. | President Donald Trump's efforts to investigate Biden's role in getting Shokin fired served as a pretext for his impeachment in the House of Representatives back in December. However, after Trump was acquitted by the Senate, the US media forgot about Burisma — and Ukraine. | French investigative journalist Olivier Berruyer, founder of popular anti-corruption and economics blog Les Crise…
(2020-02-27). US rejected key talks on extending soon-to-expire treaty that limits strategic nuclear arms — Russia. rt.com 
The US has declined an invitation to hold a formal meeting to discuss the legal details of extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which is due to expire in a year, a senior Russian diplomat has said. | Washington has decided to ditch important talks on the bilateral treaty's fate, the Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry's Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department, Vladimir Leontyev, told a strategic arms-themed event in the Russian parliament on Thursday. | We offered a meeting between our legal experts to make sure that we're on the same page and to negotiate a common understanding of…
(2020-02-27). Bernard Arnault or Louis XVI? Keiser Report looks at how a billionaire gets peasant's money to sell trinkets to other billionaires. rt.com 
All the money printed by central banks is going directly to billionaires, say Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert of the Keiser Report, and French luxury brand owner Bernard Arnault is just the latest example. | They discuss the so-called 'Cantillon Effect' which has allowed "many tens of billionaires to shower the deplorables with seemingly generous donations." | The ECB's purchase of the LVMH bonds in order to finance the Tiffany acquisition helped LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault to become one of the richest men in the world. | Max says "this is really an endgame," because there was a period in global finance when bank…
(2020-02-27). Putin's here, there & everywhere? Russian President says idea of using lookalike once floated. rt.com 
For a long time, rumors persisted in Russia that Vladimir Putin was using a double or two. Now the Russian President has revealed the idea was once considered, but rejected. | The notion that the original Putin, who became Russian prime minister in 1999, is long dead is among the more popular conspiracy theories doing the rounds. Believers have come up with diagrams showing purported lookalikes of the Russian president, each alleged to have a specific purpose. | –ì–¥–µ –Ω–∞—Å—Ç–æ—è—â–&…
(2020-02-27). 'Trolling of the highest order': Russian communists FURIOUS after Lenin's birthday chosen as date for major public vote. rt.com 
He died almost a century ago, but they still haven't gotten around to burying him. So, it's fair to say Vladimir Lenin still casts a long shadow on the Russian political scene. | For obvious reasons, Russia's Communist Party has made itself the protector of the Bolshevik leader's legacy and it tends to react sensitively to any perceived slight. Now many of its members are up in arms over plans to hold a forthcoming national vote on Lenin's birthday. | When the date for the general ballot on changing the constitution was announced, most Russians were simply happy to have a day off work. However, Communists quic…
(2020-02-27). MSM's insatiable anti-Sanders venom forces them to dig through archives & smear veteran American reporter (because Russia!). rt.com 
Mainstream outlets are so determined to derail Bernie Sanders' campaign, they've dug up a 2016 interview of his wife with RT's late host Ed Schultz — shot before the "collusion" was a thing — to smear both as Russian stooges. | A clip of the Democratic presidential hopeful's wife Jane Sanders complaining on RT America about the unfairness of closed primaries — in which only registered Democrats can vote for the party's nominee — was trending on Wednesday morning, boosted by smug blue-checks crowing some variation on "I told you so." | Bernie Sanders' wife went on Russian TV to explain wh…
(2020-02-27). They dive from the sky & gun down panicked enemy: Russian special forces day celebrated with action-packed VIDEO. rt.com 
Russia's highly secretive Special Operations Forces, which get the most demanding and sensitive tasks and may go deep into enemy territory, are marking their professional day. Here is how the commandos look in action. | The SpecOp branch of the Russian military fields highly trained fighters, who know how to infiltrate behind enemy lines and wreak havoc with sabotage, organizing guerilla forces and other forms of clandestine action. | It was created over a decade ago as a distinct command, directly answering to the General Staff, but it only got a professional holiday in 2015. A video showcasing skills and equ…
(2020-02-27). Afghanistan 'peace deal' is not real without Iran. iranian.com Nearly two decades after the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan post-9/11, and after an interminable war costing over $ 2 trillion, there's hardly anything "historic" about a possible peace deal that may be signed in Doha this coming Saturday between Washington and the Taliban. We should start by stressing three points. 1- The Taliban wanted …
(2020-02-27). Thousands Of US Troops Return To Saudi Base After 17-Year Absence To "Deter Iran" iranian.com After a nearly 17 year absence, US troops have returned Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base. The last time the base, which lies about 60 miles outside of Riyadh, saw an American presence was in 2003, after which the troops moved to Qatar. The American troop surge into the gulf region to curtail Iran continues even as the world …
(2020-02-27). The climate crisis can't wait: 2050 is too late. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-02-27). Putin Not Currently Planning Talks With Erdogan in Istanbul on 5 March – Kremlin. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Erdogan said on Wednesday that he was most likely to discuss the developments in Syria's Idlib with Putin on 5 March in Istanbul.
(2020-02-27). Blacktown Council declares climate emergency. greenleft.org.au 
Activists from Cool Down Western Sydney organised petitions and c…
(2020-02-27). 'New Malaysia' government collapses due to factionalism and crony politics. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-02-27). Turkey: Tens of thousands attend HDP congress. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-02-27). Report Back from Lockdown at Chase Corporate Offices in Solidarity with Wet'suwet'en. indybay.org The following is an account from the Indigenous group who participated in the Chase corporate office lockdown in so-called San Francisco, California, in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en.
(2020-02-27). SF Demands Free Julian Assange & Goes Into UK Consulate Building Lobby. indybay.org As part of world day of action to Free Julian Assange activists rallied in San Francisco and then briefly occupied the UK building lobby.
(2020-02-27). Mohawks urge Tohono O'odham to blockade border wall and offer help. indybay.org Mark Maracle of the Mohawk Warrior Society said Tohono O'odham should shut down construction of the border wall. Maracle said Mohawks stand ready to help them and fear should not control their minds.
(2020-02-27). Sanctions: The Weaponization of the Global Financial System. indybay.org San José Peace and Justice Center | 48 South 7th Street | San José, CA 95112 | Bus routes: 22, 522, 23, 523, 55, 64, 66, 68, 72, 73, 168, 181, 500, Hwy 17 Express, MST 55, LRT…
(2020-02-27). Nude Monthly Freedom Walk. indybay.org Nude Monthly Freedom Walk – Sunday, March 1st at 12 Noon at Jane Warner Plaza…
(2020-02-27). 32nd Sacramento Black Expo. indybay.org The California Black Agriculture Working Group will co-host workshops, tours and information about participating throughout the $333 billion dollar California Working Landscape.
(2020-02-27). Erdogan Notes Fighting in Syria's Idlib Has Gone in Turkey's Favour. sputniknews.com The newspaper Daily Sabah reported earlier today citing Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar that two Turkish soldiers had been killed in an airstrike in Syria's Idlib Province.
(2020-02-27). Turkey 'Will Do What is Necessary' if Syrians Don't Retreat to Designated Lines in Idlib – Official. sputniknews.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously warned that Ankara wouldn't take the "smallest step back" in Idlib and stated that Turkey is "not a guest in [the] region, but its master".
(2020-02-27). Assange Hearing: US Government Claims it Doesn't Matter if Alleged Offences Are 'Political'. sputniknews.com Barry Pollack, Julian Assange's US-based lawyer, branded as "Orwellian" and "frivolous" claims by prosecutors that while the US government can seek the WikiLeaks founder's extradition under the Anglo-US Treaty, the publisher can't rely on any protection contained within the very same treaty.
(2020-02-27). Indian Telecom Operators Urge Government to Ease Taxes on Statutory Dues. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India's apex court had ordered telecom service operators to shell out statutory dues on account of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) to the tune of $21 billion. The Supreme Court of India had also criticized the Federal Government for delays in the implementation of its order in October 2019.
(2020-02-27). Scientists Say Almost All Coral Reefs Will Die in 20 Years Due to Pollution and Climate Change. sputniknews.com Although they occupy less than one percent of underwater surfaces, coral reefs are an invaluable part of marine ecosystems. They are even called the rainforests of the sea as they provide home and food to millions of species.