The U.S. Military is hell-bent on trying to overpower China
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-05-13
The absence of a strong world peace movement with the capacity to prevent this buildup by the United States is of considerable concern for the planet. The need for such a movement could not be greater.
mronline.org/2020/05/13/the-u-s-military…

The Mind-blowing History at Fort Detrick
Ceng Jing | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
Since the Trump administration declared national emergency in mid-march over the rapid spread of COVID-19, the task of developing a vaccine has fallen on the U.S. Army’s top virus research lab in Fort Detrick, located in suburban Maryland some 50 …
globalresearch.ca/mind-blowing-history-f…

The Longterm Social Impacts from Economic Collapse and COVID-19 Outbreaks
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
Economic collapse that’s harming most ordinary people in the US, West, and elsewhere

Outsourcing ‘regime change’: US imperialism’s decomposition accelerates
Francisco Dominguez | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-13
On May 3rd a bunch of mercenaries, led by Rambo-like US soldiers of fortune attempted to disembark on the coastal town of Macuto in the La Guaira state in Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, in a so-called Operation Gedeon.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/13/outsourci…

Wall Street Will Likely Be the Only Winners in the Pandemic Housing Crisis
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-13
For most Americans, the $1,200 stimulus check didn’t even cover rent and a third of American renters have even paid rent yet this month, meaning an ongoing de facto rent strike is likely already taking place.
mintpressnews.com/wall-street-likely-onl…

American Weapons Manufacturers Are Thriving Even as the US Economy Suffers
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-13
The economy has crashed. A nationwide pandemic that has (officially) claimed some 84,000 Americans has also resulted in an estimated 36 million filing for unemployment insurance and millions frequenting food banks for the first time. Yet business is booming for one unlikely industry; weapons manufacturers are busier than ever and are even advertising for tens of thousan…
mintpressnews.com/american-weapons-manuf…

The “Zionist Virus” and the Future of Palestine
Rima Najjar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
To me, an American-Palestinian, the world tainted by the corona virus is analogous to Israel tainted by the evil it contains. | Every day for the past few days, I have been listening to New York Governor Cuomo give his daily …
globalresearch.ca/governor-cuomo-virus-n…

Soros Thinks That Germany Is A Greater Threat To His Plans Than COVID, Trump, Or China
Andrew Korybko | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-13
Billionaire philanthropist and infamous Color Revolution financier George Soros recently elaborated on his views of International Relations in the midst of World War C during an interview with the UK’s “Independent”, unexpectedly concluding that Germany’s recent court ruling against the European Central Bank’s purchase of national bonds poses an “existential threat” to the bloc and therefore also to his “precious” vision of an “open society”, even more so than the alleged ones posed by COVID, Trump, or China that he previously fearmongered about. | International Relations are in the midst of multitudinous paradig…
thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/soros-thi…

We Need a Centralized Medical System Too
Ted Rall | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare two fundamental flaws in the American healthcare system. Number one: There’s a reason that other rich countries treat healthcare as a taxpayer-financed social program. Employer-based health insurance was stupid pre-COVID-19 because our economy was already steadily transitioning from traditional full-time W-2 jobs to self-employment, freelance and gig work. The virus has…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/we-need-a-ce…

Jeremy Corbyn discovers the class struggle–and opposes it
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
The Socialist Campaign Group acknowledge the “class war” only in order to complain that Johnson is waging it rather than acting in the “national interest.”
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/corb…

From Lebanon to Syria, the Arab World is Failing Palestinian Refugees
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-13
Heinous racism. That is how the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described a recent decision by Lebanese authorities to bar Palestinian refugee expats from returning to Lebanon. | Lebanon’s restrictions on its ever-diminishing population of Palestinian refugees is nothing new. However, this event is particularly alarming as it may be linked to a long-term official policy regarding the residency status of Palestinian refugees in this Arab country. | Many were ta…
mintpressnews.com/lebanon-syria-arab-wor…

Russia Ready to Assist the US in the Taliban Peace Agreement
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-13
Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country is ready to help the United States and the Taliban overcome difficulties in implementing the Doha Peace Agreement. | RELATED: | At Least 14 People Killed in Afghanistan Hospital Attack | …
telesurenglish.net/news/Russia-Ready-to-…

Something About Julian Assange You Should Know
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-13
It is not just our family who suffers from the infringement of Julian’s rights. If our family and Julian’s lawyers are not off-limits, then nothing is. The person responsible for allegedly ordering the theft of Gabriel’s DNA is Mike Pompeo, who last month threatened the family members of lawyers working at the International Criminal Court.
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/05/13/so…

Class Struggles and Social Distancing
Scott Tucker | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
On the day after armed protestors stormed the Capitol building in Michigan to demand that the whole economy be re-opened, the news included reports that Michigan has the highest current death rates in the United States from the novel coronavirus. That is a serious problem. Voluntary good will in avoiding risks of infection during a…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/class-strugg…

Fifty Years Ago: The Lessons of Kent State. Open Fire on Unarmed Student Anti-War Protesters
Donald Monaco | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
May 4, 2020 was the 50th anniversary of the Kent State University massacre that saw Ohio National Guardsmen open fire on a group of unarmed student anti-war protestors killing 4 and injuring 9 on campus. Not satisfied with the …
globalresearch.ca/lessons-kent-state/571…

Pompeo in Israel
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
At a time of COVID-19 related lockdowns and social distancing in most countries, Pompeo showed up in Israel Tuesday. | He came to meet with and bolster Netanyahu ahead of his upcoming trial to start later this month for bribery, fraud, …
globalresearch.ca/pompeo-israel/5712754

Vowing to Be ‘Fully Accountable’ to Movement, Ocasio-Cortez Joins Biden’s Climate Crisis Task Force
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-13
Following her call for former Vice President Joe Biden to reach out to progressives in order to win the 2020 general election against President Donald Trump, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accepted an invitation to co-chair the Biden campaign’s “unity task force” on the climate. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/13/vowing-…

The Health Care Industry Could Profit From the COVID-19 Crisis
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-13
As the top infectious disease expert testifies to the Senate that needless death and suffering could result from reopening too quickly, author and journalist Naomi Klein says a “pandemic shock doctrine” is beginning to emerge. “The fact that a large sector of the economy, the healthcare industry, sees a potential bonanza here … that’s a win for them.” | TRANSCRIPT | : | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. | AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quaranti…
truthout.org/video/the-health-care-indus…

Naomi Klein: Healthcare Industry Sees “Potential Bonanza” of Profits in COVID-19 Crisis
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-13
As the top infectious disease expert testifies to the Senate that needless death and suffering could result from reopening too quickly, author and journalist Naomi Klein says a “pandemic shock doctrine” is beginning to emerge. “The fact that a large sector of the economy, the healthcare industry, sees a potential bonanza here … that’s a win for them.”
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/13/naomi_kle…

Screen New Deal: Naomi Klein on How Companies Like Google Plan to Profit in High-Tech COVID Dystopia
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-13
In her new report for The Intercept on the “Screen New Deal,” Naomi Klein looks at how the coronavirus pandemic is more high-tech than previous disasters

The Murder of Ahmaud Arbery—And Our Continuing Terror
Jesse Jackson | commondreams.org | 2020-05-13
People stand six feet apart before participating in a 2.23 mile walk for Ahmaud Arbery on May 8. Arbery was shot and killed while running in Brunswick, Georgia on Feb. 23. (Photo: Nicole Hester/Mlive.com) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2020/05/13/murder…

COVID-19: Global Pandemic & Climate Disruption With Mike Davis
Speak Out Now | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Online Zoom meeting, see details here: speakoutsocialists.org/townhall-davis-5-……
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/10/1883296…

Paramilitary Panda: WWF Land Grabs Rooted in Covert Apartheid History
Michael Molitch-Hou | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
According to a BuzzFeed News series, the WWF has been tied to paramilitary violence in third world countries. What they completely ignored was that the WWF was previously involved in the murder of 6,000 anti-apartheid activists in South Africa a part of an “anti-poaching” mission in the 1980s. All evidence seems to suggest that the WWF was used as cover for an MI6 operation on behalf of powerful business interests in South Africa.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/12/1883299…

Beijing denounces ‘immoral’ US Senate bill threatening China with sanctions over Covid-19
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Beijing has lashed out at US legislation which seeks to impose sanctions on China if it fails to cooperate with Washington’s investigation into the coronavirus pandemic. | The bill would require the president to notify Congress within 60 days that China had “provided a full and complete accounting” to any US-led probe into the coronavirus outbreak. The rule would also apply to investigations carried out by American allies and UN agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO). | The legislation also demands that China shutter all “wet markets” which can pose a risk to human health. It also calls for the i…
rt.com/news/488528-china-us-sanctions-co…

US anti-ISIS chief says his goal in Syria is to create a ‘quagmire’ for Russia, not battle terrorism
rt.com | 2020-05-13
James Jeffrey, the US special envoy for Syria and defeating the Islamic State, has made quite a frank confession of how he sees his job and that of US troops there: to create a new Vietnam or Afghanistan for Moscow. | “Our military presence, while small, is important for overall calculations. So we urge the Congress, the American people, the president to keep these forces on, but again this isn’t Afghanistan, this isn’t Vietnam, this isn’t a quagmire,” Jeffrey said on Tuesday, during a video event hosted by the Hudson Institute. | My job is to make it a quagmire for the Russians. | Asked why the American publ…
rt.com/news/488491-us-syria-russia-quagm…

‘They will not silence us’: Michigan activists undeterred after Facebook removes anti-lockdown group with 380,000 members
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Facebook has shuttered a popular group for Michiganders who oppose their governor’s extreme lockdown measures, fueling debate about free speech during the coronavirus crisis. | ‘Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine’ had more than 380,000 members, with media reports describing it as one of the largest anti-lockdown groups in the nation. It’s not clear if Facebook has provided an explanation for the group’s removal. Visiting the page gives the following message: “Sorry, this content isn’t available right now.” | Garrett Soldano of Mattawan, Michigan created Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine in Apri…
rt.com/usa/488513-michigan-lockdown-grou…

Assange’s extradition: September 7 set for resumption of delayed hearing, WikiLeaks says
rt.com | 2020-05-13
“A date of September 7 has been set for the resumption of Julian Assange’s delayed extradition hearing,” WikiLeaks tweeted on Wednesday. A court location has yet to be determined, it said. | A London court said on May 4 that the US extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Assange would resume in September. It had been postponed from later this month because of the coronavirus outbreak. | Assange is wanted by US authorities to stand trial for conspiring to hack government computers and espionage. The extradition case began in February for a week before being adjourned until May 18 for another three weeks of a…
rt.com/newsline/488530-assange-extraditi…

A Close Look at Efforts of Pro-NATO Propaganda Units Behind the Scenes of South Front Censorship
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
Pro-NATO propaganda units have broadcasted a new episode of their censorship excuse series. | On May 5th, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), published a new piece designed to label SouthFront as official Russian propaganda. ( LINK…
globalresearch.ca/efforts-pro-nato-propa…

Don’t Expect to See Trump’s Tax Returns Before the Election
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-13
Donald Trump claims that while he is president, his pre-presidency financial records can’t be subpoenaed and he can’t even be investigated for criminal conduct. The Supreme Court will decide by the end of June whether Trump is indeed beyond the reach of the law. | On May 12, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about whether Trump can block subpoenas for his tax and other financial records that predate his presidency. Although prior presidents made their tax returns public, Trump has steadfastly refused to re…
truthout.org/articles/dont-expect-to-see…

Trump Administration Won’t Guarantee Universal Access to COVID-19 Vaccine
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-13
Despite hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars flowing to private drug companies for vaccine development, top health officials coordinating the Trump administration’s COVID-19 response indicated to Congress on Wednesday that they cannot guarantee universal access to vaccines for the highly contagious disease once they are developed. | Speaking remotely over videoconference during a widely anticipated Senate health committee hearing, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) pressed the officials to guara…
truthout.org/articles/trump-administrati…

El Salvador: White Cloths to Protest Hunger
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-13
Salvadoran communities are demanding the government provide food and medical aid due to the economic problems caused by the Covid-19 impact in the Central American nation. | RELATED: | El Salvador: Bukele Vetoes Aid to COVID-Vulnerable Citizens | The residents of Tonacatepeque and Ilopango communities hung white cloths on the facades of their homes as a sign of protest due to food scarcity. | El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, decreed and emergency quarantine on March 2…
telesurenglish.net/news/el-salvador-whit…

San Quentin Gets Car Caravan Protest
Leon Kunstenaar | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Protesters demand end to “Covid-19 death camps.”
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/09/1883294…

Michigan Anti-Lockdown Protesters Spread COVID-19 to Rural Areas
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-13
Some protesters who descended on the Michigan state capitol to demand the state reopen the economy in spite of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have spread infections in rural areas where they live, Gov. Gretchen Whi…
truthout.org/articles/michigan-anti-lock…

What’s Next for Asia’s Social Movements?
Nithin Coca | thenation.com | 2020-05-13
What’s Next for Asia’s Social Movements?
thenation.com/article/activism/protests-…

Colombia’s health workers unprotected, patients without treatment: watchdogs
Adriaan Alsema | colombiareports.com | 2020-05-13
Colombia’s inspector general and ombudsman on Tuesday urged government action to protect health workers and continue providing healthcare to patients not suffering Covid-19. The watchdogs confirmed healthcare organizations’ complaints that…
colombiareports.com/colombias-health-wor…

Violent evictions in Bogotá, Colombia amid the coronavirus pandemic
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-13
Many question the motivation of the city government to evict the community amid the pandemic as they have been occupying the land for the last 20 years…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/13/violent-e…

Corporate Media don’t think Americans paid to invade Venezuela Count as mercenaries
Joshua Cho | mronline.org | 2020-05-13
When an attempted invasion of Venezuela launched from the shores of Colombia was foiled on May 3, after armed commandos were intercepted at Venezuela’s coastline of La Guira, it seemed undeniable that the heavily armed men, possessing satellite phones and uniforms with the U.S. flag emblazoned on them, had been paid to take part in …
mronline.org/2020/05/13/corporate-media-…

German Foreign Policy Is a CIA Front
Aidan O’Brien | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
On March 30 Germany declared the important Lebanese political group, Hezbollah, to be a “terrorist” organization and banned it from German soil. By doing so it gratuitously increased the tension in the eastern Mediterranean and exposed Berlin’s lack of credibility …
globalresearch.ca/german-foreign-policy-…

German Foreign Policy Is a CIA Front
Aidan O’Brien | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
On March 30 Germany declared the important Lebanese political group, Hezbollah, to be a “terrorist” organization and banned it from German soil. By doing so it gratuitously increased the tension in the eastern Mediterranean and exposed Berlin’s lack of credibility …
globalresearch.ca/german-foreign-policy-…

Mysterious Murder of Coronavirus Chinese Scientist in US Leaves Many Questions Unanswered
Lucas Leiroz de Almeida | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
Last week, Chinese scientist Bing Liu was shot and killed inside his home in Ross Township, Pennsylvania, USA. The researcher was a doctor of computer science at the National University of Singapore and lived and worked in the US, more …
globalresearch.ca/mysterious-murder-chin…

In Lockdown, India is No Country for Old Men
Sanket Jain | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
At this time, Shamshuddin Mulla would have been in the fields

On Asparagus and Bombers
Victor Grossman | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
In late spring an age-old tradition places asparagus

Republicans Can’t Seem to Make Up Their Minds About Mail and Voting
Thomas Knapp | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
One laudable side effect of the COVID-19 panic is a nationwide effort to promote “vote by mail” as a universal alternative to standing in line at polling places. One reason that effort is laudable is that it would likely decrease vote fraud. Yes, I said “decrease.” And Republicans were saying the same thing until recently.
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/republicans-…

Virologist Luis Villarreal: “Leery” of COVID-19 Models, Vaccine Possible Year’s End
Suzan Mazur | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
Somewhat exasperated by the Covid-19 models publicly showcased over the last two months, I decided to ring up virologist Luis Villarreal for his perspective. Luis Villarreal is founding director of University of California, Irvine’s Center for Virus Research and UCI Professor Emeritus, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Villarreal told me he takes these models…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/virologist-l…

Who’s in a Catch-22?
Joseph Natoli | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
The pandemic has put President Trump and his beloved market in a Catch-22 situation, one that not all of us are in. The mutually conflicting conditions on a first level of observation are these: 1. Open to pre-pandemic business level, give wage earners wages and give businesses consumers, and, 2. Shelter in place until deaths diminish and testing and tracing are on top of things.
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/whos-in-a-ca…

Low-Balling the Unemployed in the Era of the 2020 Great Recession
Jack Rasmus | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
This past Friday, May 8, the US Labor Dept. released its latest jobless figures. The official report was 20 million more unemployed and an unemployment rate of 14.7%. Both mainstream and progressive media reported the numbers: 20 million more jobless and 14.7%. But those numbers, as horrendous as they are, represent a gross under-estimation of…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/low-balling-…

Who Are You Kidding? The Democratic Party and the Joe Biden Fiasco
Gabriel Kuhn | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
The accusations against the projected Democratic Party presidential nominee, Joe Biden, trouble and confuse U.S. liberals. As a result, they say surprising and, at times, outrageous things. I suppose this is the consequence of deeming Joe Biden to the most likely candidate to oust Donald Trump from office, something so important that you’re ready to sacrifice both reason and compassion.
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/who-are-you-…

Patriotic Vaccines: The Divided Coronavirus Cause
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
When it comes to the politics of medicine and disease, the United States has always attempted to steal the limelight, while adding the now faded colouring of universal human welfare. In 1965, Washington pledged financial and technical support to the international effort to eradicate smallpox, though the initiative had initially been spurred by the Soviet…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/patriotic-va…

Trump’s Political Hoax Won’t Revive US Economy, Retrieve Jobs
Azhar Azam | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was a hardliner Republican before Trump appointed him the head of American premier civilian intelligence service, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and later on to serve as the top US foreign diplomat. | Although …
globalresearch.ca/trump-political-hoax-w…

New York police brutality continues unabated in midst of pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
Sections of the Democratic Party and the media in New York City are attempting to portray brutal attacks by the NYPD on workers and youth exclusively in racial terms.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/nypd…

Cybersecurity Companies Selling Hyper-control Technology to Governments to “Prevent Pandemics”
Lucas Leiroz de Almeida | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
The fear that the global pandemic of the new coronavirus will be used to justify a new world order based on a hyper-surveillance system becomes increasingly real. All over the world, multiple projects abound to build a global surveillance and …
globalresearch.ca/cybersecurity-companie…

Border wall construction ramps up during coronavirus pandemic
Ashley Curtin | nationofchange.org | 2020-05-13
“The Sierra Club is joining its partners in the borderlands to call for the immediate halt of border wall construction during the coronavirus pandemic.
nationofchange.org/2020/05/13/border-wal…

New York state to begin reopening in certain regions this weekend
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
Three regions within New York state are set to resume some economic activity May 15, under a plan that leaves significant room for a deadly second wave of the pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/plan…

Mexico Records Its Most Deadly Day Since the Start of COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-13
Mexico recorded on Tuesday its most deadly day since the start of the pandemic by confirming the death of 353 people due to the coronavirus. | RELATED: | Mass Grave Found in Mexico With Remains of at Least 25 People | The total number of deaths from Covid-19 in the country rose to 3,926. | The number of people infected rose to 38,324, with 1,997 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours. | The largest number of cases of Covid-19 is concentrated in Mexico City, with 10,529, almost…
telesurenglish.net/news/mexico-records-i…

Ecuador Faces Wave of Corruption Amid Pandemic
teleSUR-ag-la | telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-13
Amid the coronavirus crisis, Ecuador, one of the South American countries most affected by the pandemic, faces the corruption virus that takes advantage of the difficult situation. | RELATED: | Ecuador Registers 29,071 COVID-19 Cases and 1,717 Deaths | The Prosecutor’s Office recorded that masks are being sold in the country for $12 USD, when they should have cost $4 USD. The same is happening with body bags, which are being sold for more than $148 USD and should be worth $12 USD. | M…
telesurenglish.net/news/ecuador-faces-wa…

White House Coronavirus Task Force member warns of “really serious” consequences of premature reopening
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
The testimony was a devastating indictment of Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and made clear that the back-to-work campaign risks countless lives.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/covi…

Poverty Forces Chileans to Cook in ‘the Common Pot’
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-13
Chile’s economic crisis unleashed by President Sebastian Piñera’s neoliberal policies and exacerbated by the pandemic revived images that had not been seen in Chile since the time of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990). | RELATED: | Chile Records Highest Number of COVID-19 Cases in 24 Hours | Thousands of people living in poor neighborhoods eat ev…
telesurenglish.net/news/Poverty-Forces-C…

UK: Exercise Cygnus leak confirms Tory government’s criminal inaction over pandemic threat
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
The publication of a version of the report in the Guardian makes clear that the Johnson government tried to hide evidence of its criminal lack of preparation.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/cygn…

We call frontline workers “heroes,” but do we value them like heroes?
Tim Libretti | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-13
On one level, the coronavirus pandemic holds out the potential to shift America’s dominant cultural mentality to finally re-think–indeed come to terms with–how our political, economic, and moral systems value the work on which our lives most depend. Presumably, the pandemic conditions are making clear to us Americans what kinds of work are most essential, …
peoplesworld.org/article/we-call-frontli…

Australian university union agrees to unprecedented pay and job cuts
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
The agreement shatters the NTEU’s claim that it volunteered sacrifices of wages and conditions to “protect jobs” from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/nteu…

Right-wing Facebook groups threaten to assassinate Michigan Governor Whitmer
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
Extreme right-wing members of private Facebook groups have made threats to assassinate the Michigan governor in response to her “stay home, stay safe” executive order.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/whit…

Africa: COVID Crisis Could Lead to Increase in AIDS Deaths
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-13
WHO and UNAIDS representatives warned on May 12 that an AIDS treatment could increase the total sum of HIV-related deaths by up to 500,000 in Africa. | RELATED: | Lebanon to Enter 4-Day Lockdown After Jump in COVID-19 Cases | According to the UNAIDS modeling group preclusion, the COVID-19 crisis could cause antiretroviral drug scarcity and treatment to cease if African HIV patients are not prioritized during the COVID spread. UN and WHO forecasts show a possible half million peo…
telesurenglish.net/news/africa-covid-san…

Lebanon reimposes lockdown after spike in COVID-19 cases
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-13
The country recorded over hundred fresh cases within three days this week. It had recorded zero new cases last week, which had led the government to relax lockdown norms imposed since March 15…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/13/lebanon-r…

New Zealand government removes more COVID-19 restrictions
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
The Labour Party-led government is moving to appease big business and ignoring calls from scientists for an extension of lockdown measures.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/nzpo…

Failure to halt COVID-19 spread leads to mass deaths in Swedish elder care homes
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
Sweden’s high fatality rate is due to official opposition to a lockdown and mass testing, and to decades-long austerity policies that devastated health care and other key services.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/swed…

Contact Tracing, Immunity Cards and Mass Testing: Are We on The Fast Track to a National ID?
John Whitehead | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-13
CHARLOTTESVILLE ( Rutherford) —- No one is safe. No one is immune. No one gets spared the anguish, fear and heartache of living under the shadow of an authoritarian police state. | That’s the message being broadcast 24/7 with every new piece of government propaganda, every new law that criminalizes otherwise lawful activity, every new policeman on the beat, every new surveillance camera casting a watchful eye, every sensationalist news story that titillates and distracts, every new prison or detention center built to house troublemake…
mintpressnews.com/contact-tracing-immuni…

Democrats’ $3 trillion stimulus includes hazard pay, PPE; Republicans say no
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-13
WASHINGTON–House Democrats released a new $3 trillion stimulus bill on May 12, designed to cope with the continuing economic collapse that coronavirus-caused closures have caused. There’s money for protective personal equipment (PPE), hazardous duty pay for front-line workers, and a number of other pro-worker provisions. The 1,815-page measure is tentatively scheduled for a May 15 …
peoplesworld.org/article/democrats-3-tri…

Only Three Countries Control Over 80% of Global Diamond Reserves
Justinas Baltrusaitis | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
Only three countries are in control of more than three quarters of the world’s diamond reserves globally. Data gathered and calculated by Learnbonds.com indicates that Russia, Congo, and Botswana combined account for at least 80.6% of the world diamond reserves….
globalresearch.ca/only-three-countries-c…

Holding Healthcare Hostage: The Making of a Ventilator Crisis
Tony Cartalucci | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
When coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began dominating headlines, it was accompanied by fears of potential shortages of critical medical equipment including personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators. | Nations like Russia had large stockpiles of affordable ventilators on hand

A 21st century lynching: Justice for Ahmaud Arbery!
Dianne Mathiowetz | workers.org | 2020-05-13
May 11– In the early afternoon of Feb. 23, shots rang out on the tree-lined streets of Satilla Shores, a predominantly white neighborhood bordering the port city of Brunswick on Georgia’s Atlantic coast, some 40 miles north of Jacksonville, Fla. Afterward, a 25-year-old Black man, Ahmaud Arbery, lay dead on . . . | Continue reading A 21st century lynching: Justice for Ahmaud Arbery! at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48575/?utm_source=rs…

A 21st century lynching: Justice for Ahmaud Arbery!
Dianne Mathiowetz | workers.org | 2020-05-13
May 11– In the early afternoon of Feb. 23, shots rang out on the tree-lined streets of Satilla Shores, a predominantly white neighborhood bordering the port city of Brunswick on Georgia’s Atlantic coast, some 40 miles north of Jacksonville, Fla. Afterward, a 25-year-old Black man, Ahmaud Arbery, lay dead on . . . | Continue reading A 21st century lynching: Justice for Ahmaud Arbery! at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48575/?utm_source=rs…

At San Quentin: ‘No state execution by COVID-19!’
Judy Greenspan | workers.org | 2020-05-13
May 9

Why China’s President Xi Won’t Repeat Ming Dynasty Mistakes
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
With hybrid warfare 2.0 against China reaching fever pitch, the New Silk Roads, or Belt and Road Initiative, will continue to be demonized 24/7 as the proverbial evil communist plot for economic and geopolitical domination of the “free” world, boosted …
globalresearch.ca/why-chinas-president-x…

US agencies drum up allegations of Chinese hacking of vaccine research
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
The claims of Chinese hacking of vaccine research are not only part of the Trump’s anti-China propaganda war but will be used to justify US cyber warfare against Beijing.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/usch…

Survey on COVID-19 Economic Impacts: More than 50% of German Companies Expect Major Revenue Drop in 2020
Jastra Ilic | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
The coronavirus outbreak has caused a significant impact on European companies, confronting them with the worst market declines in the last few decades. As one of the most-affected countries in Europe, Germany is set to witness a significant collapse in …
globalresearch.ca/more-than-50-german-co…

German politicians and media laud right-wing demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
The ruling elite is now mobilising the right-wing dregs of society in the “corona” demonstrations to intimidate the population and enforce their back-to-work campaign.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/demo…

Authoritarians Using Coronavirus Fear to Destroy America
Andrey Areshev | strategic-culture.org | 2020-05-13
Ron PAUL | A Fresno, California waffle restaurant dared to open its doors for business this weekend to the delight of a long line of customers, who waited up to two hours for the “privilege” of willingly spending their money in a business happy to serve them breakfast on Mother’s Day. This freedom of voluntary transaction is the core of what we used to call our free society. But in an America paralyzed by fear

Return of the Brown Shirts? US Federal and State Governments to Hire Contact Tracers to ‘Hunt Down New Covid-19 Cases
Timothy Alexander Guzman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
The US federal and state governments are now hiring “Contact Tracers” to track those who are infected with the Coronavirus. The Daily Beast, a liberal online news site claims that in order to reopen businesses and institutions, the government needs …
globalresearch.ca/us-federal-state-gover…

The Boston-Newark Megalopolis: Death Certification Agencies are Jacking-up their C-19 Body-counts
William Walter Kay | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
On January 9, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) alerted authorities worldwide of a potential novel coronavirus outbreak. Three weeks of investigations and conferences later (January 30) WHO declared a global public health emergency. Regions which subsequently posted extraordinarily high …
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-democratic-bo…

As Coronavirus Spreads in Meat Plants, Nearly 200 USDA Inspectors Test Positive
Lillianna Byington | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
As coronavirus has spread rapidly among meat plants across the country, it’s not just the workers that are getting infected. Many people have strongly criticized the industry’s response for waiting too long to implement safety precautions and close processing plants …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-spreads-me…

As Coronavirus Spreads in Meat Plants, Nearly 200 USDA Inspectors Test Positive
Lillianna Byington | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
As coronavirus has spread rapidly among meat plants across the country, it’s not just the workers that are getting infected. Many people have strongly criticized the industry’s response for waiting too long to implement safety precautions and close processing plants …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-spreads-me…

HR 6666: The Testing, Reaching and Contacting Everyone (TRACE) Act. Towards a Totalitarian State?
Renee Parsons | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
And so it begins with the first Congressional effort to codify what may be the first of many unconstitutional legislative attempts to create a totalitarian One World Government under the guise of attacking the coronavirus COVID 19. | Some weeks ago …
globalresearch.ca/hr-6666-first-legislat…

The Boston-Newark Megalopolis: Death Certification Agencies are Jacking-up their C-19 Body-counts
William Walter Kay | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
On January 9, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) alerted authorities worldwide of a potential novel coronavirus outbreak. Three weeks of investigations and conferences later (January 30) WHO declared a global public health emergency. Regions which subsequently posted extraordinarily high …
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-democratic-bo…

Beep! Beep! Union car caravan to demand Vegas casinos open safely
PAI | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-13
LAS VEGAS (PAI)–Beep! Beep! That will be the sound of dozens of horns honking from union members’ cars to be driven down the Las Vegas Strip at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, demanding the city’s hotels and casinos reopen safely as they start up again from coronavirus-caused shutdowns. So far, the hotels and casinos …
peoplesworld.org/article/beep-beep-union…

Standoff in South Dakota: Cheyenne River Sioux refuse governor’s demand to remove COVID checkpoints
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez | nationofchange.org | 2020-05-13
The Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala Sioux tribes say the checkpoints are the best way to protect against the coronavirus entering their communities, which are not equipped to handle an outbreak.
nationofchange.org/2020/05/13/standoff-i…

‘Our Food System Is Very Much Modeled on Plantation Economics’ – CounterSpin interview with Ricardo Salvador on the coronavirus food crisis
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2020-05-13
Janine Jackson interviewed the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Ricardo Salvador about the coronavirus food crisis for the May 8, 2020, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/our-food-system-is-very-mu…

New York City education department, backed by teachers union, downplayed virus threat
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
An exposé in the journal the City demonstrates that New York City officials systematically downplayed the threat of the coronavirus to New York City students and educators…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/newy…

78 Percent of Mountain Areas Are Undergoing a Snow Decline
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-13
Italy’s applied research center EURAC holds that the snow surface of the world’s mountain areas has decreased by 78 percent as a result of global warming. | RELATED: | Hole in the Ozone Layer Over Arctic Is Closed, WMO Confirms | Using data from 2000 to 2018, this scientific institution created a map of global snow coverage using high-resolution satellite imagery, field measurements, and simulation models. | The result reveals a worrying situation because the duration of the snow s…
telesurenglish.net/news/78-Percent-of-Mo…

Elon Musk and the economics of class war
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
With his decision to illegally restart production at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California, Musk is forcing 10,000 workers to return to work under unsafe conditions.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/pers…

The World Order Is Rapidly Changing
True Publica | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
As every day reveals yet another failure of the state to tackle the COVID-19 crisis and it merges into the next, it is becoming apparent that this government does not really understand the scale of damage being done to the …
globalresearch.ca/world-order-rapidly-ch…

PSY-OP COVID-19: Under House Arrest!
Dr. Pascal Sacré | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
Are we lab rats? Milgram-Asch-Laborit | In this article, I refer to the experience of countries that are confined in an authoritarian and arbitrary manner, with more than 3 billion human beings under the authority of a few people and under …
globalresearch.ca/psy-op-covid-19-under-…

If we must die, don’t let it be from COVID-19
Tanuke Smith | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-13
Not much has changed in the Black community. The strategy of controlling wealth, access to healthcare, and the demise of African Americans is still as calculated as ever. The mainstream media reports daily on the death rate in Black communities, stemming from crime, police brutality, or COVID-19. As April arrived, the cruel face of reality …
peoplesworld.org/article/if-we-must-die-…

The COVID-19 Crisis in the U.S.: How Many More Innocent People Have to Die?
Prof. Joseph H. Chung | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
The COVID-19 is sweeping the U.S. land leaving behind mountains of dead bodies. This is just incredible. Soon, millions of persons may be inflicted. God knows how many more lives will be sacrificed. | What is frightening is the disorderly easing …
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-crisis-u-s-ho…

Billionaires Are the Biggest Threat to Public Schools
Sarah Lahm | progressive.org | 2020-05-13
For education “disruptors” like Bill Gates and Betsy DeVos, COVID-19 isn’t a crisis–it’s an opportunity.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/…

Kawasaki-like disease afflicting young children and teens after infection with SARS-CoV-2
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
Around 100 children in New York may have been afflicted by complications of COVID-19 infection, now called Pediatric Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome, with possibly five dead.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/pmis…

UK COVID-19 related deaths top 60,000, according to Financial Times
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
Yesterday, the government reported another 627 deaths in its daily briefing, taking the manipulated official fatalities toll to 32,490.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/couk…

PSY-OP COVID-19: Under House Arrest!
Dr. Pascal Sacré | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
Are we lab rats? Milgram-Asch-Laborit | In this article, I refer to the experience of countries that are confined in an authoritarian and arbitrary manner, with more than 3 billion human beings under the authority of a few people and under …
globalresearch.ca/psy-op-covid-19-under-…

California nurses denounce lack of access to PPE
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
“We don’t know how many medical workers have died here because of COVID-19 because neither the hospital nor the union tells us.”
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/nurs…

With Brazil on course to become new COVID-19 epicenter, Bolsonaro escalates back-to-work campaign
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
Auto factories have already restarted production even as every region in the country is breaking daily records of cases and deaths.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/braz…

COVID-19: An Ocean of Fears and Lies
Dr. Pascal Sacré | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”

33 London bus drivers killed by COVID-19: “We are expendable like diesel”
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
Workers fear infections will soar following Sunday night’s “phased exit” announced by the Johnson government…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/lond…

Can we simultaneously oppose Bayer/Monsanto’s biotechnology and support Cuba’s Interferon Alpha 2B?
Don Fitz | mronline.org | 2020-05-13
Technology reflects social factors throughout its development and use. Genetically engineered crops allow mega-corporations to patent seeds, lure farmers into buying them with visions of high yields, and then destroy small farmers. Cuba’s drugs are shared throughout the world. Making a distinction between the biotechnology of agro-industry and Cuba requires understanding the difference between bioimperialism …
mronline.org/2020/05/13/can-we-simultane…

Anger simmers over restart of production by Detroit automakers
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
The reckless attempt to restart the North American auto industry is meeting with determined resistance by workers unwilling to risk their lives for corporate profits.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/auto…

Revealed: Secretive British unit planning for ‘reconstruction’ of Venezuela
John McEvoy | thecanary.co | 2020-05-13
Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act have exposed a secretive Foreign Office unit aimed at the ‘reconstruction’ of Venezuela. The files also reveal private discussions between Venezuelan opposition figures and UK officials, detailing proposals for the promotion of British business after a planned coup.UK support for coup attempt in Venezuela: Over the past 16 months, the UK government has consistently supported Venezuelan opposition figure Juan…
thecanary.co/exclusive/2020/05/13/reveal…

IndustriALL questions violations of worker rights by Shell in Nigeria
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-13
82% of oil giant Shell’s workforce in Nigeria is sourced through labor contractors. As per IndustriALL, the workers “live in poverty with no job security, poor healthcare and little regard for health and safety.”
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/13/industria…

History of Ghana: The Tragedy of One-time Military Ruler Ignatius Acheampong: Visionary and Kleptocrat
Adeyinka Makinde | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
“Beloved Ghana, born with a deep sense of pride, nurtured with unshakeable courage, has said goodbye forever to reaction, to timidity and hypocrisy in Government, and to the suppression of the interests and welfare of the people. Together we shall …
globalresearch.ca/ignatius-acheampong-vi…

Australia: Greasing the Revolving Door: Palantir Recruits Down Under
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
When he announced at the end of April that he would be retiring, thereby vacating the federal seat of Eden-Monaro, the Australian Labor Party’s Mike Kelly (image below) welled up. He noted persistent “health issues” from his time in the …
globalresearch.ca/palantir-recruits-down…

The Worst Is Yet to Come: Contact Tracing, Immunity Cards and Mass Testing
John W. Whitehead | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
” The things we were worried would happen are happening.”–Angus Johnston, professor at the City University of New York | No one is safe. | No one is immune. | No one gets spared the anguish, fear and heartache of living under …
globalresearch.ca/worst-yet-come-contact…

The Worst Is Yet to Come: Contact Tracing, Immunity Cards and Mass Testing
John W. Whitehead | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-13
” The things we were worried would happen are happening.”–Angus Johnston, professor at the City University of New York | No one is safe. | No one is immune. | No one gets spared the anguish, fear and heartache of living under …
globalresearch.ca/worst-yet-come-contact…

Starmer’s Labour Party just descended further down the toilet
Steve Topple | thecanary.co | 2020-05-13
Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour Party has already been mired in controversy. Now, his and its response to the Tories’ latest coronavirus (Covid-19) plan has been chaotic at best. But the actions of MPs and a notorious peer, plus the party’s official line, raise yet more cause for concern. | Send them back!: | Boris Johnson announced on Sunday 10 May that he wanted schools to reopen. As BBC News reported: He hoped the next step ‘at the earliest by 1 June’ would be for some primary pupils to return to school in Engl…
thecanary.co/trending/2020/05/13/starmer…

Even the mainstream media’s now suggesting UK death toll could surpass 50,000
Tom Coburg | thecanary.co | 2020-05-13
The BBC has published an article suggesting that the number of coronavirus (Covid-19) related deaths in the UK could be “nearly twice as high” as the official figure. This follows similar analysis by the Financial Times (FT). | Both media outlets expose the blatant dishonesty of the daily figures quoted by Boris Johnson’s government. | More than 50,000 deaths?: | The government, according to the BBC, says there have been just over 28,0…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/05/13/even…

White House hosting worst US administration, Pompeo knows nothing about ABC’s of politics
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Iran, Georgia seek improvement of customs coop. amid coronavirus pandemic
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Tehran, Kuala Lumpur ready to exchange experiences on Covid-19
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Lavrov slams US’ baseless accusations against Russia, China amid coronavirus pandemic
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

“World Telecommunication Day” to be held online amid COVID-19
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 14 (MNA)

Night of Decree observed in Yazd amid pandemic
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
YAZD, May 13 (MNA)

Russia, S Arabia agree to stabilize oil market
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Iranian, Turkish researchers carry out 22 joint projects
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Al-Kazemi calls for Iran’s help to overcome Iraq’ economic challenges: envoy
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Iran, Russia stress coop. in fight against coronavirus
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Ulyanov reacts to US allegations of Moscow’s support for JCPOA
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Iran to give harsh response to any military escapade by US: Envoy
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Russia may start talks with Iran in future over selling armament to country: Kabulov
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Conflict between Russia, Iran over Syria psychological war: Nasrallah
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Trump ally Lindsey Graham seeks China sanctions over coronavirus probe: report
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

89,428 Iranians recover from Covid-19
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Night of Destiny rituals observed in Tehran’s Modarres hospital
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

UNICEF dispatches dressings for EB patients in Iran
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13

Trade exchange vol. between Iran, Germany to hike by 15% in coming months
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Front pages of Iran international dailies on May 13
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Iran delivers homegrown corona diagnostic kits to Germany: IRICA
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Iran, Afghanistan to comment joint investigations on Herat incident
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Iranian photographer goes to Kharkiv Fest in Ukraine
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 14 (MNA)

Police busts one ton of drugs in Saravan County
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
Zahedan, May 13 (MNA)

Iranian embassy calls on Japan to support UNSCR 2231
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Iran approves to grant a five-year residence permit to foreign investors: official
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

Confirmed worldwide Covid-19 death toll passes 293,000
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

India’s 2nd ship of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan docks at Shahid Beheshti port
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)

A For-Profit Postal Service Would Slam Small Businesses
Sarah Anderson | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
Like most Americans, Julie Buckles, the owner of Honest Dog Books in tiny Bayfield, Wisconsin, has had to be flexible in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Overnight, we went from hosting music, literary discussions, and poetry readings to shipping books all over the country,” she told me. With her bookstore shuttered, Buckles is now…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/a-for-profit…

Coronavirus will have bigger impact on world’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-05-13
The coronavirus pandemic will have a greater impact on the world’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, according to an Imperial report.
imperial.ac.uk/news/197498/coronavirus-will-have-bigger-impact-worlds

The economic impact of coronavirus: analysis from Imperial experts
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-05-13
Academics and researchers from Imperial College London have provided analysis of the economic impact of COVID-19.
imperial.ac.uk/news/196514/the-economic-impact-coronavirus-analysis-from

Why is Mike Pompeo risking a One-day Trip to Israel Amid the Pandemic?
Jonathan Cook | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-05-13
As part of its battle against Covid-19, Israel has closed it borders to foreigners and imposed a two-week quarantine on anyone entering the country. There are also strict requirements to wear masks in public places. Israel, however, has thrown the rules

Senate votes down anti-surveillance amendment, as both parties back warrantless spying on Americans’ browser history
rt.com | 2020-05-13
The US Senate has voted down an amendment that would limit surveillance of Americans’ internet records. Apparently, the true divide in Washington is not between Democrat and Republican, but those for or against the police state. | The US Senate met on Wednesday to debate the reauthorization of some provisions of the USA Freedom Act, an expansive domestic surveillance bill that expired in March. As Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought the Act to the floor, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced an amendment that would explicitly bar law enforcement from snooping on Americans’ internet browsing and search…
rt.com/usa/488586-senate-blocks-surveill…

Flynn ‘unmasking’ documents show involvement of senior Obama administration officials, including Joe Biden
rt.com | 2020-05-13
A newly published list of US officials who were interested in National Security Agency (NSA) records on Trump adviser Michael Flynn includes President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, as well as Vice President Joe Biden. | Biden is listed as requesting the unmasking on January 12, 2017, the same day the Washington Post published a story claiming that Flynn had misreported his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, based on leaked NSA information. | Flynn unmasking documents f… by
rt.com/usa/488579-flynn-unmasking-obama-…

China reacts with Zero tolerance for racist incidents
Joshua Hanks | workers.org | 2020-05-13
Reports surfaced in April of cases of discrimination against African workers in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong as pictures appeared on the internet of a sign refusing service to Africans at a McDonald’s restaurant and allegations that Africans were being evicted from hotels. Ambassador Liu Yuxi, head of Mission . . . | Continue reading China reacts with Zero tolerance for racist incidents at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48572/?utm_source=rs…

China reacts with zero tolerance for racist incidents
Joshua Hanks | workers.org | 2020-05-13
Reports surfaced in April of cases of discrimination against African workers in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong as pictures appeared on the internet of a sign refusing service to Africans at a McDonald’s restaurant and allegations that Africans were being evicted from hotels. Ambassador Liu Yuxi, head of Mission . . . | Continue reading China reacts with zero tolerance for racist incidents at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/05/48572/?utm_source=rs…

Results of tens of thousands of Covid-19 tests disappear into ‘black hole’
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-13
The results of tens of thousands of Covid-19 tests carried out by the government’s network of testing centres are not being shared locally, stalling efforts to control the outbreak, it has emerged. | A leaked email, seen by the Health Service Journal (HSJ), said data from a new testing programme of non-NHS labs

Imposing Sanctions Is A War Crime Amid Pandemic
commondreams.org | 2020-05-13
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/05/13/imp…

Trump Blasts Into a New Frontier…for War
Jim Hightower | commondreams.org | 2020-05-13
If all this seems like silliness from a satirical sitcom, it is. (Photo: Chris Millter/@chrizmillr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2020/05/13/trump-…

Afghanistan: Pregnant Women and Babies Attacked in Kabul Hospital
commondreams.org | 2020-05-13
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/05/13/afg…

ACLU of California Legislative Webinar: COVID-19, Current Bills, & Building Community
ACLU Northern California | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Online via Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/12/1883299…

Delta Tunnel Forges Ahead in Pandemic: Agreement in Principal Reached for SWP Contract Amendment
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
It is very clear that the Department of Water Resources and water contractors don’t really care what the public and the people most impacted by the Delta Tunnel think, based on their obsession with pushing the tunnel project through at this time.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/13/1883300…

HUD allocates relief funds to protect public housing & Section 8 tenants
Lynda Carson | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/10/1883297…

Confirmed known Covid-19 cases for 2,818 federal inmates
Lynda Carson | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/13/1883300…

Ethical Human Rights: China criticizes New Zealand for supporting Taiwan
Anthony Ravlich | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
If my book was less suppressed the UN may well take a more positive view of Taiwan’s wish to gain formal recognition in the World Health Organization. The UN seems to be following China’s ‘One-China policy’ by excluding Taiwan.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/13/1883300…

Oglala Lakota enforce coronavirus border checkpoints after South Dakota Governor’s threats
Brenda Norrell | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
On Pine Ridge, Oglala Lakota Police and Lakota warriors are manning protective roadblocks at the tribal border entrances today on Mother’s Day, as South Dakota State threatens Native Nations over their coronavirus roadblocks.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/10/1883296…

Pine Ridge locks down for 72 hours after two Lakotas test positive for coronavirus
Brenda Norrell | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
The Oglala Sioux Nation locked down on Monday night for 72-hours after two Lakotas in Wounded Knee District tested positive for the coronavirus. In the bordertown of Rapid City, a WalMart employee tested positive for coronavirus.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/12/1883299…

Cheyenne River Lakota won’t back down at checkpoints after South Dakota Gov’s threats
Brenda Norrell | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Cheyenne River Lakota Chairman Harold Frazier said the South Dakota Governor never contacted him, but made fiery statements in the media. Regardless of the threats, Lakota here maintain their checkpoints and are focused on saving lives and halting the spread of coronavirus.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/10/1883296…

Wearing ‘smallpox blankets’ Lakota Dakota oppose casinos reopening
Brenda Norrell | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Wearing ‘smallpox blankets,’ Standing Rock Lakota and Dakota opposed the plan to re-open casinos. This comes as two coronavirus cases were reported after group testing at Standing Rock.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/13/1883300…

Nuclear Weapons: Stopping the War That No One Wants (livestream)
The Commonwealth Club | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Online via livestream…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/11/1883298…

#WearOrange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day 2020 (virtual)
MDAEFG | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Social media…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/09/1883294…

Essential For Survival: The Need Of Global Solidarity
The People’s Collective | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
People are dying, every day. Many people are dying too early. People are dying through war, poverty, disease, lack of healthcare or lack of food. People are dying of starvation. Now, in the year 2020, a new disease is spreading around the globe, killing hundreds of thousands and affecting everybody’s life.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/11/1883297…

Dispatch from the Frontlines: Gender Inequality and COVID-19 (CPCC)
Congressional Progressive Caucus Ctr & others | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Online livestream & Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/13/1883300…

21-Year-Old Dies in Santa Cruz County Jail
Santa Cruz Police News | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office says on Sunday evening, May 10, correctional officers discovered 21-year-old Tamario Smith was unresponsive in his cell at the County Jail. At about 6pm, paramedics administered medical aid, however Smith was pronounced deceased at the scene. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Smith did not share a cell, and foul play is not suspected. The Sheriff’s Office states there were no signs of trauma or visible injuries, and that Smith did not show signs of COVID-19 symptoms.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/11/1883298…

The Frontline Response: Local Latino Leaders Address COVID-19 (town hall)
Unidos US | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Online via Zoom: unidosus.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8vJ……
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/12/1883299…

Speak out against oil drilling in Brentwood
The hills are alive | indybay.org | 2020-05-13
Powerdrive Oil & Gas Company, LLC has submitted an application to drill for oil on agriculturally zoned land in unincorporated Brentwood. Contra Costa County officials have made an preliminary determination against requiring an EIR (Environment Impact Report).
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/13/1883300…

“Making It Up As They Go Along:” Boris Johnson and COVID-19
Kenneth Surin | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-13
As I write (the weekend of 9-10 May), the UK’s death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has reached 31,855. The UK, unlike the US, has started counting deaths in care homes. This toll is the highest in Europe, and the second in the world after the US. The UK has a fifth of the US’s population, so translating the UK figure into US terms would amount to 160,000 US deaths from the virus (the US’s death toll as of this weekend is a little more than 80,000).
counterpunch.org/2020/05/13/making-it-up…

UK’s Health Ministry says confirmed Covid-19 death toll has risen by 494 to 33,186
rt.com | 2020-05-13
A total of 33,186 people who tested positive for the new coronavirus have died in the United Kingdom, a rise of 494 in a 24-hour period, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. | Those figures reflect the situation as of 5pm (1600 GMT) on May 12. Including deaths due to suspected cases, Britain’s fatality count is over 40,000, according to Reuters. | Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that increasing rates of infection in other countries which have relaxed some rules to tackle the coronavirus outbreak were a warning to Britain not to move too fast. | “It is very notable that in some other countries…
rt.com/newsline/488546-uk-confirmed-rise…

Watch as Ellis Howard breaks down, then tears apart, Boris Johnsons “stay alert” announcement
Ellis Howard | thecanary.co | 2020-05-13
Watch more from Ellis, as well as other great Canary TV content, on our YouTube Channel. | By Ellis Howard…
thecanary.co/video/2020/05/13/watch-as-e…

Egypt and Ethiopia: Could it be war?
Abdel Bari Atwan | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-13
A showdown over Nile waters is looming as the world looks the other way | While the world is diverted by the coronavirus crisis, Ethiopia is just weeks away from starting to fill the reservoir of its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, to the great dismay of Egypt whose vital supply of water stands to be severely reduced. | Last week, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri sent a letter to all members of the UN Security Council setting out the country’s perspective on developments in the long-running dispute over the dam, detailing its efforts to reach an equitable solution, and warning of t…
thealtworld.com/abdel_bari_atwan/egypt-a…

Why Are “Progressive Democrats” Siding With Amazon in Seattle?
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-13
Right now in Seattle, Washington, Amazon

Democrats and unions seek to suppress resistance by Amazon workers
wsws.org | 2020-05-13
Seeking to contain the outrage of workers over deadly working conditions, the Democratic Party and trade unions have embarked on a campaign among “essential” workers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/13/amaz…

Zimbabwean president: Our doctors can learn from China’s experience
Lisa Chiu | america.cgtn.com | 2020-05-13
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Tuesday that his country could learn from China’s experience in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic to a visiting medical team from China who shared knowledge and experience battling the virus.
america.cgtn.com/2020/05/13/zimbabwean-p…

The Global Guardians: I am the happiest seeing my patients smile
Lisa Chiu | america.cgtn.com | 2020-05-13
See what it’s like for a nurse working on the coronavirus frontlines in Turkey.
america.cgtn.com/2020/05/13/the-global-g…

Restaurants reopening in West Virginia
Jim Spellman | america.cgtn.com | 2020-05-13
Two months ago, most businesses in the state of West Virginia closed as COVID-19 spread in the U.S.. Rich Schaffer is the owner of the Rabbit Hole restaurant. Schaffer says he received 110-thousand dollars from the federal government, but that money is running out. West …
america.cgtn.com/2020/05/13/restaurants-…

We are vulnerable and scared, say tragic railway worker’s colleagues
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-13
Colleagues of railway worker Belly Mujinga have described feeling “scared” and “vulnerable” after the Victoria station staff member died with coronavirus a fortnight after being spat at while on duty.It came as the government was urged to extend its coronavirus compensation scheme, offering £60,000 to families of NHS frontline staff and social care workers who die from the disease during the pandemic, to the transport sector.A police investigation is under way, launched more than a month after Mujinga and a colleague were attacked by a man claiming to be infected with Covid-19 on the concourse at the London…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/20…

Hundreds of workers report employers for furlough fraud
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-13
Hundreds of workers have reported their employers over claims that they are fraudulently taking furlough money from the government. | HMRC confirmed it has received 795 reports of potential fraud related to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. | It said it will now be “assessing” these cases in line with its usual procedures. | The scheme was introduced from March, with the government pledging to pay 80% of the wages of workers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, in a bid to protect jobs. | On Tuesday, chancellor Rishi Sunak outlined plans to extend the furlough scheme until the end of October. | One stipulation…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/05/13/hundreds…

Pharmacist Boots looking to recruit hundreds of unpaid Covid-19 testers
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-13
High street pharmacist Boots is advertising to recruit an army of hundreds of unpaid volunteers to test people for coronavirus.An advert on the company’s website said it is looking for 1,000 current staff and volunteers to work at least 32 hours a week as Covid-19 swab testers across the UK.The advert has sparked criticism with unions saying it took the “notion of volunteering way too far”.It emerged as coronavirus testing dropped below the government’s key 100,000 a day target, despite hitting it again on Sunday.Business Secretary Alok Sharma told the daily Downing Street press briefing on Tuesday that 85,293 te…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/20…

Pharmacist Boots looking to recruit hundreds of unpaid Covid-19 testers
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-05-13
UPDATE: This article was updated at 5.40pm on 13 May to include a comment from Boots.High street pharmacist Boots is advertising to recruit an army of hundreds of unpaid volunteers to test people for coronavirus.An advert on the company’s website said it is looking for 1,000 current staff and volunteers to work at least 32 hours a week as Covid-19 swab testers across the UK.The advert has sparked criticism with unions saying it took the “notion of volunteering way too far”.It emerged as coronavirus testing dropped below the government’s key 100,000 a day target, despite hitting it again on Sunday.Business Secreta…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/20…

Oops! FBI accidentally reveals name of Saudi diplomat who helped 9/11 hijackers after years of ‘national security’ stonewalling
rt.com | 2020-05-13
The FBI has accidentally revealed the name of a Saudi official believed to have aided two Al-Qaeda hijackers involved in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, after going to absurd lengths to keep it secret for years. | The name was unintentionally left unredacted in a court filing unsealed last week in the ongoing lawsuit by 9/11 victims’ families against the Saudi government, which they accuse of complicity in the terrorist attacks. The ‘error’ was reported by Yahoo News on Tuesday

Slack goes down GLOBALLY, crippling remote work amid Covid-19 pandemic
rt.com | 2020-05-13
The chat application and virtual workplace Slack has gone dark, experiencing a major outage worldwide as countless remote workers rushed to check their email inboxes and migrate to other platforms. | The outage was reported by Slack on Tuesday, noting it was investigating the cause of the glitch, though was unable to provide an estimate of when it might be resolved. | pic.twitter.com/SqAD3aOxoQ– Christine (@cabregoart) May 13, 2020 | So sorry for the trouble! We don’t have an…
rt.com/news/488490-slack-down-global-out…

Class divide: Nearly TWO-THIRDS of British working class unable to do jobs from home amid Covid-19 crisis, new data reveals
rt.com | 2020-05-13
New research suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic is exposing the class divide in the UK with almost two-thirds of British working class households unable to do their jobs from home, compared to under 30 percent of middle classes. | Research published by YouGov

‘What are those white crosses?’: Badges to ‘scare off’ coronavirus cause dress-code debate in Russian parliament
rt.com | 2020-05-13
With the Russian State Duma in session despite the Covid-19 pandemic, some MPs went beyond the obligatory face masks and rubber gloves, leaving their colleagues and citizens baffled by unusual means to fend off the virus. | “For several sessions in row, I’ve seen MPs wearing white crosses on their chests,” Igor Molyakov of the Fair Russia party said on Wednesday, asking his colleagues to clarify the unusual accessory. State Duma deputies usually wear an official badge, which is shaped as a Russian tricolor. | Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stepped up to educate his colleague and dispel the “white cross” mystery fo…
rt.com/russia/488587-covid-badge-state-d…

Travel giant TUI plans to axe 8,000 jobs despite government bailout
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Multinational travel firm TUI Group has announced that it will slash 10 percent of its workforce worldwide in an effort to cut costs amid the coronavirus pandemic. | In its half-year financial results presented on Wednesday, the company said it will have to reduce operational costs to cope with the fallout from the pandemic, “the greatest crisis the tourism industry and TUI has ever faced.” | “We are targeting to permanently reduce our overhead cost base by 30 percent across the entire Group. This will have an impact on potentially 8,000 roles globally that will either not be recruited or reduced,” CEO Fritz J…
rt.com/business/488512-tui-cuts-8000-job…

Pennsylvania Health Sec under fire after moving own mum OUT of nursing home while sending sick Covid-19 patients INTO them
rt.com | 2020-05-13
As Pennsylvania’s health secretary faces harsh criticism and calls to resign over her policy ordering Covid-19 patients to return to nursing homes after leaving hospital, she has admitted to moving her own mum out of a care home. | Dr Rachel Levine revealed when asked by reporters that her mother was moved out of her personal care home when the pandemic began

Lockdown’s silver lining? NYC marks record-breaking 58 straight days without pedestrian deaths
rt.com | 2020-05-13
New York City’s stay at home order has been criticized as unsustainable, but the policy has one apparent benefit: it has helped reduce the number of pedestrian deaths to zero for nearly 60 days in a row. | Like many other cities across the world, the Big Apple chose to close non-essential businesses and prohibit most outdoor activity in a bid to reduce the spread of coronavirus, which has struck New York particularly hard. While there is still debate about the effectiveness and sustainability of such measures, keeping people indoors has resulted in 58 consecutive days since a pedestrian was fatally struck by a…
rt.com/news/488549-new-york-city-pedestr…

Tunisia relaxes curfew after 3 days without new coronavirus cases
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Tunisia has announced a reduction of its nightly curfew hours after three consecutive days without recording any new coronavirus cases, state media reported on Wednesday. | The North African democracy imposed the curfew in March in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, combined with a lockdown that shuttered all but key shops and services. President Kais Saied has cut the curfew hours to 11pm to 5am instead of 8pm to 6am, 10 days after the start of a gradual reopening of the bureaucracy and economy. | The government announced that no new coronavirus cases have been recorded for three days in a row, with 1,032…
rt.com/newsline/488547-tunisia-relaxes-n…

‘Summer cancelled’: Los Angeles County to extend stay-at-home order another 3 MONTHS, stoking fears of civil unrest
rt.com | 2020-05-13
LA County will likely extend its Covid-19 containment measures until the end of July, a top public health official said, triggering a wave of outrage as residents declare “summer cancelled” and even predict riots in the streets. | The three-month extension to the county’s “safer at home” order was announced by Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer on Tuesday. Though she stopped short of issuing an official order, Ferrer said the timetable would not shift until officials see a “dramatic change to the virus and tools at hand,” stressing the need for increased testing capacity. | Our hope is that by using the dat…
rt.com/usa/488489-la-county-lockdown-ext…

Chechen leader Kadyrov BANNED from Instagram AGAIN, loses account with 1.4 MILLION followers
rt.com | 2020-05-13
For many in the 21st century, losing social media access would be a devastating blow. However, for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, it’s just another day. For the third time in three years, Kadyrov has been banned from Instagram. | According to Instagram’s owners, Facebook, the ban was in relation to US sanctions against the Chechen leader. | Since 2017, Kadyrov has been sanctioned by the United States under the terms of the Magnitsky Act. Signed by President Barack Obama in 2012, and later expanded in 2016, the Magnitsky Act enables the US government to sanction foreign government officials implicated in allege…
rt.com/russia/488533-kadyrov-banned-inst…

NASA quietly buys additional Soyuz seat as SpaceX prepares for historic manned space flight
rt.com | 2020-05-13
NASA has inked a deal with Russia’s space agency Roscosmos to allow a US astronaut to travel into space aboard a Soyuz rocket in the fall, even as SpaceX gears up for its first manned launch later this month. | “A contract was signed today on providing a seat for a US astronaut onboard a Soyuz MS manned spaceship to be launched to the ISS in the autumn of 2020,” Roscosmos told Tass on Tuesday. | Though the agency refused to disclose the sum Washington paid for the seat, calling it “a commercial secret,” NASA spokespeople told reporters the deal was valued at $90.25 million, which includes the cost of the fligh…
rt.com/news/488494-nasa-roscosmos-deal-s…

Russia BANS usage of ventilators suspected of causing deadly fires killing six Covid-19 patients
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Russia has indefinitely suspended the usage of Aventa-M artificial lung ventilation machines. The recently produced ventilators are suspected of causing two deadly fires in the past week, killing six people. | The ventilators, made in Ural’s Instrument Making Plant, have been manufactured since April 1, 2020, in response to Russia’s ever-growing number of Covid-19 patients. | According to Russia’s health watchdog Roszdravnadzor, the ventilators were used to provide medical care to patients at the S. I. Spasokukotsky City Clinical Hospital in Moscow and St. George’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, where fires occur…
rt.com/russia/488552-russia-ban-ventilat…

Merkel cites ‘hard evidence’ she was victim of ‘Russian hackers’, says it doesn’t help mend ties with Moscow
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Germany’s chancellor has lamented what she claimed was irrefutable proof of a Russian “hacking attack” on her Bundestag office but said she is working day and night to fix relations with Moscow despite the “painful” incident. | Chancellor Angela Merkel accused Russia of carrying out an online intrusion into her Bundestag constituency office back in 2015, as she spoke to MPs on Wednesday. | “I can honestly say that it hurts me,” she said of the alleged hack attack, claiming…
rt.com/news/488541-merkel-russia-hacking…

Break or retirement? Russia’s ‘Angelina Jolie’ of curling Anastasia Bryzgalova puts competitive career on hold
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Russian curling stunner Anastasia Bryzgalova who became a viral hit during the 2018 PyeongChang Games, drawing comparisons with Angelina Jolie, has put her competitive career on ice. | The 27-year-old curling star who is taking a break from competitions will focus on training mixed-double duets serving as a second team coach in the Russian national team. | READ MORE: Bryzgalova or Jolie? Hottest Russian curler takes up role of Tomb Raider (PHOTOS) | “I wanted to take a break right after the Winter O…
rt.com/sport/488576-curling-anastasia-br…

Russian Arctic sea route shipping exceeds 10 million tons in Q1
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Freight transportation via Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR) grew 4.5 percent year-on-year from January to April, exceeding 10 million tons, the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transportation, Rosmorrechflot, said. | The agency’s representative, Nikolai Monko, earlier told TASS that the growth of freight transportation would be moderate in 2020. | According to Rosmorrechflot, 31.5 million tons were transported in 2019, up from 21.1 million tons in the previous year. Transit carriages rose by almost 41.9 percent last year to 697,200 tons. Cargo handling was mainly conducted at the ports of Sabetta (20.5 m…
rt.com/business/488519-northern-sea-rout…

‘Example of infodemic’: Moscow slams FT & NYT reports that put Russian Covid-19 death toll 70 percent higher than official data
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Russia’s Foreign Ministry will send letters to the Financial Times and New York Times demanding they retract reports which claim the actual death toll from Covid-19 in the country is much higher than the official figures. | The editors-in-chief of those outlets will be handed the letters on Thursday through the Russian embassies in the UK and the US, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing. | Moscow will also address the UN, OSCE and UNESCO on the situation, as the reports in the FT and NYT represent “an example of that very ‘infodemic’ that the UN General Secretary, Antonio Guterres, urged…
rt.com/russia/488577-coronavirus-death-t…

Does China need US or does US need China? RT’s Boom Bust finds out
rt.com | 2020-05-13
As part of the ‘phase one’ trade deal, Beijing on Tuesday issued a new list of US products to be exempt from trade tariffs. This came as the US threatened to terminate the deal if China fails to meet its purchase commitments. | …
rt.com/business/488537-us-china-trade-de…

Swedish PM says face masks for Covid-19 offer ‘false sense of security’ to wearers
rt.com | 2020-05-13
The Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Lofven has advised against wearing face masks to ward off Covid-19, as they may lead people to assume they are safe from the virus when there is still a risk of transmission. | Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Lofven said donning masks could lead the wearer to neglect social distancing guidelines and become complacent about safety precautions. | “There is a risk of a false sense of security, that you feel you can’t be infected if you have a face mask,” he said. He advised those displaying even very mild symptoms to stay at home, stay socially distant, and to cont…
rt.com/news/488567-sweden-pm-face-masks-…

Poland to reopen hairdressers, restaurants on May 18 as ‘epidemic contained to some extent’
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Poland will reopen restaurants and hairdressers on May 18 as it begins easing coronavirus-linked restrictions, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday. | “At least to some extent we have contained the epidemic, therefore we can gradually unfreeze the economy,” Morawiecki told reporters. | The statement came a day after Poland saw its largest spike in coronavirus cases in a single day, Reuters reported. | Schools will partially reopen to provide day care for children in the first three years of primary school, the prime minister added.
rt.com/newsline/488556-poland-reopen-hai…

Row erupts between BoJo and Labour, as Covid-19 guidance saying care homes ‘unlikely’ to become infected re-emerges
rt.com | 2020-05-13
Downing Street and the Labour Party have become embroiled in a spat over official UK government guidance issued in February over the risk Covid-19 poses to care homes, with each side accusing the other of misleading the public. | During PMQs in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Labour leader Keir Starmer quoted from the Public Health England (PHE) document