(2021-03-18). Syria needs Long-Term Housing for the Neediest, and the US needs to Stop Blocking it. juancole.com 
By Hany Al Banna | — ( Middle East Monitor ) — March 15, 2021, will mark a grim milestone—the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the popular uprising that led to the civil war still engulfing Syria. As we all grapple with the deadly crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world's …
(2021-03-18). Syria's First Lady Supports the Fight Against Al Qaeda and ISIS. globalresearch.ca The Syrian first lady has been accused by a London based …
(2021-03-18). Turkey: the Host With the Most. counterpunch.org Turkey has for many years running been the single nation hosting the most refugees in the world. The number is hard to reckon, since a goodly number of Syrians and Afghans live there off the cards, but let's say 4,000,000. Living in one of those X-marks-the-crossroads countries has forever made the Turks reasonably tolerant of
(2021-03-18). Syria: Hundreds gather in Daraa to celebrate anniversary of uprising. middleeasteye.net 
Syria: Hundreds gather in Daraa to celebrate anniversary of uprising | Daraa, currently under Assad control, was the centre of major demonstrations in the early days of the uprising in March 2011 | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 15: 36 | Still from video footage shared on social media (Twitter) | Hundreds reportedly gathered in the Syrian city of Daraa on Thursday to mark the tenth anniversary of the beginning of anti-gove…
(2021-03-18). Turkey eyes revision of 2016 migration deal with EU. yenisafak.com Five years since signing a landmark migration agreement with the EU grappling with successive waves of asylum seekers fleeing conflict and persecution, Turkey now seeks to revise the deal, arguing that the bloc has failed to keep its promises.The deal was signed on March 18, 2016, as the Syrian civil war continued to uproot millions who then began their "journey of hope" to reach the EU. The agreement contained six key points, including the reinvigoration of Ankara's EU ascension process, the modernization of their Customs Union, revival of top-level dialogue, visa liberalization for Turkish nationals, cooperatio…
(2021-03-18). Threatening Syria's First Lady Shows NATO's Depravity. strategic-culture.org Threatening Syria's First Lady — a national heroine — with prosecution for war crimes is NATO powers reaching into the gutter, Finian Cunningham writes. | This week marks the 10th anniversary since the United States and its NATO allies launched a devastating covert war of aggression for regime change in Syria. Ten years on, the Arab nation is struggling with war reconstruction, a struggle made all the more onerous because of economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union. | Syria and allied forces from Russia, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon's Hezbollah won the war, defeating legions of…
(2021-03-18). UN Security Council condemns Houthi efforts to take Yemen's Marib. middleeasteye.net 
UN Security Council condemns Houthi efforts to take Yemen's Marib | The council calls on all parties to halt hostilities so humanitarian aid, including Covid-19 vaccines, can be administered and a peaceful resolution agreed upon | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 17: 14 | Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government get into position during clashes with Houthi fighters in Yemen's northeastern province of Marib on 4 March…
(2021-03-18). Biden administration planning to 'reset' relations with Palestinians: Report. middleeasteye.net 
Biden administration planning to 'reset' relations with Palestinians: Report | State Department is reportedly mulling over plans to provide $15m in Covid-19 aid in addition to several other initiatives set to mend ties, according to draft memo | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 15: 07 | Palestinians react as Israeli authorities prepare to demolish a house located within a village south of Yatta in southern area of West Bank…
(2021-03-18). Why Brazil is Losing the Global Race for Vaccines. counterpunch.org 
On January 17 nurse Monica Calazans became the first person vaccinated against COVID-19 in Brazil. The procedure took place during a much-awaited ceremony in Sà£o Paulo. However, after months of denial and heel-dragging from the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's late entry into the global race for vaccines could prove to be fatal for
(2021-03-18). China and Russia Vaccines Defeat Cold War Virus. dissidentvoice.org 
A friend in need is a friend indeed, and several countries which may have previously sniffed at vaccines produced by China and Russia are finding truth in the old adage. China is ramping up supplies of its CoronaVac to Brazil and other Latin American countries where Covid-19 infections are threatening to overwhelm public health services. …
(2021-03-18). NYT accused of 'fueling anti-Asian racism' over headline on Chinese vaccine 'made from hamster cells'. rt.com 
The New York Times was accused of "soft racism" after running a headline about how China's latest Covid-19 vaccine is "made from the ovary cells of hamsters" on the same day shootings in Georgia left six Asian women dead. | In the Tuesday
(2021-03-18). Pandemic's impact propels new push for Medicare for All. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Propelled by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which exposed, as never before, the gaping holes in U.S. health care's non-system, proponents of Medicare For All launched a new push for comprehensive health care reconstruction. But the March 17 exuberant "Town Hall" for the bill, re-introduced by House Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., …
(2021-03-18). The Ongoing Calamity: US Collective Punishment of the Venezuelan People Must End. counterpunch.org 
Recent statements made by US officials suggest that Washington will continue to pursue a hardline policy on Venezuela. The new Biden Administration, however, needs to urgently rethink its approach. US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, remarked on February 3 that he "certainly" does not "expect this administration to be engaging directly with (President) Maduro." Namely,
(2021-03-18). There Are So Many Lessons to Learn from Kerala. dissidentvoice.org 
Anujath Sindhu Vinaylal (India), My mother and the mothers in the neighborhood, 2017. Indian farmers and agricultural workers have crossed the hundred-day mark of their protest against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They will not withdraw until the government repeals laws that deliver the advantages of agriculture to large corporate houses. This, the …
(2021-03-18). A Climate Change Vandal Goes to Paris. counterpunch.org The hallmark of any institution is the ability to withstand ironic dysfunction. The United States under the stewardship of that unintentional comic George W. Bush made John Bolton ambassador to the United Nations. Bolton had loathed the body, wishing for it to implode under its own weight. The parliamentary chamber of the European Union, between
(2021-03-18). Rate of demolition of Palestinian homes has increased in 2021, says new report. peoplesdispatch.org 
The report, prepared by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian Territories, says the monthly average of demolition of Palestinian houses by Israeli authorities has increased by 65% in 2021 as compared to the previous year…
(2021-03-18). New Cold War is built on humanitarian interventionist lies and dismissal of actual War Crimes. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-18). PSL Statement: Massacre in Atlanta — racist, sexist terrorism and the capitalist system. liberationnews.org 
Photo: Demonstration last weekend in Los Angeles against the rising tide of anti-Asian hate crimes On Tuesday, March 16 at around 5 p.m., three Atlanta-area spas staffed by Asian workers were the targets of a racist and sexist mass shooting. Eight people were killed, seven of whom were women, and six of the women were …
(2021-03-18). PSL Statement: Massacre in Atlanta — racist, sexist terrorism and the capitalist system. liberationnews.org Photo: Demonstration last weekend in Los Angeles against the rising tide of anti-Asian hate crimes On Tuesday, March 16 at around 5: 00 p.m., three spas staffed by Asian workers in the Atlanta area were the targets of a racist and sexist mass shooting. Eight people were killed, seven of whom were women, and six of …
(2021-03-18). PDF of March 18 issue. workers.org 
Download the PDF. Bust the filibuster, pass the PRO-union Act! Medical justice: Release Mumia now! International Women's Day: Protest of massacre in Philippines; New York Boricua Resistance; 1970 march on women's prison. ALSO: Solidarity with #BAmazon; Sharpeville 1960: A turning point; Bus drivers blast school reopening; Stimulus for who? UNITE . . . |
(2021-03-18). 'Blackwater had bad days in Iraq too': Outrage after media links sheriff probing Atlanta parlors massacre to mercenary outfit. rt.com 
Twitter erupted after reports that the sheriff who is investigating the Atlanta parlors massacre may have links to the notorious private military company, Blackwater. His office was previously accused of harboring racism. | The Cherokee County Sheriff's office headed by Sheriff Frank Reynolds attracted national attention this week over its role in investigating the killings of eight people, including six women, at massage parlors in Atlanta, Georgia. The shooting rampage was quickly labeled by the left to be the latest example of racially motivated violence by a presumed white supremacist. | Also on rt.com…
(2021-03-18). Selected Articles: Brazil's Lula in a Wilderness of Mirrors, UK Breaks Law on Nukes, Myanmar: Hidden Opposition Violence. globalresearch.ca 
By A surprising Supreme Court decision that, while not definitive, restores Lula's political rights has hit Brazil like a semiotic bomb and plunged the nation into a …
(2021-03-18). Author Dan Hicks reveals the backstory of 'contested objects' in Western museums. peoplesworld.org 
The role of museums in Western culture has been a conversation in art and academia for decades. The institution as a whole has had a spotlight shined on its structural biases for years. In response, several museums have attempted to institute reforms to expand diversity. Curator Dan Hicks, of the Pitt-Rivers Museum of Oxford University, …
(2021-03-18). Jason Hickel introduces Degrowth — book review. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-18). Interpreting contemporary imperialism: lessons from Samir Amin. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-18). Thumb in the Dike: Homelessness and Deepening Inequality. counterpunch.org 
In December 2020, USA Today ran a bold headline declaring, "the federal eviction moratorium expires in January. It could leave 40 million Americans homeless." The article cites Diane Yentel, CEO and president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, who warns, "We're facing potentially the worst housing and homelessness crisis in our country's history."
(2021-03-18). Alabama Amazon worker testifies before Congress: "We're not robots." peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—At Amazon's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., more than 5,800 workers, many if not most of them Black, toil for 10 hours each a day in the middle of a pandemic, shifting goods to loading docks via elevators they can't board themselves. Instead, workers, many middle-aged, must tramp, or limp, up and down four flights of …
(2021-03-18). Profit Shares Fall to the Lowest Level Since 2009. counterpunch.org 
The Federal Reserve Board released an item of good news that might be missed. The Financial Accounts for the fourth quarter showed a decline in profit share of national income to 12.0 percent, the lowest annual share since 2009. It is far too early to know if this shift will be enduring, but it is
(2021-03-18). PSL in Tennessee launches campaign to fight utility shutoffs. liberationnews.org 
The rise in unemployment and poverty coupled with dismal state benefits during a deadly pandemic have left many families unable to pay their bills.
(2021-03-18). No justice, no peace: Rapsody on art, activism, and the power of music. therealnews.com 
The professors invite Rapsody to discuss the legacy of the Black music tradition and how it continually reiterates itself within "new genres," creating a cultural archive.
(2021-03-18). Climate Change is making Sea levels rise fastest in big cities — here's why. juancole.com 
By Sally Brown and Robert James Nicholls | — It is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. What is less well know is the threat of sinking land. And in many of the most populated coastal areas, the land is sinking even faster than the sea is rising. Parts of …
(2021-03-18). The Active Forest Management Scam. counterpunch.org 
There are daily news stories about the recent large wildfires in 2020. In nearly all of these media accounts, almost always attributed to a lack of active forest management. In other words, proponents of logging/thinning forests assert fuel reductions would diminish fire severity. The prevailing assumption is that fuels are the major cause of large
(2021-03-18). The stain that won't wash (or be whitewashed). peoplesworld.org 
(2021-03-18). Let's Stop Pretending Russia and China are Military Threats. counterpunch.org 
Someone needs to say this, and it looks like it's gotta be me: China and Russia are not our enemies. Somehow, the opinion-makers in the media, the bloated military brass with all their ribbons and stars and with little to do but worry about how to keep their massively overbuilt operation afloat with ever more taxpayer money, and the members of Congress who like to gin up fears among the voters so they'll keep voting for them have gotten everyone thinking that Russia is still hell bent on world communist takeover and that China it trying to replace the US as global hegemon. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
(2021-03-18). Anger mounts as police cover for Atlanta murderer of Asian women. peoplesworld.org 
Only two days before the Atlanta-area murders of eight people, including six Asian American women, Georgia State Sen. Michelle Au, herself Chinese American, was warning of rising anti-Asian violence in her state and nationwide. "Asian Americans are part of our country's plurality," said Au. "And all I'm asking, as the first East Asian state senator …
(2021-03-18). 150 years ago, Paris Commune showed that workers can run society themselves. peoplesworld.org 
On March 18, Paris arose to the thunder-burst of 'Vive la Commune!' […] When ordinary workers dared for the first time to infringe upon the governmental privilege of their 'natural superiors'… the old world writhed in terror at the sight of the red flag, the symbol of the Republic of Labor, floating over city hall. …
(2021-03-18). Unelected operatives play an outsized role in crafting foreign policy. peoplesworld.org 
It's probably safe to say that most Americans would hope the major foreign policy actions of the United States would be determined by their elected officials in Congress and the White House. In reality, much of the foreign policy of the U.S. is first crafted behind closed doors by individuals that the public never voted …
(2021-03-18). Guangzhou 1927: The Paris Commune of the East. peoplesdispatch.org 
On the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Paris Commune, its legacy is remembered in the Guangzhou Uprising, when workers and peasants established a popular republic in the southern Chinese capital in 1927.
(2021-03-18). UAE suspends Abu Dhabi Israel summit as frustration with Netanyahu grows. middleeasteye.net 
UAE suspends Abu Dhabi Israel summit as frustration with Netanyahu grows | Emirati officials are particularly angry at Israeli PM's pre-election trumpeting of $10bn UAE investment fund | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 12: 46 | An Emirati man, wearing a protective mask with the flags of the US, Israel and the UAE, upon the arrival of the first commercial flight from Israel, 31 August 2020 (AFP)…
(2021-03-18). 150 years ago, Paris Commune showed that workers can run society themselves. peoplesworld.org On March 18, Paris arose to the thunder-burst of 'Vive la Commune!' […] When ordinary workers dared for the first time to infringe upon the governmental privilege of their 'natural superiors'… the old world writhed in terror at the sight of the red flag, the symbol of the Republic of Labor, floating over city hall. …
(2021-03-18). Video: Israel Is Back with Airstrikes as Turkey Scrambles to Salvage Some Oil in Syria. globalresearch.ca As has become customary in recent weeks, after the relative success …
(2021-03-18). Biden's Iran envoy says Trump's maximum pressure campaign was a failure. middleeasteye.net 
Biden's Iran envoy says Trump's maximum pressure campaign was a failure | Rob Malley stresses the need for talks with Iran to revive the nuclear deal, offering negotiations through a third party | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 20: 18 | 'Neither side is going to go first entirely,' Malley told the BBC (AFP/File photo) | The US envoy for Iran has reaffirmed the intention of President Joe Biden's administration to revive the…
(2021-03-18). US warns China it will enforce sanctions on Iranian oil shipments: Report. middleeasteye.net 
US warns China it will enforce sanctions on Iranian oil shipments: Report | Shipments of oil from Tehran to Beijing have soared in recent months, reaching nearly 500,000 barrels a day in February | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 16: 34 | In 2019, the Trump administration stopped providing sanctions waivers to several countries that were importing oil from Iran (AFP) | The US has told China it will enforce Trump-era sanctio…
(2021-03-18). Turkey rejects condemnation over pro-Kurdish HDP closure case. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey rejects condemnation over pro-Kurdish HDP closure case | Foreign ministry said commenting on an ongoing judicial process amounts to 'intervention' in the country's domestic affairs | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 19: 53 | Over the past two years, the Turkish government has launched a crackdown on the HDP party (AFP) | Turkey on Thursday told foreign countries to stay out of its domestic affairs after the US and Eur…
(2021-03-18). Yemen's Houthis renew call for end to Saudi-led blockade before ceasefire. middleeasteye.net 
Yemen's Houthis renew call for end to Saudi-led blockade before ceasefire | The Iran-aligned fighters continue their push to take control of Marib, which is home to at least a million displaced people | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 10: 17 | Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government sit in the back of a pick-up truck during clashes with Houthi rebel fighters west of Taiz, on 16 March 2021 (AFP)…
(2021-03-18). Egypt faces backlash over response to UN criticism of human rights record. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt faces backlash over response to UN criticism of human rights record | A statement signed by 31 countries has prompted furious denials from Cairo, which in turn have been met with scorn | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 15: 10 | Policewomen stand outside al-Qanatir women's prison during a government guided tour (AFP) | Egyptian opposition figures and rights advocates have lashed out at Egypt's response to a rare…
(2021-03-18). EU halts planned sanctions on Turkey in indication of thawing tensions. middleeasteye.net 
EU halts planned sanctions on Turkey in indication of thawing tensions | As diplomatic relations warm, European Union calls off sanctioning members of Turkey's state-owned energy company | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 15: 26 | Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a meeting with EU Council President Charles Michel in Brussels (Reuters) | The European Union has halted plans to blacklist senior…
(2021-03-18). Egypt: Protests break out after police officer allegedly beat man to death. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: Protests break out after police officer allegedly beat man to death | A police officer reportedly crushed the skull of poultry shop owner Mohamed Youssef, sparking angry protests in his Nile Delta village | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 12: 59 | Mohamed Youssef, 34, was the owner of a poultry shop in the village of Monshaat el-Karaam in the Qalyubia governorate. He was reportedly beaten to death on 17 March by a po…
(2021-03-18). Iranian press review: Khamenei advisor urges move to enrich uranium up to 60 percent. middleeasteye.net 
Iranian press review: Khamenei advisor urges move to enrich uranium up to 60 percent | Meanwhile, Iran-backed armed factions in Iraq threaten more attacks on the US embassy in Baghdad, and in northern Iran, thousands of migratory birds die due to environmental crisis | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 12: 04 | A handout picture released by Iran's Atomic Energy Organization on 6 November 2019 shows the…
(2021-03-18). Lorenzo Wolff — The Pearl (featuring Bartees Strange). counterpunch.org 
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