2019-03-02: News Headlines

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-03-02). The Pentagon's "Ides of March": Best Month to Go to War. globalresearch.ca An earlier version of this article was published on March 13, 2013. Updated March 2, 2019. | *** | There are ongoing military threats against Venezuela. Is a US sponsored war contemplated for March 2019? | Various scenarios are contemplated by Washington. Sofar …

Julia Kassem (2019-03-02). Largest Palestinian Displacement Project Since 1967 Underway in West Bank, Galilee. globalresearch.ca New plans to ramp up the largest wave of forced displacement in Palestine since 1967 are currently underway. | In response to pressure from far-right Nahala groups, a number of Israeli senior lawmakers agreed to the terms of an early February …

Nina Cross (2019-03-02). British Aid to Venezuela: A Soft Power Tool Kit. globalresearch.ca With Jeremy Hunt and Alan Duncan keenly poised to overthrow the democratically elected leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, in order to install a compliant neoliberal one, now is a good time to look at the aid which the Foreign …

Stephen Lendman (2019-03-02). Canada Extradition of Huawei CFO to US? Politicized Indictment, Economic Warfare against China? globalresearch.ca Washington's anti-China strategy includes targeting its dominant companies, ones able to match or outdo America's best for preeminence in key fields, notably high-tech ones. | It's why Sabrina Meng Wanzhou was targeted, chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies, …

Prof. Pekka Korhonen (2019-03-02). North Korea as a Small Great Power. asia-pacificresearch.com

Hans Stehling (2019-03-02). UK Government Collusion with Israel. globalresearch.ca According to a 2009 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, 50% of the then Conservative shadow cabinet were members of the CFI Friends of Israel lobby — (but now, that figure has risen to an estimated 80%). The film also claimed that …

William Blum (2019-03-02). American Exceptionalism: The Naked Truth. globalresearch.ca Article by the late William Blum. His important legacy | We can all agree I think that US foreign policy must be changed and that to achieve that the mind — not to mention the heart and soul — of the …

Joà´l Léon (2019-03-02). Haiti, The Government-run Narco-state. Country at the Mercy of Drug-Dealers. globalresearch.ca First published by GR on March 13, 2018. February 28- March 1st marks the 15th anniversary of the illegal US-France-Canada coup d'Etat against the duly elected government of president Bertrand Aristide. | *** | The notorious drug lord, Pablo Escobar, was …

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (2019-03-02). Is Neoliberalism Killing Russia? globalresearch.ca Putin's approval rating is high, but it has declined over the past year. The decline is mainly related to domestic policy. Apparently, the public perceives recent Kremlin economic policy as a continuation of the disastrous policies that Washington imposed on …

Peter Jenkins (2019-03-02). The INF Affair and Nuclear Arms Control Prospects. globalresearch.ca My most natural starting point may be an account of what the secretary general of Pugwash, a German colleague, and I learned in Moscow on January 28 in meetings with Russia's foreign minister and the appropriate deputy minister. Discussion at …

Yves Engler (2019-03-02). When Journalists Rely on Diplomats, Ottawa 'Spins' the News. globalresearch.ca Canadian diplomats abroad seek to shape coverage of their work. And the more nefarious their actions the harder they toil to "spin" what they're doing as something positive. | During a recent interview Real News Network founder Paul Jay described how …

South Front (2019-03-02). Video: US Forces Steal Tons of Gold Captured by ISIS in Syria, Iraq. globalresearch.ca US forces are reportedly transferring tons of gold from ISIS-held areas in Syria to the US. | According to Kurdish Bas News Agency, the US transferred about 50 tons of gold from areas seized from ISIS in Deir Ezzor province. The …

Hideki Yoshikawa (2019-03-02). Abe's Military Base Plan for Okinawa Sinking in Mayonnaise: Implications for the U.S. Court and IUCN. globalresearch.ca Abe Government's Reluctant Admission | After a long silence, the Abe government has finally admitted that the construction of a U.S. military base at Henoko-Oura Bay in Okinawa requires significant changes to the original land reclamation plan (see Asahi Shimbun). …

STAFF (2019-03-02). Oakland Teachers Strike Ends With Tentative Deal for Raise. truthdig.com OAKLAND, Calif.—Striking teachers in Oakland, California, celebrated after reaching a contract deal Friday with school administrators to end a seven-day walkout. | To cheers and applause, union leaders from the Oakland Education Association announced that teachers had won everything they demanded — higher pay, smaller classes and more school resources — in a week of marathon negotiating sessions with the district. | "This is a historic contract with a win in every major proposal we made," the Oakland Education Association said in a statement. | "We have achieved so much in the seven days of our…

teleSUR (2019-03-02). 75 Tons of Oil Spill So Far, UNESCO Heritage Site Under Threat. telesurenglish.net A 225m ship carrying some 600 tons of oil has, so far, spilled 75 tons of its load in the Solomon Islands after an investigation points to a possible breach which caused the vessel to run aground and is now endangering a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Heritage site. | RELATED: | Peru: Deal with Indigenous Activists Over Amazonian Oil Spill | "The impact of this oil spill will have a devastating effect on the surrounding environment, incl…

Werner Raza and Willy Sabautski (2019-03-02). Public Good or Private Wealth. indybay.org The deep and growing chasm between the rich and the poor is not an accident. This gulf is the result of political decisions. Many rich countries have lowered or abolished property taxes. Governments reduce spending on education and health care, Misguided policy led us into this crisis and true policy can lead us out.

Dan Bacher (2019-03-02). Governor Appoints San Joaquin Valley Grower to New 'Agriculture Liaison' Position. indybay.org "This gives special access for some of the largest water brokers and privately held agribusiness corporations in California," said Deirdre Des Jardins of the independent policy group California Water Research. "They are seeking to push junk science that has been previously rejected by the state water board, outside of the water board's adjudicatory and regulatory processes."

WSWS Repost (2019-03-02). Fremont, California teachers stage sick-out. indybay.org On Tuesday, February 19, teachers in Fremont, California, who have been working without a contract for the entire 2018-2019 academic year, staged a sick-out. | The sick-out has been blacked out in the local media.

WSWS Repost (2019-03-02). Oakland teachers continue strike as Kentucky teachers launch statewide sickout. indybay.org The issues which teachers confront across the United States are shared ones. | Hundreds of teachers, parents and students on Wednesday afternoon shut down an Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) board meeting! | Teachers from San Francisco and Berkeley are initiating a wildcat sickout in support of Oakland teachers! | Two of the largest school districts in Kentucky will close as a result of over 40 percent of their teachers reporting sick! | Teachers in Oakland have formed a rank-and-file strike committee to take their struggle out of the control of the unions and into their own hands!

WSWS Repost (2019-03-02). Oakland teachers form rank-and-file strike committee. indybay.org To carry their struggle forward, Oakland teachers have announced the formation of a rank-and-file strike committee, independent of the pro-corporate unions and in opposition to all budget cuts, teacher layoffs, and school closures.

Shared by Anton Woronczuk (2019-03-02). The Oakland Teachers Strike Is a Direct Challenge to Neoliberalism. truthout.org Though at first glance, the Oakland teachers' strike, now in its seventh day, may seem simply yet another in the wave of teacher walkouts this year, it in fact represents a watershed in resistance to neoliberal economic policy. The strike in Oakland simultaneously mirrors and advances popular resistance across the country to austerity and " accumulation by dispossession"—the capitalist elite's conscious transfer of wealth and power from us to them. | In one regard Oakland teachers' demands—increased pay, investments in stud…

WSWS Repost (2019-03-02). Teacher anger exploding across the United States. indybay.org Oakland strike, mass "sickout" in Kentucky…

WSWS excerpt and link (2019-03-02). Union pushes contract in effort to shutdown Oakland teachers' strike. indybay.org Vote "no" on sell-out agreement!

WSWS (2019-03-02). Union pushes contract in effort to shutdown Oakland teachers' strike. wsws.org The deal leaves $30 million of district budget cuts and school closures intact, while allowing school closures, giving teachers raises below inflation, and addressing none of their other pressing demands.

Labor Video Project (2019-03-02). It's Our Fight Too! Bay Area Teachers Join Striking OEA Teachers Strike On Day 6. indybay.org Teachers from other districts in Northern California joined the rally and picket lines of Oakland OEA teachers, parents and students on 2/28/19 Day 6 of the strike.

Labor Video Project (2019-03-02). ILWU Members & ILWU Local 34 Have Backed Striking OEA Oakland Teachers at Rally & March. indybay.org ILWU Local 34 endorsed the OEA teacher's strike and ILWU members attended the 2/22/19 rally and march.

RT (2019-03-02). Trump blames media for twisting his words on Warmbier, issues non-apology. rt.com President Donald Trump has scolded the media for "misrepresenting" his words on Otto Warmbier, a US student who died shortly after his release from a North Korean jail, saying that he still holds the reclusive nation responsible.

Adriana Colón-Adorno, Alejandro Comas-Short (2019-03-01). Yale Benefits From the Puerto Rican Debt—These Students Are Fighting to End That. thenation.com Yale Benefits From the Puerto Rican Debt—These Students Are Fighting to End That…

Marilyn Bechtel (2019-03-01). Community, labor support strong and growing for striking Oakland teachers. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif. — As it entered its seventh day March 1, the Oakland teachers' strike was continuing to bring large, spirited actions by teachers, students, parents and community supporters to areas throughout the city, including those threatened by the Oakland Unified School District's plan to close 24 of its 86 public schools, mostly in economically …

Fight Back (2019-03-01). UNF SDS wins campaign demands. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL – On February 19 the University of North Florida Students for a Democratic Society (UNF SDS) held a rally speaking out against Trump's Declaration of a National Emergency to fund his racist, xenophobic border wall. About 30 students attended despite the chilly rain. Several speakers addressed the protesters about the importance of organizing on campus and opposing Trump's backwards policies. | After the speeches, students from UNF SDS marched across campus to the university president's office and occupied it until the administration met with SDS to discuss the students' demands. SDS dem…

Colin Todhunter (2019-03-01). From Late Victorian Holocausts to 21st Century Imperialism: "Crocodile Tears" for Venezuela. globalresearch.ca On 26 February, Stephen Hickey, UK political coordinator at the United Nations, delivered a statement at the Security Council briefing on Venezuela that put the blame for the situation in that country on its government. He said that years …

Andrew Korybko (2019-03-01). Russia Officially Returns to South Asia by Offering to Host Indo-Pak Peace Talks. globalresearch.ca Russia's 21st-century grand strategy of becoming the supreme "balancing" force in Afro-Eurasia is one major step closer to fruition after Foreign Minister Lavrov offered to host peace talks between India and Pakistan, proving that Russia's refusal to take …

Abayomi Azikiwe (2019-03-01). 400 Years and the Struggle to End Enslavement, Colonialism and Neo-colonialism. globalresearch.ca Note: Following is the text of an address delivered by the author on Thursday February 28, 2019 at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The event was held in honor of African American History Month. Azikiwe …

Andrew Korybko (2019-03-01). Pakistan Didn't Violate the Geneva Convention, It Confirmed Its Adherence to It. globalresearch.ca After suffering a humiliating military defeat on the morning of 27 February when Pakistan shot down two of its MiGs that violated the country's airspace and even captured one of its pilots, India went wild trying to distract its population …

Tom Clifford (2019-03-01). China Sees Some Light in the Failure of the Hanoi Summit. globalresearch.ca The failure of the Hanoi summit, from Beijing's point of view, could yet turn out to be a success. | North Korea's most important relationship is with China. The most important relationship for China is with the United States. In January …

Hans Stehling (2019-03-01). Is Israel Just a European-Style Democracy but in the Middle East? globalresearch.ca Israel, in fact, is unlike any European state. It does not have a democratic government that ratifies and/or abides by international and United Nations resolutions, agreements and conventions on human and civil rights, nuclear/chemical/biological weapons of mass destruction, or conforms …

Tony Cartalucci (2019-03-01). Returning Syrian Refugees Were Fleeing US Proxy War, Not "Assad" globalresearch.ca A recent BBC segment titled, " The Syrians returning home after years of fleeing war," contradicted 8 years of the British state media's narratives regarding the war in Syria. | A synopsis of the short BBC video segment would read: …

Peoples Dispatch (2019-03-01). Hanoi summit thwarted by an uncompromising US. peoplesdispatch.org The second meeting between the US president, Donald Trump, and the North Korean chairman, Kim Jong-un, at the two-day summit in Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi ended on the afternoon of February 28 without reaching any agreements. | North Korea offered to dismantle all the nuclear reactors in the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, which is the sole known source providing plutonium for its nuclear program, on the condition that the US-led international sanctions against the country are lifted in return. | The US, which has sought to paint the North Korean possession of nuclear weapons as an existential t…

South Front (2019-03-01). Video: Are India and Pakistan on Brink of All-out Military Conflict? globalresearch.ca This week, the Indian-Pakistani conflict over the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir erupted with a bang when the Pakistani military declared on February 27 that it had shot down 2 Indian aircraft inside Pakistani airspace. | A spokesperson for the …

Asad Ismi (2019-03-01). Can the Left Look to Portugal for an Alternative to Austerity? globalresearch.ca While social-democratic parties all over Europe have been losing power and popularity, the centre-left Portuguese government is being lauded even by the mainstream media for defying the European Union (EU) with its anti-austerity policy and thereby sparking an economic recovery …

Stephen Lendman (2019-03-01). Netanyahu to be Indicted for Bribery, Fraud, and Breach of Trust. globalresearch.ca Accountability for his highest of high crimes of war, against humanity, including genocide are omitted from coming charges against him, a reported 55-page indictment explaining criminal charges against him in detail. | Israeli attorney general Avichai Mandelblit equivocated endlessly over whether …

teleSUR (2019-03-01). Just Six Countries in the World Give Women Equal Rights at Work. telesurenglish.net Women around the world have only three-quarters of the legal protections given to men during their working life on average, ranging from bans on entering some jobs to a lack of equal pay or freedom from sexual harassment, the World Bank said Wednesday. | RELATED: | 11-Year-Old Argentine Rape Victim Denied Right To Abortion, Gives Birth At 23-Weeks | Researchers examined whether adult men and women had equal rights under laws in 187 countries to produce an e…

Fight Back (2019-03-01). 'Reviving the Strike!' author Joe Burns to speak in Michigan. fightbacknews.org Grand Rapids, MI – Excitement is building among trade unionists and community activists in Grand Rapids, about an upcoming event where labor negotiator and author Joe Burns will speak. Michigan is a so-called 'right to work' state, where labor unions are struggling to maintain their membership and power. | "I'm a bus driver and our ATU Local Union 836 struggled for two years to get a contract. The bosses at the Rapid took a lot away from us. Ever since, I've wanted to hear Joe Burns speak about his book Reviving the Strike! We need to learn how to win, like teachers and hotel workers," said Jay DeShane. | As more…

Peoples Dispatch (2019-03-01). Protesters meet with brutal police repression in Cauca, Colombia. peoplesdispatch.org The protesters are demanding that the national government guarantee basic rights such as health, education and housing as well as the protection of social and peasant leaders…

teleSUR (2019-03-01). China Condemns Interventionist US Resolution on Venezuela at UN. telesurenglish.net Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Lu Kang defended Friday China's veto on the interventionist U.S.-drafted resolution before the United Nations Security Council, which called for new elections in Venezuela and recognition of Juan Guaido. | RELATED: | China Affirms Support for Venezuela, Condemns Sanctions | "Our basic starting point… is to uphold the U.N. Charter sp…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-03-01). Youth Climate Movement to World Leaders: We Will 'Change Fate of Humanity, Whether You Like It or Not'. commondreams.org Student climate strikers issue open letter ahead of global day of action on March 15 that will consist of more than 500 events in over 50 countries | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

RT (2019-03-01). Genocide survivors demand violent coup master Elliott Abrams' removal from Holocaust museum board. rt.com A dozen survivors of genocides from the Holocaust to the 1980s' US-backed slaughter in Central America have demanded US diplomat Elliott Abrams be removed from the US Holocaust museum's "Conscience Committee."

RT (2019-03-01). Virginia's first lady apologizes for handing cotton to black kids. rt.com Pam Northam, the wife of the governor of Virginia, was forced to apologize after she gave cotton to black students during a recent governor's mansion tour so that they could capture how it felt to be a slave.

RT (2019-03-01). 'We are all militant again': Trade unions ready to fight in today's more left-wing America. rt.com Work stoppages and strikes are on the rise across America, with teachers and social workers most commonly seen at the picket line. Have newly militant trade unions found a receptive audience in the Democratic party? |

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-03-01). America's "War on Terrorism" — Understanding the Web of Deceit Threatening Humanity. globalresearch.ca Dear Readers, | To understand the complex web of deceit aimed at luring the American people and the rest of the world into accepting a military solution which threatens the future of humanity, get your copy of Michel Chossudovsky's international …