"We Want Democracy!" Mass Protests Continue in Dominican Republic After Local Elections Suspended
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-28
Thousands in the Dominican Republic took to the streets of the capital Santo Domingo Thursday to protest the abrupt suspension of local elections earlier this month and to commemorate the country's Independence Day. Protests have been ongoing since February 16, after the government suspended the municipal elections four hours after voting began, alleging there were "technical glitches" in the electronic ballot machines used. The machines were previously used in October 2019, and they cost the Dominican government $19 million. The Dominican people believe the alleged technical glitch is just an attempt by the ruli…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/28/dominican_republic_elections_suspended

Thousands Are Taking the Streets to Protest Suspension of Dominican Elections
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-28
Thousands in the Dominican Republic took to the streets of the capital Santo Domingo Thursday to protest the abrupt suspension of local elections earlier this month and to commemorate the country's Independence Day. Protests have been ongoing since February 16, after the government suspended the municipal elections four hours after voting began, alleging there were "technical glitches" in the electronic ballot machines used. The machines were previously used in October 2019, and they cost the D…
truthout.org/video/thousands-are-taking-the-streets-to-protest-suspension-of-dominican-elections/

"We Want Democracy!" Mass Protests Continue in Dominican Republic After Local Elections Suspended
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-28
Thousands in the Dominican Republic took to the streets of the capital Santo Domingo Thursday to protest the abrupt suspension of local elections earlier this month and to commemorate the country's Independence Day. Protests have been ongoing since February 16, after the government suspended the municipal elections four hours after voting began, alleging there were "technical glitches" in the electronic ballot machines used. The machines were previously used in October 2019, and they cost the Dominican government $19 million. The Dominican people believe the alleged technical glitch is just an attempt by the ruli…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/28/dominican_republic_elections_suspended

If Venezuelan Embassy Protectors Are Retried, Jury Should Hear About US Crimes
Prof. Marjorie Cohn | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
On February 28, federal prosecutors will announce whether they plan to retry four people who spent 37 days in the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C., in the spring of 2019 to protect it from an illegal invasion by the U.S. …
globalresearch.ca/venezuelan-embassy-protectors-retried-jury-should-hear-about-us-crimes/5705034

Bernie Sanders Was Right About the Cuban Literacy Campaign
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-28
The corporate media have long been looking for ways to discredit Bernie Sanders, and they settled on a surprising statement he made in the 1980s during his tenure as mayor of Burlington when he said, "We have a lot to learn from Cuba." | Now, they have latched onto a statement he made about Cuba during an interview on "60 Minutes" after winning the Nevada caucuses: "We're very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it's unfair to simply say everything is bad," Sanders said. "When Fidel Castr…
truthout.org/articles/bernie-sanders-was-right-about-the-cuban-literacy-campaign/

Here's why Bernie Sanders was spot on with his comments about Cuba
Peter Bolton | thecanary.co | 2020-02-28
Bernie Sanders has recently come under fire for statements about the government of Cuba. The attacks have been vicious, and they need calling out. Because his comments are not only perfectly accurate but also shine an important light on a gaping blind spot in the US political psyche. | Red-baiting tactics: | On 23 February, Sanders said it's "unfair to simply say everything is bad" about the Cuban Revolution. Republicans and establishment Dem…
thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2020/02/28/heres-why-bernie-sanders-was-spot-on-with-his-comments-about-cuba/

Guyana Goes to the Polls Hoping to End Its Political Crisis
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-28
Guyana's oil boom will influence the results of the March 2 elections, which are called to end the long period of political instability and stagnation that the South American country has been experiencing since 2018. | RELATED: | Venezuela: US Comments on Guyana Affair are Interventionist | The Guyanese people have been waiting for this day since their president David Granger received a motion of no confidence against him, which was validated by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ…
telesurenglish.net/news/guyana-goes-to-the-polls-to-end-political-crisis-20200228-0005.html

U.S. Blockade Hinders Organ Transplant Process in Cuba
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-28
Cuba's physician Julio Cesar Sierra Friday denounced that the United States blockade against his country is hurting the population that needs vital organ transplants. | RELATED: | US Prevents Medical Supplies From Reaching Cuba | "The blockade prevents Cuba from acquiring the essential resources for the successful development of transplant processes on the Island," the transplant coordinator condemned. | According to Sierra, resources such as medicines, reagents, and other sup…
telesurenglish.net/news/us-blockade-hinders-organ-transplant-process-in-cuba-20200228-0006.html

Switzerland Suspends Public Events to Contain Covid-19 Outbreak
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-28
Switzerland's Federal Council Thursday declared that the country is in a "special situation" and announced measures to contain the progress of COVID-19, a disease that has affected 15 people in this European country. | RELATED: | WHO Warns Against Danger of Complacency in Global Coronavirus Fight | "The Federal Council is aware that its decision has important consequences for the population but it will allow its effective protection," the Swiss authorities said and added t…
telesurenglish.net/news/Switzerland-Suspends-Public-Events-to-Contain-Covid-19-Outbreak-20200228-0001.html

'We fought Russia 16 times and will fight it again,' warns Erdogan's adviser amid Idlib escalation
rt.com | 2020-02-28
A member of an expert body advising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted that Ankara is prepared to go to war with Russia after tensions over Syria's Idlib province escalated over the past 24 hours. | Mesut Hakki Casin, who is a member of Turkey's Security and Foreign Policy Board advising Erdogan, made his comments shortly after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by Russian-backed Syrian government forces in Idlib province. | We have fought Russia 16 times in the past, and we will fight it again. | The official pointed to Russia's sizeable Muslim population and claimed that the country "
rt.com/news/481908-erdogan-adviser-war-russia/

Radical wins! Go Bernie!
Adam Baltner | indybay.org | 2020-02-28
With his promise of a dramatic expansion of the hardly existing US welfare state, Sanders is the only candidate who offers at least as radical solutions as Trump. For many, everybody else simply no longer seems trustworthy. Sanders serves as a mouthpiece for the justified indignation felt by broad sections of the population.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/28/18831132.php

If Venezuelan Embassy Protectors Are Retried, Jury Should Hear About US Crimes
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-27
On February 28, federal prosecutors will announce whether they plan to retry four people who spent 37 days in the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C., in the spring of 2019 to protect it from an illegal invasion by the U.S. government. The first trial of Adrienne Pine, Margaret Flowers, Kevin Zeese and David Paul, who were charged with "interfering with the protective functions" of the Stat…
truthout.org/articles/if-venezuelan-embassy-protectors-are-retried-jury-should-hear-about-us-crimes/

Return to Bahrain: Nine Years After the Uprisings, the Nation's Human Rights Record Has Worsened
Aya Majzoub | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-27
It's been nine years since Bahrain's February 2011 uprising. Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in cities and towns across the country to protest the ruling Al Khalifa family's tight grip on power, discrimination against the country's majority Shia population, and arrests of political critics. The 2011 uprising itself came 10 years after the 2001…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/27/return-to-bahrain-nine-years-after-the-uprisings-the-nations-human-rights-record-has-worsened/

DR: Medina Offers Triumphalist Speech to Downplay Protests
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-27
The Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina addressed the Dominican people on Wednesday with a speech praising his administration, while thousands of people took to the streets to brand him as corrupt and demand a solution to the political crisis the Caribbean country is going through. | RELATED: | Protests Continue in Dominican Republic | The economic development that the Dominican Republic has experienced in recent years and the efforts to reduce inequality in the country were the main issues t…
telesurenglish.net/news/dr-medina-offers-triumphalist-speech-as-downplays-protests–20200227-0008.html

Venezuela's Rejects Michelle Bachelet's Report at UNHRC
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-27
The Venezuelan government rejected on Wednesda the methodologies used by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, but confirmed its willingness to dialogue and cooperation. | RELATED: | Venezuela Reaffirms Cooperation With UN on Human Rights | "There is still a long way to go to achieve balanced documents and adhere to the principles that should govern the treatment of human rights issues," said Deputy Minister for Multilateral Issues of…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelas-Rejects-Michelle-Bachelets-Report-at-UNHRC-20200227-0007.html

It's just business: US & Britain buying more and more oil from Russia
rt.com | 2020-02-27
Russia more than doubled crude oil supplies to the United States and Britain in 2019, data from the Federal Customs Service (FCS) has revealed. | A fall in prices for the Russian Urals oil, combined with US sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, were among the reasons for such an increase in purchases. | According to the data cited by business news outlet RBC, in October Russia became the second-largest supplier of oil and petroleum products to the United States. At the end of 2019, crude oil exports from Russia amounted to almost $2.2 billion, 2.4 times more than in 2018. In physical terms, the volume of oil e…
rt.com/business/481807-us-uk-russian-oil-purchases/

'One-fifth of heart attacks occur before 50 in Turkey'
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-27
One-fifth of heart attacks occur before patients turn 50 in Turkey, a country with one of the youngest populations in Europe, according to a Turkish cardiologist."20% of heart attacks in Turkey occur before the age of 50, while the average age in European countries is 60-65," Dr. Ozlem Esen, a professor at Altinbas University's medical school in Istanbul, told Anadolu Agency.Esen said heart attack is in the first place among health problems in Turkey with a rate of 42%.Heart attacks were seen only in patients over 60 years of age 20 years ago, Esen said, adding that it can now be seen among those under the age of…
yenisafak.com/en/life/one-fifth-of-heart-attacks-occur-before-50-in-turkey-3512901

Erdogan Notes Fighting in Syria's Idlib Has Gone in Turkey's Favour
sputniknews.com | 2020-02-27
The newspaper Daily Sabah reported earlier today citing Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar that two Turkish soldiers had been killed in an airstrike in Syria's Idlib Province.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/202002271078419337-three-turkish-soldiers-die-in-syrias-idlib—president-erdogan/

As media amplifies unrest in Venezuela and beyond, millions are quietly revolting in Colombia
Alan MacLeod | mronline.org | 2020-02-26
Despite protests of historic proportions fueled by anger over corruption and a brutal right-wing crackdown, the unrest in Colombia has garnered remarkably little international media attention compared to Venezuela. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/26/as-media-amplifies-unrest-in-venezuela-and-beyond-millions-are-quietly-revolting-in-colombia/

Dominican Republic: No Mediators to Clarify Electoral Crisis
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-26
The electoral crisis in the Dominican Republic, since the failure of the municipal elections on February 16th, has yet to find impartial interlocutors to clarify the political uncertainty in the country. | RELATED: | Protests Continue in Dominican Republic | After the suspension of the February 16th elections, due to the collapse of the automated voting system, the Central Electoral Board (JCE, by its Spanish abbreviation) called for the signing of a political pact among almost 100 Dominican organiz…
telesurenglish.net/news/dominican-republic-no-mediators-to-clarify-electoral-crisis-20200226-0005.html

Venezuela Reaffirms Cooperation With UN on Human Rights
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-26
Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza ratified Wednesday his government's willingness to cooperate with the United Nations on human rights issues. | RELATED: | Majority of Venezuelans Against U.S. Sanctions, Poll Reveals | In a meeting with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, the top diplomat said that his government assumes the protection and respect for fundamental rights as a state policy. | This is part of the minister's agenda during th…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Reaffirms-Cooperation-With-UN-on-Human-Rights-20200226-0014.html

Bloomberg Campaign Deletes Tweets of Fake Quotes of Sanders Praising Despots
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-02-26
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's campaign came under fire after posting a series of now-deleted tweets that included fake quotes of 2020 Democratic front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders praising authoritarianism. | As Common Dreams reported, Sanders' comments praising former Cuban President Fidel Castro for literacy programs in the island nation echoe…
truthout.org/articles/bloomberg-campaign-deletes-tweets-of-fake-quotes-of-sanders-praising-despots/

Sure, but Venezuela is the Narco State
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-02-26
Venezuelan analyst Oscar Forero contextualises the accusation that Venezuela is immersed in illegal drug activity. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/26/sure-but-venezuela-is-the-narco-state/

USF students rally against racist administration
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-26
Tampa, FL – On February 25, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a Black Students Matter rally on campus to bring attention to the racist admissions practices that the administration at the University of South Florida (USF) engages in. | Enrollment of Black students at USF has been declining for years and the percent of Black students at USF was the lowest it's been in the past decade last semester (fall 2019), at 9.4%. This is especially alarming considering that in the Tampa Bay area, where USF is located, Black people comprise 24% of the population. | "We understand how schools like USF parta…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/2/26/usf-students-rally-against-racist-administration

USF students rally against racist administration
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-26
Tampa, FL – On February 25, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a Black Students Matter rally on campus to bring attention to the racist admissions practices that the administration at the University of South Florida (USF) engages in. | Enrollment of Black students at USF has been declining for years and the percent of Black students at USF was the lowest it's been in the past decade last semester (fall 2019), at 9.4%. This is especially alarming considering that in the Tampa Bay area, where USF is located, Black people comprise 24% of the population. | "We understand how schools like USF parta…
fightbacknews.org/2020/2/26/usf-students-rally-against-racist-administration

Macri's Created Poverty Is the Highest of the Decade: Report
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-26
Multidimensional poverty in Argentina rose by 10 points in the last four years, from 27.2 percent of the population in 2015 to 37.5 percent in the third quarter of 2019, affecting 15.8 million people, according to the latest report of the Social Debt Observatory of the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA). | RELATED: | Argentina: Massive Marches Against International Monetary Fund | The report presented by the UCA analyzes the evolution of the material living conditions of the…
telesurenglish.net/news/Macris-Poverty-Is-the-Highest-of-the-Decade-Report-20200226-0017.html

Lolita Island Part 2? FBI raid New York HQ of fashion mogul friend of Prince Andrew in sex trafficking probe
rt.com | 2020-02-26
The FBI and NYPD have raided the New York offices of fashion exec Peter Nygard as part of a sex trafficking investigation

Bernie Sanders's Key to Success in Democratic Primary? Organizing in Black & Latinx Communities
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-25
Senator Bernie Sanders's campaign continues to ride the wave of its decisive victory Saturday in the Democratic presidential caucuses in Nevada. Sanders's win came with support from young voters, union members and Latinx voters, who strengthened his status as Democratic presidential front-runner. He won 73% of the Latino vote in Nevada, a remarkable victory that supporters hope will bode well heading into Super Tuesday and beyond. Through March 17, the Democratic primary calendar will run through seven of the 12 states where Latinx communities constitute at least 10% of the total eligible voting population. | We…
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/25/chuck_rocha_bernie_sanders_latinx_voters

'Delete his entire campaign': Bloomberg gets roasted after tweeting, then scrubbing, fake Bernie quotes praising 'despots'
rt.com | 2020-02-25
Billionaire-turned-Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has taken a severe thrashing on social media, after his campaign posted, and then deleted, fake Bernie Sanders quotes hailing alleged "despots. " | Bloomberg's social media team took aim at the Vermont senator with a series of tweets mocking his factually accurate statement that literacy in Cuba skyrocketed under Fidel Castro. | The official 'Team Bloomberg' Twitter account shot off a series of posts in which they imagined what Sanders perhaps thinks of other "famous despots." The fake quotes included flattering remarks about Stalin ("[he]…
rt.com/usa/481619-bloomberg-sanders-despots-tweets-delete/

One in three Venezuelans not getting enough to eat, UN study finds
news.un.org | 2020-02-25
Hyperinflation in Venezuela means that roughly one-third of the population

Reality check on Wall Street
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-25
San José, CA – U.S. stocks got a reality check on Monday, February 24, with the Dow falling more than 1000 points, or 3.5%. The NASDAQ index, with a heavy representation of technology company stocks, fell a bit more, while the broadest measure of the stock market, the S&P 500 fell a bit less. | Almost all the news blamed the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). While China's firm measures, including locking down virtually the entire province of Hubei, appear to be taking effect as the number of infections seem to be leveling off. Hubei has a population of some 70 million and is where the epicenter of the vir…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/2/25/reality-check-wall-street

Reality check on Wall Street
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-25
San José, CA – U.S. stocks got a reality check on Monday, February 24, with the Dow falling more than 1000 points, or 3.5%. The NASDAQ index, with a heavy representation of technology company stocks, fell a bit more, while the broadest measure of the stock market, the S&P 500 fell a bit less. | Almost all the news blamed the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). While China's firm measures, including locking down virtually the entire province of Hubei, appear to be taking effect as the number of infections seem to be leveling off. Hubei has a population of some 70 million and is where the epicenter of the vir…
fightbacknews.org/2020/2/25/reality-check-wall-street

Middle East Piece
Mohammad Sabaaneh | thenation.com | 2020-02-25
Middle East Piece…
thenation.com/article/world/native-to-the-middle-east-native-american/