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'Sweden is full!' Head of Swedish Democrats goes to EU-Turkey border to halt migrants before they set out


RT
Thu, 05 Mar 2020 17:31 UTC
migrants
© REUTERS/Elias MarcouMigrants wait before being transported to the mainland on a Greek Navy vessel
The leader of the anti-immigration Swedish Democrats is determined to discourage migrants right from the off, telling them that they shouldn't be counting on Sweden's famed benefits, as the Nordic country is already "full."

Jimmie Akesson traveled to the Turkish border city of Edirne along with his top aide, having in their sights people set to cross into neighboring Greece. Over 12,000 migrants amassed there shortly after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a power move in proclaiming they are free to continue their journey westward.

While at the border, Akesson and his entourage handed out leaflets discouraging migrants from making it into Sweden. "Don't come to us. Sweden is full. We can't give you more money or provide any housing. Sorry for this message," the flyers read.

He was also pictured talking to aspiring migrants, purportedly delivering his message in greater detail.


The images of the Swedish Democrats (SD) leader made rounds on the party's social media accounts, garnering numerous shares and comments.

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Oil Well

Putin: Russia gradually weaning itself from dependence on oil revenues


RT
Wed, 04 Mar 2020 10:05 UTC
Romashkinskoye oil field in Tatarstan Russia
© Global Look Press / Valery LukyanovRomashkinskoye oil field in Tatarstan, Russia
Russia is trying to shield its economy from turbulence in global energy markets, but cutting the country's reliance on oil cannot happen at once, Russian President Vladimir Putin believes.

"We are gradually weaning off [oil], by the way. We are really moving away from it, because the share of non-oil and non-gas revenues is growing. But this requires time, and it cannot be done at the drop of a hat," Putin said in an interview to TASS news agency, released on Wednesday.

Despite the official statistics showing that inflation rate currently stands at around 3.5 percent, Russian people feel that prices are going up and their incomes have been on the decline in recent years, the president acknowledged. Incomes were hit badly by a steep decline in global crude prices, and the government is "obliged" to do something to settle this key social issue, he said.

Comment: Under Putin's astute management, Russia, is well-positioned to withstand the global economic downturn:

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Biohazard

Terrorists poison themselves with chemical weapons in Idlib after trying to use them against Syrian army - Russian MоD


RT
Thu, 05 Mar 2020 11:44 UTC
Syrian fighters
© REUTERS/Umit BektasSyrian fighters prepare shell cases near Idlib, Syria
Jihadist militants have attempted to carry out a chemical weapons attack in a bid to foil a Syrian army attack, but lack of experience dealing with hazardous substances turned against them, Russia's Defense Ministry said.

Over a dozen terrorists tried to use their weapon of last resort in the strategic town of Saraqeb, which sits on an important highway juncture in Syria's Idlib province, according to the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria.

In an effort to "frustrate the advance of Syrian government forces" in the western quarters of Saraqeb, they tried to detonate "high-explosive ammunition along with tanks filled with toxic chemicals," the statement revealed. Their attack, however, was to no avail.
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Network

Australia's newswire axed after 85 years, blames Google, Facebook & free digital media


International Business Times
Tue, 03 Mar 2020 02:17 UTC
Australian Associated Press headquarters
© AFP / DAVID HANCOCKStaff at Australian Associated Press' headquarters were told a drop-off in subscribers in the face of free online content meant the company was "no longer viable"
Australia's only national newswire will be shuttered after 85 years of operation, with around 180 staff told Tuesday their jobs will end in June.

Staff gathered on the newsroom floor at Australian Associated Press' headquarters in Sydney were told a drop-off in subscribers in the face of free online content meant the company was "no longer viable."

"This decision's been made with very heavy hearts. It's been made on an economic and financial basis," chief executive Bruce Davidson said following the announcement.
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Info

Saudi Arabia suspends Mecca pilgrimage for citizens, residents due to coronavirus concerns


Sputnik
Wed, 04 Mar 2020 13:32 UTC
mecca
© REUTERS / WALEED ALI
The Saudi news agency SPA reported on 28 February that the country's Tourism Ministry had temporarily suspended visas for seven countries, including China, Italy, and South Korea, where spikes in cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) were registered.

Riyadh has temporarily suspended Umrah to the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina for Saudi citizens due to coronavirus concerns, according to the state news agency SPA citing an official source in the Saudi interior ministry.

The decision will be assessed regularly and reversed when the situation changes, SPA reported.

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Attention

This ain't no foolin' around

James Howard Kunstler
Clusterfuck Nation
Mon, 02 Mar 2020 10:48 UTC
empty shelves
The shadow of Corona virus creeps ever-darker across the scene like a cosmic messenger from Karma Central telling mankind to stop and assess. We're about to find out what we've wrought with the wonders and marvels of globalism. Is there anything you can think of over at the Wal Mart or the Walgreens that isn't made in China? I mean, everything from a dustpan to a lint brush? I can't say for sure, because I'm not over in China, but the place is apparently not open for business these days. One must surmise that a lot of activities in the USA may not be open for business much longer, either.

The action in my local supermarket yesterday had an undercurrent of stealth desperation; no overt panic buying, no fighting in the aisles, but an edge of suspense. Personally, I cleaned out an entire product-line of cat food, loaded up on cooking oil, rice, dry beans, and evaporated milk — and I wasn't the only one checking out with the sixteen-roll bindle of toilet paper. Obviously, many products were still there on the shelves to get (minus that cat food). Is the time perhaps at hand when a lot of stuff won't be? Just sayin'.

The message is getting out — though not from US authorities yet — that everybody may soon be spending a lot of time home alone. That's exactly what has happened in China and a region of northern Italy. France banned events with more than 5,000 people (why that number, exactly?). Japan has canceled school for the time being — duration unknown for now. So a USA lockdown is not merely hypothetical. These, then, are two fundamental conditions the world faces for a while: nobody moves and nothing gets produced.

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Pills

How the Senate paved the way for coronavirus profiteering, and how Congress could undo it

Ryan Grim, Aída Chávez
The Intercept
Mon, 02 Mar 2020 18:30 UTC
pharma money
© Soohee Cho/The Intercept; Getty Images
Before a vaccine to combat the coronavirus pandemic is within view, the Trump administration has already walked back its initial refusal to promise that any remedy would be affordable to the general public. "We can't control that price because we need the private sector to invest," Alex Azar, Health and Human Services secretary and a former drug industry executive, told Congress.

After extraordinary blowback, the administration insisted that in the end, any treatment would indeed be affordable. President Donald Trump on Monday morning tweeted that he would be meeting with "the major pharmaceutical companies today at the White House about progress on a vaccine and cure. Progress being made!" The federal government, though, under the Clinton administration, traded away one of the key tools it could use to make good on the promise of affordability.

Gilead Sciences, a drugmaker known for price gouging, has been working with Chinese health authorities to see if the experimental drug remdesivir can treat coronavirus symptoms. World Health Organization officials say it's the "only one drug right now that we think may have real efficacy." But remdesivir, which was previously tested to treat Ebola virus, was developed through research conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with funding from the federal government.

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War Whore

Revolving door: Arms manufacturers hire former military to push through sales in Ottawa

Yves Engler
Dissident Voice
Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:00 UTC
F-35 ad Ottawa
More politically dependent than almost all other industries, arms manufacturers play for keeps in the nation's capital. They target ads and events sponsorships at decision makers while hiring insiders and military stars to lobby on their behalf.

Activist Tamara Lorincz recently posted a photo of an F-35 ad in a bus shelter in front of Parliament Hill. US weapons giant Lockheed Martin is pushing hard to win a $19 billion contract to supply the Canadian air force with a fleet of new fighter jets.

To gain a share of the public funds on offer arms companies target ads at political and military leaders, promoting their products in washrooms and bus shelters where Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Forces (CF) officials congregate. Rideau Institute founder Steven Staples pointed out that "you can't walk around in Ottawa without tripping over some arms dealer on Spark Street."

Arms sellers also sponsor talks and exhibits attended by Ottawa insiders. They promote their brand at the Canadian War Museum, Gatineau-Ottawa airshow, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, Conference of Defense Associations, etc.

Beyond promoting their wares in the nation's capital, companies advertise aggressively in publications read by Ottawa insiders such as iPolitics, Ottawa Business Journal and Hill Times. "Today's Morning Brief is brought to you by Canada's Combat Ship Team," noted a regular iPolitics ad. "Lockheed Martin Canada is leading a team of BAE Systems, CAE, L3 Technologies, MDA and Ultra Electronics to deliver the Royal Canadian Navy's future fleet of surface combatants." Their ads also foot much of the bill for journals read by military officials such as the Canadian Defence Review, Canadian Naval Review and Esprit de Corps.

Comment: We can find the same dynamic at work for Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, the world of finance, and a whole other slew of industries where individuals work for the government - learn all the ins and outs - and then go on to exploit this knowledge for self gain - much to the detriment of average people who get this product or that policy shoved down their collective throats. And are effectively forced to foot the bill.

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Magnify

IOC confirms Rodchenkov didn't personally sign documents used as evidence in doping case against Russians, lawyer says


RT
Wed, 04 Mar 2020 22:06 UTC
Grigory Rodchenkov
© Getty Images / Tristan FewingsGrigory Rodchenkov
The lawyer for a trio of Russian biathletes says that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed documents used in a doping case against his clients were not personally signed by disgraced doctor Grigory Rodchenkov.

On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is conducting hearings on the case involving three Russian biathletes - Olga Zaitseva, Yana Romanova and Olga Vilukhina - considered a claim by lawyer Alexey Panich, who said that the documents presented by the IOC contained fake signatures of former Moscow Anti-Doping laboratory chief Rodchenkov.

The Olympic governing body, which was given a day to provide an explanation regarding the alleged forged signatures, confirmed that Rodchenkov had not personally signed the papers, which were used as key evidence against the Russian athletes accused of doping, according to the lawyer.
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Health

Coronavirus global death rate at 3.4 percent, Olympics delay a possibility

David Aaro
Fox News
Wed, 04 Mar 2020 08:28 UTC
Olympics coronavirus Japan
© AP
World health officials confirmed on Tuesday the fatality rate for the new coronavirus is at 3.4 percent globally, as Japan's Olympics minister said there's a possibility the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo could be delayed.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, announced the mortality increase during a media briefing, which differed from the previously estimated rate of around 2 percent globally. In comparison, the death rate for the seasonal flu is "far fewer than 1 percent," he said.

"While many people globally have built up immunity to seasonal flu strains, COVID-19 is a new virus to which no one has immunity; that means more people are susceptible to infection, and some will suffer severe disease," Tedros said. "Globally, about 3.4 percent of reported COVID-19 cases have died; by comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1 percent of those infected."

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