(2020-02-18). Russia temporarily bans ALL Chinese visitors amid coronavirus epidemic. rt.com 
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree on Tuesday evening prohibiting Chinese citizens from entering Russia for tourism, work and for private purposes. The new rules are effective from Thursday. | The decision is the strongest measure yet taken to prevent the entry and spread of the new coronavirus in Russia. Previously, Russian Railways suspended all passenger traffic to and from China, and flights have been heavily restricted. In addition, border crossings in the Far East have been closed. | "From 00: 00 local time on February 20, 2020, the passage of citizens of the People's Republic of Chi…
(2020-02-18). Visitor numbers to Russia jumped by 20.5% last year — major e-visa liberalization planned for 2021. rt.com 
It may be the world's largest country and bursting with visitor attractions, but Russia has long punched below its weight in the tourism sector. Now, signs suggest this is beginning to change. | In 2019, 5.1 million people came to the country as tourists — a 20.5 percent increase on the previous year, during which the FIFA World Cup was staged in 11 Russian cities. That's according to brand-new figures released by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia. | At the top of the leaderboard for visitors is China. In 2019, 1.5 million Chinese crossed the border for the purposes of tourism, a rise of almost…
(2020-02-18). Trump Is Unleashing Militarized Goon Squads Against Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities. thenation.com Trump Is Unleashing Militarized Goon Squads Against Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities…
(2020-02-18). Australian court backs police raids on journalists. wsws.org The ruling highlights the driving forces behind the persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
(2020-02-18). The Trump Administration Is Cutting Back Protections for Migratory Birds. truthout.org The Trump administration has In 1916, amid the chaos of World War I, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and King George V of Gre…
(2020-02-18). Take Action Now: Fight Trump's Anti-Immigrant Agenda. thenation.com Take Action Now: Fight Trump's Anti-Immigrant Agenda…
(2020-02-18). Irish Elections and Unification. counterpunch.org The victory by Ireland's leftwing Sinn Fein Party in the Republic's recent election has not only overturned some 90 years of domination by the island's two center-right parties, it suddenly puts the issue of Irish reunification on the agenda. While the campaign was fought over bread and butter issues like housing, the collapsing health care system, and homelessness, a united Ireland has long been Sinn Fein's raison d'être. In the aftermath, Party leaders called for a border referendum on the subject.
(2020-02-18). Sanctuary Rising – a new film in progress – with director Theo Rigsby. indybay.org Unitarian Universalist Society of S.F. | 1187 Franklin St. | San Francisco…
(2020-02-18). India Plans $1.53 Bln Green Energy Project in Region Near Chinese Border. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the first assembly of International Solar Alliance in New Delhi in October 2018, that India would generate 175 Giga Watts of power from renewable sources, out of which 100 Giga Watts would be from solar power.
(2020-02-18). Close to 150,000 Syrian civilians displaced in six days across Idlib. yenisafak.com As Assad regime forces and its allies continue to target Idlib, northwestern Syria, an area covered by a nominal cease-fire, 148,000 more civilians have been displaced in the past six days, according to Syria's Response Coordination Group. | With this latest figure, the number of displaced people in Idlib and neighboring areas since January 2019 has reached nearly two million, most of them taking shelter in areas close to the bordering Turkey, which already hosts over 3.6 million Syrian refugees. | Tens of thousands of people, including women and children, are in need of humanitarian assistance as the camps they…
(2020-02-18). Syrian dad helps little girl avoid trauma by teaching her to laugh as bombs fall. yenisafak.com Italian screenwriter and director Roberto Benigni's 1999 Academy Award-winning movie "Life is Beautiful" centers around a father and son who were imprisoned at a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.In an effort to protect his son from the unbearable conditions, the father, Guido, turns the Nazi death camps into an imaginary playing field.However, the nine-year conflict in Syria that the world has been watching live on TV and the internet is nothing like a blockbuster.A Syrian father, who fled toward the Turkish border due to recent shelling by the Assad regime in Idlib's de-escalation zone, turned the hor…
(2020-02-18). Turkey deports 229 foreign terrorist fighters. yenisafak.com Turkey has deported 229 foreign terrorists, 75 of whom are EU citizens, since its anti-terror operation in Syria, an official from the country's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.Abdullah Ayaz, head of Turkey's migration department, told Anadolu Agency that the struggle against the foreign terrorists was ongoing, adding that since 2011, the country has deported 7,898 terrorists of 102 different nationalities.He noted that entry bans had been issued for 94,000 foreigners considered to be affiliated with terrorist organizations.The foreign terrorists will continue to be returned whether their home countries wanted…
(2020-02-18). Turkey informs Russia of its 'clear' policy in NW Syria. yenisafak.com Turkey has made the necessary military preparations in northwestern Syria and told Russian counterparts it was determined to push Bashar al-Assad regime to previous boundaries, spokesman of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party said on Tuesday.Omer Celik said Turkey completed necessary military preparations in Syria and it would take necessary steps if the Syrian regime did not withdraw to the previous borderline set by de-escalation deal.Celik underlined that Russia, an ally of the Syrian regime, was "clearly" informed about Turkey's stance in the region.With 148,000 people displaced in Idlib city in the pas…
(2020-02-17). Protecting migratory species in a rapidly changing world. news.un.org Many animals — including birds, fish and mammals — migrate along set routes in search of food or breeding grounds. How best to protect them in a rapidly changing world is the focus of a major UN wildlife meeting which opened in Gandhinagar, India, on Monday.
(2020-02-17). Members of Narco-Paramilitary 'Rastrojos' Captured in Venezuela. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan authorities reported Monday the capture of 14 members of the narco-paramilitary group 'Los Rastrojos', in the city of Boca de Grita, in the state of Tachira, bordering Colombia. | RELATED: | Socialist leader and protector of the Venezuelan state of Tachira Freddy Bernal announced the result of the operation on his Twitter account, saying that during the operation 22,200 liters of oil were captured from a clan…
(2020-02-15). Klobuchar flip-flops on immigration ahead of Nevada primary, says English SHOULDN'T be official language of US. rt.com 
Senator Amy Klobuchar said that English shouldn't be the official language of the US, ahead of next week's primary in heavily Latino-populated Nevada. However, Klobuchar sang a different tune a decade ago. | Speaking at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Friday, the three-term Minnesota senator said that she has "taken a strong position against" any legislation that would enshrine English as the US' official language. | "I think that when you look at a state like this state, and a country like ours that is so diverse, you don't want to have that provision in law," Klobuchar told the crowd. | Klobuchar's statemen…
(2020-02-15). Mistrial declared in case of anti-coup activists arrested in DC police raid on Venezuelan Embassy. rt.com 
Jurors who heard the case of four activists who were invited by Caracas to protect the Venezuelan Embassy in the US capital — only to be nabbed in a police raid on the compound — failed to reach a verdict due to a hung jury.
(2020-02-14). 'Naked Revolution: A Socialist Realist Opera' is a Dadaistic immigrant dream farce. peoplesworld.org 
The release of Naked Revolution: A Socialist Realist Opera on a CD was the product of several years' worth of effort. This almost hour-long work composed by Dave Soldier to a libretto by Maita di Niscemi is billed as "a socialist realist opera drawn from immigrant dreams." It was originally composed and produced in 1997 …
(2020-02-13). Bill Barr Wants Sheriffs to Join His Attacks on State and Local Governments. aclu.org Attorney General Bill Barr, For | Barr's Department of Justice, that escalation includes new lawsuits against | states and municipalities with immigrant-protective policies.
(2020-02-12). Headlines for February 12, 2020. democracynow.org Bernie Sanders Wins New Hampshire Primary, Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet Drop Out of Presidential Race, Federal Prosecutors Quit Roger Stone Case Amid Fight with DOJ Officials, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Rejects Trump's Middle East Plan in U.N. Speech, Trump Conditionally Approves Peace Deal with the Taliban, WHO Warns Coronavirus Poses "Grave Threat" to World, Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó Heckled and Protested Upon Return to Venezuela, Report: 40% of Guatemalan, Honduran & Salvadoran Migrants Fled After Relatives Killed, WSJ: ICE & CPB Use Cellphone Location Data from Games, Apps to Arrest Immigrants,…
(2020-02-11). Trump's New Budget Funds Endless War & Nuclear Weapons While Slashing Aid to Poor & Hungry Americans. democracynow.org 
President Trump unveiled his 2021 budget request Monday, proposing massive cuts to Medicaid and food stamps while increasing spending on the military and his border wall. The $4.8 trillion budget would slash Environmental Protection Agency spending by more than a quarter while allocating $18 billion for Trump's newly established Space Force. Trump is also requesting billions more for nuclear weapons, including a new submarine-launched nuclear warhead. Experts and Democratic lawmakers warn that increasing the nuclear stockpile will increase the likelihood of nuclear war and defy international agreements. Democrats…
(2020-02-11). Desperate asylum seekers 'starving for justice' in immigrant prison hunger strikes across Louisiana. splcenter.org Guards shackled Sai Mahad to a chair, placed a mask over his mouth and snaked a long tube through one of his nostrils.
(2020-02-11). The Trump Administration Wants Health Insurance Companies to Drop Abortion Coverage from Your Insurance Plan. aclu.org From denying | access to abortion | for unaccompanied immigrant minors, to gutting | the Title X | family planning program, to trying to roll | back the Affordable Care Act's requirement that employers and universities cover | contr…
(2020-01-31). Workers Organization Shares Staff, Cash With Anti-Immigrant Groups. splcenter.org U.S. Tech Workers, a project of the anti-immigrant group Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR), has ties to an anti-immigrant hate network and unprecedented access to the Trump administration.
(2020-01-29). Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' policy marks one year, leaving tens of thousands of migrants stranded in Mexican border towns. splcenter.org …