Link: https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705191053766082-us-coalition-strike-syrian-army-military-point/

May 18, a US defense official told Sputnik that the US-led coalition struck the pro-Assad fighters near the town of At Tanf in the area of an established deconfliction zone with Russia.

Link: https://www.rt.com/usa/388861-admiral-sentenced-fat-leonard/

An admiral has become the highest-ranking US Navy officer to be sentenced in the massive corruption scandal involving a Malaysian contractor who overcharged the navy by as much as $34 million. Ten more cases are pending in the “Fat Leonard” affair.

Rear Admiral Robert Gilbeau was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months in prison, three years of probation, 300 hours of community service, and $150,000 in fines and restitution to the US Navy, as part of a plea deal in which he admitted guilt for making false statements.

Link: https://www.rt.com/news/388886-brazil-temer-impeachment-protests-clashes/

Protests have erupted in Brazil’s major cities over President Michel Temer’s decision not to step down, despite allegations of direct involvement in the unfolding bribery scandal. Around 5,000 people marched in Rio de Janeiro, chanting “direct elections, now” and carrying banners reading “out with Temer.”

Link: http://naturalsociety.com/scientists-dont-know-gmo-microalgae-hurt-us-1837/

Researchers at University of California San Diego and Sapphire Energy have successfully grown genetically modified algae outdoors; claim GM algae don’t harm native algae populations, can fend off deadly bacteria, could allow creation of algae that produce more oil, make biofuels or biodegradable plastics. Microalgae reproduce rapidly, engineered traits can quickly spread because of the plants’ horizontal gene transfer capabilities. Should those engineered traits fail to remain stable, potential for the genes to spread rapidly out of control and change in unpredictable ways, spread into the environment.

Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/garden-centres-selling-bee-friendly-plants-pesticides-harmful-neonicotinoids-a7734516.html

Researchers bought 29 such flowers from five different companies, four major retailers and one local nursery. They found all but two were contaminated with pesticides or fungicides and more than 70 per cent contained the controversial neonicotinoid chemicals which have been shown to cause significant harm to bees. Gardeners who wish to gain the benefits without the risks should seek uncontaminated plants by growing their own from seed, plant-swapping or by buying plants from an organic nursery.”

Link: https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2017/05/15/huge-organic-farm-under-threat-county-will-invade-and-spray-roundup/

Azure Farms is a working, certified organic farm in Sherman County Oregon. Sherman County. It has been certified organic for 18 years; produces organic wheat, field peas, barley, Einkorn, and beef. Sherman County is changing the interpretation of its statutory code from controlling noxious weeds to eradicating noxious weeds that only toxic chemicals will eradicate. Sherman County may be issuing a Court Order on May 22, 2017 to quarantine Azure Farms and possibly spray the whole farm with poisonous herbicides, contaminating them with Milestone, Escort and Roundup herbicides. 2,000 organic acres would be impacted The county would then put a lien on the farm to pay for the expense of the labor and chemicals used.

Link: https://www.rt.com/politics/388662-senior-security-official-blames-ngos/

The deputy head of Russia’s Security Council has said certain non-government organizations are continuing in their attempts to destabilize the country, adding that foreign-based groups were especially relentless in pursuing this goal. May 2015, President Putin signed into law a bill on “undesirable foreign organizations” that allowed the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Foreign Ministry to create a list of “undesirable foreign organizations,” making the activities of these groups in Russia illegal. The main consideration for putting a foreign or international NGO on the list is any perceived “threat to constitutional order and defense capability, or to the security of the Russian state.”

Link: http://www.blacklistednews.com/Comply_Or_Lose_Your_Job_%E2%80%93_HR_1313_Would_Force_Vaccination_and_DNA_Submission/58496/0/38/38/Y/M.html

A new bill, HR 1313, introduced by North Carolina Congresswoman Virginia Foxx is designed to give employers absolute power over the employee by mandating whatever they deem to be proper “heath prevention” measures. These measures would include submitting DNA records as well as mandatory vaccinations and other perceived “health preventive” measures; part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. Obamacare threatens to assess penalties, surcharges and higher health insurance premiums to businesses and workers who refuse vaccinations.

Link: https://www.rt.com/business/388701-puerto-rico-historic-bankruptcy-process/

The US territory of Puerto Rico has begun a historic bankruptcy proceeding. On Wednesday, a US federal judge will start to sort out the Caribbean Commonwealth's $123 billion debt in a San Juan court. The issue could take years to resolve, as investors scramble to recover as much as they can on their bonds.

Link: http://www.pravdareport.com/news/business/companies/16-05-2017/137744-oil_prices-0/

Russia and Saudi Arabia said that they will propose to extend the agreement on limiting the extraction of black gold till March of 2018 to stabilize the oil market. Analysts believe that other countries will support the proposal as positive effects of the strategy are obvious. Prices on the market will change sharply, should the agreement be reached. November 30, an agreement was reached during the OPEC summit in the Austrian capital to reduce oil production from January 1, 2017 to a level of 32.5 million barrels per day. Thus, OPEC countries reduced the average daily production by almost 1.2 million barrels.

Link: http://www.thomasdishaw.com/ford-layoff-20000-workers-profits-drop-35-2017/

Ford Motor Company is expected to announce later this week plans to gut 10 percent of its 200,000-person salaried workforce in North American and Asia. The layoffs will go into effect by Oct. 1 and employees will receive early retirement incentives. Hourly workers and those on the production line will not be effected. Ford recently announced plans to cut $3 billion in costs

Link: http://www.harvest.news/2017-05-11-organic-farming-explodes-13-biggest-growth-since-2008.html

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) survey reveals that there are now 24,650 certified organic operations in the U.S. This is a 13 percent increase from 2016 and the highest growth rate we’ve seen since 2008. The number of local, organic farms has been steadily increasing.

Link: http://govtslaves.info/china-is-creating-a-massive-orwellian-dna-database/

China has been collecting biometric information from millions of people whom it deems potential threats—among them, Uyghurs, migrant workers, and college students—as part of national DNA database. China’s Ministry of Public Security, which oversees the database, has amassed information for more than 40 million people—the country says it has the world’s biggest database of DNA information.

Link: http://www.blacklistednews.com/Political_Road_Rage%3A_Woman_Ran_Congressman_off_Road_over_Health_Care_Vote/58463/0/38/38/Y/M.html

A Tennessee woman was charged with felony reckless endangerment last week after trying to run a congressman off the road, enraged at the politician’s vote in support of the Republican health care bill, according to police.

Link: https://heatst.com/world/illegal-immigrants-are-now-entering-europe-by-luxury-yacht/

Immigrants board yachts normally used by tourists, then head for Malta or Sicily. Each passenger pays more than $7,000. Thousands who have traveled in open boats, particularly from Libya, have drowned in recent years. The numbers arriving by yacht are small. Eight Ukrainian people-smugglers arrested in Sicily in the past month after their yachts were intercepted by the Italian coastguard. Six others arrested in Malta and Crete. Each vessel had been carrying about 30 immigrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Iraq.

Link: http://naturalsociety.com/radiation-fukushima-disaster-contaminated-everyone-1896/

Norwegian Institute for Air Research: radiation spewed by the crippled plant affected every person on earth. The average person received about 0.5 millisieverts of radiation from the accident,.about a single X-ray. Those who lived in the immediate vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi plant received about 1 to 5 millisieverts. Radiation sickness develops at 1,000 millisieverts.

Link: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/05/15/522027/russia-putin-us-cyber-attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed his country had nothing to do with the recent global "ransomware" cyber attack that targeted 150 countries over the weekend. “Microsoft’s management made it clear the virus originated from US intelligence services,” said Putin while addressing reporters in the Chinese capital Beijing Monday. Microsoft President Brad Smith noted that US intelligence agencies, the CIA and National Security Agency (NSA), were to blame for the attack because they stockpiled malicious software code which was used by the hackers.The NSA claims the software used in the attacks had been stolen from it.

Link: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/05/16/522049/Venezuela-protest-rallies-Caracas-opposition-members-Freddy-Guevara-President-Nicholas-Maduro

Thousands in Venezuela have blocked roads across the country and set buildings ablaze in fresh anti-government demonstrations, reports of two deaths, fierce clashes were reported between opposition supporters and security forces outside the capital.

Link: http://govtslaves.info/new-variant-of-ransomware-begins-to-spread-weve-never-seen-anything-like-this/

200,000 computers in 150 countries infected, according to European Union’s law enforcement agency; it’s a live threat,we’re still in disaster recovery mode.”The initial attack was stifled when a security researcher disabled a key mechanism used by the worm to spread, many users of personal computers with Microsoft operating systems didn’t download a security patch released in March that Microsoft had labeled “critical.”

Link: https://sputniknews.com/news/201705161053645818-mcmaster-trump-russia/

Washington Post reported on a "leak" that US President Donald Trump revealed classified intelligence to a major foreign power: a story that is "false," National Security Adviser HR McMaster said Monday night.