Julian Assange: COVID Risks and Campaigns for Pardon
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-14
Before the January 4 ruling of District Judge Vanessa Baraitser in the extradition case of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher will continue to endure the ordeal of cold prison facilities while being menaced by a COVID-19 outbreak. From November 18, Assange, along with inmates in House Block 1 at Belmarsh prison in south-east London, were…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/14/130999/

UN rapporteur Nils Melzer demands Assange's immediate release after ten years' arbitrary detention
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
Melzer's statement was issued amid a major coronavirus outbreak in Belmarsh Prison, that threatens the WikiLeaks publisher's life, and in the lead-up to a ruling on his extradition to the United States.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/assa-d14.html

Julian Assange Is a Conscientious Objector. Time Will Vindicate Him
Megan Sherman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
Julian Assange today, but the press is united in wilful ignorance of his plight. The dearth of stories about his show trial in a kangaroo court in London is evident. It has never been easier …
globalresearch.ca/julian-assange-conscientious-objector-time-vindicate-him/5732080

Coronavirus Protocols as Tools of Repression
Ann Garrison | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
Covid-19 is a convenient excuse for governments to ban or restrict activities they don't like. | Whatever the scientific truths about coronavirus, state measures to control it undoubtedly have great potential for justifying state repression and surveillance. A friend of mine …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-protocols-tools-repression/5732221

Germany Unlikely to Pursue Independent Foreign Policy. Will Follow Biden
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
In an interview with The Guardian in June, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germans grew up knowing that the U.S. wanted to be a world power. Despite Washington abusing its power against some of its strongest allies, Germany, whose six-month …
globalresearch.ca/germany-unlikely-pursue-independent-foreign-policy-follow-biden/5732223

Israel's Isolation of Palestinian Child Prisoners Amounts to Torture
Defense for Children International, Palestine | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
Israeli authorities routinely detain Palestinian children in isolation solely for interrogation purposes, a practice that amounts to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, Defense for Children International — Palestine said in a report released today. | The 73-page …
globalresearch.ca/israel-isolation-palestinian-child-prisoners-amounts-torture/5732181

Secret Amazon reports expose the company's surveillance of labor and environmental groups
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-12-14
Dozens of leaked documents from Amazon reveal the company's use of Pinkerton operatives to spy on warehouse workers, labor unions and social movements.
mronline.org/2020/12/14/secret-amazon-reports-expose-the-companys-surveillance-of-labor-and-environmental-groups/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=secret-amazon-reports-expose-the-companys-surveillance-of-labor-and-environmental-groups

Baltimore Amazon workers form rank-and-file safety committee to defend workers and save lives
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
We, the Amazonians of Baltimore, hereby announce the formation of an independent rank-and-file safety committee at the Amazon BWI2 Fulfillment Center. In launching the committee, our goal is to expose the conditions at our facility and the lies of management meant to cover them up. We are an organization of, for, and led by Amazon workers which will defend the rights and safety of our fellow employees.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/bwi2-d14.html

Jade, For Hire! The Mystery of the Missing Worker
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-12-14
Looking for work during a race and class war ain't easy, its hard enough already–why were they fired in the first place from… Jamazon.com! Find out this week in… Jade for Hire!
mronline.org/2020/12/14/jade-for-hire-the-mystery-of-the-missing-worker/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jade-for-hire-the-mystery-of-the-missing-worker

Radical De-Globalization: Finding Back Our Freedom and Sovereignty: Tyrants Don't Create Tyranny. Your Obedience Does
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
People are waking up. | Art is being applied to protests. As very well demonstrated in Germany the Netherlands and Denmark — see video " Lockstep" Protest Marches in Netherland, Germany, Denmark (4 December 2020). | It is not without reference tongue-in-cheek | …
globalresearch.ca/radical-de-globalization-finding-back-our-freedom-sovereignty-tyrants-dont-create-tyranny-obedience-does/5732186

Video: Ron Paul: This Worries Me Much More than Covid
Rep. Ron Paul | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
If you're concerned about the overreach of government in juicing asset prices to dangerous levels, picking economic winner and losers, and constraining our personal freedoms — you have very good right to be. | So says lifelong champion of free markets, …
globalresearch.ca/video-ron-paul-this-worries-me-much-more-than-covid/5732196

Does automation spell the end of capitalism?
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-12-14
Capitalism will not 'automatically' morph into some 'postcapitalist' or socialist system due to technology replacing the human workforce. As the MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY explains, ending capitalism will require a conscious, collective action on the part of 'the many'–the working class.
mronline.org/2020/12/14/does-automation-spell-the-end-of-capitalism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=does-automation-spell-the-end-of-capitalism

Evasions and Cover-ups by Western Governments over Funding of Terrorist Groups in Syria Start to Unravel
Vanessa Beeley | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-12-14
Evidence of Dutch and British funding for extremists who've beheaded children & carried out ethnic-cleansing grows by the day. Yet most of the mainstream media — including the BBC — still try to keep this truth silent. Recently, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte effectively blocked a Parliamentary motion to allow an external independent investigation of …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/12/evasions-and-cover-ups-by-western-governments-over-funding-of-terrorist-groups-in-syria-start-to-unravel/

UN human rights chief 'appalled' at Iran execution, questions trial process and verdict
news.un.org | 2020-12-14
Iran's decision to hang media activist Ruhollah Zam on Saturday was an appalling violation of human rights that followed a deeply flawed trial process, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on Monday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1079982

ILO study finds migrants earn much less than locals, and the gap is widening
news.un.org | 2020-12-14
The gap between wages paid to migrant and national workers is big and growing, and may widen further because of the pandemic, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a report published on Monday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1079962

Venezuelan Gold Seized by the Bank of England: British Court Accepts Guaidó's Appeal
Orinoco Tribune | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
Thursday December 10 the British Supreme Court accepted the appeal issued by the lawyers of the opposition for exiting deputy Juan Guaidó, and ruled in favor of hearing his appeal regarding control of Venezuela's gold reserves, valued at $1.3 …
globalresearch.ca/venezuelan-gold-seized-bank-england-british-court-accepts-guaido-appeal/5732135

Actions in SF, Oakland & San Jose To Demand Dropping Of Charges Against Assange/Snowden
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2020-12-14
Speak-outs were held at the Congressional offices of Congresswomen Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren and the home of Nancy Pelosi on December 10 /11 to call for support for Congressional Resolutions 1175 and 1162 which called for dropping the charges against Julian Assange and Edward Snowden. A statement was already read by fomer OSHA WPP Investigator and lawyer Darrell Whitman representing Whistleblowers United.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/13/18838916.php

Thursday 12/17: FREE ASSANGE Stand for US HR 1175/1162: Drop Charges Against Assange & Snowden
Bay Action 2 Free Assange | indybay.org | 2020-12-14
Vineyard Shopping Center -Grass Area- in Morgan Hill…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/13/18838923.php

World Is "Speeding in the Wrong Direction" on Climate Says Greta Thunberg
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-14
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who launched the global Fridays for Future youth climate movement, issued a stark warning on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement that the world is not doing enough to keep global heating below 2 degrees Celsius — the target set in the landmark 2015 deal. "The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute. We are still speeding in the wrong direction," Thunberg said in a video message posted on social me…
truthout.org/video/world-is-speeding-in-the-wrong-direction-on-climate-says-greta-thunberg/

Max Blumenthal Meets Rafael Correa In Venezuela
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-14
Max Blumenthal interviews former Ecuador President Rafael Correa, who was in Venezuela to observe its legislative elections and show support to a government under sustained economic and political attack by the US. | Correa addresses issues ranging from the repression in his country under the watch of its outgoing neoliberal president, Lenin Moreno, to the persecution of Julian Assange and the role of a CIA contractor in targeting him and the Wikileaks founder. | Blumenthal and Correa also discuss the prospect of a left-wing victory in Ecuador's upcoming national elections, and what the US-backed government is doi…
popularresistance.org/max-blumenthal-meets-rafael-correa-in-venezuela/

Resisting Amazon Is Not Futile
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-14
It seems eons ago, the youth-led climate strike of September 20, 2019 that brought four million people onto the streets worldwide. I was on the sidewalk outside Seattle City Hall, watching thousands of school-skippers march by. And then behind the teens came waves of exuberant people, no more than a decade or two older, their homemade signs held aloft: tech workers, including hundreds of Amazon workers who had stepped out of their comfortable cubicles and palatial glass towers to join the global walkout. | They had every right to step lightly. Just a day earlier, the budding Amazon Employees for Climate Justice h…
popularresistance.org/resisting-amazon-is-not-futile/

Puerto Rico 2021: A Shift In Perspective, A New Opposition
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-14
One of the things often taken for granted by the independence and socialist movement is knowing when to claim a victory. As a consequence of suffering so many blows throughout its history, the movement has become reflexively cynical when having to assess some kind of partial victory or progress. Let's recall, among other signature chapters, in 1976 the Puerto Rican Independence Party received 80,000 votes, which, when combined with those of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party, equaled nearly 100,000 votes. Or the founding and progress of the Workers United Movement (MOU), which managed to bring together the country'…
popularresistance.org/puerto-rico-2021-a-shift-in-perspective-a-new-opposition/

Greta Thunberg: 5 Years After Paris Agreement, World Is "Speeding in the Wrong Direction" on Climate
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-12-14
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who launched the global Fridays for Future youth climate movement, issued a stark warning on the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement that the world is not doing enough to keep global heating below 2 degrees Celsius — the target set in the landmark 2015 deal. "The gap between what we need to do and what is actually being done is widening by the minute. We are still speeding in the wrong direction," Thunberg said in a video message posted on social media.
www.democracynow.org/2020/12/14/greta_thunberg_paris_agreement_5th_anniversary

Vaccine Equity: Why Communities of Color & Incarcerated People Should Get Early Access to Shots
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-12-14
As the first shipments of a federally approved COVID-19 vaccine arrive across the United States, healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes will receive the first shipments, and epidemiologist Camara Phyllis Jones says communities of color with high rates of COVID-19 should also get consideration for early access.
www.democracynow.org/2020/12/14/camara_phyllis_jones_vaccine_equity

Shut It Down: Calls Grow to Close Fort Hood After Probe into Murders & Sexual Assaults at Army Base
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-12-14
The U.S. Army has fired or suspended 14 officers and soldiers stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, following an investigation into sexual assaults and murders at the base, including the bludgeoning to death of 20-year-old soldier Vanessa Guillén, whose remains were found in July. "These are institutional failures at scale. And by the Army's own admission, and in this report, it's clear that this is not unique to Fort Hood," says Pam Campos-Palma, an Air Force veteran who leads the Vets for the People project at the Working Families Party. "The military is dealing with large-scale corruption and crime, and it should be…
www.democracynow.org/2020/12/14/fort_hood_investigation_murders_assault

Pandemic Failure, Vaccine Success Indict American Monopoly Capitalism
Juan Cole | commondreams.org | 2020-12-14
This vaccine victory is bittersweet. We have lost so many Americans to the virus, who didn't have to die. Many of them died because of stubbornly pro-capitalist public policy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pfizer_1.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/14/pandemic-failure-vaccine-success-indict-american-monopoly-capitalism?cd-origin=rss

The decline of American Journalism
Paul Jay | mronline.org | 2020-12-14
The media is driven by the enormous profits made during election campaigns. Feeding the fury and the fear of all types is just good for business. Bob McChesney joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news podcast.
mronline.org/2020/12/14/the-decline-of-american-journalism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-decline-of-american-journalism

Ignore the Spin, The Hague's ICC Ruling on British War Crimes in Iraq Is Damning
Symon Hill | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court recently reported that there was "reasonable basis to believe" that British troops committed war crimes in Iraq. She declared that there was evidence of crimes including unlawful killing, rape, torture and inhumane treatment …
globalresearch.ca/hague-ruling-british-war-crimes-iraq-damning/5732129

COVID Whistle Blower Raided with Gestapo Tactics!
The Jimmy Dore Show | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-12-14
&nbsp…
dissidentvoice.org/2020/12/covid-whistle-blower-raided-with-gestapo-tactics/

Left and Right Unite in Calls for Snowden Pardon Amid Speculation of a Trump Decision
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-14
While the idea of pardoning one of the most prolific whistleblowers of our era drew together an alliance of those on the left and right, the centrist establishment reacted with predictable vitriol to the idea.
mintpressnews.com/left-right-unite-calls-for-snowden-pardon/273604/

John Pilger: The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War
John Pilger | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-14
In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Britain has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defense spending.
mintpressnews.com/john-pilger-lethal-virus-not-covid-war/273597/

'The Actual Scandalous Headline Is Medics Need Two Jobs to Survive': AOC Defends Paramedic Outed by NY Post
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-14
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday night was among those who came to the defense of a New York City paramedic who the New York Post outed and attempted to shame in a recent article about her decision to earn extra money via nude modeling. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1213863341.png …
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/14/actual-scandalous-headline-medics-need-two-jobs-survive-aoc-defends-paramedic-outed?cd-origin=rss

Imperialism 2.0: Notes from the Edge of the Narrative Matrix
Caitlin Johnstone | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
The new imperialism doesn't look like old-school ground invasions, it looks like multi-front cold wars, economic warfare, blockades and starvation sanctions, drone strikes, arming proxy militias, CIA-backed coups, sprawling tech surveillance networks, mass psyops of unprecedented sophistication and narrative management …
globalresearch.ca/imperialism-notes-edge-narrative-matrix/5732184

UN chief calls for immediate release of abducted children in Nigeria
news.un.org | 2020-12-14
The United Nations Secretary-General has called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of hundreds of boys, believed abducted by suspected bandits, after an attack on their school in northwest Nigeria.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1079942

Thousands are facing famine in Yemen due to continuing war and lack of foreign aid
Jasmine Norden | thecanary.co | 2020-12-14
Thousands of people in Yemen are on the brink of famine, as a shortfall in aid donations leaves them without secure access to food. | According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), 13.5m people in Yemen are facing high food insecurity. From analysis during October to December, the IPC found that about 16,500 people are facing a "catastrophe" level of food insecurity. | The IPC projected this to increase in 2021, leading to around 47,000 people enduring the highest level of food insecurity by June.
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/12/14/thousands-are-facing-famine-in-yemen-under-the-continuing-war-and-lack-of-foreign-aid/

Starmer urges leaders to try to keep schools open as Khan backs early closure
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-14
Keir Starmer has urged leaders to keep schools open. But the London mayor has called on the government to consider closing London schools early for Christmas, amid a surge in coronavirus (Covid-19) cases. | Sadiq Khan wants all secondary schools and colleges in London to close a few days early and reopen later in the new year due to "significant outbreaks" among 10 to 19-year-olds. | The mayor is also calling for all schools in London to get priority testing from today. And he's asking for for extra resources to support online learning. | But Labour leader Starmer said he would urge Khan to speak to the governmen…
thecanary.co/uk/2020/12/14/starmer-urges-leaders-to-try-to-keep-schools-open-as-khan-backs-early-closure/

India moves to strengthen strategic relations with Sri Lanka and the Maldives
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's trip to Sri Lanka was aimed at securing maritime cooperation to counteract Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean region.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/indi-d14.html

Coronavirus Fact-Check #9: Is the Vaccine Safe?
Kit Knightly | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
There are dozens of articles all over the mainstream reassuring us that the brand new Sars-Cov-2 vaccine is safe. In the UK the vaccine rolled out is being hailed as "V Day", in a shameless attempt to draw a …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-fact-check-9-vaccine-safe/5732143

Belgian working class protests persecution of trade unionists
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-14
On International Human Rights Day, workers across Belgium appealed to revoke the sentences against 17 trade unionists for participating in a roadblock as part of a general strike in 2015…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/14/belgian-working-class-protests-persecution-of-trade-unionists/

International Law vs. Eternal Recurrence
Lawrence Davidson | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-14
The 21st century may prove decisive for both the human race and the planet. The environment needs the enforcement of regulations reducing greenhouse gases and other pollutants. The human race needs the reenergizing and enforcement of international law. Chances are good that the environment will get more attention now that the egocentric and nearsighted U.S.
counterpunch.org/2020/12/14/international-law-vs-eternal-recurrence/

"Myopia:" Moroccan Director/Actor Sanaa Akroud's Latest Screen Gem
B. Nimri Aziz | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-14
This film story by Sanaa Akroud is, like its title "Myopia", just too simple to carry the power of a deeply moving universal message. Fatem a hardy woman from a remote Moroccan mountain village is sent on a frivolous mission to the city where she is innocently swept up in a street protest. She finds…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/14/myopia-moroccan-director-actor-sanaa-akrouds-latest-screen-gem/

COVID-19 Exposes Need For Radical Policies To Tackle Inequality
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-14
In the run-up to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris taking office on January 20, a key debate raging now is about what kind of change they will usher in. Some say it is clear from those two leaders' biographies that they herald the bold transformations needed to tackle the inequalities that scar society. Others say it is clear from their biographies that they will not. History suggests, however, that neither of those arguments gets it quite right. That key to what happens is what we do, together. | For my new book, How to Fight Inequality, I looked at what we could learn from how inequality had been tackled in the past.
popularresistance.org/covid-19-exposes-need-for-radical-policies-to-tackle-inequality/

NLRB says Google illegally spied on and fired workers in 2019
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
A complaint filed by the San Francisco office of the NLRB has charged Google with violating the National Labor Relations Act by interfering with, disciplining and firing employees who were engaged in legally protected organizing activities.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/goog-d14.html

Poultry Workers Walk Out In Arkansas To Protest COVID-19 Conditions
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-14
On the morning of Dec. 8, about 30 workers at a George's poultry plant in Springdale, Arkansas, staged a walkout to protest their working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The family-owned company, one of the 10 biggest poultry producers in the U.S., is headquartered in Springdale and also operates processing plants in Virginia and Missouri as well as a prepared foods division in Tennessee, with more than 4,800 employees across all locations. The plant that workers walked out of is one of the company's three plants in Springdale and is not unionized. | The Springdale walkout, which the workers plan to cont…
popularresistance.org/poultry-workers-walk-out-in-arkansas-to-protest-covid-19-conditions/

Vaccine Thinking Applied to All of American Life
Editor | scheerpost.com | 2020-12-14
Marco Verch Professional Photographer / CC BY 2.0] By Liz Theoharis / TomDispatch Martin Luther King, Jr., offered this all-too-relevant comment on his moment in his 1967 speech "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?": "The contemporary tendency in our society is to base our distribution on scarcity, which has vanished, and to compress our abundance into the overfed mouths of the upper… | Source…
scheerpost.com/2020/12/14/vaccine-thinking-applied-to-all-of-american-life/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=vaccine-thinking-applied-to-all-of-american-life

Hillbilly Happy Days: Lil' Opie Lost in Appalachia
Geoff Beckman | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-14
J.D. Vance's "Hillbilly Elegy" was published in June of 2016. It purports to be a memoir of the author's childhood, but reads more like a polemic written by a right-wing elite, who grew up in poverty in Southern Ohio, was able to graduate from Yale–and became a vulture capitalist and low-rent Ayn Rand acolyte.
counterpunch.org/2020/12/14/hillbilly-happy-days-lil-opie-lost-in-appalachia/

Mayor of London, Bloomberg and Imperial join forces to tackle city's toxic air
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-12-14
Imperial College London and the Mayor of London have launched a new partnership to fight the capital's air pollution.
imperial.ac.uk/news/210653/mayor-london-bloomberg-imperial-join-forces

Building Global Unity through Tolerance and Universal Rights
David Gallup | zcomm.org | 2020-12-14
For our continued existence on our home planet and for a potential interstellar existence, we must realize what it means to be world citizens who exercise tolerance in all aspects of our lives…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/building-global-unity-through-tolerance-and-universal-rights/

Dean Spade: 'Mutual Aid Always Pops Up Where Disasters Are'
Eve Upton-Clark | progressive.org | 2020-12-14
The author, activist, and teacher discusses his new book, the differences between mutual aid and charity, and his expectations for the Biden presidency.
progressive.org/dispatches/dean-spade-mutual-aid-upton-clark-201214/

Macron government authorizes police documentation of political views of French population
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
At the beginning of the month, the Macron government quietly released far-reaching changes to its police intelligence guidelines.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/fran-d14.html

Avert 'dire consequences', UN women's health agency appeals to global community
news.un.org | 2020-12-14
The UN agency dedicated to improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide (UNFPA) appealed on Monday for $2.5 billion by 2030 to help avert potential "dire consequences" surrounding pregnancies and maternal deaths,…
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1079972

US removes Sudan from state terrorism sponsors blacklist
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — The US has removed Sudan from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism after nearly three decades.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167164/US-removes-Sudan-from-state-terrorism-sponsors-blacklist

South Korean auto workers set to intensify strike action
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-14
Automotive workers of Kia Motors Corp in South Korea are set to hold partial strikes till Thursday and a six-hour walkout on Friday. They have been protesting for over a month demanding better wages and working conditions…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/14/south-korean-auto-workers-set-to-intensify-strike-action/

Saudi Arabia: Explosive boat hits oil tanker off Jeddah
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-14
Saudi Arabia: Explosive boat hits oil tanker off Jeddah | No claim of responsibility for blast but incident comes as Houthis rebels step up cross-border attacks | MEE and agencies | Mon, 12/14/2020 – 07: 34 | Last month, the Houthis said they struck a plant operated by Saudi Aramco Jeddah with a Quds-2 missile (AFP) | Saudi Arabia confirmed on Monday that a fuel-transport ship off the port city of Jeddah was…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/jeddah-saudi-arabia-port-explosion-tanker

Sweden's "herd immunity" policy produces disaster
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
Sweden's response to the pandemic, which involved allowing schools and businesses to stay open while most of the world enacted lockdowns, was hailed as a model by all sections of the US and European political establishment.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/pers-d14.html

School students in Germany protest and enforce online teaching to combat coronavirus infection
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/brem-d14.html

NYC Drivers Cooperative Aims To Smash Uber's Exploitative Model
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-14
Ken Lewis grew up on the island of Grena ≠da, and wit ≠nessed the pro ≠gres ≠sive after ≠math of its 1979 rev ≠o ≠lu ≠tion. ‚Äã"I remem ≠ber the pow ≠er of coop ≠er ≠a ≠tives, peo ≠ple get ≠ting land, turn ≠ing places that were bar ≠ren into pro ≠duc ≠tive places," he says. That image stayed with him after he moved to New York City for grad school and start ≠ed dri ≠ving a taxi on the side. Now, sev ≠er ≠al decades lat ≠er, Lewis is final ≠ly get ≠ting a chance to put the pow ≠er of coop ≠er ≠a ≠tives into…
popularresistance.org/nyc-drivers-cooperative-aims-to-smash-ubers-exploitative-model/

Climate Change Can be Addressed in Coronavirus Relief, Study Says Development Group Urges
Zach Conti | indybay.org | 2020-12-14
As countries address their debt crises, policy responses can reduce climate change, asserts a new study. "Linking Debt Relief and Sustainable Development: Lessons from Experience," examines previous debt relief processes to learn how debt and climate responses can work in tandem.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/14/18838929.php

FAO supports Iranian experts in developing green projects
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — FAO provides another training opportunity for Iranian experts to scale up climate investment for the agricultural and rural development sectors.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167166/FAO-supports-Iranian-experts-in-developing-green-projects

Police officer receives probation after convicted of assault and battery
Andrew Emett | nationofchange.org | 2020-12-14
"Our community and our criminal justice system rely on the integrity of police officers and we must hold accountable those who abuse their positions of power and trust."
nationofchange.org/2020/12/14/police-officer-receives-probation-after-convicted-of-assault-and-battery/

College of Saint Rose in New York slashes programs and tenured faculty positions
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
By December 2021, 33 of 151 full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty positions will be eliminated, as well as eight visiting faculty positions.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/rose-d14.html

Lavrov underlines need for dialogue on Persian Gulf security
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed Moscow's readiness to provide the grounds for dialogue among the Persian Gulf countries over security concerns.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167172/Lavrov-underlines-need-for-dialogue-on-Persian-Gulf-security

US imposes sanctions on two Iranian nationals
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on two Iranian nationals on Monday.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167180/US-imposes-sanctions-on-two-Iranian-nationals

Bretton Woods 3.0. The Great Lockdown, The Great Reset, and The Great Paradigm Shift
R. A. Jones | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
"The transformation is both symbolically and visibly expressed by the de facto appearance of the first-ever global capital. That capital city, however, is not New York, the place where the General Assembly of all nation-states periodically convenes. New York …
globalresearch.ca/bretton-woods-3-great-lockdown-great-reset-great-paradigm-shift/5732211

Tuesday 1/5: "Caregiver: A Love Story": Screening & Talk on the Family Caregiver Burden w/ MD Filmmaker
Commonwealth Club | indybay.org | 2020-12-14
Online via livestream…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/13/18838925.php

Tehran keen on expanding Persian languages courses in Italy
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) –Deputy Director of Iran's CISSC and first secretary of the Cultural and Press Section of the Italian Embassy in Tehran, discussed the expansion of Persian language courses in Italian Universies.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167142/Tehran-keen-on-expanding-Persian-languages-courses-in-Italy

Hundreds protest in Columbus, Ohio to demand justice for Casey Goodson, victim of police shooting
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
More than 200 protesters gathered in front of the state capitol on Saturday to demand justice for the 23-year-old African-American man gunned down by a sheriff's deputy on December 4.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/good-d14.html

South Korean Kia workers strike again as GM and union push vote on rejected contract
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
The autoworkers' struggles are continuing even though the Korean Metal Workers Union has isolated the negotiations and strikes at the three major auto companies.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/skor-d14.html

Enemies deafeated by Iran's 'active resistance'
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — The Head of Iran's Passive Defense Organization said the 'active resistance' of the country has defeated its enemies.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167173/Enemies-deafeated-by-Iran-s-active-resistance

Indigenizing petchem catalysts to ease surge in production
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — As the Iranian economy is moving away from reliance on external sources towards self-sufficiency, many of the country's economic sectors are taking serious measures for meeting their technological needs from domestic sources.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167176/Indigenizing-petchem-catalysts-to-ease-surge-in-production

How to Cure America's Vaccine Paranoia
Sonali Kolhatkar | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-14
The end is in sight, we are told. The cavalry has arrived in the form of safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19 on the verge of approval and being manufactured for widespread distribution. The stock market has surged in response to every pharmaceutical company's press release of its latest successful clinical trial. Americans are expecting…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/14/how-to-cure-americas-vaccine-paranoia/

Iran's 'nuclear nationalism' can't be assassinated
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — The fact that Iran has overcome technological obstacles in developing nuclear programs is a source of pride for Iranians, and Iran's nuclear knowledge will not be lost by the assassination of one of its scientists.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167175/Iran-s-nuclear-nationalism-can-t-be-assassinated

Red Scare and Love Scare: Two-Pronged McCarthyism Afflicts Indian Democracy
Badri Raina | zcomm.org | 2020-12-14
All protesters are being branded 'Maoists', and those who dare to love beyond the boundaries of their faith 'jihadists'…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/red-scare-and-love-scare-two-pronged-mccarthyism-afflicts-indian-democracy/

Cambridge Academics Have Just Won an Important Battle for Free Speech
Nick Cohen | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
Academics at Cambridge won a cheering victory for free speech today when they voted by an overwhelming majority to reject plans from the vice-chancellor to change the rules governing debate at the university. | They rejected the university's proposals to insist …
globalresearch.ca/cambridge-academics-won-important-battle-free-speech/5732189

London to move into Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-14
London will move into the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions from Wednesday as a result of soaring case rates. | Health secretary Matt Hancock will set out the move, which is also expected to apply to parts of Essex and Hertfordshire, in a Commons statement. | MPs briefed on the plans said a sharp rise in cases meant Hancock was unable to wait until the scheduled review of England's tiers on Wednesday. | One MP said they were told that cases are doubling every seven days in the capital. | Hancock is expected to use his statement to outline the financial support available to the Tier 3 areas. | It follows wa…
thecanary.co/breaking-news/2020/12/14/london-to-move-into-tier-3-coronavirus-restrictions/

Breeding world's rare parrots in Arak
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
ARAK, Dec. 14 (MNA) — Rare parrots are bred in Arak, Markazi province. One of the great manifestations of the Creation is to understand and see birds and their beauty and to hear their voices.
en.mehrnews.com/photo/167157/Breeding-world-s-rare-parrots-in-Arak

Americans Are Drowning in Debt. Let's Forgive All of It
Scott Remer | zcomm.org | 2020-12-14
In the age of Covid-19, it's time to end our debt epidemic once and for all…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/americans-are-drowning-in-debt-lets-forgive-all-of-it/

Independent investigation – Recommendations, action plan and next steps
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-12-14
Imperial is publishing the actions it is taking in response to an independent investigation into allegations of bullying and a dysfunctional culture.
imperial.ac.uk/news/210693/independent-investigation-recommendations-action-plan-next

Wall Street Vultures Are Ready To Get Rich From Water Scarcity
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-14
Bloomberg reported on Sunday that California water futures are now officially on the Wall Street markets, with the United States–based CME Group heading up the 2021 contracts connected to the state's billion-dollar water market. The "commodity" was most recently going for $496 per acre-foot with the main purchasers of the futures–which were first announced by CME in September–expected to be large-scale water consumers, chiefly utility companies and the states' Big Ag corporations. (California is home to the largest agriculture market in the nation.) "Climate change, droughts, population growth,…
popularresistance.org/wall-street-vultures-are-ready-to-get-rich-from-water-scarcity/

As Vaccine Gains Approval, Hospitals Scramble Over Which Workers to Prioritize
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-14
If there's such a thing as a date with destiny, it's marked on Dr. Taison Bell's calendar. | At noon Tuesday, Bell, a critical care physician, is scheduled to be one of the first health care workers at the University of Virginia Health System to roll up his sleeve for a shot to ward off the coronavirus. | "This is a long time coming," said Bell, 37, who signed up via hospital email last week. "The story of this crisis is that each week feels like a year. This is really the first time that th…
truthout.org/articles/as-vaccine-gains-approval-hospitals-scramble-over-which-workers-to-prioritize/

Proud Boys Vandalize Churches And Clash With Antifascists In DC
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-14
Washington DC-A night of confrontations and violent clashes followed a day-long rally of MAGA, the followers of the defeated Trump Administration. Proud Boy hate groups led roving groups of pro-Trump MAGA followers through downtown DC, looking to vent their frustration over a lost Presidential election. | Proud Boys tore down Black Lives Matter signs on several churches and businesses and attempted to penetrate police lines to attack anti-fascist opposition. Confrontations began early in the day at Black Lives Matter Plaza where an anti-fascist group, Black Lives Matter Civil Rights organizations, and allied grou…
popularresistance.org/proud-boys-vandalize-churches-and-clash-with-antifascists-in-dc/

Armenia refutes reports about PM resignation
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — Pashinyan's press secretary Mane Gevorgyan dismissed rumors about Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation, stating that this issue has nothing to do with the real state of things.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167155/Armenia-refutes-reports-about-PM-resignation

Memorial ceremony of Karabakh martyrs held in Shahr-e-Rey
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — The first memorial ceremony of the Karabakh martyrs was held on Monday afternoon in the presence of a group of Iranian state and military officials in Shah Abdol Azim Shrine in Shahr-e-Rey.
en.mehrnews.com/photo/167181/Memorial-ceremony-of-Karabakh-martyrs-held-in-Shahr-e-Rey

'Speaker for the God': Historical fiction about Jeremiah illuminates enduring social issues
Eric A. Gordon | peoplesworld.org | 2020-12-14
Henry (Hank) Millstein is a long-time peace, interfaith, and labor activist living in Northern California. He's a fiction writer and journalist whose work often appears in People's World, and he's a longtime member of the National Writers Union. Staff writer Eric A. Gordon sat Hank down for a friendly chat about his newest book. People's …
peoplesworld.org/article/speaker-for-the-god-historical-fiction-about-jeremiah-illuminates-enduring-social-issues/

How Did We End Up With Our Current Public Defender System?
Matthew Clair | thenation.com | 2020-12-14
How Did We End Up With Our Current Public Defender System?
thenation.com/article/society/sara-mayeux-free-justice-public-defenders/

NJ Lawmaker Wants Mandatory Corona Shot for All Kids Without Exemption
Steve Watson | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
A State Senator in New Jersey wants the coronavirus vaccine made mandatory for all school age children, despite them being the least at risk group. | Middlesex Democrat Senator Joseph Vitale also wants to eliminate exemptions that have been used in …
globalresearch.ca/nj-lawmaker-wants-mandatory-corona-shot-all-kids-without-exemption/5732141

In Australia, like rest of world, the 'gig' economy is killing workers
Anna Pha | peoplesworld.org | 2020-12-14
SYDNEY–Five young food delivery workers lost their lives in Australia in the space of just two months. No one has been held accountable or is likely to be. Their work is unregulated, underpaid, unsafe, and precarious in a climate where between one and two million unemployed are denied the federal government's JobKeeper wage subsidy program …
peoplesworld.org/article/in-australia-like-rest-of-world-the-gig-economy-is-killing-workers/

How conservatives have laid waste to America for 50 years
Paul Buchheit | nationofchange.org | 2020-12-14
Conservatism has made 'social' a dirty word. Here are some of the details of fifty years of damage inflicted on America…
nationofchange.org/2020/12/14/how-conservatives-have-laid-waste-to-america-for-50-years/

Mumia for Pacifica Democracy; Court Attack on Pacifica Fails
Pacifica Fighback | indybay.org | 2020-12-14
Mumia has come out against the centralized corporate bylaws being pushed in large part by a faction that controls KPFA. They recently tried to get a court to take-over Pacifica so they can break up the foundation and sell and shutdown other stations in the network. | They have secret millionaire backers who have hired a law firm that changes more than $300 an hour and submitted an 800 page document to the Court in Los Angeles for the court to seize Pacifica. This same group has been suing Pacifica for years and also pushed for voluntary bankruptcy.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/13/18838924.php

Silica the best environmental alternative to plastic microbeads, finds study
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-12-14
Following bans on plastic microbeads in wash-off cosmetics, a new study weighs up the environmental costs of alternatives.
imperial.ac.uk/news/210754/silica-best-environmental-alternative-plastic-microbeads

Cautionary Tale: This COVID Vaccine Could Heighten HIV Risk for Some, Scientists Warn
Richard Gale | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
In a letter published in The Lancet, researchers warn that the adenovirus vector technology being used around the world to develop vaccines against SARS-Cov-2 could put populations at risk of developing HIV infections. | The researchers — from the Fred Hutchinson …
globalresearch.ca/covid-vaccine-could-heighten-hiv-risk-some-scientists-warn/5732218

GOP Under Fire for Blocking Necessary Funds as COVID Vaccine Distribution Begins
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-14
As U.S. distribution of the newly approved Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine kicked off Sunday with the shipment of millions of doses to sites across the nation, Senate Republicans faced mounting outrage for continuing to block federal funds that crisis-ravaged states and localities desperately need to carry out an unparalleled mass inoculation effort. | Facing large budget shortfalls due…
truthout.org/articles/gop-under-fire-for-blocking-necessary-funds-as-covid-vaccine-distribution-begins/

As COVID Rages, We Are Experiencing Mass Abandonment Amid Abundance
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-14
Martin Luther King, Jr., offered this all-too-relevant comment on his moment in his 1967 speech "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?": | "The contemporary tendency in our society is to base our distribution on scarcity, which has vanished, and to compress our abundance into the overfed mouths of the upper classes until they gag with superfluity. If democracy is to have breadth of meaning, i…
truthout.org/articles/as-covid-rages-we-are-experiencing-mass-abandonment-amid-abundance/

Big Pharma Strikes Back
Dean Baker — Arjun Jayadev | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-14
On Monday, we, along with Achal Prabhala, had a column in the New York Times arguing in support of a resolution put forward before the WTO by India and South Africa, which would suspend intellectual property rights related to vaccines and treatments during the pandemic. The main point is that these rights are slowing the…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/14/big-pharma-strikes-back/

'Can Anybody Still Deny That We Are Facing a Dramatic Emergency?'
Jessica Corbett | zcomm.org | 2020-12-14
UN Chief at Climate Summit:…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/can-anybody-still-deny-that-we-are-facing-a-dramatic-emergency/

Education min. inaugurates 58 student reasearch centers
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — Iranian Education Minister Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei and VP for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari inaugurated 58 student research centers on Monday.
en.mehrnews.com/photo/167141/Education-min-inaugurates-58-student-reasearch-centers

CNN: 'Don't be Alarmed' if People Start Dying After Taking the Vaccine
Paul Joseph Watson | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
In an article on the COVID vaccine rollout, CNN says that Americans shouldn't be alarmed if people start dying after taking the vaccine because "deaths may occur that won't necessarily have anything to do with the vaccine." | The advisory appeared …
globalresearch.ca/cnn-dont-alarmed-people-start-dying-after-taking-vaccine/5732213

Kiwi exports from Iran's Mazandaran province
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — Mazandaran province, located along the Caspian Sea coastline, is Iran's biggest producer and exporter of Kiwi. Iraq, Afghanistan and Central Asian countries are traditional customers of Iranian kiwis.
en.mehrnews.com/photo/167167/Kiwi-exports-from-Iran-s-Mazandaran-province

Borrel says EU should find ways to return US to JCPOA
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-14
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — The European Union's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, says the bloc should find a way with the Biden administration to return the US to its commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167160/Borrel-says-EU-should-find-ways-to-return-US-to-JCPOA

New York Times smears COVID-19 whistleblower Rebekah Jones
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
The Times is attempting to dig up completely irrelevant episodes from Jones' past in order to discredit her work in exposing the state cover-up of COVID-19 cases.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/slan-d14.html

Imperial launches Sustainability Strategy