(2020-12-30). Economic Matters in Ukraine Are at Standstill. globalresearch.ca It was a quiet year for Ukraine and its many issues compared to previous years, or at least in the eyes of most Westerners. Other global issues, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and elections in Belarus, took greater precedence and …
(2020-12-30). An exclusive look inside Iran's supermarket in Venezuela. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil visits Megasis, an Iranian supermarket which recently opened in Caracas, Venezuela, and explores cooperation between Tehran and Caracas against the US economic blockade. The Grayzone's Anya Parampil provides an exclusive look inside a superstore which the US government and corporate media have condemned and attempted to link to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. She also speaks with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza about how increased cooperation between Tehran and Caracas is improving the material …
(2020-12-30). The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020" globalresearch.ca WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.
(2020-12-30). "Say Her Name: Dr. Susan Moore." Black Female Doctors Condemn Racial Disparities in Healthcare. democracynow.org 
When Black doctor Susan Moore died from COVID-19 after posting a video from her hospital bed describing racist treatment by medical staff, her chilling message was compared to the video of George Floyd begging for his life as he was killed by Minneapolis police. We speak to two leading Black women doctors fighting racial disparities in healthcare who wrote The Washington Post opinion piece, "Say her name: Dr. Susan Moore." "It is a typical and ongoing devaluation of our lives and distrust of our word," says Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones, a family physician and former president of the American Public Health Association…
(2020-12-30). "This Is How Black People Get Killed": Dr. Susan Moore Dies of COVID After Decrying Racist Care. democracynow.org 
‚Ä®As the United States reports record deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the final days of 2020, we look at how the pandemic that ravaged the country this year has shone a stark new light on racism in medical care. In a viral video recorded by Black physician Dr. Susan Moore, she describes racist treatment by medical staff at a hospital in Indianapolis and says they did not respond to her pleas for care, despite being in intense pain and being a doctor herself. In the video, Dr. Moore says she had to beg to receive pain medication and the antiviral drug remdesivir, and accuses a doctor a…
(2020-12-30). Meet the pseudo-left imperialists fighting against universal healthcare. mronline.org 
Since comedian Jimmy Dore called on progressive members of Congress to pressure Nancy Pelosi to hold a floor vote on Medicare For All, a collection of media personalities have launched vicious attacks against him while deflecting from his overwhelmingly popular argument.
(2020-12-30). UK approves Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine. laprensalatina.com London, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The United Kingdom's government on Wednesday accepted the medicines and health regulatory body's recommendation to authorize the use of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the health ministry said. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave the green light for the vaccine to be used on people 18 years and …
(2020-12-30). "It's Now or Never": A Call for Organizing Against Managerial Class. zcomm.org Left Voice speaks with a caseworker* who works in an inpatient psychiatry unit about the situation that healthcare and essential workers are facing amidst a peak in the pandemic in Florida, now with over half a million cases…
(2020-12-30). Why Senators Must Reject Avril Haines for Intelligence. zcomm.org Haines's record on torture and drones alone should be enough for Senators to reject her nomination.
(2020-12-30). The Peace Discourse that Disappeared: Go on with Passion and Detachment. globalresearch.ca Look at and listen in to three spheres of contemporary Western society — politics, research and media: The word" peace" and related words, such as the UN Charter norm of" making peace by peaceful means", nonviolence, negotiations — have disappeared. …
(2020-12-30). Mass-Vaxxing of US Military Forces for COVID. globalresearch.ca On December 9, the US war department announced its "distribution plan" for covid mass-vaxxing. | Service members to be vaxxed include active duty personnel — including National Guard troops — their family members, war department civilian personnel and their families. | "Distribution …
(2020-12-30). Fingers Point to US-Backed Gov't in Colombia's Ninetieth Massacre of the Year. mintpressnews.com 
"The Trump administration waged a full scale campaign to undermine Colombia's peace accords. We must not waste our time hoping the Biden administration might reverse course, we must demand it." — James Jordan, Alliance for Global Justice…
(2020-12-30). The Julian Assange Pardon Drive. dissidentvoice.org The odds are stacked against Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher who faces the grimmest of prospects come January 4. On that day, the unsympathetic judicial head of District Judge Vanessa Baraitser will reveal her decision on the Old Bailey proceedings that took place between September and October this year. Despite Assange's team being able to …
(2020-12-30). The Julian Assange Pardon Drive. globalresearch.ca The odds are stacked against Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher who faces the grimmest of prospects come January 4. On that day, the unsympathetic judicial head of District Judge Vanessa Baraitser will reveal her decision on the Old Bailey …
(2020-12-30). 'We Demand Tomorrow': Marxist Documentary On The Climate Crisis. popularresistance.org Kudos to Patreon for this brilliant production, well worth seeing, with its deep analysis of capitalism though I have some reservations to be noted below. I particularly applaud the presentation of Cuba's socialist solutions in this current pandemic, in contrast to capitalist Britain, with Cuba being on the cutting edge of global ecosocialism. "We Demand Tomorrow" should trigger a lot of debate, and be a useful resource for wide-ranging discussion. I agree with the video's support for a two-stage path out of capitalism. I have long argued that socialism in our epoch must confront the climate/ecological crisis wit…
(2020-12-30). COVID-19, Prison and Another Pandemic Clare Grady Made Me Remember. counterpunch.org 
Clare Grady is going to prison. On February 10, this nice Irish Catholic lady of 62, who lives with her family in Ithaca, New York will enter Alderson Prison, West Virginia, to begin a one-year-and-one-day sentence. That's because, on April 4, 2018, Clare and six cohorts, also white and Catholic, broke into the world's largest
(2020-12-30). 2020 Was Year Like Few in History. Social Isolation, Unemployment, Poverty. globalresearch.ca 2020 is coming to an end and entering history as one of the most troubled years in recent decades, having caused structural changes in the global geopolitical balance. The "pandemic" of the new coronavirus brought a series of changes in …
(2020-12-30). Federal judge blocks strike by Union Pacific railroad workers over lack of pandemic protections. wsws.org Workers at the country's second largest railroad are threatening to strike after hundreds of railway workers across the industry have contracted COVID-19 and at least 10 have died.
(2020-12-30). Native Youth provide for community and elders during COVID pandemic. mronline.org 
2020 has been a year of many trials across Indian Country. Across our many Nations, rural, city and everywhere in between, we are all coping with the catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 virus.
(2020-12-30). Cancel the Rents builds people power to stop evictions in Boston. liberationnews.org 
The following is a guest statement by Cancel the Rents Boston, a collective of activists and residents organizing to fight against housing displacement exacerbated by COVID-19, anchored in the heart of Roxbury. An estimated 337,900 jobs have been lost in Massachusetts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Boston has 38,872 confirmed COVID cases …
(2020-12-30). Gunshots, Motorcycle Deaths Count as COVID Casualties. globalresearch.ca Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, families have been separated, businesses have been shuttered and schools have been closed down. Many people are living their lives shrouded in fear of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 — a direct response …
(2020-12-30). Patriarchy and the pandemic: Disentangling the web of oppression. peoplesdispatch.org We discuss Coronashock and Patriarchy, a study done by Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, with Renata Porto Bugni to understand the impact of the pandemic on women and the LGBTQIA+ community.
(2020-12-30). Invitation to New Thinking. indybay.org One virus changed everything. Covid-19 has managed to do what all the discussions about climate change and justice in recent years have failed to do. Phenomena that threaten humanity are no longer a theory. The pandemic has made the risk of our extensive lifestyle tangible. For this global crisis is not an exogenous shock. Rather, crass, profit-oriented globalization has fueled its spread.
(2020-12-30). Looking back at 2020, In Case You Missed It. news.un.org At UN News, 2020 started with a hope that the year would be one of peace for Syria's children. However, in the weeks that followed, the news cycle was upended by the coronavirus pandemic, that not only changed what we covered, but also how we covered UN-related news around the world.
(2020-12-30). We all have a role to play for a better tomorrow, UN Assembly President says in New Year message. news.un.org The President of the United Nations General Assembly has urged everyone around the world "to continue to work together" to end the coronavirus pandemic, and to build an inclusive and sustainable future.
(2020-12-30). Killer Cops: Police Killed Over 1,000 Americans In 2020. popularresistance.org American law enforcement officers have killed well over 1,000 people in 2020. Between January 1 and December 15 of this year, the Mapping Police Violence project has recorded 1,066 people nationwide killed at the hands of the police, an average of around three killings per day. Despite the fact that 2020 has brought with it a pandemic forcing Americans to stay off the streets (and, presumably, out of trouble) as much as possible, there have only been 17 days recorded this year where the police did not kill someone. | The project also compiled statistics on the racial backgrounds of the victims. Black people are t…
(2020-12-30). Harvard Workers Left Out In The Cold. popularresistance.org Harvard University's campus has been dormant since last spring, and as COVID-19 cases rise through the winter, it's unclear when normal classes will resume. The administration recently announced that the majority of the university's staff would continue to work remotely through June 2021. For the janitorial staff, however, work never ended. Roughly 700 janitorial workers have held onto their jobs through the pandemic, maintaining their full union wages, even though in some cases they are working on a reduced schedule. But for hundreds of subcontracted frontline workers, next year may bring a round of layoffs at t…
(2020-12-30). Ecosystem Destruction Fueled the Pandemic. Pollution Has Made It Worse. truthout.org On December 30, 2019, an
(2020-12-30). Dr. Susan Moore Died of COVID 2 Weeks After Recording Video Decrying Racist Care. truthout.org As the United States reports record deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the final days of 2020, we look at how the pandemic that ravaged the country this year has shone a stark new light on racism in medical care. In a viral video recorded by Black physician Dr. Susan Moore, she describes racist treatment by medical staff at a hospital in Indianapolis and says they did not respond to her pleas for care, despite being in intense pain and being a doctor herself. In the video, Dr. Moore says she had to beg…
(2020-12-30). Memphis Zoo Seeking Donations, Will Temporarily Close. laprensalatina.com MEMPHIS, TN (FOX 13) — The ongoing pandemic has hit businesses hard this year, and the Memphis Zoo is asking for donations. The Zoo is temporarily closing in accordance with the Shelby County Health Directive 16. The closure will go into effect Dec. 30. According to a Facebook post from the Zoo, the safety of …
(2020-12-30). A matter of survival of the peasantry. mronline.org 
The kisans gathered around the Delhi border have unerringly put their fingers on the real issue confronting them, namely their very survival as peasants.
(2020-12-30). Inviting Nuclear Disaster. counterpunch.org 
Nuclear power plants when they began being constructed were not seen as running for more than 40 years because of radioactivity embrittling metal parts and otherwise causing safety problems. But in recent decades, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the operating licenses of nuclear power plants from 40 years to 60 years and then 80 years, and is now considering 100 years.
(2020-12-30). Engels was a bro! mronline.org 
A tribute to Friedrich Engels' "The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State" and the groundwork for feminism by the jubilarian.
(2020-12-30). To reflect, to breathe, to hope and to stay human: Review of Hybrid War poster exhibition. peoplesdispatch.org 
The Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and International Week of Anti-Imperialist Struggle organized four poster exhibitions over the last year on different themes related to imperialism…
(2020-12-30). Remington workers terminated without severance, billionaire owners not accountable. liberationnews.org 
Bankruptcy laws favor the bosses, leave workers in the cold.
(2020-12-30). The US Money Tree: The Untold Story of American Aid to Israel. dissidentvoice.org 
On December 21, the United States Congress passed the COVID-19 Relief Package, as part of a larger $2.3 trillion bill meant to cover spending for the rest of the fiscal year. As usual, US representatives allocated a massive sum of money for Israel. While unemployment, thus poverty, in the US is skyrocketing as a result …
(2020-12-30). Inviting Nuclear Disaster. counterpunch.org Nuclear power plants when they began being constructed were not seen as running for more than 40 years because of radioactivity embrittling metal parts and otherwise causing safety problems. But in recent decades, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the operating licenses of nuclear power plants from 40 years to 60 years and then
(2020-12-30). Republican Sen. Hawley to tie up Jan. 6 Electoral College certification. peoplesworld.org 
In yet another attempt to overturn the results of a free and fair election, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced Wednesday he will object on Jan. 6 to the certification of the Electoral College vote. Both houses of Congress meet that day to carry out their constitutional duty of certifying the Electoral College results …
(2020-12-30). Black Women, mothers, workers: The frontlines of the MTST. mronline.org 
The reason the MTST is overwhelmingly made up of Black women is precisely because of their role in society. Women are primarily responsible for home life.
(2020-12-30). "The Truth in Black and White": The Kansas City Star Apologizes for History of Racist Coverage. democracynow.org 
In a historic step, The Kansas City Star, one of the most influential newspapers in the Midwest, has apologized for the paper's racist history. The paper's top editor, Mike Fannin, admitted the Star and a sister paper had reinforced segregation, Jim Crow laws and redlining, and "robbed an entire community of opportunity, dignity, justice and recognition" with its biased coverage over many decades. We speak with Fannin and Mará Rose Williams, a longtime education writer at the paper who led the effort to examine the newspaper's coverage of the Black community following the police killing of George Floyd and the na…
(2020-12-30). Giulio Regeni murder: Egypt clears officers and slams Italian accusations. middleeasteye.net 
Giulio Regeni murder: Egypt clears officers and slams Italian accusations | Prosecutor says Italian accusations against Egyptian security officers are based on 'false assumptions rejected by logic' | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 22: 40 | Giulio Regeni, 28-year-old doctoral researcher at Cambridge University, disappeared in Cairo in January 2016. His body was discovered nine days later and showed extensive marks of tortur…
(2020-12-30). A rave, a DJ and a debate. Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site. middleeasteye.net 
A rave, a DJ and a debate. Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site | Despite issuing an event permit, the Palestinian government arrests renowned Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi and extend her detention for 15 days | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 12: 26 | Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi poses outside her Parisian flat during a photo session on 7 December 2017 (AFP) | A dance party on Saturday has c…
(2020-12-30). Pompeo and State Department face legal action over $23bn UAE arms sale. middleeasteye.net 
Pompeo and State Department face legal action over $23bn UAE arms sale | New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs claims in lawsuit that massive weapons sale violates US Arms Export Control Act | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 17: 05 | The $23bn arms sale to UAE includes sale of killer drones and American-made F-35 jets (AFP/File photo) | An American NGO has filed a lawsuit against the State Department and it…
(2020-12-30). Uproar in Kuwait as minority Bidoon man attempts self-immolation in protest. middleeasteye.net 
Uproar in Kuwait as minority Bidoon man attempts self-immolation in protest | The 27-year-old had recently been dismissed from his job for not renewing his security card, without which Bidoon are not allowed to work | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 14: 44 | In 2012, Bidoon protested against their living conditions, insisting that the only solution to their plight was to gain Kuwaiti citizenship (AFP) | A Kuwaiti man att…
(2020-12-30). Prominent Moroccan historian and human rights activist arrested in Rabat. middleeasteye.net 
Prominent Moroccan historian and human rights activist arrested in Rabat | Maati Monjib, who has been targeted by authorities using Israeli spyware, is accused of money laundering | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 11: 36 | Maati Monjib, a Moroccan historian, political analyst and human rights activist, speaks in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, 20 February 2014 (AFP) | Moroccan historian and human rights activist Maati Monjib w…
(2020-12-30). US sends dozens of armoured vehicles to Iraq ahead of Soleimani death anniversary. middleeasteye.net 
US sends dozens of armoured vehicles to Iraq ahead of Soleimani death anniversary | Provision comes amid frequent rocket attacks targeting Green Zone which is home to US embassy and other foreign diplomatic missions | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 17: 18 | Rocket attacks have been launched at Baghdad's Green Zone in the weeks leading up to anniversary of Qassem Soleimani's assassination (AFP/File photo) | The United State…
(2020-12-30). 'Sold out': Uighurs fear deportation as China ratifies extradition treaty with Turkey. middleeasteye.net 
'Sold out': Uighurs fear deportation as China ratifies extradition treaty with Turkey | Uighur activists urge Turkish government not to abide by agreement that could put tens of thousands at risk of being detained in internment camps
| Wed, 12/30/2020 – 10: 17 | Supporters of China's Muslim Uighur minority protest in Istanbul against B…
(2020-12-30). Kushner family business plans $100m bond sale in Israel: Report. middleeasteye.net 
Kushner family business plans $100m bond sale in Israel: Report | Kushner Companies filed paperwork with Israeli Securities Authorities earlier this month, with sale to take place in 2021, Wall Street Journal says | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 15: 30 | Jared Kushner resigned from his family's real estate business in 2016 after joining White House (AFP) | The family business of senior White House adviser Jared Kushner ha…
(2020-12-30). Argentina 2nd to approve Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab, as EU expected to soon follow suit. rt.com 
The coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca was approved by Argentina on Wednesday, the second nation to greenlight the jab after the UK. | The vaccine has been awarded emergency use authorization for one year, It added that access to the jab will only be permitted by prescri…
(2020-12-30). Bolivia signs contract to purchase 2.6mn doses of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com 
Bolivia has become the third Latin American nation to strike an agreement with Russia's Direct Investment Fund for supplies of its Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19. Under the deal, Bolivia will receive 2.6 million doses. | The contract between the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Bolivia's Health Supply Center (CEASS) was signed during a videoconference, which was also attended by Bolivian President Luis Arce. | The president praised Sputnik V in a Twitter
(2020-12-30). The UK's Brexit Shoddy Deal Surrenders More Than It Receives. counterpunch.org 
Faced with the grim reality of leaving the EU without a deal, Boris Johnson was always going to hail any "least-worst" deal as a "victory". And so he did. A jubilant BoJo, ever the lying blusterer, claims his deal is everything the electorate voted for in the 2016 referendum and in last year's general election. It certainly isn't, if one scrutinizes the details.
(2020-12-30). Sound Grammar: the 25 Best Recordings of 2020. counterpunch.org 
Pedernal Susan Alcorn Quintet (Relative Pitch) Fetch the Bolt Cutters Fiona Apple (Epic) Pursuance: the Coltranes Lakecia Benjamin (Bandcamp) Quarantine Tapes Dean & Britta (Bandcamp) The Unraveling Drive-By Truckers (ATO) Ghosts of West Virginia Steve Earle & The Dukes (New West) The Lost Berlin Tapes Ella Fitzgerald (Verve) America at War Joel Harrison (Sunnyside) Budapest
(2020-12-30). UN confirms closure of Darfur peacekeeping mission. news.un.org The joint United Nations-African Union mission in the Darfur region of Sudan (UNAMID) will officially end operations on Thursday, when the Government of Sudan will take over responsibility for the protection of civilians in the area.
(2020-12-30). First Person: family tragedy and the UN as 'saviour' in Darfur. news.un.org The people of the restive region of Darfur in Sudan have seen the joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) as a "saviour" according to a writer for UN News who grew up in Darfur.
(2020-12-30). The Congress of Tours and the birth of the organized communist movement in France. peoplesdispatch.org This December 30th marks the centenary of the foundation of the organized communist movement in France at the historic 18th national congress of the Socialist Party – French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), held in Tours in 1920…
(2020-12-30). The Numbers Add Up for "Child-Side" Tax Policies. dissidentvoice.org A weary America is suffering through the worst public health crisis in more than a century. Covid-19 has taken over 300,000 lives. Parts of the economy have effectively shut down, throwing millions out of work and bankrupting businesses large and small. In the richest country in the world, Thanksgiving dinner for tens of thousands came …
(2020-12-30). Overshadowed by COVID: The deadly extreme weather of 2020. nationofchange.org So while attention was often focused elsewhere, perhaps understandably, here are some of the meteorological extremes recorded in 2020.
(2020-12-30). The American Money Tree: The Untold Story of US Aid to Israel. mintpressnews.com Congress quietly wedged billions of dollars of aid to Israel even as it debated for months over a measly $600 to help Americans endure the COVID downturn.
(2020-12-30). Excess deaths in Russia spike. wsws.org While Russia's official death toll from coronavirus stands at just over 55,000, the real number of COVID-19 victims is likely at least double or triple those officially reported.
(2020-12-30). Sniffing Our Way Back Home. thenation.com Sniffing Our Way Back Home…
(2020-12-30). Unreported COVID-19 Outbreak at Santa Rita Jail: 200+ Cases. indybay.org COVID-19 Outbreak happening Right Now in Santa Rita – Unreported, 200+ cases & Jail refuses to uphold safety policies…
(2020-12-30). 1st deadly UK Covid-19 variant detected in Colorado. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — According to a report released by Colorado officials a 20-year-old young man is the first case infected with the highly infectious UK coronavirus variant in the state.
(2020-12-30). Tehran, Doha to make joint documatry on Covid-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — Iran's Documentary & Experimental Film Center and the Qatari Al-Jazeera are to make a joint documentary on Covid-19.
(2020-12-30). Bias, racism and lies: facing up to the unwanted consequences of AI. news.un.org Powerful digital tools using artificial intelligence (AI) software are helping in the fight against COVID-19, and have the potential to improve the world in many other ways. However, as AI seeps into more areas of daily life, it's becoming clear that its misuse can lead to serious harm, leading the UN to call for strong, international regulation of the technology.
(2020-12-30). The virus that shut down the world: Economic meltdown. news.un.org With millions forced to work from home this year, offices and shops closing as part of containment measures, and travel severely curtailed everywhere, it was inevitable that the economy would suffer. In part five of our look back at 2020, we focus on the seismic effect that COVID-19 has had on the global economy.
(2020-12-30). The New Strain of COVID May Have Already Coursed Through the US. truthout.org The There are…
(2020-12-30). US records 1st case of new Covid strain amid delays in vaccination campaign. laprensalatina.com Washington, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The United States has detected the first case of the new Covid-19 strain in Colorado even as alarms have begun to sound about the difficulty of vaccinating 20 million people before the end of the year as promised by outgoing President Donald Trump. The first case of the mutant variant of …
(2020-12-30). Coronavirus vaccination gets under way in Argentina. laprensalatina.com Buenos Aires, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Health care workers were at the head of the line Tuesday as Argentina began Covid-19 vaccination using Sputnik V, developed by Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute, amid concerns about a second wave of infections in the South American country that has already lost nearly 43,000 lives to Covid-19. "It is a …
(2020-12-30). Biden blasts Trump for delays on vaccine distribution. laprensalatina.com Washington, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday lambasted President Donald Trump for delays in the distribution of the vaccine against Covid-19 and promised that, when he takes office on Jan. 20, 2021, he will use a law dating back to the Cold War to force the private sector to accelerate the process. "The …
(2020-12-30). New Strain of COVID-19 'Likely to Make it Here,' Memphis Health Official Says. laprensalatina.com MEMPHIS, TN (WREG) — A new variant, or strain, of COVID-19 has been identified in the United States and linked to a Colorado man in his twenties with no travel history. The fact that Colorado has detected this variant, the first in the nation, has many wondering if has or will make its way to …
(2020-12-30). Beale Street feeling blue after COVID cancels New Year's Eve plans. laprensalatina.com MEMPHIS, TN (WREG) — The biggest New Year's Eve celebration in Memphis was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Any other year, Beale Street would be packed with people preparing for the annual guitar drop, the street filled with life and energy. But this year, there's a cloud hanging over Beale. "I think it's just where …
(2020-12-30). China's Sinopharm says its vaccine is over 79% effective against Covid-19. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- A vaccine developed by China's state-run Sinopharm is 79.34 percent effective in protection against the Covid-19, the company said on Wednesday, seeking approval from the government for its general public use in the country. The vaccine, developed by a unit of the China National Biotec Group (CNBG), an affiliate of …
(2020-12-30). "Mass Sterilization": Kenyan Doctors Find Anti-fertility Agent in UN Tetanus Vaccine? globalresearch.ca Global Research Editor's Note | This article first published by Global Research on May 24, 2019 is of utmost relevance to the ongoing debate on the Covid Vaccine. | *** | In October 2014, the conference of Catholic bishops in Kenya released a …
(2020-12-30). Spain Plans a "Registry" for Those Who Refuse COVID Vaccine. globalresearch.ca As Europe begins vaccinating the first wave of high-priority patients, A similar phenomenon has played out in the …
(2020-12-30). Stephen F. Cohen on Russia's democratization and how US meddling undermines it. thegrayzone.com Pushback rounds out 2020 by airing an unpublished interview with Stephen F. Cohen, the eminent Russia historian and scholar who passed away in September at the age of 81. In an interview recorded one year before his death, Stephen F. Cohen discusses local elections and protests in Russia; opposition leader Alexei Navalny; as well as the state of Russia's post-Soviet democratization and how US meddling undermines it. Guest: Stephen F. Cohen. Professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University …
(2020-12-30). Video: Russia Suffers Casualties in Greater Idlib. Israeli Air Force Strikes Damascus Countryside. globalresearch.ca On the morning of December 30th, warplanes of the Israeli Air Force once again carried out strikes on alleged Iranian targets in the countryside of Damascus. According to reports one person was killed and 3 others injured in the attack….
(2020-12-30). Never Belonging: George Blake's Spy Exploits. counterpunch.org Filling the espionage ranks with legions of the non-belonging comes with its share of risk. The process is counter-intuitive, putting stock in skill and aptitude above the potential compromise of loyalty and divergence. Eventually, such a recruit might find a set of closely guarded principles. The son of a Sephardic Jew and Dutch Protestant might
(2020-12-30). Civil Rights Groups Fight Back Against Georgia's Voter Purges. zcomm.org The importance of the January 5 Senate runoff elections in Georgia cannot be overestimated…
(2020-12-30). Taking a Stand Against Extremism. progressive.org In this time of great darkness, there must also be an opposing force of light. That force must come from us.
(2020-12-30). Syrian Refugees Flee as Their Tents Are Torched in Lebanon. globalresearch.ca On December 26, hundreds of Syrian refugees fled their refugee camp in the Miniyeh region near the coastal city of Tripoli in north Lebanon after
(2020-12-30). The New Film "Seven". Scientific Study of WTC Building 7. globalresearch.ca The new film
(2020-12-30). How youth turned the tide in the 2020 election. nationofchange.org It wasn't just new voters that made this election the biggest ever: Youth turned out in droves to work on campaigns behind the scenes, too.
(2020-12-30). Amid repression and setbacks, people's movements in north Africa continue struggles. peoplesdispatch.org North Africa in 2020 was both a site of armed conflict and repression, and yet, also an example of the determined resistance of the people to the forces of repression…
(2020-12-30). Who Will Guard the Space Guardians? counterpunch.org We have decided to call to call the entire field of control and communication theory whether in the machine or in the animal, by the name of "Cybernetics", which we form from the Greek [for] steersman. — Norbert Wiener, Cybernetics It was a joyous occasion and it was only too bad that the trump was unable
(2020-12-30). Australia: Victorian Hotel Quarantine Inquiry finds "failure of governance" wsws.org Predictably, the report is a whitewash with the recommendations calling for little more than further investigation "as to the lines of accountability and responsibility between Departmental heads and Ministers."
(2020-12-30). Thousands of Rohingya refugees relocated. peoplesdispatch.org The Bangladeshi government dispatched 1,800 Rohingya refugees on Tuesday, December 29, to the island of Bhasan Char. The island is said to have emerged from the sea just 20 years ago and is prone to flooding.
(2020-12-30). Washington state judge blocks release of public records in the police killing of Michael Reinoehl. wsws.org Thurston County Superior Court Judge Carol Murphy ruled in favor of a motion by the sheriff's office to stop the release of police records about the execution of Portland protester Michael Reinoehl on September 3.
(2020-12-30). Abortion legalization marks historic win for feminist movements in Argentina. peoplesdispatch.org Thousands who had gathered in front of the Argentine Congress erupted in mass celebrations as the Senate voted in favor of the Bill approving the voluntary termination of pregnancy…
(2020-12-30). Russia-China Civilian Aviation Production Challenges Boeing-Airbus Dominance. globalresearch.ca For decades US-based Boeing and European aerospace giant, Airbus, have dominated global civilian aviation in what many in the industry describe as a duopoly. But as is the case in so many other industries as of late, China's economic and …
(2020-12-30). Here we go: Another IRS problem (and a Bank of America problem). nationofchange.org "I don't know if you have IRS problems; I do."
(2020-12-30). Smart Ass Cripple: Madison Cawthorn Is Not My Wheelchair Brother. progressive.org If Cawthorn carries his campaign image and agenda to Congress, it would be better for disabled folks if he wasn't there at all.
(2020-12-30). Most Popular Articles in December 2020. globalresearch.ca …
(2020-12-30). Selling Weapons — The Most Corrupt Industry in the World. globalresearch.ca "In his [1996] arms-to-Iraq enquiry, Lord Richard Scott heard evidence that an entire tier of the Thatcher government, from senior civil servants to ministers, had lied and broken the law in selling weapons to Saddam Hussein…Thumb through old copies of …
(2020-12-30). Brazil: Bolsonaro's Remarks Targeting Rousseff Spark Critics. telesurenglish.net Brazil's former President Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016) on Tuesday condemned spiteful comments made by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro who discarded acts of torture committed against her during the dictatorship's rule (1964-1985). | RELATED: | Previously, through a video posted on social networks, Bolsonaro cast doubts on acts of torture committed against Rousseff during her years of imprisonment and requested an X-ray sho…
(2020-12-30). California legislature introduces bill for cops to hold bachelor's degrees to join police force. nationofchange.org "This could be the beginning of changing the entire way that policing is done on the front end. Then we can let the bad cops retire on the back end."
(2020-12-30). It's legal! Argentine Senate approves abortion bill. peoplesdispatch.org The Argentine senate passed the Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy bill with 38 votes in favor and 29 against. This is a major victory for feminist movements who have been organizing for over a decade for the right to abortion…
(2020-12-30). UN human rights expert calls for withdrawal of US sanctions on Syria. peoplesdispatch.org Alena Douhan, the UN special rapporteur about the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on human rights, said the US sanctions violated the human rights of the Syrian people…
(2020-12-30). US Government Role in Thailand's "Student Protests" asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2020-12-30). The class dynamic of the massive Wall Street speculation. wsws.org The year is ending amid the greatest economic contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930s, but Wall Street is finishing the year at a record high.
(2020-12-30). Wednesday 2/3: We Want to Do More than Just Survive. indybay.org Online Event: | csumb.edu/osu/we-want-do-more-just-survive…
(2020-12-30). Tuesday 1/12: Together Against Factory Farming – January Day of Action. indybay.org Capitol Mall & 9th St Sacramento, CA 95814…
(2020-12-30). Saturday 1/2: Meetup: Start the Year Strong – Creative Actions You Can Take for Animals. indybay.org Online Zoom | dxe.io/meetupzoom…
(2020-12-30). Yazidi survivors of ISIS want to go back to school. indybay.org Young people who survived Islamic State (ISIS) captivity say they have not been able to resume their formal education for years while living at camps for the internally displaced in the Kurdistan Region.
(2020-12-30). Working on a History of Protest Power Around Shelter and Sweeps in Santa Cruz. indybay.org In light of the current community support for the San Lorenzo Survival Campers, I thought it might be helpful to post a partial history of the changes and services created by protest and direct action in the past. I distributed this flyer at the Park today. If Chief Mills word is to be believed, the protests Monday have already extended the Final Sweep "Solution" deadline to late January.
(2020-12-30). WorkWeek Exposes Racist & Corrupt SF City Health Service System Boss Mitch Griggs. indybay.org WorkWeek on Thursday 12/31/20 at 12 noon on San Francisco's KPOO 94.1 FM www.kpoo.com will have guests who expose the systemic racism and corruption at the San Francisco City Health Service System run by Mitch Griggs and also at the Department of Public Health. Joining the show will be the new editor of the SF Bay View Malik Washington who broke the story of the racist terrorism against SF City Health Service worker Malika Alima. Also joining the show will be SFCC Department of Public Health nurse and whistleblower W.D. Flient.
(2020-12-30). Afghanistan urges connecting Khaf-Herat Railway to Chabahar. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — Minister of Industry and Commerce of Afghanistan called for connection of Khaf-Herat Railway to Chabahar Port and termed it as a great achievement for the people of Afghanistan and business community of the country.
(2020-12-30). Araghchi holds talks with Qatari Foreign Minister. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs held talks with the Foreign Minister of Qatar on Wednesday.
(2020-12-30). US police kill a black man in LA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — US police once again killed a black man in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
(2020-12-30). World has refused to be held hostage to US bullying. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman pointed to four years of "Maximum Failure" of Trump administration and said that people are not naàØve and the world has refused to be held hostage to your bullying.
(2020-12-30). Soleimani blood united regional nations against US arrogance. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — In a tweet on early Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that the blood of Martyr General Soleimani united regional nations against the US arrogance and presence.
(2020-12-30). Iran has promoted combat capability proportionate to threats. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — The Second-in-Command of the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base said that the base has upgraded its combat capability proportionate to the existing threats.
(2020-12-30). Iranian company exports 1st cargo of MEG to Istnbul by train. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (MNA) — The first export consignment of mono ethylene glycol (MEG) produced by Shazand Petrochemical Co. was exported from Iran's Arak to Istanbul by train on Wednesday.
(2020-12-30). Basiji ladies donate blood in Tabriz. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — A group of Basiji ladies donated blood in Tabriz, the capital city of East Azerbaijan Province, in northwestern Iran.
(2020-12-30). Culprits of Gen. Soleimani's terror to be held accountable. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — Iran's Judiciary Chief said that the perpetrators of the Martyrdom of Lt. General Soleimani will be punished and no one is allowed to obstruct the relevant investigations.
(2020-12-30). Martyr Soleimani defended resistance under any circumstance. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — The Head of Iraq's Fatah (Conquest) Alliance Hadi al-Ameri said Martyr Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani was responsible for defending 'resistance movement' everywhere.
(2020-12-30). VIDEO: Symbolic funeral of Gen. Soleimani, Cmdr. al-Muhandis. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — On the eve of the first anniversary of the martyrdom of Lt. General Soleimani and Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Karbala witnessed the symbolic funeral of these two martyrs and other Iraqi martyrs of Resistance.
(2020-12-30). 25 Killed, 13 injured in terrorist attack on bus in Syria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — At least 25 civilians have been killed and 13 others injured after a bus was attacked on the M20 highway in the Deir ez-Zor province of Syria.
(2020-12-30). US has a lot to do to remedy its reputation of foreign policy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna says the US has a lot to do to remedy to a certain extent the reputation of US foreign policy.
(2020-12-30). Increasing Pentagon Spending When People Are Going Hungry Is Madness. thenation.com Increasing Pentagon Spending When People Are Going Hungry Is Madness…
(2020-12-30). Best of 2020: I tried to call my mother to say goodbye. salon.com Our 2020 retrospective continues with this meditation on one last chance to connect as the world falls apart…
(2020-12-30). Can We Finally Stop Marching to Disaster? thenation.com Can We Finally Stop Marching to Disaster?
(2020-12-30). Open Mike Eagle's Songs of Redemption. thenation.com Open Mike Eagle's Songs of Redemption…
(2020-12-30). Blame Mitch for the Lack of Federal Relief. thenation.com Blame Mitch for the Lack of Federal Relief…
(2020-12-30). Look Beyond the Media Frenzy and Focus on the Fundamentals. thenation.com Look Beyond the Media Frenzy and Focus on the Fundamentals…
(2020-12-30). Questions and answers about the UN mission to the SAFER oil tanker in Yemen. news.un.org 1. What is the SAFER oil tanker? | SAFER is a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) oil vessel moored off Yemen's west coast, approximately 8 kilometers (4.8 nautical miles) South West of the Ras Isa peninsula on the West coast of Yemen, permanently anchored at the same location for more than 30 years without any dry-docking or shipyard repairs.
(2020-12-30). UN chief and Yemen Envoy condemn deadly Aden airport attack. news.un.org The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, have strongly condemned Wednesday's deadly attack on Aden airport, which is reported to have resulted in the deaths of at least 26 people, and injured more than 50.
(2020-12-30). UN Yemen envoy condemns deadly Aden airport attack. news.un.org The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has strongly condemned Wednesday's deadly attack on Aden airport, which is reported to have resulted in the deaths of at least 26 people, and injured more than 50.
(2020-12-30). The Activist Roots Of Black Feminist Theory. popularresistance.org The idea that race, class and gender are interrelated dynamics of power and oppression has gained sufficient currency in the academic world to go by the shorthand "intersectionality," or "intersection theory." But the origins of contemporary Black feminist theory are not sufficiently known or acknowledged, and, given the invaluable work of university-based theorists, too many assume that the core concepts of Black feminism were born in the academy. In fact, much can be traced to activists in groups including the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Third World Women's Alliance, and the Combahee…
(2020-12-30). Iraq: 'British Company G4S Implicated In Assassination Of Soleimani'. popularresistance.org An Iraqi politician accused the UK private security company G4S of being involved in the assassination of Iranian Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani. | The commander of the Quds Force of the Corps of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC) of Iran, Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, and the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Units of Iraq (Al-Hashad Al-Shabi in Arabic), Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, were martyred on January 3 in a drone strike perpetrated by the US in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. | This Monday the leader of the Iraqi political party Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Qais Al-Jazali, accused the British co…
(2020-12-30). Climate Activists Mount Utility Strike. popularresistance.org Santa is not the only one giving out coal this year. Climate activists like Johnny Sanchez and Sonja Birthisel in Portland, Maine, recently sent their utility company an envelope of coal instead of payment towards their electric bill. This symbolic act of defiance, organized by the No Coal No Gas coalition, is part of a broad New England consumer strike against utility payments to protest the continued burning of coal. | The Strike Down Coal campaign launched on Sept. 1 and aims to continue until ISO New England — the system operator responsible for running New England's energy grid and power system —…
(2020-12-30). Britain Prepares for Increased Isolation in Wake of Brexit Deal. truthout.org The grim realities of the Brexit deal announced on Christmas Eve are beginning to sink in as British voters face the impending implementation of an arrangement that leaves Britain poorer and more isolated — both economically and culturally — than it would have been had voters in 2016 opted to stay in the European Union (EU). Provided that both the U.K. and the European Parliaments ratify the deal as expected, the new arrangement will take effect in the new year. | The new U.K.-EU relationship…
(2020-12-30). UK lawmakers pass Brexit deal with ample majority. laprensalatina.com London, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- Members of the United Kingdom's Parliament on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of the government's post-Brexit deal with the European Union. Following a fast-tracked debate, a total of 521 lawmakers in the House of Commons, the majority of whom took part remotely, voted to write the EU (Future Relationship) into UK …
(2020-12-30). Women Ran, Won and Donated in Record Numbers in 2020. truthout.org Women broke barriers in the 2020 elections, both at the ballot box and as political donors. Unprecedented numbers of women ran for office and won their races. Come January, Congress and many state legislatures will become more representative of the nation as a whole, with women holding more seats than ever before. And in both state and federal races, women raised more money than in any prior cycle. | That's according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in Politics.
(2020-12-30). Argentina Passes Bill to Legalize Abortion. truthout.org Thousands of women gathered in Buenos Aires erupted with joy early Wednesday after Argentina's Senate voted to approve legislation that would legalize abortion, the culmination of a The bill permitting elective abortions up to the 14th week of a pregnancy passed by a vote of 38 to 29, and President Alb…
(2020-12-30). Women Ran for Office, Won and Donated in Record Numbers in 2020. truthout.org Women broke barriers in the 2020 elections, both at the ballot box and as political donors. Unprecedented numbers of women ran for office and won their races. Come January, Congress and many state legislatures will become more representative of the nation as a whole, with women holding more seats than ever before. And in both state and federal races, women raised more money than in any prior cycle. | That's according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in Politics.
(2020-12-30). Sydney tightens coronavirus restrictions on New Year's Eve. laprensalatina.com Sydney, Australia, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The New South Wales government tightened social distancing restrictions on New Year's Eve after health authorities on Wednesday reported 18 new local cases of coronavirus and a possible cluster around Sydney, the most populated city in the country. Half of the new infections are linked to the Northern Beaches, a …
(2020-12-30). Over 20 killed in attack on new Yemeni government in Aden. laprensalatina.com By Khaled Abdullah Sana'a, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- At least 22 people were killed and 50 others injured on Wednesday when three explosions rocked the airport of the southern Yemeni city of Aden upon the arrival of members of the new government. The internationally-recognized government blamed the attack on the Houthi rebels, with whom it has …
(2020-12-30). Proud and patriotic, Wuhan boasts of virus defeat. laprensalatina.com By Jesús Centeno Wuhan, China, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- At 85-years-old, Korean war veteran Chen Jixian cannot hold back his emotions when he recalls the calamities that struck Wuhan when the new coronavirus first emerged a year ago and led to the deaths of 3,869 people, according to official figures. Chen was visiting People First, Lives …
(2020-12-30). Brazilian graffiti phenom Thales Pomb inspired by Goya, the color blue. laprensalatina.com By Antonio Torres del Cerro Sao Paulo, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- He paints a 35-meter (115-foot) mural with the same care he gives to an oil portrait. The color blue inspires him, and the work of Spain's Francisco Goya is in the forefront of his artistic references. His name is Thales Fernando "Pomb," he's 31 and …
(2020-12-30). Croatians remain on edge as aftershocks follow major quake. laprensalatina.com Zagreb, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- Three minor earthquakes Wednesday rattled the nerves of inhabitants of central Croatia a day after the region was struck by a magnitude-6.2 temblor that left seven people dead and 26 others injured. The strongest of the aftershocks was a magnitude-4.8. In Petrinja, the town nearest the epicenter of Tuesday's quake, rescue …
(2020-12-30). One Person Dead After Vehicle Goes in Shelby Farms Lake. laprensalatina.com SHELBY COUNTY, TN (WREG) — One person was killed after a vehicle plunged into a lake out at Shelby Farms. According to authorities, first responders received a call that a vehicle had gone into Patriot Lake around 7 a.m. Wednesday. The person was dead when emergency crews arrived. Español: CONDADO DE SHELBY, TN …
(2020-12-30). Bangladesh urges UN to participate in Rohingya relocation process. laprensalatina.com Dhaka, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The government of Bangladesh said on Wednesday that it was ready to involve the United Nations in the process of relocating Rohingya refugees to a remote island, after a barrage of criticism by rights groups over the lack of transparency in the transfers. The government urged the UN to join the …
(2020-12-30). Argentine Senate passes landmark bill to legalize abortion. laprensalatina.com Buenos Aires, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The Argentinean Senate on Wednesday passed a landmark bill allowing voluntary termination of pregnancy up to the 14th week. The legislation, which sailed through the house after a marathon session running until the early hours, was backed by the government of President Alberto Fernandez to fulfill the long-pending demand of …
(2020-12-30). EU and China conclude negotiations on investment deal. laprensalatina.com Brussels, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The European Union and China concluded negotiations on a long-awaited investment deal designed to lower business barriers to European companies in China and push toward leveling the playing field between the two economic powers. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: "The EU has the largest single market in the …
(2020-12-30). Argentina waiting tensely to learn if Senate approves abortion law. laprensalatina.com By Rodrigo Garcia Buenos Aires, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Argentines are waiting with bated breath in the coming hours to find out whether the Senate approves a bill legalizing abortion up until the 14th week of pregnancy, which although it is being supported by the government is sparking differences between government backers and the political opposition, …
(2020-12-30). Kidney On Sale: Economic fallout of back-to-back lockdowns in Indian Kashmir. laprensalatina.com By Sarwar Kashani Qazigund, India, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- Nearly two years ago, Sabzar Khan, a 26-year-old businessman, expanded his construction business that was already growing rapidly in Qazigund, the gateway to the idyllic Kashmir Valley, nestled in the Indian Himalayas. But soon after he raised funds by securing loans from a bank and local lenders, …
(2020-12-30). Outrage in India-administered Kashmir over alleged extra-judicial killings. laprensalatina.com Srinagar, India, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- Security forces in India-administered Kashmir on Wednesday gunned down three alleged militants, sparking outrage and allegations that the troops had staged a gunfight to hide civilian killings. "Three militants have been killed in an overnight operation in the Lawaypora area of Srinagar," an officer at the police control room told …
(2020-12-30). North Korea's ruling party to hold 8th congress in early January. laprensalatina.com Seoul, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The eighth congress of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, which is expected to decide the regime's economic and foreign policy goals, will be held in early January, state media KCNA reported Wednesday. The agency did not specify an exact date for the event. The decision to hold the party congress early …
(2020-12-30). Islamist mob razes Hindu temple in Pakistan. laprensalatina.com Islamabad, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- A mob of around 2,000 people on Wednesday destroyed a Hindu temple in northwestern Pakistan, reacting in rage to the religious premises being expanded, in the latest act of violence against a religious minority in the Muslim-dominated country. The act of vandalism took place around noon in the Karak district of …
(2020-12-30). Biden complains of roadblocks to transition placed by Trump administration. laprensalatina.com Washington, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- President-elect Joe Biden on Monday complained of "roadblocks" to the transition of power process he said are being placed by the outgoing Donald Trump administration, and specifically in the way of his picks for top Pentagon and Office of Management and Budget posts. "We've encountered roadblocks with the political leadership at …
(2020-12-30). Democrats relying on Latino vote in key Georgia Senate elections. laprensalatina.com By Marcelo G. Wheelock Atlanta, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- Democrats want to repeat the formula that led them to victory in the Nov. 3 presidential election in Georgia and they are relying on the local Hispanic vote in the crucial runoffs for the state's two US Senate seats in early January, races that will decide which …
(2020-12-30). UN mission leaves Darfur amid security concerns. laprensalatina.com By al-Nur al-Zaki Khartoum, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The United Nations peace mission to Darfur's (UNAMID) mandate ends on Thursday, 13 years after its launch, despite several persistant challenges. A rebel group is still active in the Sudanese region, 1.8 million people are displaced and tribal violence is not rare although the civil war that hit …
(2020-12-30). Magnitude-5.1 earthquake shakes parts of Japan. laprensalatina.com Tokyo, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Ritcher scale shook eastern Japan on Wednesday but there was no tsunami alert and the authorities did not report any human or material losses. The earthquake shook the capital Tokyo at 9.35 am local time (0.35 GMT) with its epicenter in Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of …
(2020-12-30). Pray, What Is This 'Reform' That the Rightwing Peddles? zcomm.org How is it that 'reform' only means throwing the food-grower open to the cut-throat vagaries of a so-called 'free-market' always in the clutches of the corporate?>
(2020-12-30). Is Vaccine Distribution Trump's Biggest Screw Up Yet? counterpunch.org The Washington Post tells us that 7.7 million first doses of vaccines have been shipped to date (two million shots have been given), with a target of 16 million by the end of the year. This is warp speed? By comparison, we manage to get over 170 million flu shots in people's arms every year,
(2020-12-30). Sudan-Ethiopia border conflict escalates. peoplesdispatch.org On Tuesday, December 29, the Ethiopian foreign ministry warned of a "counter-offensive" after the Sudanese army announced that it had recaptured an area in the contested Al-Fashaga region near the border between the two countries. | The Al-Fashaga region falls on the Sudanese side of the border delineated by the British in 1902, who had colonized Sudan at the time. The Ethiopian delegation refused to recognize this border in the recently held talks in Sudanese capital Khartoum, which ended on December 23 without an agreement on the demarcation of land. | Ethiopian farmers have been settled in Al-Fashaga, which is…
(2020-12-29). California educators, healthcare and logistics workers: Unite to stop COVID-19 and save lives now! wsws.org Urgent and far-reaching action is needed to prevent the reopening of schools and stop the spread of the pandemic across California this winter. Join our committee now!
(2020-12-29). A Nasty Shot in the Arm — RT-PCR Kits and Vaccines Unlicensed by Britain's MHRA. globalresearch.ca Aware of the forthcoming vaccine roll-out aimed, it is said, to protect against a disease (COVID-19) that reached its apex almost nine months ago, I emailed the MHRA (Medical and Healthcare Regulatory Authority) on 20 November 2020. | My main concern …
(2020-12-29). Why Senators Must Reject Avril Haines for Intelligence. mintpressnews.com 
This unassuming spy may look and sound like your favorite college professor, but that facade masks a ruthless wolf in sheep's clothing who enabled murder by remote control and wielded a thick black pen to cover-up CIA torture.
(2020-12-29). Why Senators Must Reject Avril Haines for Intelligence. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/avril_haines_credit_jordan_anstatt_for_columbi.width-992.jpg …
(2020-12-29). UN Human Rights Expert Urges US to Lift Sanctions That 'May Exacerbate the Already Dire Humanitarian Situation in Syria'. commondreams.org After nearly a decade of war, the special rapporteur noted, Syrians are living with "extensively damaged houses, medical units, schools, and other facilities." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-04-25_at_8.39.42_am_0.png …
(2020-12-29). Nashville Detonation: Lone Bomber or False Flag? globalresearch.ca On Christmas day, a recreational vehicle exploded in downtown Nashville, TN outside an AT&T transmission building — one block from the company's office building. | What happened knocked out communications and 911 emergency call centers over a wide area, including parts …
(2020-12-29). On Wounded Knee: We Fight To Mend the Hoop. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/further/massacre_tease_.jpg …
(2020-12-29). 9-Year-Old Ali Kinani Was Among Victims of Killers Pardoned by Trump. truthout.org Note: This interview contains graphic descriptions of violent deaths. | Image Credit: Blackwater's Youngest Victim | President Trump's pardon of four former Blackwater contractors convicted for their role in a massacre in Baghdad has sparked outrage in Iraq. The Blackwater guards include Nicholas Slatten, who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder for his role in the 2007 Nisoor Square massacre, when he and other Blackwater mercenaries opened fire with machine guns…
(2020-12-29). "The working conditions are hell"—Ontario allows COVID-19 to run rampant through workplaces. wsws.org Hundreds have been infected with COVID-19 in recent weeks in a series of major outbreaks at a Cargill meatpacking plant and four Amazon distribution facilities.
(2020-12-29). A Pardoning Time of Year. Julian Assange and Edward Snowden? globalresearch.ca The resistance to the apparent election of Joe Biden as President of the United States is continuing to play out. Current President Donald Trump is continuing to fight against the presumed results of the November national election with his final …
(2020-12-29). Monday 1/4: Drop The Charges Against Assange & Snowden: Free Them NOW! indybay.org British Consulate | 1 Sansome St. | San Francisco…
(2020-12-29). The Fate Of Press Freedom To Be Decided On January 4. popularresistance.org Judge Vanessa Baraitser will announce her decision on the United States' request to extradite Julian Assange on January 4. Assange faces 18 charges, 17 of them under the Espionage Act, which has been weaponized to go after journalists who expose war crimes and other truths the United States wants to keep secret. If he is extradited, it will end press freedom as we know it. Any journalist anywhere in the world will know they could face similar consequences if they expose the US government. I speak with Kevin Gosztola of Shadowproof, who has been following the extradition process closely, about what is likely to ha…
(2020-12-29). Engels' struggle for a dialectical concept of nature. mronline.org 
To prevent climate catastrophe, revolutionary decisions are needed based on a widespread understanding of the "dialectics of nature", which Friedrich Engels, on his joint mission with Karl Marx, sought to explain.
(2020-12-29). For the Ruthless Abolition of the Caste System. An Interview with Brinda Karat, Politburo Member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). mronline.org 
The Communist movement in India celebrated its centenary on October 17, 2020. The party was founded in Tashkent (USSR) in 1920. A decade later, most of the leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) were arrested by the British colonial state and imprisoned in Meerut.
(2020-12-29). The Wealth Inequality Virus is Surging. counterpunch.org 
If money is the source of happiness, and having more money means more happiness, some of our multi-billionaire friends have reached unprecedented levels of happiness in recent years especially during the pandemic when their level of wealth has skyrocketed. These conditions are revealed in the latest figures on the distribution of wealth from the Federal Reserve Board that cover through the third quarter of 2020, and the daily figures put out by Bloomberg.
(2020-12-29). Indigenous movements and the struggle in defense of land in 2020. peoplesdispatch.org On top of the existing violence and institutional impediments, this year was particularly taxing for the defenders of land and environment as they had to face double whammy of COVID-19 pandemic and the intensification of neoliberalism under it…
(2020-12-29). Sweden records deadliest November since 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. wsws.org Around 100 people are dying on a daily basis, the equivalent of over 3,000 in the US population.
(2020-12-29). A young Berlin teacher dies from coronavirus: An indictment of the city's pandemic policy. wsws.org The death of a young teacher in Berlin following a coronavirus infection confirms the criminal nature of the official policy of keeping open businesses and schools.
(2020-12-29). One year into the pandemic, 65,000 deaths in the US in one month. wsws.org One year after the first cases of COVID-19 were identified in China, December was the deadliest month of the pandemic both in the United States and the world.
(2020-12-29). Masking the COVID-19 Virus in this 'Pandemic'. globalresearch.ca There is no logic, nor reason based in medical science, for the wearing of paper or cloth masks in the context of the epidemic of this virus — Covid_19 (C19) . The virus, though likely altered in laboratories, is part …
(2020-12-29). Anti-Vaxxers are gaining dangerous ground in the Latinx community. mronline.org 
COVID-19 is a new disease, but many of us from immigrant families know all too well the trauma of having our livelihood threatened and our lives put in imminent danger of death. The pandemic situation is not too dissimilar to our life experiences. It is natural, especially for those who have been politicized, to look …
(2020-12-29). COVID-19 cases skyrocket in South Korea and Japan. wsws.org As in countries around the world, the inadequate responses of Tokyo and Seoul to the pandemic have been driven by concerns for big business.
(2020-12-29). Coronavirus accelerates as new strain detected across Europe. wsws.org The spread of the new strain of the virus intersects with the European governments' criminal refusal of measures to stop the pandemic that would cut corporate profits.
(2020-12-29). Wuhan's COVID-19 Case Count May Have Been 10 Times Higher Than Reported, Study Finds. sputniknews.com The COVID-19 pandemic first broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the outbreak of the novel coronavirus was first reported there on December 31, 2019. Since then, the virus has spread to more than 200 countries and territories across the globe, infecting more than 81 million people.
(2020-12-29). 'Extreme concern': UK reports record 53,000 Covid-19 cases as experts warn of 'dangerous new phase' in pandemic. rt.com 
The UK reported 53,135 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, its highest daily total of the entire pandemic, as the country braces for the tightening of health measures in a renewed effort to stem the rising tide of infections. | There were also a further 414 deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test for the virus, compared to 357 on Monday, according to official government data. | On Monday, the UK reported 41,385 new infections, the country's previous 24-hour high of the pandemic. | "We are continuing to see unprecedented levels of Covid-19 infection across the UK, which is of extreme concern – particularly…
(2020-12-29). Selected Articles: Masking the COVID-19 Virus in this 'Pandemic'. globalresearch.ca 
By There is no logic, nor reason based in medical science, for the wearing of paper or cloth masks in the context of the epidemic of …
(2020-12-29). What Can We Learn From the 1918 Pandemic? thenation.com 
A recent history of the pandemic illuminates not just parallels with our moment but how a public health crisis can become a political one as well.
(2020-12-29). FROM THE FIELD: India's pandemic of violence against women. news.un.org An increase in violence against women in India during the global COVID-19 outbreak has been described by the United Nations as a "shadow pandemic".
(2020-12-29). COVID-19 threatening development gains in Cape Verde: a UN Resident Coordinator blog. news.un.org Progress made towards sustainable development by the Atlantic Ocean nation, Cape Verde, is under serious threat due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to the United Nations' most senior official in the country. In this blog, UN Resident Coordinator Ana Patricia Graàßa, explains how the UN is supporting the small island country to rebound from the impact of the virus.
(2020-12-29). Activists, Health Care Workers Are Fighting To Keep Mercy Hospital Open. popularresistance.org Chicago – A coalition of activists are demanding elected officials maintain pressure on Mercy's ownership to keep the hospital open or sell to someone who will. | The activists held a vigil Monday, a week after a state board unanimously rejected Mercy Hospital's request to close. Board members agreed closing the Near South Side institution would negatively impact South Siders, especially in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. | Mercy Hospital leadership announced in July the city's first chartered hospital would shut down, citing monthly operating losses of $4 million and shifting trends in the field of healt…
(2020-12-29). Pandemic profiteers: Forbes adds 50 health care moguls to its list of global billionaires. wsws.org In a new survey released just before Christmas, Forbes magazine reported that at least 50 health care capitalists had entered the ranks of the world's billionaires in 2020.
(2020-12-29). Dr Fauci: The Pandemic Is 'Out of Control' in the US. telesurenglish.net White House epidemiologist Anthony Fauci on Tuesday acknowledged that the pandemic is "out of control" in the United States. | RELATED: | "We very well might see a post-seasonal – in the sense of Christmas, New Year's – surge, and, as I have described it, as a surge upon a surge," the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID ) Director said in an interview on CNN in which he explained that the U.S. is en…
(2020-12-29). New Covid cases in UK skyrockets to over 53,000. laprensalatina.com London, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The United Kingdom on Tuesday registered its highest daily number of newly confirmed coronavirus infections — 53,135 — and added another 414 Covid-19 deaths to its dire pandemic tally, the British government reported. The number of new cases exceeds by almost 12,000 the previous single-day record, which had been set on …
(2020-12-29). Thailand warns of significant increase in coronavirus cases in January. laprensalatina.com Bangkok, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The Thai authorities on Tuesday predicted that the number of Covid-19 infections in the country would increase significantly in January. Thailand had kept the pandemic under control until an outbreak in mid-December. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the spokesperson for the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), told reporters that the most likely scenario …
(2020-12-29). Wuhan's seafood market, presumed Covid ground zero, tries to turn the page. laprensalatina.com By Jesús Centeno Wuhan, China, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, the presumed ground-zero for the Covid-19 pandemic, remains sealed off, disinfected and tightly guarded by security a year on from the first reports of the outbreak but on the second floor of the establishment, some are trying to rebuild their livelihoods. The …
(2020-12-29). Argentina Kicks off COVID-19 National Vaccination Campaign. telesurenglish.net Argentina's COVID-19 vaccination campaign began on Monday, following a national operation to distribute 300,000 doses of the Russian vaccine across the country. | RELATED: | Subnational governments offered details on the vaccination plan in each district. In Buenos Aires, the Sputnik V vaccine will be applied to health personnel at 110 hospitals in 89 municipalities. | "After so many months of the pandemic, we…
(2020-12-29). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. counterpunch.org 
Serial lawbreaker Donald J. Trump is embarking on the most sordid presidential pardon spree in American history. He has already pardoned convicted crooks, thieves, and violent outlaws. Trump's pardon lawyers are frantically assembling more MAGA besotted individuals and groups to be pardoned wholesale. The number may climb into the hundreds. The queue is long. Trump
(2020-12-29). Religion Meets Climate Change. dissidentvoice.org 
Global warming is the biggest challenge of all time. It impacts every living species. However, the inherent dangers are very difficult to comprehend. As such, people brush it off as one more issue in life that will somehow be handled, fixed, no worries, human ingenuity will prevail. But, what if it's not that simple? Stuart …
(2020-12-29). Mangal and Mirabai: Sisters in Farmers' Struggle. counterpunch.org 
The Maruti van is full and ready to move. The farmers have occupied every available corner, some are even sitting in each other's laps. Their bags and walking sticks are cramped in a sliver of space beyond the backseat. But one seat next to Mangal Ghadge is conspicuously empty. She does not allow anyone to
(2020-12-29). Family and community members suspect foul play regarding death of Anthony Harris. liberationnews.org 
Liberation News spoke with Anthony Harris's aunt, Tonja Daniels, about the circumstances surrounding his death on November 25.
(2020-12-29). How the fracking revolution is killing the U.S. oil and gas industry. mronline.org 
After over a decade of the much-hyped U.S. fracking miracle, the U.S. oil and gas industry is having to deal with years of losses and falling asset values which has dealt the industry a serious financial blow. This is despite the fracking revolution delivering record oil and gas production for the past decade, peaking in 2019.
(2020-12-29). Cuban doctors will begin treating COVID-19 patients in Panama. mronline.org 
The dozen of Cuban medical brigades recently arrived in Panama will be deployed to the places assigned to fight COVID-19.
(2020-12-29). When Bolivians defeated US imperialism with democracy. peoplesdispatch.org 
[Peoples Dispatch brings you a series of articles and videos on 2020, a momentous year that saw humanity face unprecedented challenges. The beacon of hope remained the historic resistance mounted by people's movements, and the care and solidarity they epitomized, proving yet again that our collective struggles alone can dismantle and end oppression] | As 2019 ended, Bolivia faced the grim reality of life under a US-backed coup d'état, the advances of over a decade under threat. However, within a year, with their firm conviction and tireless resistance, millions of Bolivians defeated imperialism with democracy in…
(2020-12-29). After massive cyberattack, imperialist U.S. blames Russia — and China. workers.org 
U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts are calling it perhaps the most extensive and costly "cyberattack" in modern history. Revelations have come to light that in mid-December numerous U.S. government agencies and some of the world's largest corporations discovered they had been hacked over the course of several preceding months. U.S. . . . |
(2020-12-29). An Open Letter to Biden: Selecting a CIA Director. counterpunch.org 
I'm assuming that you and your team are still debating the selection of a director for the Central Intelligence Agency. I hope that you don't think me presumptuous for making some suggestions. I'm doing this on the basis of my 24 years of experience as a CIA intelligence analyst as well as my candid testimony before the Senate intelligence committee several decades ago regarding the confirmation process.
(2020-12-29). Man who sparked Egypt's MeToo movement sentenced to three years. middleeasteye.net 
Man who sparked Egypt's MeToo movement sentenced to three years | Campaign prompted by allegations against Ahmed Bassam Zaki revealed other shocking sexual harassment cases | Tue, 12/29/2020 – 16: 22 | Egyptian protesters hold up placards and shout slogans during a demonstration in Cairo against sexual harassment on 12 February 2013 (AFP) | An Egyptian court on Tuesday sentenced a former s…
(2020-12-29). Israeli settlers enter Al-Aqsa compound despite Covid-19 lockdown. middleeasteye.net 
Israeli settlers enter Al-Aqsa compound despite Covid-19 lockdown | Provocative move taken when most Palestinians in Israel and East Jerusalem are restricted from travelling to holy site | Tue, 12/29/2020 – 12: 01 | Israeli far-right activists have repeatedly pushed for an increased Jewish presence at Al-Aqsa mosque compound (Screengrab) | Dozens of Israeli settlers entered Al-Aqsa compound on Tuesday in occup…
(2020-12-29). Iraq world's second-deadliest country for journalists in 2020, report finds. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq world's second-deadliest country for journalists in 2020, report finds | Reporters gunned down while covering anti-government protests in Baghdad and Basra among 50 journalists killed worldwide | Tue, 12/29/2020 – 12: 41 | Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of Youssef Sattar, who was killed in January while covering anti-government protests in Baghdad (AFP) | Iraq was the world's second deadliest co…
(2020-12-29). Russia and Turkey to continue military cooperation despite US sanctions. middleeasteye.net 
Russia and Turkey to continue military cooperation despite US sanctions | Russian foreign minister says Moscow and Ankara will not be deterred by US sanctions over acquisition of S-400 missile system | Tue, 12/29/2020 – 16: 13 | Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov (AFP) | Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said military cooperation with Turkey would no…
(2020-12-29). Algeria uncovers ransom payment linked to hostage exchange agreement in Mali. middleeasteye.net 
Algeria uncovers ransom payment linked to hostage exchange agreement in Mali | Authorities discover large sum paid to militants active in Algeria for release of four hostages in Mali | Tue, 12/29/2020 – 12: 08 | Algiers has previously described paying ransoms to militant groups as "dubious practices" that are "contrary to UN resolutions" (AFP) | A large sum of ransom money was discovered b…
(2020-12-29). 'Stay at home': Sturgeon calls on Scots to ditch NYE parties in Covid-19 plea, as cases hit record high. rt.com 
Amid soaring case numbers, Scotland's first minister has called on its people to "sit up and take notice" of Covid-19, and do their bit to fight the virus by staying home on New Year's Eve instead of partying. | "I know we're all desperate to kick 2020 into touch but we must do that safely, and the safest way to do that this year is to be in our own homes," Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC on Tuesday. | Sturgeon said it was not safe to celebrate the coming of the new year in the normal manner, amid a surge in Covid-19 cases which has seen the entire Scottish mainland hit by Tier Four restrictions. | Tight restrict…
(2020-12-29). 'Woke rubbish': Hundreds complain to UK media watchdog over Channel 4's deepfake Queen on Christmas Day. rt.com 
British broadcaster Channel 4 has been hit with hundreds of complaints over its Christmas Day message starring a 'deepfake' Queen, who danced on a table and joked about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ditching the royal family. | Ofcom said it had received at least 214 complaints over the broadcast of the digitally-altered monarch, which Channel 4 described as intended to provide a "stark warning" about the use of technology for "fake news in a digital age." | The four-minute film starred English actress and impressionist Debra Stephenson, whose image was enhanced using 'deepfake' technology from Oscar-winning…
(2020-12-29). Russia's FSB dismantles international drug smuggling ring, seizes $13.6mn worth of drugs in joint operation with US (VIDEO). rt.com 
In a rare collaborative effort, Russian and American law enforcement officials have busted a transnational criminal gang smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe, seizing 330 kilograms of the drug. | The drug smuggling chain was busted as a result of a "months-long multi-stage international operation," Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the first members of the gang were detained as early as in May. The operation was conducted together with the US Justice Department's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS). | "In close cooperation with international pa…
(2020-12-29). Argentina launches Covid-19 immunization campaign using Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. rt.com 
Argentina has launched a nationwide campaign to vaccinate the public against Covid-19, deploying 300,000 doses of Russia's pioneering Sputnik V vaccine. Medics are the primary recipients. | The first shipment of the vaccine arrived in Argentina last Thursday. On Tuesday, it commenced vaccinations in 23 provinces and in the city of Buenos Aires, local media reported. Most of the doses are meant for frontline workers — doctors and nurses working with Covid-19 patients in hospitals. Dr. Francisco Traverso, who works at the Posadas Hospital in the capital was the first to get the vaccine to the applause of hi…
(2020-12-29). Russia's FSB dismantles international drug smuggling ring, seizes $13.6 million worth of drugs in joint operation with US (VIDEO). rt.com In a rare collaborative effort, elite Russian and American law enforcement officials have busted a transnational criminal gang smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe, seizing 330 kilograms of the illegal drug. | The drug smuggling chain was busted as a result of a "months-long multi-stage international operation," Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the first members of the gang were detained as early as in May. The operation was conducted together with the US Justice Department's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS). | "In close cooperation with in…
(2020-12-29). VIDEO with Jeremy Corbyn recorded by brother Piers prompts discussions on whether ex-Labour leader broke Covid-19 restrictions. rt.com 
Piers Corbyn and a friend dressed as Santa Claus turned up at the former Labour Party leader's door with little social distancing. | In a Christmas Piers shook hands with his brother, b…
(2020-12-29). COVID-19 Learns From Experience, Unlike Boris Johnson and His Crew. counterpunch.org 
Fear is at a high point in Britain at the moment and with very good reason. There is much to be frightened of as it turns out that Covid-19 has been quicker to learn from experience than bumbling Boris Johnson and his third-eleven team during a calamitous year in which they have zig-zagged between panic and complacency.
(2020-12-29). Endings for Beginnings: Reaching a Brexit Deal. counterpunch.org 
It was a hurried dash and came just before the end of the transition period. The UK and the European Union have reached an agreement on the torturously long road of Brexit. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson can take the deal back to his constituents and Parliament, claiming he achieved something less horrendous than a
(2020-12-29). For the Ruthless Abolition of the Caste System. mronline.org The Communist movement in India celebrated its centenary on October 17, 2020. The party was founded in Tashkent (USSR) in 1920. A decade later, most of the leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) were arrested by the British colonial state and imprisoned in Meerut.
(2020-12-29). Taliban behind 99 percent attacks this year, Afghan intelligence says. laprensalatina.com Kabul, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The Taliban are behind 99 percent of the terror attacks carried out within the past year in Afghanistan, including a recent wave of almost daily targeted killings that have rocked the country, the principal intelligence agency of the country said on Tuesday. In 2020 "out of 18,200 attacks, 99 percent were …
(2020-12-29). Book Review: 'Out of Mesopotamia' Is a Great War Novel. scheerpost.com Introducing a new Book Review section on ScheerPost, edited by Eunice Wong. By Chris Hedges / Original to ScheerPost Salar Abdoh's novel, " Out of Mesopotamia," is one of a handful of great modern war novels. It tells the story of Saleh, a jaded, middle-aged Iranian reporter — one suspects a bit like Abdoh himself — who accompanies Shia militias, as Abdoh did, in Iraq and Syria during the heavy… |
(2020-12-29). The Imperative To Achieve National Improved Medicare For All. zcomm.org This time around, the "Yes we can" slogan so common under Obama must mean that, yes, the people can overcome the plutocrats and put people over profits…
(2020-12-29). Fiat Chrysler forced to abandon plans for 84-hour workweeks for skilled trades at Sterling Heights Assembly Plant. wsws.org The company was forced to shelve plans for a longer working week after workers took to the World Socialist Web Site to express their opposition.
(2020-12-29). Full details of COVID-19 infections at Cricklewood garage must be published. wsws.org Despite the preventable deaths of 35 London bus workers, a new wave of infections has struck, with information about garage outbreaks deliberately concealed in the interests of "operational efficiency", i.e., profits.
(2020-12-29). China Beefs up Anti-COVID-19 Measures as Local Cases Emerge. telesurenglish.net Beijing has expanded its nucleic acid testing and tightened COVID-19 prevention measures following new reports of local COVID-19 infections. | RELATED: | "The city faces a grim and complicated situation with risks of further infections still present," Beijing municipal government spokesperson Xu Hejian said. | Several locally transmitted cases have recently emerged in Chaoyang, Xicheng and Shunyi districts of Beijing…
(2020-12-29). South Africa: COVID-19 Second Wave Hits Harder Than The First. telesurenglish.net The South African government announced on Monday the country's return to the level three lockdown as COVID-19 infections surpassed the first wave with 7000 new cases reported in the last 24hrs. | RELATED: | "Yesterday we reported 1,011,871 cumulative cases with over 7,000 new cases. In this last epidemiological week, we have surpassed the peak of the first wave and we had indicated that the epidemiological picture would compel us to tighten restrictions," the gov…
(2020-12-29). Workers demand answers over COVID-19 infections at Cricklewood garage. wsws.org Despite the preventable deaths of 35 London bus workers, a new wave of infections has struck, with information about garage outbreaks deliberately concealed in the interests of "operational efficiency", i.e., profits.
(2020-12-29). Uruguay: Circus Artists Demand Work Amid New COVID-19 Measures. telesurenglish.net Dozens of Uruguayan circus companies demanded jobs during the summer period, after President Luis Lacalle's administration prevented them from performing due to the new anti-COVID-19 measures. | RELATED: | "Summer is the time of greatest demand for the sector. We claim our right to work," the artists stated as they called "extremist and unilateral" the new health policies. | In a statement released through social networks, th…
(2020-12-29). Ford Kansas City Assembly worker dies after testing positive for COVID-19. wsws.org The worker had been at KCAP over a decade and was employed by a cleaning vendor at the plant, workers said.
(2020-12-29). Beijing Pushes 'National Team' of State-Owned Enterprises to Drive Industrial Growth. sputniknews.com After China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were the quickest firms to rebound after the country's COVID-19 related shutdowns earlier this year, Beijing has reconsidered their value in the coming year, especially in light of the self-sufficiency priorities of the new five-year plan.
(2020-12-29). EU to Purchase Another 100 Million Doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. sputniknews.com The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine received authorization for conditional use from the European Commission on December 21. The decision came on the same day that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended authorizing the vaccine.
(2020-12-29). Trump Executive Order on Private School Vouchers Denounced as 'Last-Ditch Effort to Claim Victory' in War on Public Education. commondreams.org "Trump fought against funding for public education for months, then does this as he begrudgingly signs [the] Covid relief bill." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/school_2.jpg …
(2020-12-29). Advocates Call for Medical Parole to Avoid 'Unintentional Death Sentences' as Covid-19 Ravages US Prisons. commondreams.org "The bottom line is, there are still thousands of people who are at very high risk of death trapped in a prison system where there's no way that they can avoid the virus." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/covid-prisons-1in5_0.png …
(2020-12-29). COVID-19 Learns From Experience, Unlike Boris Johnson and His Crew. zcomm.org Traditional English deference towards the powers-that-be is wearing thin but, even so, many people resist facing up to the comic opera inadequacy of British leadership at a time of such extreme national peril — understandably so since it is a truly frightening sight…
(2020-12-29). Covid-19 and the Nightmare of Food Insecurity. thenation.com Covid-19 and the Nightmare of Food Insecurity…
(2020-12-29). The virus that shut down the world: The plight of refugees and migrants. news.un.org In part four of our review of the global impact of COVID-19, UN News considers the new challenges faced by refugees and migrants during 2020; from a heightened risk of catching the COVID-19 virus in crowded camps, to being stranded due to travel restrictions, and becoming the targets of criminal gangs.
(2020-12-29). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Air traffic controllers in Peru held a three-day strike over the Christmas holiday to protest lack of COVID protection, while Ecuador police attacked workers occupying the Explocen mining explosives plant south of Quito.
(2020-12-29). Nearly 4,800 New Virus Cases Reported in Tennessee. laprensalatina.com SHELBY CO., TN (WMC) — There are nearly 4,800 new COVID-19 cases in Tennessee as of Tuesday afternoon with the addition of 122 virus-related deaths. The Tennessee Department of Health says the state has seen over 572,000 total cases and 6,710 death since the first case was identified here in March. The number of inactive/recovered …
(2020-12-29). Pakistan confirms first cases of new Covid variant from UK. laprensalatina.com Islamabad, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Pakistani authorities on Tuesday confirmed the first three cases of the new British strain of the novel coronavirus after testing 12 passengers who had arrived from the United Kingdom. "The Health Department of Sindh (province) took samples of UK returnees for genotyping, out of 6 were positive and 3 showed the …
(2020-12-29). Argentina prepares to roll out Sputnik Covid-19 vaccine. laprensalatina.com Buenos Aires, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- Argentina mobilized Monday to distribute 300,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to hospitals in each of the 34 provinces amid concerns about a second wave of infections in the South American country that has already lost nearly 43,000 lives to Covid-19. The operation was on track "to initiate …
(2020-12-29). Nearly 282,000 vaccinated against Covid-19 in eastern China. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A province in eastern China has already inoculated nearly 282,000 people from risk groups who have received emergency Covid-19 vaccines so far, the official Global Times reported Tuesday. The region was the first to start the vaccination campaign in China. Regional authorities said hundreds of health workers have administered nearly …
(2020-12-29). India finds 6 cases of new covid variant among travelers from Britain. laprensalatina.com New Delhi, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Six people who flew in from Britain recently have tested positive for the more contagious strain of the coronavirus that has prompted fresh border closures across the world after it was first detected in the United Kingdom. "All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated health …
(2020-12-29). Argentina starts nationwide COVID-19 vaccinations. peoplesdispatch.org On December 24, the South American nation received the first 300,000 doses out of a total order of over 10 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. In the first round it has prioritized the health workers for the administration of the vaccine.
(2020-12-29). 'Laboratories Should Rush To Sell Vaccines' Bolsonaro Says. telesurenglish.net Brazil's President Bolsonaro downplayed the absence of a mass vaccination plan and blamed COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers for not approaching the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to offer their products. | RELATED: | "Brazil has 210 million inhabitants. It is a huge consumer market. Laboratories are the ones that should be interested in selling the vaccine. Why then don't they present the documentatio…
(2020-12-29). Western Sahara Remains a Crucial Legitimizing Crutch for the Moroccan Monarchy. counterpunch.org On Monday, December 14th, a small group of demonstrators attempted to convene a protest outside Morocco's pretend parliament in the polished French colonial era centre ville of Rabat. The demonstrators, representing a handful of Moroccan Palestine solidarity organizations, hoped to display public opposition to the Moroccan monarchy's normalization of political relations with Israel, which had
(2020-12-29). Honduran Social Organizations Reject Murder of Indigenous Leader. telesurenglish.net Honduras' social organizations Tuesday rejected the murder of Felix Vasquez, a Lenca Indigenous leader and pre-candidate for Congress. | RELATED: | Representatives of the movements Coalition Against Impunity (CCI), Lenca Indigenous People Coordinator, and La Paz Farmers urged authorities to find those responsible. | "There must be justice for Vasquez. Authorities must hold a prompt and effective investigation, so p…
(2020-12-29). Neera Tanden and Antony Blinken Personify 'Moderate' Rot. indybay.org Neoliberal corporatists move in…
(2020-12-29). Trump Has Revealed the Extreme Fragility of American Democracy. zcomm.org I think both Trump and Trumpism will remain with us for a long time, both the individual himself and the poisonous currents he has unleashed…
(2020-12-29). Never Belonging: George Blake's Spy Exploits. dissidentvoice.org Filling the espionage ranks with legions of the non-belonging comes with its share of risk. The process is counter-intuitive, putting stock in skill and aptitude above the potential compromise of loyalty and divergence. Eventually, such a recruit might find a set of closely guarded principles. The son of a Sephardic Jew and Dutch Protestant might …
(2020-12-29). The NDAA, Trump and the Military Industrial Complex. globalresearch.ca For decades, the National Defense Authorization Act has been the lifeblood of the US imperium, guaranteeing a flow of money across the military. A better term for such a bill would use the word offence in it, but lawmakers and …
(2020-12-29). Biden's Victory Does Not Guarantee a Progressive Agenda. We Must Fight for It. zcomm.org Progressives must hold Biden's feet to the fire and demand that he govern for the 99 percent and not the 1 percent…
(2020-12-29). A Dalit and a Brahmin. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2020-12-29). Bangladesh government relocates hundreds of Rohingya refugees to remote Island. peoplesdispatch.org So far over 3,400 refugees have been sent to the island of Bhasan Char, located in the Meghna river's estuary, 40 miles away from the mainland. Critics say the island is prone to flooding…
(2020-12-29). Active-duty Spanish officers hail retired officers' fascist calls for mass murder. wsws.org Despite the PSOE-Podemos government's denials, calls by retired officers for a fascist coup and mass murder of left-wing voters have broad support among serving officers.
(2020-12-29). Colombia: Workers Unions Reject Minimum Wage Increase for 2021. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Workers Central Union (CUT) on Tuesday rejected the 2021 minimum wage increase set at 3.5 percent and called it "humiliating." | RELATED: | "To tell a worker that they increased US$0.29 a day is a humiliation…is a humiliating increase in the minimum wage compared to the 5.2 percent in congressmen's wage," CUT President Diogenes Orjuela said. | Including a transportation subsidy, the monthly minimum wage will shift from US…
(2020-12-29). End of the Year Thoughts on Inequality and Its Remedies. cepr.net The approach of the end of the year seems a good time to sum up thoughts. My comments here will not be news to regular readers, but may be to others. Also, this exercise is helpful for me to keep my thoughts clear. (I also expect to take next week off, so you won't be …
(2020-12-29). The Future Vision of Free Citizens: Leading Humanity to Freedom. Towards a New Social Order. globalresearch.ca Free citizens who stand up against tyranny have nothing against those in power. They do nothing to them. They fight for a more just order, for their right to life, to freedom, peace and security. When nothing else helps, that …
(2020-12-29). Argentineans to Hold Vigil in Support of Safe Abortion Bill. telesurenglish.net Argentina's feminist movements Tuesday called for a vigil in front of Congress to accompany the Senate vote on the Safe Abortion bill. | RELATED: | The vote, which will begin on Tuesday afternoon and end on Wednesday morning, will also be accompanied by anti-abortion demonstrations. | The square in front of the Congress will be divided with a fence. The left side will be set for women's rights activists, while the right si…
(2020-12-29). Loujain al-Hathloul convicted and sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison; may be released in March. peoplesdispatch.org A Saudi court dealing with terrorism cases sentenced Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and 8 months in prison. The court suspended a part of the term and also backdated the term due to which she may be released in March…
(2020-12-29). New York lawmakers ban evictions until May. nationofchange.org "This bill is only a temporary solution to the urgent housing crisis we find ourselves in."
(2020-12-29). 'Lockdown With No Wages' Is Rejected by Panamanian Workers. telesurenglish.net Panama's National Union of Construction Workers (Suntracs) on Tuesday took to the streets to demand that President Laurentino Cortizo not suspend wages during the quarantine that will be established in the first two weeks of January. | RELATED: | "The problem here is not the quarantine… The problem is that they send people penniless to their homes. That is why we are protesting," Suntracs Secretary Saul Mendez explained…
(2020-12-29). 2020: The year of united struggles against racism. peoplesdispatch.org [Peoples Dispatch brings you a series of articles and videos on 2020, a momentous year that saw humanity face unprecedented challenges. The beacon of hope remained the historic resistance mounted by people's movements, and the care and solidarity they epitomized, proving yet again that our collective struggles alone can dismantle and end oppression. You can see the full series As far-right forces are gaining power in different regions, racism is finding courage to rear its ugly head again. Humanity, as a result, is regressing, instead of mo…
(2020-12-29). Tribes: A short comedy film mocks identity politics. wsws.org "I want to tell this story to show that, in essence, we're all part of the same tribe."—Director Nino Aldi.
(2020-12-29). French unions and IndustriALL offer cover up for strangling of Constellium strike. wsws.org The United Steelworkers continues to isolate the strike of 400 metalworkers at the Constellium aluminum plant in Muscle Shoals, Alabama while the French FTM-CGT union has offered up empty promises of support.
(2020-12-29). Unanswered questions in the SolarWinds Orion hack. wsws.org As more details about the unprecedented hack of SolarWinds become available, questions continue to mount about the nature of the "supply chain attack" and how it is being presented by the corporate media and the US political establishment.
(2020-12-29). Midwest Dispatch: How Past Economic Policies Influenced Racism of Today. progressive.org Though the 2020 murder of George Floyd inspired a global racial reckoning, the injustices he faced date back to his childhood in the 1980s.
(2020-12-29). Australia: Hundreds of train drivers in Melbourne quit union to protest sell out. wsws.org Drivers should form rank-and-file committees on every line and in every depot, with trusted workers elected to lead the fight against the new industrial agreement.
(2020-12-29). Peru: Keiko Fujimori To Take Part in the Presidential Election. telesurenglish.net Peru's Superior Court ruled out a request by the Prosecutor's Office to disqualify the right-wing party Popular Force (FP) led by Keiko Fujimori for alleged illegal contributions received from the Brazilian company Odebrecht. | RELATED: | Judge Victor Zuñiga took the decision whi…
(2020-12-29). Coronavirus and Freedom of Expression. "The Right to Tell People Things They Do Not Want to Hear." globalresearch.ca Free speech is the bedrock on which all our other freedoms rest, yet it is currently in greater peril than at any time since the Second World War. The
(2020-12-29). Bolivia's Govt Grants 20% of the Budget to Health and Education. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's President Luis Arce on Monday enacted three laws that will allocate 20 percent of the 2021 budget to the health and education sectors. | RELATED: | "We are focused on achieving greater social justice after the recession left by the coup-born regime led by Jeanine Añez. Everything is pointing to an economy with better indicators in 2021," Arce said. | On Monday, the government promoted the General State Budget Laws (PGE) 2021, the Gre…
(2020-12-29). American Carnage: An Index. progressive.org Here are some metrics of the United States after four years of Donald Trump.
(2020-12-29). Tensions Between China and India May Soon Rise as Trump Approves Historic Tibet Act. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2020-12-29). 6.2 Earthquake Hits Croatia, at Least 7 Dead. telesurenglish.net At least 7 people died on Tuesday during a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale, in Petrinja city, central Croatia, southeast of the capital, Zagreb. | RELATED: | Croatian Defense Minister Tomo Medved reported six deaths including a 12 year old girl. "We have a lot of victims. In the vicinity of Glina, in the town of Majske Poljane, five deaths have been confirmed so far. With a girl from Petrinja, a total of six…
(2020-12-29). Cuban 'Independent' Media Serve US Government Objectives. telesurenglish.net They call themselves "independent or alternative", but it is curious that all those who run CiberCuba, ADN Cuba, Cubanos por el Mundo, Cubita Now, Cubanet, Periodismo de Barrio, El Toque, El Estornudo and YucaByte, among others, live abroad, mostly in the United States, and their communication strategies are the formula for the political design that prevails in that country. | Maykel González, from the subversive site Tremenda Nota, publicly stated that, during his stay in the United States, specifically in the state of Ohio, he attended an academic program with professors from the university. | "There was a c…
(2020-12-29). Want Bargaining Rights with That? progressive.org Two new bills are protecting fast-food workers in New York City from being fired without just cause.
(2020-12-29). Chicago Teachers Union will go to trial on CPS refusal to bargain over reopening. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On December 17, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB), on a split 2-1 vote, denied the union's request to seek a preliminary injunction against Chicago Public Schools' unilaterally-developed plan to resume in-person learning on January 4. | The two-member majority of the IELRB, Lara Shayne and Gilbert O'Brien, did so on the narrow grounds that they believe a full evidentiary trial is needed to determine whether Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is obligated under a provision of state law that only applies to Chicago Public Schools – Section 4.5 of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations…
(2020-12-29). This week in history: December 28-January 3. wsws.org 25 years ago: AT&T announces massive cuts, leading corporate assault on jobsOn January 2, 1996, AT&T announced it would slash over 40,000 jobs, bringing the new year in the same way the previous one ended, with major corporations posting record profits while destroying jobs on a massive scale.
(2020-12-29). French unions and IndustriALL offer cover up for strangling of Constellium strike in Alabama. wsws.org The United Steelworkers continues to isolate the strike of 400 metalworkers at the Constellium aluminum plant in Muscle Shoals, Alabama while the French FTM-CGT union has offered up empty promises of support.
(2020-12-29). Frank Capra's Defense of Humanity: Cinema Considered as a Moral Institution. globalresearch.ca For those who find themselves with excess time this holiday season which they would prefer not to squander with idleness or Netflix binges, then I'd like to offer this serving of Frank Capra films to uplift the soul. | Frank Capra …
(2020-12-29). Chile Experienced an Increase in Femicides in 2020. telesurenglish.net Chile's Network for No Violence Against Women (CN) warned of the increase of femicides tallies in the country, reporting 56 cases so far this year. | RELATED: | The CN highlighted that current femicide figures are higher than those recorded in 2019 when 45 assassinations were reported. The crimes were committed in 14 of the country's 16 regions. | Most of the victims were between 24 and 30 years old, while 65 perc…
(2020-12-29). Why Not Take Congressional Proxy Voting All the Way? counterpunch.org The Hill reports that US House Republicans, who made a show earlier this year of opposing remote and proxy voting in Congress, are warming to the latter practice. US Representative Paul Mitchell (R-MI) gave his proxy to US Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) in early December, declaring by tweet that "I will not risk my family's
(2020-12-29). Educating the City Manager (and his Neighbors). indybay.org On December 20th and 21st, Santa Cruz Union activists demonstrated and spoke in front of City Manager Martin Bernal's suburban house at 96 Brookwood Drive. Bernal's police have begun demolition of the San Lorenzo survival campgrounds destroying tents, gear, and other property. In winter weather, with no winter shelter, defying a shelter-in-place CDC order–Bernal's decree raised much outrage.
(2020-12-29). Toxic Vaccine Ingredients: The Devil is in the Details. indybay.org Dierdre Imus, NY radio host, bestselling author, wants toxic ingredients removed from vaccines.
(2020-12-29). Experts Criticize Paleo Diet And Lectin Attacking Steven Gundry. indybay.org Steven Gundry promotes slaughterhouse foods and attacks fruits and vegetables.
(2020-12-29). Abraham Lincoln's Bloody Statue & Legacy. indybay.org As of yet, we don't know who vandalized the statue, but history may give us a clue as to why.
(2020-12-29). 'Badger' to vie at 13th Jaipur International Film Festival. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — Iranian feature 'Badger' directed by Kazem Molaie , has been accepted at the competition section of the 13th Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF) in India.
(2020-12-29). Iran emphasizes resumption of gas export to Iraq. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) — Iranian Energy Minister emphasized resuming gas export to Iraq in a meeting with the Prime Minister of the country on Tuesday.
(2020-12-29). 1st solo exhibition of Iran handwoven carpets opened in China. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) — First solo exhibition of Iran handwoven carpets and handicrafts was inaugurated in historical-cultural city of Nanjing, capital of China's Jiangsu province on Tue. in presence of Consul General of Iran in Shanghai.
(2020-12-29). Iran, Russia defense coop. based on Intl. law. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) — Russian Foreign Minister said that Moscow's defense cooperation with Iran is in accordance with international law.
(2020-12-29). Citrus fruit sorting in Mazandaran. en.mehrnews.com TONEKABON, Dec. 29 (MNA) — Mazandaran province is the hub of Iran's citrus fruit harvest. With the onset of the winter, many units are busy sorting the fruits to prepare them for the domestic and international markets.
(2020-12-29). Iran has made salient progresses in nanotechnology field. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the country has made salient progresses and achievements in the field of nanotechnology which is a matter of proud for the country.
(2020-12-29). Martyrdom anniversary of Hazrat Fatemeh (PBUH) held in Tehran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) — Martyrdom anniversary of daughter of Holy Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (PBUH) was held in Tehran's Imamzadeh Saleh of Tajrish on Monday.
(2020-12-29). Sudan, Ethiopia dispatch armed forces to common border areas. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) — Following the escalation of tensions between Sudan and Ethiopia, both sides have dispatched military forces to common border areas.
(2020-12-29). Iranian, Qatari FMs discuss latest developments in region. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) — Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held a telephone talk with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the latest development in the region and bilateral ties on Tue.
(2020-12-29). Former Co-Worker Reportedly Says Alleged Nashville Bomber Had Anti-Cop History. sputniknews.com Anthony Quinn Warner, a 63-year-old Nashville, Tennessee, resident, was the sole fatality of the detonation of his RV in the city's downtown area. The blast injured at least eight other individuals and damaged dozens of buildings, including an AT&T transmission building housing connection points for regional internet and wireless communications.
(2020-12-29). At Least 1 Killed, 3 Soldiers Injured After 'Israeli Aggression' in Damascus Airspace – SANA. sputniknews.com On Wednesday, state-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that explosions were heard in Damascus area as Syrian air defenses were responding to what was described as "Israeli aggression".
(2020-12-29). In 'Monumental Win for Reproductive Freedom,' Mass. Lawmakers Override Governor's Veto to Affirm and Expand Abortion Rights. commondreams.org A coalition of supporters celebrated the development as "an important step in removing medically unnecessary barriers to abortion care." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12292967921.jpg …
(2020-12-29). Citing Violation of Federal Law, Judge Halts Voter Purges in Rural Georgia Counties Ahead of Senate Runoffs. commondreams.org Officials in two rural counties in Georgia late Monday were ordered by a U.S. District judge to stop invalidating voter registrations due to so-called "unreliable" change of address information, in a ruling that could protect more than 4,000 Georgia residents from voter suppression. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/georgia_0_0_1_0.jpg …
(2020-12-29). The 2020 Nashville Bombing vs. the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. globalresearch.ca The Nashville bombing raises questions about the Oklahoma City bombing. In 1995 the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was blown up. Allegedly, the building was destroyed by a fertilizer bomb in a Ryder rental truck parked on the street….
(2020-12-29). Kelly Loeffler's Sacrilegious Campaign. thenation.com Kelly Loeffler's Sacrilegious Campaign…
(2020-12-29). Are the Trumpers headed for history's dumpster? Don't count on it. salon.com Even as elected Republicans turn against Trump, the forces that gave him power remain intact. Beware the future…
(2020-12-29). Little house of maybe: "American Masters" on fact, fiction and the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. salon.com The beloved "Little House on the Prairie" author once said "All I have told is the truth, but not the whole truth"
(2020-12-29). "Maternal hostility" may predict whether one mistreats their adult romantic partners. salon.com The origins of "dehumanization" behavior may rest in childhood experiences, a new study says…
(2020-12-29). Best of 2020: Road trip to Powder Keg City — and the collapse of Seattle's autonomous zone. salon.com Our 2020 retrospective continues with this on the ground experience—hopeful, angry, sometimes violent—in Seattle…
(2020-12-29). In 2020, TV and film still couldn't get abortion right. salon.com Abortion was more prevalent on film and TV this year, but portrayals contained the same old inaccurate patterns…
(2020-12-29). Biden confirms his transition team's been hit with "obstruction" from Trump's White House, Pentagon. salon.com Many security agencies have "incurred enormous damage" under Trump, he said. "Many have been hollowed out"
(2020-12-29). Searching for ethical sugar. salon.com Unlike some other crops, sugar — the stand-alone product, as well as the ingredient — is lacking in traceability…
(2020-12-29). The final, desperate days of our psychopath in chief: How bad will it get?>. salon.com Our pathological president is sunk in worsening delusion, with three weeks to go. And none of this had to happen…
(2020-12-29). 2020: The Year Sports Should Have Stopped. thenation.com 2020: The Year Sports Should Have Stopped…
(2020-12-29). Letters From the January 11/28, 2021, Issue. thenation.com Letters From the January 11/28, 2021, Issue…
(2020-12-29). Lebanon: UN chief welcomes murder conviction for 1980 blue helmet killings. news.un.org United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed Lebanon's decision to bring to justice the man found guilty of killing two UN peacekeepers decades ago.
(2020-12-29). Netherlands violates nationality rights: UN rights committee. news.un.org The Netherlands has violated a child's rights by registering children under the category "nationality unknown" as opposed to Stateless — leaving them ineligible to access international protections, the UN Human Rights Committee ‚ÄØdeclared‚ÄØon Tuesday.
(2020-12-29). The Year That Labor Hung On By Its Fingertips. popularresistance.org Broad ≠ly speak ≠ing, there have been two very large labor sto ≠ries this year. The first is, "I have been forced into unem ≠ploy ≠ment due to the pan ≠dem ≠ic, and I am scared." And the sec ≠ond is, "I have been forced to con ≠tin ≠ue work ≠ing dur ≠ing the pan ≠dem ≠ic, and I am scared." America's labor reporters spent most of our year writ ≠ing vari ≠a ≠tions of these sto ≠ries, in each com ≠pa ≠ny and in each indus ≠try and in each city. Those sto ≠ries con ≠tin ≠ue to this day. | The fed ≠er &…
(2020-12-29). Energix Faces Opposition In Syria And Virginia. popularresistance.org In early December hundreds of Syrians gathered to protest the Israeli company Energix as it began construction of massive wind turbines in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Energix is also facing growing community opposition across Virginia as it lobbies to secure permits to build solar energy utilities on mostly agricultural parcels with cultural, forest and natural land designations. In Golan Heights, Energix freely wields the power of Israeli police and courts to transcend community opposition. In Virginia, Energix steamrolls community opponents empowered by massive federal and state subsidies and a curious…
(2020-12-29). Biden Chooses Tom "Mr. Monsanto" Vilsack As Agriculture Secretary. popularresistance.org After weeks of rumors, President-elect Joe Biden confirmed last week that he has picked Tom Vilsack as his secretary of agriculture. Vilsack previously held the position under the Obama administration, from 2009 to 2017. This decision has disappointed many progressive Democrats who were hoping Biden's cabinet picks would include a more diverse coalition and signal a push to the left. Vilsack, on the contrary, is quite literally more of the same: a wealthy white man and establishment Democrat with countless corporate interests and an atrocious record on climate change and civil rights. | We should not be surprised…
(2020-12-29). A deadly Christmas in Germany. wsws.org The crocodile tears shed by Steinmeier in his Christmas address cannot disguise the fact the ruling class is responsible for the greatest mass deaths since the end of World War II.
(2020-12-29). Explosion in Nashville, Tennessee leaves thousands without communication, disrupts emergency services. wsws.org The motive behind the explosion, which occurred in the early hours of Christmas morning, is unclear.
(2020-12-29). 2020: The Year the Tree of Liberty Was Torched. globalresearch.ca "The people are unaware. They're not educated to realize that they have power. The system is so geared that everyone believes the government will fix everything. No doubt about it: 2020—a terrible, horrible, no …
(2020-12-29). Spain: Accord needed to avert hard border with Gibraltar. laprensalatina.com Madrid, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- Spain will begin customs and immigration checks on the Gibraltar border at the start of 2021 absent an accord with the United Kingdom on the territory's post-Brexit links with the European Union, the foreign minister said Monday, though she added that people who cross the boundary daily for work will not …
(2020-12-29). Brexit deal paves way for further conflicts. wsws.org Ultimately, the deal does nothing other than set the short-term parameters for the ongoing conflict between the UK and the European Union.
(2020-12-29). 2020 Has Shown Us the Way Forward. commondreams.org A new kind of social justice movement has risen above the misery of 2020, and it has taken root in our common humanity. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/jeffries-warfield-2020-human-together-1024×614.jpg …
(2020-12-29). Hey, America, You Want a True Conservative Party? commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1228132951_1.jpg …
(2020-12-29). McConnell Objects as Sanders, Senate Democrats Attempt to Force Vote on $2,000 Checks. commondreams.org "Working families need help now. Not next year, now," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/mcconnell_25.jpg …
(2020-12-29). The Seven Secrets of 2020. commondreams.org This year has resembled a rapidly receding tide, forcing us to confront submerged truths. One lesson we learned in 2020 is that national governments had been choosing not to exercise their enormous powers so that those whom globalization had enriched could exercise their own. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/3421314060_919f1a5efa_c.jpg …
(2020-12-29). Venezuela Signs Agreement for Mass Vaccination With Sputnik V. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, Venezuela signed a contract with Russia to begin mass vaccination of its citizens with the Sputnik V vaccine. | RELATED: | "In the first stage of the coronavirus vaccination campaign, 10 million people will get the Russian medicine," Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said, although she did not inform about the start date of the campaign. | Health Minister Carlos Alvarado, Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arre…
(2020-12-29). The DOJ's Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google Is Gaining Ground. truthout.org Janine Jackson interviewed EFF's Mitch Stoltz about breaking up Google for the Janine Jackson: There is such a thing as a company simply having too much power; even without evidence of malign intent, it just isn't healthy. | That's the basic thinking behind antitrust law in this country. And if the power is ove…
(2020-12-29). Bernie Sanders Vows to Filibuster Military Budget to Force Vote on $2,000 Checks. truthout.org Sen. Bernie Sanders is
(2020-12-29). Strong earthquake hits central Croatia. laprensalatina.com Belgrade/Zagreb, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck central Croatia on Tuesday, causing extensive material damage and an unconfirmed number of casualties. Darinko Dumbovic, the mayor of Petrinja, a town in central Croatia near the epicenter, described the situation in an interview with Radio Croatia as "chaos." "Petrinja is in ruins. There have been …
(2020-12-29). China say EU investment deal close after 'major progress'. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A Chinese official on Tuesday said "major progress" had been made in the negotiations for the business investment deal with the European Union and expected an agreement to be announced at "an early date." European diplomats have signalled that the deal, in talks since 2014, could be finalized on Wednesday. Negotiators …
(2020-12-29). Rohingya refugees arrive in remote island in Bangladesh despite criticism. laprensalatina.com By Monirul Alam and Azad Mazumder Bhasan Char, Bangladesh/Dhaka, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Mohammad Abdullah On Tuesday set sail for Bangladesh's remote Bhasan Char island along with nearly 2,000 other Rohingya refugees, hoping to find a better life that remained elusive both in the overcrowded camps in the Cox's Bazar district and his native Rakhine province …
(2020-12-29). Baràßa drop points at home; Sevilla climb to 4th. laprensalatina.com Sports Desk, Dec 29 (EFE).- Barcelona bid farewell to 2020 on Tuesday with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Eibar, currently 15th in LaLiga. While the visitors celebrated their best-ever result at Camp Nou, the Blaugrana were left to ponder how they have managed to drop 9 of 27 possible points at home less than halfway …
(2020-12-29). Anti-abortion groups march in Argentina ahead of senate vote. laprensalatina.com Buenos Aires, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- Hundreds of anti-abortion demonstrators gathered on Monday at Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires to protest against a bill to legalize abortion. Senate lawmakers will debate and vote on the bill on Tuesday. Standing on a platform a few meters from the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, the demonstrators asked the …
(2020-12-29). Shelby County First Responders Encourage Memphians to Get Vaccinated. laprensalatina.com SHELBY COUNTY, TN (WMC) — First responders and certain high-risk frontline health care workers received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine, including Shelby County law enforcement and firefighters. Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner and Memphis Fire Director Gina Sweat all got the vaccine. As of now, no Shelby County …
(2020-12-29). NGOs denounce holding Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia despite repression. laprensalatina.com Beirut, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and other associated NGOs on Tuesday criticized the decision to hold the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia for a second consecutive year, despite ongoing repression, including the recent jailing of a woman's rights activist. "A year later, the repression orchestrated by the Saudi authorities …
(2020-12-29). China says EU investment deal close after 'major progress'. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A Chinese official on Tuesday said "major progress" had been made in the negotiations for the business investment deal with the European Union and expected an agreement to be announced at "an early date." European diplomats have signalled that the deal, in talks since 2014, could be finalized on Wednesday. Negotiators …
(2020-12-29). Diego Costa pens early end to Atlético Madrid contract. laprensalatina.com Madrid, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Diego Costa has ended his contract with Atlético Madrid six months after expressing his desire to leave for personal reasons, the club confirmed Tuesday. The Spanish-Brazilian striker, who plays for Spain, has officially been an Atlético player in three stints spanning 2007-2020. In that time he also plied his trade with …
(2020-12-29). Watchdog says 50 journalists killed in 2020, majority in countries not at war. laprensalatina.com By Maria D. Valderrama Paris, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A total of 50 journalists were killed in connection with their work in 2020, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Tuesday, warning that more media persons were being murdered in countries not at war. "More journalists are being killed in countries considered to be 'at peace'," RSF said …
(2020-12-29). Shelby County Health Department Directs Movie Theaters to Close Doors. laprensalatina.com MEMPHIS, TN (localmemphis.com) — Shelby County moviegoers will have to drive a little further to get their cinematic experience. Malco which is locally owned and has been in business for over 100 years said the Shelby County Health Department mandated the closure of some of its theaters. Movie theaters are not specifically mentioned in the …
(2020-12-29). At least 6 dead in powerful Croatia earthquake. laprensalatina.com Belgrade/Zagreb, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- At least six people died, including a 12-year-old girl, around midday on Tuesday in the powerful earthquake that struck central Croatia, and rescue operations are continuing to find and remove people — and possibly more bodies — from the rubble of homes and buildings, local authorities reported. Many of the buildings …
(2020-12-29). I Am Greta isn't about climate change. It's about the elusiveness of sanity in an insane world. zcomm.org We are in an ideological bubble—and one that will burst as surely as the financial kind. Thunberg is that still, small voice of sanity outside the bubble…
(2020-12-29). Black Lives Matter and the Future of Humanity. zcomm.org Those of us organizing and theorizing need to see commonalities between movements and recognize we are in this for the long haul…
(2020-12-29). What happened to democracy in 2020? We ask our contributors. zcomm.org We ask experts from around the world: what happened to democracy in 2020 – and what comes next? Here are their reflections…
(2020-12-29). America—and the Democrats—Won't Have a Future If Joe Biden Adopts a Centrist Agenda. zcomm.org Biden needs to reshape himself into a left-wing populist, and he can do so without explicitly labeling himself as such. The future of the nation and planet depend on it…
(2020-12-29). US fearmongering on China not rooted in facts, but racism. zcomm.org Bipartisan mistrust of the world's emerging economic superpower rooted largely in bigoted tropes and stereotypes…
(2020-12-29). Seven Things to Know about BC's Connection to India's Revolts. zcomm.org "Zindabad!" The celebratory rallying cry is being sounded by hundreds of millions of farmers protesting in the streets of Delhi — and it rings out from growing car parades and rallies in British Columbia's Lower Mainland over recent weeks…
(2020-12-29). A Feminist Blueprint for Saving Democracy in the U.S.—and Beyond. zcomm.org Feminists know that building transnational solidarity is often crucial when trying to counter domestic oppression…
(2020-12-29). Housing crisis fuels poverty and inequality in New Zealand. wsws.org Two workers living in Porirua, where the median rent is $595 a week, told the WSWS that the Labour Party government had done nothing to improve living standards.
(2020-12-29). Video: The Future of Vaccines. globalresearch.ca If the Gateses and the Faucis and the representatives of the international medical establishment get their way, life will not return to normal until the entire planet is vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. | What many do not yet understand, however, is that …
(2020-12-29). Israel's fourth election in two years dominated by far-right forces. wsws.org Netanyahu faces a strong challenge from the far right, his former colleagues. These forces have moved to fill the vacuum left after Benny Gantz joined and served as Netanyahu's political accomplice in imposing the government's "herd immunity" policies.
(2020-12-28). Nicolas Maduro Highlights Army's Role During A Historic Year. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro congratulated on Monday the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) for helping to keep the country at "peace, alive, active, standing, in victory for unity, for territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence and civic-military resistance." | RELATED: | Maduro said that the FANB has become into "a well-established Bolivarian National Armed Forces, stronger and more united than ever," as its men and wom…
(2020-12-28). Serbia Becomes Hub for Russia's Gas Distribution in the Balkans. globalresearch.ca With the TurkStream gas pipeline now running through Serbia, the Balkan country will enjoy numerous benefits when exports begin, such as energy stability, the opportunity to get cheaper gas, and additional tax revenue. On December 25, Serbia successfully tested the …
(2020-12-28). Blood Gold. Dubai's "Gold Hub" and the Swiss Connection. globalresearch.ca Background | The
(2020-12-28). Thousands of Americans "Negatively-Affected" Following COVID-19 Vaccination. Anaphylaxis, Severe Allergic Reaction. globalresearch.ca Thousands of people have been unable to work or perform daily activities, or required care from a healthcare professional, after getting the new As of …
(2020-12-28). Lebanon's president compelled to say he'll take Covid vaccine as conspiracies spread. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon's president compelled to say he'll take Covid vaccine as conspiracies spread | Michel Aoun's spokesperson had told MEE 85-year-old was yet to make a decision on getting the jab, as healthcare officials urge a public awareness campaign | Mon, 12/28/2020 – 16: 44 | A supporter of Lebanese President Michel Aoun wears a face mask with a drawing of the president and the writing in Arabic t…
(2020-12-28). As Covid conspiracies spread, Lebanon's president 'doesn't know' if he'll take vaccine. middleeasteye.net As Covid conspiracies spread, Lebanon's president 'doesn't know' if he'll take vaccine | Michel Aoun's spokesperson tells MEE president has not decided whether to take jab, as healthcare officials urge a public awareness campaign | Mon, 12/28/2020 – 16: 44 | A supporter of Lebanese President Michel Aoun wears a face mask with a drawing of the president and the writing in Arabic that reads "Yo…
(2020-12-28). Eight German care home employees jabbed with 5 TIMES Pfizer vaccine dose, 4 hospitalized with Covid-like symptoms. rt.com 
Eight nursing home workers in Stralsund received five times the normal dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, sending half of them to the hospital with Covid-19 symptoms — but the company insists the megadose is safe. | A group of care home employees in the northeastern town of Stralsund was accidentally dosed with five times the prescribed amount of Pfizer-BioNTech's newly approved Covid-19 vaccine on Sunday — the first day Germany began vaccinating healthcare workers and nursing home residents against the virus. | Eight employees received five times the 30-microgram (mcg) dose of the jab…
(2020-12-28). In the Fight Against Poor Health, the USA Is Punching Well Below Its Weight. commondreams.org By focusing more on battling inequality, new research shows, the United States could significantly improve American life expectancy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/healthcare_inequality_1.jpg …
(2020-12-28). Political Instability in the Central African Republic, The Role of China-Russia Cooperation. globalresearch.ca The Chinese-Russian strategic partnership could be leveraged to stabilize the CAR after this Sunday's elections and might eventually become a model for them to apply towards their other African partners too. | The Central African Republic (CAR) has once again attracted …
(2020-12-28). Bosnia and Herzegovina: Migrant lives at 'immediate risk', warn UN agencies. news.un.org United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners have called on authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to act urgently to help hundreds of migrants, stranded and without shelter, amid freezing winter temperatures.
(2020-12-28). Bolivia: Cochabamba Farmers Request a Lawsuit Against Añez. telesurenglish.net The Six Federations of the Cochabamba Tropics (CTF) held an assembly to demand justice for the victims of the Sacaba and Senkata massacres, which were committed by the coup-born government led by Jeanine Añez in 2019. | RELATED: | Chaired by the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) leader Evo Morales, the CTF requested the activation of a lawsuit against Añez and other officials for crimes against humanity, including…
(2020-12-28). How Amazon Destroys The Intellectual Justifications For Capitalism. popularresistance.org Amazon doesn't fit comfortably within the free-market fable of how capitalism is supposed to operate. We are, in theory, supposed to get freedom, competition, the reward of innovation, the elimination of all-powerful centralized bureaucracy. But consider this recent Wall Street Journal report on how Amazon destroys its competitors. Essentially, because Amazon is gigantic and has vast sums of money at its disposal, it does not need to "innovate" the same way smaller companies do. It can simply lift the innovations of others, and because it can undercut their prices, it can put them out of business. The Journal cit…
(2020-12-28). China — A Marxist Analysis. mronline.org 
Vijay on China: A Marxist Analysis…
(2020-12-28). The year that was….India's people fight back a hostile government. peoplesdispatch.org The right-wing Narendra Modi government used the pandemic and the lockdown to foist more exploitative policies. But the sustained resistance by people has shaken its hubris…
(2020-12-28). The 2020 Worldwide Corona Crisis: Destroying Civil Society, Engineered Economic Depression, Global Coup d'État and the "Great Reset" globalresearch.ca We are at the crossroads of one of the most serious crises in modern history. We are living history, yet our understanding of the flow of events since January 2020 has been blurred. Worldwide, people have been misled both by their governments and the media as to the causes and devastating consequences of the Covid-19 "pandemic".
(2020-12-28). A More Honest Perspective of the COVID-19 Pandemic. globalresearch.ca Since the first cases of the new coronavirus strain outside of China, every aspect of the pandemic's ever-changing amoebic narrative has been carefully controlled by the World Health Organization and major government health agencies. | High officials within a syndicate of …
(2020-12-28). One Year After First COVID-19 Report, Wuhan Doctor Who Filed Discovery Rejects 'Cover-Up' Narrative. sputniknews.com While the US government and mainstream media have attempted to rewrite the history of the opening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic to pin the blame for the outbreak on China, one of the central figures of that period has reaffirmed the speed and accuracy of the medical response in Wuhan.
(2020-12-28). 'If You Own the Seeds You Own the Food System': Campaigners Demand Public Ownership to Counter Big Ag Privatization. commondreams.org "Empty shelves during the pandemic made clear, allowing huge corporations to 'own' seeds is a very bad idea!" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/seed_bank.jpg …
(2020-12-28). Sacrificing freedom for the environment? German MP suggests restrictions 'similar' to Covid-19 lockdowns to fight climate change. rt.com 
Humanity should sacrifice "personal freedom" just as many nations did during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to successfully fight climate change, a German MP has said, adding that there will "never" be a vaccine against CO2. | Germany had barely started its coronavirus vaccination campaign when a Social Democratic MP, Karl Lauterbach, warned that his compatriots need to brace themselves for yet another challenge: global warming. | "We need measures to deal with climate change that are similar to the restrictions on personal freedom [imposed] to combat the pandemic," the professor of health economics and epidem…
(2020-12-28). Vaccination no guarantee of virus eradication: WHO officials. news.un.org In the final World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 press conference of the year, on Monday, senior officials warned that the virus is "not necessarily the big one", and that there is a real chance of another, more serious pandemic spreading across the world.
(2020-12-28). Be prepared for another, more severe pandemic: WHO officials. news.un.org In the final World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 press conference of the year, on Monday, senior officials warned that the virus is "not necessarily the big one", and that there is a real chance of another, more serious pandemic spreading across the world.
(2020-12-28). The virus that shut down the world: Education in crisis. news.un.org Children all over the world have had their education severely disrupted this year, as schools struggle to cope with repeated closures and re-openings, and the transition, if it's even an option, to online schooling. Disadvantaged children, however, have been worst-hit by the emergency measures. In part three of our look back at the effect that COVID-19 has had on the world, we focus on the education crisis provoked by the pandemic.
(2020-12-28). New Organizing Model Helps Build Worker Power. popularresistance.org When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and lockdowns started in March, a new class of "essential workers" continued to go to work across the United States under new dangerous conditions. As stories came out about workers lacking personal protective equipment, or PPE, and working in crowded workplaces, union workers began to take action. They stopped work, organized sick-outs, won hazard pay, protested employer COVID-19 policies that left them unsafe and negotiated for improvements. | Unions have made workplaces safer, as research has shown that unionized essential workers have had better COVID-19 workplace practices duri…
(2020-12-28). 'Demon Slayer' shatters box office records in Japan. laprensalatina.com Tokyo, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- "Demon Slayer," the film adaptation of the manga series "Kimetsu no Yaiba," has become the highest-grossing movie in Japan in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. The animated film has grossed 32.47 billion yen ($313 million) since its release two and a half months ago, according to data published by the …
(2020-12-28). The Times Square Ball, the final light of 2020. laprensalatina.com By Jorge Fuentelsaz New York, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- The Times Square Ball Drop is an annual institution in New York City but in this year of pandemic, people will be more eager than ever to see this huge sphere come to rest to mark the start of 2021. The ball will spend the final 60 …
(2020-12-28). Gone but not forgotten, Wuhan a year after coronavirus first emerged. laprensalatina.com By Jesús Centeno Wuhan, China, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- The preventative measures enforced to curb the spread of Covid-19 are consigned to the memories of Wuhan residents a year after the first confirmed cases of coronavirus began to emerge in the Chinese city, but many questions remain as to how it grew into a pandemic that …
(2020-12-28). Meet the volunteer organizing team helping non-union workers during the pandemic. zcomm.org The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee is training workers and helping them organize. Can this be a successful model for building worker power?
(2020-12-28). Doomsday ex Machina: Daniel Ellsberg and the Nuclear Gang. counterpunch.org 
You hide in your mansion While the young people's blood Flows out of their bodies And is buried in the mud You've thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled Fear to bring children Into the world — Bob Dylan, "Masters of War" (1963) October 15, 1969. That's the day the world might have
(2020-12-28). Climate and environmental crisis: Sorcerer's apprentices at the World Bank and the IMF. mronline.org 
In December 2020, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the signature of the Paris Agreement on Climate, the UN General Secretary sounded the alarm because the situation has fundamentally worsened. In this article we analyze what the World Bank and the IMF have done in connection with the environmental crisis and climate change.
(2020-12-28). China Has the World's Largest Economy, Get Over It. counterpunch.org 
It is more than a bit annoying to hear reporters endlessly refer to China as the world's second largest economy. It isn't. It's the world's largest economy and has been since 2017. Here are the data from the International Monetary Fund. As the chart shows, China's economy first passed the U.S. in 2017. It is
(2020-12-28). 'Freedom is blossoming': After dismembering a journalist, Saudi Arabia goes on a PR spree. mronline.org 
"Freedom is blossoming." That is how, without a shred of irony, CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson describes Saudi Arabia in his recent article.
(2020-12-28). The Mythology of Fire Suppression. counterpunch.org 
The recent piece published in the December 22 Guardian titled: Heat, wind, and a cruel twist of Nature: inside Oregon's nightmarish wildfire season was, on the whole, a very good overview of events. The article's general thrust was how climate/weather conspired to create the perfect conditions for large-scale wildfire in Oregon's Cascade Range. Despite making
(2020-12-28). Leo Panitch and the Socialist Project. mronline.org 
The death of Leo Panitch has made the world a darker place. His writings have carried us through some of the most difficult periods in the history of the socialist left, as wave after wave of the neoliberal onslaught broke workers' organizations, serving up one defeat after the next. Leo's work sustained so many of …
(2020-12-28). "I Just Felt Like I Had No Control Over My Body": Survivors of Alleged ICE Medical Abuse Speak Out. democracynow.org 
Dozens of immigrant women detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia have joined a class-action lawsuit against ICE over allegations they were subjected to nonconsensual and invasive gynecological procedures and surgeries that were later found to be unnecessary, and in some cases left them unable to have children. The lawsuit cites sworn testimony from at least 35 women about their treatment by Mahendra Amin, a physician in Ocilla, Georgia, and describes retaliation and threats of deportation for speaking out. "We have more than 40 women who filed sworn testimo…
(2020-12-28). "The Priorities Are Wrong": Rep. Ro Khanna Says He Won't Vote to Override Trump Veto on Defense Bill. democracynow.org 
Congress is set to override President Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, the $740 billion annual defense policy bill that funds the U.S. military. Trump vetoed the legislation last week over objections to liability protections for social media companies and because he did not want to rename military bases currently named for Confederate generals. Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna says Trump's reasons for vetoing the bill are "disingenuous," but that he will not be voting to override the veto. "The bottom line is $740 billion is way too much defense spending," says Khanna. "The priorities ar…
(2020-12-28). Biden adviser slams Saudi sentencing of rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul. middleeasteye.net 
Biden adviser slams Saudi sentencing of rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul | Jake Sullivan calls nearly six-year sentence handed down to women's rights activist 'unjust and troubling' | Mon, 12/28/2020 – 20: 04 | "> | US President-elect Joe Biden's national security adviser has condemned Saudi Arabia over its sentencing of women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul on terrorism c…
(2020-12-28). Saudi rights activist launches hunger strike over conditions at al-Hair prison. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi rights activist launches hunger strike over conditions at al-Hair prison | Former economics professor Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani becomes latest political detainee to challenge conditions at notorious Saudi facility | Mon, 12/28/2020 – 13: 28 | Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani, a Saudi professor and human rights activist, has been detained since 2012 (Screengrab/Twitter) | Jailed Saudi human rights activ…
(2020-12-28). Covid-19: Infected Israelis to vote at drive-through polling stations. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Infected Israelis to vote at drive-through polling stations | Coronavirus-hit voters can cast ballots through their car windows in March's election | Mon, 12/28/2020 – 15: 41 | Drive-through polling stations will be installed for Israel's national election in March (Screengrab) | With politicians desperate for every vote in March's election, Israelis suffering from the coronaviru…
(2020-12-28). Curfew & ban on alcohol sales: South Africa imposes new restrictions amid Covid-19 infections surge. rt.com 
South Africa's government has introduced a set of stringent measures to curb a spike in new coronavirus infections, including an extended curfew and a ban on all alcohol sales ahead of New Year celebrations. | New Year's Eve is typically "a time of festivity," but "there is little cause for celebration this year," President Cyril Ramaphosa Under 'Alert Level 3,' people across South Africa wil…
(2020-12-28). European travel insurers warn jab will be required to book trips if EU adopts Covid-19 vaccine mandate. rt.com 
Several European travel insurance companies say the Covid-19 vaccine will become mandatory to book a trip, should the EU adopt the requirement — a vow that has unsettled those who haven't made up their mind about taking a jab. | While vaccination is not currently needed to purchase a travel insurance policy for visiting Europe, it will become mandatory if the EU opts to require the Covid-19 jab for incoming visitors, Elvio Chilelli, a representative from EU insurer Europ Assistance, told visa news outlet SchengenVisaInfo last week. | Europ Assistance would be far from the only travel insurer to require c…
(2020-12-28). Chinese expats coming home to get domestic Covid vaccine — media. rt.com 
Chinese expats are returning to their country of birth to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and are even bragging about it on the internet, according to Chinese state media. | China's Global Times "The journey costs a lot of money and time but many believe it's worth it," the Global Times reported, adding that their decis…
(2020-12-28). Former Miss Ekaterinburg fights back New York mugger with one simple tactic — swearing at him in Russian. rt.com 
Ever wondered what you'd do if someone tried to rob you on the street? Well, one Russian model in New York managed to get away scot-free with a straightforward tactic: she swore at him in her native tongue. | Writing on her Instagram, Anna Lesun explained how a "very well dressed young man" had asked her for some money, and then threw a fist at her when she said no. According to the model, the would-be mugger also threatened her dog, Misha. | "I pushed him back and started cursing him in Russian," Lesun wrote on her Instagram. "I could see he didn't expect any resistance so he called me a bitch and, thank god,…
(2020-12-28). Suspect detained in Shanghai poisoning of Netflix producer & 'Game of Thrones' games developer, Yoozoo billionaire Lin Qi. rt.com 
Lin Qi, a Chinese video game tycoon who was co-producing a new Netflix sci-fi series with the 'Game of Thrones' showrunners, died from alleged poisoning on Friday. Shanghai police now say they've detained a suspect, a co-worker. | The 39-year-old, who is the founder of Chinese entertainment company Yoozoo, was rushed to hospital in Shanghai on December 17 after he felt unwell; he died a week later. Local media have speculated that his tea had been spiked after a dispute among the executives. | "According to investigations on site and further interviews, the police found that a suspect surnamed Xu, who is a co-…
(2020-12-28). 'Viruses do not take a break during holidays,' Japan's PM says, amid third wave of Covid infections. rt.com 
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called on citizens to spend the holiday season "quietly," as the country started banning non-resident foreign nationals from entering amid record-high new coronavirus cases. | As Japan faces its third wave of coronavirus infections, Suga urged the public to continue exercising precautions. "Viruses do not take a break during the year-end and New Year season. I would like to ask for citizens to cooperate so that we can return to life as normal as quickly as possible," the PM said. | He also asked ministers on Monday to "raise the level of their sense of urgency and thorough…
(2020-12-28). Trump's Pardons for the Festive Season. counterpunch.org 
A flurry of them has been expected, and just prior to Christmas, US President Donald Trump waved his wand of pardon with vigour. On December 22, the president issued fifteen pardons and five commutations. The choices so far have been, to put it mildly, problematic.
(2020-12-28). UN Rapporteur To Analyze Impacts of US Sanctions on Venezuela. telesurenglish.net Following an invitation of President Nicolas Maduro's administration, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan, will undertake an official visit to country in February 2021. | RELATED: | The Special Rapporteur and her team will collect information and hold a series of meetings with Government authorities, social organizations, private sector,…
(2020-12-28). Tuesday 12/29: COVID-19 Vaccine & the Black Community: Safety, Efficacy & Dispelling Fear. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2020-12-28). Biden Says US Needs Coalition for Confronting China. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President-elect Joe Biden earlier said that he would not immediately end the trade war with China and remove trade duties imposed by US President Donald Trump. During a press briefing on Monday, Biden addressed US-China relations, a COVID-19 relief package and transition problems with the Trump administration.
(2020-12-28). US Labor Dept., States Scramble to Avoid Delay in COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits. sputniknews.com While the $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill signed into law by US President Donald Trump on Sunday provides extra unemployment benefits, many states will have to wait until January to begin disbursing those funds.
(2020-12-28). Novavax Launches Phase 3 Trial of Its COVID-19 Vaccine in US. sputniknews.com To date, two COVID-19 vaccines have been approved in the US: one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, and another made by Moderna. Both of these vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA) to teach cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response to COVID-19.
(2020-12-28). 'Surge on a Surge': Fauci Leads Health Officials Warning of Post-Holiday Coronavirus Spike. commondreams.org "Our darkest days in the battle against Covid-19 are ahead of us, not behind us," the nation's top infectious disease expert predicted. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/fauci_3.jpg …
(2020-12-28). 'Now It's the Senate's Turn': All Eyes on McConnell After House Approves $2,000 Coronavirus Relief Checks. commondreams.org Progressives in both chambers of Congress are pressuring the GOP majority leader to urgently hold a vote on the Covid-19 legislation. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12776060611.jpg …
(2020-12-28). After Deadly Delay, Trump Folds and Signs Coronavirus Relief Bill. commondreams.org But only after the president "let 1,309 more people die from Covid-19 and 179,104 more people contract it," lamented Rep. Mark Pocan. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/food_line2_0.jpg …
(2020-12-28). Sri Lanka welcomes first tourists in nine months since Covid-19 outbreak. laprensalatina.com Colombo, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- Sri Lanka on Monday welcomed its first batch of nearly 200 tourists, more than nine months after the country closed its borders for foreigners due to the coronavirus outbreak. A flight operated by Ukrainian airline SkyUp, carrying the visitors, landed at the Mattala International Airport in the afternoon, thus resuming tourism …
(2020-12-28). The US Covid Death Toll Increases Exponentially. thenation.com The US Covid Death Toll Increases Exponentially…