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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Imperial launches Sustainability Strategy

Donald Trump and the Triumph of White Identity Politics
Eric Draitser | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-13
The renowned historiographer E.H. Carr famously compared the historian with his facts to the fishmonger with fish on the slab; the historian collects the facts, takes them home, and cooks and serves them in whatever style appeals to him. Naturally, the historian will add spices and other ingredients to draw out the precise flavor needed…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/13/donald-trump-and-the-triumph-of-white-identity-politics-2/

US Media, Pols Rage After Venezuelans Defy US Empire to Re-elect Socialists
Alan MacLeod | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
President Nicolas Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) are celebrating today, after a clear victory in yesterday's National Assembly elections. The elections, boycotted by many major right-wing opposition groups, but still participated in by over 100 …
globalresearch.ca/us-media-pols-rage-venezuelans-defy-us-empire-re-elect-socialists/5732055

US Supreme Court Backs "Grand Theft" Election 2020
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
On Friday, the Supreme Court declined to hear arguments in what may be remembered one day as the most significant political dispute in US history. | Texas et al v. Pennsylvania et al was the judicial equivalent of Hollywood's Godzilla v. …
globalresearch.ca/us-supreme-court-backs-grand-theft-election-2020/5732065

The New Normal: One Step Closer to Dystopia. New Covid Outbreaks, People are "Living in Extreme Fear"
Timothy Alexander Guzman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
On September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks took place on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon allegedly orchestrated by Al Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden, and subsequently blamed it on Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party and then …
globalresearch.ca/new-normal-one-step-closer-dystopia/5732057

Russia's Forgotten Nuclear Disaster
Joshua Frank | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-13
It was a warm fall day on September 29, 1957, not much unlike any other in the deep Russian interior. Residents in the Chelyabinsk oblast cared for their crops of wheat and potatoes, others herded cattle. Women hung out their family's clothes to dry as the winds picked up before the sun descended. In the…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/13/russias-forgotten-nuclear-accident/

Video: Rocco Galati on COVID Lockdown Measures. Crimes against Humanity. Lawsuit against Government of Canada
Rocco Galati | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
"Politicians have not put forward any persuasive evidence that lockdowns have actually saved lives. At the same time, there is no question that lockdowns have caused grave harm to millions of Canadians suffering unemployment, poverty, cancelled surgeries, suicides, isolation …
globalresearch.ca/video-rocco-galati-on-covid-lockdown-measures-crimes-against-humanity-lawsuit-against-government-of-canada/5732023

Protesters in London march against police atrocity against Black teenager
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-13
On Friday, December 11, anti-racism groups in the UK protested police atrocity against a Black teenager in North London. Video footage which shows a police officer punching the teenager in the head while he was pressed against a police car, was widely circulated on social media on Thursday night and triggered widespread outrage across the UK. Scores of people under the leadership of Black Lives Matter Movement and Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) marched to North London's Tottenham police station and protested the police brutality and demanded punishment for the officers involved in the incident. | According to a Mornin…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/13/protesters-in-london-march-against-police-atrocity-against-black-teenager/

Will Facebook have to give up WhatsApp and Instagram?
Newsclick | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-13
Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha analyzes the latest antitrust case against Facebook. He looks at the growing global consensus on action against the tech giants, and talks about the situation in the developing countries…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/13/will-facebook-have-to-give-up-whatsapp-and-instagram-draft/

How to Wear a Face Mask and Still Show Dissent Against Tyranny
John C. A. Manley | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
I'm not fond of grocery shopping. Doubly so when our local "natural" food store operates like a cross between a 21st century bio-contamination laboratory and a 1940's Soviet food rationing depot. (It's called Gentle Rain, but Stalin's Reign would suit | …
globalresearch.ca/how-wear-face-mask-show-dissent-against-tyranny/5732083

Renters still left out in the cold despite temporary coronavirus protection
Real Progressives | realprogressives.org | 2020-12-13
Kirk McClure, University of Kansas and Alex Schwartz, The New School | Emergency relief for renters across America may protect them from the threat of eviction during the coronavirus crisis — but it won't last for long. | The economic shutdown necessitated by COVID-19 has undermined the ability of millions…
realprogressives.org/renters-left-out-in-cold/

48% Of U.S. Small Businesses Fear that They May be Forced to "Shut Down Permanently" Soon
Michael Snyder | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
What would the United States look like if we lost half of our small businesses? The reason I ask that question is because approximately half of all small business owners in the entire country believe that they may soon be …
globalresearch.ca/48-us-small-businesses-fear-forced-shut-down-permanently-soon/5732050

From TMAP to Warp Speed: How Big Pharma Algorithms Fast-Track Unapproved Drugs and Vaccines
John Klyczek | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
Five of the pharmaceutical companies developing COVID-19 vaccines through the USA's Operation Warp Speed have paid out "billions" (over the years) to settle lawsuits charging them with fraud related to "off-label" marketing of atypical antipsychotics and antidepressants that were mandated …
globalresearch.ca/tmap-warp-speed-big-pharma-algorithms-fast-track-unapproved-drugs-vaccines/5732060

COVID-19: A Fabricated Second "Tidal Wave" of Poverty and Injustice
David Skripac | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
Here we are at the end of a year filled with upheaval, facing yet another round of lockdowns, this time ostensibly intended to fight off a supposed "second wave of COVID-19." | In the foreground, we have the completely co-opted mainstream …
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-fabricated-second-wave-crimes-against-humanity/5732054

"Corona Procurements": Tory Corruption Is Eroding UK Democracy
Megan Sherman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
The UK's governing Tory party is dishonestly flouting the rules of free and fair competition for Coronavirus related procurements, by unfairly selecting commissions, awarding contracts to class allies instead of the best or cheapest service provider. | The party frequently uses …
globalresearch.ca/tory-corruption-eroding-uk-democracy/5732076

Philippines: Labor movement demands release of Human Rights Day 7
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-12-13
Fight Back News Service is circulating this December 11 joint statement from the Council of Global Unions Philippine affiliates. | PH affiliates of global unions demand release of HRD7, stop arrests of PH unionists | We strongly deplore the simultaneous raids of residences and the consecutive arrests of trade union organizers, Dennise Velasco of Defend Jobs Philippines, Romina Astudillo, Deputy Secretary-General of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Metro Manila, Mark Ryan Cruz, Regional Executive Committee of KMU-Metro Manila, Jaymie Gregorio Jr. of KMU-Metro Manila, Joel Demate of Solidarity of Labor Rights and Welfare (SOLAR)…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/12/12/philippines-labor-movement-demands-release-human-rights-day-7

Araghchi meets with Afghan FM to discuss bilateral ties
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-13
TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (MNA) — Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for the Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi met with Afghanistan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Haneef Atmar in Kabul on Sunday.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167126/Araghchi-meets-with-Afghan-FM-to-discuss-bilateral-ties

'Khatemeh' wins award at Herat Intl. Women's Film Festival
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-13
TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (MNA) — Iranian documentary 'Khatemeh' has won Earrings Statue for Best International Feature Documentary Film at the 6th edition of the Herat International Women's Film Festival in Afghanistan.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167096/Khatemeh-wins-award-at-Herat-Intl-Women-s-Film-Festival

Boosting bilateral trade, main goal of Iran-EU Business Forum
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-13
TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (MNA) — Adviser to the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) for Trade Contracts and Intl. Affairs said that increasing trade and economic interactions is the main objective behind organizing Iran-EU Business Forum.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167100/Boosting-bilateral-trade-main-goal-of-Iran-EU-Business-Forum

Message of Chiledoc's head to Iranian Cinema Verite
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-13
TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (MNA) — Head of Chile Documentary Film Center (Chiledoc) Diego Pino Anguita sent a message to the 14th Iran International Documentary Film Festival known as "Cinema Verite" which is slated to be held online on 15-22 December.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167111/Message-of-Chiledoc-s-head-to-Iranian-Cinema-Verite

'We Need To Get Off The Current Road To Hell'
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-13
A group of four former United Nations climate chiefs say it's "unthinkable" for the world to continue its business-as-usual approach to climate action, warning that without ramped-up ambition, humanity is headed down a "road to hell." | The assessment is laid out in an article published on Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Climate Policy. | "Drawing on hardening IPCC science and building on the foundations of the 1992 Convention, the last 30 years of international cooperation have established a clear understanding of the need to prevent dangerous climate change…
popularresistance.org/we-need-to-get-off-the-current-road-to-hell/

Labour says Boris Johnson is 'playing Russian roulette' with people's livelihoods over Brexit
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-13
Boris Johnson is playing Russian roulette with people's jobs and livelihoods by threatening a no-deal Brexit, a Labour minister has said. | Disaster looming: | Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband warned that leaving the EU without a free trade agreement would be "a disastrous outcome". And he accused the prime minister of being "cavalier" with the country's national interests. | Labour's communities secretary Steve Reed said the British people "cannot tolerate" a no-deal outcome. He urged Johnson to "get Brexit done" as the trade talks deadline loomed. | It came as Miliband confirmed that his party woul…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/12/13/labour-says-boris-johnson-is-playing-russian-roulette-with-peoples-livelihoods-over-brexit/

Dozens arrested in Paris protest against new security law
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-13
Police in Paris have arrested dozens of people during a tense demonstration against a proposed security law.Arrests: Officers targeted protesters who they suspected might gather in violent groups, like those who vandalised shops and vehicles at previous demonstrations. The interior minister said 81 people had been arrested on Saturday 12 December.The proposed new law has sparked successive weekends of protests (Lewis Joly/AP)Riot police escorted the march through the streets of the French capital.The proposed security law has been met by successive weekends of protests. The most contested measure in the ne…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/12/13/dozens-arrested-in-paris-protest-against-new-security-law/

To the Barricades: The Red House and the Future of Eviction Defense
David Rovics | zcomm.org | 2020-12-13
Since the police raid, what was limited to one house is now a neighborhood-wide conflict…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/to-the-barricades-the-red-house-and-the-future-of-eviction-defense/

Leading Scientist Says Hunger Is a Deliberate Choice by Those in Power
Ricardo Salvador | zcomm.org | 2020-12-13
"It's important to remember that hunger does not always happen because of natural disasters. It is often the result of things that we do to each other deliberately."
zcomm.org/znetarticle/leading-scientist-says-hunger-is-a-deliberate-choice-by-those-in-power/

A short film made by a community is getting international recognition
Steve Topple | thecanary.co | 2020-12-13
A short film about a community project in south London during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has gone global. It's already picked up an award at an international film festival. And the film is being screened at several others.Surviving in Lewisham: Feeding Lewisham — Foodbanks In Crisis is a short film that centres around the work of a grassroots group. The group is called We Care Food Bank — Corona Community Support Network. It works out of Deptford, sou…
thecanary.co/feature/2020/12/13/a-short-film-made-by-a-community-is-getting-international-recognition/

"There is no vaccine to save the planet"
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres | indybay.org | 2020-12-13
In the Arctic, 2020 has seen exceptional warmth, with temperatures more than 3 degrees Celsius above average – and more than 5 degrees in northern Siberia. Arctic sea ice in October was the lowest on record – and now re-freezing has been the slowest on record. Greenland ice has continued its long-term decline, losing an average of 278 gigatons a year.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/12/18838913.php

Brexit an 'unforgivable act of economic sabotage to Scotland' as no-deal looms
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-13
Brexit has been described as an "unforgivable act of economic sabotage" as the prospect of leaving the EU without a deal looms. | Scotland's constitution secretary Mike Russell urged prime minister Boris Johnson to ensure a no-deal Brexit is "taken off the table" during crunch talks on Sunday 13 December. But Russell described even leaving with a deal as "massively damaging". | In recent days, the prime minister has hinted numerous times at the prospect of a no-deal. He's said it's "very, very likely" and asked people to prepare for an "Australia-style solution". | A negative effect on jobs and the economy
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/12/13/brexit-an-unforgivable-act-of-economic-sabotage-to-scotland-as-no-deal-looms/

Let Everybody Vote, Even If They're Incarcerated
Patrick Stephens | zcomm.org | 2020-12-13
What value is a democracy that actively seeks to silence the voices of its most vulnerable citizens?
zcomm.org/znetarticle/let-everybody-vote-even-if-theyre-incarcerated/

Chicago Teachers Union car caravan presses mayor to bargain enforceable safety standards
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-12-13
Chicago, IL — More than 100 teachers, parents and community members participated in a car caravan, December 12 for safety, equality and trust. Chicago Public Schools has rejected the union's safety concerns at every turn, refused to bargain to consensus on safety needs, rejected improving its inhumane remote learning program despite months of pleas from parents, students and educators, and fallen woefully short on safety promises they've made. | The caravan traveled to city hall, where caravan members delivered pointed criticisms of CPS' dangerous plan to accommodate the mayor's insistence on reopening unsa…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/12/12/chicago-teachers-union-car-caravan-presses-mayor-bargain-enforceable-safety-standards

A Roadmap for the Biden-Harris Administration: Redesigning Farm Systems for the Climate Crisis
Ben Lilliston | commondreams.org | 2020-12-13
A just transition for farming must not only consider reforms to farm policy, but also aligned reforms in financial, trade, environmental, and competition policy. | www.flickr.com/photos/suziesfarm/11438035863…
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/13/roadmap-biden-harris-administration-redesigning-farm-systems-climate-crisis?cd-origin=rss

British Medical Journal (BMJ): Conflicts of Interest Among the UK Government's COVID-19 Advisers
Paul D Thacker | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
Little is known about the interests of the doctors, scientists, and academics on whose advice the UK government relies to manage the pandemic. Attempts to discover more are frequently thwarted, finds Paul D Thacker | *** | As the number of UK …
globalresearch.ca/conflicts-interest-among-uk-governments-covid-19-advisers/5732049

4 civilians killed in bomb blast in Afghanistan
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-13
TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (MNA) — As local sources reported, four civilians have been killed in Afghanistan's Nangarhar.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167122/4-civilians-killed-in-bomb-blast-in-Afghanistan

How The Pandemic Revealed Cracks In Global Supply Chains
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-13
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans were shocked at the sight of empty shelves in stores as global supply chains sputtered to keep up with the demand for a variety of products. | But even the end of the pandemic is unlikely to solve many of the issues with global supply chains, said Benjamin McKean, associate professor of political science at The Ohio State University. | "The fragility of these supply chains has suddenly become evident to a lot of Americans who expect them to always operate seamlessly," McKean said. | "Of course, they usually do operate seamlessly, but at a cost that many people…
popularresistance.org/how-the-pandemic-revealed-cracks-in-global-supply-chains/

The Handmaid's Tale: making a drama out of a crisis
news.un.org | 2020-12-13
The Handmaid's Tale, a critically acclaimed television series which has won 38 Emmy awards, may be about a fictional "alternative reality", but the show's creators have gone to great lengths to ensure that references to themes such as climate change, human rights abuses, and refugees, are as real and accurate as possible, by collaborating closely with UN experts.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1079082

Bankrolling blu klux klans?
Raymond Nat Turner | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-12-13
Rhythms of red, white, blue 'party' lights flashing beneath screaming sirens; The rush of warm crimson drawing 2, 4, 6, 8, 10–and then some… Robotic legs, arms–possessed– punching, kicking a fetal fraction– prone red shirt; black face; fractured eye socket, exploding eyeball; broken ribs drowning in swarming blue savagery: The viral video sparks flashbacks to …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/12/bankrolling-blu-klux-klans/

Why agriculture shouldn't be left to free market
Prabhat Patnaik | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-13
The prices as well as the quantities of the agricultural produce in a free market would be far from socially optimal and are likely to be socially disastrous…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/13/why-agriculture-shouldnt-be-left-to-free-market/

Let Everybody Vote, Even If They're Incarcerated
Patrick Stephens | commondreams.org | 2020-12-13
What value is a democracy that actively seeks to silence the voices of its most vulnerable citizens? | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/prison_5_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/13/let-everybody-vote-even-if-theyre-incarcerated?cd-origin=rss

Police drop probe into Tory MP accused of rape who's been conducting parliamentary duties from home
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-13
Police have reportedly dropped their investigation into a Conservative MP and ex-minister who was arrested after a woman accused him of rape, sexual assault and coercive control. rape | The Metropolitan Police had said they received allegations on 31 July of sexual offences and assault. The allegations related to four separate incidents at addresses in London, including in Westminster, between July 2019 and January 2020. | Police arrested the Conservative MP on 1 August on suspicion of rape and took him into custody at an east London police station. They later released him on bail, the force added. | But the Sund…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/12/13/police-drop-probe-into-tory-mp-accused-of-rape-whos-been-conducting-parliamentary-duties-from-home/

Perfecting Tyranny: Mumia's New Book Hot Off the Press!
Prison Radio | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
Perfecting Tyranny by Mumia Abu-Jamal & Stephen Vittoria is a window into the soul of a nation from one of its most respected and feared captives. Getting this book to print took enormous resolve. We now turn to you to …
globalresearch.ca/perfecting-tyranny-mumia-new-book/5732062

Important Addition to Edsall Column on the Politics of Resentment: Downward Mobility Was by Design
Dean Baker | cepr.net | 2020-12-13
Thomas Edsall had an interesting piece last week on the politics of resentment. The gist of that a large portion of non-college educated whites are voting based on their fear of losing their social status. While there is undoubtedly much truth to Edsall's argument, there is an important point that Edsall leaves out. He tells …
cepr.net/important-addition-to-edsall-column-on-the-politics-of-resentment-downward-mobility-was-by-design/

Jeremy Corbyn announces a new, global project for peace and justice
Steve Topple | thecanary.co | 2020-12-13
The wait is over. The announcement Jeremy Corbyn was due to make on Sunday 13 December at 2: 30pm has been revealed. He's launching a new, global initiative. And you can get involved too. | The 'Corbyn Project': | The Project for Peace and Justice officially went live on Sunday 13 December. It says its mission statement is: To bring people together for social and economic justice, peace, and human rights, in Britain and across the world. | The Peace and Justice Project will back campaigns, commission reports and develop…
thecanary.co/trending/2020/12/13/jeremy-corbyn-announces-a-new-global-project-for-peace-and-justice/

Hospital bosses warn Boris Johnson that relaxing restrictions could 'trigger third wave'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-13
NHS bosses have warned the prime minister that relaxing restrictions could trigger a third wave of coronavirus (Covid-19) at the busiest time of year for hospitals.In a letter to Boris Johnson, NHS Providers urged "extreme caution" in moving any area of England to a lower tier, according to reports by the BBC.The first review of England's tier allocation is due take place on Wednesday 16 December. This would be two weeks after the three-tier system was brought in after the end of lockdown.(PA Graphics)"The NHS simply won't be able to cope": But areas should be moved into the highest tier of restrictions "a…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/12/13/hospital-bosses-warn-boris-johnson-that-relaxing-restrictions-could-trigger-third-wave/

Chabahar, a city for all seasons
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-13
TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (MNA) — Located in the southeast of Iran, Chabahar is one of the few areas of the country that is full of inimitable and unique natural and historical attractions.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167082/Chabahar-a-city-for-all-seasons

Failing Students Need Support, Not Blame
Jill Richardson | commondreams.org | 2020-12-13
Students don't fail because they are lazy. They fail because something is wrong in their lives—and right now, so much is wrong. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/schools_students_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/13/failing-students-need-support-not-blame?cd-origin=rss

Armenia, Azerbaijan accuse each other of ceasefire violation
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-13
TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (MNA) — The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned the violation of the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, calling it contrary to the ceasefire agreement and against the presence of Russian peacekeepers.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167120/Armenia-Azerbaijan-accuse-each-other-of-ceasefire-violation

Armed group abducts nearly 400 male students in Nigeria
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-13
TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (MNA) — An armed group has abducted nearly 400 male students at a boarding school in northern Nigeria, local media outlets reported on Saturday.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167124/Armed-group-abducts-nearly-400-male-students-in-Nigeria

Coles workers take to the streets to save their jobs
Pip Hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-12-13
Several hundred Coles workers and supporters marched through Sydney's streets, calling on the public to boycott Coles this Christmas. Jim McIlroy reports.
greenleft.org.au/content/coles-workers-take-streets-save-their-jobs

With Gigs Canceled and No Relief, Musicians Form a Nationwide Union
Liz Pelly | zcomm.org | 2020-12-13
UMAW differentiates itself from similar unions through its vast scope, seeking systemic shifts industry-wide, inclusive of various genres and practices…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/with-gigs-canceled-and-no-relief-musicians-form-a-nationwide-union/

The COVID-19 RT-PCR Test: How to Mislead All Humanity. Using a "Test" To Lock Down Society
Dr. Pascal Sacré | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-13
The misuse of the RT-PCR technique is used as an intentional strategy by some governments, supported by scientific safety councils and by the dominant media, to justify the violation of a large number of constitutional rights, the destruction of the economy with the bankruptcy of entire active sectors of society,…
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-rt-pcr-how-to-mislead-all-humanity-using-a-test-to-lock-down-society/5728483

10 Syrian Druze residents of Golan Heights injured in protest against wind turbines
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-13
Syrian Druze residents of the occupied Golan Heights are opposing Israeli plans to build a wind turbine to supply power to nearby illegal settlements. The Golan Heights has been under occupation since 1981…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/13/10-syrian-druze-residents-of-golan-heights-injured-in-protest-against-wind-turbines/

AZ educators organize sickout amid highest rate of COVID-19
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-12-13
Tucson, AZ – When the Chandler Unified School District governing board decided to stay with in-person instruction as Arizona continues to experience another spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths, some educators organized their resistance in the form of a sickout. Over 100 educators in CUSD called in sick on Friday, December 11 to express their opposition to the negligent board. The local union, Chandler Education Association (CEA) had issued a number of demands that include: educator representation on the district COVID committee, use of the more stringent county health metrics, and creating a COVID Task Force of ed…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/12/13/az-educators-organize-sickout-amid-highest-rate-covid-19

Canada's military seeks to cover its tracks following damning report on Australian war crimes in Afghanistan
wsws.org | 2020-12-12
In response to the release of a report exposing Australian military atrocities in Afghanistan, the Canadian Armed Forces has doubled down on its long-running efforts to cover up its own war crimes in the region.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/12/caaf-d12.html

El Salvador: 1981 El Mozote Massacre Survivors Pursue Justice
teleSUR, ce | telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-12
The survivors of the El Mozote massacre, carried out by the US-backed Salvadoran Army in 1981, commemorated the 39th anniversary this Saturday. They hope to see the criminal process go to trial in 2021, and to finally see a conviction against those linked to the horrific crime. | RELATED: | United Nations Warns Over Forced Displacement in Central America | The criminal case against more than a dozen military commanders, including some members of the military leadership of the…
telesurenglish.net/news/el-salvador-1981-el-mozote-massacre-survivors-pursue-justice-20201212-0004.html

Israel-Morocco deal: Palestinians and Sahrawis hope for renewed solidarity
Alex MacDonald | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-12
Israel-Morocco deal: Palestinians and Sahrawis hope for renewed solidarity | Activists have long linked the two people's struggles, and hope the latest normalisation deal will encourage the Palestinian leadership to do the same | Alex MacDonald | Sat, 12/12/2020 – 10: 26 | Supporters of the Polisario Front separatist movement hold a banner reading "All for Palestine, all for Western Sahara" during a demonstratio…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-morocco-deal-palestine-western-sahara-solidarity

After reports of fresh fighting, Russian peacekeepers tell Armenia & Azerbaijan to observe agreed truce in Nagorno-Karabakh
rt.com | 2020-12-12
The Russian peacekeeping mission in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region has demanded that Baku and Yerevan stick to the November ceasefire agreement as Armenia and Azerbaijan blamed each other for weekend truce violations. | A shooting incident has been reported on the line of contact in the southern part of the contested territory, a spokesman from the Russian deployment told Moscow media. | "We immediately demanded through emergency channels the sides stick to the complete ceasefire," he said. Earlier on Saturday, Armenia's Defense Ministry accused Baku of resuming an offensive Nagorno-Karabakh targeting t…
rt.com/russia/509511-nagorno-karabakh-truce-violation-peacekeepers/

Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
wsws.org | 2020-12-12
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/12/labo-d12.html

90 members of Taliban killed in Afghan's Kandahar prov
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-12
TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (MNA) — Afghanistan Ministry of Defense in a statement on Saturday announced that 90 members of Taliban were killed in the past 24 hours in Kandahar province.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167086/90-members-of-Taliban-killed-in-Afghan-s-Kandahar-prov

Amazon Web Services offers companies new tools for spying on workers
wsws.org | 2020-12-12
New services from AWS allow companies to add specially trained computer vision technology to existing camera systems to spot "unusual" activity.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/12/awsm-d12.html

Marxism vs the state
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-12-12
Karl Marx developed his theory of revolution by arguing against would-be progressives who looked to the capitalist state as a force for progress.
mronline.org/2020/12/12/marxism-vs-the-state/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=marxism-vs-the-state

America Is Contributing to Iran's Shocking Covid-19 Death Toll
Editor | scheerpost.com | 2020-12-12
Farhad Babaei/ Magnus News] By Juan Cole / Informed Comment The US financial and trade blockade of Iran, which has strangled its economy, has also taken a heavy toll on the country's coronavirus response. Nick Paton Walsh, Jo Shelley, Ramin Mostaghim and Scott McWhinnie at CNN did a great story on this heartrending travesty. They write, "Retired teacher Khalif Farahani struggles to speak… | Source…
scheerpost.com/2020/12/12/america-is-contributing-to-irans-shocking-covid-19-death-toll/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=america-is-contributing-to-irans-shocking-covid-19-death-toll

Foreign Minister Arreaza To US 'Ambassador'
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-12
Venezuela scoffed at the presentation of credentials by the person in charge of the US "virtual embassy" in Colombia, pointing out that his office in Caracas awaits him. | James Story, assigned as the supposed US ambassador to Venezuela, delivered his credentials to the fugitive Venezuelan opposition politician Julio Borges, "envoy" of the self-proclaimed president of Venezuela, coup leader Juan Guaidó, on Monday in Bogotá, the Colombian capital, reflecting the White House's commitment to the opposition and to regime change in Venezuela.
popularresistance.org/foreign-minister-arreaza-to-us-ambassador-your-office-in-caracas-awaits-you/

[World Report] Humanitarian access deal for Tigray
Sharmila Devi | thelancet.com | 2020-12-12
Humanitarian groups will be allowed into Tigray, Ethiopia, where conflict has displaced thousands and strained health services. Sharmila Devi reports.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32669-6/fulltext?rss=yes

The planning and politics of conversion: World War II lessons for a Green New Deal–Part 1
Martin Hart-Landsberg | mronline.org | 2020-12-12
This post highlights the successful government directed wartime reorientation of the U.S. economy from civilian to military production, an achievement that both demonstrates the feasibility of a rapid Green New Deal transformation of the U.S. economy and points to the kinds of organizational capacities we will need to develop.
mronline.org/2020/12/12/the-planning-and-politics-of-conversion-world-war-ii-lessons-for-a-green-new-deal-part-1/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-planning-and-politics-of-conversion-world-war-ii-lessons-for-a-green-new-deal-part-1

Croatian government and EU intensify violence against refugees
wsws.org | 2020-12-12
Croatia's border with Bosnia and Herzegovina has for years been notorious for violence against migrants and asylum seekers as part of the EU's "Fortress Europe" policy.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/12/croa-d12.html

Johnson and Macron governments step up collaboration in persecution of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
wsws.org | 2020-12-12
These extremely vulnerable people are fleeing from the wars, fratricidal conflicts, and economic and ecological destruction created and exacerbated by the world's imperialist powers, foremost in Europe by Britain and France.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/12/ukre-d12.html

Amin: A worker far from home
wsws.org | 2020-12-12
Amin is a subdued, thoughtful look at the condition of migrant workers who break their backs in the metropolitan countries to feed their families in their native lands.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/12/amin-d12.html

Honduran Refugee Caravan Denied at Guatemala Border
teleSUR, ce | telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-12
The caravan of Honduran refugees which left the city of San Pedro Sula on Thursday, headed for the United States, has been prevented from crossing into Guatemala. | RELATED: | New Caravan of Honduran Migrants Sets off To the United States | The migrant refugees were detained by Honduran riot police and told they were required to have a negative Covid-19 test and a passport to enter Guatemala. | Officials of the migration institute indicated that they would not allow the passage…
telesurenglish.net/news/honduran-migrant-caravan-fails-to-enter-guatemala-20201212-0001.html

Supreme Court rejects Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn US presidential election
wsws.org | 2020-12-12
The court ruled that Texas had no standing to object to the election procedures in another state.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/12/elec-d12.html

Go Vote Yourself a Raise, Georgia—You've Long Earned It
Ralph Nader | commondreams.org | 2020-12-12
Candidates should be pushed to say if they stand with the super-rich profiteering, callous Big Business tycoons or with the people who work for pitiful wages, on the rugged frontlines, and keep our society running. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/georgia_primary.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/12/go-vote-yourself-raise-georgia-youve-long-earned-it?cd-origin=rss

Now In Print And Available: 'Capitalism On A Ventilator'
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-12
"Capitalism on a Ventilator: The Impact of COVID-19 in China & the U.S." is a new anthology contrasting the effective Chinese response to COVID-19 with the disastrous response here in the U.S. It pushes back against the racist anti-China campaign in the media. | Due to the growing hostility of the U.S. establishment toward China, and the accompanying surge in anti-Asian racism, it was an enormous challenge to find printers and distributors for this book. | The chapters include articles by many published authors, including: Ajamu Baraka, Monica Moorehead, Mumia Abu-Jamal…
popularresistance.org/now-in-print-and-available-capitalism-on-a-ventilator/

[Correspondence] Association of SARS-CoV-2 renal tropism with acute kidney injury — Authors' reply
Fabian Braun, Carolin Edler, Victor G Puelles, Tobias B Huber | thelancet.com | 2020-12-12
We thank Kay Choy for the nterest in our Correspondence,1 in which we described an association between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) renal tropism and acute kidney injury in autopsy cases with COVID-19 diagnosis.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32586-1/fulltext?rss=yes

Tuesday 12/15: Community Training: How to Request Release For Medically Vulnerable People in ICE Custody
United We Dream | indybay.org | 2020-12-12
Webinar online…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/10/18838900.php

Iranian Parliamentary Members condemn Erdogan's remarks
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-12
TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (MNA) — Iranian Parliamentary Members condemned the Turkish President's remarks on Iran in a statement on Saturday.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167078/Iranian-Parliamentary-Members-condemn-Erdogan-s-remarks

Warehouse Workers on the Front Lines of the Covid Crisis Are Worried They'll Be Passed Over for the Vaccine
Kari Lydersen | commondreams.org | 2020-12-12
Low-wage warehouse workers, many of whom are temporary, are demanding access to the vaccine. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/warehousepiece_01c8ac7cc3b849e525e370bc513441201.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/12/warehouse-workers-front-lines-covid-crisis-are-worried-theyll-be-passed-over?cd-origin=rss

[Correspondence] One Health or Planetary Health for pandemic prevention? — Authors' reply
John H Amuasi, Andrea S Winkler | thelancet.com | 2020-12-12
One Health recognises the fundamental interconnectedness and complex interdependence of all living species and their shared environment.1 Thus, a view that One Health is focused on human–animal interaction alone, primarily addresses the risk of zoonotic events, and that these events occur as a result of urbanisation, land usage, and increasing human population density, therefore suggesting that One Health is sufficient to address pandemic risks, is flawed. Nevertheless, there is abundant evidence that disease agents of zoonotic origin account for over half of all emerging or re-emerging human infectious dis…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32392-8/fulltext?rss=yes

The Heat: China Economic Strategy
Sean Callebs | america.cgtn.com | 2020-12-12
Policy, pandemic and politics are on the agenda as Chinese leaders get set to meet to chart the way forward.
america.cgtn.com/2020/12/12/the-heat-china-economic-strategy

John Kerry's Think Tank Calls For War With Russia Over Climate Change
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-12
Recently-appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry has announced his intention of dealing with the pressing issue of global warming as a national security concern. "America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is," the 76-year-old former Secretary of State wrote. "I am proud to partner with the President-elect, our allies, and the young leaders of the climate movement to take on this crisis." | The announcement drew praise from many professional climate activists and groups, perhaps assuming that Kerry was taking his lead from Berni…
popularresistance.org/john-kerrys-think-tank-calls-for-war-with-russia-over-climate-change/

Happiest Hanukkah from this crispy latke, egg and cheese sandwich
Rebecca Firkser | salon.com | 2020-12-12
"Potato pancake inside of the egg sandwich?" It's delicious…
salon.com/2020/12/12/happiest-hanukkah-from-this-crispy-latke-egg-and-cheese-sandwich_partner/

Hospital capacity in the US severely strained as coronavirus infections continue to surge
wsws.org | 2020-12-12
A recent report by the US Department of Health and Human Services showed that as many as 200 hospitals had reached full capacity last week. One-third of all hospitals reported their ICU occupancy was above 90 percent.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/12/covi-d12.html

Saturday 12/12: SC1.5NCE Not SILENCE: Five-year Anniversary of Paris Agreement Climate Emergency Forum
March for Science | indybay.org | 2020-12-12
Online via livestream or Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/11/18838906.php

[Clinical Picture] Occult fracture in teenager's tibia revealed by MRI
Zeng Li, Bin Feng, Xisheng Weng | thelancet.com | 2020-12-12
A 13-year-old girl presented with a 2-week history of mild pain in her right knee. She reported no recent injury. x-rays showed a high-density linear abnormality with a periosteal reaction in the proximal right tibia (figure), which medical staff, at the hospital where she was first seen, thought might have been a tumour of the bone.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32516-2/fulltext?rss=yes

Pres. Rouhani to hold press conference on Dec. 14
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-12
TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (MNA) — An official with Iranian President's Office said that President Hassan Rouhani will hold a press conference on Monday, Dec. 14.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167076/Pres-Rouhani-to-hold-press-conference-on-Dec-14

LIVE: Climate Ambition Summit
news.un.org | 2020-12-12
Live coverage of the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, an important step forward in the battle against the climate crisis, with several major economies announcing new commitments to cut their carbon footprints and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. | What is the Climate Action Summit? | UN Secretary-General declares "state of climate emergency" | What is net zero? | What comes next?>…
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1079862

Climate Ambition Summit: What is it and can it achieve where other summits have failed?
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-12
Countries are coming together this weekend to ramp up plans to cut their carbon emissions, following recent revelations that the world is still on course for a catastrophic 3C of global warming.Five years after the Paris Agreement, a virtual summit co-hosted by the UK, France, and the United Nations will see decision-makers outline new efforts to try to limit warming to between 1.5C and 2C.But what's at stake and have we left it too late? Here are some of the key questions answered. | #ClimatePromise into climate action. Our leadership explains how we're raising the ambition:
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/12/12/climate-ambition-summit-what-is-it-and-can-it-achieve-where-other-summits-have-failed/

English schools could face legal action if they plan to shut early for Christmas
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-12
Schools in England planning to allow pupils to learn remotely in the run-up to Christmas could face legal action to force them to remain open."Directions": New powers introduced through the Coronavirus Act allow the government to issue "directions" to headteachers around education provision during the pandemic.But should schools fail to comply after being directed to remain open, education secretary Gavin Williamson could apply for a High Court injunction forcing them to do so.Education Secretary Gavin Williamson pictured with a riding whip (Stefan Rousseau/PA)It's understood that directions under the act…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/12/12/english-schools-could-face-legal-action-if-they-plan-to-shut-early-for-christmas/

Antisemitism claims mask a reign of political and cultural terror across Europe
Jonathan Cook | zcomm.org | 2020-12-12
What we see here is an illustration of a principle at the heart of Israel's state ideology of Zionism: Israel needs antisemitism. Israel would quite literally have to invent antisemitism if it did not exist…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/antisemitism-claims-mask-a-reign-of-political-and-cultural-terror-across-europe/

Iran monitoring US B52 bombers' movements
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-12
TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (MNA) — The Second-in-Command of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base said all the movements of regional and supra-regional forces, including US B-52 bombers, are monitored at a distance of more than 150km away from Iranian borders.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167075/Iran-monitoring-US-B52-bombers-movements

Syrian envoy submits credentials to FM Zarif
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-12
TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (MNA) — Newly-appointed Syria's ambassador to Tehran Shafiq Dayoub submitted a copy of his credentials to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167068/Syrian-envoy-submits-credentials-to-FM-Zarif

[Comment] Offline: The coming technocracy
Richard Horton | thelancet.com | 2020-12-12
As 2020 draws to a close, one trend among nations most severely hit by COVID-19 bears some discussion. It is that democracies are evolving into technocracies, by which I mean a form of governance where those with political power are appointed on the basis of their scientific expertise. It would be hard to deny that scientists have assumed a role in political decision making unparalleled in recent memory. The French public intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy was the first to raise the issue of medical power.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32668-4/fulltext?rss=yes

Nineteen Tragic Facts About Covid 19
Bill Quigley | zcomm.org | 2020-12-12
In 13 states, the unemployment benefits provided fall below the federal poverty line of $245 a week according to the Government Accountability Office…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/nineteen-tragic-facts-about-covid-19/

Wednesday 12/16: NAACP Town Hall: Slowing Pandemic Spread, #COVID19 Vaccine, & Health of Black Community
NAACP | indybay.org | 2020-12-12
Online town hall…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/11/18838910.php

US to return 12 military bases to S Korea: Report
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-12
TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (MNA) — South Korean officials said in a virtual meeting with the United States on Friday that they had concluded that Washington would return 12 military bases to Seoul.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167081/US-to-return-12-military-bases-to-S-Korea-Report

'Can Anybody Still Deny That We Are Facing a Dramatic Emergency?' Asks UN Chief at Climate Summit
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-12
"If we don't change course," he warned, "we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12902475991.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/12/can-anybody-still-deny-we-are-facing-dramatic-emergency-asks-un-chief-climate-summit?cd-origin=rss

French Police Round Up Protesters, Mainstream Media Ignores
teleSUR, ce | telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-12
French citizens held another day of large-scale protests in Paris against the global security bill, which limits the dissemination of images in which police officers can be personally identified, among other things. | RELATED: | Six People Arrested in Brazil Over the Death of Joao Silveira | Parisian police repressed the march, making several arrests, reportedly to prevent the formation of the so-called "black blocks" of protesters. | Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that…
telesurenglish.net/news/french-police-round-up-protesters-mainstream-media-ignores-20201212-0002.html

CBO Shows Medicare For All Could Cover Everyone For Less Per Year
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-12
The Congressional Budget Office on Thursday released a report examining the costs associated with universal healthcare proposals that are based on Medicare's fee-for-service program and found that implementing a single-payer health insurance program in the United States would not only guarantee coverage for every person in the country but would also reduce overall healthcare spending nationwide. | In the words of researcher Matt Bruenig–founder and president of the progressive think tank People's Policy Project who called the CBO's working paper (pdf) on the topic…
popularresistance.org/cbo-shows-medicare-for-all-could-cover-everyone-for-less-per-year/

Resistance in the face of repression: stories from protesting farmers at Delhi's border
Pavan Kulkarni | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-12
Hundreds of thousands of farmers have been protesting at the borders of Delhi for two weeks. We talk to some of them who describe the mobilization leading up to this massive protest…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/12/resistance-in-the-face-of-repression-stories-from-protesting-farmers-at-delhis-border/

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Extinction Rebellion | zcomm.org | 2020-12-12
Governments are pledging to avert a climate crisis while their economies bankroll and intensify it.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/

'Exactly What the Country Needs Right Now': SCOTUS Rejects Texas Suit Challenging Election Results
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-12
"It's over over over over and 90% of GOP needs to recognize reality." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12300736491.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/11/exactly-what-country-needs-right-now-scotus-rejects-texas-suit-challenging-election?cd-origin=rss

[Perspectives] Is my cough COVID-19?
Eric J Topol | thelancet.com | 2020-12-12
Imagine that even if you have no symptoms of COVID-19, the sound of your forced cough transmitted to your smartphone or smart speaker, processed by an algorithm, could provide a 98 ∑5% accurate diagnosis. That's what a study involving more than 4000 people suggested might be possible. And it could be done anytime, free of charge, with immediate turnaround of results. It's one of many proposed uses of artificial intelligence (AI) for COVID-19. However, such technology will clearly require further research and independent replication to be refined, accepted, or implemented.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32589-7/fulltext?rss=yes

Victory! Seville Cancels Electronic Warfare Europe Arms Fair
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-12
In a press release issued today by the City Council of Seville, the Councilor of Urban Housing, Tourism and Culture, Antonio Muñoz, announced the cancellation of the Electronic Warfare Europe arms fair which was scheduled to take place at the Palace of Exhibitions and Congresses of Fibes in Seville in May 2021. | The same fair had been cancelled in Liverpool, UK, where Elbit Systems, Israel's largest private weapons manufacturer whose arms are regularly used by the Israeli military to kill and maim Palestinian civilians, was a partner.
popularresistance.org/victory-seville-cancels-electronic-warfare-europe-arms-fair/