Daily Archives: December 15, 2020

2020-12-15: News Headlines

Andrew Korybko (2020-12-15). US Sanctions Directed against Turkey For Its Acquisition of Russia's S-400 Air Defense System. globalresearch.ca The recently imposed targeted sanctions against Turkey and the impending National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2021 ones mandating similar measures against it for its acquisition of Russia's S-400 air defense systems, while illegal in terms of international law and a …

The Canary (2020-12-15). PM says no-deal Brexit remains 'most likely outcome' as talks continue. thecanary.co Boris Johnson has said that leaving the European Union without a free trade agreement still remains the "most likely outcome" as talks continue in Brussels.Wheeler no-dealer: The prime minister told his cabinet that he was committed to continuing negotiations on the remaining areas of disagreement and re-emphasised the desire to strike a deal. But he said leaving without an agreement "remained the most likely outcome", according to Downing Street.A spokesperson insisted that there remained enough time to pass legislation if a deal is reached to come into force at the end of the transition period. Asked whe…

Ragip Soylu (2020-12-15). How US sanctions will affect Turkey's defence industry. middleeasteye.net How US sanctions will affect Turkey's defence industry | Penalties over Ankara's S-400 purchase could hinder crucial projects for up to a year until Turkey finds replacements | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 14: 19 | Turkey's Hurjet light combat aircraft, which is produced by the Presidency for Defence Industries, will be affected by US sanctions (Turkish Aerospace) | US sanctions imposed on Turkey on Monday over the…

MEE staff (2020-12-15). Norway blocked Saudi request to give diplomatic immunity to suspicious 'security team'. middleeasteye.net Norway blocked Saudi request to give diplomatic immunity to suspicious 'security team' | Norwegian authorities alerted activist Iyad al-Baghdadi to incident, which came weeks before Khashoggi's murder, local media reports | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 12: 17 | Activist Iyad el-Baghdadi believes the request for diplomatic immunity was linked to his relationship with slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi (AFP) | Norway refused…

John Pilger (2020-12-15). The Most Lethal Virus is Not COVID. It is War. counterpunch.org In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Boris Johnson has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defence spending — a figure that would restore the under-resourced NHS many times over.

RT (2020-12-15). Facebook's latest troll-hunt in Africa leads them to point to FRANCE — first NATO country to get the honor. rt.com On the latest hunt for 'trolls' in Africa and the Middle East, in addition to the usual 'Russians' Facebook for the first time banned a network of French accounts fighting for influence in former colonies. | On Tuesday, Facebook

Editor (2020-12-15). Rouhani Tells Biden How to Get the Iran Deal Back on Track. scheerpost.com Asia Society / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] By Juan Cole / Informed Comment Iranian president Hassan Rouhani was asked Tuesday in an interview with a state-owned news outlet under what conditions Iran would return to the 2015 nuclear deal with the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5), including the U.S., plus Germany (+1) He replied, "A thing we are saying today is that if tomorrow morning the… |

teleSUR (2020-12-15). Russia Begins COVID-19 Vaccination Throughout Its Territory. telesurenglish.net Russia's Health Minister Mikhail Murashko on Tuesday announced the start of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country, adding that his institution has settled a national network for the transportation of the Sputnik V vaccine. | RELATED: | Besides announcing that President Vladimir Putin's administration will seek to attract new companies for the production of the vaccine, he explained that the conservation of Sputnik V will b…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-15). Germany goes for a stricter semi-lockdown amid alarming COVID-19 spike. peoplesdispatch.org According to the new regulations, schools and non-essential shops will remain closed across Germany from December 16 till January 10. As of December 14, around 1,348,851 COVID-19 cases had been reported in Germany, with 22,607 deaths…

James Jeffrey (2020-12-15). Outgoing Syria Envoy James Jeffrey Reflects on "What Everyone Got Wrong" globalresearch.ca In a long-ranging interview with Al-Monitor, James Jeffrey looks back on his efforts to incorporate fragments of Obama-era initiatives into a cohesive Middle East policy. | *** | In August 2016, former US Ambassador to Iraq and Turkey James Jeffrey

WSWS (2020-12-15). New data expose catastrophe of Turkey's "herd immunity" policy. wsws.org One of the world's biggest cover-ups of the pandemic is taking place in Turkey as part of a global, criminal "herd immunity" policy in the interests of the ruling class.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-15). Iran, Russia stress parliamentary, bilateral ties expansion. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 15 (MNA) — Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held a phone conversation with the Chairman of Russia's State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin on the expansion of parliamentary ties and recent developments in region and world.

Pablo Navarrete (2020-12-15). Stop weaponising antisemitism: 'Never again ever, for anyone!'. thecanary.co Dan Glass is the grandson of four Nazi Holocaust survivors, two from Germany and two from Poland. He says "the last thing I'm ever going to let happen is that my grandparents' story and what they went through, be weaponised to oppress other people". | You can watch the full Redfish documentary featured in this video Alongside the launch of this video, the following Q&A with Dan Glass and The Canary's

Umar A Farooq (2020-12-14). US elections 2020: Muslims in state of Georgia mobilise for Senate runoff. middleeasteye.net US elections 2020: Muslims in state of Georgia mobilise for Senate runoff | As early voting begins, the contest will have implications on issues of Islamophobia, police reform and systemic racism across US | Mon, 12/14/2020 – 20: 20 | Georgia is home to more than 100,000 Muslim residents, and of that number, more than 71,000 are registered to vote (AFP/File photo) | Ahead of the consequential US Se…

Peter Koenig (2020-12-14). Radical De-Globalization: Finding Back Our Freedom and Sovereignty: Tyrants Don't Create Tyranny. Your Obedience Does. globalresearch.ca People are waking up. | Art is being applied to protests. As very well demonstrated in Germany the Netherlands and Denmark — see video " It is not without reference tongue-in-cheek …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-12-14). Germany Unlikely to Pursue Independent Foreign Policy. Will Follow Biden. globalresearch.ca

sputniknews (2020-12-14). Yankee Detectives Are Always on the TV. sputniknews.com On today's episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events, including Pastor Mark Burns announcing on Twitter the pardoning of Julian Assange by President Trump, the Electoral College counting votes for the President, and the Washington Post announcing Russia's alleged hacking of US agencies.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-14). "Fish Wars" and Brexit. European Fishing Vessels in British Waters. globalresearch.ca Warring over fish in the twenty-first century might seem an unlikely proposition. But the deployment of four Royal Navy ships to deter European fishing vessels from encroaching on British waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit has tongues wagging. …

Fight Back (2020-12-14). Maradona, worldwide soccer icon and outspoken anti-imperialist, dies at age 60. fightbacknews.org Diego Armando Maradona died November 25. One of the most universally known people in the world, Maradona passed away at age 60 while recovering from surgery. | Maradona, who wore number 10 on the Argentinian national soccer team, is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time. At his peak he led Argentina to a 3-2 World Cup victory in 1986 over West Germany. And he nearly accomplished an incredibly rare back-to-back World Cup victory in the 1990 World Cup, leading Argentina back to the finals in a rematch between Argentina and West Germany. In that game Argentina lost to West Germany 1-0 on…

Strategic Culture Foundation (2020-12-14). Europe's Anti-Russia Sanctions Result in Extensive Economic Losses and Growing Tensions with Russia. globalresearch.ca New data out this week indicates that the European Union has suffered aggregate economic losses amounting to over €120 billion due to its policy of imposing sanctions against Russia. That's according to figures

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-14). 'They Don't Care About the Little Guy': Progressives Take Aim at Greed of GOP Senators in Crucial Georgia Runoffs. commondreams.org To win on January 5, organizers say, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock should focus on getting direct economic relief to struggling Americans, raising the minimum wage, and the greed of the Republican Party. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1229963947_2.jpg

Jonathan Cook (2020-12-14). Antisemitism Claims Mask a Reign of Political and Cultural Terror Across Europe. globalresearch.ca The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has run a fascinating

_____ (2020-12-13). On Contact: Wrecking The left. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to journalist Diana Johnstone about the betrayal of the left with its historical role as the champion of social justice and peace now replaced with the boutique activism of identity politics, political correctness and what has become known as humanitarian intervention, the justification of US and NATO adventurism and wars on the specious belief it would liberate the women of Afghanistan or the peoples of Iraq. | Diana Johnstone's memoir is 'Circle in the Darkness: Memoir of a World Watcher'. Johnstone was the European editor of In The Times from 1979 to 1990, and her work…

Joshua Frank (2020-12-13). Russia's Forgotten Nuclear Disaster. counterpunch.org 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

2020-12-15: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War
John Pilger | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-15
John Pilger describes the invisible weapon of past and current wars, and the threat of nuclear war, under cover of the Covid pandemic. This is propaganda, aided by censorship by omission. | Watch Pilger's 2010 film The War You Don't See…
globalresearch.ca/most-lethal-virus-not-covid-war/5732310

The Most Lethal Virus is Not COVID. It is War
John Pilger | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-15
In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Boris Johnson has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defence spending — a figure that would restore the under-resourced NHS many times over.
counterpunch.org/2020/12/15/the-most-lethal-virus-is-not-covid-it-is-war/

Rouhani Tells Biden How to Get the Iran Deal Back on Track
Editor | scheerpost.com | 2020-12-15
Asia Society / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] By Juan Cole / Informed Comment Iranian president Hassan Rouhani was asked Tuesday in an interview with a state-owned news outlet under what conditions Iran would return to the 2015 nuclear deal with the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5), including the U.S., plus Germany (+1) He replied, "A thing we are saying today is that if tomorrow morning the… | Source…
scheerpost.com/2020/12/15/rouhani-tells-biden-how-to-get-the-iran-deal-back-on-track/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rouhani-tells-biden-how-to-get-the-iran-deal-back-on-track

US Sanctions Directed against Turkey For Its Acquisition of Russia's S-400 Air Defense System
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-15
The recently imposed targeted sanctions against Turkey and the impending National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2021 ones mandating similar measures against it for its acquisition of Russia's S-400 air defense systems, while illegal in terms of international law and a …
globalresearch.ca/us-anti-turkish-sanctions-strengthen-target-sovereignty/5732357

Germany goes for a stricter semi-lockdown amid alarming COVID-19 spike
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-15
According to the new regulations, schools and non-essential shops will remain closed across Germany from December 16 till January 10. As of December 14, around 1,348,851 COVID-19 cases had been reported in Germany, with 22,607 deaths…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/15/germany-goes-for-a-stricter-semi-lockdown-amid-alarming-covid-19-spike/

PM says no-deal Brexit remains 'most likely outcome' as talks continue
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-15
Boris Johnson has said that leaving the European Union without a free trade agreement still remains the "most likely outcome" as talks continue in Brussels.Wheeler no-dealer: The prime minister told his cabinet that he was committed to continuing negotiations on the remaining areas of disagreement and re-emphasised the desire to strike a deal. But he said leaving without an agreement "remained the most likely outcome", according to Downing Street.A spokesperson insisted that there remained enough time to pass legislation if a deal is reached to come into force at the end of the transition period. Asked whe…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/12/15/pm-says-no-deal-brexit-remains-most-likely-outcome-as-talks-continue/

How US sanctions will affect Turkey's defence industry
Ragip Soylu | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-15
How US sanctions will affect Turkey's defence industry | Penalties over Ankara's S-400 purchase could hinder crucial projects for up to a year until Turkey finds replacements | Ragip Soylu | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 14: 19 | Turkey's Hurjet light combat aircraft, which is produced by the Presidency for Defence Industries, will be affected by US sanctions (Turkish Aerospace) | US sanctions imposed on Turkey on Monday over the…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-us-sanctions-defence-industry-how-affect

New data expose catastrophe of Turkey's "herd immunity" policy
wsws.org | 2020-12-15
One of the world's biggest cover-ups of the pandemic is taking place in Turkey as part of a global, criminal "herd immunity" policy in the interests of the ruling class.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/15/turk-d15.html

Norway blocked Saudi request to give diplomatic immunity to suspicious 'security team'
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-15
Norway blocked Saudi request to give diplomatic immunity to suspicious 'security team' | Norwegian authorities alerted activist Iyad al-Baghdadi to incident, which came weeks before Khashoggi's murder, local media reports | MEE staff | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 12: 17 | Activist Iyad el-Baghdadi believes the request for diplomatic immunity was linked to his relationship with slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi (AFP) | Norway refused…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-norway-diplomatic-immunity-team-blocked

Outgoing Syria Envoy James Jeffrey Reflects on "What Everyone Got Wrong"
James Jeffrey | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-15
In a long-ranging interview with Al-Monitor, James Jeffrey looks back on his efforts to incorporate fragments of Obama-era initiatives into a cohesive Middle East policy. | *** | In August 2016, former US Ambassador to Iraq and Turkey James Jeffrey signed a …
globalresearch.ca/outgoing-syria-envoy-reflects-turkey-kurds-what-everyone-got-wrong/5732346

Iran, Russia stress parliamentary, bilateral ties expansion
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-15
TEHRAN, Dec. 15 (MNA) — Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held a phone conversation with the Chairman of Russia's State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin on the expansion of parliamentary ties and recent developments in region and world.
en.mehrnews.com/news/167224/Iran-Russia-stress-parliamentary-bilateral-ties-expansion

Stop weaponising antisemitism: 'Never again ever, for anyone!'
Pablo Navarrete | thecanary.co | 2020-12-15
Dan Glass is the grandson of four Nazi Holocaust survivors, two from Germany and two from Poland. He says "the last thing I'm ever going to let happen is that my grandparents' story and what they went through, be weaponised to oppress other people". | You can watch the full Redfish documentary featured in this video here. | Alongside the launch of this video, the following Q&A with Dan Glass and The Canary's Nancy Mendoza aired live on Mon 15 Decem…
thecanary.co/video/2020/12/15/stop-weaponising-antisemitism-never-again-ever-for-anyone/

As Johnson threatens UK's neighbours with gunboats, we revisit the lies underpinning the entire Brexit project
Tom Coburg | thecanary.co | 2020-12-15