(2020-12-19). Brussels airport braces for logistical challenges of vaccine distribution. laprensalatina.com By María Moya Brussels, Dec 19 (efe-epa).- With its specialized infrastructure, Brussels-Zaventem airport is preparing for the logistical challenges of becoming the main entry and distribution point for the first Covid-19 vaccines destined for the European Union. The European Medicines Agency is poised to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Monday. The head of the European …
(2020-12-19). Post-Brexit trade talks continue into the weekend. thecanary.co 
Talks on a post-Brexit trade deal will continue into the weekend, with both side warning that the chances of agreement remain in the balance.Both Downing Street and the European Commission said the negotiations were still "ongoing", but that significant differences remained over fisheries and the so-called level playing field rules.The European Parliament has been pressing for an agreement by 20 December so it can ratify any deal before the current Brexit transition period ends on 31 December.Boris Johnson has urged the EU to 'see sense' (Yui/Mok/PA)However, it is thought EU leaders could provisionally sign off o…
(2020-12-19). France Cynically Hides Its Islamophobia Behind 'LaàØcité'. scheerpost.com MEAE ] By Mariamne Everett "… Our country is one that has no problems with any of the world's religions whatsoever, because they are all practised freely in our country. And to all French people of the Muslim faith, and indeed to citizens from anywhere else in the world whose religion is Islam, I should like to say to them that France is a country in which this religion, too, is freely practised."… |
(2020-12-19). Dystopian "Great Reset": "Own Nothing and Be Happy", Being Human in 2030. globalresearch.ca The World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, Switzerland, brings together international business and political leaders, economists and other high-profile individuals to discuss global issues. Driven by the vision of its influential CEO Klaus …
(2020-12-19). How Georgia voters are transforming America's future. nationofchange.org They want to help the new administration put America on the path to health and shared prosperity.
(2020-12-19). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis. popularresistance.org The United States and Ukraine were the only two nations to vote against a United Nations resolution Wednesday on, "Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance." The resolution passed 130-2. | The resolution featured 70 fairly bland statements condemning the crimes of Adolf Hitler, while also expressing concern at the rise of contemporary Neo-Nazi groups. | "Neo-Nazism is more than just the glorification of a past movement, it is a contemporary phenomenon with strong vested inte…
(2020-12-18). The Covid Scare Campaign Relentlessly Continues. globalresearch.ca This headline on a leading online news site stares me in the face: Coronavirus infection is on the rise in Spain. Here's another "scare campaign" news in the time when people are catching the flu. Besides, there are those who …
(2020-12-18). Sweden says maximum of FOUR people can gather at Christmas, non-essential workers to stay home for a month as Covid cases rise. rt.com 
The Swedish prime minister has announced a raft of harsh new Covid restrictions, including limiting Christmas gatherings to four people and ordering non-essential workers to work from home until January 24, as infections mount. | Speaking on Friday, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said that "this year, Christmas will be different," as he announced the new measures to tackle Covid-19, some of which are to kick in on Christmas Eve. | "The situation is still serious, and the situation in the healthcare system is very strained," Löfven asserted. | The PM spoke of his concern that the Christmas period could see C…
(2020-12-18). Macron's Covid-hit visit was never going to be the tonic Lebanon needs. middleeasteye.net 
Macron's Covid-hit visit was never going to be the tonic Lebanon needs | The president has had to cancel his trip to Beirut, but in truth his 'French initiative' grew sick long before he did | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 15: 55 | French President Emmanuel Macron (R) speaks with Arnaud Tranchant, commander of the Tonnerre helicopter carrier, off the port of Beirut (AFP) | For anyone believing the format…
(2020-12-18). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org French transport workers strike in Paris against privatisation; UK Heathrow airport workers stoppage over pay and conditions; healthcare workers in six South African hospitals demand pay rise…
(2020-12-18). Mass Starvation Looms as Yemen's Currency Nears Historic Freefall. mintpressnews.com 
TAIZ, YEMEN- — Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates seem to be doing everything in their power to prevent an end to the suffering in Yemen. Even those living in areas under the total control of the wealthy Gulf monarchies are facing levels of devastation that harken back to the total destruction of European cities during World War II. | With no functioning government to provide residents with even basic assistance and facing a collapsed economy amid a famine that could soon beset all of Yemen according to the United Nations, the collapse of Yemen's rial, particularly in Saudi-coalition-controlled a…
(2020-12-18). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis, Labels It "Russian Disinformation" mintpressnews.com 
This is far from the first time the US has voted against similar resolutions; it has done so every year since 2014, dismissing them as Russian attempts to delegitimize the Ukrainian government.
(2020-12-18). Explained: Sisi, Macron and the dubious history of France's Legion of Honour. middleeasteye.net 
Explained: Sisi, Macron and the dubious history of France's Legion of Honour | News that France granted the Egyptian leader an honorific medal has sparked outrage. But the grand cross has a long history of being handed out to questionable figures | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 16: 50 | French President Emmanuel Macron, right, welcomes Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at Elysee Presidential Palace on 7 De…
(2020-12-18). Workers of Leica plant in Portugal protest wage discrimination. peoplesdispatch.org The workers at the Lousado plant of the German company Leica in Portugal organised a protest demanding a salary hike and an end to the harassment faced by workers…
(2020-12-18). Interview: Curitiba's First Afro-Brazilian Woman City Councilor. telesurenglish.net Carol Dartora, a history teacher and union activist in the Brazilian state of Parana has recently been elected as the first Black woman city councilor for Curitiba. She comes from the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores/PT) and recently gave an interview to Brian Mier. | Curitiba, the center of the US DOJ and FBI-backed Lava Jato investigation, has a reputation as a very conservative city. Priding itself on its German, Italian, Ukrainian and Polish heritage, during the 1930s it was the site of the largest Nazi rally ever to take place outside of Europe, and a recent study shows that there are currently at…
(2020-12-18). Learning the Lessons of the Latino Vote. counterpunch.org Among the many lessons learned in this year's election, one standout is that Latino voter turnout showed the power of extensive, culturally competent voter education and outreach. And in Georgia, we will soon discover whether progressive candidates have learned these lessons well enough to prevail again. Two critical U.S. Senate runoffs present an opportunity for
(2020-12-18). Air Force Veterans of Plutonium Dust Disaster Win Class Action Standing. counterpunch.org Air force veterans exposed to plutonium after a first-ever US nuclear weapons disaster in Spain have won extremely rare recognition as a class in a lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs. On Jan. 17, 1966, an air force B-52 bomber exploded over the village of Palomares, Spain during a routine airborne refueling. Seven airmen
(2020-12-18). Tehran, Moscow confer on JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 18 (MNA) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali discussed at a meeting the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program.
(2020-12-18). House GOP Leader Pushes for Swalwell to Be Removed From Intel Committee After Alleged Spy Contact. sputniknews.com US Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has been among the strongest voices accusing Trump administration figures of meeting with alleged Russian spies who were never accused of espionage. Now he finds himself hoist by his own petard, at risk of losing a coveted committee seat over much more serious accusations.
(2020-12-17). UNICEF supporting emergency food aid for UK children over holidays. news.un.org Thousands of families in the United Kingdom impacted by COVID-19 are to receive "one-off…emergency" food assistance from UN Children's Fund UNICEF over the upcoming holiday period and beyond, it has announced.
(2020-12-17). Video: Russian Forces Establish Presence on Syrian-Iraqi Border. globalresearch.ca Over the past weeks, the Syrian Army and its allies have intensified their operations against ISIS cells hiding in the Homs-Deir Ezzor desert. | According to pro-government sources, during the past few days, Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias carried out …
(2020-12-17). France : Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité & LaàØcité….But Not for Muslims? counterpunch.org 
"…Our country is one that has no problems with any of the world's religions whatsoever, because they are all practised freely in our country. And to all French people of the Muslim faith, and indeed to citizens from anywhere else in the world whose religion is Islam, I should like to say to them that
(2020-12-17). The revolutionaries, when they rise, care for nothing but love. peoplesdispatch.org 
A decade has now slipped by since a man named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid on 17 December 2010. Bouazizi, a street vendor, took this extreme step after policemen harassed him for trying to survive. Not long after, thousands of people in this small Tunisian town gathered in the street to express their anger. Their outburst spread to the capital city, Tunis, where trade unions, social organisations, political parties, and civic groups marched into the avenues to overthrow the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Demonstrations in Tunisia inspired similar outbreaks aroun…
(2020-12-17). Coalition of groups criticise OIC for failing to condemn China's persecution of Uighurs. middleeasteye.net 
Coalition of groups criticise OIC for failing to condemn China's persecution of Uighurs | Rights and advocacy groups call on Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to demand accountability and transparency from Beijing | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 19: 55 | Despite protests from Uighurs outside China, many Muslim-majority countries have remained silent on China's rights violations (AFP/File photo) | A coalition…
(2020-12-17). Azerbaijan, Turkey, and the Geopolitics of Caspian Gas. counterpunch.org 
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(2020-12-17). Turkey will not 'turn back on' S-400 missile system after US sanctions. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey will not 'turn back on' S-400 missile system after US sanctions | Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed that Ankara would not turn back on the controversial missile system | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 07: 16 | Washington sanctioned the Presidency for Defence Industries (SSB), Turkey's military procurement agency for activating the S-400 missile system (AFP) | Turkey said it would not turn bac…
(2020-12-17). History of World War I: German Colonialism in Central and Eastern Europe and the Fall of Tsarist Russia. globalresearch.ca When in February 1918, the German politician Prince Max of Baden asked his country's military dictator, Erich Ludendorff, what would happen if the latter's spring offensive failed, he replied, "Then Germany will just have to suffer annihilation". | General Ludendorff's …
(2020-12-17). Led by Black Women, Organizers in Georgia Work to Replicate Election Success in Senate Runoff. zcomm.org After turning out Georgia voters in record numbers in the general election, organizers work to mobilize the youth vote in the pivotal Senate runoff election…
(2020-12-17). Young People in Georgia Fight for Climate Ahead of Runoff Elections. commondreams.org "I think if people realized that a lot of the social justice issues in Georgia are tied to environmental issues, they would be more interested in fighting for the environment." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/youth_climate_0_0.jpg …
(2020-12-17). How the Workers of Spain Battled the Spanish Flu. thenation.com How the Workers of Spain Battled the Spanish Flu…
(2020-12-16). The Heat: UK-EU Brexit Talks. america.cgtn.com 
Can the United Kingdom and the European Union agree on a trade deal before a crucial Brexit deadline?>
(2020-12-16). Antisemitism Claims Mask a Reign of Political and Cultural Terror Across Europe. counterpunch.org 
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has run a fascinating long report this week offering a disturbing snapshot of the political climate rapidly emerging across Europe on the issue of antisemitism. The article documents a kind of cultural, political and intellectual reign of terror in Germany since the parliament passed a resolution last year equating support for non-violent boycotts
(2020-12-16). Fish Wars and Brexit. counterpunch.org 
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. The prospects of a trade pact between the EU and UK by the end of
(2020-12-16). 'What kind of an alliance is this?': Turkey's Erdogan slams US over sanctions. middleeasteye.net 
'What kind of an alliance is this?': Turkey's Erdogan slams US over sanctions | Turkey's president responds to sanctions levied on Monday, calling them unjust and 'open attack' on its sovereignty | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 18: 53 | Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after chairing cabinet meeting in Ankara on 14 December (AFP/File photo) | Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan respo…
(2020-12-16). Why Make the Dogs Bark: a Tale from Communist Bulgaria. counterpunch.org Recently, I came across an article in the New York Times about an assassination attempt on a Bulgarian arms manufacturer in Sofia, Emilian Gebrev. They smeared poison on his car door handles. The Times points the finger at the same Russians they say were behind the attack on double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England.
(2020-12-16). A small-town voter drive reveals how decades of inequality shadow voter turnout in rural Georgia. zcomm.org Looking toward January 5, there is an election where its long-suppressed voices—like others across Georgia—could ring from coast to coas…
(2020-12-16). Casting a Historic Vote in Georgia. thenation.com Casting a Historic Vote in Georgia…