Daily Archives: December 20, 2020

2020-12-20: News Headlines

Fight Back (2020-12-20). Solidarity with the Russian Communist Workers Party. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following solidarity statement from Freedom Road Socialist Organization to the Russian Communist Workers Party. | To: Russian Communist Workers Party | From: Freedom Road Socialist Organization | Dear Comrades, | Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) stands in solidarity with you, and we condemn the cowardly attack that was carried out by the authorities of Tyumen at the November 7 event to mark the 103rd anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. | We are particularly angered by the police assault on the First Secretary of the Tyumen Regional Committee…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-20). Iran performed better than Europe in fight against COVID-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (MNA) — Chief of General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces says Iran, in comparison to European countries who are not under the US sanctions, performed better in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic in recent 10 months.

Online News Editor (2020-12-20). Effects of Covid-19 felt in Spain's Christmas lottery. laprensalatina.com By Jesús Lozano Madrid, Dec 20 (efe-epa).- The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted almost every aspect of life in Spain and the special Christmas lottery, which has been held uninterrupted for more than 200 years, is no exception. The winning numbers will be read out by schoolchildren at Madrid's Royal Theater on 22 December as is …

South Front (2020-12-20). Video: Is Israel Searching for A Pretext to Invade Southern Syria? globalresearch.ca The Russian military and Russian-backed Syrian forces have been increasing their presence on the border with Iraq. | Less than a week ago, the Russian Military Police established a local HQ in al-Bukamal. Recently, the 5th Corps of the Syrian Army, …

Carl Boggs (2020-12-20). Belarus on the Edge. counterpunch.org The ascent of Joe Biden and his neocon "promoters of democracy" to the White House likely means renewed attention to the idea of Color Revolutions once thought to bring liberation to nations under the heel of dictators. First in line for this latest geopolitical blessing could be Belarus, already site of protracted street protests in

Muhammed Shabeer (2020-12-20). "Global Security Bill: French government's posture is hypocritical and dangerous" peoplesdispatch.org Sofian Nejjari of Mouvement Jeunes communistes de France, a communist youth organization, talks about the protests against the Global Security Bill, the repression unleashed against the protesters and the impact of the policies of the Macron government…

Brian Berletic (2020-12-20). Russia's Hypersonic 'Zircon' Missile Takes Flight. "Can't Be Seen on Radar". Strategic Implications. globalresearch.ca Russian state media reported a successful test flight of its new hypersonic missile, the Zircon. Flying at Mach 8 (8 times the speed of sound or around 10,000 kph), the missile poses a new and credible threat to the air …

Nataliya Zaiser (2020-12-20). It's Time for Africa: Assessing Russia's Relations with the Continent. globalresearch.ca A Moscow-based public policy advisor specializing in Russia, the Eurasian Union and Africa explains some of the aspects of current Russia-Africa relations, problems and challenges, as well as its future perspectives. While over the past two decades, Russia's efforts to …

Benjamin Barber (2020-12-20). 'Deep Canvassing' Targets Rural Georgia. zcomm.org "I think the one thing that we've learned is that it's important to connect with people's most immediate conditions"

RT (2020-12-19). Netanyahu calls Covid-19 vaccine 'giant step for health' as he becomes first Israeli to get Pfizer jab. rt.com Hoping to lead by example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a jab of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in an event broadcast live, as the polls showed a high level of mistrust to the immunization drive among Israelis. | The ceremonial injection took place at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv on Saturday, with Netanyahu sticking to his earlier promise and becoming the first person in the country to be vaccinated against Covid-19. | The PM was administered a shot of the immunization jointly developed by US pharma giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. Israel, which plans to begin the vaccination of…

The Canary (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…

WSWS (2020-12-19). More than 30,000 daily infections in Germany and war-like conditions in hospitals. wsws.org Conditions at German hospitals resemble those in a war. One doctor told the press that several times in the past few days "we had to decide who gets oxygen and who doesn't."

Colin Todhunter (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 …

Tom Conway (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.

Editor (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."… |

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-19). Workers Party of Belgium opposes kilometer tax for Brussels region. peoplesdispatch.org The tax proposed by the Brussels government will be calculated according to the number of kilometers traveled and the power of the engine. The PTB says workers will bear the brunt of the tax…

_____ (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…

Prof. Ruel F. Pepa (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 …

Kareem Chehayeb (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…

Ahmed Abdulkareem (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…

Alan Macleod (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.

Chloé Benoist (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…

teleSUR (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…

John Laforge (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

Lizet Ocampo (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

sputniknews (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.

news.un (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.

Mariamne Everett (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

Vijay Prashad (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…

Umar A Farooq (2020-12-17). OIC widely criticised for failing to condemn China's persecution of Uighurs. middleeasteye.net OIC widely criticised 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 of 150 orga…

Shane Quinn (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 …

Valerie Slaughter (2020-12-17). How the Workers of Spain Battled the Spanish Flu. thenation.com How the Workers of Spain Battled the Spanish Flu…

Mekdela Maskal (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