Daily Archives: December 30, 2020

2020-12-30: News Headlines

Nicolas Maury (2020-12-30). The Congress of Tours and the birth of the organized communist movement in France. peoplesdispatch.org This December 30th marks the centenary of the foundation of the organized communist movement in France at the historic 18th national congress of the Socialist Party – French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), held in Tours in 1920…

Peter Koenig (2020-12-30). The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020" globalresearch.ca WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.

Aaron Maté (2020-12-30). Stephen F. Cohen on Russia's democratization and how US meddling undermines it. thegrayzone.com Pushback rounds out 2020 by airing an unpublished interview with Stephen F. Cohen, the eminent Russia historian and scholar who passed away in September at the age of 81. In an interview recorded one year before his death, Stephen F. Cohen discusses local elections and protests in Russia; opposition leader Alexei Navalny; as well as the state of Russia's post-Soviet democratization and how US meddling undermines it. Guest: Stephen F. Cohen. Professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-12-30). Economic Matters in Ukraine Are at Standstill. globalresearch.ca It was a quiet year for Ukraine and its many issues compared to previous years, or at least in the eyes of most Westerners. Other global issues, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and elections in Belarus, took greater precedence and …

Amandla Thomas-Johnson (2020-12-30). 'Sold out': Uighurs fear deportation as China ratifies extradition treaty with Turkey. middleeasteye.net 'Sold out': Uighurs fear deportation as China ratifies extradition treaty with Turkey | Uighur activists urge Turkish government not to abide by agreement that could put tens of thousands at risk of being detained in internment camps
| Wed, 12/30/2020 – 10: 17 | Supporters of China's Muslim Uighur minority protest in Istanbul against B…

RT (2020-12-30). Bolivia signs contract to purchase 2.6mn doses of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com Bolivia has become the third Latin American nation to strike an agreement with Russia's Direct Investment Fund for supplies of its Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19. Under the deal, Bolivia will receive 2.6 million doses. | The contract between the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Bolivia's Health Supply Center (CEASS) was signed during a videoconference, which was also attended by Bolivian President Luis Arce. | The president praised Sputnik V in a Twitter

Zero Hedge (2020-12-30). Spain Plans a "Registry" for Those Who Refuse COVID Vaccine. globalresearch.ca As Europe begins vaccinating the first wave of high-priority patients, A similar phenomenon has played out in the …

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). UK approves Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine. laprensalatina.com London, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The United Kingdom's government on Wednesday accepted the medicines and health regulatory body's recommendation to authorize the use of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the health ministry said. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave the green light for the vaccine to be used on people 18 years and …

South Front (2020-12-30). Video: Russia Suffers Casualties in Greater Idlib. Israeli Air Force Strikes Damascus Countryside. globalresearch.ca On the morning of December 30th, warplanes of the Israeli Air Force once again carried out strikes on alleged Iranian targets in the countryside of Damascus. According to reports one person was killed and 3 others injured in the attack….

WSWS (2020-12-30). Excess deaths in Russia spike. wsws.org While Russia's official death toll from coronavirus stands at just over 55,000, the real number of COVID-19 victims is likely at least double or triple those officially reported.

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). Coronavirus vaccination gets under way in Argentina. laprensalatina.com Buenos Aires, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Health care workers were at the head of the line Tuesday as Argentina began Covid-19 vaccination using Sputnik V, developed by Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute, amid concerns about a second wave of infections in the South American country that has already lost nearly 43,000 lives to Covid-19. "It is a …

Marjorie Cohn (2020-12-30). Civil Rights Groups Fight Back Against Georgia's Voter Purges. zcomm.org The importance of the January 5 Senate runoff elections in Georgia cannot be overestimated…

Ulson Gunnar (2020-12-30). Russia-China Civilian Aviation Production Challenges Boeing-Airbus Dominance. globalresearch.ca For decades US-based Boeing and European aerospace giant, Airbus, have dominated global civilian aviation in what many in the industry describe as a duopoly. But as is the case in so many other industries as of late, China's economic and …

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-30). Basiji ladies donate blood in Tabriz. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — A group of Basiji ladies donated blood in Tabriz, the capital city of East Azerbaijan Province, in northwestern Iran.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-30). US has a lot to do to remedy its reputation of foreign policy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna says the US has a lot to do to remedy to a certain extent the reputation of US foreign policy.

Staff (2020-12-30). Britain Prepares for Increased Isolation in Wake of Brexit Deal. truthout.org The grim realities of the Brexit deal announced on Christmas Eve are beginning to sink in as British voters face the impending implementation of an arrangement that leaves Britain poorer and more isolated — both economically and culturally — than it would have been had voters in 2016 opted to stay in the European Union (EU). Provided that both the U.K. and the European Parliaments ratify the deal as expected, the new arrangement will take effect in the new year. | The new U.K.-EU relationship…

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). UK lawmakers pass Brexit deal with ample majority. laprensalatina.com London, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- Members of the United Kingdom's Parliament on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of the government's post-Brexit deal with the European Union. Following a fast-tracked debate, a total of 521 lawmakers in the House of Commons, the majority of whom took part remotely, voted to write the EU (Future Relationship) into UK …

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). Democrats relying on Latino vote in key Georgia Senate elections. laprensalatina.com By Marcelo G. Wheelock Atlanta, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- Democrats want to repeat the formula that led them to victory in the Nov. 3 presidential election in Georgia and they are relying on the local Hispanic vote in the crucial runoffs for the state's two US Senate seats in early January, races that will decide which …

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). Croatians remain on edge as aftershocks follow major quake. laprensalatina.com Zagreb, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- Three minor earthquakes Wednesday rattled the nerves of inhabitants of central Croatia a day after the region was struck by a magnitude-6.2 temblor that left seven people dead and 26 others injured. The strongest of the aftershocks was a magnitude-4.8. In Petrinja, the town nearest the epicenter of Tuesday's quake, rescue …

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). EU and China conclude negotiations on investment deal. laprensalatina.com Brussels, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The European Union and China concluded negotiations on a long-awaited investment deal designed to lower business barriers to European companies in China and push toward leveling the playing field between the two economic powers. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: "The EU has the largest single market in the …

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). Brazilian graffiti phenom Thales Pomb inspired by Goya, the color blue. laprensalatina.com By Antonio Torres del Cerro Sao Paulo, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- He paints a 35-meter (115-foot) mural with the same care he gives to an oil portrait. The color blue inspires him, and the work of Spain's Francisco Goya is in the forefront of his artistic references. His name is Thales Fernando "Pomb," he's 31 and …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-29). Endings for Beginnings: Reaching a Brexit Deal. counterpunch.org It was a hurried dash and came just before the end of the transition period. The UK and the European Union have reached an agreement on the torturously long road of Brexit. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson can take the deal back to his constituents and Parliament, claiming he achieved something less horrendous than a

WSWS (2020-12-29). Sweden records deadliest November since 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. wsws.org Around 100 people are dying on a daily basis, the equivalent of over 3,000 in the US population.

WSWS (2020-12-29). Coronavirus accelerates as new strain detected across Europe. wsws.org The spread of the new strain of the virus intersects with the European governments' criminal refusal of measures to stop the pandemic that would cut corporate profits.

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). New Covid cases in UK skyrockets to over 53,000. laprensalatina.com London, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The United Kingdom on Tuesday registered its highest daily number of newly confirmed coronavirus infections — 53,135 — and added another 414 Covid-19 deaths to its dire pandemic tally, the British government reported. The number of new cases exceeds by almost 12,000 the previous single-day record, which had been set on …

teleSUR (2020-12-29). Argentina Kicks off COVID-19 National Vaccination Campaign. telesurenglish.net Argentina's COVID-19 vaccination campaign began on Monday, following a national operation to distribute 300,000 doses of the Russian vaccine across the country. | RELATED: | Subnational governments offered details on the vaccination plan in each district. In Buenos Aires, the Sputnik V vaccine will be applied to health personnel at 110 hospitals in 89 municipalities. | "After so many months of the pandemic, we…

Ralph Nader (2020-12-29). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. counterpunch.org Serial lawbreaker Donald J. Trump is embarking on the most sordid presidential pardon spree in American history. He has already pardoned convicted crooks, thieves, and violent outlaws. Trump's pardon lawyers are frantically assembling more MAGA besotted individuals and groups to be pardoned wholesale. The number may climb into the hundreds. The queue is long. Trump

Ben Carroll (2020-12-29). After massive cyberattack, imperialist U.S. blames Russia — and China. workers.org U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts are calling it perhaps the most extensive and costly "cyberattack" in modern history. Revelations have come to light that in mid-December numerous U.S. government agencies and some of the world's largest corporations discovered they had been hacked over the course of several preceding months. U.S. . . . |

RT (2020-12-29). Russia's FSB dismantles international drug smuggling ring, seizes $13.6mn worth of drugs in joint operation with US (VIDEO). rt.com In a rare collaborative effort, Russian and American law enforcement officials have busted a transnational criminal gang smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe, seizing 330 kilograms of the drug. | The drug smuggling chain was busted as a result of a "months-long multi-stage international operation," Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the first members of the gang were detained as early as in May. The operation was conducted together with the US Justice Department's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS). | "In close cooperation with international pa…

RT (2020-12-29). Russia's FSB dismantles international drug smuggling ring, seizes $13.6 million worth of drugs in joint operation with US (VIDEO). rt.com In a rare collaborative effort, elite Russian and American law enforcement officials have busted a transnational criminal gang smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe, seizing 330 kilograms of the illegal drug. | The drug smuggling chain was busted as a result of a "months-long multi-stage international operation," Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the first members of the gang were detained as early as in May. The operation was conducted together with the US Justice Department's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS). | "In close cooperation with in…

MEE staff (2020-12-29). Russia and Turkey to continue military cooperation despite US sanctions. middleeasteye.net Russia and Turkey to continue military cooperation despite US sanctions | Russian foreign minister says Moscow and Ankara will not be deterred by US sanctions over acquisition of S-400 missile system | Tue, 12/29/2020 – 16: 13 | Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov (AFP) | Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said military cooperation with Turkey would no…

RT (2020-12-29). Argentina launches Covid-19 immunization campaign using Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. rt.com Argentina has launched a nationwide campaign to vaccinate the public against Covid-19, deploying 300,000 doses of Russia's pioneering Sputnik V vaccine. Medics are the primary recipients. | The first shipment of the vaccine arrived in Argentina last Thursday. On Tuesday, it commenced vaccinations in 23 provinces and in the city of Buenos Aires, local media reported. Most of the doses are meant for frontline workers — doctors and nurses working with Covid-19 patients in hospitals. Dr. Francisco Traverso, who works at the Posadas Hospital in the capital was the first to get the vaccine to the applause of hi…

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). India finds 6 cases of new covid variant among travelers from Britain. laprensalatina.com New Delhi, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Six people who flew in from Britain recently have tested positive for the more contagious strain of the coronavirus that has prompted fresh border closures across the world after it was first detected in the United Kingdom. "All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated health …

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). Pakistan confirms first cases of new Covid variant from UK. laprensalatina.com Islamabad, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Pakistani authorities on Tuesday confirmed the first three cases of the new British strain of the novel coronavirus after testing 12 passengers who had arrived from the United Kingdom. "The Health Department of Sindh (province) took samples of UK returnees for genotyping, out of 6 were positive and 3 showed the …

sputniknews (2020-12-29). EU to Purchase Another 100 Million Doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. sputniknews.com The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine received authorization for conditional use from the European Commission on December 21. The decision came on the same day that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended authorizing the vaccine.

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). Argentina prepares to roll out Sputnik Covid-19 vaccine. laprensalatina.com Buenos Aires, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- Argentina mobilized Monday to distribute 300,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to hospitals in each of the 34 provinces amid concerns about a second wave of infections in the South American country that has already lost nearly 43,000 lives to Covid-19. The operation was on track "to initiate …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-29). Argentina starts nationwide COVID-19 vaccinations. peoplesdispatch.org On December 24, the South American nation received the first 300,000 doses out of a total order of over 10 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. In the first round it has prioritized the health workers for the administration of the vaccine.

teleSUR (2020-12-29). 6.2 Earthquake Hits Croatia, at Least 7 Dead. telesurenglish.net At least 7 people died on Tuesday during a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale, in Petrinja city, central Croatia, southeast of the capital, Zagreb. | RELATED: | Croatian Defense Minister Tomo Medved reported six deaths including a 12 year old girl. "We have a lot of victims. In the vicinity of Glina, in the town of Majske Poljane, five deaths have been confirmed so far. With a girl from Petrinja, a total of six…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-29). Iran, Russia defense coop. based on Intl. law. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) — Russian Foreign Minister said that Moscow's defense cooperation with Iran is in accordance with international law.

WSWS (2020-12-29). Brexit deal paves way for further conflicts. wsws.org Ultimately, the deal does nothing other than set the short-term parameters for the ongoing conflict between the UK and the European Union.

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). Spain: Accord needed to avert hard border with Gibraltar. laprensalatina.com Madrid, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- Spain will begin customs and immigration checks on the Gibraltar border at the start of 2021 absent an accord with the United Kingdom on the territory's post-Brexit links with the European Union, the foreign minister said Monday, though she added that people who cross the boundary daily for work will not …

teleSUR (2020-12-29). Venezuela Signs Agreement for Mass Vaccination With Sputnik V. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, Venezuela signed a contract with Russia to begin mass vaccination of its citizens with the Sputnik V vaccine. | RELATED: | "In the first stage of the coronavirus vaccination campaign, 10 million people will get the Russian medicine," Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said, although she did not inform about the start date of the campaign. | Health Minister Carlos Alvarado, Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arre…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-29). Citing Violation of Federal Law, Judge Halts Voter Purges in Rural Georgia Counties Ahead of Senate Runoffs. commondreams.org Officials in two rural counties in Georgia late Monday were ordered by a U.S. District judge to stop invalidating voter registrations due to so-called "unreliable" change of address information, in a ruling that could protect more than 4,000 Georgia residents from voter suppression. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/georgia_0_0_1_0.jpg

WSWS (2020-12-29). A deadly Christmas in Germany. wsws.org The crocodile tears shed by Steinmeier in his Christmas address cannot disguise the fact the ruling class is responsible for the greatest mass deaths since the end of World War II.

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). China say EU investment deal close after 'major progress'. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A Chinese official on Tuesday said "major progress" had been made in the negotiations for the business investment deal with the European Union and expected an agreement to be announced at "an early date." European diplomats have signalled that the deal, in talks since 2014, could be finalized on Wednesday. Negotiators …

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). Strong earthquake hits central Croatia. laprensalatina.com Belgrade/Zagreb, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck central Croatia on Tuesday, causing extensive material damage and an unconfirmed number of casualties. Darinko Dumbovic, the mayor of Petrinja, a town in central Croatia near the epicenter, described the situation in an interview with Radio Croatia as "chaos." "Petrinja is in ruins. There have been …

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). China says EU investment deal close after 'major progress'. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A Chinese official on Tuesday said "major progress" had been made in the negotiations for the business investment deal with the European Union and expected an agreement to be announced at "an early date." European diplomats have signalled that the deal, in talks since 2014, could be finalized on Wednesday. Negotiators …

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). At least 6 dead in powerful Croatia earthquake. laprensalatina.com Belgrade/Zagreb, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- At least six people died, including a 12-year-old girl, around midday on Tuesday in the powerful earthquake that struck central Croatia, and rescue operations are continuing to find and remove people — and possibly more bodies — from the rubble of homes and buildings, local authorities reported. Many of the buildings …

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). Diego Costa pens early end to Atlético Madrid contract. laprensalatina.com Madrid, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Diego Costa has ended his contract with Atlético Madrid six months after expressing his desire to leave for personal reasons, the club confirmed Tuesday. The Spanish-Brazilian striker, who plays for Spain, has officially been an Atlético player in three stints spanning 2007-2020. In that time he also plied his trade with …

news.un (2020-12-29). Netherlands violates nationality rights: UN rights committee. news.un.org The Netherlands has violated a child's rights by registering children under the category "nationality unknown" as opposed to Stateless — leaving them ineligible to access international protections, the UN Human Rights Committee ‚ÄØdeclared‚ÄØon Tuesday.