(2020-12-31). Top 10 Questions for Antony Blinken. dissidentvoice.org 
Before Antony Blinken can become Secretary of State, Senators must approve. And before that, they must ask questions. Here are some suggestions for what they should ask. 1. Second to the war on Iraq, which of the disasters you've helped facilitate do you most regret, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, or something else? And what have you …
(2020-12-31). Refugee agencies call for provision of shelter to 900 migrants in Bosnia. laprensalatina.com Sarajevo, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- International refugee agencies have called on authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide shelter to 900 migrants forced to survive in freezing temperatures without proper accommodation for over a week after their camp burned to the ground. The International Organization for Migration and the UN's refugee office ACNUR said in a …
(2020-12-31). 'Unacceptable': Italy slams Egypt decision to clear police of Giulio Regeni's murder. middleeasteye.net 
'Unacceptable': Italy slams Egypt decision to clear police of Giulio Regeni's murder | Rome says it will work at all levels to find truth after Egyptian prosecutor clears five officers and criticises Italian accusations | Thu, 12/31/2020 – 17: 41 | Italian authorities say they plan to charge four senior Egyptian security officials in murder of Regeni (AFP) | Italy called Egypt's decision to clear five police o…
(2020-12-31). President Arce Encourages Use of Traditional Indigenous Medicine. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's government is encouraging the use of traditional medicine, in addition to more orthodox approaches, as a means to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the country prepares for the arrival of the Sputnik V vaccine acquired from Russia. | RELATED: | President Luis Arce noted the benefits reported by Bolivians in rural areas, many of which experienced no major COVID-19 outbreak, in contrast with the city of Santa…
(2020-12-31). Spain to cut pensions as billions go to super-rich in EU pandemic bailout. wsws.org While handing out €140 billion in COVID-19 bailouts to the banks, the "left populist" Podemos party is moving to slash workers' pensions.
(2020-12-31). Mexico Is Set to Receive Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine in March. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) Wednesday informed that his country will receive the first doses of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine made by the United Kingdom-based AstraZeneca company and the Oxford University. | RELATED: | On Tuesday, the U.K. approved Mexico and Argentina to use the vaccine to immunize their people. Four months ago, British authorities also allowed both countries to produce the drug and distribute it in…
(2020-12-31). Nations of region not to forget sacrifice of martyr Soleimani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (MNA) — Iranian Embassy to Croatia said that regional countries will not forget the bravery and sacrifices of former IRGC Quds Force Commander Martyr Lt. Gen. Soleimani who played a key role in the fight against terrorism.
(2020-12-31). Boris Johnson's father applying for French citzenship. laprensalatina.com Paris, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- The father of United Kingdom Prime Minister and Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson said he is applying for French citizenship. Stanley Johnson told French broadcaster RTL that he "will always be European." "It's not a question of becoming French. If I understand correctly, I already am. My mother was born in France, …
(2020-12-31). Spain, UK reach draft deal on Gibraltar after Brexit. laprensalatina.com Madrid, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Spain and the United Kingdom on Thursday came to a draft agreement to avoid a hard border in Gibraltar after Brexit. Arancha González Laya, the Spanish foreign minister, announced the draft deal just hours before the UK is due to begin life outside the European Union. "We are knocking down barriers …
(2020-12-31). The United Kingdom Detaches From the European Union Today. telesurenglish.net On the night of December 31, the UK will end the regulatory ties that have bound it to the European Union (EU) for nearly half a century. | RELATED: | While the last-minute agreement with the EU avoided immediate commercial and financial chaos, the deal reached will not prevent the full consequences of Brexit from being discovered in the coming months. | In addition to the fact that companies have made their calculations to avoid possible collap…
(2020-12-31). 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 …
(2020-12-31). US imposes new tariffs on German, French wines amid trade dispute with EU. laprensalatina.com Washington, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The US government Wednesday announced increased tariffs on some European Union (EU) products, including French and German wines amid a long-running dispute over subsidies involving civil aircraft manufacturers. The products on which additional tariffs were imposed also include aircraft manufacturing parts, non-sparking wines and cognac and other grape brandies from France …
(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 …
(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…
(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….
(2020-12-30). Bolivia signs contract to purchase 2.6 million 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, La Paz 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, in which Bolivian President Luis Arce took part. | The president praised Sputnik V in a Twitter
(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
(2020-12-30). British MPs approve Brexit trade deal with EU in landslide Commons vote. rt.com 
The UK parliament approved the trade deal with the European Union on Wednesday, with PM Boris Johnson describing Brexit as the beginning rather than an end of the country's relationship with Brussels. | British lawmakers approved the legislation to enact…
(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…
(2020-12-30). 'Eliminate contact with others now': Irish PM confirms toughest Level 5 Covid restrictions after infections surge. rt.com 
The Republic of Ireland will be placed under its most severe Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions until January 31 amid rising numbers of coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on Wednesday. | The tougher measures will force the closure of pubs, gyms and non-essential retail, as well as imposing a ban on all household visits and a 5km limit on travel. | The Irish government has also pushed back the return of primary and secondary school pupils by five days, to January 11. | "We must protect the lives of those we love; the actions we are taking are saving lives… right now, this is what we must do…
(2020-12-30). Siberian Instagram model who performed cosmetic procedures without qualifications banned from leaving city after botching lip job. rt.com 
A Russian Instagram model, who moonlighted as a cosmetologist, has been banned from leaving her city for two and a half years after she was found to be performing lip jobs without a license, leaving one of her clients disfigured. | Anastasia Fokina, known to her followers as Anastasia Boyarskaya, ran a beauty clinic in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, 3,000km east of Moscow. The fake beautician turned her apartment into a medical practice, performing lip injections on her clients — all without medical education and without a license. | Following a lip procedure gone wrong, in which a woman had to visit h…
(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.
(2020-12-30). Legislator Nicolas Maduro Guerra Receives Second Sputnik V Dose. telesurenglish.net Deputy-elect to the National Assembly, and legislator of the National Constituent Assembly Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, received his second dose of the Russian vaccine against COVID-19, Sputnik V on Wednesday. | RELATED: | The son of the Venezuelan President was one of the first citizens in his country to be administered the initial doses of Sputnik V as part of the third phase of the clinical trial, which has hundreds of vol…
(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 …
(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…
(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 …
(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 …
(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.
(2020-12-30). Puebla Group's Plea to US & EU: Release Venezuela's Funds. telesurenglish.net The Puebla Group (Grupo de Puebla) has penned a statement demanding the release of Venezuela's financial resources by the U.S., EU and European countries to ensure that citizens have access to the vaccine against COVID-19. | RELATED: | The statement signed by 32 progressive political leaders of Latin America and Spain notes the retention of billions of dollars in assets belonging to the Venezuelan people. While th…
(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 …
(2020-12-30). Chile Confirms Its First Case of the UK COVID-19 Strain. telesurenglish.net Chile's Health Under-Secretary Paula Daza Tuesday confirmed one case of British COVID-19 variant. | RELATED: | The new strain (SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01) was detected in a Chilean woman who arrived in the country on December 22 from Spain. She had previously traveled to London and Dubai. | The woman, who is asymptomatic, was quarantined in the city of Panguipulli located in the Los Rios region, along with her closest contacts. | Daza al…
(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 …
(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.
(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.
(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…
(2020-12-30). Bolivia Will Acquire 5.2 Million Doses of the Sputnik V Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Bolivia becomes the third country in the region to acquire the Russian vaccine Sputnik V for free in its population. | The Government of Bolivia signed this Wednesday an agreement with Russia to acquire 5.2 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus. | RELATED: | During the signing ceremony of the agreement, carried out via videoconference, President Luis Arce stated that the acquisition of the…
(2020-12-30). EU Leaders Sign Post-Brexit Trade Deal With UK. telesurenglish.net European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed a post-Brexit trade deal with Britain on Wednesday on behalf of the European Union (EU). | RELATED: | The signed documents will be transferred to Britain to be signed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson later on Wednesday, one day before the 11-month Brexit transition period expires. | "The agreement that we signed t…
(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 …
(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 …
(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 …
(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 …
(2020-12-30). British Company Was Involved in Soleimani Killing, Iran Holds. telesurenglish.net Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasi Mehr on Wednesday stated that the British security company G4S was involved in the assassination of the Revolutionary Guard Commander Qasem Soleimani. | RELATED: | This company, which handled the security of the flight in which the Persian general was traveling, informed the attackers about the arrival of his plane in Baghdad. | From Germany, the U.S. Ramstein Air Base also provided data…
(2020-12-30). Iran to Pay $150,000 to Each Family of Victims Killed in Downed Ukrainian Flight. sputniknews.com Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was downed on January 8, 2020, by a pair of missiles deployed by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) moments after the airliner took off from the Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport. All 176 passengers and crew were killed. Iranian officials have blamed the downing on human error.
(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
(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. . . . |
(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…
(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
(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…
(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…
(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…