Monthly Archives: December 2020

2020-12-25: News Headlines

Workers World Party (2020-12-25). PDF of December 24 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. Georgia Senate runoff Redbaiting derails people's needs Youth in vanguard; Russell Maroon Shoatz; The real 2020 heroes; Amazon union drive in Ala.; Five hottest years; Vaccine chaos; Editorial: Too little, too late GLOBAL: Amauta in Peru; 'Soft coup' attempt in Cuba; BLM in France. TEAR DOWN . . . |

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2020-12-25). Thebes of Myth and History. counterpunch.org Thebes was one of about 1,000 poleis (city-states) spread all over the mainland of classical Greece, the islands of the Aegean and Ionian seas, the Black Sea coast, Asia Minor, north Africa, southern France, eastern Spain and southern Italy and Sicily. There were so many Greeks and Greek city-states in Italy and Sicily the Romans

Amanda Mills (2020-12-25). EU bans plastic waste exports to poorer countries. nationofchange.org "This is an important milestone in fighting plastic pollution, transitioning shifting to a circular economy, and achieving the aims of the European Green Deal."

Online News Editor (2020-12-25). Pope Francis: Covid vaccines must be made available for all. laprensalatina.com Vatican City, Dec 25 (efe-epa).- Pope Francis on Friday used his Christmas Day address to urge leaders to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are made available to everyone, especially the most vulnerable. Francis delivered his Urbi et Orbi speech amid an absence of the usual crowds given the coronavirus situation in Italy, which has been placed …

Paul Haeder (2020-12-25). No, no si se puede, hombres: That's how the cookie crumbles! dissidentvoice.org Someone said, "If you don't have something nice to say about someone, don't say anything." Oh, the idiocy of America!! Shit-dog, this country, now, and going back when I was in my teens (13 when my family moved us from Paris, France, to Arizona — of all places), well, lying, cheating, achy-breaky heart, don't you …

MEE and agencies (2020-12-25). Turkey's Erdogan indicates better ties with Israel possible. middleeasteye.net Turkey's Erdogan indicates better ties with Israel possible | President says talks at intelligence level continue between the two sides but Israel's policies on Palestine 'unacceptable' | Fri, 12/25/2020 – 11: 19 | The two countries have had several fallings out in recent years, despite strong commercial ties, expelling ambassadors in 2018 (AFP) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ind…

_____ (2020-12-25). COVID-19, The Climate Crisis, And Mutual Aid. popularresistance.org After COVID-19 struck in spring 2020, the absence of a concerted federal response prompted people across the country to begin self-organizing everything from food distribution to sewing squads to shelter. That work continues today, drawing on a long tradition. | "Mutual aid," a concept coined by the Russian naturalist and anarchist Peter Kropotkin in his 1902 Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, refers to the principles of cooperation, and of people joining together to help each other. It ran counter to the then-hegemonic Darwinian theories emphasizing competition and survival of the fittest. Kropotkin did not deny…

Poor People's Campaign (2020-12-25). Monday 12/28: Text Banking for Georgia/Banca de Texto SMS para Georiga w/ Poor People's Campaign. indybay.org Online webinar training…

HTFIVP (2020-12-25). Saturday 12/26: Georgia Comes Alive! Virtual Music Festival to Support Georgia Voters & Equal Voter Rights. indybay.org Virutal music festival…

prasanth1584 (2020-12-25). UK and EU reach trade agreement but questions remain. peoplesdispatch.org The deal will now have to be ratified not only by the British Parliament, but also by all the 27 member nations of the EU and the European Parliament, before December 31 to avoid major trade uncertainty…

Eds. (2020-12-24). Why is the Guardian promoting more Pentagon propaganda? mronline.org Recent reporting reinforces the false impression that the United States is threatened by Chinese and Russian expansionism.

RT (2020-12-24). Time to chart Scotland's future as 'independent, European nation': First Minister Sturgeon reacts to UK-EU Brexit accord. rt.com Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has hit out at…

WSWS (2020-12-24). Deadliest week in Germany since COVID-19 pandemic began. wsws.org Last week was by far the worst in the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, with officially 175,314 infections and over 4,300 deaths (against 3,050 the previous week). Across Europe, the death toll exceeded the catastrophic half-million mark on Tuesday.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-24). Migrants face uncertainty after fire in camp in Bosnia. peoplesdispatch.org A large fire broke out in the Lipa refugee camp, in northwest Bosnia and Herzegovina which hosts close to 1,200 migrants on December 23. There are no injuries or casualties but most of the infrastructure has been destroyed.

news.un (2020-12-24). Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thousands of migrants lose shelter, after camp destroyed in fire. news.un.org The closure and subsequent fire, on Wednesday, at a migrant camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina has left thousands of migrants without shelter and protection, amid plummeting winter temperatures, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported.

teleSUR (2020-12-24). Argentina Gets the First Doses of the Russian Vaccine Sputnik V. telesurenglish.net The first 300,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, destined to immunize against the new coronavirus, arrived in Argentina from Moscow on Thursday. | RELATED: | "Argentina will carry out the largest vaccination campaign in our history," Cabinet Chief Santiago Cafiero said as he assured the doses generate "hope and expectation among the people." | Aerolineas Argentinas' Airbus A330-200 left Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airp…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-24). Civil Rights Groups Denounce Georgia Officials For Closing Early Voting Sites Ahead of Senate Runoffs. commondreams.org Voting rights groups on Wednesday accused officials in at least two Georgia counties of voter suppression, pointing to the closures of several early voting locations in majority-Black and Latino communities ahead of two key runoff Senate elections. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1230129827_1.jpg

sputniknews (2020-12-24). 'Influential Defenders' Delay Revoking of Ex-Nazi's Canadian Citizenship, Russian Embassy Says. sputniknews.com TORONTO (Sputnik) – The Russian Embassy in Canada told Sputnik that "influential defenders" are working to delay former Nazi Helmut Oberlander's citizenship revocation.

Elsa Rassbach, Nick Mottern (2020-12-24). Activists and Parliamentarians Join Together to Prevent Armed Drones in Germany. commondreams.org "People are saying they cannot think of any peace movement struggle in recent years that has won such a striking victory. This brings hope to the whole peace movement." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ban_drones_germany.jpg

Arielle Robinson (2020-12-23). With racism, red-baiting/Georgia run-off elections fail to focus on people's needs. workers.org By Arielle Robinson and Dianne Mathiowetz Atlanta, Georgia So what's it like living in the political circus of the Jan. 5, 2021, run-off in Georgia for U.S. Senate—while the deadly scourge of the pandemic rages, fear of mass evictions and the rise of poverty and unemployment grow, and incessant charges . . . |

Ben Chacko (2020-12-23). Ukraine's fascist-backed government erasing Red Army from history. peoplesworld.org Ukraine's Communists are condemning what they call "state vandalism" as authorities in the city of Lviv announced their decision to dismantle the city's Monument of Glory, a memorial to Red Army soldiers who died fighting the Nazi invasion. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko denounced the act as "moral terrorism" and called it "a crime against …

South Front (2020-12-23). Video: US Navy Deploys Nuclear Submarine to Persian Gulf Amid Heightened Tensions with Iran. globalresearch.ca The Ohio-class nuclear submarine USS Georgia along with the guided-missile cruisers USS Port Royal and USS Philippine Sea transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf, the US Navy announced on December 21. | The guided-missile submarine USS Georgia …

Miko Peled (2020-12-23). The Gaza Strip is "Uninhabitable": Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, but Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? globalresearch.ca A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza. | *** | A

Project Censored (2020-12-23). Sharyl Attkisson and Rachael Jolley. projectcensored.org In the first half of the show, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Sharyl Attkisson shares ideas from her new book "Slanted. " She contends that in recent years corporate and government forces have dramatically expanded their intervention into the conduct of journalism, to the extent that some types of investigative stories can no longer be reported. | Then Rachael Jolley, former editor-in-chief for the Index on Censorship, joins the program from the UK to explain how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the work of reporters — in Europe and elsewhere. She notes that even while the pandemic has…

Max Parry (2020-12-23). Don't Blame the Soviets for the War in Nagorno-Karabakh. globalresearch.ca In the final week of September, an Azerbaijani offensive renewed hostilities in the perennial armed conflict and territorial dispute in the South Caucasus between Armenia and its neighbor over the Nagorno-Karabakh ("Mountainous Karabakh") region. | By October, the clashes had escalated …

Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (2020-12-23). VIPS MEMO: To Biden: Don't be Suckered on Russia. globalresearch.ca MEMORANDUM FOR: The President-elect | FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) | SUBJECT: Attempts to Sucker You Into Russia-Bashing | Dear President-elect Biden, | "Fool Me Once …" You may recall that President George W. Bush could not remember the last …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-23). EU Ramps Up Fight Against Pollution With Ban on Plastic Waste Exports to Poorer Countries. commondreams.org "This is an important milestone in fighting plastic pollution, transitioning shifting to a circular economy, and achieving the aims of the European Green Deal." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-plastics-kenya-2_0.jpg

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-23). 'Burned' wins award at Romanian film fest. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (MNA) — The Iranian short film, 'Burned', directed by Fatemeh Mohammadi won the award of the 24th CineMAiubit International Student Film Festival.

commondreams (2020-12-23). The Lobby Behind Italy's Opening To GMOS. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Andrew Young, Nancy J. Altman (2020-12-23). The Future of Social Security Is on the Line in Georgia. commondreams.org Ossoff and Warnock understand that Americans of all political backgrounds rely on our earned Social Security benefits, and support protecting and expanding them. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/senior-ballot.jpeg

Staff (2020-12-23). As Georgia Senate Runoffs Near, Senator Kelly Loeffler's Scandals Are Piling Up. truthout.org The Daily Beast came out with a new report on Wednesday uncovering a quiet push that Senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican candidate in the Georgia Senate runoffs, made in May that may have paid off for her, literally, in August. This latest report is just another in a pile of scandals that have been uncovered …

Timothy Pratt (2020-12-23). A Campaign Under Quarantine. thenation.com A Campaign Under Quarantine…

The Canary (2020-12-22). Efforts continue to resolve Channel crossing coronavirus crisis. thecanary.co Crisis talks with France will continue in an effort to resume trade flows across the Channel amid warnings that the border must be running again by Wednesday to avoid disruption to food supplies.More than 1,500 lorries are backed up in Kent, unable to make the crossing to France, with drivers having spent a second night sleeping in their cabs.Home secretary Priti Patel said the government is "speaking constantly" with France to achieve a resolution "in both our interests" to get freight moving again. And she defended the government's handling of the pandemic, insisting ministers had been "ahead of the curve" in t…

Slomski A. (2020-12-22). Exercise Intensity Unrelated to Older Adults' Mortality Risk. jamanetwork.com Researchers in Norway found no significant difference in all-cause mortality among older adults following standard exercise guidelines or supervised high- or moderate-intensity exercise regimens, a trial published in the BMJ reported.

Dean Baker (2020-12-22). China, Christmas, and the Coronavirus. zcomm.org We lost an opportunity to have worldwide cooperation in the development of vaccines, bringing in not only Europe, but China…

2020-12-24: News Headlines

Eds. (2020-12-24). Why is the Guardian promoting more Pentagon propaganda? mronline.org Recent reporting reinforces the false impression that the United States is threatened by Chinese and Russian expansionism.

Workers World Party (2020-12-24). PDF of December 24 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. Georgia Senate runoff Redbaiting derails people's needs Youth in vanguard; Russell Maroon Shoatz; The real 2020 heroes; Amazon union drive in Ala.; Five hottest years; Vaccine chaos; Editorial: Too little, too late GLOBAL: Amauta in Peru; 'Soft coup' attempt in Cuba; BLM in France. TEAR DOWN . . . |

Online News Editor (2020-12-24). France delivers tests to stranded drivers; Macron ends quarantine. laprensalatina.com Madrid Desk, Dec 24 (efe-epa).- A team of French firefighters has arrived in Dover to deliver 10,000 coronavirus tests to help ease the backlog of trucks that have been stranded in southern England since last week after a new strain of the virus was detected. Meanwhile in France, president Emmanuel Macron has recovered from Covid-19 …

news.un (2020-12-24). Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thousands of migrants lose shelter, after camp destroyed in fire. news.un.org The closure and subsequent fire, on Wednesday, at a migrant camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina has left thousands of migrants without shelter and protection, amid plummeting winter temperatures, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported.

Miko Peled (2020-12-23). The Gaza Strip is "Uninhabitable": Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, but Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? globalresearch.ca A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza. | *** | A

_____ (2020-12-23). It Is Time For The One State Solution To Go Mainstream. popularresistance.org The "Palestinian-Israeli conflict" has often been presented as one of the most intractable in modern world history. | But one reason for this is precisely that it has been wrongly analyzed as a conflict and thus the "solutions" offered and the "peace processes" for getting there fail. | This is not a conflict. There are not two sides fighting over some issue that can be resolved through technical negotiations and compromise. Rather, Zionism was — and is — a settler-colonial project. | Jewish settlers arrived in Palestine from Europe with the intention of taking over the country and making it their own…

WSWS (2020-12-23). Spain's Podemos deliberately downplayed COVID-19 danger starting in January. wsws.org While Podemos officials downplayed the dangers from COVID-19, the Spanish Ministry of Defence was buying up personal protective equipment in anticipation of a pandemic.

Project Censored (2020-12-23). Sharyl Attkisson and Rachael Jolley. projectcensored.org In the first half of the show, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Sharyl Attkisson shares ideas from her new book "Slanted. " She contends that in recent years corporate and government forces have dramatically expanded their intervention into the conduct of journalism, to the extent that some types of investigative stories can no longer be reported. | Then Rachael Jolley, former editor-in-chief for the Index on Censorship, joins the program from the UK to explain how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the work of reporters — in Europe and elsewhere. She notes that even while the pandemic has…

Arielle Robinson (2020-12-23). With racism, red-baiting/Georgia run-off elections fail to focus on people's needs. workers.org By Arielle Robinson and Dianne Mathiowetz Atlanta, Georgia So what's it like living in the political circus of the Jan. 5, 2021, run-off in Georgia for U.S. Senate—while the deadly scourge of the pandemic rages, fear of mass evictions and the rise of poverty and unemployment grow, and incessant charges . . . |

Ben Chacko (2020-12-23). Ukraine's fascist-backed government erasing Red Army from history. peoplesworld.org Ukraine's Communists are condemning what they call "state vandalism" as authorities in the city of Lviv announced their decision to dismantle the city's Monument of Glory, a memorial to Red Army soldiers who died fighting the Nazi invasion. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko denounced the act as "moral terrorism" and called it "a crime against …

G. Dunkel (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter and France's Global Security Law. workers.org It is sometimes hard to realize the worldwide impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. Language, culture and media indifference can all get in the way. Some countries just don't have the type of events — protests, marches, rallies — for a variety of reasons, where the influence of BLM . . . |

RT (2020-12-23). Turkey hopes to 'turn new page' with US & EU next year — President Erdogan. rt.com Ankara plans to mend ties with the West next year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, as he complained about double standards his country faces in its relations with Washington and Brussels. | President Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Wednesday that he will try to improve ties with Western states despite "artificial agendas" they may pursue now. "Turkey is facing double standards both over the eastern Mediterranean and the S-400s. We want to turn a new page with the EU and United States in the new year," Erdogan said. | The president made it clear Tu…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-23). Israel detects new Covid-19 strain, health ministry says. middleeasteye.net Israel detects new Covid-19 strain, health ministry says | Four people diagnosed with coronavirus variant that first emerged in the United Kingdom | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 16: 04 | An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gets vaccinated against Covid-19 at Clalit Health Services Center in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, on 21 December 2020 (AFP) | Israel has detected four cases of a new Covid-19 strain, a highl…

South Front (2020-12-23). Video: US Navy Deploys Nuclear Submarine to Persian Gulf Amid Heightened Tensions with Iran. globalresearch.ca The Ohio-class nuclear submarine USS Georgia along with the guided-missile cruisers USS Port Royal and USS Philippine Sea transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf, the US Navy announced on December 21. | The guided-missile submarine USS Georgia …

Max Parry (2020-12-23). Don't Blame the Soviets for the War in Nagorno-Karabakh. globalresearch.ca In the final week of September, an Azerbaijani offensive renewed hostilities in the perennial armed conflict and territorial dispute in the South Caucasus between Armenia and its neighbor over the Nagorno-Karabakh ("Mountainous Karabakh") region. | By October, the clashes had escalated …

Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (2020-12-23). VIPS MEMO: To Biden: Don't be Suckered on Russia. globalresearch.ca MEMORANDUM FOR: The President-elect | FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) | SUBJECT: Attempts to Sucker You Into Russia-Bashing | Dear President-elect Biden, | "Fool Me Once …" You may recall that President George W. Bush could not remember the last …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-23). Turkey sentences former Kurdish parliamentarian to 22 years in prison. peoplesdispatch.org Leyla Gàºven — former Kurdish parliamentarian in Turkey has been sentenced to over 22 years in prison for alleged links with a "terrorist group" and disseminating "terrorist propaganda." Gàºven has been vocal about the plight of Kurdish people.

teleSUR (2020-12-23). Russia Expels Two Colombian Diplomats in Mirror Response. telesurenglish.net Russia's Foreign Affairs Ministry Wednesday declared two Colombian diplomats 'persona non grata' after the expulsion of two Russian diplomats from the South American country. | RELATED: | On Tuesday, President Ivan Duque's administration announced that two Russian diplomats were expelled from the country for allegedly being spies of the Russian government. | "This move is not in line with the friendly relations and…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-23). Yerevan rejects explosion of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (MNA) — The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia rejected reports claiming the Azerbaijani side has blown up the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-23). EU Ramps Up Fight Against Pollution With Ban on Plastic Waste Exports to Poorer Countries. commondreams.org "This is an important milestone in fighting plastic pollution, transitioning shifting to a circular economy, and achieving the aims of the European Green Deal." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-plastics-kenya-2_0.jpg

Staff (2020-12-23). As Georgia Senate Runoffs Near, Senator Kelly Loeffler's Scandals Are Piling Up. truthout.org The Daily Beast came out with a new report on Wednesday uncovering a quiet push that Senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican candidate in the Georgia Senate runoffs, made in May that may have paid off for her, literally, in August. This latest report is just another in a pile of scandals that have been uncovered …

Andrew Young, Nancy J. Altman (2020-12-23). The Future of Social Security Is on the Line in Georgia. commondreams.org Ossoff and Warnock understand that Americans of all political backgrounds rely on our earned Social Security benefits, and support protecting and expanding them. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/senior-ballot.jpeg

commondreams (2020-12-23). The Lobby Behind Italy's Opening To GMOS. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Timothy Pratt (2020-12-23). A Campaign Under Quarantine. thenation.com A Campaign Under Quarantine…

The Canary (2020-12-22). Efforts continue to resolve Channel crossing coronavirus crisis. thecanary.co Crisis talks with France will continue in an effort to resume trade flows across the Channel amid warnings that the border must be running again by Wednesday to avoid disruption to food supplies.More than 1,500 lorries are backed up in Kent, unable to make the crossing to France, with drivers having spent a second night sleeping in their cabs.Home secretary Priti Patel said the government is "speaking constantly" with France to achieve a resolution "in both our interests" to get freight moving again. And she defended the government's handling of the pandemic, insisting ministers had been "ahead of the curve" in t…

Ahmad Soheil Ahmadi (2020-12-22). The Winter's Tale: Solstice on the Streets of Paris. counterpunch.org Acts of kindness When you give assistance in any form to a homeless asylum seeker shivering in the freezing European winter, he or she may not be able to repay you there and then. One day though, if you're lucky enough, you might see the fruit of the smile you created. Asylum seekers come to

Slomski A. (2020-12-22). Exercise Intensity Unrelated to Older Adults' Mortality Risk. jamanetwork.com Researchers in Norway found no significant difference in all-cause mortality among older adults following standard exercise guidelines or supervised high- or moderate-intensity exercise regimens, a trial published in the BMJ reported.

Dean Baker (2020-12-22). China, Christmas, and the Coronavirus. zcomm.org We lost an opportunity to have worldwide cooperation in the development of vaccines, bringing in not only Europe, but China…

Fight Back (2020-12-21). Today is Stalin's birthday. fightbacknews.org December 21 marks the birthday of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. | Though reviled in the West, Stalin oversaw the period of socialist construction in the USSR. Under his leadership the country abolished illiteracy, unemployment, homelessness, and put an end to Russia's centuries-long history of famines. Under the leadership of Stalin, the USSR played a key role in turning back the tide of fascism and the defeat of Nazi Germany. This victory was not just a victory for the Soviet Union and socialism, but a victory for the peoples of the world…