(2021-01-07). UK Judge Justifies CIA Spying On Assange. popularresistance.org The British judge ruling in the US government's extradition case against journalist Julian Assange justified a CIA spying operation targeting both the WikiLeaks publisher and the Ecuadorian government by pointing to debunked accusations published by CNN. Yet in a self-referential loop, the American media outlet's dubious claims about Assange themselves originated with a security firm that was spying on Assange for the CIA — and which is now facing prosecution in Spain for illegal activity. | While the UK judge ultimately decided not to extradite Assange, citing his deteriorating mental health and the likeli…
(2021-01-07). Video: Tense Situation in Northern Syria. Actions of Turkish Military. globalresearch.ca The Turkish Army has been increasing its military presence in Greater Idlib despite the recent withdrawal of observation posts, which had been encircled by the Syrian Army. | Recently, the Turkish military deployed major reinforcements to Mount al-Zawiya. Turkish military convoys …
(2021-01-07). WHO warns of COVID-19 'tipping point' as cases rise across Europe. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a "tipping point" in the fight against COVID-19, amid surging cases in Europe and the fresh challenge of a mutating virus.
(2021-01-07). Bolivia approves emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. peoplesdispatch.org Bolivia hopes to vaccinate up to 20% of its population in the first quarter of this year. The health ministry has endorsed Russia's Sputnik V and China's CoronaVac vaccines against COVID-19…
(2021-01-07). German teachers' union backs in-person learning as COVID-19 deaths soar. wsws.org In enforcing their inhumane pandemic policies, the federal and state governments, consisting of a broad range of political coalitions, can rely on the close cooperation of Germany's trade unions.
(2021-01-07). The UK is Out of the EU. zcomm.org But the Balance of Power in Europe has Tipped Permanently Against It…
(2021-01-07). France Grants Citizenship to Immigrant Essential Workers as Protests Against Racist "Security" Laws Grow. globalresearch.ca The government of France has decided to recognize the contributions of essential workers from other countries working within its borders during the pandemic by offering them French citizenship. On 22 December 2020, the day of the announcement, 74 immigrants were …
(2021-01-07). "Americans Are Now Getting a Mild Taste of Their Own Medicine" of Disrupting Democracy Elsewhere. democracynow.org 
World leaders reacted in horror over the storming of the U.S. Capitol, with the U.N. secretary-general calling on political leaders to demand their followers refrain from violence. Leaders of the U.K., New Zealand, Australia, Canada, India, Japan, France, Germany, NATO and the European Council called for a peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden. Investigative journalist Allan Nairn looks at what steps Trump may take next, and says despite protestations from President-elect Joe Biden and others that the insurrection was "not who we are," the U.S. has a long track record of disrupting democratic processes elsewher…
(2021-01-07). The EU Avoids Treating Guaido As 'President' Of Venezuela. popularresistance.org The European Union avoided referring to the opposition politician Juan Guaido as Venezuela's "acting president" once the mandate of the National Assembly over which he presided expired on Tuesday. | "Venezuela urgently needs a political solution to end the current impasse through an inclusive process of dialogue and negotiation leading to credible, inclusive, and democratic processes," said Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. | He added that the EU will maintain its engagement with all Venezuelan political and social actors, including "Juan Guaido and…
(2021-01-07). Brutal Human Rights Abuses — Torture, Sanctions and Our Failure to Discuss Economic Rights. zcomm.org People in advanced nations assume that their governments do not torture prisoners, but it is practized by the US, and was used by Britain in its colonies and in Northern Ireland…
(2021-01-07). "The Syrian File" and The "Biased" Policies of the Organization for the Chemical Prohibition Organization. globalresearch.ca Russia has commented on the work policies of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons regarding the Syrian file and the pressures that the organization is subjected to by some countries, criticizing the technical secretariat policies in them, saying …
(2021-01-07). European Union will no longer recognize Juan Guaidó as president of Venezuela. peoplesdispatch.org The EU announced the position following the swearing-in of Venezuela's new National Assembly which was the body from which Guaidó rendered his claim to interim presidency…
(2021-01-07). Russia's Historical Relationship with the United States. President Lincoln and Czar Alexander II. globalresearch.ca "Whenever the government of the United States shall break up, it will probably be in consequence of a false direction having been given to public opinion. This is the weak point of our defences, and the part to which the …
(2021-01-06). Greece: From A Covid Coup To A Covid Junta. globalresearch.ca In the end, only a Grand Coalition of all Covidian parties will become inevitable, either as a consequence of a rebellion or prior to one… | The Greek government is trying to excel in its imposition of totalitarian rules for a …
(2021-01-06). Germany's federal and state governments keep workplaces open despite surging COVID deaths. wsws.org Government officials are ignoring the recommendations of scientists and risking an intensification of the pandemic.
(2021-01-06). Moscow's new women metro drivers inspire commemorative Barbie dolls after rule change lets them take to capital's rails. rt.com 
Women are once again behind the wheel on Moscow's iconic underground trains, after a decades-old ban was reversed in the Russian capital. Now, the new drivers have a mascot — in the shape of a subway-operating Barbie figurine. | Metro chiefs said in a statement,
(2021-01-06). Brexit: Britain leaves the EU, and workers bear the burden. workers.org 
Brexit — the rupture between Britain and the European Union — was completed at midnight, Dec. 31. In a 2016 referendum, in a xenophobic, racist vote fueled by dreams of a withered and long-passed imperial glory, British voters narrowly supported a proposal to leave the European Union. Only 51.9% of . . . |
(2021-01-06). The Heat: What Brexit deal means for the United Kingdom. america.cgtn.com 
After 48 years together, the United Kingdom and the European Union are officially apart. So how's it going so far?
(2021-01-06). Dossier no. 36: Twilight: The erosion of U.S. control and the multipolar future. mronline.org 
If there was one revolution that marked the beginning of the end of the colonial epoch and that inaugurated a new worker-led civilisation, it was the Haitian Revolution of 1804. Enslaved Africans defeated the four major European powers of the day, won their freedom, and declared an independent republic.
(2021-01-06). Julian Assange Is Denied Bail By London Court. popularresistance.org "I am satisfied there are substantial grounds for believing that if Mr Assange is released today he would fail to surrender to court to face the appeal proceedings," Judge Vanessa Baraitser said. | "As far as Mr Assange is concerned this case has not yet been won… the outcome of this appeal is not yet known." | She was referring to the fact that Assange after failing in his battle against extradition to Sweden, breached bail and took refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador in London in June 2012. He was granted asylum by Ecuador on the grounds of political persecution, with the presumption that if he was extradited to…
(2021-01-06). Nigel Farage's Brexit Party Officially Renamed to 'Reform UK' by Electoral Commission. sputniknews.com The Brexit Party formed in 2018 in order to promote Brexit and pressure the Conservative government into fulfilling its promise to deliver the 2016 referendum result. After the UK formally left the European Union, party leader Nigel Farage has re-oriented his priorities to opposing coronavirus lockdown measures and reforming UK politics.
(2021-01-06). Chavismo back in Venezuela's National Assembly, Guaidó further weakened. peoplesdispatch.org The 277 members of Venezuela's National Assembly were sworn in yesterday January 5. The body has vowed to take swift measures to address the deepening economic crisis in the country, fight back against the economic and financial blockade imposed on the country and work towards reconciliation. The swearing in of the legislators also officially put an end to Juan Guaidó's mandate as deputy, which prompted the European Union to withdraw their recognition of Guaidó as interim president.
(2021-01-05). Full Spectrum Dominance: UN General Assembly Voting Reveals the Truth. globalresearch.ca The final most important UN General Assembly resolutions were just voted on in December, and, the voting is incredibly significant. The United States (and Israel or Ukraine) opposed almost every constructive resolution just adopted. It is truly shameful, and although …
(2021-01-05). "We have fewer rights than animals": The unbearable life in the Greek refugee camp Kara Tepe. wsws.org Anyone wanting to gauge the criminal character of European governments and the European Union (EU) must look to Kara Tepe, the temporary camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.
(2021-01-05). 'Sooner than expected & DIFFERENT vaccine': Dutch PM explains Netherlands caught off guard by Pfizer jab approval amid criticism. rt.com 
Dutch premier Mark Rutte has admitted his government wasn't ready to work with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine "so soon" and was preparing for an entirely "different" jab as he comes under fire over a delayed vaccination campaign. | Two weeks after the start of the EU-wide vaccination campaign, not a single person has received the jab in the Netherlands, the last EU state to launch its immunization effort. The first Dutch national is expected to receive a vaccine on Wednesday. | Some 288,000 vaccine doses have been delivered to the Dutch central storage site as of Tuesday. Unlike neighboring Germany, the Netherlan…
(2021-01-05). Investigation launched as 2 people die in Norway nursing home days after receiving Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com 
The Norwegian Medicines Agency has announced that two nursing home residents passed away days after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, and that an investigation has been launched into the deaths. | "We have to assess whether the vaccine is the cause of death, or if it is a coincidence that it happened soon after vaccination," Medical Director Steiner Madsen said in a He also noted that, because people of advanced age are receiving the vacci…
(2021-01-05). Calls for PROBE as Germany's apparent failure to pre-order enough vaccines sparks rift within Merkel's govt coalition. rt.com 
The bumpy start of Germany's vaccination campaign against Covid has sowed discord within Angela Merkel's coalition, as her party partners demand answers from her health minister and call for a special investigative commission. | Germany's mass vaccination against Covid-19 began just days ago but is already marred by Berlin's and the EU's failures, according to its critics. Of all issues with the Pfizer jab's distribution, the apparent lack of doses at hand has raised the most questions. | On Monday, the German Health Minister Jens Spahn was confronted with a four-page questionnaire on the vaccination campaign…
(2021-01-05). 'Restrict contact to absolute minimum': Merkel extends German national lockdown until at least end January. rt.com 
Germans will have to limit contacts to a "minimum," Chancellor Angela Merkel said, as she announced that the national Covid-19 lockdown is being both toughened and extended until the end of January, amid soaring infection numbers. | "We need to restrict contact more strictly… We ask all citizens to restrict contact to the absolute minimum," Merkel told journalists on Tuesday. | Shops, bars, and restaurants in Germany, as well as schools, will remain shut at least until the end of January, Merkel announced, following a video conference with the leaders of the country's 16 federal states. The government is aim…
(2021-01-05). The UK is Out of the EU, But the Balance of Power in Europe has Tipped Permanently Against It. counterpunch.org 
The view from the top of the Western Heights, the great fortified hill overlooking Dover, has the advantage of taking in many of the key features shaping life in Britain in the age of Brexit and Covid-19. The most important of these is the proximity of the French coast, glittering on the horizon 22 miles away, a fact of geography that will continue to determine what happens in Britain more than any trade deal or withdrawal agreement with the EU.
(2021-01-05). Mexico and Four Other Countries Join the UN Security Council. telesurenglish.net Mexico, India, Ireland, Kenya, and Norway on Monday began to assume responsibilities as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). | RELATED: | While their two-year term officially started on Jan. 1, Monday is the first working day of the council for 2021 after the Christmas and New Year break. A flag installation ceremony was held to mark the start of their responsibilities. | Kazakh UN a…
(2021-01-05). How an Austrian and British Malthusian Brainwashed a Generation of Americans. globalresearch.ca The creation of false opposites has been a long-standing obstacle to human progress. | From the ancient pleasure-seeking Epicureans who argued against the logic-heavy Stoics of ancient Rome to the war of "salvation through faith vs works" that schismed western Christianity, …
(2021-01-05). Pulmonary Embolism Prevalence Among Patients With COPD With Acutely Worsening Respiratory Symptoms. jamanetwork.com This cross-sectional study characterizes the prevalence of pulmonary embolism defined by a uniform diagnostic algorithm in patients in France with COPD hospitalized with acutely worsening respiratory symptoms.
(2021-01-05). Iran's decision to raise uranium enrichment level is expected, say Russia, China. peoplesdispatch.org Iran announced on Monday that it has started enriching uranium to up to 20% as per the law passed by its parliament in November and according to the provisions of the 2015 nuclear deal…
(2021-01-05). Incorrect Data in Table and in Results Section. jamanetwork.com In the Research Letter entitled "Incidence of Malformations After Early Pregnancy Exposure to Modafinil in Sweden and Norway," published in the September 1, 2020, issue of JAMA, there were incorrect data in the Table and in the Results section. In the Table, third row from the bottom, "Psychoanaleptics (ATC code N06)h," the data should be "41 (30.9)" in the "Exposed to modafinil" column. In the last row, same column, the data should be "3 (2.3)." In the Results section, second paragraph, second sentence, the last part of the sentence should be "resulting in a prevalence rate of 2.3% and a crude risk ratio of 1.06…