2021-01-08: News Headlines

_____ (2021-01-08). Biden Appoints Chief Ukraine Coup-Plotter Victoria Nuland. popularresistance.org Describing it as "one of the darkest days in American history," President-elect Joe Biden denounced Wednesday's spectacular assault on the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. as a coup attempt fomented by Donald Trump. | "I wish we could say we couldn't see it coming, but that isn't true. We could see it coming," the 78-year-old Delawarean said. | The last four years we've had a president who's made his contempt for our democracy, our Constitution, the rule of law, clear in everything he has done. He unleashed an all-out assault on the institutions of our democracy from the outset, and yesterday was but a culmin…

Editor (2021-01-08). The Climate Crisis Sets Another Grim Record. scheerpost.com NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / CC BY 2.0] By Andrea Germanos / Common Dreams Highlighting global campaigners' demands for urgent and bold climate action, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service announced Friday that despite coronavirus-related lockdowns, 2020 tied with 2016 for being the warmest year on record and closed out the warmest decade on the books. "It is notable that… |

Eve Ottenberg (2021-01-08). The Pearl Harbor Hack and Other Media Fables. counterpunch.org Journalistic fatuity soared into the stratosphere last month with tales of Chinese bounties on U.S. soldiers (the Russians, I guess, got tired of doing that and delegated to the Chinese), and breathless reports that the U.S. supposedly experienced its third or fourth Pearl Harbor. This one was in cyberspace, when Russia allegedly hacked into some

WSWS (2021-01-08). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Employees at British Gas walk out to defend pay and conditions; UK University students rent strike across 31 universities; Kenyan healthcare workers' strike continues despite union sending doctors back…

WSWS (2021-01-08). Vaccine distribution mired in delays across Europe. wsws.org As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread out of control throughout the European continent, the program of vaccination organized by the European Union is already widely recognized to be a debacle.

Peter Mertens (2021-01-08). This Pandemic Shows How Elites Have Forgotten Us. zcomm.org Belgium has suffered the world's worst rate of coronavirus deaths…

Robert Fantina (2021-01-08). The Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) Intrusion in Albania, Threatens Regional Stability in Middle East and Balkans. globalresearch.ca One can only imagine the risk when some citizens of a small country conceal hundreds of thousands of weapons and explosives. The nation becomes a powder keg, awaiting one small mistake to spark a deadly explosion. | This is the situation …

WSWS (2021-01-08). Student protests continue in Turkey in defiance of police-state measures. wsws.org The mass student protests in Istanbul that started to oppose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's appointment of a new rector to Boƒüaziàßi University, continued yesterday in defiance of police-state measures to suppress the movement.

_____ (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…

RT (2021-01-07). Not believing in God 'as dangerous' as Covid-19 denialism says Head of Russian Church, asking followers to trust the experts. rt.com Coronavirus isn't the only pandemic sweeping through society, the Russian Orthodox Church's top cleric has said. According to Patriarch Kirill, disbelief is public health enemy number one, ahead of purely biological threats. | In a sermon to mark the start of Christmas in Russia on Wednesday, the bishop told worshippers that "there are people who do not believe in anything at all — not in disease or in danger, and neglect medical advice." | "But we believers know that these stupid people exist. There are also many people who do not believe in God… which is very dangerous, even deadly," he added. "Just a…

_____ (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…

Danica Jorden (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 …

Tanya Wadhwa (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…

news.un (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.

WSWS (2021-01-07). New year begins with record COVID-19 deaths in Germany. wsws.org The beginning of the year in Germany was characterised by overcrowded crematoria, hospitals on the brink of collapse and mass death.

WSWS (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.

South Front (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 …

Khaled Iskef (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 …

sputniknews (2021-01-07). Tunisian Forces Arrest High-Ranking Al-Qaeda Operative, Interior Ministry States. sputniknews.com CAIRO (Sputnik) – Tunisia's security services have detained a terrorist from among the leaders of the Al-Qaeda* terror group (banned in Russia), the country's interior ministry said on Thursday.

teleSUR (2021-01-07). Argentina Condemns UK's Military Drills on the Malvinas Islands. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Foreign Affairs Ministry (FAM) Wednesday condemned the latest military drills carried out by the United Kingdom on the Malvinas Islands. | RELATED: | The Argentine authorities described the military activities as an unjustified show of force and a deliberate detachment from the United Nations resolution that calls for a peaceful solution to the Malvinas territorial dispute. | "Our country regrets that at…

teleSUR (2021-01-07). China Urges UK to Forget Colonial Mentality in Hong Kong Issues. telesurenglish.net China on Thursday urged the United Kingdom to abandon its illusion of colonial influence on Hong Kong and to cease interfering in China's internal affairs. | RELATED: | British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday said that the arrests of activists in Hong Kong were "a grievous attack on Hong Kong's rights and freedoms" as protected under the Sino-British Joint Declaration. | In response, Foreign Affairs Ministry spok…

Rod Driver (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…

teleSUR (2021-01-07). Bolivia Restricts Flights From Europe Until Mid-February. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's President Luis Arce on Wednesday issued a decree that prohibits the entry of flights from Europe until February 15 as a preventive measure to prevent the spread of the British coronavirus strain in the Andean country. | RELATED: | The new rule changes a decree issued on December 23 that suspended the entry to Bolivia of European flights until January 8, 2021. | The decision was adopted within the framework of the National…

Peoples Dispatch (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…

Cynthia Chung (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). 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…

Anand Naidoo (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?

G. Dunkel (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 . . . |

RT (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,

The Tricontinental (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.

WSWS (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.

Evans Aggelissopoulos (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 …

sputniknews (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.

Peoples Dispatch (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.

WSWS (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.

Couturaud F, Bertoletti L, Pastre J, et al. (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.