2021-01-23: News Headlines

WSWS (2021-01-23). #ZeroCovid petition: The campaign for a European lockdown requires a socialist perspective. wsws.org The large support for the #ZeroCovid petition is an expression of the growing opposition to official government policy that puts the profits of big business above saving human lives. A consistent struggle against the pandemic, however, requires a socialist programme and the building of independent action committees.

WSWS (2021-01-23). Spain's rich and powerful secretly monopolised COVID-19 vaccines. wsws.org The ruling class orders workers and youth back to work and school, knowing thousands will get sick and die, knowing they can illegally obtain the vaccine for themselves.

Richard Horton (2021-01-23). [Comment] Offline: The danger of unreliable narrators. thelancet.com "We can see the way out", ran the headline in last week's Sunday Express. Governments across Europe are increasingly optimistic. Ministers are looking visibly more relaxed. US President Joe Biden is now in the White House and he is serious about science, unlike his predecessor. Vaccines are being delivered at scale. Claims are now being confidently made that all adults in the UK will have been vaccinated by June or September, 2021. Although other countries have been slower to start, they will catch up.

Binoy Kampmark (2021-01-22). Sunk before Service: Australia's Disastrous Submarine Project. dissidentvoice.org One only gets into the submarine procurement business to spite government treasurers and economic managers. Efficiency and effectuality are bonus additions, but hardly necessary. Witness the evolving disaster that is Australia's SEA 1000 Future Submarine program, won by France's DCNS, now Naval Group, in 2016. From the start, this seemed an audaciously peculiar choice. Australia …

RT (2021-01-22). Swedish health agency investigates after 1,000 people receive Moderna vaccine kept at too low a temperature. rt.com Around 1,000 Swedes have received Moderna Covid-19 shots that were kept too cold while being transported, the company in charge of deliveries, Apoteket AB, said on Friday. | A total of 2,100 doses of the US-made vaccine that were kept too cold in transit have been delivered to the regions of Gävleborg, Halland, Värmland, Dalarna, and Östergötland, a government spokesperson said. | The Swedish Public Health Agency has said there is no risk to those given the Moderna vaccine, but it has halted the rollout and is investigating whether keeping doses too cold may affect the vaccine's efficacy.

Jon Queally, staff writer (2021-01-22). 'Deeply Alarming': AstraZeneca Charging South Africa More Than Double What Europeans Pay for Covid-19 Vaccine. commondreams.org "This is the problem when you have essential medicines in the hands of big business, with almost no transparency as to pricing." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/astrazeneca_covid_vaccine_0.jpg

teleSUR (2021-01-22). Vaccination of Politicians Sparks Outrage in Spain. telesurenglish.net Although Spanish politicians and high-ranking officials are not part of the groups with a preference to receive COVID-19 vaccines, some of them have been vaccinated by dodging the order of precedence. This discovery has sparked a growing controversy in Spain about the ethics of its leaders. | RELATED: | "In less than 48 hours, three public officials have resigned for 'jumping the queue' for vaccines," the local outlet…

teleSUR (2021-01-22). The Brazilian COVID-19 Strain Might Be Present in Peru. telesurenglish.net Peru's Regional Health Director Carlos Calampa reported the identification of suspected cases of the COVID-19 strain originated in Manaos (Brazil). The new strain is independent of those recorded in the United Kingdom and South Africa. | RELATED: | Calampa pointed out that there were no doubts in terms of clinical diagnose due to the accelerated increase in COVID-19 cases with similar characteristics to those report…

MEE staff (2021-01-22). Huge trench dug by Russia's Wagner Group may derail Libya peace process: Report. middleeasteye.net Huge trench dug by Russia's Wagner Group may derail Libya peace process: Report | Russian mercenary group accused of digging fortified trenches near Sirte, raising fears that foreign fighters will not withdraw ahead of Saturday deadline | Fri, 01/22/2021 – 17: 16 | Libya entered 2020 in midst of full-blown war between rival GNA and Haftar's National Libyan Army (AFP/File photo) | Russia-backed Wagner Group mer…

Alex MacDonald (2021-01-22). Turkey: Doctor's map labelling Alevi villages outrages minority. middleeasteye.net Turkey: Doctor's map labelling Alevi villages outrages minority | An investigation was launched into the map identifying Alevi-majority villages, amid outcry over sectarian discrimination | Fri, 01/22/2021 – 15: 30 | Members of Turkey's Alevi community hold pictures of victims as they march in Ankara on 2 July 2019 to mark the 26th anniversary of an arson attack on Madimak Hotel that killed 37 p…

RT (2021-01-22). HUGE BLAST rocks market in southern Russia, killing at least one (VIDEO). rt.com A powerful explosion has hit a market in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar. At least one person died in the blast and two were injured. | A small shop located in the so-called Krasnodar flower market caught fire on Friday evening. Videos published on social media show the building already engulfed by huge spurts of flames when a powerful blast sends the blaze into the sky. | –ù–∞ —Ü–≤–µ—Ç–æ—á–Ω–æ–º —Ä—ã–Ω–∫–µ –&le…

RT (2021-01-22). 'Blackout challenge': Death of child participating in TikTok game prompts investigation by Italian authorities. rt.com Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the death of a 10-year-old girl who reportedly took part in the 'blackout challenge', a viral game that has gained popularity on TikTok. | The girl passed away in Palermo, Italy on Wednesday. She was found by her younger sister after the viral challenge she was reportedly attempting to recreate went tragically wrong. | The 'blackout challenge' has been criticized and discouraged by medical officials after young people started choking themselves on camera in an attempt to get a temporary high from restricting oxygen to the brain. | Licia Ronzulli, the president of I…

Richard Sanders (2021-01-22). Defunding the Myths and Cults of Cold War Canada. dissidentvoice.org For decades the Canadian government has been supporting East European émigré associations whose much-revered founders, leaders and war heroes include veterans of Waffen SS divisions and other fascist military formations, perpetrators of the Holocaust and other ethnic-cleansing campaigns, officials from and apologists for Nazi puppet regimes, postwar CIA propaganda assets, proponents of Cold War terrorist …

sputniknews (2021-01-22). Hungary, Russia Sign Agreement on Sputnik V Coronavirus Vaccine Deliveries, Foreign Minister Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Hungary and Russia have signed an agreement on Russia's coronavirus vaccine deliveries, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Friday.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-22). Crisis-hit university students protest in France seeking government support. peoplesdispatch.org University students across France, confined to online classes and deprived of their scholarships and income from part time jobs, are facing serious financial, academic and psychological difficulties…

Tom Clifford (2021-01-22). US President Biden: How to Deal With China. globalresearch.ca The lexicon has changed. Words and phrases that seemed to define our world until quite recently now belong to a bygone era. Remember BRICs? The grouping of the next economic superpowers. Well, Brazil, Russia, India and China now resemble a …

WSWS (2021-01-22). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Thousands of UK energy workers continue strikes against hire-and-fire; French energy workers strike against privatisation; indefinite strike by metalworkers at South African company against redundancies…

Whitney Webb (2021-01-21). Another Mega Group Spy Scandal? Samanage, Sabotage, and the SolarWinds Hack. thelastamericanvagabond.com The devastating hack on SolarWinds was quickly pinned on Russia by US intelligence. A more likely culprit, Samanage, a company whose software was integrated into SolarWinds' software just as the "back door" was inserted, is deeply tied to Israeli intelligence and intelligence-linked families such as the Maxwells. In mid-December of 2020, a massive hack compromised

Andrew Korybko (2021-01-21). Sweden Doesn't Need to Join NATO to be a Security Threat to Russia. globalresearch.ca Sweden's growing ties with NATO over the past half-dozen years make many observers wonder whether the Nordic country will soon join the transatlantic bloc, but it actually doesn't even have to do so formally since it's already a de facto …

RT (2021-01-21). 'With lives at stake, politics must be forgotten': Sputnik V sponsor warns demonizing Russian vaccine distracts from saving people. rt.com Saving human lives amid the raging global pandemic is much more important than following political considerations, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund that sponsored Sputnik V vaccine development, told RT. | "We are strongly against the politicization of the vaccine," said Dmitriev, adding that when it comes to health and the very life of many people, "one should forget about politics or any attempts to 'contain' Russia." | In its international dealings related to Russia's pioneering Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, RDIF is simply guided by the principle of helping those in need and is ready…

RT (2021-01-21). France has become 'a nation of 66 million prosecutors,' says Macron, rejecting criticism of government's pandemic response. rt.com French President Emmanuel Macron has defended his government and its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that he laments France's "incessant hunt for errors," adding that such criticism is counterproductive during a crisis. | Speaking on Thursday, Macron took a swipe at his critics, saying France had become "a nation of 66 million prosecutors" constantly on the lookout for mistakes and government failings during the pandemic. | "And I say this because what goes with French mistrust is also this kind of incessant hunt for error. That is to say, we have become a nation of 66 million prosecutors. It is not…

RT (2021-01-21). Lockdown extended in Portugal with schools to close for 15 days amid record spike in Covid-19 deaths. rt.com Portugal is to shut all schools and universities from Friday, its prime minister has said, as the more transmissible strain of Covid-19 first detected in the UK takes hold, putting the health service under enormous pressure. | Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced the new emergency measures in Lisbon on Thursday as coronavirus cases soared, pushing Portugal's national health system (SNS) to the verge of collapse. | Health officials announced a new record daily death toll for the country on Thursday, reporting 221 fatalities, along with a further 14,647 new cases — up from 10,455 the day before. To date,…

RT (2021-01-21). 'Very high risk': ECDC urges tougher Covid-19 measures amid mutant strains from UK, Brazil, and South Africa. rt.com The Covid-19 strains from the UK, Brazil and South Africa pose a very high risk due to their increased transmissibility and must be stamped out with tougher health measures, the EU's infectious diseases agency has said. | The transmissibility of the three variants will likely push infection rates higher, leading to more hospitalizations and "death rates across all age groups," the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a statement on Thursday. | "The overall risk associated with the introduction and community spread of variants of concern is therefore assessed as being high/very high…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-21). French students protest government apathy in education sector. peoplesdispatch.org On January 20, thousands of university students marched in the major cities of France demanding concrete actions from the government to help the students who are in distress due to COVID-19 restrictions.

RT (2021-01-21). In non-binding resolution, EU parliament calls for new anti-Russia sanctions that would stop Nord Stream 2 over Navalny's arrest. rt.com An EU parliament resolution, backed by 581 MEPs out of 675 present, directs members to ramp up sanctions against Russia to stop the Nord Stream 2 project "once and for all," linking it to opposition figure Alexey Navalny's arrest. | The EU member states should take "an active stance" on Navalny's 30-day arrest in Russia. This is according to a non-binding

RT (2021-01-21). In non-binding resolution, EU parliament calls for new anti-Russia sanctions in attempt to stop Nord Stream 2 over Navalny arrest. rt.com An EU parliament resolution, backed by 581 MEPs out of 675 present, has directed its member states to ramp up sanctions against Russia to stop the Nord Stream 2 project "once and for all," linking it to Alexey Navalny's arrest. | The EU member states should take "an active stance" on the opposition figure's 30-day arrest in Russia. This is according to a non-binding

Schiff Gold (2021-01-21). European Central Bank Takes Bond Market Manipulation to the Next Level. anti-empire.com Peter Schiff According to

Ragip Soylu (2021-01-21). Refusal to retry Turkish MP triggers second ruling by high court. middleeasteye.net Refusal to retry Turkish MP triggers second ruling by high court | Lower courts continue to dismiss the rulings of higher courts in politically sensitive cases, such as the imprisonment of former MP Enis Berberoglu | Thu, 01/21/2021 – 10: 31 | Enis Berberoglu, a former MP from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leaves after taking his oath at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Oct…

Adlène Meddi (2021-01-21). France vows 'symbolic actions' but no apologies for colonisation of Algeria. middleeasteye.net France vows 'symbolic actions' but no apologies for colonisation of Algeria | While a new French report highlights moves to reconcile Paris and Algiers on 132 violent years of colonisation, some thorny issues remain | Thu, 01/21/2021 – 16: 15 | Algerians arrested during a French military operation on 21 April 1956, during the war of independence, in Algeria's Tablat and Bir Rabalou region (AFP)

Yasmina Allouche (2021-01-21). Mesut Ozil: How the politicised playmaker is already causing a stir in Turkey. middleeasteye.net Mesut Ozil: How the politicised playmaker is already causing a stir in Turkey | Fans and politicians alike have made Ozil's arrival "home" to join Fenerbahce a sporting and political spectacle | Thu, 01/21/2021 – 13: 32 | No stranger to controversy, the German playmaker has seen the last four years of his career marred by controversies for his actions and words off the pitch. (AFP) | "I ha…

MEE staff (2021-01-21). HRW demands probe into French air strike in central Mali. middleeasteye.net HRW demands probe into French air strike in central Mali | Residents say about 20 civilians were killed when air strike targeted village during segregated wedding party | Thu, 01/21/2021 – 22: 51 | French military said fighter jet had struck jihadist group at location north of village, killing several dozen combatants (AFP) | Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged France and Mali to "promptly and impartially" investig…

RT (2021-01-21). Politicians among 48 arrested in huge Italian bust on 'Ndrangheta mafia, hundreds of millions in cash seized. rt.com Anti-mafia police carried out sweeping early-morning raids against Italy's most powerful mafia, the 'Ndrangheta, on Thursday, arresting 48 people and placing the leader of a political party under investigation. | Officers from the Direzione Investigativa AntiMafia (DIA) immediately jailed 13 people, while 35 were placed under house arrest, with multiple politicians, low-level mob bosses and businessmen among those detained, according to local media. | The crackdown on the organized crime syndicate, based in Calabria, southern Italy, primarily targeted the economic arm of its operations, which prosecutors said…

Jordan Elgrably (2021-01-21). Forgetting in the land of poets and bones: Spain's 'Desmemoria'. peoplesworld.org I've long wondered what might have been the final thoughts of Federico García Lorca in the moments before Franco's mercenaries murdered him in his pajamas, in cold blood. No poet characterizes 20th-century Spain for me more than Lorca, who lost his life near the start of that country's civil war in 1936. Did he perhaps …

IMEMC & Agencies (2021-01-21). Major Victory for BDS Movement in Spanish Court Ruling. imemc.org The Electronic Intifada Activists in Spain are celebrating a big legal win against Israel lobby efforts to punish support for Palestinian rights. Their victory also exposes a lie that European Union officials are spreading to discredit BDS — the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. On 11 January a court in Valencia dismissed a criminal complaint …

Philip A Farruggio (2021-01-21). Democracy USA? Biden's Neoliberal "Far Left Wing Agenda" globalresearch.ca You look at what they call 'The Industrialized world' and you can get a feel for how they run their democracies. Canada, France, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and Scotland, to name a few, all have at least FIVE viable …

Kester Kenn Klomegah (2021-01-21). Russia's Financial Strategy for Africa. globalresearch.ca In order to raise its geopolitical influence, Russia has been making efforts identifying mega infrastructure projects such as nuclear power and energy, natural resources exploration and talks consistently about increasing trade with Africa. On the other hand, Russia primarily needs …

oneworld.press (2021-01-21). The Downfall of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. oneworld.press Mark Rutte (right), former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, defending ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Halbe Zijlstra (left) who lied about his visit to the dacha of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

_____ (2021-01-21). How use of drones to secure borders threatens all our rights. truepublica.org.uk A new report published by Drone Wars UK investigates the increasing use of military-style drones by governments to patrol state borders. The study, which examines the use of drones at the borders of the UK, EU, US, Russia, China, Australia and elsewhere, concludes that drones are contributing to the militarisation of everyday borders as part …

MEE and agencies (2021-01-20). Covid-19: Turkey vaccinates more than one million people, says health ministry. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Turkey vaccinates more than one million people, says health ministry | Turkey has now given a first shot of the coronavirus vaccine to more than one percent of the population | Wed, 01/20/2021 – 13: 17 | A healthcare worker checks the body temperature of an elderly woman at a nursing home in Ankara, on 19 January 2021, amid the Covid-19 pandemic (AFP) | More than one million peop…

Michael Day (2021-01-20). Italian Doctors Sanctioned for Raising Questions About COVID Vaccine. anti-empire.com An Italian doctors association has warned or disciplined 10 medics for promoting anti-vaccination propaganda and is considering sanctions against three others who are accused of downplaying the gravity of covid-19. | This comes amid growing concern that public scepticism over covid-19 vaccines could undermine Europe's fight against the coronavirus pandemic. | Antonio Magi, president of the Ordine dei Medici di Roma (Rome Doctors Guild), said that inquiries into 10 medics accused of unwarranted criticism of vaccinations had been completed, with punishments ranging from warnings to two month suspensions. The other…

The Guardian (2021-01-20). Parler Back Online Thanks to Servers in Russia. anti-empire.com Parler, the social network popular with The network vanished from the internet after it was

Steve Douglas (2021-01-20). Jim Thorpe's 1912 golds still resonate, amaze. peoplesworld.org STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — It has been described as the first major international sports scandal, and still resonates more than a century later. Jim Thorpe, a Native American who seemed to excel at every sport he tried, was seen as one of the world's top athletes after winning gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon …

Scott Ritter (2021-01-20). The US has a broken political system & is about to be usurped by China — what Europeans really think about America is telling. thealtworld.com A new survey of citizens of 11 countries suggests that Joe Biden faces an almost impossible task …