2021-01-25: News Headlines

Maha Hussaini (2021-01-25). 'Vaccination apartheid': Gaza struggling with Covid-19 infections while Israel rolls out jab. middleeasteye.net 'Vaccination apartheid': Gaza struggling with Covid-19 infections while Israel rolls out jab | Gaza braces for more avoidable deaths with delayed vaccination rollout and an overwhelmed health system | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 11: 08 | A hospital staff member gets tested for coronavirus in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 31 August 2020 (AFP/file photo) | In the intensive care unit of the European Gaza…

WSWS (2021-01-25). Greece loosens coronavirus lockdown, massively rearms military. wsws.org Despite the dangerous spread of the new UK variant of COVID-19 and the deadly impact the pandemic throughout Europe, Greece is easing its lockdown measures.

WSWS (2021-01-25). Coronavirus death toll in Germany reaches 50,000. wsws.org A year of the coronavirus pandemic, in Germany and globally, has shown that curbing the virus cannot be left to the capitalist governments.

sputniknews (2021-01-25). India to Register Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine Within Next Few Weeks, Indian Ambassador Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – India plans to register the Russian vaccine against COVID-19, Sputnik V, after completion of phase three clinical trials within the next few weeks, Indian Ambassador to Moscow Venkatesh Varma said on Monday.

WSWS (2021-01-25). Spain's defence chief resigns amid mounting anger over COVID-19 vaccine theft. wsws.org Anger is mounting in the working class after generals, royalty and politicians got the COVID-19 vaccination even as vaccines are running out for frontline health care workers.

Dean Baker (2021-01-25). The New York Times Has Not Heard About China's Vaccines (or Russia or India's). cepr.net It is more than a bit bizarre that the New York Times can run a major piece about the lack of access of developing countries to Covid vaccines and never once mention the vaccines developed by China, Russia, or India. The piece is very useful in highlighting the fact that the United States and Europe …

teleSUR (2021-01-25). Mexico To Get 24 Million Doses of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) on Monday spoke by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin who agreed to deliver 24 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine in the next two months. | RELATED: | "Putin was genuinely affectionate. I invited him to visit Mexico and thanked him for the decision to send us 24 million doses," tweeted AMLO, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. | Besides confirming that these dos…

teleSUR (2021-01-25). Mexico's President AMLO Tests Positive for COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) tested positive for COVID-19 and he is already receiving medical treatment. | RELATED: | "The symptoms are mild, so for the moment, I will be isolated at the National Palace until my full recovery," AMLO said, assuring that he will continue to monitor public affairs from the government headquarters. | On Monday, "I will attend a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin because there is a possib…

Jonathan Cook (2021-01-25). The 'Humanitarian' Left Still Ignores the Lessons of Iraq, Libya and Syria to Cheer on More War. commondreams.org That "defence industry" needs villains, like China and Russia, that it must extravagantly arm itself against. And that means fixating on the crimes of China and Russia, while largely ignoring our own crimes, so that those "defence industries" can prosper. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/china_0.jpg

MEE and agencies (2021-01-25). Turkey and Greece resume talks over eastern Mediterranean after five-year hiatus. middleeasteye.net Turkey and Greece resume talks over eastern Mediterranean after five-year hiatus | Ankara and Athens have made little progress on the issue, despite 60 rounds of negotiations between 2002 and 2016 | Mon, 01/25/2021 – 13: 34 | The Turkish seismic survey vessel Oruc Reis. Ankara hoped to improve relations with the European Union after it had threatened to sanction Turkey (Reuters) | Turkey a…

Rosalind English (2021-01-25). Enforced wearing of masks declared unconstitutional. ukhumanrightsblog.com Following my post on the Weimar District Court judgment, here is news from Belgium. This summary of the ruling is from the journal LeVif. The police tribunal in Brussels issued a judgment on 12 January acquitting a man summoned for non-wearing of a mask, according to his lawyer, Hélène Alexandris. The judge concluded that the …

WSWS (2021-01-25). Turkish Trotskyists hold international online meeting on student protests. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Group and IYSSE in Turkey held an international online meeting January 17 titled "Amid the global breakdown of democracy, the way forward for the Boƒüaziàßi University protests."

sputniknews (2021-01-25). UK Prime Minister to Visit Scotland Amid Fresh Bid for Independence, Reports Say. sputniknews.com LONDON (Sputnik) — UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to Scotland this week to try to save the United Kingdom from disintegrating after Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon made a fresh bid for independence and threatened to hold a referendum without the central government's permission, the Sun newspaper reported on Monday.

Melanie McFarland (2021-01-25). AMC's tense "Salisbury Poisonings" shows how easily terror and toxicity almost consumed a small town. salon.com Based on the true story of how a former Russian intelligence officer was targeted in England and what came next…

Nick Corbishley (2021-01-25). Eurostar Train Near Collapse, Asks for Bailout, Becomes Hot Potato. globalresearch.ca Eurostar, the company that operates the cross-Channel train service that connects the UK with France, Belgium and the Netherlands, is on the brink of collapse, the company's management warned this week. With passenger numbers down 95% in the final quarter …

sputniknews (2021-01-25). Mastercard to Reportedly Raise Fees at Least Fivefold for EU Online Retailers to British Customers. sputniknews.com The UK has broken with the European Union, as the transition period expired at the beginning of 2021. London and Brussels struck a post-Brexit deal at the last moment, but some trade spheres remain unregulated, leaving the British financial sector, 7 percent of the country's economic output, in turbulence.

sputniknews (2021-01-25). Lawmaker Slams Greece's Digital Vaccination Certificates, Calls Idea Form of 'Apartheid'. sputniknews.com Greek authorities began issuing digital vaccination certificates for people vaccinated against the coronavirus last week, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis suggesting the measure should be introduced across the European Union to facilitate travel and tourism.

sputniknews (2021-01-25). Advisor to Winemaker? Putin Reveals What He Might Do After Presidency. sputniknews.com Putin described winemaking as a "noble" industry and said he may one day dabble in the art, but probably from a legal perspective.

sputniknews (2021-01-25). Moscow Sees US Support for Unauthorised Rallies in Russia as Direct Meddling. sputniknews.com Earlier, Moscow voiced its concerns over the fact that the US Embassy had published information about where unauthorised rallies were taking place across Russia.

Manlio Dinucci (2021-01-25). The UN Prohibits Nuclear Weapons and What Does Italy Do? globalresearch.ca Today, January 22, 2021, is the day that can go down in history as the turning point to free humanity from those weapons that, for the first time, have the ability to erase the human species and almost every other …

Zach Conti (2021-01-25). High-Level Climate Summit to Launch Action Agenda. indybay.org World leaders, including Pope Francis, UN General Secretary António Guterres and the IMF's Kristalina Georgieva, gather for a high-level climate summit hosted by the Netherlands through Tuesday.

teleSUR (2021-01-25). Italy: Prime Minister to Resign Tuesday, Government Announces. telesurenglish.net "The Council of Ministers is convened for tomorrow morning at 9 AM, during which the Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, will communicate to the ministers his will to go to the (Presidential Palace) and hand in his resignation," the statement read. It added that he would then see President Sergio Mattarella. | A calculated move, the resignation may ultimately afford him another chance at forming a coalition government. | RELATED: | Survivi…

teleSUR (2021-01-25). EU Launches Investigation Into How Google Collects Data. telesurenglish.net The European Commission (EC) sent questionnaires to request information from different companies about the way Google collects and uses data. | RELATED: | This is part of a preliminary investigation that encompasses all services, programs, and tools used by Google for digital advertising. | After analyzing the answers to the questions on these topics, the European authorities will decide whether to open a formal and in-depth inve…

F. William Engdahl (2021-01-24). Coronavirus Scandal Breaking in Merkel's Germany. False Positives and the Drosten PCR Test. globalresearch.ca First posted by Global Research on December 11, 2020 | The widely-praised German model of the Angela Merkel regime to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic is now engulfed in a series of potentially devastating scandals going to the very heart of …

Peter Koenig (2021-01-24). The Coronavirus Vaccine: 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.

MEE and agencies (2021-01-24). Pirates kill sailor, kidnap 15, in attack on Turkish-owned ship off Nigeria. middleeasteye.net Pirates kill sailor, kidnap 15, in attack on Turkish-owned ship off Nigeria | Crew hide for six hours before attackers break into safe area of the cargo vessel | Sun, 01/24/2021 – 11: 38 | Nigerian special forces sail to intercept pirates during a multinational maritime exercise involving 33 countries off the coast of Lagos on 20 March 2019 (AFP) | Armed pirates attacked a Turkish cargo sh…

sputniknews (2021-01-24). UK Firms Reportedly Urged to Set Up EU Bases to Dodge Post-Brexit 'Administrative Nightmare'. sputniknews.com Earlier reports said that companies exporting to the European Union were under pressure as they grappled with new border controls, import taxes, and additional customs paperwork post-Brexit, with turnaround and transit times impacted.

sputniknews (2021-01-24). Kremlin Spokesman Blasts US Embassy for Statements About Unauthorised Protests in Russia. sputniknews.com PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKIY, Russia (Sputnik) – Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described the statements by the US embassy on Saturday's unauthorised protests in Russia as interference in the country's domestic affairs.

James O'Neill (2021-01-24). A Classic Example of Biased Political Reporting. dissidentvoice.org The Sydney Morning Herald has always been regarded as a reasonably responsible newspaper. Although editorially it was generally a supporter of the misnamed Liberal Party, its opinion pieces generally try to pursue an open mind. Its editorial commentary of course generally favoured one side of the political divide rather than the other. The writers were …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-24). Slovenian artists and political activists protest targeting of cultural space in Ljubljana. peoplesdispatch.org The inhabitants of the Autonomous Rog Factory were evicted on January 19. The abandoned factory had been taken over by activists and artists over a decade ago and converted into a community space for alternative cultural and social initiatives…

teleSUR (2021-01-24). Portuguese President Wins Re-Election in Landslide Victory. telesurenglish.net Portuguese incumbent President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was re-elected in Sunday's presidential elections, preliminary official results showed. | With 89.56 percent of votes counted, Rebelo de Sousa won a landslide victory by garnering 63.2 percent of the votes, while the right-wing party Chega candidate Andre Ventura came second with 12.31 percent, and the former member of European Parliament Ana Gomes came third with 10.98 percent, preliminary results showed.

Colin Todhunter (2021-01-24). Dystopian "Great Reset": "Own Nothing and Be Happy", Being Human in 2030. globalresearch.ca First published by Global Research on November 9, 2020 | The World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, Switzerland, brings together international business and political leaders, economists and other high-profile individuals to discuss global issues. …

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.

Peter Koenig (2021-01-23). Video: France's Medical Doctors Speak Out. "Pour la vérité de Covid-19" globalresearch.ca The New Tang Dynasty (NTD) broadcast a Press Conference of 9 January 2021 of independent French medical doctors for the truth about Covid-19. It is called "Coordination Santé Libre" or "Free Health Coordination". | The Group, based in France, represents more …

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.

RT (2021-01-23). 'Catastrophically wrong': German court declares regional lockdown UNCONSTITUTIONAL in 'politically explosive' decision. rt.com A German district court has declared a strict lockdown imposed by the government of the central state of Thuringia last spring unconstitutional, as it acquitted a person accused of violating it. | A trivial case about a man violating strict German lockdown rules by celebrating a birthday with his friends has ended up in a decision the German media described as "politically explosive." A district court in the city of Weimar did not just acquit the defendant but also stated that the authorities themselves breached Germany's basic law. | Thuringia's spring lockdown was a "catastrophically wrong political decision…

RT (2021-01-23). Stay silent, please! France's Academy of Medicine advises people to 'avoid talking' on public transport to stop spread of Covid-19. rt.com The French National Academy of Medicine has urged people to quit the chatter on packed buses and trains, where social distancing is impossible. The country's health minister earlier asked everyone to wear better quality masks. | "The compulsory mask-wearing on public transport, where physical distance cannot be respected, must be paired with a very simple precaution: avoid talking and making phone calls," the Academy said in a statement. | The Academy updated its recommendations in light of the more transmissible coronavirus mutations that were discovered in Britain and South Africa. | The High Council of Publ…

WSWS (2021-01-23). Russia ends COVID-19 restrictions in major cities. wsws.org Having witnessed a small drop-off in infections and hospitalizations, Moscow and Saint Petersburg are now ending the very restrictions that fueled these improvements.

MEE and agencies (2021-01-23). Turkish appeals court overturns acquittals in Gezi trial. middleeasteye.net Turkish appeals court overturns acquittals in Gezi trial | Court documents say some evidence not included in reasoning for surprise original verdicts over 2013 protests | Sat, 01/23/2021 – 13: 14 | Osman Kavala has remained in jail over charges related to a failed 2016 coup attempt despite the European Court of Human Rights calling for his release (AFP) | A Turkish appeals court has overtu…

RT (2021-01-23). German right-wing AfD party goes to court ahead of reported designation as 'suspected' extremist group. rt.com Germany's right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has filed two lawsuits against the nation's domestic security service that is reportedly about to designate it a "suspected" extremist group ahead of national elections. | The party has filed two legal complaints and two emergency motions against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution — a domestic security agency known as BfV — the German dpa news agency reported. The move followed a series of media reports suggesting that BfV could formally declare the whole party a suspected extremist organization. | Such status would allow…

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.

_____ (2021-01-23). Iran Wants The Nuclear Deal It Made. popularresistance.org The new administration in Washington has a fundamental choice to make. It can embrace the failed policies of the Trump administration and continue down the path of disdain for international cooperation and international law—a contempt powerfully evident in the United States' decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, that had been signed by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union just three years earlier. Or the new administration can shed the failed assumptions of the past and seek…

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…

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 …

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.