(2021-01-13). 'Stay at home': Portuguese PM announces new lockdown after record Covid-19 death and infection rates. rt.com 
Portugal's Prime Minister António Costa urged people to stay at home as he announced on Wednesday that the country would enter another national lockdown following record rates of Covid-19 deaths and new cases. | "We are at the most dangerous moment [of the pandemic]. The rule is simple: all of us should stay home," Costa told reporters during a briefing at the Ajuda Palace in Lisbon. | On Wednesday, the Portuguese authorities reported a record daily increase of 156 deaths, taking total fatalities to 8,236, which Costa said was "not acceptable." | The country also recorded a further 10,556 new Covid-19 infectio…
(2021-01-13). 'Perfect storm': WHO warns second year of fighting Covid-19 could be 'even tougher' than the first. rt.com 
Ongoing transmission dynamics show the world needs to brace for an even tougher year of fighting Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, while the disease has turned into the "perfect storm" in Europe and the US. | "We are going into a second year of this, it could even be tougher given the transmission dynamics and some of the issues that we are seeing," WHO's Health Emergencies chief, Mike Ryan, said during a Q&A session broadcast Following a drop in new cases reported over the…
(2021-01-13). Before it begins, COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey already a fiasco. wsws.org The Turkish government's murderous ruling class "herd immunity" policy continues with a chaotic and incompetent roll-out of the vaccine.
(2021-01-13). German hospital group terminates nurse after criticism of situation in ICUs. wsws.org As new infections reach record levels in Germany, the number of people requiring hospitalization for COVID-19 is growing.
(2021-01-13). 'High protein content': Insects set to crawl their way onto Europeans' plates as EU regulator rules MEALWORMS are SAFE to eat. rt.com 
Europeans are a step closer to finding all sorts of creepy crawlies on the menu as the EU Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has officially deemed the first such species — a yellow mealworm, to be specific — safe to eat. | The development means that people buying pasta, burgers and even biscuits in a store somewhere in Europe might soon find out that their food is made of mealworms, thoroughly dried and ground into powder, while those of a more adventurous nature may be able to buy a baggie of whole dried insects as a snack. | Such possibilities are about to open up following the decision by the European fo…
(2021-01-13). Marx, the Civil War and the U.S. today. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Karl Marx observed over a 150 years ago that "the biggest thing happening in the world today are on the one hand the movement of the slaves in America started by the death of John Brown and on the other the movement of the serfs in Russia." | According to Marx, the defining event leading up to the Civil War was not the Slaveholders' Rebellion announced by the cannon fire on Fort Sumter but the raid on Harpers Ferry led by John Brown and Shields Green – a Black and white band of abolitionists. In other words, the movement of the slaves inspired by Harpers Ferry, and the election of a president – Linc…
(2021-01-13). Video: Massive Unrest Rocks Brussels Amid Death of Black Man in Police Custody. sputniknews.com According to reports by local media, the Belgian capital city saw protests following the death of a young man in police custody. The man reportedly tried to escape from officers when they asked for his documents.
(2021-01-13). History of the Russian Revolution: Separating Truth from Myth. globalresearch.ca There is a deceitful and ahistorical myth that frequently resurfaces in right-wing circles seeking to discredit socialism with lies about the Russian Revolution. No matter how many times it has been invalidated as fabrication, the reactionary mythos endures. As might …
(2021-01-12). Symbolic moment as Russian cosmonauts get jabs of Sputnik V — named for first space satellite — ahead of latest ISS mission. rt.com 
Cosmonauts traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) in April have been inoculated against Covid-19 with the Sputnik V vaccine, named after the world's first artificial Earth satellite, which was launched by the USSR. | The first shots of the pioneering jab were administered to members of both the main and substitute crews on Tuesday, the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center said. The course of Sputnik V requires two injections, with the follow-up administered around 21 days after the initial one. | The men who received the vaccine were Oleg Novitsky, Pyotr Dubrov, Anton Shkaplerov and Dmitry Peteli…
(2021-01-12). Spain pushes to vaccinate all nursing home residents within a week. rt.com 
All nursing home residents in Spain are expected to be vaccinated against Covid-19 this week, Health Minister Salvador Illa announced on Tuesday after the government's weekly cabinet meeting. | The country launched its mass vaccination program shortly after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 jab in December. | As of Monday, Spain has successfully inoculated 406,000 with the first dose of the two-part vaccine, and health officials are expected to begin the second round of doses from January 18 for patients who fall into the most vulnerable and elderly group. | A…
(2021-01-12). A Russian Strain: Covid-19 found to have mutated 18 different times in one person, with some never seen before. rt.com 
A Russian woman with a malignant lymphoma, who battled Covid-19 for five months, was found to have 18 different mutations of the virus inside her body. She first caught it in April and last tested positive in September. | The revelation was made last week, when Russian scientists published their research on Virological, a discussion forum for analysis and interpretation of virus molecular evolution and epidemiology. Contributors from four universities and one hospital analyzed the woman's genome and found two of the Danish 'mink mutations,' as well as one recently discovered in the UK. | With so many changes,…
(2021-01-12). New COVID-19 variant fuels surge in UK and Ireland. wsws.org Deaths from COVID-19 as measured by the government have passed the grim milestone of 80,000, but the true number of deaths in Britain from the disease is almost 100,000.
(2021-01-12). Health checks for refugees at Bosnia camp after days in cold. thecanary.co 
Many refugees and refugees staying at a camp in northwestern Bosnia have complained of respiratory and skin infections after spending days in makeshift tents and containers amid freezing weather and snowstorms, aid workers warned.Military tents: Most of the hundreds of refugees stuck at the Lipa facility near Bosnia's border with Croatia have been accommodated in heated military tents following days of uncertainty after a fire gutted most of the camp on 23 December.Bosnia has faced sharp criticism for leaving around 1,000 people without shelter after the blaze.The authorities first said they would move the…
(2021-01-12). DarkMarket goes down: Europol closes largest dark web marketplace trading in drugs & malware. rt.com 
The largest illegal marketplace on the dark web for selling drugs, counterfeit money and malware, DarkMarket, has been taken offline, in a major international operation, the EU's law enforcement agency Europol said on Tuesday. | The law enforcement operation against DarkMarket involved security agencies from Germany, Australia, Denmark, Moldova, Ukraine and the UK, as well as the US, with Europol coordinating their actions and providing operational analysis. | In Germany, officers arrested a 34-year-old Australian man suspected of being the operator of the illegal marketplace. He was taken into custody near th…
(2021-01-12). Sentences of 'extremist' group that planned armed takeover of Russia slashed weeks after Putin intervenes on human rights grounds. rt.com 
Four men at the center of a plot to overthrow the Russian government by force have had their sentences reduced by a Moscow court on Tuesday. All but one are currently serving a long term in a penal colony for their involvement.
(2021-01-12). 'Horrific barbarism': UK to ban Chinese imports linked to forced Uighur labour. middleeasteye.net 
'Horrific barbarism': UK to ban Chinese imports linked to forced Uighur labour | Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says China's use of forced Uighur prison labour is 'truly horrific barbarism we had hoped lost to another era' | Tue, 01/12/2021 – 18: 41 | Protesters at a rally in Hong Kong in support of the Uighur minority in China, December 2019 (AFP/File photo) | The United Kingdom has accused China of human rig…
(2021-01-12). APOCALYPTIC PLAGUE: Sweden's Overall 2020 Death Rate Was Same as in 2015. anti-empire.com 
Behold: | Yes, it's a little higher than in 2018, 2019. Precisely because the flu seasons in those years were uncharacteristically mild and
(2021-01-12). 133,010 steps to take back the Senate. peoplesworld.org 
Marcey Lynn Jones was one of 70 UNITE HERE volunteers from New Haven, Conn., who spent one month knocking on doors to speak with voters in Georgia about how they could make a difference in the Senate runoff elections. She shares her experience below. In the beginning, when I arrived in Georgia from New Haven, …
(2021-01-12). UK government accelerates "hostile environment" against immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. wsws.org £2.3 million was spent on forcibly removing 225 people to European countries in July, August and September this year—double the amount spent on deportation flights in the previous quarter…
(2021-01-12). As Sheriffs Quit ICE, Joe Biden Can Lead the Way in Restoring Trust. aclu.org This month, two newly-elected sheriffs canceled contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The sheriffs in Gwinnett County, Georgia and Charleston County, South Carolina were
(2021-01-12). UN refugee agency calls for 'new chapter for refugee protection' across Europe. news.un.org As Portugal assumes the presidency of the European Union (EU), to be followed by Slovenia later this year, the UN refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday called on them to lead the effort to forge a better protection system for those seeking refuge across the continent and beyond.
(2021-01-12). Slovenian constitutional court stays massive arms procurement proposal by government. peoplesdispatch.org The right-wing government in Slovenia had planned the procurement of arms worth EUR 780 million for the military to cater to NATO. This had strongly been opposed by the left which had called the proposal unwarranted…
(2021-01-12). Use of Force Undermines Elections in Uganda, UN Warns. telesurenglish.net European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell on Tuesday said that the "excessive" use of force by security agencies is "seriously" tarnishing Thursday's elections in Uganda. | RELATED: | Over 17.6 million Ugandans are called to the polls in an election that culminates a presidential campaign marked by police repression. On this occasion, the electoral contest is between President Yoweri Museve…
(2021-01-12). The Main Form of Media Deception: Censorship by Omission. globalresearch.ca "We don't understand how your government gets the media to repeat propaganda without question. In our country we have to tear finger nails out to get this level of co-operation."(1) (Russian journalists visiting America during the cold war) | Censorship By …
(2021-01-12). The Leopard Doesn't Change its Spots: US Foreign Policy Under Biden. dissidentvoice.org It is a great pity that the Australian mainstream media is so narrow in its choice of sources for stories to appear on its pages and in its telecasts. This point was vividly brought home to me when I read in the English language version of the Russian website Pravda.ru (truth) about the alleged killing …
(2021-01-12). Bolivian Government Calls On Striking Transporters to Dialogue. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Economy Minister Marcelo Montenegro Tuesday reaffirmed the willingness of President Luis Arce's administration to reach an agreement with the public transportation workers who called for a national strike. | RELATED: | Demanding an extension of debts payment's dead ines for six months, transportation unions abandoned a dialogue process with the Arce administration and staged roadblocks on Monday. | In December, Arce approve…
(2021-01-11). Ukrainian neo-Nazi 'thought leader' fired from prestigious Vienna fellowship as outcry over far-right links goes viral. rt.com 
A prominent ultranationalist activist has lost her role at a prestigious Austrian research institute after evidence arose linking her with a far-right Ukrainian group, known for extremism and antisemitism. | Olena Semenyaka, who has been called "The First Lady of Ukrainian Nationalism," was due to take up a Junior Visiting Fellowship at the Vienna-based Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in January. | However, on Monday, the college told RT that the arrangement was now under review in response to allegations raised online. "The jury of the Ukraine in European Dialogue fellowship program has been requested by t…
(2021-01-11). Turkey invites Greece to resume talks amid Eastern Mediterranean Sea dispute. rt.com 
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that Turkey has offered to resume exploratory talks with Greece on hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, as Ankara wants to improve ties with the European Union. | The two neighbors and NATO members have been at loggerheads over maritime exploration rights in the Mediterranean, among other issues. "We want to make an official invitation. As of today, we urge Greece to start exploratory talks, with the first meeting to be held within the month of January," Cavusoglu said. "So Greece has no excuse right now." | Athens and Ankara held 60 rounds of tal…
(2021-01-11). In first meeting since bloody 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Putin brings together leaders of Armenia & Azerbaijan for Moscow talks. rt.com 
Three months after Russia oversaw a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the two countries' leaders to Moscow to negotiate the next steps in keeping the peace in Nagorno-Karabakh. | The four-hour discussion represented the first time Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had met face to face since the end of the six-week war, which concluded in a clear victory for Baku. Following the meeting, Putin revealed that a joint statement on the development of Karabakh had been signed by all three parties. Although not yet published, t…
(2021-01-11). UAE open to normalising relations with Turkey, top diplomat says. middleeasteye.net 
UAE open to normalising relations with Turkey, top diplomat says | Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash says normalisation deal would 'respect mutual sovereignty', but also calls on Turkey to halt 'support to Muslim Brotherhood' | Mon, 01/11/2021 – 19: 50 | The UAE's foreign affairs minister, Anwar Gargash, said Turkey could 'recalibrate its relations with Arabs' if it were to cut off its 'suppo…
(2021-01-11). European Union drops fictional claim that Juan Guaidó is president of Venezuela. peoplesworld.org 
The European Union has de-recognized Juan Guaidó as the "Interim President" of Venezuela as of Wednesday, Jan. 6. The move came after Guaidó lost his position as the head of the Venezuelan National Assembly following the December 2020 parliamentary elections. The European Commission declared that this was the will of all EU governments. Commission spokesman …
(2021-01-11). German schools and day-care centres to reopen despite record death rates and new infections. wsws.org Despite schools being the central driver of the pandemic, the education ministers in Germany's federal states have decided on a "resumption of face-to-face teaching" as soon as possible.
(2021-01-11). Brazilian Lab to Produce Sputnik V for Sale in Latam. telesurenglish.net The Russian Sputnik V vaccine developers informed that a Brazilian laboratory will launch the drug's production and distribution throughout Latin America as of January 15. | RELATED: | The Brazilian Chemical Union company confirmed the news by announcing that it will produce 8 million doses per month in the first semester of 2021. | "On Monday, a company delegation will travel to Russia to finish validating the manufac…
(2021-01-11). Biden Chooses Iran Nuclear Deal Negotiator as His CIA Director. telesurenglish.net After serving as ambassador to Russia, Burns led the Obama administration's negotiations with Iran to reach the historic nuclear deal in 2015. | Burns currently serves as the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an international think-tank. | RELATED: | If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first career diplomat to serve in…
(2021-01-11). End of the Saudi Blockade of Qatar: Will Syria Benefit from the "Renewed Gulf Unity"? globalresearch.ca With an end to the Qatar blockade and a possible rapprochement with Turkey, Saudi Arabia may soon move towards reconciliation with Syria. | The Persian Gulf states' opposition to Iran's role in the region, while limiting Turkey's influence, may bring Saudi …