Daily Archives: January 24, 2021

2021-01-24: News Headlines

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.

yenisafak (2021-01-24). Portugal goes to the polls amid lockdown. yenisafak.com Polls opened in Portugal's presidential elections on Sunday morning as the country faces record-high levels of COVID-19 deaths and infections.The country has been under lockdown for 10 days, and the epidemiological situation continues to worsen.On Saturday, the Health Ministry reported 15,133 new infections and 274 more deaths — the highest figures for both since the pandemic began.Lockdown exceptions are being granted for people to leave their homes to cast ballots on Sunday.Portugal's president has no legislative powers, but can dissolve parliament and call new elections.The incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de So…

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 …

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…

yenisafak (2021-01-24). Defense official resigns for early virus shot in Spain. yenisafak.com Spain's chief of defense staff resigned following a controversy that saw him getting the coronavirus vaccine by breaking the vaccination protocol, according to media reportsGeneral Miguel Angel Villarroya submitted his resignation to Defense Minister Margarita and it was accepted.In his resignation letter, he said he had honestly served Spain throughout his 45-year military career.His resignation comes on the heels of a scandal about Spanish military and political officials getting early vaccinations supposedly reserved for health workers and residents in retirement homes.Since December 2019, the pandemic has cla…

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.

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. …

yenisafak (2021-01-24). Europe concerned over detention of protesters in Russia. yenisafak.com The EU and European countries on Saturday raised their concern over the detention of people in Russia protesting the arrest of Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny.Tens of thousands of people on Saturday gathered in Russia to protest Navalny's detention, demanding his immediate release.Many people supporting Navalny were detained in the country while police intervened the protestors harshly."Following unfolding events in #Russia with concern. I deplore widespread detentions, disproportionate use of force, cutting down internet and phone connections," Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, said on Twi…

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…

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.

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 …

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…

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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…

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). '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…

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…

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 …

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.

yenisafak (2021-01-22). EU chief calls on Putin to 'swiftly release' Navalny. yenisafak.com The European Council president on Friday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release opposition figure Alexei Navalny."In my call with president Putin today I reiterated the EU is united in its condemnation of Alexey Navalny's detention and calls for his immediate release," Charles Michel wrote on Twitter following the phone call.According to the EU's readout of the phone conversation, Michel told Putin that the EU is united in its call on Russia to "swiftly release Mr Navalny and proceed with the investigation into the assassination attempt on him, in full transparency and without further delay."He als…

yenisafak (2021-01-22). Sweden's | Muslim-friendly | Nuance Party to launch fundraiser ahead of 2022 elections. yenisafak.com Sweden's new Muslim-friendly Nuance Party (Partiet Nyans) is set to launch a fundraiser in a bid to secure funds as it prepares to compete in the upcoming 2022 elections.Speaking to Yeni ≈ûafak daily, chairman Mikail Yàºksel said the party hopes to raise 3,000,000 SEK (360,000 USD) to fund its election campaign. "If just over 3000 people donate around $100 each then we will easily reach our goal of 360,000 USD".Video advertisements for the campaign will also be broadcasted soon to raise awareness about the pressing challenges facing Muslims in Sweden as the country grapples with a rising tide of…

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 …

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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

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…

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)

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…

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

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 …

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 …

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