Monthly Archives: December 2021

2021-12-29: News Headlines

Craig Murray (2021-12-29). Protecting the Nazis: The Extraordinary Vote of Ukraine and the USA 327. orinocotribune.com By Craig Murray — Dec 21, 2021 | This is verbatim from the official report of the The Assembly next took up the report on "Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", containing two draft resolutions. | By a recorded vote of 130 in favour to 2 against (Ukraine, United States), with 49 abstentions, the Assembly then adopted draft resolution I, "Combating glorification of Nazism, neo‚ÄëNazism and other practices that contribute t…

_____ (2021-12-29). Putin's Best Policy is to Simply Wait. journal-neo.org Russia has recently set out its list of demands for a resetting of the position of the United States in Europe. The Americans have reacted cautiously, promising to give the Russians an answer "shortly". It would be unwise to hold one's breath awaiting a positive response from the Americans. Even in the highly unlikely event …

Staff (2021-12-29). Headlines for December 29, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Coronavirus Infections Hit All-Time High, Omicron Drives Record Rates of Infection in Several European Countries, Taliban Fire Warning Shots at Dozens of Women Protesters in Kabul, U.N. Envoy Warns of Civilian Toll as Saudi-Led War on Yemen Escalates, Mahmoud Abbas Meets Israeli Defense Minister, Death Toll from Brazil Flooding Rises to 20, Kodiak, Alaska, Hits 67 ∞F as Climate Emergency Fuels Extreme December Weather, Climate Emergency Cost Global Economy Nearly $200 Billion in 2021, South African Court Halts Shell Oil's Offshore Oil Exploration Plans, Russia Shutters International Memorial, Which Chr…

IGD Worldwide (2021-12-29). Still Fierce Against the Odds: An End of the Year Anarchist Update from Greece. itsgoingdown.org The last time we wrote about the situation here in Athens, we were sweating beside our laundry drying that was covered with soot from raging wild fires. It is hard to know where to invest all our energy, as so much has happened, and times remain precarious here as they do everywhere. Since that last…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-29). Covid Vaccines: A Reality Check. libya360.wordpress.com Swiss Policy ResearchItaly Holds 'March of the Vaccine Dead' in Parma, Italy (November 2021) to Remember Those Killed by the COVID-19 Vaccine Covid vaccine effectiveness During 2021, covid vaccines may have saved several hundred thousand lives by mitigating the impact of the covid waves in spring (Alpha), summer (Delta) and early winter (also Delta). This…

_____ (2021-12-29). Political Coordination between Egypt and Russia Intensifies. journal-neo.org Against the background of consistent strengthening by Egypt of its role in the Arab world and and in the international arena, further coordination of policy between Egypt and Russia continues with the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields. Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, held a meeting with colleagues from Egypt …

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-29). Russia's Shadows in Sahel Region. libya360.wordpress.com M. K. BHADRAKUMAR Tailors busy stitching Russian flags to meet rising demand in Bamako, the capital of Mali, December 26, 2021 On Friday, Mali's transitional government has clarified that it is engaged with Russian military trainers even as French troops are drawing down. So, it is official that Russian security personnel are deployed to…

WSWS (2021-12-29). Russian Supreme Court orders liquidation of Memorial, the leading research center on Great Terror. wsws.org The human rights organization and research center Memorial is being targeted by the Putin government because its work cuts across the Kremlin's efforts to rehabilitate and justify the crimes of Stalin.

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2021-12-28). Putin hints at military options in Ukraine. mronline.org The Rossiya 1 state television in Moscow broadcast today President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference on Friday. It conveys a much fuller picture of the grave crisis brewing in the Russian-American relations than what the excerpts in the Russian media sought to convey over the weekend.

Volodymyr Ishchenko (2021-12-28). Ukrainians Are Far From Unified on NATO. Let Them Decide for Themselves. truthout.org After weeks of media scare about a purported Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the conflict may get a chance to be solved in a negotiated way. The public conversation on the current escalation of the Russian-Western conflict over Ukraine is, however, quite ironic. At least on the surface, it focuses on guarantees that Ukraine would not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance, which is not only far from inviting Ukraine to join but which most Ukrainians themselves do…

Staff (2021-12-28). Headlines for December 28, 2021. democracynow.org World Coronavirus Cases Hit Record High as Omicron Surges, Israel Tests Fourth Vaccine Doses as COVID Surges in Largely Unvaccinated African Nations, Biden Warns Governors of Looming Shortages of Hospital Beds as COVID-19 Cases Near Pandemic Highs, CDC Recommends Shorter Isolation for People with Asymptomatic Coronavirus Infections, Afghan Taliban Bans Women from Road Trips Without Male Escort, Talks on Reviving Iran Nuclear Deal Resume in Vienna, Iraq's Top Court Ratifies Results of October's Contested Election, Russia to Hold Talks with U.S. and NATO Allies over Ukraine Border Tensions, New German Government Mo…

_____ (2021-12-28). Eighth Round Of JCPOA Revival Talks Begin. popularresistance.org "Today all parties have agreed to come back to activate the eighth round of negotiations even in (the) Christmas and New Year's holiday. This in itself fully shows a greater sense of urgency on the part of all parties concerned," Wang Qun, China's ambassador to the United Nations institutions headquartered in Vienna, Austria, which includes the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) nuclear watchdog, told reporters on Monday. | China is just one of several parties to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal, who also include Russia, France, Germany, the UK, the European Union, the US, and…

teleSUR (2021-12-28). WHO Warns About the Fast Spreading of Omicron Strain. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, the World Health Organization expressed its concern about the Omicron variant leading to a congestion in the healthcare system, as the countries reinforce their anti-COVID measures and France reaches a new record of daily cases. | The WHO express its concern about the fast spreading of the Omicron variant. Dec. 28, 2021.

teleSUR (2021-12-28). France: Ambassador Warns Switzerland About EU Negotiations. telesurenglish.net Frédéric Journès, the ambassador of France in Switzerland, stated in an interview with the Le Temps newspaper on Tuesday that the previous agreement rejected by the country last May would be back on the table for the next six months. | RELATED: | The negotiation was expected to be restored at the World Economic Forum (WEF), postponed for the following summer in 2022, given the fast spread of the Omicron variant…

WSWS (2021-12-28). French government rejects lockdown as COVID-19 cases skyrocket past 100,000. wsws.org The seven-day rolling average of cases in France is now over 70,000, more than 50 percent higher than the previous peak in November 2020.

teleSUR (2021-12-28). Iranian FM Says Vienna Talks on "Good Path" telesurenglish.net The Iranian foreign minister said on Tuesday that the talks in Vienna, Austria on the restoration of a 2015 nuclear deal are on a "good path." | The file photo taken on Oct. 27, 2021 shows Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (2nd L) speaking at the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries in Tehran, Iran.

Marlee Kokotovic (2021-12-28). China pledges to go greener by planting forests the size of Belgium over the next five years. nationofchange.org "By 2035, the quality and stability of national forest, grassland, wetland and desert ecosystems will have been comprehensively upgraded."

_____ (2021-12-28). The Radical Legacy Of New York's Winter Rent Strike. popularresistance.org From 26 December 1907 to 9 January 1908, 10,000 tenants, predominantly Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe living in New York City's Lower East Side, took part in a historic rent strike. During an economic depression causing mass unemployment and grinding poverty, landlords tried to hike rents by thirty-three percent. With their cry to 'fight the landlord as they had the Czar', the tenants won a partial victory, with rents significantly reduced for 2,000 households. The movement established a tradition of militant working-class housing campaigns that eventually contributed to winning vital rent controls that st…

Brasil de Fato (2021-12-28). "Lula knows that the ecological question is strategic and fundamental," says Leonardo Boff. peoplesdispatch.org For this reason, agreements between nations to block changes have become a priority at the negotiation tables. Today, they are even an impediment to the conclusion of commercial advances, such as the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union,…

WSWS (2021-12-28). "Opposition to the herd immunity policy is overwhelming": European Network of Rank-and-File Committees for Safe Education meeting outlines strategy to end pandemic. wsws.org Amid the exponential spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across Europe, an online meeting of the Network of Rank-and-File Committees for Safe Education expressed the immense opposition and willingness to fight against the criminal herd immunity policies of governments everywhere.

Staff (2021-12-28). 2021 Samidoun Year in Review: Help us organize a new year of Palestinian liberation struggle! samidoun.net 2021 has been a year of struggle for Palestine — towards return and liberation. This year, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network has taken to the streets, organized new chapters, marched for justice, and fought to free Palestinian prisoners. We're now preparing for 2022. From New York to Vancouver, from Germany to occupied Palestine, from Toulouse […] | The article

_____ (2021-12-28). PEN America And The Betrayal Of Julian Assange. popularresistance.org Nossel and PEN America have stated that the prosecution of Assange raises "grave concerns" about press freedom and lauded the decision by a British court in January 2012 not to extradite Assange. Should Nossel and PEN America have not taken this stance on Assange it would have left them in opposition to most PEN organizations around the world. PEN Centre Germany, for example, made Assange an honorary member. PEN International has called for all charges to be dropped against Assange. But Nossel, at the same time, repeats every slanderous trope and lie used to discredit the WikiLeaks publisher facing extradition to…

_____ (2021-12-28). How about Leaving the South Caucasus Alone? journal-neo.org Why is the United States always meddling in the back yards of other major powers? Doesn't anyone on Washington's Think Tank Row ever wonder if the US may be destabilizing the world? An email notification I got this morning from Foreign Policy Magazine set me to thinking. 3: 01 AM Athens, Greece time. Gmail notified me …

teleSUR (2021-12-28). Russia Will Block NATO's Expansion. telesurenglish.net According to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, for the next diplomatic meeting with Washington, Moscow has as its objective to completely stop any signal of eastwards expansion of the NATO military bloc. | RELATED: } | Sergey Ryabkov said to news agency Interfax that Russia would have a clear agenda for negotiations, making clear that the country would refuse any attempt coming from U.S. diplomats on dissolving…

_____ (2021-12-28). If You Haven't Researched Arguments Disputing a Western Narrative, You Don't Understand the Issue. strategic-culture.org By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | It's a question that can be applied to any disputed western narrative about any government the US-centralized empire doesn't like. Russia is engaging in aggressive provocations. Assad is using chemical weapons. There's a genocide in Xinjiang. Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Maduro is deliberately starving his people. Whatever's the Official Imperial Line of the Day about the Official Bad Guy of the Day. | What I've found interesting about this exercise is that while I would've correctly predicted that those questioned had done zero research into the opposing viewpoints of the issue they…

2021-12-29 22:31 | 18:31 EST | jz | 27 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 0 

2021-12-28: News Headlines

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2021-12-28). Putin hints at military options in Ukraine. globalresearch.ca The Rossiya 1 state television in Moscow broadcast today President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference on Friday. It conveys a much fuller picture of the grave crisis brewing in the Russian-American relations than what the excerpts in the Russian …

Staff (2021-12-28). Headlines for December 28, 2021. democracynow.org World Coronavirus Cases Hit Record High as Omicron Surges, Israel Tests Fourth Vaccine Doses as COVID Surges in Largely Unvaccinated African Nations, Biden Warns Governors of Looming Shortages of Hospital Beds as COVID-19 Cases Near Pandemic Highs, CDC Recommends Shorter Isolation for People with Asymptomatic Coronavirus Infections, Afghan Taliban Bans Women from Road Trips Without Male Escort, Talks on Reviving Iran Nuclear Deal Resume in Vienna, Iraq's Top Court Ratifies Results of October's Contested Election, Russia to Hold Talks with U.S. and NATO Allies over Ukraine Border Tensions, New German Government Mo…

WSWS (2021-12-28). French government rejects lockdown as COVID-19 cases skyrocket past 100,000. wsws.org The seven-day rolling average of cases in France is now over 70,000, more than 50 percent higher than the previous peak in November 2020.

WSWS (2021-12-28). "Opposition to the herd immunity policy is overwhelming": European Network of Rank-and-File Committees for Safe Education meeting outlines strategy to end pandemic. wsws.org Amid the exponential spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across Europe, an online meeting of the Network of Rank-and-File Committees for Safe Education expressed the immense opposition and willingness to fight against the criminal herd immunity policies of governments everywhere.

_____ (2021-12-27). The West Might Deliberately Start A War In Ukraine. popularresistance.org On Monday, Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced that the West might provoke a war in Ukraine to blame Russia and impose economic sanctions on it. | "I do not rule out that there is such a desire to fuel militaristic sentiments [in Ukraine] to stage a 'small war' and then accuse us and impose new sanctions to suppress our competitive advantages," Lavrov said. | The Foreign Minister, who has repeatedly reiterated that the concentration of Russian troops in the vicinity of Ukraine is not for aggressive purposes, denounced that the West has sent over US$2.5 billion in weapons to Ukraine since 201…

_____ (2021-12-27). The West Might Deliberately Start A War In Ukraine: Lavrov Says. popularresistance.org On Monday, Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced that the West might provoke a war in Ukraine to blame Russia and impose economic sanctions on it. | "I do not rule out that there is such a desire to fuel militaristic sentiments [in Ukraine] to stage a 'small war' and then accuse us and impose new sanctions to suppress our competitive advantages," Lavrov said.

Florian Zollmann (2021-12-27). Russia is reacting to NATO's policy of expansion. indybay.org Russia is accused of calculating power and bellicose behavior. As far as the situation in Ukraine is concerned, however, the political facts speak a different language. Russia is being built as an enemy for peace. With its Ukraine policy, Russia is actually reacting to NATO's expansionist policy.

teleSUR (2021-12-27). Venezuela: 87% Of Vaccinated Against COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Regarding the omicron variant, he indicated that this Monday, two other new cases were detected in people coming from flights coming from the United Kingdom and Panama, both asymptomatic. | RELATED: | He pointed out that while Spain, for example, registers 1,200 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants, in Venezuela, 6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants are reported "thanks to the fact that we take care of ourselves collectively, thanks to…

_____ (2021-12-27). Why is Turkey so Eager to Run Five Afghan Airports? journal-neo.org On the sidelines of a recent meeting of member-states of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed operating Afghan airports with acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. After these deliberations, Ankara announced that Turkey, together with Qatar, was going to offer services to Taliban (banned in Russia) regarding operating …

_____ (2021-12-27). Turkey's Economic Difficulties and the Fate of Erdogan. journal-neo.org Turkey's economy is in freefall: the lira is falling, inflation is rising, and food prices are spiraling. The government has resorted to disinformation, lies, and conspiracy theories to deflect blame from itself and shift it to others. But the lower living standards of the common people and the country's future is unlikely to end the …

TASS (2021-12-27). Proposals to amend Belarusian Constitution include ban on starting military aggression. tass.com The draft document was published on Monday…

Staff (2021-12-27). Anti-vaxx kickboxing king dies from Covid complications after discharging himself from hospital. rt.com An anti-vaccine former kickboxing champion died from Covid complications at the age of 41 shortly after discharging himself from hospital, according to reports. | Frederic Sinistra passed away at his home in the town of Ciney, southern Belgium, after deciding he would personally treat what he described as a "little virus". | Forced to finally get medical help in November by his coach,

Staff (2021-12-27). Russia not delivering enough gas to Europe is 'a pack of lies' — Gazprom. rt.com Claims that Russia is deliberately causing natural gas shortages in Europe are baseless, according to Sergey Kupriyanov, spokesman for energy major Gazprom. | "All the allegations against Russia and Gazprom relating to delivering an insufficient amount of gas to the European market are absolutely groundless, unacceptable and untrue. In other words, it is a pack of lies," he said in an interview with the Russia-24 TV channel. | Kupriyanov added that Gazprom is ready to deliver additional gas volumes to Europe under the terms of existing contracts, with the costs of these supplies to be lower than spot market pr…

Sandipan Talukdar (2021-12-27). James Webb Telescope heads out to explore the origin of the universe. peoplesdispatch.org The mission is a joint effort by NASA, the ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency, with an aim of finding the light emanating from the early universe's first galaxies by exploring the solar system and the exoplanets…

teleSUR (2021-12-27). Poland States Germany Wants To Turn EU Into 4th Reich. telesurenglish.net Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Poland's ruling party declared on Friday that, Germany as the Europe's most powerful nation today, is trying to turn the European Union into a "German Fourth Reich." | RELATED: | The head of the Law and Justice party (PiS) stated that some countries "are not enthusiastic at the prospect of a German Fourth Reich being built on the basis of the EU." | "If we Poles…

_____ (2021-12-27). The Geopolitics Surrounding Nord Stream 2. journal-neo.org Multiple US interests continue to hinder the completion of Nord Stream 2 project and its uninterrupted supply of gas to Germany/Europe. For the US, Nord Stream project is, to a great extent, a tool to privatise European gas-markets for US gas supplies. While the Joe Biden administration was quick to waive sanctions on the project …

Byul Ryan-Im (2021-12-27). The Weekly Round-Up: New COVID-19 rules for three nations and no investigation into Met on Downing Street Christmas party. ukhumanrightsblog.com In the news: From 26 December new Covid rules came into effect in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. All three nations have limited the size of public events and face coverings are compulsory in most indoor public spaces. Covid passports or proof of a negative test result is required at many venues. Nightclubs will close in Wales and Scotland from 27 December and in …

teleSUR (2021-12-27). Italy: Economic Paralysis Due to Quarantine Measures. telesurenglish.net On Monday, health experts asked the Italian government to reduce the severity of COVID-19 quarantine measures to avoid economic paralysis. | RELATED: | According to the rules, people who have been in contact with infected ones have to self-isolate for seven days if they are vaccinated already; if not, they must spend ten days in self-isolation. | The head of the Gimbe health foundation, Nino Cartabellotta, explained that every p…

teleSUR (2021-12-27). Russia Won't Turn Into a Fortress Because of Western Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia would find a way to respond to the West strengthened sanctions, but they will not turn the country into a fortress because of it. | Foreign Minister of Russia declares they won't turn the country into a fortress because of Western sanctions. Dec. 27, 2021.

Sergey Ryabkov (2021-12-27). Russia's nonproliferation policy and global strategic stability. moderndiplomacy.eu While the weight of accumulated problems and troubling instabilities in strategic sphere is significant, relations among nuclear powers are very far from being well-tempered. The situation is heavily overshadowed by disintegration of the arms control architecture, mostly due to the destructive course of the previous U.S. Administration. The New START Treaty is practically the last …

Andrew Korybko (2021-12-27). The Neo-NAM: From Vision to Reality. moderndiplomacy.eu The latest Putin-Modi Summit was a global geostrategic game-changer unlocking the potential for the two great powers to jointly assemble a new Non-Aligned Movement ("Neo-NAM"). Their meeting came against the backdrop of both countries recalibrating their respective "balancing" acts. Russia has been engaged in high-level diplomacy with the U.S. while India defied America's CAATSA sanctions …

Staff (2021-12-27). JOURNALISTS FROM US, RUSSIA, AND YEMEN TAKE TOP HONORS AT RT'S INTERNATIONAL AWARDS FOR WAR JOURNALISTS. rt.com MOSCOW, DECEMBER 27, 2021 — The jury of the Khaled Alkhateb International Memorial Awards 2021, an annual competition that recognizes top-class journalism from conflict zones, has announced its winners. They are war correspondents and journalists from Russia, the US, and Yemen. The awards were established in honor of RT Arabic freelancer Khaled Alkhateb, who died on July 30, 2017 while reporting from the front lines in Syria. |

Dr. Andrey KORTUNOV (2021-12-27). Russia in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Art of Balancing. moderndiplomacy.eu Strictly speaking, Russia is not an Eastern Mediterranean country. It does not have direct access to the Mediterranean Sea; its most important strategic and economic interests belong to other parts of the world, such as the North Atlantic or East Asia. However, for a long time Russia has been trying to make its presence in …

_____ (2021-12-27). North Shropshire — Not the End of Boris, the End of Everybody! journal-neo.org On December 16th a parliamentary by-election was held in the United Kingdom, to fill the vacancy created by the forced resignation of Conservative MP Owen Paterson, who was found guilty of breaking lobbying rules and then thrown under the proverbial bus when Boris Johnson tried to change the rules to stop him being censured for …

2021-12-28 20:49 | 16:49 EST | jz | 26 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 0