2021-12-04: News Headlines

Editor2 (2021-12-04). Russian Foreign Ministry Statement on the Planned US 'Summit for Democracy'. orinocotribune.com In connection with the so called summit for democracy to be held on December 9-10 at the initiative of the US administration, we consider it necessary to make the following statement. | The organisers and enthusiasts behind this strange event claim to lead the world in advancing the cause of democracy and human rights. However, the track record and reputation of the United States, Great Britain, and the EU member states in terms of respecting democratic rights and freedoms at home, as well as in the international arena, are, to put it mildly, far from ideal. | The evidence suggests that the United States and its…

Yves Engler (2021-12-04). Claims of Russian Interference in Ukraine Reek of Hypocrisy. dissidentvoice.org The Russians are up to no good and we must prepare to protect Ukraine. Moscow interferes in US and Canadian elections. That's what Washington, Ottawa and their media sycophants claim. But is this just another case of accusing others of doing the things you do? An age-old propaganda technique designed to deflect attention away from …

TASS (2021-12-04). Belarus ready for end of confrontation with West — top diplomat. tass.com We have made concrete proposals," he said…

Sharmila Devi (2021-12-04). [World Report] Calls for international solutions to EU—Belarus border crisis. thelancet.com Humanitarian organisations warn that thousands of migrants are stuck, with many unable to access medical care, food, and water. Sharmila Devi reports.

Editor2 (2021-12-04). Backed by AFRICOM, Corporations Plunder DR Congo for "Climate-Friendly" Materials and Blame China. orinocotribune.com By T.J. Coles — Nov 30, 2021 | Cobalt, a key metallic element used in lithium batteries and other "green" technology, is sourced from slave labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As the West points the finger at China, the US Africa Command is indirectly policing mining operations that profit US corporations. | Ever since Belgium's King Leopold II (1835-1909) established the Congo Free State in 1885, international powers have exploited the region's vast resources. Leading a regime that went on to kill an

_____ (2021-12-04). Central Asian and Middle Eastern Countries Step Up Cooperation. journal-neo.org On November 28, the 15th Summit of the Leaders of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Member-States was held in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, with the participation of the heads of state and governments of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, the countries that are members of the organization. The ECO summit …

Manlio Dinucci (2021-12-04). Às armas, o inimigo está à s nossas portas. globalresearch.ca Os Estados Unidos nà£o està£o ameaàßados por ninguém, desmoronam-se a partir do interior. Para manter o seu controlo sobre os seus aliados, esforàßam-se para convencer os asiáticos de um perigo chinês e a Unià£o Europeia de uma ameaàßa russa. Se …

Tom Shakespeare (2021-12-04). [Perspectives] The many worlds of disability. thelancet.com Jan Grue is a phenomenon in the disability world: a 40-year-old with a congenital muscular atrophy, who is an author of fiction for adults and children and is also Professor of Qualitative Research at the University of Oslo, Norway. In this eagerly awaited book, I Live a Life Like Yours: A Memoir, he tells the story of his life and his daily existence. Grue is expert at capturing sights, sounds, and even smells. The stories he relates are likely to represent the reality for many educated people in high-income countries with lived experience of disability who have stumbled, fallen, and wheeled through school, clin…

TASS (2021-12-04). Fanning tension around Ukraine fits into West's years-long tactic — Russian diplomat. tass.com According to Zakharova, the West is using this tactic because "it cannot any longer stay within the field of legal relation" on equal conditions…

Staff (2021-12-03). Headlines for December 3, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Administration to Reinstate and Expand Trump-Era "Remain in Mexico" Policy, Amid Record COVID-19 Surge, Germany to Exclude Unvaccinated From Public Life, Biden Says Lockdowns Not Needed to Combat Looming Winter Surge of COVID-19, Omicron Variant Traced to Manhattan Anime Convention Attended by 50,000+, Congress Passes Stopgap Spending Bill After GOP Threatens Shutdown Over Vaccine Mandates, Rep. Peter DeFazio Becomes 19th House Democrat to Retire Ahead of Midterms, Groups Call on U.N. to Relaunch Yemen War Crimes Probe Which Ended Amid Saudi and UAE Pressure , HRW: Burmese Military Planned Attack That Kille…

teleSUR (2021-12-03). Presence of Omicron Variant Confirmed by WHO in 38 Countries. telesurenglish.net World Health Organization (WHO) authorities have detected the presence of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 in 38 countries, although the Delta strain continues to be the most prevalent worldwide. | Maria Van Kerkhove, head of health emergencies at the WHO, stated during a press conference from its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland: "So far, omicron has been reported in 38 countries in all six WHO regions, with a significant increase in infections in Africa. But the Delta variant contin…

WSWS (2021-12-03). ECDC warns Omicron variant to become dominant in Europe in a "few months" wsws.org European governments are refusing critical social distancing measures and relying exclusively on vaccinations, which the Omicron variant may largely evade.

Ana Vraƒçar (2021-12-03). Why should health activists care about WTO's agenda? peoplesdispatch.org For the first time in 4 years, trade ministers from the World Trade Organization's (WTO) constituency were supposed to hold an in person meeting in Geneva from November 30 to December 3. The meeting was cancelled at the last minute as European governments started introducing strict travel restrictions because of the Omicron variant — but the agenda the ministers were supposed to discuss remains important in spite of the cancellation. | The WTO meeting was quite out of the ordinary because its relevance was recognized not only by trade activists, but also by those campaigning for the right to health. A great…

sputniknews (2021-12-03). Explosive & Nearing Dominance: What the Data Out of South Africa is Telling Us About Omicron. sputniknews.com The omicron variant of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, first identified in South Africa, has quickly spread throughout the world. Cases have emerged in Europe, the United States, Australia, and China. The World Health Organization has labeled it a variant of concern.

WSWS (2021-12-03). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Danish nurses organise wildcat stoppage and mass resignation in protest at pay and working conditions in defiance of government and unions; French transport workers, including bus, tram and train drivers, continue wave of strikes over pay and conditions; South African gold miners at Sibanye-Stillwater poised to join strikes of Clover dairy and Massmart store workers over pay; protests in Lebanon over continuing economic crisis plunging six million into poverty…

Morteza Ahmadi Al Hashem (2021-12-03). JCPOA Joint Commission meeting to be held today. en.mehrnews.com An informed source said that the meeting of JCPOA Joint Commission will be held in Austrian capital Vienna on Friday afternoon.

Karina Huber (2021-12-03). Biathlon requires marksmanship and strength. america.cgtn.com One of the lesser-known sports at the winter Olympics is a competition called a biathlon. It consists of a cross-country race combined with marksmanship and requires both physical and mental strength to win. Europeans dominate the sport but interest is growing in the U.S. and …

_____ (2021-12-03). Cooperation between Russia and Vietnam Strengthens Steadily. journal-neo.org Vietnam is one of Russia's key partners in the Asia-Pacific region. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) and Russia continue to develop cooperation, which has traditionally been friendly, based on years of close cooperation in a wide range of areas (diplomatic relations were established on 30 January 1950). The bilateral legal framework consists of over eighty …

_____ (2021-12-03). Russian-Indian Relations amid the "Radical Transformation of the World Order" journal-neo.org The visit of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to India scheduled for December 6, is poised to become a significant event which will undoubtedly have a serious impact not only on the development of the bilateral relations, but also on the ongoing "radical transformation of the world order." Such an assessment of the upcoming trip …

WSWS (2021-12-03). US and NATO ramp up anti-Russia war drive. wsws.org US and NATO representatives are pressing ahead with hysterical anti-Russian rhetoric and threats of war.

MEE staff (2021-12-03). Twitter removes pro-Russia accounts attacking Libyan government. middleeasteye.net Twitter removes pro-Russia accounts attacking Libyan government | Network of accounts were also supportive of Russia's geopolitics in Syria and Libya | Fri, 12/03/2021 – 20: 25 | Over the years, Twitter has removed tens of thousands of accounts that the company found were using its platform to further political interests (AFP/File photo) | Twitter has announced that it removed thousands of accounts linked to s…

teleSUR (2021-12-03). Putin and Biden Discuss Geneva Agreements on Ukraine's Conflict. telesurenglish.net The date of the meeting between Russia's President and his U.S counterpart has been approved, yet will not be made public until after it occurs. | RELATED: | "We are working on a possible contact between Putin and Biden in the videoconference format. This contact is to take place within days. We have a concrete date and time for this videoconference. But it is better to wait until all its parameters are agreed with…

_____ (2021-12-03). Why We Should Oppose The Democracy Summit. popularresistance.org The exclusion of certain countries from the U.S. "democracy summit" is not a side issue. It is the very purpose of the summit. And excluded countries have not been excluded for failing to meet the standards of behavior of those that were invited or the one doing the inviting. Invitees didn't even have to be countries, as even a U.S. backed failed coup leader from Venezuela has been invited. So have representatives of Israel, Iraq, Pakistan, DRC, Zambia, Angola, Malaysia, Kenya, and — critically — pawns in the game: Taiwan and Ukraine. | What game? The weapons sales game. Which is the whole point. Look…

2021-12-04 21:00 | 17:00 EST | jz | 25 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 0 

2021-12-03: News Headlines

_____ (2021-12-03). Why We Should Oppose The Democracy Summit. popularresistance.org The exclusion of certain countries from the U.S. "democracy summit" is not a side issue. It is the very purpose of the summit. And excluded countries have not been excluded for failing to meet the standards of behavior of those that were invited or the one doing the inviting. Invitees didn't even have to be countries, as even a U.S. backed failed coup leader from Venezuela has been invited. So have representatives of Israel, Iraq, Pakistan, DRC, Zambia, Angola, Malaysia, Kenya, and — critically — pawns in the game: Taiwan and Ukraine.

Staff (2021-12-03). Headlines for December 3, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Administration to Reinstate and Expand Trump-Era "Remain in Mexico" Policy, Amid Record COVID-19 Surge, Germany to Exclude Unvaccinated From Public Life, Biden Says Lockdowns Not Needed to Combat Looming Winter Surge of COVID-19, Omicron Variant Traced to Manhattan Anime Convention Attended by 50,000+, Congress Passes Stopgap Spending Bill After GOP Threatens Shutdown Over Vaccine Mandates, Rep. Peter DeFazio Becomes 19th House Democrat to Retire Ahead of Midterms, Groups Call on U.N. to Relaunch Yemen War Crimes Probe Which Ended Amid Saudi and UAE Pressure , HRW: Burmese Military Planned Attack That Kille…

WSWS (2021-12-03). ECDC warns Omicron variant to become dominant in Europe in a "few months" wsws.org European governments are refusing critical social distancing measures and relying exclusively on vaccinations, which the Omicron variant may largely evade.

WSWS (2021-12-03). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org Danish nurses organise wildcat stoppage and mass resignation in protest at pay and working conditions in defiance of government and unions; French transport workers, including bus, tram and train drivers, continue wave of strikes over pay and conditions; South African gold miners at Sibanye-Stillwater poised to join strikes of Clover dairy and Massmart store workers over pay; protests in Lebanon over continuing economic crisis plunging six million into poverty…

Morteza Ahmadi Al Hashem (2021-12-03). JCPOA Joint Commission meeting to be held today. en.mehrnews.com An informed source said that the meeting of JCPOA Joint Commission will be held in Austrian capital Vienna on Friday afternoon.

Karina Huber (2021-12-03). Biathlon requires marksmanship and strength. america.cgtn.com One of the lesser-known sports at the winter Olympics is a competition called a biathlon. It consists of a cross-country race combined with marksmanship and requires both physical and mental strength to win. Europeans dominate the sport but interest is growing in the U.S. and …

_____ (2021-12-03). Cooperation between Russia and Vietnam Strengthens Steadily. journal-neo.org Vietnam is one of Russia's key partners in the Asia-Pacific region. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) and Russia continue to develop cooperation, which has traditionally been friendly, based on years of close cooperation in a wide range of areas (diplomatic relations were established on 30 January 1950). The bilateral legal framework consists of over eighty …

_____ (2021-12-03). Russian-Indian Relations amid the "Radical Transformation of the World Order" journal-neo.org The visit of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to India scheduled for December 6, is poised to become a significant event which will undoubtedly have a serious impact not only on the development of the bilateral relations, but also on the ongoing "radical transformation of the world order." Such an assessment of the upcoming trip …

WSWS (2021-12-03). US and NATO ramp up anti-Russia war drive. wsws.org US and NATO representatives are pressing ahead with hysterical anti-Russian rhetoric and threats of war.

teleSUR (2021-12-02). Countries Increase Restrictions Against Omicron COVID Variant. telesurenglish.net Countries are once again closing borders and imposing restrictions on certain regions due to the threat of spread. | Omicron was in the Netherlands before South Africa identified its first cases, say Dutch officials, yet the variant was used to justify EU and U.S. travel bans against countries in southern Africa, which the WHO condemned as penalizing countries who reported it.

Staff (2021-12-02). Headlines for December 2, 2021. democracynow.org Supreme Court's Conservatives Signal Support for Mississippi Anti-Abortion Law , U.S. Detects Omicron Coronavirus Variant in California, U.N. Chief Blasts "Travel Apartheid" as Nations Deny Entry to Africans Over Omicron Variant, Russia Expels Some US Ambassadors as Blinken Warns Russia Against Invading Ukraine, Burmese Military Helicopters Attack Villagers in Region Where Resistance to Coup Remains Strong, Women's Tennis Association Suspends Tournaments in China Over Peng Shuai Case, 15-Year-Old Suspect in Michigan High School Shooting to be Tried as an Adult, Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams to Run for Governor i…

IGD Worldwide (2021-12-02). The "First World" can Fuck Off Playing Victim: Colonial Roots of the Modern Refugee Crises. itsgoingdown.org The mistreatment of refugees at the Belarusian and Polish borders has recently caught the world's eye. There isn't much analysis from reporters beyond how shameful it is to use some of the world's most desperate people as chess pieces to resolve political disputes. These refugee crises that "first world" countries cry about when refugees appear…

teleSUR (2021-12-02). US, EU, UK and Canada Place New Round of Sanctions on Belarus. telesurenglish.net The United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Canada placed further sanctions on Belarus, accusing the government of President Alexander Lukashenko of human rights violations based on allegedly "orchestrating" irregular migration at the EU's border. | The U.S. and its allies have imposed more sanctions on Belarus, its industries and top officials.

Staff (2021-12-02). Spain's Zapatero Urges Resumption of Mexico Talks. orinocotribune.com Former head of the Spanish government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, urged a resumption of the meetings between the government of Venezuela and the opposition, in the dialogue known as the Mexico Talks, which were suspended after the kidnapping of diplomat Alex Saab by the United States. | During his participation in the assembly of the Puebla Group, the former Spanish prime minister said that "it is the only way" to advance in solving the problems that the country faces. | "My opinion is that the dialogue that has been taking place in Mexico between the opposition and the government of Venezuela is a fundamental…

Ramzy Baroud (2021-12-02). Belgium is on the Right Track, But Europe has Failed Palestine. dissidentvoice.org The Belgian government's decision on November 25 to label products made in illegal Israeli Jewish settlements is welcome, although it will ultimately prove ineffectual. Belgium has historically shown solidarity with Palestine if compared to other European countries, for example, Britain, Germany and France. From the cancellation of trade missions to Israel, to the effusive support …

Staff (2021-12-02). As France Honors Black Artist Josephine Baker, Far-Right Pundit Éric Zemmour Launches Presidential Bid. democracynow.org On the same day France celebrated the induction of American-born singer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker into the Pantheon, far-right xenophobic writer and pundit Éric Zemmour announced he will run for president of France in the upcoming April 2022 election. Many have pointed out the contradiction in these opposing events, even in President Emmanuel Macron's speech that painted Baker as a model of colorblind unity, when in reality she was outspoken about racial justice. "Celebrating Josephine Baker who was an immigrant … while making things difficult for immigrants of today to access to France is a con…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-02). Africa: United States after the Spoils of the Continent. libya360.wordpress.com Luis Beatón Smoke rises from a U.S. military base in Lamu County, Kenya, on Jan. 5, 2020. Photo: Xin Huashefa/Xinhua via Getty The United States has 29 known military installations in 15 countries on the continent, while France, a former colonial power, has bases in 10 countries. No other country outside the continent has so…

_____ (2021-12-02). Some European Prisons Are Based On Dignity Instead Of Dehumanization. popularresistance.org On a cold morning in February 2013, I led a group of American policymakers and criminal justice practitioners — judges, public defenders, legislators, corrections officials, law professors — on a visit to a juvenile prison in eastern Germany. We met with a group of young men, largely between the ages 18 and 21, who were serving between two to five years at the facility; most had been convicted of a violent offense. | Although these young men certainly looked like teenagers or very young adults — dressed in jeans, cargo pants, colorful T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baseball caps — they would c…

WSWS (2021-12-02). Australia: Sydney light rail suspended for 18 months after serious cracks discovered. wsws.org A major design flaw with the Urbos 3 trams has also forced the suspension of services in Britain and Europe.

teleSUR (2021-12-02). NATO States It Will Not Take Military Action To Defend Ukraine. telesurenglish.net NATO has declared that it will not take any military defense action in the event of a conflict against Ukraine, as Ukraine is not member of NATO. | RELATED: | Ukraine was the focus of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Foreign Ministers Council after the West gave clear signals that it would not defend Ukraine with weapons. | Stockholm hosted this Thursday's OSCE meeting where Russian F…

WSWS (2021-12-02). Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz and Germany's federal states reject necessary pandemic restrictions. wsws.org All the parties in the new coalition government to be headed by Scholz are aggressively pursuing the "profits before lives" policies that have already resulted in more than 100,000 deaths in Germany alone and are creating an ever-expanding catastrophe.

Fra Hughes (2021-12-02). Sinn Fein from Revolutionary Party to Constitutional Nationalists. orinocotribune.com By Fra Hughes — Nov 28, 2021 | Sinn Fein went from being a revolutionary party supporting a legitimate armed struggle against Britain's illegal imperialist military occupation of Ireland and aiming to build a socialist republic, to becoming a business-oriented party, focused on acquiring more seats in the parliament. | Where did it all go wrong? | Once the vanguard of Irish republicanism and claiming to be fighting for a free sovereign socialist 32 county Irish republic SF is now a parody of its previous incarnation. | From a revolutionary party supporting a legitimate armed struggle against Britain's illega…

_____ (2021-12-02). Is the World On the Brink of DEFCON 1? journal-neo.org The looming apocalypse is shaping up nicely as Russia and China expand strategic cooperation to offset the NATO war planes apparently in the works. The propaganda war having already begun with fear mongering over false claims Russia intends invasion, now the "accident scenario" takes shape in the skies over Russia's frontiers. We've addressed the so-called …

_____ (2021-12-02). Five Trump-Russia 'Collusion' Corrections We Need From the Media Now — Just for Starters. strategic-culture.org Five years after the Hillary Clinton campaign-funded collection of Trump-Russia conspiracy theories known as the Steele dossier was published by BuzzFeed, news outlets that amplified its false allegations have suffered major losses of credibility. The recent indictment of the dossier's main source, Igor Danchenko, for allegedly lying to the FBI, has catalyzed a new reckoning.

MK Bhadrakumar (2021-12-02). Russia, China poised to forge a greater alliance. asiatimes.com The Communist Party of China newspaper Global Times has disclosed, citing a high-level "source," that Beijing had no intention of inviting US and other Western politicians to the 2022 Winter Olympics on February 4-20. This followed US President Joe Biden's innuendo that he was considering a diplomatic boycott of the Games. The White House apparently sensed …

teleSUR (2021-12-02). Russian FM and US Secretary of State to Meet in Stockholm. telesurenglish.net The U.S. and Russian diplomacy heads, Antony Blinken and Sergei Lavrov, will hold a meeting tomorrow in Stockholm, Sweden, in the midst of the escalation of tensions between the two powers, the press reported today. | RELATED: | According to a State Department official quoted by CNN, Blinken will also hold talks with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, on the sidelines of the meeting of the Ministerial C…

Binoy Kampmark (2021-12-02). Where there are Tailings, No Grass Grows: Serbians Protest against Rio Tinto. dissidentvoice.org Another fault line has opened in the mining wars. In Serbia, resistance is gathering steam against various deals made between Belgrade and companies that risk environmental degradation and lingering spoliation. In this regard, the globe's second largest metals and mining corporation, features prominently. Rio Tinto, bruised in reputation but determined in business, finds itself in …

2021-12-03 21:37 | 17:37 EST | jz | 29 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 0