2020-12-04: News Headlines

Peter Koenig (2020-12-04). Alert COVID-19: RNA-Type Vaccines Which Modify the Human Genome. Crackdown on Free Speech. globalresearch.ca This first video interview may be one of the most important ones you listen to before the onslaught of the Covid-19 vaccine — distinction: Western style Covid-19 vaccine. | The Russian Sputnik V is not part of the same design. | The …

Harry Blain (2020-12-04). America's Lame Duck Period is Palestine's Nightmare. counterpunch.org The political scientist William Adler recently argued that the main risk of our current lame duck period is inaction, rather than action. So far as the United States is concerned, it's hard to argue otherwise. Sure, President Trump will pardon his buddies, maintain the relentless grift of frivolous lawsuits, and do his best to undermine

Defense for Children International, Palestine (2020-12-04). Isolated and Alone. Palestinian Children Held in Solitary Confinement by Israeli Authorities for Interrogation. globalresearch.ca Overview | Between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019, Defense for Children International — Palestine (DCIP) documented 108 cases in which Palestinian children arrested by the Israeli military were held in isolation for two or more days during the interrogation …

Shimbun Akahata (2020-12-04). U.S. military bases importing COVID-19 into Japan, details kept secret. peoplesworld.org OKINAWA, Japan—The Okinawa prefectural government on Nov. 30 announced that 72 coronavirus infection cases were newly confirmed among the U.S. forces stationed in the there. This is the largest number of cases in a single day, making the total number of cases among the U.S. military in Japan increase to 564. The 72 U.S. military …

Meron Rapoport (2020-12-04). As Israel heads to elections, nothing is different but everything has changed. middleeasteye.net As Israel heads to elections, nothing is different but everything has changed | Netanyahu is looking strong as his latest government collapses around him. But fundamental shifts in society mean voters are more polarised than ever | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 09: 01 | Israelis from the Centres For Social Justice wearing masks of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gant…

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-04). We are grass. We grow on everything. mronline.org Farmers and agricultural workers from northern India marched along various national highways toward India's capital of New Delhi as part of the general strike on 26 November.

MEE and agencies (2020-12-04). Qatar blockade: Kuwait says progress made towards deal to end isolation. middleeasteye.net Qatar blockade: Kuwait says progress made towards deal to end isolation | Kuwait's foreign minister says discussions between opposing countries had been 'fruitful' but gives few further details | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 09: 27 | Senior Advisor to US President Jared Kushner meets with Qatar's ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in the capital Doha (AFP) |

Ragip Soylu (2020-12-04). Erdogan says France needs to get rid of Macron. middleeasteye.net Erdogan says France needs to get rid of Macron | Turkish President slams French counterpart over his intervention in Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 13: 46 | French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey at a Nato summit in Watford, near London, December 2019. (AFP) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his personal attacks against his Fren…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-04). French police launch crackdown on mosques suspected of 'Islamic separatism'. middleeasteye.net French police launch crackdown on mosques suspected of 'Islamic separatism' | Around 2,600 Muslim places of worship to be inspected in cities across France, according to interior minister Gerald Darmanin | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 12: 01 | Muslim protestors in India and across the world condemned Macron's defence of caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad (AFP) | Scores of mosques in France were raided…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-04). Turkey: US sanctions over S-400s to be mandatory in new defence bill. middleeasteye.net Turkey: US sanctions over S-400s to be mandatory in new defence bill | The $740bn annual US defence spending legislation will oblige the White House to select from a list of sanctions | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 09: 37 | Russia delivered the S-400 ground-to-air systems last year and Turkey has tested them as recently as October (Reuters) | Turkey's lira slipped on Friday after US lawmakers include…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-04). Qatar blockade: Kuwait says progress made towards deal to end isolation. middleeasteye.net Qatar blockade: Kuwait says progress made towards deal to end isolation | Kuwait's foreign minister says discussions between opposing countries had been 'fruitful' but gives few further details | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 09: 27 | Senior Advisor to US President Jared Kushner meets with Qatar's ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in the capital Doha (AFP) |

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-04). We are grass. We grow on everything. mronline.org Farmers and agricultural workers from northern India marched along various national highways toward India's capital of New Delhi as part of the general strike on 26 November.

MEE and agencies (2020-12-04). Turkey: US sanctions over S-400s to be mandatory in new defence bill. middleeasteye.net Turkey: US sanctions over S-400s to be mandatory in new defence bill | The $740bn annual US defence spending legislation will oblige the White House to select from a list of sanctions | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 09: 37 | Russia delivered the S-400 ground-to-air systems last year and Turkey has tested them as recently as October (Reuters) | Turkey's lira slipped on Friday after US lawmakers include…

Meron Rapoport (2020-12-04). As Israel heads to elections, nothing is different but everything has changed. middleeasteye.net As Israel heads to elections, nothing is different but everything has changed | Netanyahu is looking strong as his latest government collapses around him. But fundamental shifts in society mean voters are more polarised than ever | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 09: 01 | Israelis from the Centres For Social Justice wearing masks of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gant…

Ragip Soylu (2020-12-04). Erdogan says France needs to get rid of Macron. middleeasteye.net Erdogan says France needs to get rid of Macron | Turkish President slams French counterpart over his intervention in Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 13: 46 | French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey at a Nato summit in Watford, near London, December 2019. (AFP) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his personal attacks against his Fren…

Shimbun Akahata (2020-12-04). U.S. military bases importing COVID-19 into Japan, details kept secret. peoplesworld.org OKINAWA, Japan—The Okinawa prefectural government on Nov. 30 announced that 72 coronavirus infection cases were newly confirmed among the U.S. forces stationed in the there. This is the largest number of cases in a single day, making the total number of cases among the U.S. military in Japan increase to 564. The 72 U.S. military …

MEE and agencies (2020-12-04). French police launch crackdown on mosques suspected of 'Islamic separatism'. middleeasteye.net French police launch crackdown on mosques suspected of 'Islamic separatism' | Around 2,600 Muslim places of worship to be inspected in cities across France, according to interior minister Gerald Darmanin | Fri, 12/04/2020 – 12: 01 | Muslim protestors in India and across the world condemned Macron's defence of caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad (AFP) | Scores of mosques in France were raided…

Pip Hinman (2020-12-04). War crimes in Afghanistan: Don't fall for diversions. greenleft.org.au PM Scott Morrison is using a nationalism-charged diversion to take the focus off the Brereton report's findings into Australian special forces war crimes in Afghanistan, argues Pip Hinman.

Dave DeCamp (2020-12-04). US Slaps More Sanctions on Iran, Claiming Tehran Has Secret Chemical Weapons. theantimedia.com Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran in 1980s war while receiving support from the US.

Pip Hinman (2020-12-04). Thai activists stage creative protest. greenleft.org.au Thailand's royal excesses were mercilessly parodied in street theatre in Sydney, reports Peter Boyle.

Fair Fight (2020-12-04). Thursday 12/3: Rock the Runoff! Virtual Concert Fundraiser to #GOTV in Georgia. indybay.org Online event…

Mike Head (2020-12-04). Australian Court Upholds Sacking of Academic for Criticising US and Israeli Militarism. asia-pacificresearch.com

Badri Raina (2020-12-04). Proof Against Sophistry, India's Farmers Demand a Simple but Truthful Commitment in Writing. zcomm.org The time has come when the theatrics of artful dissembling comes to be seen for what it is — theatrics unconnected to reality…

Tony Cartalucci (2020-12-04). US Struggles for Relevance in Southeast Asia. asia-pacificresearch.com

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-04). UK and Russia announce start of COVID-19 vaccinations from next week. peoplesdispatch.org Raising hopes for an early victory against COVID-19, Russian president Vladimir Putin on December 2, Wednesday, announced mass voluntary vaccination in Russia starting next week. Russia became the second country to declare such a move after the UK announced similar measures earlier in the day. | The UK health ministry said in a statement that it has accepted the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and approved Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for use. Prime minister Boris Johnson proclaimed the same in a television address to the nation. | UK PM Boris Jo…

Labor Video Project (2020-12-04). Namibian Rà∂ssing Mine Workers Face Covid-19 & Attacks From State Owned China State Owners. indybay.org Namibian Rà∂ssing mine workers face the Covid-19 pandemic & attacks from state owned China National Uranium Corporation Limited. They have tried to intimidate and bribe union leaders and also have fired the Namibian Miner's Union Rà∂ssing Union branch.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-04). More than half of Yemeni population likely to face acute food insecurity by mid-2021: UN agencies. peoplesdispatch.org UN agencies have emphasized that an end to the Saudi-led war in Yemen is the only long-term solution for ending the food insecurity in the country…

WSWS (2020-12-04). ILO survey reveals COVID-19 impact on Bangladeshi women garment workers. wsws.org COVID-19 continues to rage through the country with the number of infections climbing to almost 470,000 and the death toll at 6,713.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-12-04). Chinese water deer introduced to UK may be valuable to restoring numbers in Asia. imperial.ac.uk Researchers have found Chinese water deer populations in the UK might be able to supplement declining populations in their native range in East Asia.

Staff (2020-12-03). Indian Farmers Lead Historic Strike & Protests Against Narendra Modi, Neoliberalism & Inequality. democracynow.org As COVID rages through India, which has the second-highest number of reported cases worldwide, hundreds of thousands of farmers are converging on the capital New Delhi to demand the government repeal new laws that deregulate agricultural markets, saying the reforms give major corporations power to set crop prices far below current rates and devastate the livelihoods of farmers. Agriculture is the leading source of income for more than half of India's 1.3 billion people. The farmer revolt comes as some 250 million workers across the country took part in the largest strike in history against the Modi government's n…

Staff (2020-12-03). Indian Farmers Lead Historic Strike & Protests Against Narendra Modi, Neoliberalism & Inequality. democracynow.org As COVID rages through India, which has the second-highest number of reported cases worldwide, hundreds of thousands of farmers are converging on the capital New Delhi to demand the government repeal new laws that deregulate agricultural markets, saying the reforms give major corporations power to set crop prices far below current rates and devastate the livelihoods of farmers. Agriculture is the leading source of income for more than half of India's 1.3 billion people. The farmer revolt comes as some 250 million workers across the country took part in the largest strike in history against the Modi government's n…

South Front (2020-12-03). Video: Chicken Kiev Meets Cold Turkey: Black Sea Turkey-Ukraine Axis Emerges? globalresearch.ca On the face of it, an alliance between Turkey and Ukraine seems like a rather odd creation, yet one that may surprisingly durable simply because neither country has anywhere else to turn. What practically dooms them to a partnership if …

Ricardo Vaz (2020-12-03). Venezuela, China Condemn US Sanctions Against Tech Company. venezuelanalysis.com Beijing reiterated its support for Venezuelan sovereignty.

WSWS (2020-12-03). 100 years since US socialist journalist John Reed's death. wsws.org John Reed's life became devoted to documenting the struggles of the oppressed. His greatest work was Ten Days That Shook the World, an indelible, eyewitness account of the 1917 Russian Revolution.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-03). Palestinian student activist released from Israeli prison after 15 months. peoplesdispatch.org 23-year-old Mays Abu Ghosh, a student of Birzeit university, was arrested by the Israeli security forces on charges of being a member of the Democratic Progressive Student Pole, a student group affiliated to the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)…

Umar A Farooq (2020-12-03). UN, aid groups warn US against blacklisting Yemen's Houthis. middleeasteye.net UN, aid groups warn US against blacklisting Yemen's Houthis | Designating Houthis as terrorist organisation would have far-reaching consequences in Yemen, including halting aid work amid threat of famine | Thu, 12/03/2020 – 18: 11 | Aid groups are operating in Yemen amid funding shortages, working to deliver as much humanitarian assistance as possible (AFP/File photo) | The United Nations is making…

Umar A Farooq (2020-12-03). UN, aid groups warn US against blacklisting Yemen's Houthis. middleeasteye.net UN, aid groups warn US against blacklisting Yemen's Houthis | Designating Houthis as terrorist organisation would have far-reaching consequences in Yemen, including halting aid work amid threat of famine | Thu, 12/03/2020 – 18: 11 | Aid groups are operating in Yemen amid funding shortages, working to deliver as much humanitarian assistance as possible (AFP/File photo) | The United Nations is making…

sputniknews (2020-12-03). Joint Chiefs Chairman Urges "Reality Check" as US Economy in Shambles. sputniknews.com Jobless numbers show economy in crisis; Dems walk back pro-Palestine comments; Sudan to quit Israel deal if not de-listed as Terror Sponsor…

Jessica Buxbaum (2020-12-03). Jerusalem municipality sparks controversy by renaming Damascus Gate steps. middleeasteye.net Jerusalem municipality sparks controversy by renaming Damascus Gate steps | Critics denounce the move to name the area after two slain Israeli soldiers as an attempt to further erase Palestinian identity of occupied East Jerusalem's Old City | Thu, 12/03/2020 – 13: 00 | A mask-clad teenager sits in front of the nearly deserted area outside the Damascus Gate in the Old City in occupied East Je…

Jessica Buxbaum (2020-12-03). Jerusalem municipality sparks controversy by renaming Damascus Gate steps. middleeasteye.net Jerusalem municipality sparks controversy by renaming Damascus Gate steps | Critics denounce the move to name the area after two slain Israeli soldiers as an attempt to further erase Palestinian identity of occupied East Jerusalem's Old City | Thu, 12/03/2020 – 13: 00 | A mask-clad teenager sits in front of the nearly deserted area outside the Damascus Gate in the Old City in occupied East Je…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-03). The David McBride Case: Whistleblowing, Afghanistan and Australian War Crimes. dissidentvoice.org Much complaint can be had of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry Report. It exempts political actors of responsibility for alleged atrocities and war crimes. It suggests that those in the highest echelons of the Australian Defence Forces are ignorant in incompetent innocence. It spares the desk warriors and flays the field …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-03). Doctored Indignation: Australia-China Relations. counterpunch.org Clay foot diplomacy is all the rage in Canberra, and the Australian government has become a solid practitioner. Having stuck its neck out across continents and seas to proclaim the need to investigate China over the origins of the novel coronavirus, the Morrison government now finds itself in the tightest of corners. Very much one

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-03). Doctored Indignation: Australia-China Relations. counterpunch.org Clay foot diplomacy is all the rage in Canberra, and the Australian government has become a solid practitioner. Having stuck its neck out across continents and seas to proclaim the need to investigate China over the origins of the novel coronavirus, the Morrison government now finds itself in the tightest of corners. Very much one

Staff (2020-12-03). 200K wrongfully purged GA voters fight to be heard in Senate runoffs. therealnews.com Civil rights groups are seeking an injunction against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to allow those voters to participate in the Jan. 5 runoff senate election, which will determine the balance of power in Congress.

RT (2020-12-03). Israel warns its citizens they may be targeted abroad by Iran following nuclear scientist's assassination. rt.com Israel has issued a warning to its citizens abroad about potential terrorist attacks amid threats from Tehran of retaliatory action in response to the killing of a top Iranian nuclear scientist. | Iran was quick to blame Israel last week for the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, though it has not taken credit for the action. Fakhrizadeh had been accused of heading Iran's nuclear program — even being named by PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has long been critical of Tehran's nuclear ambitions. | As multiple leaders in Iran have threatened consequences for the scientist's death, Israelis abroad have been warned…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-03). Saudi-Qatar deal to end blockade is close, say reports. middleeasteye.net Saudi-Qatar deal to end blockade is close, say reports | Information about a new agreement comes as US Middle East envoy Jared Kushner tours Gulf countries | Thu, 12/03/2020 – 10: 20 | Senior Advisor to US President Jared Kushner, left, meets with Qatari ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in the capital Doha on 2 December 2020 (AFP) | A deal between Saudi Arabia and Qatar to end th…

RT (2020-12-03). Moscow moves to expel Soros-linked US activist as ex-president Medvedev warns foreign NGOs trying to sow discord in Russia. rt.com The Russian government is set to expel a prominent human-rights activist, with former president Dmitry Medvedev claiming there's a co-ordinated campaign by international organizations to stoke unrest in the world's largest state. | Vanessa Kogan, the director of the Stichting Justice Initiative project, told Britain's Guardian newspaper that Russian authorities had notified her of the revocation of her residency permit. She will now have two weeks to leave the country, where she has lived for more than ten years. She also has two children with a Russian national. | The Stichting Justice Initiative is an NGO wh…

RT (2020-12-03). Israel warns its citizens they may be targeted abroad by Iran following nuclear scientist's assassination. rt.com Israel has issued a warning to its citizens abroad about potential terrorist attacks amid threats from Tehran of retaliatory action in response to the killing of a top Iranian nuclear scientist. | Iran was quick to blame Israel last week for the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, though it has not taken credit for the action. Fakhrizadeh had been accused of heading Iran's nuclear program — even being named by PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has long been critical of Tehran's nuclear ambitions. | As multiple leaders in Iran have threatened consequences for the scientist's death, Israelis abroad have been warned…

RT (2020-12-03). 'Running out of time': US adds new demands as Russia makes concessions to save last remaining nuclear deterrent deal — envoy. rt.com Moscow has agreed to key US demands in a bid to preserve the New START agreement in a race against time to extend the treaty before it expires, the Russian envoy to the US said. Washington then simply made new demands.

RT (2020-12-03). 'Running out of time': US adds new demands as Russia makes concessions to save last remaining nuclear deterrent deal — envoy. rt.com Moscow has agreed to key US demands in a bid to preserve the New START arms control agreement before it expires, according to the Russian envoy to Washington. He claims the US then simply added new conditions for its renewal. | "The fate of New START is perhaps the key issue for future arms control," ambassador Anatoly Antonov said at an event hosted by the Brookings Institute, a prominent American lobby group and policy advisory, on Wednesday. | The 2011 treaty putting a limit on the number of nuclear warheads, and their delivery vehicles, the US and Russia are allowed to possess remains virtually the only ac…