2020-12-10: News Headlines

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-10). Imperfect Releases: Andrew Hastie, War Crimes Reports and Australia in Afghanistan. counterpunch.org If one were to get into the head of Australian government MP Andrew Hastie, a security tangle of woe would no doubt await. Having been a captain with the Special Air Services and having also served in Afghanistan, he has been none too thrilled by the publicity soldiers he served with have received. The report

Eds. (2020-12-10). Over 200 million workers and farmers protest against poverty and unemployment triggered by COVID Lockdown. mronline.org The general strike occurred in the context of the devastation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic in India. Added to this are the millions of people who have lost income and who now face increased poverty and hunger, in a country where even before the pandemic 50 percent of all children suffered malnourishment.

Workers World Party (2020-12-10). PDF of December 10 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. Capitalist COVID catastrophe FIGHT or DIE! Message from Peltier; Reparations now! Justice for Breonna denied again; Disability rights; Workers demand justice; DEA surveillance; Editorial: New president — same wars; Commentary: Becoming a cadre; GLOBAL: China: global vaccines, science; India: worker & farmer uprising; Cuba; France; Palestine; Venezuela. . . . |

Martha Grevatt (2020-12-10). La clase trabajadora se une en toda la India °Huelga de 250 millones de personas! workers.org Las mujeres jugaron un papel destacado en la huelga de toda la India, el 26 de noviembre. Por segunda vez este año, una movilización global en una "huelga de toda la India" sacó a 250 millones de trabajadores. Con una de cada cuatro personas en edad de trabajar en la . . . |

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-10). US Senate fails to block arms sales to UAE despite concerns of misuse and regional arms race. peoplesdispatch.org Two resolutions presented to block the sale of F-35 jets and Reaper Drones to UAE were defeated by a simple majority of 49 to 47 and 50 to 46 in the 100-member Senate…

Andrew Korybko (2020-12-10). Will Joe Biden Stop Funding the Saudi-UAE War on Yemen? globalresearch.ca Pro-Yemeni activists hope that Biden will stay true to his prior promise to stop funding the GCC's War on Yemen, but even if he does what's arguably the morally right thing, he'll probably be doing it for geopolitical reasons even …

Pepe Escobar (2020-12-10). US Hits "Search and Destroy" Against China's New Silk Roads. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published on Seven years after being launched by President Xi Jinping, first in Astana and then in Jakarta, the New Silk Roads, or Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) increasingly drive the American …

Areeb Ullah (2020-12-10). Six times the ICC says British forces committed war crimes in Iraq. middleeasteye.net Six times the ICC says British forces committed war crimes in Iraq | Despite not pursuing its own investigation, court says there is 'reasonable basis' to believe British forces committed murder, rape and torture | Thu, 12/10/2020 – 16: 00 | An Iraqi youth looks at a British soldier pointing his machinegun while conducting a security operation in the Iraqi southern city of Basra, 16 February 2006 (AFP)…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-10). Amnesty criticises Airbnb for West Bank settlement listings ahead of IPO. middleeasteye.net Amnesty criticises Airbnb for West Bank settlement listings ahead of IPO | Rights group says US company failed to inform investors of its business activities in illegal Israeli settlements | Thu, 12/10/2020 – 08: 19 | The San Francisco-based booking company is holding an initial public offering on the Nasdaq on Thursday (AFP) | Amnesty International has accused Airbnb of acting in bad fait…

MEE staff (2020-12-10). Al Jazeera anchor files lawsuit against Saudi, UAE rulers over alleged phone hacking. middleeasteye.net Al Jazeera anchor files lawsuit against Saudi, UAE rulers over alleged phone hacking | The lawsuit was brought against Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed over alleged operation against Oueiss because of her reporting on Gulf states | Thu, 12/10/2020 – 12: 25 | Prominent Al Jazeera TV anchor Ghada Oueiss says she was hacked in the operation (Facebook) | Prominent Al Jazeera TV anchor Ghada Oueiss has fi…

Ragip Soylu (2020-12-10). Libya's Haftar releases detained Turkish ship. middleeasteye.net Libya's Haftar releases detained Turkish ship | The cargo ship was released after paying a fine to the eastern Libya commander's forces following threats by Turkey | Thu, 12/10/2020 – 14: 50 | In this file photo taken on 19 October,2020 in Istanbul shows Turkey's third drilling ship 'Kanuni' as it enters the Bosphorus near Haydarpasa port (AFP) | Forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar have relea…

A Guest Author (2020-12-10). Workers' and farmers' uprising shakes the Indian state. workers.org By TAMARAI "There cannot be, nor is there nor will there ever be 'equality' between the oppressed and the oppressors, between the exploited and the exploiters. There cannot be, nor is there nor will there ever be real 'freedom' … as long as there is no freedom for the workers . . . |

_____ (2020-12-10). OPCW executives praised whistleblower and criticized Syria cover-up, leaks reveal. strategic-culture.org Documents obtained by The Grayzone show that OPCW executives privately criticized the manipulation of a Syria chemical weapons probe, and supported a dissenting veteran inspector. One official, however, feared helping the "Russian narrative." These private admissions further expose the public whitewash of the Douma cover-up, and undermine the ongoing attacks on the whistleblowers who challenged it.

RushTix (2020-12-10). Friday 12/18: "Riffing for the Georgia Runoffs" Live Virtual Comedy w/ Patton Oswalt & Sarah Silverman. indybay.org Live Virtual Show…

Mike Kinney (2020-12-10). Tibetan Delek Children's Foundation: Helping Poor Kids in the Himalayan Mountains. indybay.org Delek Children's Foundation helps with healthcare & education to the poor children in the isolated villages of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and Indian in the Himalayan Mountains…

Matthew Ehret-Kump (2020-12-10). Why Modi's "Green Response" to China's "Belt and Road" Is Doomed to Fail. asia-pacificresearch.com

Jewel Stolarchuk (2020-12-10). World Economic Forum 2021 Moved to Singapore Due to COVID-19. asia-pacificresearch.com

Belén Fernández (2020-12-10). Israel's Honeymoon with the United Arab Emirates Is Grotesque. globalresearch.ca Since normalizing relations in September, Israel and the United Arab Emirates have teamed up to do what both do best: trample on democratic freedoms, commit atrocities, and whitewash occupation. | *** | Back in 2010, the New York Times' Thomas Friedman …

Steven Sahiounie (2020-12-10). The Blockade: Qatar and Saudi Arabia Approach Historic Breakthrough. globalresearch.ca Since June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia ordered a land, air, and sea blockade on Qatar and severed diplomatic ties, along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Bahrain. The self-styled "Anti-Terror Quartet" issued Doha 13 demands, including closing media …

Abayomi Azikiwe (2020-12-10). Lawsuit Filed to Halt Voter Suppression in the Runoff Senate Elections in Georgia. globalresearch.ca After the third certification of the results of the presidential elections in the state of Georgia, efforts are underway to ensure equal access to the franchise leading up to the pivotal race to determine the composition of the United States …

Terrell Jermaine Starr (2020-12-10). Activists Fight Voter Suppression in Georgia Runoffs. zcomm.org Groups go to court to reverse wrongful purge of 200,000 voters that could have significant impact on the election's outcome…

Suzanne James (2020-12-10). Australia: Exporting Weapons Is a Clear and Present Danger. asia-pacificresearch.com

imperial.ac.uk (2020-12-10). Indian firms risk losing billions of dollars in renewable energy transition. imperial.ac.uk Coal-dependent companies in India are falling behind as the world shifts to greener energy, posing broader risks to the fifth largest economy.

Ahmad Salah (2020-12-10). Will Joe Biden "Revise" U.S Agenda in Syria? Use Terrorism Pretext to "Keep Boots on the Ground"? globalresearch.ca The mayhem of the presidential elections left the American policy-makers locked in heated arguments about the future of the US domestic and foreign policy alike. One of the most pressing issues on the agenda is the Middle East developments, especially …

Sai Englert (2020-12-10). Limiting Criticism of Israel, Britain Is Closing Down Academic Freedom? globalresearch.ca In October, British Education Secretary Gavin Williamson It is worth remembering that …

Hans Nicholas Jong (2020-12-10). Palm Oil Giant Wilmar Unfazed as Watchdogs Cry Foul over Papua Deforestation. asia-pacificresearch.com

Sara Flounders (2020-12-09). China's global vaccines — a game changer. workers.org In the U.S., with less than 5% of the world's people, there is little concern for the fate of the globe's other 95% who are facing the pandemic. When, how and under what conditions a vaccine will be distributed in the U.S. is the overwhelming U.S. concern. Rates of COVID-19 . . . |

RT (2020-12-09). 'Upper Volta with helium?' Russia's new status as squeaky-voiced 'superpower' makes it a threat, says New York Times. rt.com Russia's ballooning helium industry is the latest target of the NYT's hysterical coverage of the country, with America's 'newspaper of record' floating the idea that Moscow could cut off supplies and blow up the world economy. | On Tuesday, the outlet reported that a huge production facility in Siberia was nearing completion and would soon begin producing vast quantities of the gas for export. Helium has a range of industrial applications, from super-cooling machinery to powering rocket engines. At present, the US and Qatar dominate the field, but that may all change as Russia's own plant gets off the ground.

Suddaf Chaudry (2020-12-09). Pakistan and Saudi Arabia: Why Kashmir won't stop Riyadh's rush to embrace India. middleeasteye.net Pakistan and Saudi Arabia: Why Kashmir won't stop Riyadh's rush to embrace India | Pakistan's old relationship with Saudi Arabia has deteriorated under Imran Khan as India draws closer to the Gulf kingdom | Wed, 12/09/2020 – 15: 30 | Pakistan's army chief was snubbed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when he was sent to apologise for its foreign minister's criticism (Reuters) | Pakistan'

Global Research News (2020-12-09). Selected Articles: How to Get Saved from COVID-19 Under Nuclear Bombs. globalresearch.ca By Given the outrage over what the court historians and the U.S. mainstream press have long maintained was an unprovoked attack by Japan on the United …

Sheren Khalel (2020-12-09). Top Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi quits PLO amid rumours of rift. middleeasteye.net Top Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi quits PLO amid rumours of rift | Calls speculation 'misleading and irresponsible' that her resignation was caused by Palestinian Authority's resumption of coordination with Israel | Wed, 12/09/2020 – 18: 33 | Ashrawi served on executive committee of PLO for more than decade (AFP) | Prominent Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi has confirmed her resignation fr…

Caoimhghin àì Croidheáin (2020-12-09). Diversity in Dance Today: Enlightenment and Romanticist Perspectives. dissidentvoice.org The drum is always there. In life and death. In between is dance. Always the drum is everywhere. — Peniel Guerrier, Interview with Yvonne Daniel, BOMB, January 1, 2005 I don't think this world was made for a small minority to dance on the faces of everyone else. — H.G. Wells, In the Days of …

Craig Wood (2020-12-09). Those Who Don't Fear the Lobby. dissidentvoice.org With the encouragement of friends and after serving eleven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1961-1983), Congressman Paul Findley (R-IL) wrote a book, They Dare to Speak Out, about influences and pressures inside the Israeli lobby. His was the first book to point out ways the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), along with …

Alan Macleod (2020-12-09). John Kerry's Think Tank Calls for War With Russia Over Climate Change. mintpressnews.com Recently-appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry has The announcement drew praise from many prof…

South Front (2020-12-09). Video: Turkey Strikes against Kurdish SDF Forces in Northern Syria. globalresearch.ca The situation in the northern Syrian provinces of Aleppo and al-Hasakah is once again escalating amid speculations on the upcoming Turkish advance in the area. | In recent weeks, the Turkish military and its proxies increased the intensity of strikes on …

James O'Neill (2020-12-09). China's Rise and Rise Proves a Winning Formula. dissidentvoice.org On the second of December this year the Chinese representative to the United Nations General Assembly addressed the meeting on the topic of Palestine and more particularly on his country's view of the ongoing disasters that daily inflict the Palestinians in that country. Unsurprisingly, the speech received no coverage in the Australian media. The continued …

Editor (2020-12-09). Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin: A Certain Kind of Diversity. scheerpost.com by Maj. Danny Sjursen, USA (ret.) / Original to ScheerPost America's first black presumptive secretary of defense grew up in the same town — Thomasville, GA — as the first black West Point graduate, Henry O. Flipper. I actually took select cadets from my civil rights history class to visit the southwest Georgia city on an academic trip in the summer of 2016. In fact, I vaguely remember the owner… |

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-09). Iran imposes sanctions on US envoy to Yemen. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 09 (MNA) — Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Wed., emphasizing pivotal role of US Ambassador to Yemen Christopher Hansel in humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and placed his name on Iran's sanctions list.

Jacob G. Hornberger (2020-12-09). Pearl Harbor and the Bay of Pigs. globalresearch.ca U.S. officials have long criticized Japan for its supposedly unprovoked military attack on Pearl Harbor, which enabled President Roosevelt to fulfill his desire to intervene into World War II. As I showed in

teleSUR (2020-12-09). Russia Sends Data From Its Second COVID-19 Vaccine To WHO. telesurenglish.net Russia's Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection Director Anna Popova announced her country sent the EpiVacCorona vaccine's clinical data to the World Health Organization (WHO). | RELATED: | "On Dec. 8, the documentation of another Russian vaccine was sent to the WHO. It is EpiVacCorona. We are awaiting the decision of the WHO" on its registration, Popova said, as reported by the Interfax agency. | Developed at th…

San Francisco Human Rights Commision (2020-12-09). Wednesday 12/9: Stand Together SF: Systemic Racism and How it has Affected the Asian and Black Communities. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

Paul Von Blum (2020-12-09). Tragedy and Art in the South Caucasus. progressive.org Protest art from Armenia highlights the resilience of a people in the face of war.

WSWS (2020-12-09). US autoworkers speak in support of strikes in South Korea and India. wsws.org US autoworkers have extended support to fellow workers at Kia and General Motors in South Korea and Toyota workers in India who are facing increasing threats as they fight for decent pay and working conditions.

Yaghout Meraji (2020-12-09). Anti-Iran Terrorist Group Mojahedin-e Khalq's Ties to Iraqi Army in 1980s. globalresearch.ca Below is an interview with Mr. Yaghout Meraji, a former member of the anti-Iran terrorist group the Mojahedin-e Khalq MEK, conducted November 24 and 25, 2020. | *** | Robert Fantina: The participation of the MEK in the joint operation …

Melanie McFarland (2020-12-09). This versatile biscuit-topped pot pie is the perfect dish for your leftover holiday turkey or meat. salon.com As we head into the season of holiday feasts and leftovers, bypass the usual pot pie crust & make biscuits instead…

Oakland Asian Cultural Center (2020-12-09). Saturday 1/9: Book Talk: Women and the Legacy of Imperialism in the Pacific. indybay.org Zoom…

sputniknews (2020-12-09). Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Registered in Russian Republic of Buryatia. sputniknews.com IRKUTSK, Russia (Sputnik) — A 5.5 magnitude earthquake was registered on Thursday in Russia's Republic of Buryatia, the Emergencies Ministry's regional department in the neighboring Irkutsk Region said.

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-12-09). Central Africa and South Asia: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Knew About Rights Abuses by Park Rangers, but Didn't Respond Effectively. asia-pacificresearch.com

Timothy Pratt (2020-12-09). The Georgia GOP's Fight Against Voter Registration. thenation.com The Georgia GOP's Fight Against Voter Registration…

Staff (2020-12-09). Georgia Moves to Shut Down Early Voting Sites Ahead of Senate Runoff. truthout.org Civil rights groups warned on Monday that a decision by election officials in Georgia to shutter numerous early-voting sites ahead of the state's Senate runoff elections would disproportionately impact people of color. | The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the ACLU's Georgia branch and other groups