(2020-12-18). Under Guise of Green Energy, Israel Entrenches Itself in Syria's Golan Heights. mintpressnews.com 
If Israeli energy firm Energix is successful, a sprawling complex of wind turbines will soon cover up to a quarter of the agricultural land still under the control of Syria's indigenous Golan residents.
(2020-12-18). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org 
Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |
(2020-12-18). The ICC refuses to prosecute UK war crimes in Iraq despite "reasonable" evidence. wsws.org The imperialist powers that orchestrated criminal wars are determined that they should never be brought to account for their war crimes.
(2020-12-18). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis, Labels It "Russian Disinformation" mintpressnews.com 
This is far from the first time the US has voted against similar resolutions; it has done so every year since 2014, dismissing them as Russian attempts to delegitimize the Ukrainian government.
(2020-12-18). Mass Starvation Looms as Yemen's Currency Nears Historic Freefall. mintpressnews.com 
TAIZ, YEMEN- — Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates seem to be doing everything in their power to prevent an end to the suffering in Yemen. Even those living in areas under the total control of the wealthy Gulf monarchies are facing levels of devastation that harken back to the total destruction of European cities during World War II. | With no functioning government to provide residents with even basic assistance and facing a collapsed economy amid a famine that could soon beset all of Yemen according to the United Nations, the collapse of Yemen's rial, particularly in Saudi-coalition-controlled a…
(2020-12-18). The Long, Long Road Home: the Afghan Refugee Crisis Enters Its Fifth Decade. counterpunch.org 
Fog. War. Afghanistan's refugees are, to repurpose the notorious phrase, a known unknown. The fog of war has filled the country's beautiful, fertile valleys for 40 years and counting. No census has been taken in Afghanistan since 1971 and no one really knows how many people reside in the country. Somewhere north of 35,000,000, people
(2020-12-18). Killing of 15-year-old by Israel is a "grave violation of international law", says UN human rights office. peoplesdispatch.org 
On December 4, Israeli occupation forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy, Ali Abu Alia, during a protest in the occupied West Bank against the building of an illegal Israeli settlement…
(2020-12-18). Seagulls Without a Sea: Days at Internally Displaced Persons Camps in Iraq. counterpunch.org 
As we were leaving the camp, I wondered whether refugee camps are a sign of compassion towards displaced people, or are they signs of how far humans have gone in causing harm to each other? This question is as complicated and slippery as the lives of those forced to live in these hard and unforgiving spaces.
(2020-12-18). Capitalism on a Ventilator. counterpunch.org 
Asian countries have been far more successful than the US in responding to the COVID pandemic, but you'd never know that from the US media. Even most alternative media has been largely US- & Euro-centric. While our domestic issues here are important, we have been missing out on important lessons from other places. A partial
(2020-12-18). This Book Turns Everything You Thought You Knew About North Korea Upside Down. asia-pacificresearch.com …
(2020-12-18). Learning the Lessons of the Latino Vote. counterpunch.org Among the many lessons learned in this year's election, one standout is that Latino voter turnout showed the power of extensive, culturally competent voter education and outreach. And in Georgia, we will soon discover whether progressive candidates have learned these lessons well enough to prevail again. Two critical U.S. Senate runoffs present an opportunity for
(2020-12-18). Nurses strike at India's top government hospital restrained by High Court. peoplesdispatch.org The nurses' union at India's iconic institution, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, insists that arrears have been pending from as far back as 2006, while the hospital administration and government say this this claim is based on a misinterpretation…
(2020-12-18). How The Intifada Changed The Political Discourse Around Palestine. popularresistance.org December 8 came and went as if it was an ordinary day. For Palestinian political groups, it was another anniversary to be commemorated, however hastily. It was on this day, thirty-three years ago, that the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising) broke out, and there was nothing ordinary about this historic event. | Today, the uprising is merely viewed from a historic point of view, another opportunity to reflect and, perhaps, learn from a seemingly distant past. Whatever political context to the Intifada, it has evaporated over time. | The simple explanation of the Intifada goes as follows: Ordinary Palestinians at…
(2020-12-18). Labour antisemitism: Why it has become impossible to criticise Israel. middleeasteye.net 
Labour antisemitism: Why it has become impossible to criticise Israel | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 21: 07 | Like Jeremy Corbyn, any British politician who condemns Israel's treatment of Palestinians risks being sucked into the vast, toxic sludge surrounding the issue of antisemitism | The day after Labour leader Keir Starmer
(2020-12-18). WHO sending Covid-hunting team to Wuhan, China in January to probe origins of pandemic. rt.com 
Investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) will head to China in January in a bid to unearth the origins of the coronavirus, officials said on Friday, more than a year after the first infections were reported there. | The United Nations health agency will send an international team of up to 15 scientists to Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus is first thought to have spread from a wet market. | The WHO's health emergencies chief, Dr Michael Ryan, said the researchers would travel to China in the first week of January, visiting Wuhan, which he said was the "purpose of the mission," as well…
(2020-12-18). Video: Israel Will Take Care of Gulf Monarchies. US Alliance against Iran. globalresearch.ca Finally, democracy is coming to the Persian Gulf. | Israel announced plans to deploy a joint missile defense system in the Persian Gulf as a part of a joint effort with US- and Israeli-allied monarchies to deter Iran. | The idea was …
(2020-12-18). Thai Protesters Face Charges of Royal Insult. telesurenglish.net The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday expressed its concern about the use in the "Lèse Majesté Provision" of Thailand's criminal code against pro-democracy protesters. | RELATED: | "We are deeply troubled by the move by Thai authorities to charge at least 35 protesters," the OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said, explaining that the offense carries sentences of between three and 15 years i…
(2020-12-18). Health and Wealth in India — Farmers' Lives Matter. globalresearch.ca To appreciate what is happening to agriculture and farmers in India, we must first understand how the development paradigm has been subverted. Development used to be about breaking with colonial exploitation and radically redefining power structures. Today, neoliberal dogma masquerades …
(2020-12-18). China's Rise in the Context of Global Capitalism. dissidentvoice.org The world-system is slowly changing. For the first time in capitalism's history, the global economy's centre of gravity is shifting away from the west — a process which is a result of Uneven and Combined Development (UCD). On the one hand, dominant states utilize imperialism to preserve existing uneven configurations of capitalist development which favour …
(2020-12-18). Thailand: UN rights office deeply troubled by treason charges for protestors. news.un.org Thailand's decision to charge protestors with treason is deeply troubling, the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, said on Friday following the arrest of at least 35 activists, including a teenager, in recent weeks.
(2020-12-18). Syrian refugee, 10, dreams of becoming a doctor after beginning new life in UK. thecanary.co A Syrian child refugee has said she hopes to become a doctor to "make people feel happy" after being given the chance of a new life in the UK. | A long journey: | Lilian, 10, came to live in Kent in 2018, having left her home country six years earlier amid a horrific civil war that still rages today. She was joined by parents Mahmoud and Khawla and siblings Laian, eight, Laith, five, and Wasef, four. | After a disrupted childhood in which the family spent six years in Jordan, Lilian told the PA news agency she feels settled in her new home and has high hopes for the future. She said: I am happy I'm sharing…
(2020-12-18). The "New" Corporation. counterpunch.org The corporation may well mean corpus or a body of people, yet these are not ordinary people just as corporations are not ordinary organisations. Historically, the archetype of an evil corporation remains the East India Company tasked to exploit British colonies and most the people who lived there. Such an old corporation was very much
(2020-12-17). Failure to Prosecute UK War Crimes in Iraq Exposes ICC's Own Failings. commondreams.org The court could have set a powerful precedent in holding Britain to account. Instead, it has become a laughing stock and few will be able to take it seriously again. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/brit.jpg …
(2020-12-17). When the People Rose: How the Intifada Changed the Political Discourse around Palestine. dissidentvoice.org 
December 8 came and went as if it were an ordinary day. For Palestinian political groups, it was another anniversary to be commemorated, however hastily. It was on this day, thirty-three years ago, that the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising) broke out, and there was nothing ordinary about this historic event. Today, the uprising is merely …
(2020-12-17). China's Economy of Peace. dissidentvoice.org 
In the context of China's webinar on 14 December 2020, on the topic of "China's New Development Paradigm and High-Quality Belt and Road Cooperation", organized by the China Center for Contemporary World Studies, International Department of CPC Central Committee and the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, my presentation was on China's …
(2020-12-17). OIC widely criticised for failing to condemn China's persecution of Uighurs. middleeasteye.net 
OIC widely criticised for failing to condemn China's persecution of Uighurs | Rights and advocacy groups call on Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to demand accountability and transparency from Beijing | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 19: 55 | Despite protests from Uighurs outside China, many Muslim-majority countries have remained silent on China's rights violations (AFP/File photo) | A coalition of 140 orga…
(2020-12-17). Azerbaijan, Turkey, and the Geopolitics of Caspian Gas. counterpunch.org 
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(2020-12-17). Meet the man Netanyahu has picked to lead Israel's Mossad. middleeasteye.net 
Meet the man Netanyahu has picked to lead Israel's Mossad | The man for now only identified as 'D' is heralded by the spy agency's establishment, and is likely to be more cautious than his predecessor | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 11: 36 | Image from a job advertisement put out by Mossad that appeared in Israeli newspapers in 2000 (AFP) | Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to appoint a man for now only known as "D"
(2020-12-17). Saudi Arabia: British MPs urge UK to impose sanctions on Riyadh for detaining royals. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi Arabia: British MPs urge UK to impose sanctions on Riyadh for detaining royals | Cross-party probe concludes that Mohammed bin Nayef and Prince Ahmed are being mistreated in detention | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 13: 30 | Saudi Arabia did not accept the MPs request to see Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef (right) after he was detained in an unknown location since March 2020 (AFP) | British MPs have called on…
(2020-12-17). Arabic press review: Egypt, UAE say improvement in Saudi-Qatari relations 'not welcome'. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Egypt, UAE say improvement in Saudi-Qatari relations 'not welcome' | Meanwhile, British diplomat says UK 'very concerned about continuing tensions in the Gulf', and number of people held in Algerian prisons without legal basis now 'exceeds 20,000', says human rights group | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 16: 20 | Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (L) and Egyptian President Abdel…
(2020-12-17). Beirut explosion: Judge suspends blast probe amid political pressure. middleeasteye.net 
Beirut explosion: Judge suspends blast probe amid political pressure | Two ministers charged in the explosion investigation have requested Judge Fadi Sawwan be removed from proceedings | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 18: 17 | A helicopter puts out a fire at scene of explosion at port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on 4 August (AFP/File photo) | The judge overseeing an investigation into the massive explo…
(2020-12-17). Turkey will not 'turn back on' S-400 missile system after US sanctions. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey will not 'turn back on' S-400 missile system after US sanctions | Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed that Ankara would not turn back on the controversial missile system | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 07: 16 | Washington sanctioned the Presidency for Defence Industries (SSB), Turkey's military procurement agency for activating the S-400 missile system (AFP) | Turkey said it would not turn bac…
(2020-12-17). Israel's Benny Gantz gives interview to Saudi newspaper. middleeasteye.net 
Israel's Benny Gantz gives interview to Saudi newspaper | The minister of defence told Asharq al-Awsat that Jerusalem should remain fully under Israeli control and pushed for annexation of parts of the West Bank | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 15: 14 | Benny Gantz speaks to the media near Kibbutz Ravid in the northern part of Israel, on 27 October 2020 (AFP) | Israeli Defence Minister Benny G…
(2020-12-17). History of World War I: German Colonialism in Central and Eastern Europe and the Fall of Tsarist Russia. globalresearch.ca When in February 1918, the German politician Prince Max of Baden asked his country's military dictator, Erich Ludendorff, what would happen if the latter's spring offensive failed, he replied, "Then Germany will just have to suffer annihilation". | General Ludendorff's …
(2020-12-17). The China Shock May Provide a Much-Needed Catalyst for Change. dissidentvoice.org In an opinion poll published in the Guardian online an astonishing 2/3 of voters either approved or strongly approved of the Prime Minister's conduct of the nation's affairs. While this may in part be a reflection of the abysmal performance of the official Labor "opposition" there must be a deeper reason for the Prime Minister's …
(2020-12-17). Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iran's Courtroom Gladiator, for the Defense. progressive.org A stirring new documentary captures the fight for women's rights in the Islamic Republic.
(2020-12-17). Young People in Georgia Fight for Climate Ahead of Runoff Elections. commondreams.org "I think if people realized that a lot of the social justice issues in Georgia are tied to environmental issues, they would be more interested in fighting for the environment." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/youth_climate_0_0.jpg …
(2020-12-17). Iran's trade with ECO exceeds $5.7bn. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 17 (MNA) — The spokesman of Iran's Customs Office said that Iranian trade with members of Economic Cooperation Organization has surpassed 5.7 billion dollars in the past eight months of the current Iranian year (starting on March 20).
(2020-12-17). Cookbook author Alison Roman won't return to New York Times after flap with Chrissy Teigen. salon.com The announcement comes seven months after Roman's controversial comments about Teigen and Netflix star Marie Kondo…
(2020-12-17). 'No Doubt': Iran's Rouhani Says US Will Rejoin 2015 Nuclear Deal, Lift Sanctions Under Biden. sputniknews.com Under the Trump administration, the US withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), arguing that Iran had violated its terms and that the deal was not beneficial. The move reimposed sanctions lifted under the deal and was one of many decisions by the administration that heightened tensions with the Middle Eastern country.
(2020-12-17). Led by Black Women, Organizers in Georgia Work to Replicate Election Success in Senate Runoff. zcomm.org After turning out Georgia voters in record numbers in the general election, organizers work to mobilize the youth vote in the pivotal Senate runoff election…
(2020-12-17). China, Christmas, and the Coronavirus. cepr.net As we hunker down this holiday season, waiting for our vaccines, or at least until the diffusion of the vaccines has slowed the spread of the pandemic, it's worth thinking for a moment about an opportunity lost. Specifically, we lost an opportunity to have worldwide cooperation in the development of vaccines, bringing in not only …
(2020-12-17). History: Israeli Propaganda on the 'Expulsion' of Arab Jews. globalresearch.ca Israeli propaganda about the "expulsion" of Arab Jews from Arab countries in the late 1940s and early 1950s continues without respite. Earlier this month, Israel's UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan,
(2020-12-16). Iran's Rouhani to Biden: We Will Fulfill Our Nuclear Obligations on Day One if You Return to 2015 Deal. globalresearch.ca
(2020-12-16). Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck Endured a Nearly a Century of Struggle for His Beliefs. mintpressnews.com 
Having dodged Nazi soldiers at 10 years old and later beatings by Israeli police, Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck is not the type to let a bit of adversity stand in the way of fighting for his beliefs.
(2020-12-16). 'Solidarity with the people, not the state'. workers.org 
Skehan delivered the Workers World Party solidarity message at the Dec. 12 action called by the Boston South Asian Coalition in support of farmers and workers in India who are leading historic strikes. As we come together on a rainy Saturday, there is much cause for revolutionary optimism as we . . . |
(2020-12-16). Boston rallies for striking Indian workers, farmers. workers.org 
Hundreds of millions of Indian workers and farmers staged the world's largest strike on Nov. 26 and are continuing to shut down areas of the economy. On Dec. 12, the anniversary of the racist and discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act of India's fascist-minded Modi government, the Boston South Asian Coalition brought . . . |
(2020-12-16). Behind Morocco's recognition of Israel. workers.org 
A February demonstration was held in Rabat, Morocco's capital, in support of Palestine. It was a deal, pure — but not so simple. The U.S. recognized the Western Sahara — the last remaining colony in Africa according to the United Nations — as part of Morocco, while Morocco upgraded its . . . |
(2020-12-16). JatiIndia: Atrocities Caste, Present and Future. counterpunch.org 
The jingoist nation and nationalism have got weaponized by the political class to destroy dissent and polarize people. The mass frenzy has accomplished complete derationalization and inversion of meanings where destroyers of the nation become deshbhakts (patriots) and selfless servers of people become deshdrohis (traitors). As I see my India being ruined, it is with
(2020-12-16). Qatar beats Saudi Arabia to host 2030 Asia Games. middleeasteye.net 
Qatar beats Saudi Arabia to host 2030 Asia Games | Doha will hold competition while Riyadh takes the 2034 event, Olympic Council of Asia announces | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 12: 37 | Doha was revealed as the host city of the 2030 Asia Games during the Olympic Council of Asia's general assembly in Muscat, Oman (AFP) | Qatar has beaten off competition from Saudi Arabia and won the rights to host the 2030 Asia…