Monthly Archives: December 2020

2020-12-08: News Headlines

Media Lens (2020-12-08). Stuck in a Lift with John Pilger: News and How to Use It by Alan Rusbridger. dissidentvoice.org Noticing the way journalists seemed unable to resist commenting on our work, even if it was just to slag us off, Glenn Greenwald tweeted us in 2012: 'You are really deeper in the heads of the British establishment-serving commentariat than anyone else — congrats.' ((Greenwald, Twitter, 12 September 2012.)) If that was true then, our relationship …

Ralph Nader (2020-12-08). Action for Change Starts in Congress. counterpunch.org We know their names! We've given immense power to Five Hundred and Thirty-Five People to do good or bad. One Hundred Senators and Four Hundred and Thirty-Five Representatives. Unfortunately, some 1500 corporations control most Members of Congress. Think about all the dreams for a better world that could come to be realized if our elected officials

Aaron Mate (2020-12-08). OPCW Executives Praised Whistleblower and Criticized Syria Cover-up, Leaks Reveal. globalresearch.ca Exclusive: 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 …

RT (2020-12-08). France will build nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace Charles de Gaulle flagship, says Macron. rt.com President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled plans for France's new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which will replace the navy's current flagship, the Charles de Gaulle, by 2038. | "Nuclear power will remain the cornerstone of our strategic autonomy," Macron said on Tuesday, as he visited the Framatome nuclear reactor construction plant in the eastern town of Le Creusot. | France's new carrier — its 11th in total — will boast speeds of up to 27 knots (50 km/h), weigh in at around 75,000 tons, and run some 300 meters long — about 1.5 times the size of the Charles de Gaulle. | Quelles sont ses caract…

RT (2020-12-08). Lithuania deploys ARMED MILITIA to guard CHRISTMAS TREE and enforce tough new Covid-19 measures. rt.com Grinches beware! Paramilitaries have been deployed to protect a Christmas tree in the center of Vilnius. But, as they're also there to enforce social distancing measures, it might be coronavirus that ends up stealing Christmas. | According to local news site Delfi, the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union, a state-backed voluntary militia, has been

Joshua Hanks (2020-12-08). China replacing U.S. as world's leading scientific power. workers.org The first day of December saw two major scientific events: the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed, and China's Chang'e 5 spacecraft landed on the moon. These two events are the latest developments in the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and China — a new Cold War being fought on . . . |

RT (2020-12-08). France will build nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace Charles de Gaulle flagship, says Macron. rt.com President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled plans for France's new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which will replace the navy's current flagship, the Charles de Gaulle, by 2038. | "Nuclear power will remain the cornerstone of our strategic autonomy," Macron said on Tuesday, as he visited the Framatome nuclear reactor construction plant in the eastern town of Le Creusot. | France's new carrier — its 11th in total — will boast speeds of up to 27 knots (50 km/h), weigh in at around 75,000 tons, and run some 300 meters long — about 1.5 times the size of the Charles de Gaulle. | pic.twitter.com/Js9uQfD…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-08). US companies sold more than 60% of all arms in the international market in 2019. peoplesdispatch.org US sanctions against Russia and China have helped maintain its hegemony in the global arms trade with 12 of its companies featuring in the world's top 25 arms producing and military service providers…

RT (2020-12-08). Russian health watchdog chief calls for two month Covid-19 vaccine booze ban, but top doctor says champagne is fine. rt.com Russian fizz aficionados held their breath today as a row broke out between public health officials over whether it is safe to drink alcohol before or after having the Covid-19 vaccine. | On Tuesday, the head of Russia's health protection agency, Anna Popova,

Manlio Dinucci (2020-12-08). Come Salvarsi dal Covid Sotto le Bombe Nucleari. globalresearch.ca Agenzia federale per la gestione delle emergenze, dipendente dal governo degli Stati uniti — ha aggiornato le istruzioni alla popolazione su come comportarsi in caso di attacco nucleare. Le nuove istruzioni tengono conto del Covid-19, dei conseguenti lockdown e delle …

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-08). All JCPOA participants must show restraint, responsibility. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 08 (MNA) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister called on all JCPOA participants to show restraint and responsibility.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-08). IRGC chief vows decisive response to scientist assassination. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 08 (MNA) — Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said that Iran will respond decisively to the assassination of the country's prominent nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-08). Israel, not Iran, is problem in West Asia: Russian envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 08 (MNA) — Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said on Tue. that Israel is the source of problem in West Asian region, stating that arms sales to Iran are not prohibited.

WSWS (2020-12-08). Ukraine, Hungary clash as NATO discusses Ukrainian membership. wsws.org The conflict between Ukraine and Hungary demonstrates the deep crises that is confronting the right-wing capitalist states of NATO as they seek to further encircle Russia.

_____ (2020-12-08). NATO Is Determined to Find Threats and Challenges to Justify Its Existence. strategic-culture.org Government and media propaganda has firmly convinced most of the citizenry of the West that Russia invaded Crimea, and the truth has dissolved in the swirling miasma that the anti-Russia movement has dubbed as history. | In March 2014 the ethnically Russian province of Crimea declared itself to be separate from Ukraine. There was a

Stephen Lendman (2020-12-07). Threat of More Illegal US Sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. globalresearch.ca The US under both right wings of the one-party state is waging a long war on Russia by other means — and all other nations unwilling to bow and scape to its imperial demands. | US aggression includes endless smashing of …

David Edwards (2020-12-07). Stuck In A Lift With John Pilger — 'News And How To Use It' by Alan Rusbridger. zcomm.org Pilger tells the unfiltered, uncompromised truth about the foundations of power. His focus is on speaking up for the victims of power, not on serving power…

Aaron Maté (2020-12-07). OPCW executives praised whistleblower and criticized Syria cover-up, leaks reveal. thegrayzone.com Exclusive: 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. Since the explosive revelation that an investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Syria was manipulated, a smear …

Danny Haiphong (2020-12-07). "Awkwafina is Nora from Queens" demonstrates the depths of New Cold War propaganda against China. mronline.org In the season finale, the liberal mask comes off and the program morphs into a screed for the U.S.'s New Cold War on China.

RT (2020-12-07). Russian man wanted by Moscow, Paris & Washington handed five year sentence by French court for laundering bitcoin on behalf of mob. rt.com A Russian cryptocurrency entrepreneur has been sentenced by a French court to five years in prison and handed a hefty fine after it found him guilty of money laundering. Alexander Vinnik is also wanted by Washington and Moscow. | The Russian citizen was arrested in Greece in 2017 on a request from the US, which sought his extradition over money laundering and fraud charges. While in custody, Russia and France filed their own requests to have him handed over on different charges, but Paris' bid to try him carried more weight with its fellow EU member. | On Monday, a French court sentenced Vinnik to a five-year…

RT (2020-12-07). OPCW director worried truth about Syria 'chemical attack' report would feed 'Russian narrative'. rt.com While praising the OPCW whistleblower's integrity and professionalism, one director worried that seeking truth about the altered report on a "chemical attack" in Syria might help Russia, which he denounced as the enemy. | "I fear there is little one can do, since the report is final and out — unless one wants to feed in the Russian narrative and that I would never do, as they really are not bona fide friends of this organization, that's for sure," was the message of a director to Dr. Brendan Whelan, one of the whistleblowers who challenged the 'interim' report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Ch…

teleSUR (2020-12-07). 'Venezuela Has Now a Legitimate Assembly' Observers Note. telesurenglish.net The head of the delegation of Russian electoral observers Igor Ananskij highlighted that Venezuela's National Assembly gained legitimacy after the elections that took place on Sunday, December 6. | RELATED: | "The most important result of these elections is that Venezuela now has a legitimate National Assembly," Ananskij told Sputnik. | The vice president of the Russian Parliament's Lower House (Duma) also expressed…

Engineering and Technology (2020-12-07). Decommissioning Civil Nuclear Sites Will Take 120 Years, MPs Warn. globalresearch.ca According to a report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), decommissioning the UK's civil nuclear sites will cost £132bn of public money, and will not be completed for a further 120 years. | *** |

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-07). E3 react to Iranian parl. plan to set up new centrifuges. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 07 (MNA) — France, Germany and the UK have voiced their concern about a counteractive plan by the Iranian Parliament to set up new centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility.

2020-12-07: News Headlines

David Edwards (2020-12-07). Stuck In A Lift With John Pilger — 'News And How To Use It' by Alan Rusbridger. zcomm.org Pilger tells the unfiltered, uncompromised truth about the foundations of power. His focus is on speaking up for the victims of power, not on serving power…

Stephen Lendman (2020-12-07). Threat of More Illegal US Sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. globalresearch.ca The US under both right wings of the one-party state is waging a long war on Russia by other means — and all other nations unwilling to bow and scape to its imperial demands. | US aggression includes endless smashing of …

Aaron Maté (2020-12-07). OPCW executives praised whistleblower and criticized Syria cover-up, leaks reveal. thegrayzone.com Exclusive: 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. Since the explosive revelation that an investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Syria was manipulated, a smear …

RT (2020-12-07). OPCW director worried truth about Syria 'chemical attack' report would feed 'Russian narrative'. rt.com While praising the OPCW whistleblower's integrity and professionalism, one director worried that seeking truth about the altered report on a 'chemical attack' in Syria might help Russia, which he denounced as the enemy. | "I fear there is little one can do since the report is final and out — unless one wants to feed in the Russian narrative and that I would never do as they really are not bona fide friends of this organization, that's for sure," was the message of one director to Dr. Brendan Whelan, one of the whistleblowers who challenged the 'interim' report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Ch…

Danny Haiphong (2020-12-07). "Awkwafina is Nora from Queens" demonstrates the depths of New Cold War propaganda against China. mronline.org In the season finale, the liberal mask comes off and the program morphs into a screed for the U.S.'s New Cold War on China.

Alastair Crooke (2020-12-07). Biden's Iran Deal Faces Iran's 'Red Pill'. thealtworld.com Does Biden's Team 'A' believe that a limited strike on Iran's nuclear facilities is realistic, without triggering wider war? | Biden says he wants — through diplomacy —

teleSUR (2020-12-07). 'Venezuela Has Now a Legitimate Assembly' Observers Note. telesurenglish.net The head of the delegation of Russian electoral observers Igor Ananskij highlighted that Venezuela's National Assembly gained legitimacy after the elections that took place on Sunday, December 6. | RELATED: | "The most important result of these elections is that Venezuela now has a legitimate National Assembly," Ananskij told Sputnik. | The vice president of the Russian Parliament's Lower House (Duma) also expressed…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-07). E3 react to Iranian parl. plan to set up new centrifuges. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 07 (MNA) — France, Germany and the UK have voiced their concern about a counteractive plan by the Iranian Parliament to set up new centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility.

Engineering and Technology (2020-12-07). Decommissioning Civil Nuclear Sites Will Take 120 Years, MPs Warn. globalresearch.ca According to a report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), decommissioning the UK's civil nuclear sites will cost £132bn of public money, and will not be completed for a further 120 years. | *** |

Dave Markland (2020-12-06). Review of Hensman's 'Indefensible'. zcomm.org Defense of the Easily Defensible By Dave Markland In 2018 Haymarket Books published Rohini Hensman's Indefensible: Democracy, Counter-revolution and Anti-imperialist Rhetoric. Its focus is on left journalists and analysts like John Pilger and the late Edward S. Herman who have committed the inexcusable sin of being overly suspicious of United States foreign policy. Many readers

RT (2020-12-06). Anti-LGBT Lithuanian lawmaker accidentally caught on camera with naked man in work from home blunder (VIDEO). rt.com A prominent Lithuanian MP who has railed against 'non-traditional' marriages and LGBT rights has been spotted at home with a naked man, after apparently turning his camera on by accident while in an online parliamentary meeting. | Petras Grazulis, a lawmaker from the country's right-wing Order and Justice Party, could be seen briefly on video from a committee session of the country's Seimas assembly. | In the footage, circulated widely online, a man appears behind the politician, apparently wearing no clothes, looking over his shoulder at the screen. | The chairman of the committee warned that the revelatio…

RT (2020-12-06). Blow for new Moldovan President Sandu as diplomatic vehicle caught trying to smuggle anabolic steroids across Ukrainian border. rt.com Bringing a new meaning to 'diplomatic muscle,' a car registered to Moldova's Moscow embassy has been halted by customs officials on the country's border with Ukraine, carrying a shipment of anabolic steroids, according to Kiev. | In a statement on Saturday, the Ukrainian government said that "the products were found in the cargo compartment of a minibus with license plates of the diplomatic corps." It has also been reported that the vehicle had been stopped by Moldovan officials before leaving the country. Chisinau's Foreign Ministry has acknowledged the incident, and said it was eager to "clarify the circumst…

RT (2020-12-06). New York Authorities reportedly investigate BOMB THREAT on Aeroflot flight from Moscow to JFK airport, with 250 on board. rt.com Local US media reported on Sunday, citing New York Port Authority Police , that law enforcement officers were investigating a potential bomb threat on an Aeroflot plane, which had traveled from Moscow to JFK airport. | The scheduled flight, from the Russian capital, landed safely at John F. Kennedy International Airport at around 3: 45 p.m. local time (8: 45 p.m. GMT), according to Fox…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-06). VIDEO: Fireworks explode as fire starts in market in Russia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Fireworks exploded after a shop with pyrotechnics caught fire at a market in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-06). Iranian animators censure assassination of nuclear scientist. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — In a statement, a number of Iranian animators slammed the assassination of Iran's nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

Ralph Nader (2020-12-05). The Road to a More Just Society Runs Through Congress. commondreams.org Think about all the dreams for a better world that could come to be realized if our elected officials worked for the big majority of Americans instead of for Big Business interests. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/congress_5.jpg

_____ (2020-12-05). How Israel Deployed an Intelligence Deception to Justify Killing Scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. strategic-culture.org Gareth PORTER | Israel's Mossad has spent years on a propaganda campaign aimed at convincing the world Iran possessed a nuclear weapons program — and legitimizing its assassinations of Iranian academics. | The Israeli assassination of Iranian defense official Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is being treated as a triumph of Israeli intelligence, with ubiquitous references in the New York Times and other major media outlets to the killing of

RT (2020-12-05). Russian authorities to investigate after forged negative Covid-19 test certificates found on sale for just $33 each. rt.com A criminal case has been opened in Russia after mass forgeries of negative Covid-19 test certificates were discovered. The documents were found to be on sale online for 2,500 rubles ($33) each. | The Moscow City Prosecutors Office has reported that a criminal investigation is underway to discover who is behind the forgeries. The case comes after a complaint by medical laboratory company Gemotest, which reported that it had appealed to law enforcement after discovering that its certificates were being faked. Alongside the police, Gemotest conducted controlled purchases of the forgeries, leading to the couriers…

RT (2020-12-05). 'Get on your knees' before Putin: Ex-Ukrainian leader Poroshenko says Zelensky will humiliate country to end Donbass conflict. rt.com Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has sarcastically told his successor Volodymyr Zelensky to kneel before Russia's Vladimir Putin, believing it is the only way to achieve peace in the country's eastern Donbass region. | According to Poroshenko, who was defeated by Zelensky in a landslide vote, advisers in the presidential office believe the conflict can be ended simply by stopping the shooting. These "big experts" are mistaken, he says, as he believes an end to the fighting is impossible unless Ukraine wants to be embarrassed. | "This can be done in weeks," Poroshenko claimed, speaking to Kiev-based…

RT (2020-12-05). Frozen to death on the Road of Bones: Russian teen motorist dies in his car after a week spent stranded at MINUS 50 degrees. rt.com A young Russian has frozen to death in his car in the notoriously cold Yakutia region, after getting lost while driving in extreme temperatures. | Following a week-long search, the 18-year-old was found dead. Incredibly, his friend and companion survived. According to the region's investigative committee, the temperature in this area at night is around -50°C, and the car's radiator was broken. The two teenagers started driving from Yakutsk to Magadan on November 28 and were not found until December 5. The only road between these cities is the Kolyma Highway, most commonly known as the Road of Bones. The ro…

Yuri Martins Fontes (2020-12-05). Bielorrússia na mira do Ocidente (II): Entrevista com o pesquisador Paulo Henrique Tavares, direto da Bielorrússia. globalresearch.ca [Continuaàßà£o da conversa com o ativista político, doutorando e engenheiro de petróleo da Petrobrás, Paulo Henrique Tavares, atualmente morador da Bielorrússia] | Primeira parte da entrevista : | | …

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-05). Turkey arrests Russian journalists on illegal filming charges. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 05 (MNA) — Turkey says it has detained two Russian journalists on charges of illegal filming near the country's drone production facilities.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-05). Tajikistan condemns assassination of scientist 'Fakhrizadeh'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 05 (MNA) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Tajikistan in an official note on Sat. strongly condemned the assassination of Iranian nuclear and defense scientist 'Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh'.

_____ (2020-12-05). Biden's Young Hawk: The Case Against Jake Sullivan. popularresistance.org Harry Truman. That's who Jake Sullivan listed as his "political hero/inspiration," in a Time Magazine "40 Under 40" profile. Fed a question so vague that he could've chosen anyone from Cleopatra to Clinton, that Sullivan selected a consummate product of Kansas City's backroom "machine" politics, and liberal hawk exemplar, is more than instructive — it's downright disturbing. "Give 'em Hell" Harry unnecessarily dropped two atomic bombs on babies, and bombastically blundered into a Cold War that nearly ended the world on more than one occasion.

_____ (2020-12-05). Congress Is Deadlocked On COVID-19 Relief. popularresistance.org The annu ≠al approval of the gar ≠gan ≠tu ≠an U.S. mil ≠i ≠tary bud ≠get is one of the most reli ≠able rit ≠u ≠als in Con ≠gress. It is so ordi ≠nary and over ≠whelm ≠ing ≠ly bipar ≠ti ≠san, it's bare ≠ly con ≠sid ≠ered news ≠wor ≠thy, and few out ≠lets fol ≠low the details of exact ≠ly how much the gov ≠ern ≠ment is allo ≠cat ≠ing to a nuclear weapons buildup, or deploy ≠ments to the Asia Pacif ≠ic, or the steady creep of U.S. mil ≠i ≠tary bases across the con ≠ti ≠nent of Africa. Even under Pres ≠i ≠de…

Project Censored (2020-12-01). #9. Rising Risks of Nuclear Power Due to Climate Change. projectcensored.org Nuclear power plants are unprepared for climate change. Rising sea levels and warmer waters will impact power plants' infrastructure, posing increased risks of nuclear disasters, according to reports from the…

Voelker R. (2020-12-01). Essential Medicines Identified for Future Public Health Emergencies. jamanetwork.com As it prepares for the next potential public health emergency, the FDA collaborated with other federal agencies to develop a list of essential medicines, medical countermeasures, and pharmaceutical ingredients considered necessary to protect the public from infectious diseases and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.