Trump Threatens Syria: Will POTUS Come to the Rescue of Al-Qaeda Terrorists in Idlib?
Miri Wood | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
Trump wished the Syrian Arab Republic a belated Merry Christmas by tweeting yet another threat, warning the Syrian Armed Forces not to liberate Idlib from the approximately 10,000 al Qaeda terrorists who have occupied this area of the country, since …
globalresearch.ca/trump-threatens-syria-…
Bolivia's free territory of Chapare has ousted the coup regime and is bracing for a bloody re-invasion
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-12-27
Spending time with the union members of Chapare, who run society in a collective fashion, offers special insights into the resistance to the coup. They succeeded in expelling the police, but now fear a bloodbath in retaliation. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/12/27/bolivias-free-te…
Six social leaders assassinated in past week in Colombia
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2019-12-27
The humanitarian tragedy in Colombia continues. In the past five days, too many families and communities have been shaken by the loss of loved ones who were targeted because of their commitment to fighting for peace and justice in the country. | Despite constant demands from movements to the government to take measures to protect the lives of social leaders, assassinations continue to occur with impunity. | Reinaldo Carrillo Vera: | Early on Christmas morning, while Reinaldo Carrillo Vera was celebrating with his family, three armed men came to his home on motorcycles and shot at him. He was immediately t…
peoplesdispatch.org/2019/12/27/six-socia…
The 1914 World War I Christmas Truce. Trenches and "No Man's Land"
Steve Osborn | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
One hundred and five years ago this Christmas Eve, The Great War, the "War to End All Wars" was in its fourth month. It had already bogged down into trench warfare. For those unfamiliar with the term, it consisted of …
globalresearch.ca/the-1914-world-war-i-c…
Wikileaks Still Holding Powerful to Account as Founder Julian Assange "Slowly Dies" in Prison
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2019-12-27
Julian Assange is dying inside Belmarsh Prison in London. Those are his own words, relayed through English journalist Vaughan Smith, who revealed that the Wikileaks founder called him on Christmas Eve to share his greetings. Smith also divulged that Assange told him he is kept in solitary confinement 23 hours per day and is often sedated. | His treatment has elicited protests around the world, from journalists, news organizations, human rights groups and celebrities. Last week a group of Australian doctors asked Foreign Minister Marise Pay…
mintpressnews.com/wikileaks-publishing-s…
Strikers Call to Step Up Class Struggle Against France's President Macron
Alex Lantier | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
The ongoing mass transit and public sector strike which is paralyzing much of transport in France to protest Macron's pension cuts entered its fourth week today. Despite attempts by the union bureaucracies to impose a "Christmas truce" by suspending all …
globalresearch.ca/strikers-call-step-up-…
Bolsonaro in 2019: A Year of False Hope and Failures for Brazil
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, accompanied by First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro, made a Christmas address to their country on Tuesday night. The address was just as comical as Bolsonaro's year of failures, with the most interesting part being the …
globalresearch.ca/bolsonaro-2019-false-h…
Venezuela: Social Program Meets Goal, Delivers 3 Million Homes
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-27
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Thursday announced that the Venezuelan Great Housing Mission (GMVV) achieved its 2019 goal by completing the delivery of 3 million dwellings to the Bolivarian people as planned. | RELATED: | Venezuela's Economy Will Grow in 2020 Despite US Blockade | "Despite the Imperialist economic, trade and financial blockade, which robbed us…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Social…
Venezuela's Economy Will Grow in 2020 Despite US Blockade
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-27
In an interview with the international news agency Xinhua, the Venezuelan economist, Jesus Faria said that economic recovery is the number one issue on the country's agenda for 2020. | RELATED: | Venezuelan Oil Production Sets Historical Record in November | The also former Minister of Foreign Trade and International Investment of Venezuela (2016-2017) stated that "there is a perceived activation of trade and some productive activities as well as a stabilization of the oil activi…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelas-Econo…
The Power of Song
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
Woody Guthrie wrote the words "This guitar kills fascists" on his guitar. Victor Jara was murdered by the Chilean military authorities during the 1973 CIA-assisted coup in Chile; his hands were severed and then he was murdered. Phil Ochs, a folksinger and agitator for popular resistance to war and racism considered Jara his inspiration and…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/the-power-of…
The People of India Are Taking It to the Streets to Challenge Modi's Bigoted and Dishonest Government
Vijay Prashad | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
Every day and in every part of India, hundreds of thousands of people–mainly young people–gather on the streets to express their anger at the government. Their protests, like those of the protests in Chile, emerged out of one particular grievance but then have cascaded outward. They are angry at the government's attempt to define citizenship…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/the-people-o…
The People of India Are Taking It to the Streets
Prof. Vijay Prashad | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
Every day and in every part of India, hundreds of thousands of people — mainly young people — gather on the streets to express their anger at the government. Their protests, like those of the protests in Chile, emerged out …
globalresearch.ca/people-india-taking-st…
Human Rights and Political Conflict in Cameroon: The Anglophone Secessionist State of "Ambazonia"
J. B. Gerald | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
On an ugliness scale of one to ten, if the U.S. Guantanamo prison is 7, the French military in Algeria 8, Pinochet's controls of Chile 9, and the Inquisition 10, the severity, scale and number of Cameroon military human rights …
globalresearch.ca/anglophone-francophone…
Big City, Small Farmers, and a Dying River
Shalini Singh | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
"Insaan ab na jhagde se marega na ragade se marega tho bhook aur pyas se." "Humankind will now die not of conflict or stress But of hunger and thirst." So, it's not just science ringing alarm bells about climate change then. India's literary epics had it nailed down ages ago, asserts 75-year-old Delhi farmer Shiv…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/big-city-sma…
The Military and Climate Change/Justice
Judith Deutsch | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
The world situation is much worse than generally acknowledged. This last December, the coinciding meetings of NATO and of the climate change Congress of Parties (COP25) were barely reported, much less analyzed, even though the delegates held the fate of humanity in their hands. To some degree, their unelected delegates are not accountable to the…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/the-military…
'No one is coming to save us, except us' — Sydney demands action on the environment
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-12-27
In the face of climate crisis megafires and an air quality health crisis, 40,000 people rallied and marched in Sydney to demand action on Wednesday night. The city is choking, and New South Wales is on fire. In Randwick on Tuesday, the air pollution was 11 times higher than "hazardous". | Source…
mronline.org/2019/12/26/no-one-is-coming…
The 2010 — 2020 UN News Decade in Review, part three
news.un.org | 2019-12-27
The final part of our look back over the past decade takes in the launch of the 2030 Agenda, the UN's blueprint for a better future for all; the humanitarian response to the Rohingya refugee crisis; the successful end to the mandate of the UN Liberia Mission; and fresh momentum in the fight against the climate crisis, despite disappointment over the COP25 climate conference in Madrid.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1…
Sanders After Corbyn: The Jewish Question
Andrew Levine | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
The hordes of Democratic Party pundits, anti-Trump Republicans, and former national security state functionaries who supply CNN and MSNBC with endless streams of jibber-jabber, along with their counterparts at The New York Times and Washington Post, are pulling out all the stops — trying to convince Democrats that only a "moderate" can defeat Donald Trump. They speak for the dead center, and they are dead wrong.
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/sanders-afte…
US War Budget Targets China
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
A previous article discussed how the US FY 2020 war budget targets Russia, Turkey and Syria. | Euphemistically called annual National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs), they're all about advancing America's imperium, along with enriching corporate America by waging endless wars of …
globalresearch.ca/us-war-budget-targets-…
Los Angeles Roars for "Azadi!" Reflections on an Indian Solidarity Action in Southern California
Sarang Narasimhaiah | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
For two full hours yesterday afternoon, Los Angeles' Grand Park reverberated with the simultaneously furious and joyous roars of "Azadi!" ("Freedom!") and "Inquilab Zindabad!" ("Love Live the Revolution!"). Indians, South Asians, and Americans from various backgrounds came together to demonstrate their opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/los-angeles-…
Erdogan Recycles Idlib Terrorists from Syria to Libya, Trump Forces Relocated to Northern Iraq
Arabi Souri | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
Libya is the next destination for the anti-Islamic Wahhabi and Muslim Brotherhood terrorists loyal to the Turkish pariah Erdogan, meanwhile, the Syrian Arab Army gives the terrorists 24 hours to leave Maraat Noman. | Erdogan is now shifting to North Africa, …
globalresearch.ca/erdogan-recycles-terro…
The Looming U.S. Water Crisis
Andreea Sterea | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
According to the World Economic Forum, the global water crisis is the fourth major threat of our civilization. In fact, studies warn that two-thirds of the global population could be living in water-stressed countries by 2025 — just a few short years away. When we think about water scarcity, many Americans may immediately call to…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/the-looming-…
Boris Johnson, the Moral Runaway
Brian Cloughley | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
In CounterPunch in July 2016 I noted that the then British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, "is a twofaced, devious, posturing piece of slime who can't be trusted to tell the time of day" who began his career as a journalist and was sacked by The Times newspaper for fabricating a quotation to back up a story. Then in 2004 he told an outrageous lie concerning his…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/boris-johnso…
Killing of two Indonesian journalists points to criminality in palm oil industry
wsws.org | 2019-12-27
According to police, the two men were allegedly murdered by hired killers paid by a plantation owner.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/27/indo…
'Bombshell' Glosses Over the Horrors of Fox News
Ilana Novick | truthdig.com | 2019-12-27
"You will be muzzled," the lawyer for Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) warns her at the end of "Bombshell," as the former Fox News anchor signs a $20 million settlement of a sexual harassment suit against her former boss, ex-Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes. The lawyer could have been speaking about the movie. | Carlson sued Ailes in 2016, which led other women, including fellow anchor Megyn Kelly, to reveal that he assaulted them too. "Bombshell" unfolds over late 2015, in the…
truthdig.com/articles/bombshell-glosses-…
No Joy in a World at War
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
Joy to the world is a mirage — during the holiday season and throughout the year. | Reality is polar opposite in US war theaters. Post-9/11 alone, millions died. Countless millions more suffer from injuries, displacement, lack of essentials to life …
globalresearch.ca/no-joy-world-war/56987…
Bloomberg, Steyer spend $200 million on Democratic nomination fight
wsws.org | 2019-12-27
The two billionaires combined have outspent the rest of the Democrat field three times over.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/27/dems…
You're Not So Different From an Octopus: Rethinking Our Relationship to Animals
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-27
Remember back when we were all tubes? | Sy Montgomery does. That was a simpler time, eons before the octopus and Homo sapiens went their separate evolutionary ways, and certainly long before that highly intelligent cephalopod, which appeared some 300 million years ago, ended up boiled, stewed and fried. "Our lineage goes back a half-billion years ago when everyone was a tube," says Montgomery, a naturalist and author of many books about animals. "That was when there were no eyes. Yet we have…
truthout.org/articles/youre-not-so-diffe…
Space Warriors: Democrats Give Trump His Space Force for Xmas
Karl Grossman | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
President Trump last week signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2020 that establishes a U.S. Space Force as the sixth branch of the U.S. armed forces–despite the Outer Space Treaty designating space as a global commons to be used for peaceful purposes. Reported Space News:…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/space-warrio…
From a Blessing to a Curse: How UN Resolution 2334 Accelerated Israel's Colonization in the West Bank
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
Three years ago, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334. With fourteen members voting in favor and one abstention, the Resolution was the equivalent of a political earthquake. Indeed, it was the first time in many years that Israel was roundly condemned by the international body for its illegal settlement policies in the Occupied…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/from-a-bless…
On the Road to Gaza: The Freedom Flotilla Will Sail Again
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
What is Gaza to us but an Israeli missile, a rudimentary rocket, a demolished home, an injured child being whisked away by his peers under a hail of bullets? On a daily basis, Gaza is conveyed to us as a bloody image or a dramatic video, none of which can truly capture the everyday reality…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/on-the-road-…
Video: Russian Airstrikes Wipe Out Convoy of Turkish-backed Terrorists
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
By the evening of December 25, government forces have repelled a counter-attack by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its Turkish-backed allies on the town of Jarjnaz in southern Idlib and have resumed their advance on the town of Maarat al-Numan. | The …
globalresearch.ca/video-russian-airstrik…
Video: Army Liberates More Territory from Idlib Militants
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
On December 26, units of the Syrian Army liberated the villages of Khuwayn al-Sha'r, Judaydat Nawaf, Samkeh and Delim, as well as several nearby points in southern Idlib. | During the past few days, the speed of the Syrian Army advance …
globalresearch.ca/video-army-liberates-m…
US Congress Approves Legislation to Wage a Hybrid "Humanitarian War" on Venezuela?
Nino Pagliccia | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
Last December 16 both houses in the US approved the appropriation bill to be signed by president Trump. Aside from the mind-boggling amount of $1.4 trillion that was approved in total our interest was in looking at the details concerning …
globalresearch.ca/us-approves-bill-may-l…
Pro-Coup Venezuelan Soldiers Who Fled to the US Now Locked Up in ICE Detention Center
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2019-12-27
In an ironic twist worthy of an Alanis Morissette song, participants in U.S.-backed coup are now in an ICE detention camp.
mintpressnews.com/pro-coup-venezuelan-so…
'Israel' Puts Jordan Valley Annexation on Hold Fearing ICC Investigation
QUDSN | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a meeting that was supposed to discuss the annexation of the Jordan Valley, following the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch a probe into Israeli war crimes in Gaza, West …
globalresearch.ca/israel-puts-jordan-val…
Will the ICC's Investigation into Israeli War Crimes Finally Bring Justice to Palestine?
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2019-12-27
It doesn't take a great legal scholar to understand that dropping tons of bombs from fighter jets on a defenseless civilian population constitutes a war crime.
mintpressnews.com/icc-investigation-isra…
Why We Can't Just #PlantATree
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-27
If you scroll through Instagram, you will see them: smiling 20-somethings with dirt under their fingernails and a freshly nestled seedling below them. #PlantATree. The idea has been trending recently, not least of all because of the fires in the Amazon. And in many ways, this is a good thing. | We should be activating in response to deforestation. We should be spending more time outside, interacting with the ecosystems of which we are an inextricable part. And yes, we should be planting trees. But what does that entail? Is it just a matter…
truthout.org/articles/why-we-cant-just-p…
It's Something About the U.S. Trumps
Jan Oberg | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
It's something about their eyes — and not only that they are reading. | It's something about the main celebration — the longest sequence — of the military, armed forces, police and all in law enforcement, all in uniform and all …
globalresearch.ca/something-about-u-s-tr…
The Mega-Rich Accumulated an Outrageous Sum in 2019
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-12-27
The 500 richest people in the world, all of whom are billionaires, gained a combined $1.2 trillion in wealth in 2019, further exacerbating inequities that have not been seen since the late 1920s. | That's according to a new Bloomberg analysis published Friday, which found that the planet's 500 richest people saw their collective net worth soar by 25 percent to $5.9 trillion over the last year. | "In the U.S., the richest 0.1 percent control a bigger share of the pie than at any time sinc…
truthdig.com/articles/the-mega-rich-accu…
World's 500 Richest People Gained $1.2 Trillion in Wealth in 2019
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-27
The 500 richest people in the world, all of whom are billionaires, gained a combined $1.2 trillion in wealth in 2019, further exacerbating inequities that have not been seen since the late 1920s. | That's according to a new Bloomberg analysis published Friday, which found that the planet's 500 richest people saw their collective net worth soar by 25 percent to $5.9 trillion over…
truthout.org/articles/worlds-500-richest…
Libya: Haftar's Air Force Commander Drops Bombshell Confession: Jets from Egypt's President Sisi, "French Specialists" Provided Support
Yeni Safak | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
New developments in war-torn Libya have come to light since the capture of Amar Youssef Al-Jakam, Assistant Air …
globalresearch.ca/haftar-air-force-comma…
Kurt Vonnegut: Anarchist and Social Critic
Gaither Stewart | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
After my early enthusiasm about the writer Kurt Vonnegut, I became skeptical. Was he a phony? After I met him, his lifestyle in his sumptuous Manhattan East Side town house bothered me and seemed to belie his satires of that same life. Even the adoration for him in Europe at the time sharpened my suspicions…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/kurt-vonnegu…
'Mame,' 'Hello, Dolly!' Composer Jerry Herman Dies at 88
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-12-27
Tony Award-winning composer Jerry Herman, who wrote the cheerful, good-natured music and lyrics for such classic shows as "Mame," "Hello, Dolly!" and "La Cage aux Folles," died Thursday. He was 88. | His goddaughter Jane Dorian confirmed his death to The Associated Press early Friday. He died of pulmonary complications in Miami, where he had been living with his partner, real estate broker Terry Marler. | The creator of 10 Broadway shows and contributor to several more, Herman won two Tony Awards for best musical: "Hello, Dolly!" in 1964 and "La Cage aux Folles" in 1983. He also won two Grammys — for the "M…
truthdig.com/articles/mame-hello-dolly-c…
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker–All the gimmicks to rake in the revenue
wsws.org | 2019-12-27
December 2019 saw the end of the "Skywalker Saga" with the latest entry in the Star Wars franchise of films.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/27/skyw…
Kurt Vonnegut: Anarchist and Social Critic
Gaither Stewart | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
After my early enthusiasm about the writer Kurt Vonnegut, I became skeptical. Was he a phony? After I met him, his lifestyle in his sumptuous Manhattan East Side town house bothered me and seemed to belie his satires of that same life. Even the adoration for him in Europe at the time sharpened my suspicions…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/kurt-vonnegu…
Underfunded Health Care Made Jails Warehouses for Those With Mental Illness
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-27
Content Warning: Some clips shown may be graphic and disturbing. | Are prisons and jails America's "new asylums"? A new documentary looks at how a disproportionate number of underserved people facing mental health challenges have been swept into the criminal justice system, where they lack adequate treatment. Nearly 15% of men and more than 30% of women in jails have a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. For many of them, jail is their first poi…
truthout.org/video/underfunded-health-ca…
The MEK in Albania
Robert Fantina | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
The following is an interview I conducted via email with Osli Jazexhi, an Albanian-based, Canadian-Albanian historian who specializes in the history of Islam, nationalism and religious reformation in Southeastern Europe. His interest covers nationalism, radicalism, religious and ethnic identities in the Balkans. The interview was conducted between December 17 and 19. How popular is MEK…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/the-mek-in-a…
Here Are the Corporate Elites Hosting Biden's Manhattan Fundraisers
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-27
This article was produced by Sludge, an independent, ad-free investigative news site covering money in politics. Click here to support Sludge. | The president of an investment bank that collapsed from selling junk bonds. A shadow lobbyist at private equity giant Blackstone. A law partner who defended a Saudi Arabian banker against criminal ch…
truthout.org/articles/here-are-the-corpo…
Erdogan vows to send Turkish troops into Libya
wsws.org | 2019-12-27
The Turkish deployment in Libya will escalate increasing tensions involving Washington, Moscow and NATO.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/27/turk…
Turkey announces troop deployment in Libya
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2019-12-27
The move is being seen as part of Turkey's attempts to consolidate its position as a regional hegemon. The actual deployment of troops will take place once the Turkish parliament ratifies the decision…
peoplesdispatch.org/2019/12/27/turkey-an…
Lula To Fight Neoliberalism to Restore Democracy in Brazil
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-27
The former president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said Thursday that he has the will to fight to restore democracy in his country and to fight against the current situation of people under the government of Jair Bolsonaro. | RELATED: | Brazil's Senate Advances Bill That May Send Lula Back to Prison | In an exclusive interview for teleSUR, the Workers Party leader reiterated that the South American nation has "all the conditions to recover a democratic debate … and co…
telesurenglish.net/news/lula-to-fight-ne…
Boeing Executive in Charge of 737 MAX Legal Response Has Been Fired
Zero Hedge | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
Boeing shareholders just can't catch a break. | Barely three days after now-former Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg's termination at the hands of the company's board of directors, another top-ranking company official has retired been pushed out. | According to a press release …
globalresearch.ca/boeing-executive-charg…
Defend the Silao Seven! Fired Mexican GM Workers
World Socialist Web Site | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-27
The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter urges workers to support the General Motors workers at the Silao, Mexico factory who were fired for supporting the 40-day strike by GM workers in the United States in September and October. | In the weeks leading …
globalresearch.ca/defend-the-silao-seven…
What's Wrong With Malthus
Louis Proyect | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
In the recently published "Limits: Why Malthus Was Wrong and Why Environmentalists Should Care," Giorgos Kallis tackles weighty and expansive topics in merely 156 pages. One cannot help but wonder if his brevity (the soul of wit, after all) was in keeping with the book's theme–how humanity can live an abundant life within material limits.
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/whats-wrong-…
Greedy Old Plutocrats
William Manson | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
In his book Totem and Taboo, Sigmund Freud indulged in a speculative scenario for the origins of society. Everyone, young and old alike, once lived together in a "primal horde"– ruled by an aging, domineering father-figure, who selfishly monopolized the women for his own satisfaction. But one day (so to speak), the deprived "sons" defiantly…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/greedy-old-p…
COP25: Never Have so Many Governments Done So Little for So Many
Pete Dolack | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
It's said that it is better to laugh than cry. But what do we do when a situation has become so beyond parody that laughter is impossible? As Australia burns, the world is about to finish its second hottest year ever, the seas rise, polar melting is worse than previously modeled and the sixth mass…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/cop25-never-…
On Those Questionable US Wage Stats…Again
Jack Rasmus | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
In recent months, various independent business and research sources have been raising questions about the accuracy of US official job and wage statistics. Several more sources have joined the discussion, questioning the oft-cited official–and widespread mainstream press reported–3.1% annual rise in US wages the past year. As many have indicated, the 3.1% grossly over-estimates recent…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/on-those-que…
The UK Election: a Postmortem
Kenneth Surin | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
The various statistical analyses of the UK general election result have been coming in, and they allow some interesting and perhaps important observations to be made. The perception that it was Leave voters switching from Labour to Tory en masse who cost Labour the election has to be qualified by the fact that Labour lost…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/the-uk-elect…
Fast Food Nations and Global Nutrition
Colin Todhunter | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
Daniel Maingi works with small farmers in Kenya and belongs to the organisation Growth Partners for Africa. He remembers a time when his family would grow and eat a diversity of crops, such as mung beans, green grams, pigeon peas and a variety of fruits now considered 'wild'. Following the Structural Adjustment Programmes of the…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/fast-food-na…
The Right to a Good NIght's Sleep
Lori Teresa Yearwood | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
I barely slept during the full two years I was homeless. One night, at around 3 a.m., after hours of searching for a spot, I curled up on a portion of soft, thick grass. An hour later, automatic sprinklers drenched me. I sloshed to the edges of a wilderness park in Salt Lake City, where…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/the-right-to…
Fossil Fuel Knocks the Wind Out of Renewable Energy Movement in Ohio
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-27
With no shortage of wide-open land, Ohio is ripe for a transition to renewable energy, but instead the state has become a hotbed for corporate-driven attacks on wind energy. As a result of increasingly restrictive laws on renewables, the state was recently ranked second to last among U.S. states in its renewable energy generation, with only 2.3 percent of its energy g…
truthout.org/articles/fossil-fuel-knocks…
Black Mothers Are Treated Less for Postpartum Depression Than Other Moms
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-27
Portia Smith's most vivid memories of her daughter's first year are of tears. Not the baby's. Her own. | "I would just hold her and cry all day," Smith said. | At 18, Smith was caring for two children, 4-year-old Kelaiah and newborn Nelly, with little help from the partner in her abusive relationship. The circumstances were difficult, but she knew the tears were more than that. | "I really didn't have a connection for her," said Smith, now a motivational speaker and mother of three living in Phil…
truthout.org/articles/black-mothers-are-…
Foreign Police Want to Bypass Privacy Laws and Courts to Get Data From Abroad
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-27
The global nature of the Internet means that police agencies all around the world facing challenges investigating crime when the data is stored in other countries. The pressure to make this process easier is mounting. To many governments, that means stripping away legal protections for privacy. Soon, police in other countries could get their hands on data from abroad based on an international agreement or other legal initiative. Under new cross-border authorities, police elsewhere can obtain…
truthout.org/articles/foreign-police-wan…
Brazilian Workers Party joins Bolsonaro in imposing austerity, repressing strikes
wsws.org | 2019-12-27
Relying on police brutality, Brazilian state governments, led by the PT, are imposing pension "reforms" that all but prevent workers from retiring.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/27/braz…
The Last Line of Defense: 20 Activist Groups That Are Making a Big Difference
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
Here's our end of the year list of good groups, the real resistance, fighting on the frontlines against ICE, the coal companies, the police, the CIA, the warmongers, the pipeline gougers, the bankers, the slumlords, big pharma and the child separators. They all deserve your support and, if you can spare it, your money.
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/the-last-lin…
Washington Legislature Report a Strong First Step in Ending Domestic Terrorism
Erik Molvar | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
Last week, the Republican Party of Washington unveiled a detailed investigation finding that state legislator Matt Shea (R-Spokane) "participated in an act of domestic terrorism against the United States" in aiding and abetting the Bundy militants in their takeover of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. In response, Republican House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox called…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/washington-l…
Social Ecology: Radicalizing the Climate Movement
Katie Horvath | zcomm.org | 2019-12-27
The struggle for climate justice cannot limit its focus to environmental issues. It is the hierarchical system as a whole that is threatening our planet and our lives…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/social-ecology-rad…
The Looming U.S. Water Crisis
Andreea Sterea | zcomm.org | 2019-12-27
The climate is changing. Can our politics change, too?>…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-looming-u-s-wa…
Court rejects petition against Tokyo-Seoul wartime deal
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
The Constitutional Court of South Korea Friday turned down a petition filed by Korean wartime sex slaves against the 2015 deal between Seoul and Tokyo, according to local media reports."The matter is not subject to its formal review," observed the court while rejecting the petition, adding that the deal does not affect the claimants' right to seek compensation, Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.In 2016, 29 victims and 12 family members of surviving and deceased "comfort women" had petitioned the court against the 2015 deal on Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean victims during World War II.It was the admini…
yenisafak.com/en/world/court-rejects-pet…
Climate Disruption, Migration, and the Rise of Walls
Speak Out Now | indybay.org | 2019-12-27
South Berkeley Senior Center | 2939 Ellis St. | Berkeley (near Ashby BART)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/25/1882917…
In Mountain View, Seasonal and Humorous Signs at Eve of Impeachment Demo on Four Corners
Text: RR Photos: Jack Owicki, Pro Bono Photo | indybay.org | 2019-12-27
Demonstrators leaned in toward passing traffic to show off their creative signs on Impeachment Eve at a major intersection in the heart of Silicon Valley.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/23/1882909…
Iranian Americans in Palo Alto Join Day Honoring Iran's Deceased Demonstrators
R. Robertson | indybay.org | 2019-12-27
On December 26, Iranian government security forces deployed en masse to keep people off the streets across Iran. Despite this, protesters gathered in small groups, at cemeteries but also on the streets in many cities in the Islamic Republic. In Palo Alto, California, protesters in solidarity with Iranian demonstrators gathered in a downtown plaza.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/26/1882925…
"Get Up, Stand Up for Your Rights" at Demo: Justice for Killed Protesters in Iran
R. Robertson | indybay.org | 2019-12-27
13 second video. | Photos and full text at | www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/26/188……
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/27/1882925…
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Orders Mass Arrest of Housing Justice Village Protesters
Dave Id | indybay.org | 2019-12-27
An inspirational day of solidarity with unhoused Oaklanders turned into a traumatic night after mayor Libby Schaaf directed a small army of police and DPW workers to smash a housing rights protest held on the doorstep of City Hall. For daring to challenge the Oakland's never ending war against the homeless — the city's encampment demolitions and evictions, the towing of residential vehicles, and a lack of earnestness and urgency in addressing the housing crisis — twenty-two people were arrested and sent to Santa Rita jail, some for over two days.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/23/1882911…
Criminal War Monger Pelosi & Demos Appropriate Millions For War On Venezuela
repost | indybay.org | 2019-12-27
Criminal war monger Demo leader Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats joined Trump in supporting tens of millions of dollars to overthrow the Venezuelan government.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/24/1882916…
Housing Justice Village Arrestees Respond to Jailing by City of Oakland
Dave Id | indybay.org | 2019-12-27
In a political show of force, the city of Oakland directed a small army of police to mass arrest and jail 22 housing rights demonstrators on November 24, for nothing more than setting up tents in front of city hall to protest the city's never ending war against the homeless. Most arrestees spent at least 24 hours in Santa Rita, and some remained jailed for over two days, on what would otherwise be a citable infraction. On December 2, arrestees held a press conference to address the city's attack and why they protested in the first place.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/26/1882917…
Tenant screening companies wage war on tenants with blacklists
Lynda Carson | indybay.org | 2019-12-27
Tenant screening companies and landlords depend on Experian, Equinox, and TransUnion to get the information they depend on to be able to blacklist tenants all across the nation, resulting in tenants becoming homeless and living in tent cities!
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/25/1882917…
Kwanzaa our "California Grown" Global Celebration, "Matunda ya Kwanza"
2019 Dr. Maulana Karenga Message | indybay.org | 2019-12-27
Imani (Faith) reminds us of the indispensable foundation of confident, righteous and rewarding belief, calling on us "to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our leaders, our teachers and the righteousness and victory of our struggle." In remembrance of Khalid Al Mansour…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/24/1882915…
William Barr's Police-Fueled War on Civil Rights
Joshua Clark Davis | thenation.com | 2019-12-27
The attorney general's obsession with protecting the police is a throwback to the crackdown on protesters in the 1960s.
thenation.com/article/barr-police-civil-…
Norwegian, 71, told to leave India after joining citizenship law protest
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
At least 25 people have been killed in protests across the country since the law, seen by critics as discriminatory towards Muslims, was adopted on Dec. 11.A German exchange student was told to leave the country this week after taking part in two rallies against the law."The Norwegian lady has participated in a protest in violation of her visa condition," said Anoop Krishna, the Foreigners' Regional Registration Officer at Kochi airport."She has been asked to leave the country as early as possible. The tourist visa on which she visited the country does not allow participation in any protests."The tourist, Janne-M…
yenisafak.com/en/world/norwegian-71-told…
Iran, Russia, China conduct joint military exercise
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
Iran, Russia and China began joint military exercise in the Arabian Sea and north of the Indian Ocean, according to an Iranian news agency on Friday.Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the military exercise by the navies of Iran, Russia, and China will cover an area of 17,000 kilometers and it will last four days.Speaking about the drill, dubbed Marine Security Belt, the deputy commander of the Iranian Navy Admiral Gholamreza Tahani explained the purpose of the exercise as "to strengthen security and its foundations in the region"."Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, it is the first tim…
yenisafak.com/en/news/iran-russia-china-…
Mobile internet restored in Kashmir's Kargil district
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
The Indian government on Friday restored mobile internet services in a small area in northwest of disputed Jammu and Kashmir after 145 days of communication blackout, media reports said.Indian officials said the mobile internet services were restored in the northwestern Kargil district, home to around 16,000 people, of Ladakh Union Territory of the valley, official Press Trust of India news agency reported.India had on Aug. 5 imposed severe communications blackout snapping phone and internet services before scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution.The…
yenisafak.com/en/world/mobile-internet-r…
Japan to deploy naval ships, patrol planes to Mideast
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
Japan plans to dispatch a maritime force to the Middle East in late January to protect its ships in the region, according to local media on Friday.Official Kyodo news agency reported that the country's cabinet approved the dispatch of Japanese navy personnel to the region "for information-gathering activities to help ensure the safety of a key oil shipping lane."The decision comes days after a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during the latter's official visit to Tokyo.A helicopter-carrying vessel, P-3C patrol planes and 260 personnel will be dispatched to th…
yenisafak.com/en/world/japan-to-deploy-n…
Donations top $30 mln for Kyoto Animation arson victims in Japan
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
Donations to Kyoto Animation topped 3.3 billion yen ($30 million) to support survivors and bereaved families after an arson attack on the film studio in July killed over 30 people.A spokesperson for the Kyoto prefecture government confirmed on Friday the total amount raised following the studio's decision this week to close the donation account. Kyodo News reported on the figure earlier.The man suspected of torching the building had been convicted of robbery and carried out the attack because he believed his novel had been plagiarized, NHK and other media have said. Police have confirmed the identity of the suspe…
yenisafak.com/en/world/donations-top-30-…
Seven daily staff to serve jail terms over FETàñ ties
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
A Turkish court on Friday ruled jail term for seven employees of Turkish daily Sozcu on charges of assisting Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETàñ) — the group behind the 2016 defeated coup — a judicial source said.Heavy Penal Court No. 37 in Istanbul sentenced the suspects to prison over the charge of "willfully assisting a terrorist organization".Two correspondents, Emin Colasan and Necati Dogru were sentenced to three years and six months in prison.The daily's website editor Mustafa Cetin and chief editor Metin Yilmaz were sentenced to three years and four months in prison.The same court sentenced Yu…
yenisafak.com/en/news/seven-daily-staff-…
Turkey suspends 18 judges, prosecutors over FETàñ ties
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
At least 18 judges and prosecutors were suspended over links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETàñ), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, Turkey's top judiciary council said on Friday.Turkey's Council of Judges and Prosecutors' 2nd Chamber said that the suspects were suspended until an inquiry about their links to FETàñ concluded.FETàñ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Turkey accuses FETàñ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infi…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-suspends-18…
World War I battle makes Filipino convert to Islam
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
A Filipino teacher has converted to Islam after being affected by the belief of soldiers martyred during World War I Battle of Sarikamis in northeastern Turkey.Battle of Sarikamis claimed the lives of nearly 90,000 Ottoman Turkish soldiers who froze to death in Sarikamis district of Kars province in 1914 due to bitter cold.Abdullah Ramosa, a 37-year-old teacher in Kuwait, was a Christian before, and became a Muslim after last year's traditional Sarikamis Martyrs Memorial Climb in the Allahuekber Mountains, to commemorate the martyrs.The belief of soldiers martyred in Sarikamis town is the main reason behind my ch…
yenisafak.com/en/world/world-war-i-battl…
Montenegro passes law on religious communities
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
A fight broke out in Montenegrin Assembly during a session on religious freedoms early Friday.A bill, strongly opposed by the Serbian Orthodox Church and the opposition Democratic Front party, began to be discussed at the General Assembly on Thursday.The opposition lawmakers tried to prevent the vote after midnight. Despite the efforts of the opposition's proposal to amend the bill, their proposals were rejected three times.Afterwards, there was a melee between the opposition MPs and some ruling MPs who threw water bottles at Parliament speaker Ivan Brajovic and some deputies.The deputies from the opposition part…
yenisafak.com/en/world/montenegro-passes…
Turkish forces ready for deployment in Libya
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
The Turkish Armed Forces are fully prepared for their possible deployment in Libya as required, the country's National Defense Ministry announced on Friday.The Turkish military is ready to serve on order within and outside Turkey, ministry spokeswoman Nadide Sebnem Aktop told reporters in the capital Ankara.On Thursday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would lend support to the UN-recognized Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), which is fighting eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar who is based in the east of the country.On Nov. 27, Ankara and the Tripoli-based GNA signed two separate agreem…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkish-forces-rea…
Bolsonaro signs law ending disciplinary detention for military police and firefighters
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-27
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has signed into law a bill that eliminates jail time as a punishment for military police and firefighters convicted of disciplinary offenses, according to the Official Gazette on Friday.All Brazilian states have 12 months to implement the necessary changes to their own legislation.
yenisafak.com/en/news/bolsonaro-signs-la…
The Fascinating History and Political Lives of Jews in Iran
Ariel Gold | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-27
On December 14, 2019, a white male entered the Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills, vandalizing the sanctuary. He unrolled Torah scrolls, strewed them across the floor, and tore prayer books. Four days later, police arrested 24-year-old Anton Nathaniel Redding of Millersville, Pennsylvania, and charged him with vandalism of religious property, commercial burglary, and committing a…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/27/the-fascinat…
Israel Bombs Gaza For Xmas, Israel Threatens To Attack All Helping Iran & Saudis Bomb Yemen Market
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-12-27
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/26/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-u…
'Climate tariffs' on fracked 'molecules of freedom': German think tank wants to punish US for sanctions against Nord Stream 2
rt.com | 2019-12-27
US sanctions against the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline have caused widespread anger in Germany, and even critics of the project are now seeking to slap the American 'molecules of freedom' with an eco-tax in reprisal. | The prospect of "crushing sanctions" (included in funding for the US military signed by President Donald Trump last week) has already compelled Swiss-Dutch company Allseas to halt construction on the last remaining portion of the pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea, from Russia to Germany. | An economist…
rt.com/business/476902-germany-sanctions…
Russia-China-Iran hold FIRST EVER joint naval drills in Indian Ocean & Gulf of Oman (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2019-12-27
The three nations are holding unprecedented joint naval drills that focus on honing anti-piracy and counter-terrorist tactics. The exercise takes place in the Gulf of Oman, which saw multiple maritime incidents this year. | A section of the drills is also set to take place in the northern parts of the Indian Ocean. | Brief footage, released by Iranian state media, shows a warm welcome to Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry received at Chabahar port in southern Iran, as well as a number of the country's own vessels sailing. | The main point of the exercise is to "bolster security of international maritime commerc…
rt.com/news/476983-russia-china-iran-dri…
Delhi faces second-coldest December for over a CENTURY: India gripped by 'bone-chilling' weather
rt.com | 2019-12-27
A wave of unusually cold weather is sweeping across large swathes of India, from remote Kashmir to Delhi, forcing people to seek shelter and light bonfires on the streets. | Delhi has been hit with what local media described as 'bone-chilling days' this week. In the early hours of Friday, the temperature dropped to almost four degrees Celsius (39.2 degrees Fahrenheit). This December is now on course to become the second coldest in terms of daytime temperatures the capital has seen since 1901, with December 1997 holding the top spot. | | Indian men huddle around a fire to keep warm on a roadside on a cold fog…
rt.com/news/476969-india-freezing-cold-d…
India 'will conduct some action' in Pakistani-held part of Kashmir to get spotlight off citizenship law protests — Imran Khan
rt.com | 2019-12-27
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan warned that his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, wants to shift global attention away from ongoing protests against the citizenship law by conducting an operation in Pakistani-held territory. | "I have been telling the world for the past five months that Modi-RSS government, in order to divert the world attention away from Kashmir and the protests against the [citizenship] laws, will definitely conduct some sort of action in Azad Kashmir," Khan told the crowd in the Punjab Province on Thursday, according to local media reports, referring to the part of disputed Kashmir con…
rt.com/news/476937-khan-modi-kashmir-com…
Japan to send helicopter-carrying destroyer & spy planes to ensure 'safe passage' of oil from increasingly crowded Middle East
rt.com | 2019-12-27
The Japanese PM's cabinet approved a plan to send warship and surveillance planes to the Middle East, framing the controversial mission as "study and research activities" separate from the US' initiative to contain Iran. | Tokyo is expected to send a destroyer with 200 crew members and carrying up to two patrol helicopters alongside two P-3C anti-submarine patrol airplanes to the Gulf of Oman sometime in February for a year-long mission. | The deployment is styled as a "study and research" mission to ensure "safe passage" for Japanese vessels through the region from which Tokyo receives 90 percent of its oil i…
rt.com/news/476904-japan-destroyer-iran-…
Europe must wean itself off US 'dictate' or it will 'lose', Iran supreme leader's adviser tells RT
rt.com | 2019-12-27
Europe's total dependence on Washington would lead it nowhere other than to its own demise, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has alleged, calling on Europeans to break free from America's grip. | Europe is a major political force on the international arena, yet it prefers to "quietly follow the policy imposed" by Washington, Ali Akbar Velayati told RT Arabic. | Velayati, a former Iranian foreign minister, suggested that if Europe truly wishes to distinguish itself as a major player in world politics and improve its relations with the Islamic Republic and its allies, it should pursue an in…
rt.com/news/476896-iran-europe-us-dictat…
Assad plans to sue the US over 'stealing' Syria's oil
rt.com | 2019-12-27
Syria's government is considering suing the United States in an international court over what a senior advisor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad referred to as the 'stealing' of Syria's oil. | "Syria is looking into the possibility of filing an international lawsuit against the United States, due to the fact that they steal Syrian oil," Bouthaina Shaaban, Syrian Presidential Adviser, told Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV in an interview, carried by Iran's Fars news agency. | After a surprise announcement of pulling the…
rt.com/business/476931-syria-assad-oil-l…