Venezuela Implements Biosecurity Protocols in Elections
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
Venezuela’s authorities of the National Electoral Council (CNE) on Sunday will implement the Strategic Biosafety Plan designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the elections through which the new National Assembly (AN) will be elected. Previously, the CNE held two mock votings to familiarize people with biosafety protocols. | RELATED: | Evo Morales Arrives in Venezuela to Observe Sunday’s Election | “Health is our premise …. in these elections, a health audit protects us…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Implem…

Traditional Morning Reveille Opened Elections Day in Venezuela
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
Hundreds of people attended the traditional morning reveille ceremony to show support for the parliamentary elections taking place in Venezuela this Sunday. | RELATED: | Venezuela’s D6 Elections in a Nutshell | Waiting for the opening of the voting centers, supporters of the Great Patriotic Pole (GPP) took to the streets across the country to also perform a firework display. | Polling stations opened at 06.00 local time and are set to remain active until 18.00 or until no one is left in line. | Over…
telesurenglish.net/news/Traditional-Morn…

Millions of Venezuelans are set to vote today in historic National Assembly elections
Zoe PC | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-06
The election for the 277-member National Assembly is vital considering how sections of the legislature were in the forefront of coup attempts against the democratically elected government of Nicolás Maduro…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/06/millions-…

CNE: Voting Machines Are 100% Installed in All Polling Stations
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) President Indira Alfonzo informed that all the voting machines were installed in the 29,622 electoral tables to ensure the security and transparency of the parliamentary elections. | RELATED: | Hostilities Won’t Stop Venezuela’s Upcoming Elections | “The technological and electoral infrastructure is guaranteed in the 14,221 voting centers,” Alfonzo explained, emphasizing that the new lawmakers will be elected in a free, secure, direct, and secre…
telesurenglish.net/news/CNE-Voting-Machi…

Venezuela: Parliamentary Elections Kick off Without Setbacks
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
With the traditional reveille, Venezuela Sunday began the parliamentary elections to form the new National Assembly in a process in which 14,000 candidates and over 100 political parties are taking part. | RELATED: | Evo Morales Arrives in Venezuela to Observe Sunday’s Election | “Election Day is advancing with absolute normality. The 30,000 tables enabled nationwide will operate until 18h00 local time or until the last person in line votes,” TeleSUR correspondent in Venezuela Leo…
telesurenglish.net/news/Parliamentary-El…

Eyewitness Venezuela: Hundreds of labor and left leaders from around world observe elections
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-12-06
Caracas, Venezuela – Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arriaza spoke to the international observers of the elections to the National Assembly, December 4. He said to us, “The town is not full of only resistance and consciousness, they are on the offensive. They have been attacked by the World Bank and other capitalists. The Venezuelan people are working, they are creative. It’s impressive how creative they are to fix the problems. We couldn’t do this without the people.” | He went on, “Imperialism has only increased the people’s resistance. The opposition said, ‘It wasn’t a movement, it was just a lead…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/12/6/eyewitne…

US Observers Endorse Venezuela’s Election Legitimacy
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
U.S. political actors observing Venezuela’s parliamentary elections Sunday ratified the process’ legitimacy, despite the U.S. administration’s attempts to discredit it. | RELATED: | Traditional Morning Reveille Opened Elections Day in Venezuela | After visiting several voting centers in Caracas, New York Public University professor Danny Shaw highlighted the people’s massive turnout on Election Day. | Taking part as an observer in these elections “has been an interesting exper…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Observers-End…

African Observers Present in Venezuela’s Parliamentary Elections
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
African electoral observers invited to Venezuela’s parliamentary elections signed a declaration that condemned the U.S. sanctions against the country. | RELATED: | CNE: Voting Machines Are 100% Installed in All Polling Stations | “When we were fighting against Apartheid, Venezuela was there with us. Today we come to show them our solidarity, now that they are under the siege of unilateral coercive measures, and we support all the efforts they make to overcome them”, African ele…
telesurenglish.net/news/African-Observer…

Venezuela’s Elections Update: Rodriguez Casts Her Vote
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
Venezuela on Sunday holds elections for the renewal of the Parliament, a process where about 14,400 candidates from 107 political organizations | About 90 percent of the political organizations registered with the National Electoral Council (CNE) will take part in the D6 elections. The Venezuelan opposition is represented by 98 of those 107 political groups. | RELATED: | African Observers Present in Venezuela’s Parliamentary Elections | 10H15: Defense Minister Stresses tha…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelas-Elect…

Trump Exits Somalia
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-12-06
These are things that might have been done earlier. During the last, flickering days of the Trump administration, activity is being witnessed across countries which have a US troop presence. Numbers are being reduced. Security wonks are getting the jitters. Is the imperium shrinking? Will President elect Joe Biden wake up and reverse the trend? …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/12/trump-exits-s…

We Are Grass. We Grow on Everything
Vijay Prashad | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-12-06
Farmers and agricultural workers from northern India marched along various national highways toward India’s capital of New Delhi as part of the general strike on 26 November. They carried placards with slogans against the anti-farmer, pro-corporate laws that were passed by India’s Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) in September, and then pushed through the …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/12/we-are-grass-…

Uruguay’s First Leftist President Tabare Vazquez Passes Away
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
Uruguay’s former President Tabare Vazquez (2015-2020) passed away at the age of 80 this Sunday from natural causes associated with lung cancer. | RELATED: | Uruguay: Ex-President Tabare Vazquez’s Health Remains Stable | The information was revealed by his sons in a press release. At the request of Vazquez, the wake and subsequent burial ceremony will be held in a reserved and intimate manner and in accordance with COVID-19 health protocols. | His remains will rest at the Teja Ceme…
telesurenglish.net/news/Uruguays-First-L…

People’s Thanksgiving 2020: The rebellion, the defeat of Trump, and #StrikeForOurLives
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-12-06
Chicago, IL – Over 500 people tuned in online to the annual People’s Thanksgiving awards ceremony, December 5, held by Freedom Road Socialist Organization in Chicago. The event is a fundraiser for Fight Back! and brought in more than $3000. | Award recipients included Dian Palmer, president of SEIU Local 73; Doris Carroll, president of the Illinois Nurses Association; India Jackson of Good Kids/Mad City; Tanya Lozano of Centro Sin Fronteras; Regina Russell of the Chicago Alliance; and Alexis Grant of the Black Graduate Students Association at UIC. | Helping present the awards included Stacy Davis Gates, vice…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/12/6/peoples-…

La biodiversidad de los suelos es fundamental para alimentar al planeta
UN News Centre | peoplesworld.org | 2020-12-06
Los organismos del suelo desempeñan una función esencial para impulsar la producción de alimentos, mejorar las dietas nutritivas, preservar la salud humana, recuperar los lugares contaminados y combatir el cambio climático, pero su contribución permanece en su mayor parte subestimada, señala un nuevo informe publicado este sábado por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para …
peoplesworld.org/article/la-biodiversida…

The Moroccan Monarchy’s War on Journalism
Matthew Collado | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-06
Hardly covered in English-language media, Morocco’s image abroad is usually set by vapidly laudatory puff pieces and its photogenic tourist sites. The social reality of its inhabitants tells another story. With a Human Development Index score near the bottom of the Arab world, an illiteracy rate above 26%, and approximately 80% of its workforce toiling…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/06/the-moroccan…

The ‘witch hunt’ against the socialist left continues on Twitter
Steve Topple | thecanary.co | 2020-12-06
People are claiming there’s a coordinated ” witch hunt” to silence left-wing voices on Twitter. The platform has been issuing suspensions, some of them high profile accounts. The latter included The Canary’s editor-at-large Kerry-Anne Mendoza. But are people falling foul of Twitter’s algorithms? Or is it something more sinister? And, is it really anything new, an…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/12/06/the-…

Federal Workers Are Forced to Invest in Fossil Fuels. A New Bill Would End That
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-06
A growing number of progressive candidates are running in U.S. elections — and winning — on platforms that address the climate crisis and support a Green New Deal. The appeal of campaigning on those issues reflects how the majority of voters in the United States are concerned about air, water and soil pollution in their communities. | But lawmakers and staffers with high hopes for passing rigorous clima…
truthout.org/articles/federal-workers-ar…

Students are real, lasting asset of Establishment: Rouhani
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) –Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a message on the occasion of Azar 16 (Dec. 6), which marks “Students’ Day” said that students are clear example of awakening pulse of society as well as real and lasting asset of the country.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166839/Students-are…

VIDEO: Historic New York church engulfed in flames
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Firefighters are working to save the Middle Collegiate Church, in Manhattan’s East Village, which has been engulfed by flames.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166828/VIDEO-Histor…

US Congress and corporate media deploy massive lie, claiming Venezuela’s gov’t threatened to starve non-voters
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2020-12-06
Spun out by the US Congress and Wall Street Journal, the cynical deception is part of an assault on Venezuela’s legislative election, in which even opposition politicians were sanctioned for participating. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US corporate media declared Venezuela’s legislative elections a “sham” before results were even announced, opening a new front in the propaganda war on the besieged country and its leftist government. Among the most blatant distortions deployed against President Nicolas Maduro’s United Socialist Party …
thegrayzone.com/2020/12/06/congress-corp…

Fall 1941: Pearl Harbor and The Wars of Corporate America
Dr. Jacques R. Pauwels | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-06
Washington knew a Japanese fleet was on its way to Pearl Harbor, but welcomed the attack since a Japanese aggression would make it possible to “sell” the war to an anti-war American public.
globalresearch.ca/fall-1941-pearl-harbor…

Review of Hensman’s ‘Indefensible’
Dave Markland | zcomm.org | 2020-12-06
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 Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/review-of-hensmans-inde…

What the Green New Deal Can Learn from the New Deal in the States
Jeremy Brecher | zcomm.org | 2020-12-06
As the original New Deal demonstrated, a national movement of reform can realize some of its most significant achievements at a state level…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/what-the-green-new…

Democracy ‘Has To Be Defended’: It Is Possible and Necessary, Critics Say, To Stop Trump From Running in 2024
Kenny Stancil, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-06
“In a society fully committed to democracy, Congress would use this lame-duck period to impeach, convict, and disqualify Donald Trump from pursuing public office in the future, as the Constitution allows.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/06/democra…

Venezuela’s Legislative Elections
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-06
Latin America has caught the world’s attention as it has become the electoral battleground between progressive movements and the neo-colonial aspirations of the Washington Consensus. In Bolivia, Luis Arce, the candidate from Evo Morales’s Movement Towards Socialism, won the presidential election, reverting the bloody coup that, to the convenience of transnational lithium interests, had forced the indigenous leader out of office only a year before. A week later, neoliberalism’s birthplace became its next burial ground, as Chileans approved a historic referendum to change the Constitution left in place by Augusto P…
popularresistance.org/venezuelas-legisla…

Venezuela Votes To End Neocolonialism, Create Its Own Path
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-06
On December 2, the Embassy Protection Collective (EPC) members, who were arrested in May 2019 when the United States illegally invaded the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC, completed their probation, ending the risk of the 30 days in prison that was being held over their heads. The three who remain marked their freedom this week by traveling on December 3 to Venezuela to serve as official international election observers invited by the National Electoral Council. Travel to Venezuela is challenging at the moment due to the United States’ illegal economic blockade.
popularresistance.org/venezuela-neocolon…

On Contact: Global Economic Machine
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-06
On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to Fabian Scheidler about how the global economic machine came to dominate our lives, and with looming social upheavals caused by predatory capitalism, what can be done to blunt its destructive power. | Fabian Scheidler is author of The End of the Megamachine: A Brief History of a Failing Civilization, and co-founder of Kontext TV.
popularresistance.org/on-contact-global-…

Caracas Metro to Provide Free Service to Ease Voters Mobility
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
Venezuela’s subway and surface transportation system, Caracas Metro, informed that it will provide free service to facilitate the citizens’ mobility to the voting centers this December 6. | RELATED: | Venezuela Announces International Lawsuit Against US | The decision was taken to ease the participation in the parliamentary elections in which over 20 million Venezuelans are called to vote. | “Inhabitants will have free access to the subway transportation from 5h00 local time until 22h0…
telesurenglish.net/news/Caracas-Metro-to…

States of Change: What the Green New Deal Can Learn from the New Deal
Jeremy Brecher | commondreams.org | 2020-12-06
States played a critical role in developing the New Deal. That history holds key lessons for the Green New Deal. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/06/states…

Wednesday 12/9: “I Am Greta”: Film & Discussion on Activist Greta Thunberg & the Climate Emergency
Mothers Out Front Silicon Valley | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
Online via Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/05/1883880…

Saudi Arabia’s Turki bin Faisal dubs Israel ‘Western colonising power’ at Bahrain summit
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-06
Saudi Arabia’s Turki bin Faisal dubs Israel ‘Western colonising power’ at Bahrain summit | Prince’s comments come after Bahrain and the United Arab Emitates normalised diplomatic relations with Israel | MEE and agencies | Sun, 12/06/2020 – 11: 31 | Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said he expressed regrets about Faisal’s comments (AFP) | Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal strongly criticised Israel and dub…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-…

Protests continue in France against draconian Global Security Bill
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-06
The continuous protests against the Global Security Bill have forced the government on the back foot. However, the protesters have said they will continue to resist till all objectionable aspects of the bill are withdrawn…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/06/protests-…

Protesting Farmers ‘Are Being Misled’. Really?
Ronak Chhabra | zcomm.org | 2020-12-06
From how the Green Revolution actually harmed farmers from Punjab and Haryana to what needs to be done now, farmers seem pretty well-versed with their agriculture. New farm laws are feared to be leading to a ‘corporatisation’ of rural India…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/protesting-farmers…

Iran observing enemies beyond its borders
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Iran’s Commander of Army Air Defense Force Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard said relying on its modern technology, Iran is observing enemies beyond its borders.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166820/Iran-observi…

“Stay of Action” Filed Against FDA to Stop Approval of COVID Vaccine for Using Faulty PCR Tests in Trials
Brian Shilhavy | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-06
An ADMINISTRATIVE STAY OF ACTION has been filed with the Department of Health and Human Services and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the new Pfizer COVID vaccine that has been submitted for “emergency use authorization” (EUA). | It is widely …
globalresearch.ca/stay-action-filed-agai…

Graduate Student Labor Organizing Is Rising — and So Is Retaliation
Ella Fassler | zcomm.org | 2020-12-06
The battles playing out at UCSC are emblematic of a larger struggle. In response to neoliberal university policies and increasingly unaffordable housing, graduate student-worker labor organizing has exploded over the past several years…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/graduate-student-l…

UK court ruling on trans children’s care puts bigotry before science
Morgan Artyukhina | liberationnews.org | 2020-12-06
The court has decided it’s better to force trans children to go through a puberty they don’t want than to temporarily postpone puberty for questioning children.
liberationnews.org/uk-court-ruling-on-tr…

Colombia: Prosecutors Investigate Directors of La Modelo Prison
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
Colombia’s Attorney General Office (AGO) opened a disciplinary investigation against officials of “La Modelo” medium-security prison located in Bogota for the events that occurred during a riot on March 21. | RELATED: | Colombia Opens a Fiscal Process Over Hidroituango Project | The investigation will target La Modelo director Carlos Hincapie, Major Jorge Gama, and Custody Commander Lieutenant Elizabeth Vergara. | The riot concluded with the death of 24 inmates and 90 people inj…
telesurenglish.net/news/Colombia-Prosecu…

Beautiful sceneries of late autumn in Alangdareh Forest Park
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
GORGAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Alangdarreh Forest Park is chosen as one of the seven exemplary touristic districts of the country and the outstanding forest park of the north of Iran.
en.mehrnews.com/photo/166834/Beautiful-s…

‘Khaf-Herat railway to boost Iran-Afghanistan’s trade ties’
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — The Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters said that the Khaf-Herat railway paves the way for trade development between Iran and Afghanistan.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166825/Khaf-Herat-r…

Losing Jobless Benefits Is Not Only Stressful
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-06
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown millions of Americans out of work — and over the past nine months, up to 20 million have filed for unemployment. Supplemental federal unemployment benefits of $600 per week — a lifeline for many — expired in July and more are set to go away at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t act. | But beyond the economic consequences, not having that financial safety net can lead to serious health problems for those affected, according to new research. Dr. Seth Berkowitz, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine who co-authored some of that r…
popularresistance.org/losing-jobless-ben…

The Collector, Non-profit, Painter and Teacher
Paul Haeder | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-12-06
There’s a tremendous power in this place, in this land, and I think that power really changes people’s lives. — Frank Boyden, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. A large number of the most creative, skilled, and savvy people in the country are out of jobs simultaneously. How can we harness that resource and develop …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/12/the-collector…

Opposition scores win in Kuwait parliamentary election
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-06
Opposition scores win in Kuwait parliamentary election | Half of seats in first vote since death of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah go to opposition candidates, but no women are in the new National Assembly | MEE and agencies | Sun, 12/06/2020 – 14: 02 | A Kuwaiti casts his vote at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Jahra City, Kuwait on 5 December 2020 (Reuters) | Kuwait’s opposition took ne…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/kuwait-parlia…

In sickness and health, Fresno Food Not Bombs turns 25!
Kelly Borkert | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
January 2021 will mark the 25th anniversary of Fresno Food Not Bombs Saturday meal serving, an unbroken string of free meals over 25 years. Will that string be broken?>…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/06/1883881…

It’s Time For Trade Policies That Benefit Us All
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-06
Everyone we know is “for” trade. We can’t remember ever meeting anyone who is “against” trade. This simplistic view of globalization — that everyone is either for or against trade — brought grief to millions of workers and families in America. | Thomas Friedman wrote several popular books on globalization. He once said that he didn’t need to read CAFTA — the free trade agreement for Central American countries. The title of the document said “Free Trade.” That was all he needed to know. | Nobel Prize economist Joseph Stiglitz puts the question more productively, “How should we manage globalizatio…
popularresistance.org/its-time-for-trade…

Healthcare Workers Are Organizing Like Their Lives Depend On It
Alice Herman | zcomm.org | 2020-12-06
Faced with ongoing PPE shortages and employer obfuscation about deadly outbreaks, more hospital staff are seeing on-the-job solidarity as essential work…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/healthcare-workers…

Zarif meets with departing Brazilian ambassador
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the departing Brazilian Ambassador, Rodrigo de Azeredo Santos, meet and held talks in Tehran on Sunday.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166832/Zarif-meets-…

Around the World in 8 minutes: Indian Farmers Continue Massive Protest
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-06
The farmers in India are demanding the withdrawal of three recently passed laws that will affect the prices they get for the produce and which they fear will lead to greater corporate entry into agriculture.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/06/around-th…

Historic Harriet Tubman House demolished in Boston’s South End to make way for luxury condos
Liberation Staff | liberationnews.org | 2020-12-06
The historic Harriet Tubman House, a community hub for Black and working class Bostonians in the South End neighborhood was demolished in November to make way for luxury condos.
liberationnews.org/historic-harriet-tubm…

Disposable low-cost cardboard incubator for thermoregulation of stable preterm infant — a randomized controlled non-inferiority trial
Ashok Chandrasekaran, Prakash Amboiram, Umamaheswari Balakrishnan, Thangaraj Abiramalatha, Govind Rao, Shaik Mohammad Shafi Jan, Usha Devi Rajendran, Uma Sekar, Gayathri Thiruvengadam, Binu Ninan | thelancet.com | 2020-12-06
Maintenance of skin and axillary temperature of stable preterm infants in LCI along with kangaroo mother care was non-inferior to SSI, but at a higher incubator temperature by 0.7 ∞C. No adverse events occurred and LCI had excellent reliability to maintained set-temperature.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PI…(20)30408-9/fulltext?rss=yes

Five Key Takeaways From The November Jobs Report
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-06
Washington, DC – Evidence was abundant in the November jobs report that the U.S. economy’s tentative recovery is sputtering as coronavirus cases accelerate and federal aid runs out. | Hiring slowed sharply. Hundreds of thousands of people gave up looking for work. The proportion of the unemployed who have been jobless for at least six months rose. | All told, the Labor Department said Friday, employers added 245,000 jobs in November — the fewest since April, the fifth straight monthly slowdown and well short of the gain economists had been expecting.
popularresistance.org/five-key-takeaways…

FM Zarif holds talks with envoys from different countries
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with ambassadors of various countries to Iran on Sunday in Tehran-based Foreign Ministry building.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166831/FM-Zarif-hol…

The Congo: Kabila And Tshisekedi, A Coalition In Peril
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-06
The deal between former President Joseph Kabila and his coalition, Front commun pour le Congo (FCC) and current President Felix Tshisekedi and his Coalition, Cap pour le changement (CACH), has come to a predictable head. The country is in gridlock due to the internecine battles of the two coalition partners. The political blocks of the two prominent figures on Congo’s political scene have repeatedly bumped heads. Since the formation of their coalition, they have been at logger jam, a product of the fraud-riddled 2018 elections.
popularresistance.org/the-congo-kabila-a…

Trump’s Waning Weeks in the White House Could be the Most Dangerous
Michael Jansen | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-06
Donald Trump has, once again, demonstrated that the waning weeks of his tour in the White House could be the most dangerous during his residency at the executive mansion in the US capital. Free of all constraints and wise council, …
globalresearch.ca/trump-waning-weeks-whi…

It’s time to turn the world right side up by reimagining public safety
Mary Hooks | zcomm.org | 2020-12-06
There’s no way public safety as we have been taught is going to bring about safety in a meaningful way…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/its-time-to-turn-t…

Thursday 12/17: ACLU Webinar on Alternative Response to 911 Calls
ANCSCC | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
Online Event: | us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m4PG……
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/04/1883879…

Primary Care Practices Are Shutting Down Amid the COVID-Induced Economic Crisis
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-06
Cormay Caine misses a full day of work and drives more than 130 miles round trip to take five of her children to their pediatrician. The Sartell, Minnesota, clinic where their doctor used to work closed in August. | Caine is one of several parents who followed Dr. Heather Decker to her new location on the outskirts of Minneapolis, an hour and a half away. Many couldn’t get appointments for months with swamped nearby doct…
truthout.org/articles/primary-care-pract…

Nurses Over Billboards
Kris Parker | zcomm.org | 2020-12-06
Two-Day Strike Hits Site of New York’s First COVID Outbreak…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/nurses-over-billbo…

Racism and Lawfare in the United States
Franklin Frederick | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-06
And the first thing the American power structure doesn’t want any Negroes to start is thinking internationally. Malcolm X — Autobiography | Color is not a human or a personal reality; it is a political reality. James Baldwin, The Fire …
globalresearch.ca/racism-and-lawfare-in-…

Sunday 1/31: Alternative Political Parties: a local approach
The Oakland Greens | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
eventbrite.com/e/the-oakland-greens-pres…

Bryan Cranston is breaking bad in familiar ways for Showtime’s dark thriller “Your Honor”
Melanie McFarland | salon.com | 2020-12-06
The actor’s new Showtime series casts him as a character very much like the one in his old AMC series…
salon.com/2020/12/06/your-honor-review-s…

University, student sources of fundamental changes in society
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that universities and students are the sources of fundamental and original changes in society.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166842/University-s…

This simple, braided apple butter bread only looks complicated
Ashlie D. Stevens | salon.com | 2020-12-06
Jarred apple butter — which is spiced with cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg — does the heavy lifting in this winter loaf…
salon.com/2020/12/06/braided-apple-butte…

Iranian animators censure assassination of nuclear scientist
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — In a statement, a number of Iranian animators slammed the assassination of Iran’s nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166829/Iranian-anim…

‘Natl. Student Day’ ceremony observed at Tehran University
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — The ceremony of commemorating the “National Student Day’ was held at Ferdowsi Amphitheater of University of Tehran on Sun. in the presence of Saeed Jalili Member of Expediency Council.
en.mehrnews.com/photo/166843/Natl-Studen…

China Uproots Hong Kong’s US-Backed Opposition
Joseph Thomas | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-06
China finalised its campaign against protests in its Hong Kong territory when it expelled opposition politicians from Hong Kong’s government for endangering national security. | Following this move, opposition politicians still in office resigned in protest, leaving the territory’s government firmly …
globalresearch.ca/china-uproots-hong-kon…

Former PM says Boris Johnson will spark ‘economic war’ if he fails to get Brexit deal
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-06
The UK will face an “economic war” with Europe and America if Boris Johnson fails to negotiate a Brexit deal, Gordon Brown has warned. | The former prime minister said Johnson’s confrontational approach will make him the “most isolated prime minister in peacetime history” in the event of a no-deal Brexit. | Negotiations between British and EU negotiators are set to resume today, 6 December, in Brussels in an attempt to secure a post-Brexit trade deal. | “A path of confrontation”: | Warning of “huge international implications” if no agreement is reached, Brown said: We would be in an economic war with Europ…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/12/06/former-p…

COVID-19 vaccine: Rich countries might gain, poor ones might suffer
Newsclick | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-06
As trials for vaccine candidates continue, the question of which countries will gain access to it has become pressing. Low-income countries are likely to suffer in this regard…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/06/covid-19-…

Jim Crow Joe
Jack Delaney | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-06
It was the days of purple haze and…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/06/jim-crow-joe…

In sickness and health, Fresno Food Not Bombs turns 25!
Kelly Borkert | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
January 2021 will mark the 25th anniversary of Fresno Food Not Bombs Saturday meal serving, an unbroken string of free meals over 25 years. Will that string be broken?>…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/06/1883881…

Sunday 12/20: The Oakland Greens Monthly Business Meeting
The Oakland Greens | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
zoom.us/j/97697733389?pwd=aTlqSitGU3RHTH…

Autumn snow falls in Hamedan
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 07 (MNA) — In the last month of Autumn, the west-central Iranian province of Hamedan, located in the Zagros Mountains, has been blanketed in white snow.
en.mehrnews.com/photo/166824/Autumn-snow…

Britain Sent Saudi Arabia Thousands of Spare Parts for Warplanes Amid Arms Embargo
Phil Miller | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-06
The UK military supplied 2,323 spare parts for Tornado fighter jets to an arms company in Saudi Arabia last year, despite a court order against exporting weapons for use in the Yemen war, Declassified UK has found. | *** | Saudi planes …
globalresearch.ca/britain-sent-saudi-ara…

Wednesday 12/9: Rise Up for Justice: The Surveillance State, Social Safety, and Building Power
ACLU NorCal; Othering & Belonging Institute | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
Online webinar…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/05/1883880…

China Completes Spacecraft Rendezvous, Docking in Lunar Orbit
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-06
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that the ascender of Change-5 probe successfully rendezvoused and docked with the orbiter-returner combination in lunar orbit at 5: 42 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Sunday. | RELATED: | China’s Spacecraft Takes off From Moon With Samples | Change-5 is one of the most complicated and challenging missions in Chinese aerospace history, as well as the world’s first moon-sample mission in more than 40 years. | The Change-5 probe, comprising an or…
telesurenglish.net/news/China-Completes-…

Remember Pearl Harbor: Provoking Japan, Provoking North Korea
Prof. Graeme MacQueen | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-06
Featured image: A destroyed Vindicator at Ewa field, the victim of one of the smaller attacks on the approach to Pearl Harbor (Source: Wikimedia Commons). First published on December 4, 2017 | December 7, 1941. Seventy-nine years ago. incisive …
globalresearch.ca/remember-pearl-harbor-…

Sunday 1/31: Alternative Political Parties: a local approach
The Oakland Greens | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
eventbrite.com/e/the-oakland-greens-pres…

VIDEO: Fireworks explode as fire starts in market in Russia
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
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.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166836/VIDEO-Firewo…

Betsy A. McLane’s master class in Cinéma Vérité
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Betsy A. McLane is slated to hold a master class in the 14th Iran International Documentary Film Festival known as “Cinema Verite” which is scheduled to be organized totally online from December 15 to 22 in Tehran.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166835/Betsy-A-McLa…

VOD creates new chapter in fields of making films, TV series
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Due to opportunities and threats in fields of communication technologies, today, utilizing Video on Demand is considered as an undeniable necessity. So, issue of VOD creates a new chapter in fields of making film and series.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166840/VOD-creates-…

The History of the Decline and Fall of the American Empire
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-12-06
Tom ENGELHARDT | We’re now living in an age of opacity, as Rudy Giuliani pointed out in a courtroom recently. Here was the exchange: “‘In the plaintiffs’ counties, they were denied the opportunity to have an unobstructed observation and ensure opacity,’ Giuliani said. ‘I’m not quite sure I know what opacity means. It probably means you can see, right?’ | “‘It means you can’t,’ said U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann. | “‘Big words, your honor,’ Giuliani said.” | Big words…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/12/06/hi…

Any inclination for future negotiating with US wrong
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Iran Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Ebrahim Raeisi said that any inclination for future negotiation with the US is considered wrong.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166837/Any-inclinat…

Ecuador’s Democracy Threatened by Efforts to Exclude Popular Presidential Candidate Andrés Arauz
Harvey Goldberg | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
“It is important to understand the goals of the current government in regards to the election. First, they want to stop our presidential ticket from being on the ballot…removing us from the ballot would set a disastrous precedent for all of our Americas,” said Andres Arauz, leading candidate for President of the Union for Hope. | Photo credit: @ecuarauz Twitter…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/05/1883880…

Ecuador’s Democracy Threatened by Efforts to Exclude Popular Presidential Candidate Andrés Arauz
Harvey Goldberg | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
“It is important to understand the goals of the current government in regards to the election. First, they want to stop our presidential ticket from being on the ballot…removing us from the ballot would set a disastrous precedent for all of our Americas,” said Andres Arauz, leading candidate for President of the Union for Hope. | Photo credit: @ecuarauz Twitter…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/05/1883880…

India: Largest Strike in World History : Over 200 Million Workers and Farmers Protest against Poverty and Unemployment Triggered by Covid Lockdown
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-06
The general strike occurred in the context of the devastation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic in India. Added to this are the millions of people who have lost income and who now face increased poverty and hunger, in a …
globalresearch.ca/india-largest-strike-i…

UK First to Approve Pfizer COVID Vaccine as Former Head of Pfizer Research Says Vaccine Can Make Females Infertile
Brian Shilhavy | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-06
In breaking news today, the U.K. became the first country to issue emergency authorization for Pfizer’s new COVID vaccine, with the first doses being delivered “immediately” and injections expected to begin in the U.K. next week. | Pfizer and BioNTech have | …
globalresearch.ca/breaking-uk-first-appr…

Terrorists used AI to assassinate Martyr Fakhrizadeh
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2020-12-06
TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) — Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps disclosed some details of Martyr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh’s assassination by the Zionist regime, which included the use of artificial intelligence.
en.mehrnews.com/news/166841/Terrorists-u…

Egypt’s Sisi arrives in France for controversial visit
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-06
Egypt’s Sisi arrives in France for controversial visit | The Egyptian leader will discuss ‘strategic partnership’ with French President Emmanuel Macron during his three-day visit to Paris | MEE and agencies | Sun, 12/06/2020 – 10: 33 | Macron has faced criticism for hosting Sisi after Egypt jailed three rights activists after briefing diplomats from Europe and America on the state of human rights in Egypt (A…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-france-…

Wednesday 12/9: Rise Up for Justice: The Surveillance State, Social Safety, and Building Power
ACLU NorCal; Othering & Belonging Institute | indybay.org | 2020-12-06
Online webinar…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/12/05/1883880…

The History of the Decline and Fall of the American Empire
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-12-06
Tom ENGELHARDT | We’re now living in an age of opacity, as Rudy Giuliani pointed out in a courtroom recently. Here was the exchange: “‘In the plaintiffs’ counties, they were denied the opportunity to have an unobstructed observation and ensure opacity,’ Giuliani said. ‘I’m not quite sure I know what opacity means. It probably means you can see, right?’ | “‘It means you can’t,’ said U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann. | “‘Big words, your honor,’ Giuliani said.” | Big words…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/12/06/hi…

Former Plaid Cymru leader’s response to the Millwall scandal is a must-read
Steve Topple | thecanary.co | 2020-12-06
A former Plaid Cymru leader gave perhaps the most important response to Millwall fans booing players who ‘took the knee’. Because she provided crucial historical context as to why the supporters’ and others’ reactions should worry us. | Over at Millwall…: | The Guardian reported that on Saturday 5 December, Millwall fans sparked outcry. It wrote that: some of the 2,000 home fans inside the ground booed when home and Derby players took a knee before…
thecanary.co/trending/2020/12/06/former-…

Venezuelan Housing Mission Delivers 3,300,000th Home
teleSUR, ce | telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-05
The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, led this Saturday afternoon the delivery of the 3,300,000 house of the Great Venezuela Housing Mission (GMVV), which took place in the La Gran Villa urban development, located in the Villa de Cura parish, Zamora municipality, Miranda state. | RELATED: | Venezuela Loses 99 Percent of Its Income Due To US Sanctions | Despite the effects of the economic blockade imposed by the United States government and t…
telesurenglish.net/news/venezuelan-housi…

VA’s Rolling Coverage: Venezuela’s National Assembly Elections | December 6, 2020
venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-12-05
On December 6, Venezuelans choose their new National Assembly. Count on Venezuelanalysis to bring you all the information with its on-the-ground team.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/15057

Evo Morales Arrives in Venezuela to Observe Sunday’s Election
teleSUR, ce | telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-05
The Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, held a fraternal meeting on Saturday with former President of Bolivia, Evo Morales and the President of the Bolivian Senate Andrónico Rodríguez, in preparation for the December 6 National Assembly election during which parliamentarians will be elected. | RELATED: | Venezuela: Electoral Authorities Welcomed International Observers | According to a message published on the official account of the Venez…
telesurenglish.net/news/evo-morales-arri…

How Venezuela’s Indigenous Peoples Will Elect their Parliamentarians
teleSUR, ce | telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-05
This Sunday, December 6, Venezuela holds parliamentary elections to choose lawmakers for the National Assembly in accordance with what was agreed to in the national dialogue between representatives of the opposition and the Government which began in 2019. | RELATED: | Venezuela: Electoral Authorities Welcome International Observers | In accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, indigenous peoples will elect three parliamentarians in the three zones delimited by indi…
telesurenglish.net/news/how-venezuelas-i…

Venezuela’s anti-blockade law and the Dec. 6 elections
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-12-05
On Sunday, Dec. 6, the Venezuelan people will vote to elect the new deputies of the National Assembly. This election is enormously important for the Bolivarian Revolution.
mronline.org/2020/12/05/venezuelas-anti-…

Federal Judge Delivers ‘Huge Victory’ for Immigrants, Ordering Trump Administration to Fully Restore DACA
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-05
“It opens the door for more than a million immigrant youth who have been unfairly denied their chance to apply for DACA,” said the director of the Justice Action Center. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/04/federal…

Imperfect Releases: Andrew Hastie, War Crimes Reports and Australia in Afghanistan
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-12-05
If one were to get into the head of Australian government MP Andrew Hastie, a security tangle of woe would no doubt await. Having been a captain with the Special Air Services and having also served in Afghanistan, he has been none too thrilled by the publicity soldiers he served with have received. The report …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/12/imperfect-rel…

Will This Be the Radicalization of Black Lives Matter?
Ajamu Baraka | zcomm.org | 2020-12-05
The rulers have consciously moved to pre-empt the radicalization of the present moment by propping up what has now become a diversionary movement meant to de-politicize…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/will-this-be-the-r…

Water Protectors Launch Direct Action Against Enbridge Pipeline in Minnesota
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-05
Indigenous-led water protectors on Friday engaged in multiple direct actions against Enbridge’s highly controversial Line 3 tar sands pipeline in Minnesota, on the same day that state regulators denied a request from two tribes to stop the Canadian company from proceeding with the project. | Water protectors blocked pipeline traffic and climbed and occupied trees as part of Friday’s actions. Urging other Indigenous peoples and allies to “take a stand,” the Anishinaabe activists at one of the…
truthout.org/articles/water-protectors-l…

La Resistencia protest
Renée Feltz | progressive.org | 2020-12-05
Immigrant detainees are being punished for refusing to eat.
progressive.org/magazine/hunger-for-just…

[Viewpoint] Certifying Guinea worm eradication: current challenges
David H Molyneux, Mark L Eberhard, Sarah Cleaveland, Regina Addey, Robert Tinga Guiguemdé, Ashok Kumar, Pascal Magnussen, Joel G Breman | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
The Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP) is, along with polio, one of two active eradication programmes endorsed by the World Health Assembly. Currently, smallpox is the only human infection to have been eradicated.1 Guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis, is caused by infection with Dracunculus medinensis that is acquired by the ingestion of infected copepods (of the genera Cyclops and Mesocyclops) or by consuming viable infective larvae in fish or other paratenic hosts.2,3 Polio and Guinea worm programmes have made great progress; however, both programmes face major challenges as they progress towards eradi…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)32553-8/fulltext?rss=yes

Only Supporters Of Peace Should Be Appointed To The Nobel Peace Prize Committee
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-05
Since 2007, a number of TFF Associates — Fredrik Heffermehl to mention the leading world expert on it — have been engaged in creating awareness of the de facto and de jure misuse of the world’s in principle most prestigious prize — Alfred Nobel’s for peace. | We usually do not post appeals on this public education for peace site. But this appeal, crafted by Heffermehl and David Swanson — deserves to be here. | Please go to the appeal now and sign it. It is common sense and it is uncontroversial — unless you happen to believe in two things: a) that violence and war is better than peac…
popularresistance.org/only-supporters-of…

Only Supporters Of Peace Should Be Appointed To The Nobel Peace Prize Committee
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-05
Since 2007, a number of TFF Associates — Fredrik Heffermehl to mention the leading world expert on it — have been engaged in creating awareness of the de facto and de jure misuse of the world’s in principle most prestigious prize — Alfred Nobel’s for peace. | We usually do not post appeals on this public education for peace site. But this appeal, crafted by Heffermehl and David Swanson — deserves to be here. | Please go to the appeal now and sign it. It is common sense and it is uncontroversial — unless you happen to believe in two things: a) that violence and war is better than peac…
popularresistance.org/only-supporters-of…

New Zealand government denounces China’s condemnation of Australian war crimes
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern did not condemn the murder of at least 39 unarmed people in Afghanistan by Australian special forces, but denounced a Chinese official’s tweet that drew attention to these war crimes.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/nzaf…

What’s Not Being Said About the Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine. “Human Guinea Pigs”?
F. William Engdahl | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-05
The Pharma giant Pfizer use an experimental technology known as gene editing, specifically mRNA gene-editing, something never before used in vaccines. Before we rush to get jabbed in hopes of some immunity, we should know more about the radical experimental technology and its lack of precision.
globalresearch.ca/what-not-said-pfizer-c…

Will the Supreme Court Overrule Farmworker Union Rights?
David Bacon | zcomm.org | 2020-12-05
“The federal government has excluded farmworkers from all labor law protections under the National Labor Relations Act for 85 years”
zcomm.org/znetarticle/will-the-supreme-c…

The Road to a More Just Society Runs Through Congress
Ralph Nader | commondreams.org | 2020-12-05
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… …
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/05/road-m…

US Congresswoman Betty McCollum denounces Israel’s ‘state-sponsored killing’ of Palestinian child
Ali Harb | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-05
US Congresswoman Betty McCollum denounces Israel’s ‘state-sponsored killing’ of Palestinian child | US lawmakers Betty McCollum and Rashida Tlaib have denounced the fatal shooting of Ali Abu Aalya, 15, by Israeli forces | Ali Harb | Sat, 12/05/2020 – 19: 43 | Israeli forces shot Ali Abu Aalya in the stomach during protest near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank (Supplied) | US Congresswoman Betty McCollum denounced the fata…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/congresswoman…

The Great Reset, The Green New Deal, and Co-opted NGOs will not End Climate Change!
Michael Welch | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-05
“Yet this depraved new global architecture, dangerous to life, human, sentient and biological, is pushed forward despite advanced knowledge of foretold tragedy — solely for the pursuit of money, profits and power. It is this very fact that shows …
globalresearch.ca/the-great-reset-the-gr…

With rent freezes about to expire, Mnuchin lobbies for more Wall Street bailouts
Raul Diego | mronline.org | 2020-12-05
As millions of Americans stand on the brink of economic annihilation, the money keeps flowing to Wall Street thanks to carefully contrived mechanisms to maintain a dying financial system afloat.
mronline.org/2020/12/05/with-rent-freeze…

How Bolivia Beat A Military Coup
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-05
The return of Evo Morales was possibly the most important moment in Bolivian history. This time last year, far-right protesters kidnapped Patricia Arce, the mayor of a small town called Vinto. They made her walk over broken glass. They cut her hair and doused her in petrol and red paint and told her they were walking her to her death. And they were trying to get her to resign and to condemn Evo Morales. She refused to do both and so they tortured her. After the coup took power, she was persecuted. She had 17 criminal charges hanging over her.
popularresistance.org/how-bolivia-beat-a…

Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/labo…

How Israel Deployed an Intelligence Deception to Justify Killing Scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-12-05
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 “Iran’s top nuclear scientist”. In fact, Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency eli…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/12/05/ho…

How Israel Deployed an Intelligence Deception to Justify Killing Scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-12-05
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 “Iran’s top nuclear scientist”. In fact, Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency eli…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/12/05/ho…

Negotiators agree to devise formal procedures for future intra-Afghan talks
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-05
The first milestone in the intra-Afghan peace talks, ongoing since September 12, has raised hopes for a comprehensive ceasefire agreement and an end to the Taliban’s offensive against civilian and military installations in the country…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/05/negotiato…

“Indian farmers will resist until govt repeals all three agriculture laws”
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-05
Ashok Dhawale, president of the All India Kisan Sabha, one of the main organizations leading the current farmers’ struggle, explains why tens of thousands of farmers have embarked on a protest on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/05/indian-fa…

A Comparison of Respect for the Sanctity of Mosques in France, the US, and China
Kim Petersen | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-05
France has seen a spate of attacks carried out by radicalized Muslims. The attacks and killings must be denounced. | But more so must one denounce the terrorism and killings carried out by the French state against Muslims in its wars …
globalresearch.ca/comparison-respect-san…

Video: Japan’s Hayabusa2 Capsule With Asteroid Samples Successfully Lands on Earth
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-05
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Hayabusa2 capsule containing samples from near-Earth asteroid Ryugu has been located in Australia after a successful landing, the Hayabusa2 sample return mission operated by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, said on Twitter.
sputniknews.com/science/2020120510813721…

UK healthcare workers: “The ending of lockdown will see a massive increase in infections”
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
Doctors, nurses and health care assistants in the UK say hospitals are at breaking point and warn that the Conservative government’s ending of the national lockdown will fuel a new wave of infections and hospital admissions.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/inhe…

Portugal Bans New Years Travel Between Regions, Allows Christmas Break, Prime Minister Says
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-05
MADRID (Sputnik) – Portuguese citizens will be able to travel between the country’s municipalities during the Christmas holidays with certain limitations, but the travel window will close for New Year’s eve and its aftermath, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Saturday.
sputniknews.com/europe/20201205108137187…

‘Few things matter more to humans’: UN report says we must protect and restore biodiversity of world’s soil
Kenny Stancil | nationofchange.org | 2020-12-05
“Policies that minimize soil degradation and protect soil biodiversity should be a component of biodiversity protection at all levels.”
nationofchange.org/2020/12/05/few-things…

Corporations Paying Lawmakers to Outlaw Protest Is a Crime Against Democracy
Basav Sen | commondreams.org | 2020-12-05
More communities are standing up to pipelines. The fossil fuel industry wants to make that a felony. We need to push for “Protesters’ Bills of Rights” in state legislatures to codify the right to protest. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2020/12/05/corpor…

Saudi foreign minister says deal ‘close’ to end Qatar blockade
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-05
Saudi foreign minister says deal ‘close’ to end Qatar blockade | While previous reports indicated a thaw between Riyadh and Doha alone, Prince Faisal says UAE, Bahrain and Egypt would also be involved | MEE and agencies | Sat, 12/05/2020 – 14: 41 | Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud speaks during his meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 14 October 2020, in Washington…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-…

UK Tory government manipulated statistics to play down COVID-19 danger to educators
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
Boris Johnson’s government is attempting to rubbish any conclusion that teaching is a high-risk occupation, using a combination of manipulated statistics and outright lies.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/onss…

Argentina passes one-time personal wealth levy dubbed ‘millionaires’ tax’ to cover Covid-19 damage
rt.com | 2020-12-05
Argentina has approved an extraordinary levy on large personal wealth. The measure is meant to raise some $3.6 billion to fund recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic. Critics say it’s not an option for the stagnant economy. | The so-called “millionaires’ tax” was approved in the Senate late on Friday in a 42 to 26 vote. The measure targets Argentinian citizens with declared personal wealth of over 200 million pesos ($2.5 million). It will apply a progressive tax rate of at least 2 percent on their total fortunes, including assets they may hold outside the country. | The tax was earlier passed by the lower chambe…
rt.com/news/508789-argentina-millionaire…

From a Hamilton Moment to Perpetual Debt Slaves: This Is the True Face of the EU
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-12-05
Over the summer while the U.S. was mired in the worst kind of color revolution with race riots, economic shutdowns and the worst kind of divisive politics, the European Union was celebrating its great achievement. | A seven-year budget and COVID-19 bailout package that was heralded as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “Alexander Hamilton Moment.” Because that legislation, meant to be the cornerstone of Germany six-month stint as the president of the European Council finally granted the European Commission the ability to issue debt, collect taxes and disburse funds. | That would be the way the COVID-19 relief fund…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/12/05/fr…

Trump Demands Names of 27 Congressional Republicans Who Acknowledged Biden’s Victory
Kenny Stancil, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-05
Two right-wing lawmakers insist Trump won the election, while 220 GOP members of the House and Senate—roughly 88 percent of congressional Republicans—refuse to say either way. “Send me a list,” Trump tweeted, “of the RINOs” who recognize Biden as the winner. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/05/trump-d…

[Articles] Effectiveness of seasonal malaria chemoprevention at scale in west and central Africa: an observational study
ACCESS-SMC Partnership | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
SMC at scale was effective in preventing morbidity and mortality from malaria. Serious adverse reactions were rarely reported. Coverage varied, with some areas consistently achieving high levels via door-to-door campaigns. Markers of resistance to sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine and amodiaquine remained uncommon, but with some selection for resistance to sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine, and the situation needs to be carefully monitored. These findings should support efforts to ensure high levels of SMC coverage in west and central Africa.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)32227-3/fulltext?rss=yes

Alternative for Germany shifts further to the right
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
The AfD is despised among wide layers of the population and has fallen well below 10 percent support in many opinion polls. Their influence is secured thanks above all to the established parties, and the official “left” in particular.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/afdg…

America Wants Marijuana Reform. Congress Shouldn’t Stand in the Way
Barbara Lee | zcomm.org | 2020-12-05
Investing in local communities and rolling back the criminalization of marijuana is exactly what the country needs right now.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/america-wants-mari…

VIDEO: Turkey emerges as conduit for change as EU falls on its own sword
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-12-05
Turkey, once begging to enter the EU, is now becoming a truly independent power. Watch the video and read more in the article by Martin Jay.
strategic-culture.org/video/2020/12/05/v…

WATCH: Man climbs Montparnasse Tower in Paris with BARE HANDS
rt.com | 2020-12-05
YouTube athlete Leo Urban skillfully climbed Paris’ huge Montparnasse skyscraper with only his bare hands and no safety harness on Saturday, as daunting footage filmed by captivated eyewitnesses attests. | Impressively, Urban free-climbed the 58-floor building in less than an hour, as onlookers viewed the daring feat from below. | Multiple reporters captured footage of Urban scaling the massive building. | Certains profitent du confinement pour escalader la Tour #Montparnasse à mains nues… üôà&#63743…
rt.com/news/508805-climber-scales-paris-…

[Comment] Seasonal malaria chemoprevention: closing the know–do gap
Elizabeth A Ashley, Adoke Yeka | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
Malaria continues to impact on young lives, causing sickness, impaired school performance, disability, and preventable death, with little progress made to reduce the overall burden since 2014.1,2 In 2019, 274‚Äà000, or 67%, of all malaria deaths were in children younger than 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa.2 WHO has recommended seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) for malaria control in areas across the Sahel sub-region since 2012.3 These areas are characterised by a unimodal rainfall pattern, with the majority (at least 60%) of confirmed malaria cases in children younger than 5 years occurring…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)32525-3/fulltext?rss=yes

Ex-CIA head Brennan wrong to call Iranian scientist killing ‘criminal,’ US also carried out such actions, ex-Mossad chief tells RT
rt.com | 2020-12-05
Criticism of the killing of a senior Iranian military researcher voiced by the ex-head of the CIA seems misplaced considering that his chief Barack Obama ordered targeted assassinations himself, a former Mossad head believes. | Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was gunned down last week in what many, including top Iranian officials, believe to be a clandestine Israeli operation. RT’s Going Underground spoke to Efraim Halevy, the former head of Israeli secret service Mossad, to discuss the high-profile assassination, cr…
rt.com/news/508788-iran-assassination-mo…

First Person: COVID education is child’s play for Thai UN volunteer
news.un.org | 2020-12-05
An innovative initiative to provide child-friendly information about COVID-19 has been launched by a UN volunteer (UNV) in Thailand who recognized that children needed to know more about the dangers of the virus but also have fun learning at home during the lockdown. On International Volunteer Day marked annually on 5 December, UNICEF’s Rasa Pattikasemkul talks about motivation, family loss and keeping children safe.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1…

The Mao-Roosevelt No meeting, 1945
Tony Norfield | mronline.org | 2020-12-05
In January 1945, Mao Tse-tung sent a message to U.S. President Roosevelt asking to visit the U.S. and discuss future relationships with China. The message got blocked by a U.S. diplomat in China, and Roosevelt apparently did not receive it.
mronline.org/2020/12/05/the-mao-roosevel…

Friedrich Engels at 200: A revolutionary historian
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-12-05
Engels’ study of The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845) is a pioneering work of urban political ecology and urban sociology, that offers a vivid and human portrayal of the horrors which accompanied the Industrial Revolution.
mronline.org/2020/12/05/friedrich-engels…

The NYPD said the killing of Kawaski Trawick ‘appears to be justified.’ Video shows officers escalated the situation
Lucas Waldron and Eric Umansky | nationofchange.org | 2020-12-05
Kawaski Trawick was shot and killed in his Bronx apartment by a New York Police Department officer on April 14, 2019. The NYPD said Trawick had charged at officers with a knife. Video of the shooting shows the officers had escalated the situation — and that one officer then shot Trawick over his more-experienced partner’s …
nationofchange.org/2020/12/05/the-nypd-s…

Obama is wrong. ‘Defund the police’ continues to gain support despite former president’s patronizing remarks
Joe Tache | liberationnews.org | 2020-12-05
The demand to defund the police speaks to the heart of policing in this country.
liberationnews.org/obama-is-wrong-defund…

A racist endeavor: zionist Israel’s black Jewish victims of color
Gavin Lewis | mronline.org | 2020-12-05
Even when reports of its racism escape this ideological censorship, examples of racism in Israel are treated as isolated incidents, rather than systemic characteristics of the entire racist regime.
mronline.org/2020/12/04/a-racist-endeavo…

Browned butter and the caramelized flavor of maple syrup create an apple pie with layers of flavor
Joseph Neese | salon.com | 2020-12-05
This pie from the owner of Petee’s Pie Company is the perfect companion for a chilly winter day or a holiday meal…
salon.com/2020/12/05/browned-butter-and-…

Israel releases Palestinian tax revenues after withholding them for over six months
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-05
Israel was withholding over USD 1 billion worth of tax revenues due to the Palestinian Authority after the latter decided in May to suspend security and civil ties with Israel in protest against the illegal annexation plans declared by the Netanyahu government…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/05/israel-re…

VIDEO: Turkey emerges as conduit for change as EU falls on its own sword
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-12-05
Turkey, once begging to enter the EU, is now becoming a truly independent power. Watch the video and read more in the article by Martin Jay.
strategic-culture.org/video/2020/12/05/v…

November jobs report shows collapse of economic growth
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
As daily infections, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 continued to explode, Friday’s US employment report showed a disastrous drop in new jobs and a dramatic increase in long-term unemployment. Wall Street celebrated with record highs on all major stock indexes.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/jobs…

Washington, DC public schools return students to classes amid record-breaking COVID-19 spike
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
The sudden return of students to classrooms amid a devastating surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths is based upon businesses demanding a complete reopening of the economy.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/dcps…

[Seminar] Bipolar disorders
Roger S McIntyre, Michael Berk, Elisa Brietzke, Benjamin I Goldstein, Carlos López-Jaramillo, Lars Vedel Kessing, Gin S Malhi, Andrew A Nierenberg, Joshua D Rosenblat, Amna Majeed, Eduard Vieta, Maj Vinberg, Allan H Young, Rodrigo B Mansur | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
Bipolar disorders are a complex group of severe and chronic disorders that includes bipolar I disorder, defined by the presence of a syndromal, manic episode, and bipolar II disorder, defined by the presence of a syndromal, hypomanic episode and a major depressive episode. Bipolar disorders substantially reduce psychosocial functioning and are associated with a loss of approximately 10–20 potential years of life. The mortality gap between populations with bipolar disorders and the general population is principally a result of excess deaths from cardiovascular disease and suicide.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)31544-0/fulltext?rss=yes

One year later: Demand justice for Frank Ordonez, Teamster killed by police
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-12-05
Los Angeles, CA – December 5 will mark a year since the murder of UPS driver Frank Ordonez. Last year, Ordonez, while delivering on route, was kidnapped by jewel thieves and held hostage in the delivery vehicle. The truck was pursued by police for hours. The pursuit came to a slowdown at a busy intersection, where police opened fire on the vehicle. The police fired over 200 rounds, killing Ordonez, the thieves and a bystander. The bystander, Rick Cutshaw, was a business rep for OPEIU Local 100. A year later, no one has been charged for the murders, and the officers still remain on active duty. And none of the pol…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/12/5/one-year…

[Correspondence] Sepsis — Authors’ reply
Kristina E Rudd, Kevin S Ikuta, Mohsen Naghavi | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
We thank Maja von Cube and colleagues, Tanca Minderhoud and colleagues, Graeme Duke and colleagues, and Meera Joshi and colleagues for their thoughtful Correspondence regarding our Article1 about the estimation of global, regional, and national sepsis incidence and mortality between 1990 and 2017.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)32535-6/fulltext?rss=yes

Sudan’s civilian government condemns army chief’s new council
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-05
Sudan’s civilian government condemns army chief’s new council | General Abdel Fattah Burhan’s new council puts him at odds with the civilian branch of Sudan’s transitional government as it attempts to forge a way ahead | MEE and agencies | Sat, 12/05/2020 – 16: 13 | Sudan’s Sovereignty Council comprises military leaders like Burhan, left, and civilian protest leaders (AFP) | Members of Sudan’s transitional g…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-burhan-…

Bielorrússia na mira do Ocidente (II): Entrevista com o pesquisador Paulo Henrique Tavares, direto da Bielorrússia
Yuri Martins Fontes | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-05
[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 : | | Bielorrússia na mira do Ocidente: Entrevista com o pesquisador Paulo Henrique Tavare | …
globalresearch.ca/bielorrussia-na-mira-d…

Liverpool mayor is out on bail after being arrested in bribery investigation
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-05
Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson has been released on bail after being arrested by detectives investigating allegations of bribery and witness intimidation. The allegations are linked to building deals in the city. Anderson was arrested with four other people. | Conditional bail: | Merseyside Police said in a statement on Saturday 5 December: We can confirm that five people arrested in connection with offences of bribery and witness intimidation as part of an investigation on into building and development contracts in Liverpool have been released on conditional bail, pending further inquiries. | Anderson, 62,…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/12/05/liverpoo…

Former correctional officer pleads guilty to assaulting inmate and cover up
Andrew Emett | nationofchange.org | 2020-12-05
“This correctional officer’s actions go against every duty he swore to carry out when he took his badge.”
nationofchange.org/2020/12/05/former-cor…

Video: 6-Alarm Fire in NYC Almost Burns Down 128-Year-Old Church in Manhattan
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-05
The fire occured at 48 East 7th St., in Manhattan, New York City, in a building next to a local land mark, the Middle Collegiate church, built in 1891. The cause of the fire remains unknown, as firefighters continue to put out the flames while an investigation on its origins has been started by authorities.
sputniknews.com/us/202012051081371593-vi…

These sprinkled and spiked butter cookies melt in your mouth — and they make the best holiday gift
Joseph Neese | salon.com | 2020-12-05
Amaretto and almond extract reimagine a classic New York bakery staple for kids at heart…
salon.com/2020/12/05/these-sprinkled-and…

Coronavirus Lessons That Vietnam Could Teach Americans and the World
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-12-05
All of the data here can easily be found at the world’s best website for tracking each day’s national and international coronavirus (or covid) cases and deaths: www.worldometers.info/coronavirus. | —- | After America hit a world-record high of 204,163 new covid-19 cases on November 20th, that number declined down to 145,576 new daily cases a week later, on November 26th, which was, of course, very welcomed news. Meanwhile, Vietnam, with a population of 97,693,204 as compared to America’s 331,790,984, had only 1 new case on November…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/12/05/co…

How Star Wars failed Ahsoka Tano on “The Mandalorian,” even beyond the casting controversy
Caroline Cao | salon.com | 2020-12-05
Rosario Dawson portrayed the live-action version of the popular Jedi, who is best remembered in animated form…
salon.com/2020/12/05/the-mandalorian-ahs…

“Baby Chimp Rescue” is just as adorable as you expect, and surprisingly emotional as well
Melanie McFarland | salon.com | 2020-12-05
This docuseries may be December’s cutest show. The volunteers at its center also want us to know it’s a tragedy…
salon.com/2020/12/05/baby-chimp-rescue-r…

1.5 million dead from the coronavirus pandemic worldwide
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
More than 10,000 people are killed by this deadly disease every day, 50 percent more than the height of the first wave of the pandemic in April and more than double the daily death rate at the start of October.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/covi…

Russian authorities to investigate after forged negative Covid-19 test certificates found on sale for just $33 each
rt.com | 2020-12-05
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.com/russia/508795-forged-covid19-test…

A Racist Endeavour: Zionist Israel’s Black Jewish Victims of Color
Gavin Lewis | mronline.org | 2020-12-05
Even when reports of its racism escape this ideological censorship, examples of racism in Israel are treated as isolated incidents, rather than systemic characteristics of the entire racist regime.
mronline.org/2020/12/04/a-racist-endeavo…

[Obituary] Guillermo Soberón
Andrew Green | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
Former Mexican Secretary of Health and Rector of UNAM. Born on Dec 29, 1925, in Iguala, Mexico, he died on Oct 12, 2020, of congestive heart failure in Cuernavaca, Mexico, aged 94 years.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)32539-3/fulltext?rss=yes

The COVID-19 pandemic and the global resurgence of class struggle
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
Just in the past eleven days, tens of millions have joined strikes or mass protests.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/pers…

Journalism Lesson for Ron Elving at NPR’s Weekend Edition: You Don’t Know What Republican Members of Congress “Think” About Aid to State and Local Governments
Dean Baker | cepr.net | 2020-12-05
I’m not sure why it is so hard for reporters to just tell us what politicians say and do, instead of telling us what they think and believe. This may be news for reporters, but politicians don’t always believe the things they say. For example, almost 90 percent of the Republicans in Congress will not …
cepr.net/journalism-lesson-for-ron-elvin…

[Perspectives] Mona Hanna-Attisha: championing child health against the odds
Aarathi Prasad | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
It was mid-morning on March 16, 1988, when, after 2 days of mortar, artillery, and rocket attacks, aircraft returned to hit the people of Halabja, northern Iraq–this time, with an assault of chemical weapons. “I clearly recall, like it was yesterday, I was 11 years old, and my father showed me a picture of this beautiful baby lying on the ground”, says Mona Hanna-Attisha, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Human Development and CS Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI, USA.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)32536-8/fulltext?rss=yes

Coronavirus Lessons That Vietnam Could Teach Americans and the World
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2020-12-05
All of the data here can easily be found at the world’s best website for tracking each day’s national and international coronavirus (or covid) cases and deaths: www.worldometers.info/coronavirus. | —- | After America hit a world-record high of 204,163 new covid-19 cases on November 20th, that number declined down to 145,576 new daily cases a week later, on November 26th, which was, of course, very welcomed news. Meanwhile, Vietnam, with a population of 97,693,204 as compared to America’s 331,790,984, had only 1 new case on November…
strategic-culture.org/news/2020/12/05/co…

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 | 2020-12-05
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…
rt.com/russia/508786-teen-motorist-froze…

House passes comprehensive marijuana reform legislation historically de-scheduling marijuana
Ashley Curtin | nationofchange.org | 2020-12-05
“We are grateful that members of Congress have rightly come to the realization that the drug war has exacerbated the racial injustices in this country…”
nationofchange.org/2020/12/05/house-pass…

Biden’s Young Hawk: The Case Against Jake Sullivan
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-05
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.
popularresistance.org/bidens-young-hawk-…

French government announces mass closure of mosques in continuing anti-Muslim crackdown
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
Just one week before Macron’s draft “anti-separatism law” is submitted to the convention, the interior ministry launches a new attack on mosques.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/fran…

US House of Representatives votes to decriminalise cannabis at federal level
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-05
The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has approved a bill to decriminalise and tax marijuana in the US at the federal level. | HISTORIC MOMENT: The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the MORE Act to comprehensively reform our federal marijuana laws! | — Marijuana Policy Project (@MarijuanaPolicy) December 4, 2020 | Opponents of the bill mocked Democrats for bringing it up at a time when thousands of Americans are dying from the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. But Democrats said they can work…
thecanary.co/us/us-news-us/2020/12/05/us…

[Research Paper] Choice reaction time and subsequent mobility decline: Prospective observational findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
Renuka Chintapalli, Roman Romero-Ortuno | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
TILDA participants in the slower MRT group seemed to have faster mobility decline, but this effect was statistically and clinically small.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PI…(20)30420-X/fulltext?rss=yes

Congress Is Deadlocked On COVID-19 Relief
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-05
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…
popularresistance.org/congress-is-deadlo…

Podemos denies mounting danger of fascist military coup in Spain
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
This is a politically criminal attempt to lull workers and youth to sleep as anger mounts at officers’ calls to support fascism and murder of millions of left-wing voters in Spain.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/pode…

US occupational safety agency fails to report hundreds of health care worker deaths
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
The officially facilitated coverup of worker deaths has continued in the midst of exploding coronavirus infections and deaths over the past month.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/osha…

Sri Lankan government activates lie machine to cover up prison killings
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
Colombo has reacted to opposition to the shooting of unarmed protesting prisoners with increased repression.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/maha…

Unions picket Coles warehouse, call for boycott
Pip Hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-12-05
Unionists and supporters took action outside a temporary warehouse in Prospect to protest the supermarket giant Coles’ lock-out of 350 workers. Jim McIlroy reports.
greenleft.org.au/content/unions-picket-c…

Medical workers protest across Mexico as President AMLO continues to downplay pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
After suffering nearly 150,000 infections and 2,000 deaths, health care workers are demonstrating against unsafe conditions, lack of pay and for other demands.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/mexi…

States With Lax COVID-19 Restrictions Are Spreading the Virus to Their Neighbors
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-05
For months after Washington state imposed one of the earliest and strictest COVID-19 lockdowns in March, Jim Gilliard didn’t stray far from his modular home near Waitts Lake, 45 miles north of Spokane. | The retiree was at high risk from the coronavirus, both because of his age, 70, and his medical condition. Several years ago, he had a defibrillator implanted. So he mainly ventured out during the pandemic to shop for food. | There wasn’t much else to do anyway. Gatherings in his county w…
truthout.org/articles/states-with-lax-co…

As Biden Considers Climate Nominations, He Must Go Beyond an Obama-Era Reboot
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-05
The Biden campaign won on a slogan to “build back better.” But when it comes to tackling the climate crisis, the next administration seems to think “better” simply means hitting rewind. The world needs more than an Obama era reboot to be saved from climate chaos. | So far, a bevy of the leading contenders for key climate and energy nominees are holdovers from the Obama administration. The fact that former Secretary of State John Kerry has already been tapped for a key international post [mdas…
truthout.org/articles/as-biden-considers…

[World Report] South Africa and India push for COVID-19 patents ban
Ann Danaiya Usher | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
They want the WTO to temporarily suspend intellectual property rights so that COVID-19 vaccines and other new technologies are accessible for poor countries. Ann Danaiya Usher reports.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)32581-2/fulltext?rss=yes

The pillage of resources: A glimpse into the lives and labor of marginalized women
Sujata Gothoskar | mronline.org | 2020-12-05
Lives of women dependent on natural resources, such as land, forests, rivers, and mountains, are being tossed asunder by the appropriation and expropriation of these resources by corporations and the state.
mronline.org/2020/12/04/the-pillage-of-r…

Video: Paris Police Order Protesters to Leave Place De La Republique Square as Unrest Continues
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-05
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Paris Police Prefecture warned participants of security bill protests against remaining at the Place de la Republique square after the rally’s end, amid ongoing clashes and unrest.
sputniknews.com/europe/20201205108137198…

Real-life validation of the Panbio‚Ñ¢ COVID-19 antigen rapid test (Abbott) in community-dwelling subjects with symptoms of potential SARS-CoV-2 infection
Hendrik Gremmels, Beatrice M.F. Winkel, Rob Schuurman, Andert Rosingh, Nicolette A.M. Rigter, Olga Rodriguez, Johan Ubijaan, Annemarie M.J. Wensing, Marc J.M. Bonten, L.Marije Hofstra | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
In community-dwelling subjects with mild respiratory symptoms the Panbio‚Ñ¢ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test had 100% specificity, and a sensitivity above 95% for nasopharyngeal samples when using Ct-values
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PI…(20)30421-1/fulltext?rss=yes

Slovenian left intensifies campaign against military spending
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-12-05
The right-wing dominated Slovenian National Assembly last week voted down the left-supported citizens’ initiative calling for a national referendum on the government’s plan for carrying out massive military expenditure…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/12/05/slovenian…

Former Chief Science Officer for Pfizer Says “Second Wave” Faked on False-Positive COVID Tests, “Pandemic Is Over”
Ralph Lopez | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-05
First published by Global Research on September 24, 2020 | In a stunning development, a former Chief Science Officer for the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer says “there is no science to suggest a second wave should happen.” The “Big Pharma” insider asserts …
globalresearch.ca/chief-science-officer-…

The Covid “Pandemic”: Destroying People’s Lives. Engineered Economic Depression. Global “Coup d’Etat”?
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-05
Destabilizing in one fell swoop the national economies of more 190 countries is an act of “economic warfare”. This diabolical agenda undermines the sovereignty of nation states. It impoverishes people Worldwide. It leads to a spiralling dollar denominated global debt.
globalresearch.ca/the-second-wave-destro…

The Heat: China’s mission to the moon
Anand Naidoo | america.cgtn.com | 2020-12-05
China carries out an historic mission to the Moon to bring back samples for the first time in more than four decades.
america.cgtn.com/2020/12/05/the-heat-chi…

MASSIVE blaze, EXPLOSIONS at gas plant near shopping mall in El Salvador (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)
rt.com | 2020-12-05
A gas plant just outside the country’s capital San Salvador went up in flames on Saturday afternoon. Videos and photos of the blaze quickly surfaced on social media. There have been no reports of any victims or injuries. | A massive fire combined with explosions has been filmed near the Plaza Mundo mall, with authorities urging residents to avoid the area. | Nadie debe estar cerca de la zona, fuera de los cuerpos de socorro. | Las explosiones muy probablemente continuarán. Todos deben evacuar inmediatamente. pic.twitter.com/vmceoX6Flx– üá∏&#6…
rt.com/news/508808-gas-plant-fire-salvad…

[Comment] Offline: COVID-19–what have we learned so far?
Richard Horton | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
COVID-19 has left little time for reflection about lessons to be learned. This coronavirus has provoked us, mobilised us, and distracted us. But with a vaccine on the horizon, it’s perhaps time to pause. What have we discovered this past year? And how do these discoveries inform our future? Our annual Lancet–Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences conference–held virtually last week–provided a moment for such contemplation.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)32584-8/fulltext?rss=yes

Soldiers deploy teargas at the funeral for a Palestinian child shot dead by Israeli forces
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-12-05
Clashes have erupted between Israeli security forces and Palestinians at the funeral of a 13-year-old boy killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank.Hundreds of Palestinians had gathered to mourn the death of Ali Abu Alia in Almugayer village, where he was shot in the stomach by Israeli forces. He died in hospital on Friday 4 December.Soldiers intermittently attacked mourners with tear gas as they threw stones at Israeli forces.Clash near the West Bank town of Salfit (Majdi Mohammed/AP)”Appalled”: Late on Friday, the senior UN political envoy in the region said he was “appalled” by the killing of…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/12/0…

[Correspondence] Freedom from coercion is not discrimination
Jeff Barrows | thelancet.com | 2020-12-05
In the World Report about LGBTQ discrimination in US health care,1 the new US Department of Health and Human Services ruling and the Texas federal court ruling from 2019 are inaccurately portrayed. The Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) was one of the plaintiffs in the case.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)32534-4/fulltext?rss=yes

Our wish for the future host of “Jeopardy!”: Who is LeVar Burton?>
Melanie McFarland | salon.com | 2020-12-05
Heading into…
salon.com/2020/12/04/jeopardy-host-levar…

FBI gathered US website visitor logs under the post-9/11 PATRIOT Act
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
As debate resumes in Washington, D.C. over renewal of special provisions of the PATRIOT Act, a series of letters released by the New York Times shows that US law enforcement and intelligence agencies are continuing to carry out electronic surveillance of the public.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/patr…

Brexit trade talks to reconvene in Brussels in last gasp effort to secure deal
rt.com | 2020-12-05
British and EU negotiators are to meet in Brussels on Sunday in a late bid to resolve ongoing “significant differences” between the two sides as they seek to agree a trade deal before the end of the year deadline. | The reconvening of talks was confirmed by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a joint statement following their phone call on Saturday, which was in itself a bid to overcome the continuing deadlock. | “In a phone call today on the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom, we welcomed the fact that progress has been…
rt.com/uk/508803-stalled-brexit-talks-re…

‘Get on your knees’ before Putin: Ex-Ukrainian leader Poroshenko says Zelensky will humiliate country to end Donbass conflict
rt.com | 2020-12-05
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.com/russia/508798-poroshenko-zelensky…

Video of Alleged Killing of ‘Mossad Commander’ in Tel-Aviv Goes Viral
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-05
According to unconfirmed reports, the killing of a man who was reportedly identified as a 45-year-old Israeli and a senior Mossad official, occurred in the Israeli capital city of Tel Aviv on Thursday evening.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/2020120510813…

Number of infections among UPS airline pilots doubled in one month
wsws.org | 2020-12-05
One hundred pilots for UPS Airlines were infected with coronavirus last month, double the amount for the rest of the year, the pilots’ union announced on Nov. 30.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/05/ups-…

Michel Chossudovsky: Globalresearch.ca Biography
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | 2020-12-05
There are a number of deliberate “errors” and omissions in Michel Chossudovsky’s wikipedia entry. Defamatory statements. | The same applies to the wikipedia entry for Global Research which has been merged with Chossudovsky’s entry. The objective is to smear GR. …
globalresearch.ca/michel-chossudovsky-bi…

Cuba Tests Vaccine Candidate Abdala Against Covid-19
teleSUR, ce | telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-05
Cuba has begun the clinical trial of a new vaccine candidate against COVID-19, named Abdala (CIGB-66), in Santiago de Cuba province, in the east of the country. | RELATED: | Iran and Cuba to Produce Vaccine Together Despite US Pressures | The candidate was developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) of Cuba, an institution that is dedicated to the research, development, production and commercialization of products of this branch. | On Friday, the CI…
telesurenglish.net/news/cuba-tests-vacci…