(2021-12-25). Video: The Christmas Truce of 1914 and Other Unlearned Lessons from World War I. globalresearch.ca "…the ones who call the shots (in war) won't be among the dead and lame And on each end of the rifle we're the same" — John McCutcheon | In World War I, as happens to be true in most American …
(2021-12-25). The Forgotten Christmas Truce of 1914. Unlearned Lessons which could have Prevented a Century of War (1914 — 2014). globalresearch.ca It was exactly 106 years ago this month when the Christmas Truce of 1914 occurred, when Christian soldiers on both sides of the infamous No Man's Land of the Western Front, recognized their common humanity, dropped their guns and fraternized …
(2021-12-25). World War I: The 1914 Christmas Truce. globalresearch.ca An excerpt from Jacques Pauwels' book The Great Class War, 1914-1918 | The situation in the fall 1914, after the "war of movement" has given way to the infamous stationary "trench warfare": | The ordinary soldiers developed more and more antipathy and …
(2021-12-25). Warrior Met Coal Miners Are Spending Christmas 2021 on Strike. truthout.org 
This article was first published by This Christmas, as millions of families settle in to adorn fir trees, the children of striking coal miners in Alabama have asked mainly for practical gifts. Shoes and clothes top their lists, followed by Barbies and Rainbow High dolls, Legos, Nerf guns, and makeup kits. | Roughly 300 children will receive these gifts through donations collected by the Min…
(2021-12-25). US-backed TPLF seeks protection from UN after facing military defeat. peoplesdispatch.org With federal government forces cornering the TPLF back into Tigray state, the TPLF has called for peace negotiations. The government has called for the disarmament of the group and the surrender of its leadership.
(2021-12-25). Pentagon Plans to Destroy Dozens of Soviet Cities and the So-called Cold War. globalresearch.ca Of relevance to the ongoing US-NATO agenda directed against the Russian Federation: | The history of Nuclear Weapons dates back to World War II. The Manhattan Project was intended to "Subdue The Soviets" while the US and the USSR were allies. …
(2021-12-25). Growing Russia-India Cooperation Strengthens Global Stability. journal-neo.org 
With its sanctions intrigues and the desire to demonstrate a servile adherence only to the United States, Europe is increasingly becoming a global strategic periphery. Asia, on the contrary, is moving forward in terms of the global significance of the events taking place there. Against this background, the strategies of Russia and India complement each …
(2021-12-25). Two model rules for domestic implementation of 15% global minimum tax. moderndiplomacy.eu The OECD today published detailed rules to assist in the implementation of a landmark reform to the international tax system, which will ensure Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) will be subject to a minimum 15% tax rate from 2023. The Pillar Two model rules provide governments a precise template for taking forward the two-pillar solution to address …
(2021-12-25). How Washington Led the Purge of Christians from its 'New Middle East'- Part 2. orinocotribune.com 
By Tim Anderson — Dec 21, 2021 | Christians in Syria were attacked and purged in the west of the country by US and NATO-backed sectarian Islamists and in the east by the death cult ISIS. | Purging the Christians of Syria | The US role in the purge of Syrian Christians was apparent from the first months of 2011, but warnings came earlier. In 2005, CNN's Christine Amanpour, closely linked to senior Washington officials,
(2021-12-25). China's success against covid dwarfs The West's. Here's how & why. moderndiplomacy.eu Libertarians/neoliberals in The West can't believe the enormous extent of China's success at keeping down the rates of disease, and of death, and of unemployment, from covid-19, because China's policies on covid are, and have been, the exact opposite of libertarian/neoliberal. (What's called "libertarian" in America is called "neoliberal" throughout the rest of the world.) …
(2021-12-25). Two Years of COVID Have Forced Us to Recalibrate Our Concept of Hope. truthout.org 
"I wish it was over for good or ill," laments J.R.R. Tolkien's over-curious hobbit, Pippin, on the eve of Sauron's siege at Minas Tirith. "I am no warrior at all and dislike any thought of battle; but waiting on the edge of one that I can't escape is worst of all. What a long day it seems already!" | A long day indeed. Waiting on the edge is what many of us have been doing for nearly two years now, and not only is there no end in sight, there is yet another unavoidable battle waiting for us out there…
(2021-12-25). Guantánamo Film Ignores the War on Terror's Ongoing Tangible Harms. truthout.org 
"There is no them, there is only us," says filmmaker Alex Gibney reflecting on the story of Abu Zubaydah, a torture victim and Guantánamo prisoner who is the focus of his HBO documentary, The Forever Prisoner. Expanding on this, he poses a challenge: "If we believe in that idea, how can we imprison a man without charge for the remainder of his life — not for what he did to us, but for what we did to him?" In this statement made at the conclusion of the documentary, Gibney explicitly notes that the…
(2021-12-25). Venezuela's Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Evaluates Measures to Deal with Omicron. orinocotribune.com 
Venezuela's presidential task force for the prevention and control of COVID-19 met this Thursday, December 23, to evaluate mechanisms to deal with the Omicron variant that has recently been detected in the country. | The meeting, chaired by Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Foreign Trade. | Various officials of the government were also present at the meeting, including the Minister for Health, Carlos Alvarado; the Minister for Communication and Information, Freddy àëáñez; and the Minister for Science and Technology, Gabriela Jiménez…
(2021-12-24). Amazon Warehouse Workers Walk Off The Job In Illinois. popularresistance.org On Wednesday morning, several dozen Amazon workers at two separate Chicago-area delivery stations staged a walkout to demand raises and safer working conditions, making it the first time the tech giant has seen a multi-site work stoppage in the United States. | Coming just three days before Christmas to ensure maximum impact, the action caps a year of intense organizing and protest by Amazon warehouse workers who have been on the frontlines of both the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme weather events. | Organized by the labor network Amazonians United, the walkouts occurred during the morning shifts at the company's…
(2021-12-24). No USA Christmas Love for Afghans, Venezuelans, Cubans, Syrians, Iranians, and North Koreans. dissidentvoice.org 
This Christmas season, as always, CIA controlled mainstream media is filled with unctuous images of the hungry homeless in America being charitably served food by private citizens and institutions. It has long become an American tradition of kindness during the season celebrating the birth of all loving Jesus along with gift giving Santa Claus, and …
(2021-12-24). Ethiopia: TPLF Announces Retreat. popularresistance.org The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has announced that it will withdraw its forces to "give peace a chance." This marks a key milestone in the civil war it started in November 2020. Why was the TPLF forced to retreat? What prospects lie ahead for the country? Elias Amare, editor of Horn of Africa TV, explains.
(2021-12-24). A Mass-Murdering Regime Dares to Lecture the World on Human Rights. strategic-culture.org Washington is a criminal regime as its illegal wars and deliberate mass murder demonstrate beyond any doubt. | An important report published this week reveals in extensive detail the shocking scale of war crimes committed by the United States in the Middle East. Thousands of civilian deaths, including children, are documented as a result of aerial bombardments conducted by the U.S. military. | It is crucial to remark that the published survey — while voluminous involving thousands of pages and documents — represents only a fraction of the full scale of mass murder. The research focuses on Syria and I…
(2021-12-24). Egyptian human rights defender Sanaa Seif freed after 18 months in jail. peoplesdispatch.org Seif was convicted on March 17 on charges including "spreading fake news", "using social media to terrorize people" and "disturbing state peace and security" after being held in pre-trial detention since June 2020…
(2021-12-24). Capitalism Contributed To Factory Workers Deaths. popularresistance.org The weekend of December 10-11, 2021, saw a reported 30 tornadoes hitting several states from Arkansas to Illinois; as of this writing, 74 people are confirmed dead and several buildings severely damaged or totally demolished. | All the cases of death and destruction are devastating; however, the most telling and unconscionable are the deaths of eight people at a candle-making factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, and six in an Amazon facility in Edwardsville, Illinois. What makes these two cases significant is that they most likely could have been avoided, but once again capitalism's insatiable greed is significantly re…
(2021-12-24). University of the Pool Political Report — December 2021. orinocotribune.com By University of the Poor — December 2021 | The University of the Poor Political Coordination Committee has drafted this political report as a basis for debate, discussion and coordination throughout our network. It's not meant as an official position paper of the University of the Poor, or as our final word on these important questions, but as a contribution to our leaders' ability to make concrete analysis of the concrete situation. We plan to develop and publish these political reports regularly moving forward. | International Situation and China | We are living in a period of a significant change in worl…
(2021-12-24). South Korean Dictator Dies, Western Media Resurrects a Myth. towardfreedom.org South Korea's history offers a stark and ominous lesson, one that the mainstream media would prefer you ignore: A battle is brewing, with very high stakes. Under pressure, the United States has taken brutal actions to maintain control and hegemony, writes K.J. Noh.
(2021-12-24). Failure of US media on Ukraine. dissidentvoice.org We need to constantly remind ourselves about the US media. During the Cold War, there was the saying that the difference between the New York Times and the Soviet Pravda was that Pravda readers knew they were being lied to. Unfortunately, current coverage by the US media about the movement of Russian troops demonstrates the applicability of that saying today. …
(2021-12-24). Will Charter Schools Improve Education in France? dissidentvoice.org 
Charter by definition means contract, a legally binding agreement between two or more parties to do or not do something within a specified period of time. Typically, contracts also enshrine a set of rewards and punishments. Contracts are the quintessential market category. They govern how relations work in the marketplace and ensure exchange relations occupy …
(2021-12-24). Workers, supporters demand'Amazon, recognize the Union now!'. workers.org 
Steps away from Broadway shows shut down by spiking COVID-19 numbers in New York City, a crowd of more than 80 people gathered in Times Square Dec. 22 to demand Amazon recognize the union being organized by the Amazon Labor Union at the company's Staten Island warehouse, as well as . . . |
(2021-12-24). Ahead of eighth round of Vienna talks, Iran warns against undue pressure, demands complete sanctions removal. peoplesdispatch.org The seventh round of talks held earlier this month between the remaining signatories of the Iran nuclear deal were inconclusive due to the refusal of the Joe Biden administration in the US to lift all sanctions against Iran imposed since May 2018…
(2021-12-24). Omicron Less Likely To Cause Severe Symptoms: UK Scientists Say. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) released an study stating that people with Omicron are significantly less likely to develop severe symptoms. | RELATED: | Early results suggest people are 30-45 percent less likely to go to emergency health services if they are infected with Omicron than with Delta. They are also 50-70 percent less likely to need to be admitted to hospital. However, the UKHSA warned that the ne…
(2021-12-24). "My campaign is spearheading a fightback": Victimised London bus driver David O'Sullivan's hearing set for January. wsws.org Metroline bus company sacked O'Sullivan after he warned colleagues about the spread of COVID-19 at Cricklewood bus garage in northwest London.
(2021-12-24). The Commission proposes the next generation of EU own resources. moderndiplomacy.eu The Commission has today proposed to establish the next generation of own resources for the EU budget by putting forward three new sources of revenue: the first based on revenues from emissions trading (ETS), the second drawing on the resources generated by the proposed EU carbon border adjustment mechanism, and the third based on the …
(2021-12-24). Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald & Chris Hedges on NSA Leaks, Assange & Protecting a Free Internet. democracynow.org 
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Glenn Greenwald and Chris Hedges discuss mass surveillance, government secrecy, internet freedom and U.S. attempts to extradite and prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. They spoke together on a panel moderated by Amy Goodman at the virtual War on Terror Film Festival after a screening of "Citizenfour" — the Oscar-winning documentary about Snowden by Laura Poitras.
(2021-12-24). "We have no way further to retreat," says Putin, as NATO escalates military build-up on Russia's borders. wsws.org The Russian president warned his country would "react harshly" to further aggressive moves by NATO.
(2021-12-24). Leaked files expose Syria psyops veteran astroturfing BreadTube star to counter Covid restriction critics. thegrayzone.com By covertly recruiting popular YouTube influencer Abigail Thorn to counter growing opposition to UK gov't Covid restrictions, psy-ops pros are bringing home the tactics they honed in the Syrian dirty war. Leaked documents have revealed a state-sponsored influence operation designed to undermine critics of the British government's coronavirus policies by astroturfing a prominent founder of the BreadTube clique of "anti-fascist" YouTube influencers. The project aims to conduct psychological profiling on British citizens dissenting against policies such as mandatory vaccination and …
(2021-12-24). I want to get our rights from the Americans who harmed us: The Fifty-First Newsletter (2021). mronline.org When WikiLeaks and Assange released military video, they embarrassed the United States government. All its claims of humanitarian warfare lost credibility. It is from this point onwards that the US government—whether under the charge of Obama, Trump, or Biden—sought to punish Assange. | December 24, 2021…
(2021-12-24). Leaked Files Expose Syria Psyops Veteran Recruiting Youtube Influencer to Counter Covid Restriction Critics. libya360.wordpress.com Kit Klarenberg and Max Blumenthal By covertly recruiting popular YouTube influencer Abigail Thorn to counter growing opposition to UK gov't Covid restrictions, psy-ops pros are bringing home the tactics they honed in the Syrian dirty war. Leaked documents have revealed a state-sponsored influence operation designed to undermine critics of the British government's coronavirus policies by…
(2021-12-24). The Frenzied Economy of Turkey: Erdogan Unfazed by the Ineluctable Financial Collapse. moderndiplomacy.eu Inflation is a ubiquitous word nowadays in almost every discussion worldwide. While the concept is tricky to quantify objectively, the subjective interpretation (at least to a layman) is straightforward: prices rise, goods become expensive, and money loses value. Ever since the pandemic upended routine life, inflation has garnered attention from almost every walk of life. …
(2021-12-24). Goodbye to All That and a Whole Lot More. scheerpost.com 
By Meghan Marohn / Original to ScheerPost | Editor's note: This piece was first published on ScheerPost on August 3, 2020. We're reprinting it now on the occasion of Joan Didion's passing at the age of 87 on Thursday. | I've known that I should like Joan Didion. Friends would share their perspectives on her work, so at some point I decided to dive into Slouching Towards Bethlehem. But I remember the feeling, after reading her famous essay "Goodbye to All That" about leaving New York City, that I had been left with a rendering of transience more than any specific comment on life in New York. Perhaps that's bec…
(2021-12-24). Afghanistan: OIC emerging dilemma. moderndiplomacy.eu December 19, 2021, is going to be a monumental day for Afghanistan in its perilous situation. Pakistan on that particular day will host a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers on Afghanistan aimed at addressing exacerbating and egregious humanitarian crisis in war-torn Afghanistan. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan's foreign minister says, "In …
(2021-12-24). After repeated appeals, UNSC approves resolution for humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. peoplesdispatch.org 22.8 million people in Afghanistan are facing potentially life-threatening food insecurity this winter. The World Food Programme has warned that 8.7 million people are nearing famine-like conditions.
(2021-12-24). Outdated US Cold War Policy Worsens Ongoing Russia-Ukraine Conflict. zcomm.org The Russia-Ukraine conflict is a solvable problem, but one wonders if the U.S. will remain dedicated to a "zombie policy" that could produce potentially awful consequences in the event of a diplomatic failure…
(2021-12-24). A reply to President Biden from California health care workers: "No, the country is not better prepared for COVID than last year!" wsws.org We issue this blunt warning to workers and the general public: The hospital system is worse off now than it was in March 2020. We have been worn to the bone after two years of the pandemic.
(2021-12-24). Peru Ratifies UN Treaty On The Prohibition Of Nuclear Weapons. popularresistance.org Addressing the UN General Assembly this September, the minister of foreign affairs of Peru, àìscar Maúrtua, hailed the TPNW's entry into force as a "great achievement" and "a legal and moral starting point on a long road to achieve nuclear disarmament". | Peru is the 14th country in Latin America to ratify the TPNW, following Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Uruguay, El Salvador, Panama, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Honduras, and Chile. An additional four countries in the region have signed but not yet ratified the treaty: Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. | Gisela Lujá…
(2021-12-24). Trains with Flawed Electrical Systems Caused Caracas Subway Explosions. orinocotribune.com Wednesday, December 22, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and the Minister of Transportation, Hipólito Abreu, reported that investigations by engineers from the Caracas Metro found the cause of explosions that affected several trains of the public company in previous weeks. They also responded to threats of a lawsuit from by the Spanish Export Credit Insurance Company (CESCE), which is claiming compensation for ‚Ǩ138 million. | "A fault was discovered that caused explosions as a result of the electrical overload," explained President Nicolás Maduro at a ceremony at the Teresa Carreño T…
(2021-12-24). Why the Media Silence about Trudeau's Worst Foreign Policy Failure. dissidentvoice.org 
Imagine if Nicolás Maduro's vice president quit and called for his government to be disbanded. Or if Venezuela's opposition won a landslide in regional elections or if 90% of member states voted against the government's UN credentials. The Canadian media would have splashed this news on front pages, but the shoe was on "our guy's" …
(2021-12-24). Judges Condemn 9 People Involved in Urban Violence in Caracas. telesurenglish.net On Friday, Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) announced that the Fourth State Court convicted nine members of a paramilitary group involved in the wave of violence generated from a shantytown in Caracas in early July. | RELATED: | The judges imposed penalties of up to five years in prison on the defendants for crimes related to the use of stolen vehicles, association to commit a crime, resistance to authority,…
(2021-12-24). Gabriel Boric Responds to Jair Bolsonaro's Statements. telesurenglish.net On Friday afternoon after receiving the booster dose against COVID-19 President-elect Gabriel Boric made statements on the greetings by the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, referring also to the comments issued by his son, in which he indicates that Boric "will take the country to a situation similar to the one Venezuela reached with Nicolás Maduro." | RELATED: | "I had not seen it, we will analyze it later. I am…