(2020-12-31). Released Taliban militants behind journalist's killing, Kabul says. laprensalatina.com Kabul, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Two of the 5,000 Taliban fighters who were released earlier this year after an agreement with the United States — as a precondition for intra-Afghan peace negotiations — were behind the recent assassination of Afghan journalist Rahmatullah Nikzad, Afghanistan's principal intelligence agency claimed on Thursday. The alleged perpetrators of the killing …
(2020-12-31). Venezuela: Top Court Supports New Parliament's Inauguration. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Supreme Court (TSJ) Wednesday ruled to void a legislative reform submitted by opposition lawmakers of the outgoing Parliament, which sought to prevent the inauguration of a new legislative period set to begin on January 5. | RELATED: | The TSJ ruling responds to an appeal requesting a mandate extension of the 2015 Parliament which is currently in contempt and is set to end with the installation in…
(2020-12-31). The Death Of Democracy In Brazil. popularresistance.org The dismantling of Brazil's democracy, which culminated in the jailing of former president Lula Da Silva as he looked certain to be reelected, is the subject of a new English-language investigative podcast. | Cícero Ezequiel Filho lay beneath the sweltering sun of Brazil's capital, Brasilia. He wore khaki shorts, John Lennon glasses and a long white beard, which stretched far below his chin and over a red long-sleeved shirt with the face of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the front. | When I met him in August 2018, Cícero had been outside Brazil's Supreme Court for two weeks. He refused to eat until…
(2020-12-31). WorkWeek Exposes Racist & Corrupt SF City Health Service System Boss Mitch Griggs. indybay.org WorkWeek on Thursday 12/31/20 at 12 noon on San Francisco's KPOO 94.1 FM www.kpoo.com will have guests who expose the systemic racism and corruption at the San Francisco City Health Service System run by Mitch Griggs and also at the Department of Public Health. Joining the show will be the new editor of the SF Bay View Malik Washington who broke the story of the racist terrorism against SF City Health Service worker Malika Alima. Also joining the show will be SFCC Department of Public Health nurse and whistleblower W.D. Flient.
(2020-12-30). Hands off COVID-19 whistleblower Rebekah Jones! wsws.org Sri Lankan health workers denounce the persecution of data scientist Rebekah Jones and hail her determination to protect lives by exposing the real extent of the coronavirus pandemic in the US.
(2020-12-30). The Julian Assange Pardon Drive. dissidentvoice.org The odds are stacked against Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher who faces the grimmest of prospects come January 4. On that day, the unsympathetic judicial head of District Judge Vanessa Baraitser will reveal her decision on the Old Bailey proceedings that took place between September and October this year. Despite Assange's team being able to …
(2020-12-30). Pompeo and State Department face legal action over $23bn UAE arms sale. middleeasteye.net 
Pompeo and State Department face legal action over $23bn UAE arms sale | New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs claims in lawsuit that massive weapons sale violates US Arms Export Control Act | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 17: 05 | The $23bn arms sale to UAE includes killer drones and American-made F-35 jets (AFP/File photo) | An American NGO has filed a lawsuit against the State Department and its head,…
(2020-12-30). Bias, racism and lies: facing up to the unwanted consequences of AI. news.un.org Powerful digital tools using artificial intelligence (AI) software are helping in the fight against COVID-19, and have the potential to improve the world in many other ways. However, as AI seeps into more areas of daily life, it's becoming clear that its misuse can lead to serious harm, leading the UN to call for strong, international regulation of the technology.
(2020-12-29). The Fate Of Press Freedom To Be Decided On January 4. popularresistance.org Judge Vanessa Baraitser will announce her decision on the United States' request to extradite Julian Assange on January 4. Assange faces 18 charges, 17 of them under the Espionage Act, which has been weaponized to go after journalists who expose war crimes and other truths the United States wants to keep secret. If he is extradited, it will end press freedom as we know it. Any journalist anywhere in the world will know they could face similar consequences if they expose the US government. I speak with Kevin Gosztola of Shadowproof, who has been following the extradition process closely, about what is likely to ha…
(2020-12-29). A Pardoning Time of Year. Julian Assange and Edward Snowden? globalresearch.ca The resistance to the apparent election of Joe Biden as President of the United States is continuing to play out. Current President Donald Trump is continuing to fight against the presumed results of the November national election with his final …
(2020-12-29). Monday 1/4: Drop The Charges Against Assange & Snowden: Free Them NOW! indybay.org British Consulate | 1 Sansome St. | San Francisco…
(2020-12-29). The NDAA, Trump and the Military Industrial Complex. globalresearch.ca For decades, the National Defense Authorization Act has been the lifeblood of the US imperium, guaranteeing a flow of money across the military. A better term for such a bill would use the word offence in it, but lawmakers and …
(2020-12-29). Taliban behind 99 percent attacks this year, Afghan intelligence says. laprensalatina.com Kabul, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The Taliban are behind 99 percent of the terror attacks carried out within the past year in Afghanistan, including a recent wave of almost daily targeted killings that have rocked the country, the principal intelligence agency of the country said on Tuesday. In 2020 "out of 18,200 attacks, 99 percent were …
(2020-12-29). An Open Letter to Biden: Selecting a CIA Director. counterpunch.org 
I'm assuming that you and your team are still debating the selection of a director for the Central Intelligence Agency. I hope that you don't think me presumptuous for making some suggestions. I'm doing this on the basis of my 24 years of experience as a CIA intelligence analyst as well as my candid testimony before the Senate intelligence committee several decades ago regarding the confirmation process.