News Briefs for Friday, December 20, 2024
HAVANA TIMES – Here are the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Friday, December 20, 2024.
Israel’s Genocide in Gaza Claims 77 Palestinian Lives Over Past Day
Dec 20, 2024
Israel’s relentless attacks across the Gaza Strip killed at least 77 Palestinians over the past 24 hours. An Israeli strike on two schools turned shelters killed at least 15 displaced Palestinians in Gaza City. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have continued their brutal siege on north Gaza with attacks reported in Beit Hanoun. Israeli quadcopters were also seen shooting civilians in Jabaliya al-Balad.
Meanwhile, the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a resolution asking the International Court of Justice to assess Israel’s obligations to facilitate the delivery of U.N. and international aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has repeatedly blocked the entry of lifesaving aid into the besieged territory.
In more related news, Doctors Without Borders said in a new report, published Thursday, that Israel’s war on Gaza shows clear signs of ethnic cleansing.
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Israeli Settlers Vandalize West Bank Mosque Amid Continuing Israeli Attacks Across Occupied Territory
Dec 20, 2024
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers on Friday set fire to a mosque in the village of Marda, spray-painting “revenge” and “death to Arabs” in Hebrew on the Muslim holy site. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, calling on the U.N. to launch an investigation. This is Nasfat al-Khufash, head of the Marda village council.
Nasfat al-Khufash: “Today, on Friday, Marda woke up to a systemic terror attack by a group of settlers who set fire to Bir al-Walideen mosque. A number of settlers set fire and attempted an attack on a wider scale on the mosque, as you see the aftermath of this, along with writing racial slurs such as ‘death to Arabs’ and that they will burn this mosque to build a synagogue. These attacks are continuous and systematic by settler groups.”
The attack on the mosque came as at least six Palestinians were killed across the West Bank, including an 80-year-old woman who was shot in the chest by Israeli forces during a raid in the Balata refugee camp, near Nablus, Thursday. In Tulkarm, at least four Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle.
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U.S. Officials in Damascus as Syrian Kurds Seek to Fend Off Possible Turkish Incursion
Dec 20, 2024
Senior U.S. officials have arrived in Damascus on the first U.S. diplomatic mission to Syria in over a decade. The officials are expected to meet with members of HTS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the armed Islamist group that helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s regime earlier this month. The meeting is occurring even though HTS remains on the State Department’s terrorist list.
This comes as questions remain over the fate of Kurdish populations in Syria. A commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces said it would agree to withdraw any non-Syrian Kurdish fighters from northern Syria if Turkey agrees to a complete ceasefire.
Mazloum Abdi: “We said that we are ready to withdraw our forces from the border and for the area to be free of our forces and for the internal security forces to be present instead of our forces, in addition to the presence of American forces in the area to supervise this area, on the condition that there is a complete truce.”
The Wall Street Journal reports an official in the Syrian Kurds’ civilian administration has directly appealed to Donald Trump to pressure Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against sending troops into Syria.
Meanwhile, press freedom groups have condemned the killing of two Kurdish women journalists — Jihan Belki and Nazim Dashdam — by a Turkish drone as they were reporting on attacks on the Tishrin Dam on the outskirts of Kobani.
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Syrian Youth, Women Gather to Demand Respect for Human Rights from Incoming Gov’t
Dec 20, 2024
Meanwhile, Syria’s interim education minister reassured the nation that a new government will not restrict girls’ access to education. On Thursday, Syrian youth and women gathered in Damascus to call for their rights to be respected in any new government.
Maram Fuleihan: “We are here to participate as youths in order to be together hand in hand, to be a secular, democratic state where there is equality and maintenance of women’s rights. So far, we do not know what the situation will be, and we are not attacking or judging anyone because it is still so early, but it is our right to hold onto our rights. It is our right to know where we are going to and participate together, as Syrians, to build a Syria for all.”
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Striking Amazon Workers in NYC Met with Police Crackdown as Labor Action Spreads Across U.S.
Dec 20, 2024
Thousands of Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers at seven facilities across four states — New York, Georgia, California and Illinois — are entering a second day of a historic strike after taking to the picket lines Thursday. It comes after Amazon refused to bargain a fair contract as workers demand higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions. The Teamsters described it as the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history. President Sean O’Brien said in a statement, “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed.”
Here in New York, police stormed the picket line at an Amazon facility in Queens, arresting an Amazon driver on strike and a Teamsters leader; they were both later released.
On Wednesday, reports emerged of Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos dining with President-elect Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago. We’ll have more on this story after headlines.
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Starbucks Workers Launch Escalating Strike Action
Dec 20, 2024
Image Credit: St. Louis Starbucks Workers United
As the Amazon action picks up steam, unionized Starbucks workers have launched five days of phased strikes, as the coffee giant has repeatedly refused to bargain in good faith. Starbucks baristas in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle are striking today, and the action will escalate through Christmas Eve. Over 500 Starbucks stores nearly unanimously voted to approve the strike.
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U.S. Gov’t Inches Closer to Shutdown After House Rejects New, Trump-Endorsed Spending Bill
Dec 20, 2024
The U.S. government appears to be hurtling toward a shutdown after the House voted down a new, Trump-approved bill Thursday evening that included a two-year suspension of the federal debt limit. This comes after Trump and Elon Musk intervened to sink the previous, bipartisan package. House Speaker Mike Johnson has until the end of today to introduce and pass another spending measure before a partial shutdown is triggered.
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Fulton County DA Fani Willis Barred from Georgia’s Election Subversion Case Against Trump
Dec 20, 2024
An appeals court on Thursday disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from overseeing Georgia’s election interference case against Trump and his 18 co-defendants. Her removal follows revelations of a prior relationship with the lead prosecutor. The fate of the sweeping criminal racketeering case against Trump is unclear, but it’s likely to be paused as Trump returns to office, or dismissed altogether.
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Luigi Mangione Faces Federal Murder Charges for Shooting Death of UnitedHealthcare CEO
Dec 20, 2024
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was arraigned in a New York court Thursday after being extradited from Pennsylvania, and charged with murder, two stalking charges and a firearms offense. The federal murder charge carries a possible death penalty sentence. Mangione had already been facing state murder and terrorism charges. A handcuffed Mangione was led into custody by a massive escort, including heavily armed police and Mayor Eric Adams. The case has galvanized public outrage over the U.S. health insurance industry. We’ll have more on this later in the broadcast.
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Another Member of NYC Mayor Eric Adams’s Inner Circle Is Indicted
Dec 20, 2024
A former top adviser to embattled New York Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges Thursday. Ingrid Lewis-Martin resigned Sunday ahead of the expected indictment. Her son and two real estate agents were also charged in the case, which accused them of making over $100,000 in exchange for expediting approvals on construction projects. It’s just the latest indictment of a close associate of Mayor Adams, who himself was indicted in a federal corruption case.
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Biden Sets Out Goal to Reduce Emissions by Up to 66% by 2035
Dec 20, 2024
President Biden laid out a new target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 66% in 2035 compared to 2005 levels. The Biden administration says that even with Trump’s return to office, that target can still be met if states and local governments commit to their emission reduction goals. Independent studies have shown the U.S. is not currently on track to meet such targets.
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EPA, Energy Dept. Workers Condemn Biden Admin for Funding Bombs Over Climate Crisis
Dec 20, 2024
Image Credit: Climate Justice Alliance
A group of employees from the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy published an open letter to the White House Thursday condemning the withholding of federal climate funds from the group Climate Justice Alliance after it spoke out against the genocide in Gaza. The group called on the U.S. agencies to end their collaboration with Israel, writing, “We decry the prioritization of funding for bombs and tanks over the resourcing of communities impacted by accelerating climate disasters.”
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Three WFP Workers Killed in Sudan Air Attack as Agency Warns 1.7 Million People Facing Famine
Dec 20, 2024
In Sudan, the World Food Programme is reporting at least three of its staff were killed in an “aerial bombardment.” It’s unclear if the attack was carried out by the Sudanese army or paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have intensified their fighting as the war in Sudan enters its 20th month. The agency warned that Sudan risks becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis in recent history — with 1.7 million people either facing famine or at risk of famine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced $200 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports the Biden administration has vowed to provide U.S. lawmakers an assessment by January 17 on whether the United Arab Emirates is providing weapons to the RSF. Both warring parties in Sudan have been accused of human rights violations.
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Macron Met with Angry Crowds as He Toured Cyclone-Devastated Mayotte, Where Aid Has Been Scarce
Dec 20, 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron was met with protests and booing crowds Thursday as he toured the devastating aftermath of Cyclone Chido in the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte, which is a French territory. Anger is mounting over the insufficient aid delivered since the disaster. Only 31 deaths have been confirmed, but many fear the true toll could be in the thousands. Survivors say they have been left with nothing.
Nour: “Nothing. All the food we had — the rice, the meat, the sugar — it’s all gone. All the fruits, the mangoes that were left, all gone. We have nothing to eat. … I want to ask that when the help arrives, that it is shared with everybody — not only for people with identity documents; undocumented people, as well — because we’re all facing the same struggle.”
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Crowd Crush at Nigerian School Fair Kills 35 Children
Dec 20, 2024
In Nigeria, at least 35 children were killed in a crowd crush at a school fair in the southwestern city of Ibadan. Police have arrested eight people, including the main sponsor of the event, which had said it expected some 5,000 children to take part after advertising gifts and prizes including scholarships.
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Ecuador Successfully Completes Debt-for-Nature Swap as Part of Amazon Preservation Effort
Dec 20, 2024
Ecuador has converted part of its $1.5 billion external debt into a fund aimed at the protection of forests and wetlands in the Amazon rainforest. The Ecuadorian government renegotiated its debt, resulting in some $460 million in savings that will be allocated toward the efforts. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa praised the completion of the country’s second debt-for-nature swap.
President Daniel Noboa: “The demand for this program has been incredible. It has been more than four times what we were actually able to place. This is a good sign. It is a sign for the future that there can be mechanisms like this on a slightly larger scale and can generate a more significant impact.”