2021-01-15: News Headlines

Miko Peled (2021-01-15). Court Rules Palestinian Filmmaker Must Pay Damages To Israeli Soldier Who Took Part in Massacre. mintpressnews.com "Jenin, Jenin" documents a deadly Israeli assault on a Palestinian refugee camp that left hundreds of civilians dead and over fifteen hundred wounded, and its release has caused an uproar in Israeli society.

Alan Macleod (2021-01-15). China Tech Ban Mirrors 1980s Attempts To Destroy Japanese Competition. mintpressnews.com In the 1980s, the US imposed a 100% tariff on virtually all Japanese electronics and forced Tokyo to sign a one-sided trade deal that reserved much of its domestic semiconductor sector for American companies.

MEE staff (2021-01-15). Covid-19: Israeli man arrested for tricking ex into quarantine four times. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israeli man arrested for tricking ex into quarantine four times | Police said the suspect, a health ministry employee, sent messages on four separate occasions to his ex-girlfriend telling her she needed to isolate | Fri, 01/15/2021 – 13: 48 | An Israeli woman wearing a protective mask due to the Covid-19 pandemic sits on a park bench by feeding pigeons in Jerusalem on 16 April 2020 (2020) | An Israe…

news.un (2021-01-15). Deadly earthquake hits Indonesia: Dozens killed, hundreds injured. news.un.org At least 35 people have been killed and hundreds of others injured after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the West Sulawesi Province of Indonesia on Friday morning, according to the UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA).

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-15). Citing famine, UN urges reversal of terrorist designation for Yemen's Houthis; US refuses. peoplesdispatch.org Mark Lowcock of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that recent labeling of Houthis as a terrorist organization by the US would likely trigger a "famine on a scale we have not seen in 40 years…

Charles Pierson (2021-01-15). A Yemeni Famine Made in Washington and Riyadh. counterpunch.org Ending months of speculation, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on January 10 that the Trump Administration would designate Yemen's Houthi rebels (Ansar Allah) as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization" (FTO). Branding the Houthis as terrorists will make it vastly more difficult for humanitarian groups to deliver desperately needed food, fuel, and medicine to 24 million

South Front (2021-01-15). Video: Israel and US Efforts in Large-scale Strikes on Iranian Infrastructure in Syria. globalresearch.ca The first two weeks of 2021 have, so far, been marked by an incredible increase in Israeli activity in the skies over Syria. | The most intense strike took place on January 13 morning hitting multiple Syrian and Iranian-affiliated targets in …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2021-01-15). Encircling China and Praising India: The US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific. asia-pacificresearch.com

Eugene E Ruyle (2021-01-15). Sunday 1/17: The Farmer's Movement in India. indybay.org Log-info available on our website; | ICSSMARX.ORG LINK: OUR CURRENT SCHEDULE…

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies, Marcy Winograd (2021-01-15). Will the Senate Confirm Coup Plotter Nuland? counterpunch.org Who is Victoria Nuland? Most Americans have never heard of her because the U.S. corporate media's foreign policy coverage is a wasteland. Most Americans have no idea that President-elect Biden's pick for Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs is stuck in the quicksand of 1950s U.S.-Russia Cold War politics and dreams of continued NATO

Ragip Soylu (2021-01-15). 'Dear Tayyip': Erdogan and Macron exchanged letters to repair ties. middleeasteye.net 'Dear Tayyip': Erdogan and Macron exchanged letters to repair ties | Turkish president made the first move, with the two leaders seeking to meet in person soon | Fri, 01/15/2021 – 14: 01 | France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) meets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019. (AFP) | The presidents of Turkey and France hav…

Alex MacDonald (2021-01-15). Iraq: Bird flu blamed for deaths of tens of thousands of chickens. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Bird flu blamed for deaths of tens of thousands of chickens | Local authorities said a buffer zone was being imposed on the infected region | Fri, 01/15/2021 – 16: 04 | Iraqi vets check chickens that entered Iraq from Turkey at a market in the southern port city of Basra (AFP) | An outbreak of bird flu was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of chickens in central Iraq, officia…

The Conversation (2021-01-15). The Confederate battle flag, which rioters flew inside the US Capitol, has long been a symbol of white insurrection. juancole.com By Jordan Brasher | — Confederate soldiers never reached the Capitol during the Civil War. But the Confederate battle flag was flown by rioters in the U.S. Capitol building for the first time ever on Jan. 6. The flag's prominence in the Capitol riot comes as no surprise to those who, like me, know its …

Michael T. Klare (2021-01-15). With Trump Gone, Can the U.S. and China Cooperate on a Failing Planet? juancole.com ( Tomdispatch.com) — For just a moment, let me try to look on the bright side of the storming of the Capitol last week by a mob incited and dispatched by President Trump. When George W. Bush, the president who launched the Global War on Terror and then invaded Saddam Hussein's Iraq, referred to what …

Staff (2021-01-15). Neo-fascists found their voice in Trump. Where will the left's voice come from? therealnews.com With COVID-19 still raging and Biden's inauguration around the corner, Warnock and Ossoff win big in Georgia, Trumpist insurgents storm the U.S. Capitol, and Democrats and Republicans seethe with internal strife. What's next?

B. Prasant (2021-01-15). India's farmers dig in for long haul against Modi's neoliberalism. peoplesworld.org DELHI—As I move away from the massive kisan (farmers and peasants) assemblage at the Singhu border between the province of Haryana and Delhi, a heavy drizzle starts to add to my misery in the bone-chilling cold of late Indian winter. I plan to drive along several narrow link roads to gain access to the otherwise …

Workers World Party (2021-01-15). PDF of January 14 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. Special Coverage: Resisting White Supremacy No fascist coup! Fight back with workers' power Georgia grassroots victory; Marcy on violence and the state; Threat of fascism remains; Black Lives Matter and 'democracy'; 'Fraudulent' elections; as imperialist ploy; Charlottesville's how-to lessons; Fascists, the FBI — and legislators; Capitol . . . |

Stephen Lendman (2021-01-15). Trump Hardliners Poisoning US-China Relations. Pompeo "Spreads Political Viruses" globalresearch.ca In its waning days in power, Trump regime hardliners are going all-out to more greatly deteriorate US relations with China than already — Pompeo leading the assault. | Mindful of what's going on with more coming, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao …

Pip Hinman (2021-01-15). Racism in sport and why the media misses the point. greenleft.org.au When Indian cricketers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj reported racist abuse during the recent Sydney test match, Australia's ugly racism hit the headlines again. Sue Bull argues that the big media has an interest in muddying the connection between capitalism and racism.

Anoa Changa (2021-01-15). Georgia Organizers Won Because They Didn't Treat Elections as a Be-All, End-All. zcomm.org "We are undoing a history of voter suppression and injustice in Black and Brown communities. The changes we are seeing now didn't happen overnight, and we are not solving our challenges with just one vote."

Fight Back (2021-01-15). SEIU Local 73: Statement of support for Human Rights Day 7 in the Philippines. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73. | | On International Human Rights Day, December 10, the Philippine National Police raided the homes and jailed Dennise Velasco of Defend Jobs Philippines; Romina Astudillo, Deputy Secretary-General of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Metro Manila; Mark Ryan Cruz, Regional Executive Committee of KMU-Metro Manila; Jaymie Gregorio Jr. of KMU-Metro Manila; Joel Demate of Solidarity of Labor Rights and Welfare (SOLAR); Rodrigo Esparago of Sandigang Manggagawa sa Quezon City (SMQC), and journalist Lady Ann…

Fight Back (2021-01-15). SEIU Local 73: Statement of support for Human Rights Day 7 in the Philippines. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73. | | On International Human Rights Day, December 10, the Philippine National Police raided the homes and jailed Dennise Velasco of Defend Jobs Philippines; Romina Astudillo, Deputy Secretary-General of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Metro Manila; Mark Ryan Cruz, Regional Executive Committee of KMU-Metro Manila; Jaymie Gregorio Jr. of KMU-Metro Manila; Joel Demate of Solidarity of Labor Rights and Welfare (SOLAR); Rodrigo Esparago of Sandigang Manggagawa sa Quezon City (SMQC), and journalist Lady Ann…

news.un (2021-01-15). UN steps up support for thousands left homeless after fire at Rohingya refugee camp. news.un.org UN agencies have stepped up efforts to help thousands of Rohingya refugees left without shelter after a devastating fire tore through a crowded refugee camp in south-eastern Bangladesh on Thursday.

teleSUR (2021-01-15). Argentina Awaits Its Second Batch of Sputnik V Vaccines. telesurenglish.net Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez Thursday sent a second plane to Russia to transport the second batch of Sputnik V vaccines which will be used in a nationwide vaccination campaign. | RELATED: | The flight AR-1060 departed from Ezeiza International airport at 21.14 local time in a direct route to Moscow where it will load 300,000 doses of the vaccine. | The plane is expected to land on Argentine soil on Saturday morni…

Sunshine Behavioral Health (2021-01-15). Mental Health Issues Facing the Asian American Community. indybay.org

Fight Back (2021-01-15). Minnesota: Line 3 resistance continues. fightbacknews.org Palisade, MN – A contingent of anti-war organizations including Woman Against Military Madness (WAMM) and the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) visited the Line 3 encampment on the edge of the Mississippi River in Palisade, on January 10. | The encampment is an 80-acre land trust from Akiing Purchases (Akiing translates to "the land to which we belong to") that runs parallel to an Enbridge Line 3 drill pad construction. The tar sands oil pipeline is currently proposed to cross under the Mississippi River. | The mood around camp was calm. An action of 300-plus water protesters took place the day before, where a to…

Steve Lalla (2021-01-15). Resistance is not Futile: A Brief History of Lebanon's Hezbollah. counterpunch.org Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has inspired fear within the Empire through both armed struggle and its success in electoral politics. For effectively wielding this double-edged sword, the "Party of God" has been vilified by countless politicians and media outlets. From its birth as an armed resistance to Israeli attacks on Lebanon over 35 years ago,

Dr. Gary G. Kohls (2021-01-15). Martin Luther King's Warning of America's Spiritual Death. globalresearch.ca On January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. is born in Atlanta, Georgia | Martin Luther King Jr.'s Riverside Church speech was titled "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence." It was delivered exactly one year before his April 4, …

David W. Mathisen (2021-01-15). Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Born this Day: Prophet Who Saw the "Far Deeper Malady" globalresearch.ca January 15 is the day on which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born, in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929. | He would go on to become one of the most powerful voices of all time against racism, oppression, violence, imperialism, and …

Fight Back (2021-01-15). Minnesota: Line 3 resistance continues. fightbacknews.org Palisade, MN – A contingent of anti-war organizations including Woman Against Military Madness (WAMM) and the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) visited the Line 3 encampment on the edge of the Mississippi River in Palisade, on January 10. | The encampment is an 80-acre land trust from Akiing Purchases (Akiing translates to "the land to which we belong to") that runs parallel to an Enbridge Line 3 drill pad construction. The tar sands oil pipeline is currently proposed to cross under the Mississippi River. | The mood around camp was calm. An action of 300-plus water protesters took place the day before, where a to…

news.un (2021-01-14). Israel: Ensure equal COVID-19 vaccine access to Palestinians — UN Independent experts. news.un.org Israel's "impressive" vaccination programme against the COVID-19 pandemic must include Palestinians under occupation, UN independent human rights experts stressed on Wednesday.

Aaron Maté (2021-01-14). UN expert: crippling US sanctions on Syria are illegal and hurting civilians. thegrayzone.com Crippling US sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act are decimating war-ravaged Syrian civilians, are illegal, and should be lifted, the UN Special Rapporteur on sanctions says. An independent United Nations expert is calling on the US to lift its crippling sanctions on Syria. Under the Caesar Act, US sanctions explicitly target Syria's reconstruction in the aftermath of a catastrophic 10-year war. Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the impact of sanctions, says that the US sanctions are illegal and …

Howard Lisnoff (2021-01-14). What It Meant to be Conflicted During the Vietnam War. counterpunch.org You can take the man out of the war, but you can't take the war out of the man. I use the noun "man" because most who either went to Vietnam or resisted that war were men. There were millions of women in the antiwar movement of the 1960s and early 1970s, but very few

Juan Cole (2021-01-14). The GOP stood with Trump and against the Legitimacy of Biden: that's how Iraq Split up in 2014. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — On Wednesday, 197 Republican congressmen refused to impeach him for encouraging thousands of hard Right thugs, some armed, to march on the Capitol and "fight like hell or you won't have a country." These same 197 congressmen were themselves menaced by the invading mobs, who chanted that they wanted to …

F. William Engdahl (2021-01-14). Can China Lead a World Economic Recovery? globalresearch.ca At the beginning of December China's Xi Jinping officially declared that China had eliminated poverty entirely, part of his priority program. Western financial pundits have praised the remarkable economic recovery of China following the severe lockdowns a year go to …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-01-14). Covid-19 under Apartheid: How Israel Manipulates Suffering of Palestinians. counterpunch.org Israel's decision to exclude Palestinians from its COVID-19 vaccination campaign may have surprised many. Even by Israel's poor humanitarian standards, denying Palestinians access to life-saving medication seems extremely callous. Amnesty International, among many organizations, condemned the Israeli government's decision to bar Palestinians from receiving the vaccine. The rights group described the Israeli action as evidence

WSWS (2021-01-14). India's Supreme Court feigns concern for farmers, while laying groundwork for illegalizing 7-week mass protest. wsws.org The Supreme Court ruling is aimed at ensnaring the farmers' in a phony mediation process that is rigged against them, while laying the ground for outlawing their struggle if it is not shifted to an alternate site or sites.

Areeb Ullah (2021-01-14). Bangladeshi maid's family demands death penalty for Saudis accused of her murder. middleeasteye.net Bangladeshi maid's family demands death penalty for Saudis accused of her murder | Three of Abiron Begum Ansar's employers on trial for her killing in rare case into abuse against migrant workers in the kingdom | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 14: 03 | Ansar's family said her body was "unrecognisable" when it was repatriated back to Bangladesh seven months after her murder (Supplied) | The family of a murdered Bangla…

Kareem Chehayeb (2021-01-14). Oxygen for sale: Covid-hit Lebanon running out of breath. middleeasteye.net Oxygen for sale: Covid-hit Lebanon running out of breath | As Lebanese health sector struggles with soaring Covid-19 cases, a serious shortage in oxygen tanks throws the cash-strapped country into another crisis | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 15: 00 | A worker carries oxygen canisters to be used by hospitals treating Covid-19 patients, at a factory in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on 9 January 202…

MEE and agencies (2021-01-14). Covid-19: Turkey says more than 250,000 health workers vaccinated so far. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Turkey says more than 250,000 health workers vaccinated so far | President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives first dose of Sinovac as Turkey begins vaccinating health workers | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 16: 58 | Turkish President Erdogan receives shot of Sinovac's CoronaVac coronavirus vaccine in Ankara (Reuters) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced more than 250,000 health wor…

MEE and agencies (2021-01-14). Covid-19: Israel to vaccinate Palestinian prisoners from next week. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israel to vaccinate Palestinian prisoners from next week | Israel's health minister made the announcement after President Reuven Rivlin criticised plans to exclude prisoners from vaccination programme | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 16: 02 | Israel has been criticised for shirking its responsibilities as an occupying power by failing to deliver vaccines to millions of Palestinians living in…

Sheren Khalel (2021-01-14). 'Jamal Khashoggi Way': Washington DC may rename Saudi embassy street. middleeasteye.net 'Jamal Khashoggi Way': Washington DC may rename Saudi embassy street | Initiative to rename street began in 2018, but local laws required activists to wait until two years had passed since slain journalist's death | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 21: 32 | Road sign in honour of slain journalist Khashoggi temporarily put up by protesters in front of White House after his death (AFP/file photo) | A member of the…

Alex MacDonald (2021-01-14). Arms campaigners call on UK companies to stop supplying Turkish drone parts. middleeasteye.net Arms campaigners call on UK companies to stop supplying Turkish drone parts | British firms urged not to supply parts to Turkish drone giant Baykar Makina over involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 16: 53 | Bayraktar TB2 drone flying at Gecitkale military airbase near Famagusta in self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) (AFP) | Rights groups have called…

MEE and agencies (2021-01-14). Covid-19: Turkey announces more than 250,000 health workers vaccinated so far. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Turkey announces more than 250,000 health workers vaccinated so far | President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives first dose of the Sinovac jab as Turkey begins vaccinating health workers | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 16: 58 | Turkish President Erdogan receives a shot of Sinovac's CoronaVac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in Ankara (Reuters) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan anno…

Akram Al-Waara (2021-01-14). Covid-19: Palestinians still awaiting vaccines as Israel dismisses calls to provide jabs. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Palestinians still awaiting vaccines as Israel dismisses calls to provide jabs | Palestinian Authority also criticised for failure to secure vaccines and lack of planning on how to administer them | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 11: 11 | PA officials have made statements on who will be given priority when it comes to the vaccine, but have yet to put forward a comprehensive strategy for rolling it…

Melvin Goodman (2021-01-14). Bibi and Jonathan Pollard: Two Anti-American Peas in Their Own Pod. counterpunch.org Last month, the New York Times described the hero's welcome in Israel for Jonathan Pollard, who served 30 years in jail for spying for Israel, as "relatively subdued." In view of the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led this "subdued" reception, it is time to throw some shade on Bibi and Jonathan. After all, the United States has supplied Israeli with huge amounts of military and economic aid as well as intelligence support over the years with very little return.

Staff (2021-01-14). Pompeo Urges US to "Confront" What He Calls the "Iran-al-Qaeda Axis" truthout.org Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made his first appearance before the public since the January 6 Capitol breach to accuse the Iranian government of playing a role in the 9/11 attacks. | While Pompeo conceded that there's no evidence of direct Iranian involvement or "foreknowledge" of the plot, he The secretary of state pointed to reporting w…

RT (2021-01-14). Twitter RESTORES account of Sputnik-V, Russia's coronavirus vaccine, restricted over suspicious log-in. rt.com Sputnik-V, the Russian-developed coronavirus vaccine, was back on Twitter after getting locked out of its official account on Thursday. When the official explanation finally came, it cited a suspicious log-in attempt from the US. | The account, @sputnikvaccine, showed up as "temporarily restricted" for a brief period on Thursday afternoon, due to "some unusual activity." | Users could click on a warning to see…

RT (2021-01-14). Far-Eastern Russian island Sakhalin to introduce mask exemption for those inoculated against Covid-19, regional head reveals. rt.com People inoculated against Covid-19 in the Far East's Sakhalin Region will be given a badge to show they are exempt from wearing a face mask. That's according to Valery Limarenko, acting governor of the island, located near Japan. | Sakhalin, one of Russia's wealthiest places per capita, is home to a substantial oil and gas industry. On Thursday, Limarenko revealed that the island will soon receive 9,000 doses of Russia's domestically produced Sputnik V vaccine and will get over 10,000 every month after that. | "Everyone who gets vaccinated will receive a special badge," he said. "[The badge] will give the wear…

RT (2021-01-14). Paris police investigating alleged 'black supremacist' bomb-maker who blew up flat, injuring himself & 1 other. rt.com French police have launched an investigation after an alleged "black supremacist" blew up an apartment while making homemade explosives, injuring himself and another person in a Parisian suburb. | The 37-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday after an explosion and fire at an address in the Saint-Leu-la-Foret area northwest of the French capital, which injured the two occupants, a man and a woman. | "An investigation has been underway since Wednesday morning into the heads of criminal associations and the unauthorized manufacture of explosive devices," a spokesperson for the Pontoise prosecutor's office said o…