Daily Archives: January 2, 2021

2021-01-02: News Headlines

Jay Janson (2021-01-02). Suckered into Stupid Wars. dissidentvoice.org "Unknown to most Americans, the US 'totally destroyed' North Korea once before" — Irish Times Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later that someone of high notoriety would blurt out the truth about the American genocide in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and lift for a moment the curtain of imbecility that keeps why-me-worry …

MEE and agencies (2021-01-02). Five women killed in Yemen wedding blast. middleeasteye.net Five women killed in Yemen wedding blast | Government and Houthis blame each other for the deaths, which came a day after attacks in Aden killed 26 people | Sat, 01/02/2021 – 10: 13 | The aftermath of an explosion in Yemen (AFP/FILE) | Five women were killed when a shell hit a wedding venue in Yemen's Hodeidah city on New Year's Day, officials said on Saturday. | The government and the Ho…

MEE staff (2021-01-02). Palestinian news platform QNN banned by TikTok. middleeasteye.net Palestinian news platform QNN banned by TikTok | Quds News Network slammed the move by the social media giant as politically motivated | Sat, 01/02/2021 – 10: 55 | Popular social media app Tik Tok removed Quds News Network without warning (AFP) | A popular Palestinian news platform said that it was removed from popular social media app TikTok without any notice, in a move it claimed to be connected to news con…

The Grayzone (2021-01-02). Top 12 The Grayzone stories of 2020: From Julian Assange persecution to Bolivia coup defeat, corporate war on free speech to OPCW cover-up. thegrayzone.com 2020 was a chaotic year for the planet. While the Covid-19 pandemic dominated global politics, The Grayzone continued shining a light on the machinations of empire, from the persecution of imprisoned journalist Julian Assange to the defeat of a US-backed coup regime in Bolivia, from the growing corporate war on free speech to the OPCW's scandalous Syria cover-up. Throughout the year, The Grayzone's website had more than 5.24 million views and 2.48 million unique visitors. Our small, independently funded team …

Eric van de Beek (2021-01-02). US govt-sponsored website Bellingcat disrupts MH17 trial in Netherlands. thegrayzone.com Bellingcat has attacked defense attorneys and smeared witnesses in the trial over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Is it being used by Western intelligence services to steer the case in a particular direction? (This report was originally published at Eric van de Beek's personal website.) For six years the British website Bellingcat has promoted Ukraine's narrative that Russia shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17). With the start of the MH17 trial in March 2020, the self-proclaimed "collective …

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Iran COVID-19 update: 6,045 new cases, 101 deaths. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 6,045 COVID-19 infections and 101 deaths due to respiratory disease in the past 24 hours.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Rouhani urges Iranians to be careful about UK Covid-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged Iranian people to be careful about UK Covid-19 variant.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Iran, Cuba to co-produce COVID-19 vaccine. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Iran is cooperating with Cuba in producing a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a senior official at the Iranian Health Ministry.

Online News Editor (2021-01-02). India trials national Covid-19 vaccination program. laprensalatina.com New Delhi, Jan 2 (efe-epa).- India began a nationwide trial of its Covid-19 vaccination program on Saturday, while it awaits approval of the emergency license for the candidate vaccine developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. The first national trial is being conducted in 116 districts in the country — home to some …

Online News Editor (2021-01-02). South Korea extends Covid-19 restrictions until Jan 17. laprensalatina.com Seoul, Jan 2 (efe-epa).- South Korea on Saturday extended the current level of coronavirus restrictions, which includes a ban on gatherings of more than four people, until at least Jan.17 to contain the spread of the virus in the country. The government has enforced Level 2.5 distancing measures — the second-highest in the country's five-tier …

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). 50 Taliban members killed in Afghanistan's Helmand. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense announced that Mullah Abdul Salam, a key Taliban commander, was killed along with 50 of his men in Nad-e- Ali in Helmand Province.

Abhijan Choudhury (2021-01-02). Palestine's children bear the brunt of Israeli occupation. peoplesdispatch.org Last month's murder of 15-year-old Ali Ayman Abu Aliya in the village of Al-Mughayyir was yet another instance of the brutality shown by Israeli occupation forces towards the children of Palestine…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-02). Progressives denounce Turkey's persecution of Turkish Cypriot publisher Sener Levent. peoplesdispatch.org The Progressive Party of Working People and Members of the European Parliament from Cyprus expressed solidarity with Turkish Cypriot publisher ≈ûener Levent who is being persecuted for defaming Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan…

Anish R (2021-01-02). Indian farmers plan to march into New Delhi if government refuses to heed their demands. peoplesdispatch.org The farmers, who are camped on the outskirts of the capital Delhi, have warned that they will hold a parade in the city on January 26, Republic Day, if the government does not address their key demands…

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Front pages of Iran's English-language dailies on Jan. 02. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Here are the front pages of Iran's English-language dailies on Saturday, January 02.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Hezbollah offers condolence over demise of Ayat. Mesbah-Yazdi. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Issuing a statement on Saturday, Lebanese Hezbollah expressed condolences to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution over the demise of senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Police seize over 2 tons of illicit drugs in SE Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Police forces of the Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran, have confiscated over two tons of narcotics in the province.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). VIDEO: Rouhani unveils commemorative stamp of Gen. Soleimani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — On the occasion of the first martyrdom anniversary of the Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani unveiled the commemorative stamp of the Martyr.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Armenia to import 2,250 goods from Iran instead of Turkey. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — An official from the Iranian Trade Promotion Organization announced that Armenia has announced that it is to replace 2,250 Turkish products with Iranian goods.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Funeral procession of Ayat. Mesbah-Yazdi in Rey. en.mehrnews.com REY, Jan. 02 (MNA) — The funeral procession of prominent Iranian cleric and jurist Ayatollah Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi was held on Saturday in Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine in Rey.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Gen. Soleimani shattered all US calculations in region. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Iranian Minister of Defense in a note on the occasion of 1st martyrdom anniversary of former IRGC Quds Force Commander Lt. Gen. Soleimani wrote that martyr Soleimani was a hero who shattered all US calculations in region.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Iran to start 20% uranium enrichment soon: Salehi. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) is planning to start 20% uranium enrichment in the near future, says the organization's chief.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Trans-regional powers seeking to weaken Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Iran's Minister of Defense said that trans-regional powers are seeking to weaken the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Iranian 'Gabriel' to vie at Beirut Shorts Intl. Film fest. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — The short film "Gabriel" has managed to enter the international competition section of the 14th Beirut Shorts International Film Festival in Lebanon.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Iranian President appoints new ambassador to UNESCO. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Iranian president appointed Ahmad Pakatchi as the new ambassador and permanent representative of the Islamic Republic to UNESCO.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Vehicle parade on martyr Soleimani's 1st anniv. in Shiraz. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — A vehicle parade went on in Shiraz, Fars province, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the martyrdom of former IRGC Quds Force Commander Lt. Gen. Soleimani and Second-in-Command of Iraq's PMU Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). US withdrawal from region response to Soleimani assassination. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi said Iran considers the complete withdrawal of the US forces from the region as a response to martyr Soleimani's assassination.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Iran's plan to start 20% uranium enrichment predictable. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna said that Iran's decision to initiate 20% uranium enrichment was predictable.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Iran to respond any of enemy's actions with reciprocal blow. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — IRGC Chief Commander Major general Hossein Salami warned that Iran will respond to any of the enemy's actions with a reciprocal blow.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Top Iranian, Omani medical universities sign MoU. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Tehran University of Medical Sciences and National University of Science and Technology of Oman have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost cooperation in different academic fields.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Syrian army launches extensive operations against ISIL. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — The Syrian army, with support of Russian air force, has launched a large-scale operation in country's deserts against remnants of ISIL.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). US has crucial role in rise of terrorism in region. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — In a tweet on Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry named the US as one of the main reasons for the rise of terrorism in the region.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Iran to support anyone confronting Zionist regime: Hajizadeh. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — The Commander of IRGC Aerospace Force said that Islamic Republic of Iran will throw its weight behind anyone and/or any country that confront the Zionist regime wholeheartedly.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Iran, Iraq seeking to expand academic cooperation. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — The cultural advisor of the Iraqi Embassy in Iran said that the Iraqi Ministry of Science seeks to expand academic cooperation with Qom University.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Car bomb blasts in northern Syria (+VIDEO). en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Syrian sources say a car bomb had exploded in northern Syria, killing and injuring several.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Armed militants abduct passenger bus in western Afghanistan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Armed militants abducted a passenger bus in Afghanistan's western province of Herat on Saturday, local official Lal Mohammad Omarzai said.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Zionists plotting attack against Americans: Zarif to Trump. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — In a tweet on Sat. Iranian FM Zarif warned the outgoing US President that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Goods transit via Bashmaq Border hits nearly $3bn in 9 months. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — Observer of Kordestan Customs Office said that $2,843,416,000 worth of goods was transited via Bashmaq Border Crossing in the first nine months of current Iranian calendar year (from Mar. 21 to Dec. 22).

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Commemrating Gen. Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Syria. en.mehrnews.com DAMASCUS, Jan. 02 (MNA) — A ceremony to commemorate General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis was held in the Holy Shrine of Hazrat Ruqayya(S.A) in Damascus.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). Martyr Soleimani 'hero Cmdr.' of fight against ISIL terrorism. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — A member of Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly said,"General Soleimani was a heroic commander in the fight against ISIL terrorism whose measures foiled all the dangerous plots of the US, Zionist Regime, and their allies in West Asia."

_____ (2021-01-02). Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop. popularresistance.org The current rationale for Washington's South China Sea policy continues to reference history and law as a justification for reinforcing U.S. military presence in the region. Further, Washington's reliance on a decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, not only circumvents normative interpretations of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, but uses this ruling to build cooperation among partner States to overlook the details of both China's claim and the U.S. policy that originally recognized China's maritime boundary. | This article refutes Washington's version of history as well as the legal claims it as…

Maxime Guillaume, Agnes Lahary, Linda Zourdani, Edouard Malandain, Ozlem Ozkul-Wermester (2021-01-02). [Clinical Picture] A painless, sudden loss of vision in sickle cell anaemia: central retinal artery occlusion. thelancet.com A 61-year-old woman attended our hospital reporting a painless, sudden loss of vision in her left eye.

Online News Editor (2021-01-02). Tokyo urges Japan government to declare state of emergency. laprensalatina.com Tokyo, Jan 2 (efe-epa).- The local authorities in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures on Saturday asked Japan's central government to declare a state of emergency due to the record levels of coronavirus infections that these regions have been seeing. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the Governors of Saitama (Motohiro Ono), Chiba (Kensaku Morita) and Kanagawa …

Online News Editor (2021-01-02). One year after Soleimani's assassination, Iraq remains in cross fire. laprensalatina.com By Nawar Alrikabi and Francesca Cicardi Baghdad/Cairo, Jan 2 (efe-epa).- A year after the assassination of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani by the United States in Baghdad, Iraq remains caught in crossfire between the US and Iran. Similar attacks could still play out, although the arrival of the more moderate Joe Biden in the White …

Online News Editor (2021-01-02). Life returns to normal in Wuhan. laprensalatina.com A year after becoming the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese city of Wuhan is returning to normal. | A visual story by EFE/EPA photographer ROMAN PILIPEY…

Online News Editor (2021-01-02). Iran says it will enrich uranium up to 20 percent. laprensalatina.com Vienna, Jan 2 (efe-epa).- Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it plans to enrich uranium to up to 20 percent purity, a level it reached before the historic 2015 nuclear agreement it signed with six world powers. "Iran has informed the agency that in order to comply with a legal act …

Charlotte Dennett (2021-01-01). The Georgia Fraud Story You Haven't Heard: Sec of State Raffensperger Speaks With a Forked Tongue. counterpunch.org In recent weeks, the news filling American living rooms is that Georgia's Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, bravely stood up to President Trump's claim of voter fraud in the November 2020 elections and continues to do so now that Georgians are heading to the polls next week to decide a crucial runoff election that

Alan MacLeod (2021-01-01). Fingers point to U.S.-backed Gov't in Colombia's ninetieth massacre of the Year. mronline.org "The Trump administration waged a full scale campaign to undermine Colombia's peace accords. We must not waste our time hoping the Biden administration might reverse course, we must demand it." — James Jordan, Alliance for Global Justice…

MEE staff (2021-01-01). Qatar tells UN Security Council of repeated Bahraini violations of its territory. middleeasteye.net Qatar tells UN Security Council of repeated Bahraini violations of its territory | Move is the second time in less than a week that Doha has informed the UN about such allegations against Manama | Fri, 01/01/2021 – 12: 31 | Alya bint Ahmed Al Thani, the Qatari permanent representative to the UN, called on top UN officials to put an end 'to the tendentious Bahraini violations' (Social media) | Qatar's Foreign M…

MEE staff (2021-01-01). 'Think of the children': Pope Francis shares worries for Yemen in New Year message. middleeasteye.net 'Think of the children': Pope Francis shares worries for Yemen in New Year message | Catholic pope says six-year conflict, which shows no signs of easing, has 'numerous innocent victims' | Fri, 01/01/2021 – 20: 15 | Pope's blessing was moved indoors to limit spread of Covid-19 (AFP) | Pope Francis delivered an appeal for world peace on Friday and highlighed his worries about Yemen, a country that has been plag…