(2021-01-12). Humanitarians seek $1.3 billion to help millions in war-weary Afghanistan. news.un.org United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners in Afghanistan are seeking $1.3 billion to assist almost 16 million people in need of life-saving assistance as a result of decades of conflict, recurrent natural disasters, and the added health and socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2021-01-12). Israel is an 'apartheid' state, says the country's leading human rights group. middleeasteye.net 
Israel is an 'apartheid' state, says the country's leading human rights group | B'Tselem's latest report analyses Israel's efforts to cement 'supremacy of Jews over Palestinians' while operating under the veil of democracy | Tue, 01/12/2021 – 10: 55 | A member of Israel's security forces takes pictures as Palestinian demonstrators try to reach their lands confiscated by Israeli authorities during a protest in…
(2021-01-12). Symbolic moment as Russian cosmonauts get jabs of Sputnik V — named for first space satellite — ahead of latest ISS mission. rt.com 
Cosmonauts traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) in April have been inoculated against Covid-19 with the Sputnik V vaccine, named after the world's first artificial Earth satellite, which was launched by the USSR. | The first shots of the pioneering jab were administered to members of both the main and substitute crews on Tuesday, the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center said. The course of Sputnik V requires two injections, with the follow-up administered around 21 days after the initial one. | The men who received the vaccine were Oleg Novitsky, Pyotr Dubrov, Anton Shkaplerov and Dmitry Peteli…
(2021-01-12). A Malevolent Decision That Will Kill Countless Yemenis. anti-empire.com 
The Trump administration is
(2021-01-12). Will Lisa Montgomery Die Tonight? Sister Helen Prejean Calls for Trump to Halt Execution Spree. democracynow.org 
A federal judge has granted a stay of execution for Lisa Montgomery, who was set to become the first woman executed by the federal government in 67 years, but the Trump administration is appealing the decision. Two men are also scheduled to die this week. Since July, when the Trump administration revived the federal death penalty, the U.S. government has executed 10 people — more than in any presidency since 1896. "Time is running out for the Trump administration to go through with these three executions, and they know that, which is why they're very insistent that they happen this week and not after Januar…
(2021-01-12). 'Horrific barbarism': UK to ban Chinese imports linked to forced Uighur labour. middleeasteye.net 
'Horrific barbarism': UK to ban Chinese imports linked to forced Uighur labour | Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says China's use of forced Uighur prison labour is 'truly horrific barbarism we had hoped lost to another era' | Tue, 01/12/2021 – 18: 41 | Protesters at a rally in Hong Kong in support of the Uighur minority in China, December 2019 (AFP/File photo) | The United Kingdom has accused China of human rig…
(2021-01-12). Facebook reinstates Press TV page with 4 million subscribers, hours after mysterious 'FINAL' deletion. rt.com 
Iranian news outlet PressTV has had its Facebook page restored after appealing the platform's decision to remove it. Boasting over four million followers, the page had been deleted without warning earlier on Tuesday. | The English-language outlet revealed its appeal to Facebook had been successful on Tuesday, just hours after the page had vanished without warning or explanation. | The platform had initially claimed the deletion was not only "final" but that it could not provide any more information than that the page had been removed for "safety and security reasons," Press TV reported earlier in the day. | Al…
(2021-01-12). Palestinian activist wins legal battle to have name removed from World-Check 'terror list'. middleeasteye.net 
Palestinian activist wins legal battle to have name removed from World-Check 'terror list' | Zaher Birawi receives damages from financial database after it 'wrongly and unjustly' linked him to terrorism | Tue, 01/12/2021 – 16: 30 | Zaher Birawi, the chairman of London-based Palestine advocacy group Europal Forum, won a legal battle against World-Check financial database (Twitter/screenshot) | A Palest…
(2021-01-12). Covid-19: Lebanon tightens restrictions as cases soar. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Lebanon tightens restrictions as cases soar | Health officials have warned that Lebanon is quickly running out of beds as coronavirus spread intensifies | Tue, 01/12/2021 – 07: 59 | People wait to get tested for coronavirus at the Covid-19 department of the Nabih Berri university hospital, in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, on 9 January 2021 (AFP) | Lebanon has imposed a…
(2021-01-12). The Moroccans of Jerusalem shocked by Rabat normalisation with Israel. middleeasteye.net 
The Moroccans of Jerusalem shocked by Rabat normalisation with Israel | Residents of the destroyed Old City neighbourhood recall the long history of their community as they reflect on Morocco's newly official ties with Israel | Tue, 01/12/2021 – 09: 59 | Abd al-Latif Sayyid, a member of Jerusalem's Moroccan-Palestinian community, was disappointed by news of Rabat's normalisation with Israel (MEE/As…
(2021-01-12). Soldiers Confiscate Heavy Machinery In Jordan Valley. imemc.org 
Israeli soldiers invaded, Tuesday, the village of Kardala, in the northern Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank, and confiscated equipment, including heavy machinery, while working on rehabilitating a road. Aref Daraghma, a local nonviolent activist, said several army jeeps invaded the village, and confiscated the machinery and equipment, belonging to a contracting company tasked …
(2021-01-12). Israeli Soldiers Bulldoze Palestinian Lands Near Nablus. imemc.org 
Israeli soldiers bulldozed, Tuesday, large areas of Palestinian farmlands in Einabus village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official in charge of monitoring Israel's illegal colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said the Israeli bulldozers uprooting the lands in the Abu Miladi area, north of the village. He …
(2021-01-12). Israeli Colonists Attack Cars, Injure Palestinian In The Eye, Near Nablus. imemc.org 
Dozens of fanatic illegal Israeli colonists attacked, on Monday evening, many Palestinian cars, west of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, causing damage and wounding one man in the eye. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who monitors Israel's colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said the colonists hurled rocks at Palestinian cars near Surra …
(2021-01-12). 133,010 steps to take back the Senate. peoplesworld.org 
Marcey Lynn Jones was one of 70 UNITE HERE volunteers from New Haven, Conn., who spent one month knocking on doors to speak with voters in Georgia about how they could make a difference in the Senate runoff elections. She shares her experience below. In the beginning, when I arrived in Georgia from New Haven, …
(2021-01-12). Former Political Prisoner Dies From Cancer That Went Untreated In Prison. imemc.org 
The Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Committee has reported that a young Palestinian man who was only released from Israeli detention camps a few months ago, had died, on Monday evening, from cancer that went untreated while he was held captive. The Committee stated that Mohammad Eyada Salahuddin, 20, from Hizma town, east of the occupied …
(2021-01-12). PPS: "Israeli Soldiers Abduct Fourteen Palestinians In West Bank" imemc.org 
The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers abducted, on Tuesday at dawn, fourteen Palestinians from their homes in several parts of the occupied West Bank, after the army broke into and ransacked dozens of homes. The PPS office in Tulkarem, in northern West Bank, said the soldiers abducted Mohammad Wasfi Jallad, 54, …
(2021-01-12). US backs al-Qaeda in Yemen while dubbing its Houthi enemies 'terrorists'. thegrayzone.com The US State Department designated Yemen's Houthi movement — the most effective force in fighting al-Qaeda — as a "terrorist" organization. Meanwhile Washington and Saudi Arabia have supported al-Qaeda. The United States government has designated the enemy of al-Qaeda in Yemen as a terrorist organization, after spending years backing al-Qaeda in the country. Like the US-led wars on Syria, Libya, former Yugoslavia, and 1980s Afghanistan, Yemen represents an example of an armed conflict where Washington has supported al-Qaeda and similar …
(2021-01-12). Indian farmers' organizations reject Supreme Court intervention, will continue protest. peoplesdispatch.org India's Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the three farm laws that have led to huge protests across the country. It also formed a committee to hold discussions. However, farmers' organizations say the onus is on the government to repeal the laws…
(2021-01-12). As Sheriffs Quit ICE, Joe Biden Can Lead the Way in Restoring Trust. aclu.org This month, two newly-elected sheriffs canceled contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The sheriffs in Gwinnett County, Georgia and Charleston County, South Carolina were
(2021-01-12). Colonial occupation and patriarchy in Palestine: interview with Ruba Odeh. peoplesdispatch.org The Capire team spoke with Ruba Odeh, from the International Committee of the World March of Women representing the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and member of the
(2021-01-12). Israel Throttles Gazan Fishing. projectcensored.org In defiance of the Oslo Accord, Israel has consistently repressed Gaza's fishing industry by restricting access to the sea. On August 16th 2020, the Israeli navy declared that the Gaza Sea would be a closed military zone. As such, it is currently illegal for Gazans to fish off their shores, effectively starving Palestinians living in the already food insecure Gaza Strip. After the August closure, a group of fishermen from Gaza decided a few days later that they would take the chance and go fishing about three miles off the Gaza shore. The Israeli navy began blasting bullets as soon as the group of fishermen had c…
(2021-01-12). Australian War Crimes in Afghanistan: Decivilizing the Coalition Troops. dissidentvoice.org The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry — released in late 2020 — serves as a barometer for the level of savagery imbibed by imperialist countries in their unending reign of terror against the Global South. The document is the outcome of a four-year investigation, initiated by the military in 2016 and headed by retired …
(2021-01-12). US Designates Cuba As A 'Sponsor Of Terrorism'. popularresistance.org The United States announced on Monday January 11 that it will designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. The move came hours after Secretary of State of the Trump administration, Mike Pompeo, announced that the Yemeni militant group Ansar Allah, commonly known as the Houthis, would be designated as a "foreign terrorist organization." The announcement has been met by widespread condemnation by authorities within Cuba and political leaders and movements worldwide. | Foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla wrote on Twitter, "We condemn the hypocritical and cynical announcement by the US to designate Cuba as a…
(2021-01-12). Tehran Hits Back After Pompeo Makes Claims About Al Qaeda. popularresistance.org America's "declassifications" of information about Iran are "fictitious," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has tweeted. It followed US State Secretary Mike Pompeo accusing Iran, without proof, of harboring Al-Qaeda's base. | "Mr. 'we lie, cheat, steal' is pathetically ending his disastrous career with more warmongering lies," Zarif wrote in a fiery message in the wake of Pompeo's statement, referring to the US State Secretary by his infamous 2019 quote. Zarif denounced the Iran "declassifications" and the claims Pompeo made about its links to Al-Qaeda, calling them "fictitious." He also condemned the US' dec…
(2021-01-12). Trent'anni fa la guerra del Golfo. globalresearch.ca Trent'anni fa, nelle prime ore del 17 gennaio 1991, iniziava nel Golfo Persico l'operazione ´Tempesta del deserto ª, la guerra contro l'Iraq che apriva la sequenza delle guerre del dopo guerra fredda. Essa viene lanciata dagli Usa e dai loro alleati …
(2021-01-12). Palestinians oppose announcement of fresh illegal Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, faced with elections in March and prospects of a less friendly Biden administration, announced expedited construction of 800 new illegal Jewish homes inside the West Bank…
(2021-01-12). Friday 1/22: Indigemedia: Navigating Native American Representation in Film and Media. indybay.org Online, register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7y2STbsh4KQuoLiZr34ayudlDWwHtH3S5lXYjpMRXpI-ddA/viewform…
(2021-01-12). Syrian State Media Reports 'Israeli Aggression' on Areas in Deir Ezzor, Abu Kamal. sputniknews.com Earlier in the month, Syrian state media reported that the country's Air Defense systems responded to an Israeli attack in the southern part of the city of Damascus.
(2021-01-12). The Main Form of Media Deception: Censorship by Omission. globalresearch.ca "We don't understand how your government gets the media to repeat propaganda without question. In our country we have to tear finger nails out to get this level of co-operation."(1) (Russian journalists visiting America during the cold war) | Censorship By …
(2021-01-12). The Leopard Doesn't Change its Spots: US Foreign Policy Under Biden. dissidentvoice.org It is a great pity that the Australian mainstream media is so narrow in its choice of sources for stories to appear on its pages and in its telecasts. This point was vividly brought home to me when I read in the English language version of the Russian website Pravda.ru (truth) about the alleged killing …
(2021-01-12). California Overlooks Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters. projectcensored.org During California's 2020 wildfire crisis, the state exploited prison labor to meet a labor shortage in fire fighters. As VICE's Motherboard reported in September 2020, even as California recruited fire crews from six other states and from Israel, Mexico, and Australia, the current labor shortage was "brought on by the state itself." Though California's reliance on low-paid incarcerated firefighters is "well documented," after they are released from prison "institutional barriers" prevent them from becoming full-time professional firefighters. | As Motherboard reported, inmate firefighters typically make up betwee…
(2021-01-12). "Beyond Vietnam", Silence is Betrayal: Martin Luther King's Historic 1967 Speech. globalresearch.ca Very few Americans are aware of the historical 1999 civil law suit of the King Family against the US Government. (Shelby County Court, Tenn.), Martin Luther King was assassinated in a high level conspiracy on the orders of key agencies of the US government…
(2021-01-12). Legal Loopholes Allow US Arms Dealers to Profit from "Atrocities" in Yemen. projectcensored.org For a nation that identifies itself as "protector of the Free World," the United States has been more than willing to sell arms to Saudi Arabia for its war with…
(2021-01-12). Mothers in Israel Hold Police Accountable for Inaction on Murdered Palestinians. projectcensored.org Palestinians account for approximately twenty percent of Israel's total population, but in 2019 more than 67% of the officially reported murders in Israel involved Palestinian victims. In response, Palestinian mothers…
(2021-01-11). "One State is a Game Changer" dissidentvoice.org As the US ruling elites have fully succumbed to Israel's political discourse on Palestine, the Israeli government of right-wing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, may feel that it, alone, is capable of determining the future of the Palestinian people. This conclusion is, perhaps, gleaned from Israel's behavior in recent years and months. The expansion of illegal …
(2021-01-11). Serious repercussions likely to follow US plan to designate Yemen combatants terrorists, UN warns. news.un.org The United States government's decision to designate Ansar Allah, more commonly known as the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, as terrorists, is likely to have "serious humanitarian and political repercussions", the UN spokesperson said on Monday.
(2021-01-11). Japan notifies WHO of new Covid-19 variant found in travelers arriving from Brazil. rt.com 
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it was notified by Japan about the detection of a new Covid-19 variant there, as the government extends the state of emergency declared to control the virus in Tokyo to other areas. | WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that the Japanese health authorities had informed the UN health agency of the new strain at the weekend, after it was detected in four travelers from Brazil's Amazonas state. | The variant has 12 mutations, one of which has been found in the strains discovered in South Africa and the UK. The Brazilian Health Ministry said t…
(2021-01-11). Starving Yemenis fearful of Houthi terror designation's consequences. middleeasteye.net 
Starving Yemenis fearful of Houthi terror designation's consequences | NGOs warn US move could affect vital aid and plunge 24 million people reliant on assistance into greater suffering | Mon, 01/11/2021 – 17: 18 | A woman holds a child suffering from malnutrition while sitting on a bed at a treatment centre in al-Sabeen Maternal Hospital in Sanaa (AFP) | Like millions of Yemenis, Abdul…
(2021-01-11). Covid-19: Palestine first in Middle East to register for Russian vaccine, says wealth fund. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Palestine first in Middle East to register for Russian vaccine, says wealth fund | With delivery expected 'within a month', Russia's Sputnik V will be the first shipment of coronavirus vaccine for the Palestinians | Mon, 01/11/2021 – 13: 27 | A Palestinian health worker collects random swab samples from people to test for the coronavirus in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on 1…
(2021-01-11). Israel 'declined WHO request' to provide Covid-19 vaccine for Palestinian medics. middleeasteye.net 
Israel 'declined WHO request' to provide Covid-19 vaccine for Palestinian medics | Israeli authorities accused of 'racial discrimination' for refusing to provide Palestinians with jabs | Mon, 01/11/2021 – 13: 22 | An Israeli senior citizen receives his second Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in the northern coastal city of Haifa on 11 January 2021 (AFP) | An official at the World Health Organisatio…
(2021-01-11). REMINDER: Houthis Were a US Intelligence-Sharing Partner Right Up Until Saudi Invasion. anti-empire.com 
Originally ran in January 2015. | The U.S. has formed ties with Houthi rebels who seized control of Yemen's capital, White House officials and rebel commanders said, in the clearest indication of a shift in the U.S. approach there as it seeks to maintain its fight against a key branch of al Qaeda. | American officials are communicating with Houthi fighters, largely through intermediaries, the officials and commanders have disclosed, to promote a stable political transition as the Houthis gain more power and to ensure Washington can continue its campaign of drone strikes against leaders of the group al Qaeda in th…
(2021-01-11). Overwhelmed hospitals in Lebanon forced to treat Covid patients in cars. middleeasteye.net 
Overwhelmed hospitals in Lebanon forced to treat Covid patients in cars | The country has seen a surge in coronavirus in recent weeks, with many angry at the lax rules over Christmas | Mon, 01/11/2021 – 13: 41 | Patients in Beirut are treated in their cars, after a hospital ran out of beds (Screengrab/Facebook) | A video from Lebanon showing queues of patients waiting outside a hospital and being treated…
(2021-01-11). Israeli Set To Approve 850 Units In Illegal West Bank Colonies. imemc.org 
The Israeli government, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is set to approve 850 new units in illegal colonies, built on stolen Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank, this week. According to Israeli Channel Seven, the Netanyahu-led government intends to approve 500 units in Itamar, Shave Shomron, Oranit, Beit El, and Givat Ze'ev colonies. …
(2021-01-11). Turkey invites Greece to resume talks amid Eastern Mediterranean Sea dispute. rt.com 
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that Turkey has offered to resume exploratory talks with Greece on hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, as Ankara wants to improve ties with the European Union. | The two neighbors and NATO members have been at loggerheads over maritime exploration rights in the Mediterranean, among other issues. "We want to make an official invitation. As of today, we urge Greece to start exploratory talks, with the first meeting to be held within the month of January," Cavusoglu said. "So Greece has no excuse right now." | Athens and Ankara held 60 rounds of tal…
(2021-01-11). Ukrainian neo-Nazi 'thought leader' fired from prestigious Vienna fellowship as outcry over far-right links goes viral. rt.com 
A prominent ultranationalist activist has lost her role at a prestigious Austrian research institute after evidence arose linking her with a far-right Ukrainian group, known for extremism and antisemitism. | Olena Semenyaka, who has been called "The First Lady of Ukrainian Nationalism," was due to take up a Junior Visiting Fellowship at the Vienna-based Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in January. | However, on Monday, the college told RT that the arrangement was now under review in response to allegations raised online. "The jury of the Ukraine in European Dialogue fellowship program has been requested by t…
(2021-01-11). In first meeting since bloody 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Putin brings together leaders of Armenia & Azerbaijan for Moscow talks. rt.com 
Three months after Russia oversaw a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the two countries' leaders to Moscow to negotiate the next steps in keeping the peace in Nagorno-Karabakh. | The four-hour discussion represented the first time Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had met face to face since the end of the six-week war, which concluded in a clear victory for Baku. Following the meeting, Putin revealed that a joint statement on the development of Karabakh had been signed by all three parties. Although not yet published, t…
(2021-01-11). UAE open to normalising relations with Turkey, top diplomat says. middleeasteye.net 
UAE open to normalising relations with Turkey, top diplomat says | Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash says normalisation deal would 'respect mutual sovereignty', but also calls on Turkey to halt 'support to Muslim Brotherhood' | Mon, 01/11/2021 – 19: 50 | The UAE's foreign affairs minister, Anwar Gargash, said Turkey could 'recalibrate its relations with Arabs' if it were to cut off its 'suppo…
(2021-01-11). US begins process to establish consulate in disputed Western Sahara. middleeasteye.net 
US begins process to establish consulate in disputed Western Sahara | American ambassador to Morocco makes visit to Western Sahara port city of Dakhla | Mon, 01/11/2021 – 15: 29 | The US recognised Rabat's claim to Western Sahara on same day Morocco announced it would normalise ties with Israel (AFP) | The United States ambassador to Morocco began the process of establishing a consulate in the disputed territo…
(2021-01-11). Jordan teachers' union threatens escalation after renewed tensions with government. middleeasteye.net 
Jordan teachers' union threatens escalation after renewed tensions with government | Teachers decry the forced retirement of 62 colleagues, and accuse the government of attempting to eliminate the union | Mon, 01/11/2021 – 13: 05 | Public school teachers demonstrate and demand pay raises at the Professional Associations Complex in Amman on 3 October 2019 (AFP) | In the latest round of tensions,…
(2021-01-11). Soldiers Open Fire At Palestinian Farmers in Gaza. imemc.org 
Israeli soldiers fired, Sunday, many live rounds at Palestinian farmers on their lands, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the besieged Gaza Strip. Media sources said the soldiers, stationed across the perimeter fence, fired the live rounds at the Palestinians in Abasan area, in Khan Younis. The attack did not lead to …