Daily Archives: February 20, 2021

2021-02-20: News Headlines

Gareth Porter (2021-02-20). US State Department Accusation of China "Genocide" Is Garbage Reliant on Data Abuse and Fraudulent Claims. anti-empire.com Both President Joe Biden and his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have endorsed former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's last-minute accusation of The US government's accusation of genocide against China stems from a single sour…

Devin Cole (2021-02-20). Pensacola State College faculty demand protection. workers.org Occupied Muscogee Creek land On Feb. 16, over 30 drivers circled the Pensacola State College-Warrington Campus buildings for half an hour, laying on their horns. Signs saying "High Risk" and "Betrayal" were taped to their vehicles. This action was led by the Pensacola State College Faculty Association, a chapter of . . . |

Godfree Roberts (2021-02-20). How Democratic is China? dissidentvoice.org Like America, China is a republic and, like America, says it is democratic, but how democratic is China? A glance at history is always a good starting point The People are supreme, the state is secondary and the Ruler is the least important: only those who please the people can rule. Mencius1 In Roman politics, …

Donald Canton (2021-02-20). Partners: China and Cuba. dissidentvoice.org In the 1960s, the main forms of the Chinese assistance offered to Cuba were preferential trade and interest-free loans. From 1961 to 1965, China gave Cuba an interest-free loan of 60 million U.S. dollars. The two sides signed the China-Cuba Economic Cooperation Agreement, Trade and Payment Agreement, and Technology Cooperation Protocol. According to the agreement, …

Ali Salam (2021-02-20). Israeli Troops Attack Non-Violent Palestinian Rallies in Kufur Qaddoum, Beit Dajan. imemc.org Israeli forces attacked the weekly non-violent protest marches and rallies in several parts of the West Bank Friday, injuring three Palestinians with rubber-coated steel bullets and causing dozens to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation. In Kufur Qaddoum, in the northern West Bank, two Palestinian protesters were taken to the hospital with severe injuries …

Fernando Buen Abad Domínguez (2021-02-20). Estados Unidos contra Cuba: El bloqueo es un crimen de lesa humanidad. globalizacion.ca Según la ONU, son crímenes contra la humanidad los que constituyen ataques generalizados o sistemáticos a la población civil. Son "crímenes de lesa humanidad" los exterminios, la esclavitud, la deportación o expulsión forzosa, la privación de la libertad física e…

Margaret Flowers (2021-02-20). Urgent Solidarity with Haiti is Needed. dissidentvoice.org A long-brewing crisis in Haiti, created through intervention by the United States, United Nations and allied western imperialist countries, has now come to a head. The Biden administration is openly backing a violent, corrupt and fraudulent leader, Jovenel MoàØse, and maintaining the policies of previous presidents, including Donald Trump, in Haiti. Activists in Haiti have …

Juan Cole (2021-02-20). Number of residential solar batteries increases by 50% in Germany. juancole.com By Sà∂ren Amelang | — The number of battery storage systems linked to a residential solar pv array rose by around 50 percent in Germany in 2020 for the third year in a row. The country's solar association BSW estimates there were 88,000 new residential installations, taking the total number of solar batteries in Germany …

Yanis Iqbal (2021-02-20). Madagascar: A Nation of Hunger. dissidentvoice.org Madagascar is in great pain. Theodore Mbainaissem, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) sub-office in Ambovombe, southern Madagascar, says: "Seeing the physical condition of people extremely affected by hunger who can no longer stand…children who are completely emaciated, the elderly who are skin and bone…these images are unbearable… People are eating white clay …

A Guest Author (2021-02-20). Letter from an incarcerated worker on the struggle in Alabama. workers.org The following letter from an incarcerated worker in the Pennsylvania prison system was sent by email on Feb. 17 to Joe Piette, a member of the Prisoners Solidarity Committee of Workers World Party. From SCI Pine Grove: Nina Simone famously said: "Alabama got me so upset; Tennessee made me lose . . . |

A Guest Author (2021-02-20). Letter from an incarcerated worker on the struggle in Alabama. workers.org The following letter from an incarcerated worker in the Pennsylvania prison system was sent by email on Feb. 17 to Joe Piette, a member of the Prisoners Solidarity Committee of Workers World Party. From SCI Pine Grove: Nina Simone famously said: "Alabama got me so upset; Tennessee made me lose . . . |

MEE staff (2021-02-20). Mercenaries boss Erik Prince violated Libya weapons embargo: UN report. middleeasteye.net Mercenaries boss Erik Prince violated Libya weapons embargo: UN report | US media say the accusations against founder of security firm Blackwater could potentially lead to him facing sanctions | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 09: 39 | Erik Prince did not cooperate with the UN inquiry and his lawyer declined to comment to the New York Times (AFP) | Mercenaries boss Erik Prince pumped $80m in weapons and fighters into easter…

Mike Walter (2021-02-20). The Heat: G7 leaders' pledge on COVID-19 vaccines. america.cgtn.com Leaders from the Group of Seven Nations vow to work together to improve global access to COVID-19 vaccines.

RT (2021-02-20). Google fires ANOTHER AI ethics researcher amid row over 'censorship & racism,' as team member accuses company of 'smear campaign'. rt.com Google has terminated the head researcher on its AI ethics team over what the tech giant deemed a violation of its "code of conduct," as the company faces an internal revolt over a previous firing of a black data scientist. | Margaret Mitchell, who led Google's Ethical AI unit, announced her termination in a brief tweet on Friday, saying only "I'm fired" without offering further detail. | I'm fired.— MMitchell (@mmitchell_ai) Google's own statement on the matter was also somewhat vague, confi…

RT (2021-02-20). 3 killed, 2 injured after man opens fire at gun store in New Orleans, gets neutralized by other customers. rt.com Several people have been killed in New Orleans, after an armed man got into a heated argument with a gun store clerk and opened fire, before he was confronted and shot dead by other armed customers. | The incident took place at the Jefferson Gun Outlet — a firearms store and a shooting range — in Metairie, Louisiana, around 3pm, resulting in at least three deaths. |

RT (2021-02-20). Not very PC? Chelsea Clinton-funded 'trans' app urges transitioning people to budget their money & be nice to cops. rt.com A mobile app marketed at trans people that received funding from former first daughter Chelsea Clinton has been slammed by the internet as overtly patronizing. Even worse, the app urges users to be polite to the police. | Created in 2019, Euphoria has been billed as an app designed to help individuals navigate gender transition, as well as provide people with support once they complete the procedure. | Read more | | The platform hos…

RT (2021-02-20). Outage outrage: Texans see power bills as high as $17,000 after brutal storm pummels grid & leaves millions without electricity. rt.com In the wake of a fierce winter storm that knocked out power for millions of Texans, some residents are reporting colossal spikes in their electricity bills, with some asked to pay more than $17,000 for just a few weeks of service.

RT (2021-02-20). Biden declares 'major disaster' in Texas as state continues to battle power outages amid extreme cold. rt.com President Joe Biden has declared that "a major disaster" status is in effect in Texas, unlocking federal money for counties that have been suffering from an unusual and deadly cold wave. | His action allows for federal funding to dozens of Texan counties affected by the cold, the White House said. The money may be used for temporary housing, home repairs, low-cost loans and other assistance to residents and business owners. | Also on rt.com | | Bide…

RT (2021-02-20). Texas police looking for more than 100 illegal immigrants who fled smuggling truck amid winter freeze. rt.com Texas authorities are seeking a group of more than 100 illegal immigrants wandering through the freezing, storm-hammered state. They fled a packed smuggling truck, in which they were being transported in suffocating conditions. | Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told reporters on Thursday that his department received a call from a truckload of illegal immigrants in San Antonio that evening. Their smugglers had sealed up the refrigerated truck and blocked air holes, and the migrants feared that they would suffocate inside. | Deputies in the area noticed movement around a truck parked at a gas station, and sa…

RT (2021-02-20). PLANE DEBRIS rain from the sky as United jet makes emergency landing in Denver with engine on FIRE (VIDEOS). rt.com A United Airlines Boeing 777 suffered a major engine failure in midair and was forced to make an emergency landing at Denver International Airport, while scattering debris across several neighborhoods. | The shocking incident happened shortly after United Flight 328 took off from Denver for Honolulu, forcing the crew to perform an emergency landing with one of the engines on fire and large chunks of it missing. | Flight 328

RT (2021-02-20). 'DEATH TO THE PATRIARCHY': Madonna lashes out at shadowy cabal of men attempting to 'cut off her life force'. rt.com Pop icon Madonna has complained that a conniving cadre of scheming men has prevented her from reaching her full potential, but some believe that the obscenely wealthy and successful entertainer may be overreacting. | "The Patriarchy continues to try to crush my neck with their heavy boots, cut off my life force and take away my voice—Even those who call themselves artists…………..You know who you are!!! DEATH TO THE PATRIARCHY! Now and Forever," Madonna tweeted, including a photograph of herself wearing a glittering tiara. | The Patriarchy continues to try to crush my neck with their heavy boots, cu…

RT (2021-02-20). Beleaguered Texans forced to flee burning hotel as sprinkler system fails due to frozen pipes (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Guests at a four-story hotel in Texas were forced to flee into the freezing cold as a fire engulfed the entire building when the sprinkler system failed due to frozen pipes. | The fire broke out at the Hilton Garden Inn near Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas shortly before 9pm local time. The hotel had been serving as emergency accommodation for many stricken local residents, including several soldiers from the nearby Eyewitness footage from the scene purports to show the fire as it ripped through the hotel…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-20). Russian air strikes 'kill 21 Islamic State fighters' in Syrian desert. middleeasteye.net Russian air strikes 'kill 21 Islamic State fighters' in Syrian desert | Russian jets launched 130 air strikes over 24 hours according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 11: 01 | Russian air power has backed Syrian forces clashing with Islamic State fighters (AFP) | Russia launched at least 130 air strikes in Syria over the past 24 hours, killing at least 21 Isla…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-20). Turkey's Erdogan seeks 'win-win' relationship with US. middleeasteye.net Turkey's Erdogan seeks 'win-win' relationship with US | Turkish president reaches out to Biden administrations and says 'common interests of Turkey and the United States outweigh the differences' | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 21: 46 | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Earlier this week, Turkey had accused the US of supporting PKK 'terrorists' (AFP) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-20). Iraq: Rockets target airbase north of Baghdad after clashes with IS. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Rockets target airbase north of Baghdad after clashes with IS | Attack on Al-Balad base injures a contractor and came hours after Iraqi security forces raided a nearby Islamic State hideout amid increasing tensions | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 19: 31 | A doctor treats a man wounded in a rocket attack on US forces at Erbil airport, northern Iraq, on 15 February (Reuters) | Four rockets hit the…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-20). Algeria releases dozens of jailed pro-democracy activists after presidential pardons. middleeasteye.net Algeria releases dozens of jailed pro-democracy activists after presidential pardons | Pardons issued by President Tebboune ahead of second anniversary of Hirak uprising, with prominent journalist Khaled Drareni among those freed | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 20: 26 | Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni is greeted by supporters upon his release from Kolea prison, west of the capital Algiers, on 19 Fe…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-20). Israel purchased Russian Covid vaccine for Syria in exchange for captive: Reports. middleeasteye.net Israel purchased Russian Covid vaccine for Syria in exchange for captive: Reports | Order said to be part of a deal which freed an Israeli woman who crossed into Syria through Quneitra a few weeks ago | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 13: 45 | The Ynet news site reported on Saturday that Israel purchased more than $1m worth of doses of the Sputnik V vaccine (AFP) | Israel is said to have agreed to purch…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-20). Saudi Arabia to invest $20bn in domestic arms industry. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia to invest $20bn in domestic arms industry | Kingdom wants to shift towards manufacturing much of its own weapons over the next decade after US sales ban | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 15: 49 | Saudi Arabia wants to spend at least half of its military budget locally by 2030 (AFP) | Saudi Arabia has announced plans to pump $20bn into producing more of its own weapons and military systems o…

Aaliyah Harris (2021-02-20). Student loans continue to discriminate against Muslim students. thecanary.co To be Muslim in Britain means to be a part of a population of Interest is forbidden: | For young people venturing from college or sixth form into university, accepting a monstrous educational debt will always be a tricky decision. But for Muslims, deciding to take out a Student Finance Loan — or for that matter any loan which requires repayment with…

Daniel Horowitz (2021-02-20). With No Compulsory Muzzling and Schools Open, Florida Ranks 11th Lowest in COVID Deaths per Capita Among Seniors. anti-empire.com There's a reason why the Biden regime is Dr. F…

yenisafak (2021-02-20). Palestinian village braves atrocities, biting cold to foil Israeli land grab. yenisafak.com This is the ninth straight night that Harb Abu-Elkbash, a 48-year-old Palestinian Bedouin, will spend under the open sky in freezing temperatures.The Israeli army stormed his village of Homsa al-Baqia, located east of the city of Tubas in the Jordan Valley, 38 miles (61 kilometers) north of Jerusalem, and uprooted his tent and sheepfold.As a snowstorm descended on Palestine last Wednesday, Israeli soldiers prevented the village's residents from taking refuge in tents.Since the first time on Nov. 3 last year, Israeli bulldozers have repeatedly razed this village.The remnants of tents, sheds, portable toilets, and…

Eugene E Ruyle (2021-02-20). Sunday 2/21: The Western Campaign against Russian and Chinese Athletes. indybay.org Log-in info is posted on our website: ICSSMARX.ORG

_____ (2021-02-20). Sometimes Marx's Capital Is A Pillow… popularresistance.org In 1911, a young Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) arrived in France, which had colonised his homeland of Vietnam. Though he had been raised with a patriotic spirit committed to anti-colonialism, Ho Chi Minh's temperament did not allow him to retreat into a backward-looking romanticism. He understood that the people of Vietnam needed to draw from their own history and traditions as well as from the democratic currents set loose by the revolutionary movements around the world. In France, he became involved in the socialist movement, which taught him about working-class struggles in Europe, although the French socialists cou…

Caitlin Johnstone (2021-02-20). They Don't Work To Kill All Dissent, They Just Keep It From Going Mainstream. realprogressives.org One of the most consequential collective delusions circulating in our society is the belief that our society is free. Our society is exactly free enough to create the illusion that we have freedom; from that line onwards it's just totalitarianism veiled in propaganda. | I get comments from people every day wagging their fingers at my criticisms of western imperialist agendas against nations like China or Iran saying "If you lived over there you wouldn't be allowed to criticize the government the way you criticize western governments!" | It is true that dissidents are permitted to criticize the government syste…

Max Blumenthal (2021-02-20). Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat participated in covert UK Foreign Office-funded programs to "weaken Russia," leaked docs reveal. thegrayzone.com New leaked documents show Reuters' and the BBC's involvement in covert UK FCO programs to effect "attitudinal change" and "weaken the Russian state's influence," alongside intel contractors and Bellingcat. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have sponsored Reuters and the BBC to conduct a series of covert programs aimed at promoting regime change inside Russia and undermining its government across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to a series of leaked documents. The leaked materials appear to show the …

_____ (2021-02-20). Is Biden Prepared to Lose Afghanistan? strategic-culture.org By Patrick BUCHANAN | Is President Joe Biden prepared to preside over the worst U.S. strategic defeat since the fall of Saigon in 1975? | For that may be what's at stake if Biden follows through on the 2020 peace deal with the Taliban to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by May 1 — just two months from now. | Consider. If the 2,500 American troops remaining in Afghanistan are pulled out, the entire 10,000-troop NATO contingent departs. | This would write an end to the Western military commitment. | And the likelihood the Kabul government could then survive the constant and increasing attacks from th…

Middle East Monitor (2021-02-20). Could the Int'l Criminal Court Curb Israeli War Crimes against Occupied Palestinians? juancole.com By Belal Yasin | — ( Middle East Monitor ) — On 5 February the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a ruling in which it agreed to investigate possible war crimes by the Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories and decided that its jurisdiction extends to the territories controlled by the Israeli occupation since the …

Andrew Korybko (2021-02-20). Here's The 20-Point Plan For How Russia Could Contain The US. thealtworld.com Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov's dramatic declaration that his country "will pursue the policy of active containment of the US on all fronts" if American pressure on Russia doesn't soon end inspired a unique 20-point plan for what this could look like in practice. | Russia's Anti-American Containment Policy | Russia finally appears to be serious about "decoupling" from the West after over half a decade of its well-intended and passionate efforts to enter into a rapprochement with it following the onset of the Ukrainian Crisis. As I wrote last week after the scandal that erupted upon EU foreign pol…

yenisafak (2021-02-20). Concerns grow in India over COVID-19 resurgence. yenisafak.com After days of steady decline, several states in India are seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases, the country's Health Ministry said on Saturday."There has been a rise in daily cases in Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh," read a ministry statement.The western state of Maharashtra, one of India's most populous regions, recorded 6,112 new cases over the past day."In the past week, Maharashtra has exhibited a spike in the number of daily new cases, accounting for the highest number of daily new cases in the country today," the Health Ministry said.In a bid to stem the alarming spike, the Maharas…

yenisafak (2021-02-20). Iraq says virus lockdown won't affect Pope Francis' trip. yenisafak.com Iraq said Saturday that restrictions imposed by the government to curb the spread of coronavirus will not affect Pope Francis' visit to the country on March 5.On Thursday, the Iraqi government declared a two-week partial curfew across the country with the exception of the Kurdish region in an effort to contain a sudden surge in COVID-19 infections. The measures include suspending attending to schools, sports activities, and closure of mosques and parks.The restrictions are scheduled to be lifted on March 4, amid reports that the precautionary measures may be extended.Speaking to the official Iraqi News Agency, Is…

yenisafak (2021-02-20). Russia registers its 3rd COVID-19 vaccine. yenisafak.com Russia has registered and its Health Ministry approved a third coronavirus vaccine for public use, the country's prime minister announced on Saturday.The vaccine, called CoviVac, was developed by the Chumakov Center for Research and Development of Immunobiological Drugs, Mikhail Mishustin said at a meeting with the government in Moscow."I want to start with some very good news: today, the third vaccine, CoviVac, was registered," he said, adding that by mid-March, "the first 120,000 doses will be launched into civil circulation."Strict controls will ensure that stepped-up production will in no case affect the vacc…

Hedelberto López Blanch (2021-02-20). El indetenible avance económico de China. globalizacion.ca La declaración del director de la Comisión Central de Asuntos Exteriores del Partido Comunista de China, Yang Jiechi referente a las acciones provocadoras que han realizado las administraciones estadounidense contra el gigante asiático ha sido contundente: "ninguna fuerza detendrá el…

Indian Cultural Forum (2021-02-20). Sedition, dissent and the rights of accused. peoplesdispatch.org On Saturday, February 13, 21-year-old Disha Ravi was Climate activist Disha Ravi's arrest by the Delhi Police has brought India's sedition law into discussion again. It is not simply her arrest under the colonial-era law that has been questio…

Brett Wilkins (2021-02-20). US farmers and food justice groups declare 'solidarity' with Indian farmer protests. nationofchange.org "India's farmers have mobilized to create one of the world's most vibrant protests in history."

Mara Hvistendahl (2021-02-20). How Oracle Sells Repression in China. zcomm.org In its bid for TikTok, Oracle was supposed to prevent data from being passed to Chinese police. Instead, it's been marketing its own software for their surveillance work…

Online News Editor (2021-02-20). Osaka wins 2nd Australian Open title after defeating Brady. laprensalatina.com Melbourne, Australia, Feb 20 (efe-epa).- Japan's Naomi Osaka on Saturday clinched her second Australian Open title as she comfortably defeated the US' Jennifer Brady in straight sets. Third seed Osaka took advantage of untimely unforced errors from Grand Slam final rookie Brady for a 6-4, 6-3 win to seal the title after a contest that …

Online News Editor (2021-02-20). Former Australian govt party adviser accused of 2nd rape. laprensalatina.com Sydney, Australia, Feb 20 (efe-epa).- A woman said Saturday she was raped by a former adviser to the government party accused this week of raping another co-worker in parliament, according to local media reports. Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed his discomfort at this second complaint at a press conference via his Facebook profile. The accusation …

Online News Editor (2021-02-20). From bad to worse for Liverpool with derby loss to Everton. laprensalatina.com Sports Desk, Feb 20 (efe-epa).- Everton beat Liverpool 0-2 Saturday on goals by Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson in a game that saw Reds captain Jordan Henderson leave the pitch injured in the 29th minute. The Toffees first triumph in the Merseyside derby in more than a decade was a milestone of a different kind for …

_____ (2021-02-20). US Attacks BDS For Same Reason Nixon Started Drug War. popularresistance.org The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Arkansas' law against BDS — the use of boycott, divestment and sanctions as a means of protest against Israel —violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, because it plainly does. | "The Arkansas Times has successfully challenged a law that prohibits the state from doing business with companies that boycott Israel," Mondoweiss reports. "The Little Rock-based weekly filed the lawsuit in 2018 and was represented by the ACLU. The paper takes no official position on BDS, but it launched the legal challenge after the University of Arkansas Pulas…

Richard Horton (2021-02-20). [Comment] Offline: What is the UK for? thelancet.com The UK Government this year hosts two important events—the G7 (June 11—13) and COP26 (Nov 1—12). The priorities set out by Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his G7 presidency are four-fold: fighting against and recovering from COVID-19; climate action; free and fair trade; and shared values as open societies. Global health will indeed be a concern for the US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, and Italy. Some G7 countries have performed poorly in responding to the pandemic. What should be the UK's approach to global health? Last week, Lord Nigel Crisp convened the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gl…