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2021-02-07: News Headlines

MEE and agencies (2021-02-07). Covid-19: Israel begins exit from third virus lockdown. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israel begins exit from third virus lockdown | Despite a vaccination campaign, the country has been registering a daily average of 6,500 new Covid-19 cases

| Sun, 02/07/2021 – 15: 48 | While a third of Israelis have received the vaccine, Palestinians living in the occupied territories have been left out of the roll-out (AFP) | Israeli barbershops and some other businesses…

Juan Cole (2021-02-07). Int'l Criminal Court will take up Israeli War Crimes and Apartheid in Palestine. zcomm.org On Friday, the International Criminal Court found that it had jurisdiction to consider war crimes and crimes against humanity and the crime of Apartheid in the Palestinian territories…

Ajit Singh (2021-02-07). China Detaining Millions of Uyghurs? Serious Problems With Claims by US-Backed NGO and Researcher 'LED by God' Against Beijing. anti-empire.com Text is from December 2019. | The US House of Representatives passed the To drum up support for the sanctions bill, Western governments and media outlets have portrayed the People's Republic as a human rights violator on par with Nazi Germany. Republican Rep. Chris S…

Thomas Knapp (2021-02-07). Biden's Iran Dilemma: Serve Obama's Third Term — or Trump's Second? anti-empire.com Even before winning the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden began hedging his bets on US policy toward Iran. While correctly blaming Donald Trump for violating the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aka the Iran nuclear deal, he tried to fob responsibility for restoring that deal off on the Iranians rather than accepting the job himself. | "If Iran returns to strict compliance with the nuclear deal," he

OCHA (2021-02-07). OCHA-OP: "Humsa al Bqai'a | Flash Update #1" imemc.org Report By: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory OCHA-OPT: Posted on 5 February 2021 Highlights During two major incidents in recent days, Israeli forces demolished or confiscated 46 structures in the Palestinian Bedouin community of Humsa — Al Bqai'a in the Jordan Valley, leaving 60 people, including 35 …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Soldiers Injure Three Palestinians, Abduct Two, In Jenin. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, Sunday, Jenin city in northern West Bank, and injured three Palestinians, including one who was rammed with an army jeep, in addition to abducting two Palestinians, including one child. Several army jeeps invaded the center of Jenin city and attacked Palestinian protesters with live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and gas bombs. Medical …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Soldiers Invade Archaeological Site Near Nablus. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, Sunday, the archeological site in Sebastia Palestinian town, north of Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. Mohammad Azem, the Mayor of Sebastia, said several army jeeps invaded the town, before heading towards the archeological site. He added that the soldiers forced the Palestinian away, and closed the site, …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Navy Attacks Palestinian Fishermen In Gaza. imemc.org Israeli navy ships attacked, Sunday, Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza territorial waters, in the southern part of the besieged coastal region, and near Gaza city. Media sources said the navy ships fired many live rounds at the Palestinian fishing boats, in addition to using the high-powered cater cannon against them, near Khan Younis, in the …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Army Halts Construction Of Seven Palestinian Homes Near Nablus. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, Sunday, the town of Sorra, west of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and handed seven locals military orders halting the construction of their homes. Morad Eshteiwi, the head of the "Wall And Colonization Resistance Commission" in northern West Bank, said the soldiers halted the construction of seven Palestinian homes near …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Army Abducts Two Palestinians In Hebron And Jerusalem. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, earlier Sunday, two Palestinians from Hebron, in southern West Bank, and in Jabal al-Mokabber, south of occupied East Jerusalem. Media sources said the soldiers invaded Be'er al-Hummus area, in the center of Hebron city, before storming and ransacking homes. They added that the soldiers abducted Haitham Talal as-Sammak, 22, from his home …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Colonists Cut 30 Olive Saplings Near Salfit. imemc.org Several fanatic illegal Israeli colonists invaded, Sunday, a Palestinian olive orchard near Salfit, in central West Bank, and cut more than thirty olive saplings, in addition to stealing equipment. Eyewitnesses said the colonists invaded the Palestinian orchard near Bruqin village, west of Salfit, before cutting at least thirty olive saplings. They added that the colonists …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Israeli Colonists Attack Palestinian Shepherds Near Hebron. imemc.org A group of fanatic Israeli colonists, illegally squatting on private Palestinian lands, attacked many shepherds, Sunday, in the Masafer Yatta area, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Fuad al-Amour, the head of the "Protection and Steadfastness Committee" in Masafer Yatta and Southern Hebron Hills, said the colonists came from Havat Ma'on illegal …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Soldiers Shoot A Palestinian Worker Near Jenin. imemc.org Israeli soldiers shot, on Sunday morning, a Palestinian worker near the illegal Annexation Wall near Barta'a town, southwest of the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers fired live rounds at Palestinian workers near the wall, wounding one of them. They added that the soldiers shot Khaled Mer'eb Freihat with a live …

IMEMC News (2021-02-07). Illegal Israeli Colonists Spray Toxins On Palestinian Lands Near Nablus. imemc.org On Sunday, several fanatic Israeli colonists, illegally squatting on Palestinian lands, invaded Palestinian farmlands in Khirbat Tana village, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and sprayed them with chemical toxins. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel's colonialist activities in northern West Bank, said the Israeli assailants came from Itamar …

Field Empty (2021-02-07). Russia Expels Diplomats From Germany, Sweden and Poland for Attending Protests in Russia. anti-empire.com Moscow has revoked the credentials of three officials from EU nations, over claims they took part in unauthorized rallies in support of jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny, local media reported on Friday. | In a statement issued on Friday, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had made formal protests to the embassies of Germany, Poland and Sweden. Representatives of these countries are said to have participated in mass-demonstrations that saw thousands take to the streets in cities across Russia over the past two weeks. According to officials, they have now been made "personae non grata" and "ordered…

Alex MacDonald (2021-02-07). Jailed Saudi teen Ali al-Nimr has death sentence commuted to 10 years in prison. middleeasteye.net Jailed Saudi teen Ali al-Nimr has death sentence commuted to 10 years in prison | Rights group Reprieve welcomes the news but calls for others imprisoned as minors to receive similar treatment | Sun, 02/07/2021 – 14: 11 | Ali al-Nimr, a Saudi youth facing the death penalty for taking part in pro-reform protests, posing for a photo at an unknown location (AFP) | Saudi Arabia has commuted the deat…

Aaron Maté (2021-02-07). Biden reduces US role in Saudi war on Yemen, but leaves room to continue crisis. thegrayzone.com A massive humanitarian crisis and Houthi-led resistance forced President Joe Biden to change course on Yemen. But that won't stop the US and Saudi Arabia from trying to impose imperial terms on the Yemeni people, scholar and author Isa Blumi says. President Biden has taken important steps to reduce the US role in the war on Yemen, while still leaving room to continue supporting the Saudi-led campaign and imposing its terms on the Yemeni people. Isa Blumi, associate professor at …

_____ (2021-02-07). The Chinese 'Debt Trap' Is A Myth. popularresistance.org China, we are told, inveigles poorer countries into taking out loan after loan to build expensive infrastructure that they can't afford and that will yield few benefits, all with the end goal of Beijing eventually taking control of these assets from its struggling borrowers. As states around the world pile on debt to combat the coronavirus pandemic and bolster flagging economies, fears of such possible seizures have only amplified. | Seen this way, China's internationalization—as laid out in programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative—is not simply a pursuit of geopolitical influence but also, in so…

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). Iran to receive next shipment of Russian vaccine in mid-Feb. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Russian Federation said that Tehran will receive the next shipments of Russian COVID-19 vaccine in mid-February, March, and April.

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Afghanistan gets 1st doses of COVID vaccine from India. yenisafak.com Afghanistan on Sunday received 500,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine from India, health officials said.The India-made vaccine, locally known as Covishield, is the first to reach Afghanistan. It is being produced by the Serum Institute for mid- and low-income countries.Talking to reporters at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport after receiving the consignment, Ghulam Dastagir Nazari, head of the immunization drive at the Health Ministry, said frontline health care staff, followed by security forces and civil servants, will be the first to be inoculated after emergency approval from the Worl…

Paul Jay (2021-02-07). The Global Consequences of Jan. 6 and the Mass Base of Fascism — Gerald Horne. theanalysis.news How has the turmoil of Jan 6th and talk of coups affected American ability to control global events, especially as regards to China? The basis for fascism exists in the U.S. as a significant number of people who voted for Trump support a more racist and repressive state. Historian Gerald Horne on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay.

RT (2021-02-07). Biden puts US in standoff with Iran, says sanctions won't be lifted until country stops enriching uranium. rt.com In a new excerpt from his pre-Super Bowl interview, President Joe Biden made it clear there is no chance of the US lifting sanctions on Iran unless they "stop enriching uranium first," a step Tehran is not willing to take. | Biden's stance puts him at odds with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said before the US president's comments aired that the US must lift all sanctions if it wants Iran to "return to its commitments." | "It must lift all sanctions in practice, then we will do verification … then we will return to our commitments," he stated, according to local media. | Also on rt.com

MEE and agencies (2021-02-07). Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted Houthi armed drone attack. middleeasteye.net Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted Houthi armed drone attack | The incident comes days after President Biden announced ending of US support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen | Sun, 02/07/2021 – 11: 15 | Drone attack attributed to Houthis comes after US moved to delist the rebels as a terrorist group (AFP) | An armed drone launched towards Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthis was intercepte…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-07). No return to nuclear deal before Iran sanctions lifted, says Khamenei. middleeasteye.net No return to nuclear deal before Iran sanctions lifted, says Khamenei | Supreme Leader says US needs to 'completely lift sanctions… not just on paper' before any return to 2015 deal | Sun, 02/07/2021 – 10: 08 | Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivering a speech in front of air force commanders on 7 February, days ahead of the 42nd anniversary marking the victory of the Isla…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-07). Joe Biden says no lifting of Iran sanctions before talks. middleeasteye.net Joe Biden says no lifting of Iran sanctions before talks | Tehran has previously called for the lifting of sanctions before it returns to the 2015 nuclear accords | Sun, 02/07/2021 – 15: 52 | US President Joe Biden makes his way to board Air Force One before departing from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on 5 February 2021 (AFP) | US President Joe Biden said he would not lift sanctions…

Reese Erlich (2021-02-07). What Trump and the Myanmar Coup Have in Common. commondreams.org The Asian country's military overthrew its government over baseless claims of voter fraud. Sound familiar? | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-12309090381.jpg

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). Tehran ,Moscow to finalize tie on joint vaccine production. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — An Iranian delegation, who just arrived in Moscow, will finalize a joint cooperation agreement for the production of the Sputnik V vaccine between Iran and Russia.

yenisafak (2021-02-07). UN envoy visits Iran for talks on Yemeni conflict. yenisafak.com UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths arrived in Tehran on Sunday for talks with Iranian officials on a resolution of the 7-year Yemeni conflict.A statement released by his office said that Griffiths will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and other senior officials during his two-day visit."The visit is part of the Special Envoy's diplomatic efforts to support a negotiated political solution to the conflict in Yemen that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people," the statement said.According to the statement, Griffiths' immediate priority is "to support agreement between the parties to the conflict on…

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Around 150 missing as glacier breaks in northern India. yenisafak.com Some 150 people went missing after part of a Himalayan glacier broke in northern India, leading to a massive flood, officials said on Sunday.A portion of Nanda Devi glacier, India's second-highest mountain, broke off in Tapovan area of the Uttarakhand state, damaging the Rishiganga hydro power project."Representatives of the power project have told me that they are not being able to contact around 150 of their workmen at the project site," Ridhim Aggarwal, an official of the state disaster response force, told local media.Photos and videos posted and shared on social media platforms showed a massive flood in the…

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Saudi-led coalition intercepts rebel drone from Yemen. yenisafak.com The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday it had intercepted an explosive-laden drone fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi Arabia.The Houthi drone attack was a "systematic and deliberate attempt to target civilians and civilian objects", coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said in a statement cited by Saudi SPA News Agency.There was no comment from the Houthi group on the coalition's statement.The rebel movement regularly announces rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition's assault on Yemen.Yemen has been wracked by violence and instability since…

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Turkish vice president to pay working visit to N Cyprus. yenisafak.com Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay will pay a working visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Feb. 10-11.Oktay will be accompanied by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and President of Digital Transformation Office Ali Taha Koc.On the first day of the visit, Oktay will meet with TRNC President Ersin Tatar, Prime Minister Ersan Saner and Parliament Speaker Onder Sennaroglu.During the two-day working visit, talks on a financial cooperation protocol between Turkey and the TRNC will also be held.The Presidential Digital Transformation…

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Turkish series rate high in popularity in Bangladesh. yenisafak.com Like in other parts of the world, the Turkish mega-series Dirilis Ertugrul is taking Bangladesh by storm, with hundreds of people even in remote areas getting hooked to it."People are rushing to my shop to get the series in their mobile memory cards instead of demanding songs or other things," Farhad Hossain, a mobile service shop owner in the southern coastal district of Barguna, told Anadolu Agency.For Oliur Rahman Oli, a movie freak and an intermediate student of a private college in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, watching the Turkish serial in Bengali language dubbing is an essential routine. A local private TV…

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Turkey 'friend and ally' to Libya: Interim PM. yenisafak.com Libya's new Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh on Sunday described Turkey as a "friend and ally", saying his government will work to achieve peace in war-torn Libya.This came in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, the first by a foreign news agency with the new premier after being elected to lead an interim government.On Friday, Libya's rival political groups agreed to form an interim unity government after five days of talks in Switzerland. Mohammad Younes Menfi was elected to head the Presidency Council of an interim government and Dbeibeh as its prime minister. Mossa Al-Koni and Abdullah Hussein Al-Laf…

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Pakistan hopes to get off watchdog's gray list. yenisafak.com Despite the strong "Indian lobby," Pakistan hopes that a watchdog for global money-laundering will not make a "politically motivated" decision at the next meeting later this month and delete the country's name from the FATF gray list.Pakistan's anxious eye is on the four-day virtual meeting of the Financial Action Task Force — a Paris-based global money-laundering watchdog — starting on Feb. 22, which is expected to decide whether or not to remove Islamabad from its gray list.The country has been on the FATF radar since June 2018, when it was placed on its gray list for terrorist financing and money l…

yenisafak (2021-02-07). Russia searches for remains of 2 Israelis in Syria. yenisafak.com The Russian army conducted searches in a cemetery near the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees in Syria, in an attempt to find the remains of two Israeli soldiers who went missing 39 years ago during the first Lebanon war, The Times of Israel reported.The Hebrew daily, citing Syrian media reports, named the two soldiers as Tzvi Feldman and Yehuda Katzwent. They went missing during the battle of Sultan Yacoub in 1982, along with Zachary Baumel, whose remains were recovered and returned to Israel in 2019.In 2019, Tel Aviv received the remains of Baumel, who was killed in the same battle with the Syrian army near…

Katya Kazbek (2021-02-07). Who The Hell Is Alexei Navalny? zcomm.org Nothing fundamentally new is happening right now. A part of Russian society is unhappy with Putin and his government, but that's been a constant throughout his 20-plus year term…

Online News Editor (2021-02-07). Flames of protests against Kremlin burn behind bars. laprensalatina.com Zakharova, Russia, Feb 7 (efe-epa).- Bags of cigarettes, sachets of tea and boxes of cookies are piled up in the snow in front of the detention center. They are for demonstrators who were detained in the mass protests in favor of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The demonstrations have stopped, but the discontent of these young …

_____ (2021-02-07). Ideological Imperialism Is Leading to a Bad End. strategic-culture.org By Patrick BUCHANAN | When it was learned in 2016 that Russia may have hacked the emails of John Podesta and the DNC, and passed the fruits on to WikiLeaks to aid candidate Donald Trump, mighty was the outrage of the American establishment. | If Russia's security services filched those emails, and a troll farm in Saint Petersburg sent tweets and texts to stir up rancor in our politics, it was said, this was an attack on American democracy and its most sacred of rituals — the elections by which we chose our leaders. | Some called it an "act of war." Others compared it to Pearl Harbor. | Almost all agreed it…

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). 3 Iranian football clubs ready to host 2021 ACL group stage. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — Three Iranian football clubs present at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League 2021 have announced readiness to host the group stage of the games.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). Recent war games sent clear message to enemy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — The Commander of Iran's Army Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars said the recent military exercises staged by Iran have sent a clear message to the enemy.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). Iraqi forces arrest 13 ISIL terrorists in Baghdad. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — The Iraqi intelligence agency announced on Sunday that 13 ISIL terrorist elements have been arrested in Baghdad.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). No one can take Iran back to American domination period: Amb. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Javad Torkabadi said that no one can return Iran to the time of American domineering and hegemony period, emphasizing that the resistance is a decision that the country will not relinquish it.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). Iranian Parl. speaker arrives in Moscow for bilateral talks. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Russian capital Moscow on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties and relevant issues.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). Iran, Russia enjoying excellent, strategic relations. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — Saying that Tehran-Moscow relations are excellent and strategic, a senior Iranian Parliamentary advisor noted that Ghalibaf's trip takes place in the light of important regional and international developments.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). Iran sympathizes with India over deadly flood. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 08 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry has sympathized with the Indian government and nation over the deadly flood in the northern parts of the country.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). US must ensure Trump's actions won't be repeated: Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister said that the US must guarantee that the measures taken by the Trump administration will not be repeated.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). VIDEO: IRIAF commanders meet Leader. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei received a group of Iranian Air Force commanders on Sunday in Tehran.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-07). Iranian nation 'serious' in overcoming sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 07 (MNA) — Noting that the arrangement of the Iranian nation to overcome the sanctions and the enemies is serious, IRGC Chief Commander said, "Iranian youth have managed to stand on their own feet to bury the wishes of the enemies."

Martand Kaushik (2021-02-07). Reporting is not a crime. So why has India's government charged our magazine? zcomm.org The Caravan's editors write that charges filed against them after covering protests are an 'assault on free media'

contributors (2021-02-07). Governments mustn't confuse Criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism: British-Israeli Academics. juancole.com Via Israeli Academics UK Call to reject the IHRA's 'working definition of antisemitism' To: Vice Chancellors, Members of Academic Senates, all other UK Academics and Students & Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP Secretary of State for Education RE: The IHRA 'working definition of antisemitism' We, British Academics who are also Israeli citizens, strongly oppose …

2021-02-06: News Headlines

CGTN (2021-02-06). Interview with Martin Jacques on BBC Coverage of China. dissidentvoice.org The Chinese Foreign Ministry has demanded an apology from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its recent coverage of COVID-19, saying the BBC used a clip about an anti-terrorism exercise, claiming it was for pandemic control. The BBC responded: it will continue to uphold the "principle of justice". For more on this, CGTN talked to …

Juan Cole (2021-02-06). In Game Changer, Int'l Criminal Court will take up Israeli War Crimes and Apartheid in Palestine. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — On Friday, the International Criminal Court found that it had jurisdiction to consider war crimes and crimes against humanity and the crime of Apartheid in the Palestinian territories. Israeli politician Abba Eban once quipped that Palestinians never lost the opportunity to lose an opportunity. But Palestinians have carefully, methodically created …

Alan MacLeod (2021-02-06). Atlantic Council pens anonymously authored expose calling for regime change in China. mronline.org The report outlines a plan for the United States to pursue a China without Xi Jinping, with a weakened Communist Party, and operating in a region dominated by the US and its allies.

Eds. (2021-02-06). How the Gulf War sparked China's military revolution. mronline.org With the technology and firepower on show during the conflict — precision bombing, satellite guidance, missile interception, air-to-surface strike to eliminate tanks, electronic warfare, one-way transparency on the battlefield, stealth bombers — the Gulf War was a "psychological nuclear attack" on China, observers say.

Ted Kelly (2021-02-06). Imperio de E.E.U.U. libra guerra de 30 años contra Irak. workers.org Desde la perspectiva de los jóvenes del mundo, el imperialismo estadounidense ha estado librando una guerra contra Iraq durante toda su vida. Los niños iraquíes nacidos el mismo año del comienzo de la Guerra del Golfo, que deberían estar acercándose a sus 31 años, fueron asesinados por las sanciones o . . . |

Levada (2021-02-06). Just 15 Percent of Russians Believe Navalny's Account of 'Poisoning'. anti-empire.com Machine translated from Russian. | The majority of Russians (78%) are aware of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, although they closely follow the development of events for less than a fifth of the population. The respondents name three main versions of what happened: 30% consider the incident to be a staging of the politician himself, 19% see this as a provocation of the Western special services, 15% speak of an attempt by the authorities to eliminate a political opponent. | Most Russians are aware of Navalny's poisoning today: 17% are watching closely, 61% have at least heard something about it. At the same time,…

_____ (2021-02-06). ICC Clears Way For War Crimes Probe Of Israeli Actions. popularresistance.org Jerusalem – The International Criminal Court said Friday that its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, potentially clearing the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions. | The decision was welcomed by the Palestinians and decried by Israel's prime minister, who vowed to fight "this perversion of justice." The U.S., Israel's closest ally, said it opposed the decision. | The ICC's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in 2019 that there was a "reasonable basis" to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions in the Gaz…

Caitlin Johnstone (2021-02-06). The Empire Must Die: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com Q: What is a liberal? | A: A liberal is a violent white supremacist extremist who supports and participates in the mass slaughter of brown-skinned human beings overseas while tweeting that white supremacist extremists are bad. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is capitalism? | A: Capitalism is a wonderful economic and political system which has given us powerful technology, a wide assortment of breakfast cereals, and near term human extinction. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is China? | A: China is a large Asiatic nation which westerners use as an emotional punching bag for their capitalism-induced rage, p…

Richard Lane (2021-02-06). [Perspectives] Tahmeed Ahmed: new leader of icddr,b. thelancet.com It was back in 1985 when Tahmeed Ahmed joined the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, today known as icddr,b, in Dhaka. On Feb 1, 2021, he became icddr,b's new Executive Director, its first leader from within Bangladesh. Before his new role, he was Director of Nutrition and Clinical Services at icddr,b, where he also led the organisation's response to COVID-19. As a distinguished clinician and research leader, Ahmed's career has been defined by public health developments in his country, notably in the areas of cholera treatment and in confronting malnutrition.

John Zarocostas (2021-02-06). [World Report] WHO team begins COVID-19 origin investigation. thelancet.com A WHO-led international mission has begun investigations in China to try to establish the origin of SARS-CoV-2. John Zarocostas reports on its activities.

_____ (2021-02-06). NY Times' Pseudo-Expert Accusing China of Genocide Worked for Far-Right Cult Falun Gong's Publicity Arm. strategic-culture.org The New York Times recycled flimsy claims by a right-wing apocalyptic extremist to accuse China of "genocide," in an op-ed by an American with 1/8th Uighur heritage who worked for Epoch Times, a far-right, pro-Trump outlet backed by cult Falun Gong. | By Ben NORTON | The New York Times published a factually challenged op-ed accusing China of committing "genocide" against its Uighur minority. The article sourced its spurious accusations to a right-wing operative who insists his research is part of a divine "mission" against Beijing that is "led by God." | The author of the New York Times op-ed, Amelia Pang, happen…

Reese Erlich (2021-02-06). Trump's Coup and Burma's Coup: What they have in Common. juancole.com The Asian country's military overthrew its government over baseless claims of voter fraud. Sound familiar? ( 48hills.org) — This week, military officers in Myanmar (formerly Burma) overthrew that nation's democratically elected government after the party it preferred lost the parliamentary elections. The military claimed voter fraud without presenting any proof. It tried to fill the …

_____ (2021-02-06). Biden Says He's Ending The Yemen War. popularresistance.org The February 4 announcement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that President Biden would end U.S. support for "offensive operations" in Yemen was understandably met with celebration by those opposed to the war. Almost six years of the U.S.-Saudi‚ÄëU.A.E. war on Yemen have left the country devastated by humanitarian disaster and famine. Anti-war activists have spent these years‚Äâ—‚Äâfirst during the Obama-Biden administration, then the Trump-Pence administration, and now the Biden-Harris administration‚Äâ—…

Gene Bukhman, Ana Mocumbi (2021-02-06). [Correspondence] Universal health coverage for the poorest billion: justice and equity considerations — Authors' reply. thelancet.com As co-chairs of The Lancet NCDI Poverty Commission,1 we thank Jordan Jarvis and Belinda Townsend, and Michelle Amri for their thoughtful comments. Jarvis and Townsend highlight the role of global power arrangements that perpetuate the existence of extreme poverty. Specifically, they refer to the examples of tax avoidance by multinational corporations that starve the poorest countries of potential revenue, and the influence of billionaires on a global health agenda that has excluded non-communicable disease and injury (NCDI) poverty.

Udani Samarasekera (2021-02-06). [World Report] Relocated Rohingya face uncertain health-care provision. thelancet.com Bangladesh is moving refugees to an uninhabited island, but non-governmental organisations warn of the lack of health-care provision and coordination. Udani Samarasekera reports.

Mary J Warrell (2021-02-06). [Correspondence] Time to revise the strategy for Gavi funding of rabies vaccine? thelancet.com The Global Burden of Disease cause and risk summary on rabies shows the 13‚Äà700 deaths worldwide in 2019, close to the estimated 12‚Äà700 furious rabies cases in India alone.1 Figure 4 of this summary is misleading, especially the key. As there is no surveillance in many of the poorest countries, the global annual deaths quoted by WHO2 of 59‚Äà000 is derivedfrom extensive extrapolation. Rabies encephalomyelitis is always fatal in Asia and Africa. Although prevention of infection by correct vaccination after dog bites is extremely effective, vaccines are often…

_____ (2021-02-06). The Q-Word: Weapon of Choice for Smearing Opponents. strategic-culture.org By Trevor Scott FITZGIBBON | –ûne of the most effective information-operation weapons during the 2016 presidential election was to smear political targets as "Russian bots" working on behalf of the Kremlin. Journalists were de-platformed, presidential candidates were The art of attacking political targets by using open-sourced guilt-by-association is not new — nor is using Russians as foils: Joseph McCarthy and his ilk did it in the…

yenisafak (2021-02-06). US woman becomes Muslim after watching Turkish series. yenisafak.com A 60-year-old American woman has become Muslim after being influenced by Resurrection: Ertugrul, a popular Turkish TV series.The Wisconsin resident chose the name of "Khadija" after her conversion to Islam and told Anadolu Agency that she came across Resurrection: Ertugrul while browsing Netflix."I looked into it, the details about it. So I started watching," said Khadija, adding she was really interested in Islam after watching a few episodes."It was talking about the history that I knew nothing about. What I heard about God, Islam, peace, justice and helping the oppressed drew my attention and connected me to t…

yenisafak (2021-02-06). Fenerbahce Beko beat Zenit for 9th straight win. yenisafak.com Turkish basketball team Fenerbahce Beko beat Zenit St Petersburg from Russia 92-84 in a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game Friday for their ninth consecutive win.French playmaker Nando De Colo led the team from Istanbul to victory at home in the Round 24 game, scoring 24 points with seven assists at Ulker Sports and Event Hall.Serbian guard Marko Guduric had 19 and Czech center Jan Vesely added 16 for the Turkish club.US forward Will Thomas led Zenit with 21 points.KC Rivers scored 14. American guard Billy Baron added 13.Fenerbahce Beko have 14 wins in the 2020-21 EuroLeague regular season.This season Zenit has los…

yenisafak (2021-02-06). At least 10 tons of bootleg alcohol seized in Turkey. yenisafak.com Turkish law enforcement forces seized at least 10 tons of bootleg alcohol in separate operations in two southeastern provinces of the country, sources said on Friday.As part of operations against illegal alcohol production and distribution, gendarmerie teams captured six tons of bootleg alcohol in the Birecik district of Sanliurfa province. Three people were also held for their alleged involvement.In a separate operation, police forces captured at least four tons of bootleg alcohol in a storehouse in the Sehitkamil district of Gaziantep province and held two suspects.Bootleg alcohol is made by using low-cost meth…

yenisafak (2021-02-06). EU keeps PKK on terrorism list. yenisafak.com The European Union on Friday renewed its terrorist list for a further six months.The sanctions list features 14 persons and 21 entities or groups, including the PKK and Dalokay Sanli, a senior figure of the terrorist group.Terrorist organizations DHKP/C, IBDA-C, and TAK — a PKK offshoot — are also on the list.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — also listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and the US — has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.In order to combat terrorism, the bloc freezes the funds and financial a…

Online News Editor (2021-02-06). An adapted 'Llorona' presides over a united cry against Mexico femicide. laprensalatina.com Mexico, Feb 5 (efe-epa).- An adapted version of "La Llorona," the popular Mexican theme, presided over a protest Friday in Mexico City against the killing of young doctor Mariana Sanchez last week in the country's south and against ceaseless violence against women. "Being a woman is a crime, Llorona, with a well-defined passion. They grab …

_____ (2021-02-06). Are We Not All In Search Of Tomorrow. popularresistance.org In 2019, 613 million Indians voted to appoint their representatives to the Indian parliament (Lok Sabha). During the election campaign, the political parties spent Rs. 60,000 crores (around US $8 billion), 45% of which was spent by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the governing party; the BJP won 37% of the vote, which translated into 303 of the 545 seats in the Lok Sabha. A year later, a massive $14 billion was spent on the US presidential and congressional elections, with the winning Democrat Party dominating the spending. These are massive amounts of money, whose grip on the democratic process is quite clear…

_____ (2021-02-06). India's Farmers' Protests: 'This Is History In The Making'. popularresistance.org On January 26, 2021, India observed its 71st Republic Day under historically unprecedented circumstances. On an occasion meant to commemorate the adoption of the Indian Constitution, two fiercely antagonistic visions of the country locked horns with each other in the capital of Delhi. | On the Rajpath ceremonial boulevard in the heart of Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s homegrown Hindu nationalist proto-fascism was on full display. It was no coincidence, for example, that the winner of the Republic Day Parade's tableaux competition was the state of Uttar Pradesh, w…

oneworld.press (2021-02-06). The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Between Azerbaijan & Armenia. oneworld.press Some countries are in the favor of ceasefire, but the situation still remains unresolved.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-06). Illegal demolition of Palestinian Bedouin village condemned. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli forces demolished the village of Khirbet Humsa for the second time in four months. The rights organization B'Tselem accused Israel of trying to displace the entire Palestinian Bedouin community of the village…

oneworld.press (2021-02-06). The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Between Azerbaijan & Armenia. oneworld.press Some countries are in the favor of ceasefire, but the situation still remains unresolved.

Tings Chak (2021-02-06). The enduring legacy of China's Red Detachment of Women. peoplesdispatch.org On the eve of the Communist Party of China's centenary in July 2021, the story of the country's first women's military brigade in the 1930s continues to find life in popular culture and the imagination of the Chinese people…

Dr. Zuhair Sabbagh (2021-02-06). Israel Elections: Competition Among Right-Wing Zionist Parties for Arab Votes. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | Introduction | It is noteworthy to mention that at the beginning of …

David Swanson (2021-02-05). U.S. Should Pay Iran Reparations. counterpunch.org Why would I say such an outrageous, treasonous, delusional, OBVIOUSLY-funded-by-Putin thing? Am I hoping to enrage war-crazed sadists who've seen too much television "news"? Not at all. I want them to still be around when I say that it would actually be preferable for the United States to pay reparations to the entire rest of

MEE staff (2021-02-05). ICC rules it has jurisdiction to probe alleged war crimes by Israel and Hamas. middleeasteye.net ICC rules it has jurisdiction to probe alleged war crimes by Israel and Hamas | Finding clears path for court's chief prosecutor to move forward with probe into alleged war crimes committed since Israel's 2014 bombardment of Gaza | Fri, 02/05/2021 – 19: 29 | Israeli soldiers deploy as Palestinians and left-wing Israelis protest against settlements and land confiscation, south of Hebron city on 15 January (AFP/…

_____ (2021-02-05). Palestine Action Co-Founder Arrested For Blackmail. popularresistance.org Palestine Action co-founder Richard Goddard was arrested for blackmail on 3 February, just days after the group launched a joint action with Extinction Rebellion that shut down the premises of Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems. | The arrest, which was filmed, took place at around 3pm and Goddard was taken to Fresh Wharf Custody Base, London. Both he and co-founder Huda Ammori reportedly had their passports seized during the raid. Palestine Action has accused the police of 'harassment.

Qassam Muaddi (2021-02-05). Israeli settlers kill unarmed Palestinian near Ramallah. middleeasteye.net Israeli settlers kill unarmed Palestinian near Ramallah | Residents of Palestinian town of Ras Karkar say killing of Khaled Nofal was unjustifiable | Fri, 02/05/2021 – 15: 46 | Khaled Nofal (R), an accountant from the West Bank, was shot by an Israeli settler on Friday (Twitter)
| An Israeli settler shot dead a Palestinian man near the town of Ras Karkar in the central occupied West Bank on Fri…

OCHA (2021-02-05). OCHA: "UN reiterates its call for demolitions to end and for international law to be respected" imemc.org Statement by Sarah Muscroft, Head of OCHA in the occupied Palestinian territory, James Heenan, Head of the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory, and Lucia Elmi, UNICEF Special Representative in the State of Palestine United Nations representatives met yesterday with the Palestinian Bedouin community of Humsa al Bqai'a, in the northern Jordan …

Ralph Nader (2021-02-05). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. counterpunch.org Since 2015, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has ruled the Senate with an iron hand, describing himself as "the Guardian of Gridlock." He was Senator "NO," except for confirming over 200 mostly corporatist federal judges. Now comes a new challenge for Mitch McConnell as he leads 49 other Republican Senators, twenty of whom are up

Alan MacLeod (2021-02-05). Head of Strategic Command: US Must Prepare for "Very Real Possibility" of Nuclear War With China. thealtworld.com In an era when international cooperation in the face of pandemics and climate change is essential, the world appears to be racing towards a new Cold War, and unfortunately, few except the military top brass are talking about it. | MPN- Writing in the U.S. Naval Institute Journal, Admiral Charles A. Richard warned that the military must "consider the possibility of great power competition, crisis, or direct armed conflict with a nuclear-capable peer" and update and modernize its approach to its two principal adversaries. | "There is a real possibility that a regional crisis with Russia or China could escalate quic…

Alan Macleod (2021-02-05). Head of Strategic Command: US Must Prepare for "Very Real Possibility" of Nuclear War With China. mintpressnews.com In an era when international cooperation in the face of pandemics and climate change is essential, the world appears to be racing towards a new Cold War, and unfortunately, few except the military top brass are talking about it.

Alan Macleod (2021-02-05). Dems Deride MTG for Supporting Conspiracies While Claiming Russia Was Behind Capitol Riots. mintpressnews.com The House of Representatives has stripped new Georgia official Marjorie Taylor Greene from two committees over her history of promoting conspiracy theories. Congress took the highly unusual step today in voting 230 to 199 in favor of removing her from the education and budget committees, limiting her abilities and powers. In response, the 46-year-old freshman congresswoman Greene was a noted proponent of the QAnon conspiracy theory; a belief that Donald Tru…

Lee Hall (2021-02-05). The Year of the Aurochs. counterpunch.org On the 12th of February, the Year of the Ox begins. Let's call it the Year of the Aurochs (Bos primigenius): primordial oxen, the ancestors of cows. They carved paths through the woodlands and steppes of Europe, North Africa and Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. In the early 17th century, the last living aurochs

RT (2021-02-05). China's Tianwen-1 probe beams back 1st PHOTO of Mars during historic mission. rt.com The space race is heating up once again after China's Tianwen-1 Mars probe beamed back its first image of Mars amid the country's historic first trip to the Red Planet. | The image arrived some six months after the craft blasted off from China's southern Hainan island in July 2020. | Also on rt.com | | The black-and-white picture was taken around 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Mars or around 184 million kilometers from Earth some…

Conn Hallinan (2021-02-05). China's Sea of Conflict. counterpunch.org Biden 's administration faces a host of difficult problems, but in foreign policy its thornist will be its relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC). How it handles issues of trade, security and human rights will either allow both countries to hammer out a working relationship or pull the US into an expensive–and unwinnable–cold war that will shelve existential threats like climate change and nuclear war.

RT (2021-02-05). Biden Vows to Confront Russia, Enemy of Democracy, and China, Enemy of 'Global Governance'. anti-empire.com In his first major foreign policy address, President Joe Biden vowed to confront the enemies of 'democracy' globally, while seeking to reclaim America's 'moral credibility' and leadership in LGBT and climate change issues. | Speaking at the State Department headquarters in the nation's capital on Thursday, Biden outlined his foreign policy vision in a 20-minute address, laying out a sprawling list of priorities for his administration, among them countering supposed US "adversaries." | "American leadership must meet this new moment of advancing authoritarianism, including the growing ambitions of China to rival th…

Vijay Prashad (2021-02-05). Are We Not All in Search of Tomorrow. dissidentvoice.org Oswaldo Terreros (Ecuador), Mural para la Universidad Superior de las Artes ('Mural for the University of the Arts'), 2012. In 2019, 613 million Indians voted to appoint their representatives to the Indian parliament (Lok Sabha). During the election campaign, the political parties spent Rs. 60,000 crores (around US $8 billion), 45% of which was spent …

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2021-02-05). Kerala Communists involve youth and women in carrying out their mission. peoplesworld.org "Kerala, a state in India, is a bizarre anomaly among developing nations … Kerala has a population as big as California's and a per capita annual income of less than $300. But its infant mortality rate is very low, its literacy rate among the highest on Earth … Though mostly a land of paddy-covered plains, …

IMEMC News (2021-02-05). Palestinian Killed By Israeli Paramilitary Settler Near Ramallah. imemc.org A paramilitary illegal Israeli colonialist settler shot and killed, in the early morning hours Friday, a Palestinian man near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, after he reportedly attempted to break into a house. According to the Israeli military, the man, who was unarmed, attempted to break into a home in the illegal Sadeh …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-02-05). Our Mutual Fight: The Case against Pakistani Normalization with Israel. dissidentvoice.org The Pakistani government should never, under any circumstances and no matter the pressure, normalize with Israel. Doing so is not only dangerous — as it will embolden an already vile, racist, violent apartheid Israel — but it would also be considered a betrayal of a historic legacy of mutual solidarity, collective affinity and brotherhood that …

RT (2021-02-05). 'Raab must tell what he knew': That suspect in Harry Dunn car crash may be US SPY is 'astonishing revelation,' family lawyer says. rt.com The fact that the woman behind the crash that killed British teen Harry Dunn may be a US spy raises a lot of questions for the government, in a case already doing "terrible damage" to bilateral ties, the family's lawyer told RT.

Marilyn Bechtel (2021-02-05). U.S. & Russia extend New START nuclear treaty for five years. peoplesworld.org Thanks to a process set in motion by the Biden administration on its first full day in office, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia, set to expire Feb. 5, has been extended for the maximum possible five years. The New START treaty, negotiated in 2010 under President Obama and …

Eve Ottenberg (2021-02-05). About Those Executive Orders… counterpunch.org A strange stasis now characterizes U.S. foreign affairs, while on the domestic front, Biden roars ahead. As of January 29, he had signed 42 executive orders. Not one addresses what the U.S. does abroad. True, Biden made the superb move of resuming negotiations over the START nuclear treaty with Russia, and he rejoined the Paris Accords and the World Health Organization. But otherwise, quiet blankets the foreign policy landscape.

MEE and agencies (2021-02-05). Riyadh temporarily releases two Saudi-US political prisoners. middleeasteye.net Riyadh temporarily releases two Saudi-US political prisoners | Salah al-Haidar and Bader al-Ibrahim were detained in April 2019 and charged with terrorism-related crimes | Fri, 02/05/2021 – 10: 19 | Salah al-Haider, right, is the son of a leading women's rights activist (Screengrab) | Saudi Arabia temporarily released two Saudi-Americans on Thursday after nearly two years of detention, cam…