(2021-02-11). The Russian Alternative: How Moscow is capitalizing on US Retreat in Palestine, Israel. dissidentvoice.org 
Israeli anxiety was palpable when it was reported that Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was not contacted by the new American President, Joe Biden, for days after the latter's inauguration. While much is being read into Biden's decision, including Washington's lack of enthusiasm to return to the 'peace process', Moscow is generating much attention as a …
(2021-02-11). Ending the Other War in Yemen. zcomm.org Peace in Yemen, peace in the world, demands no less than an end to the production, trade and use of weaponized drones…
(2021-02-11). Fatou Bensouda: A Daring Prosecutor Who Challenged the US, Israeli Impunity. counterpunch.org 
Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has dared to take on the US, Israeli impunity and opened investigations in Afghanistan and the Israeli-occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank. In March 2020, the ICC authorized the Prosecutor to investigate whether the US troops and contractors committed war crimes and crimes
(2021-02-11). Head of Strategic Command: U.S. must prepare for "very real possibility" of nuclear war with China. mronline.org 
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.
(2021-02-11). Frontier workers picket at Super Bowl, demand decent contract. fightbacknews.org Tampa FL – IBEW Local 824 Frontier workers and supporters gathered near Raymond James Stadium before Super Bowl LV to hold an informational picket raising public awareness about Frontier's ongoing attempt to gut workers' retirement benefits and healthcare and its attempts to double the amount that active workers have to pay for health insurance. | The decision to demonstrate outside the Super Bowl was strategic, not just because it was a major national event that happened locally, but because Frontier has corporate partnerships with the Buccaneers and Raymond James Stadium. | In an open letter to member…
(2021-02-11). Covid-19: a Nation at War? counterpunch.org 
The full impact the Covid pandemic is revealed in a recent AMA study that notes "in counties where the population was substantially non-white with a median income defined as $60,240, the COVID-19 death rate was more than nine times higher when compared to counties that are substantially white with the same median income." It adds, "the COVID-19 infection and death rates were nearly three times higher in substantially non-white counties with higher median incomes when compared to substantially white, higher income counties …."
(2021-02-11). Ending the Other War in Yemen. dissidentvoice.org 
On February 4, in his first major foreign policy address, President Joe Biden announced "we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales." Speaking of the Saudi-led coalition that has been at war in Yemen since 2015, creating what he called "a humanitarian and strategic catastrophe," …
(2021-02-11). Yemen: "Mission Accomplished"… For Now? counterpunch.org 
Since 2015, the US has been giving crucial assistance to Saudi Arabia's military coalition in its war against Yemen's Houthi rebels. US assistance takes the form of intelligence sharing, logistics and targeting assistance, arms sales, and transfer of spare parts for coalition warplanes.
(2021-02-11). Turkey 'neutralizes' 2 YPG/PKK terrorists in N.Syria. yenisafak.com The terrorists attempted to infiltrate the area of Turkey's cross-border anti-terror offensive Operation Peace Spring to disrupt peace and security in the region, the ministry said on Twitter.Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).In its more than 30-year terror campaign agains…
(2021-02-11). Armenia says must normalize ties with Turkey to guarantee own security. yenisafak.com Ayvazyan, in an address to parliament, also underscored the need to reopen borders with Turkey, noting that keeping them closed "makes no sense anymore," according to TASS news."Keeping Armenia's borders with Turkey closed serves no purpose," Ayvazyan said as he called on ties with Turkey to be normalized.Ayvazyan also reportedly expressed concern over the joint Turkey-Azerbaijan military exercises as the two nations boost military cooperation.In December 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country could open its borders to Armenia, if Yerevan takes steps toward regional peace."We have no grudge…
(2021-02-11). 3 get prison until death for crimes during Bangladesh liberation war. laprensalatina.com Dhaka, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- Bangladesh's war crimes tribunal sentenced three people in jail until death and five more to 20 years in prison on Thursday for crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 struggle for independence from Pakistan. The three-judge panel of the International Crimes Tribunal, led by Justice Md Shahinur Islam, acquitted one of …
(2021-02-11). Biden admin smears Nicaragua as 'dictatorship' for forcing US-funded, coup-plotting NGOs to register as foreign agents. thegrayzone.com Nicaragua's elected leftist government passed a law requiring NGOs funded by outside governments to register as foreign agents. This led a CIA agent-turned-Biden State Department spokesman to smear it as "driving toward dictatorship" — despite the policy's similarity to US legislation. Since Nicaragua's socialist Sandinista Front returned to power through democratic elections in 2006, the United States government has poured millions of dollars into right-wing opposition groups in the Central American country. These US-funded NGOs have aimed to destabilize the …
(2021-02-11). Archbishop blesses immigration sculpture in Miami. laprensalatina.com Miami, Feb 10 (efe-epa).- Miami Archbishop Thomas Wensky on Wednesday blessed the "Angels Unawares" sculpture dedicated to immigration, which will remain in a city park until April 8 to inspire compassion and awareness about the needs of migrants and refugees. The story of humanity is the story of immigration and also of this city, said …
(2021-02-11). 'If I can do it, so can you': women scientists on the power of education to reach gender equality. news.un.org Women are extremely under-represented in science, but a UN research centre in The Netherlands is trying to address the gender imbalance, by raising awareness of the leading role that women researchers play in tackling global problems, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2021-02-11). UN sends 71 truckloads of humanitarian aid to NW Syria. yenisafak.com The UN on Thursday sent 71 truckloads of humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria, where millions of people need assistance due to internal conflict.The trucks carrying supplies passed through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed to those in need in Idlib and nearby rural areas.A civil war has ravaged Syria since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and displaced since then.Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia.*Writing by A…
(2021-02-11). Turkish charity to build 1,000 houses in Syria. yenisafak.com A Turkish charity will build 1,000 houses in Idlib, northwestern Syria for those who are living in hard conditions due to the ongoing civil war.The Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) has been working to find permanent solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Syria for more than 10 years.It has started to renew and improve briquette houses built as an emergency solution, the foundation said in a statement on Wednesday.Thousands of Syrian families have found the opportunity to live in warm houses rather than makeshift tents.The IHH will build 1,000 houses in the first phase of the project. They will…
(2021-02-11). Mercury plunges to minus 22.9C on coldest UK night in more than 25 years. thecanary.co 
Temperatures plunged to below minus 22C overnight, the lowest in the UK in more than two decades, following an "extreme freeze". | The mercury dropped to minus 22.9C (minus 9.2F) in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since 1995, the Met Office said. | Forecasters said the last time a temperature below minus 20C was recorded in the UK was December 23 2010. | (PA Graphics) | Scattered snow showers and some sunshine is forecast for large swathes of the UK over the rest of the day on Thursday. | Yellow weather warnings for areas where wintry weather could cause travel disruption have b…
(2021-02-11). Merkel warns of aggressive coronavirus mutations. yenisafak.com New mutations of coronavirus first seen in the UK, South Africa and Brazil are more aggressive and more dangerous, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Thursday.Addressing lawmakers in parliament, Merkel said it was necessary to extend the country's coronavirus lockdown until March 7, as new variants of the virus could lead to a more dangerous third wave of the pandemic."Not all the research has yet been finalized, but we'd be well advised to listen to what so many experts both in Germany and abroad tell us," she told lawmakers, referring to the UK, South Africa and Brazil variants, which were also detected…
(2021-02-11). Iran's Zarif says 'window closing' for US. yenisafak.com Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif warned Wednesday that the "window of opportunity" for the United States was "fast closing", calling on Washington to end its "fruitless hostility" with Tehran. | Speaking on the sidelines of the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 Iranian revolution, Zarif expressed hope that the new US administration would take a "new approach" towards Iran. | "The existing window is closing," Zarif said, referring to the Iranian parliament's deadline of Feb. 21 for Washington to return to the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA), also known as Iran nuclear deal. | He said Tehran would be force…
(2021-02-11). Turkey, US conduct joint maritime drill in Black Sea. yenisafak.com Turkish and US naval forces conducted a joint maritime exercise in the Black Sea, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.Turkish frigates TCG Turgutreis and TCG Orucreis were part of the drill along with the USS Porter and USS Donald Cook destroyers of the US Navy, the ministry said in a statement. | Two Turkish Air Force F-16s and one US maritime patrol aircraft also participated in the exercise, it added."The training conducted for the fundamental types of naval warfare has further strengthened cooperation between the Naval Forces of the two countries and has contributed to their interoperability,…
(2021-02-11). Impact and acceptability of HIV self-testing for trans men and trans women: A mixed-methods subgroup analysis of the SELPHI randomised controlled trial and process evaluation in England and Wales. thelancet.com HIVST significantly increased testing uptake and frequency in trans men and trans people overall, although recruitment and retention of trans women was low. HIVST acceptability was high and indicates easy access to this novel technology may increase HIV testing access for this key population.
(2021-02-11). Towards A Police State in Germany? Live Video of Police Raid into Home of Dr. Andreas Noak. globalresearch.ca First published on GR on November 24, 2020 | This is what is happening in Germany. It is a matter of concern to people Worldwide. Freedom of Expression is being brutally suppressed. | . | Police break into the home of Dr. Andreas …
(2021-02-10). When It Seemed as If the World Took Notice. counterpunch.org An antiwar protester in Providence, Rhode Island, Jerry Elmer, noted in the middle of the decade of the 1970s that it was difficult to sustain interest in the antiwar movement as the American war in Southeast Asia came to a close. Elmer, and other peace activists, had set up a replica of the tiger cages
(2021-02-10). Through the "Bolivar Act" U.S. Congressmen intend to tighten the blockade against Venezuela. mronline.org 
On January 28th, a group of U.S. Congressmen, led by former Green Beret and now Republican Party legislator, Michael Waltz, introduced to the U.S. Congress a new bill dedicated to Venezuela entitled the "Bipartisan Banning Operations and Leases with Illegitimate Authoritarian Regime Act".
(2021-02-10). UN To Assess the Impact of US Sanctions on Venezuela. telesurenglish.net United Nations representative Alena Douhan visits Venezuela to assess the impact of U.S. economic sanctions imposed on the Bolivarian nation since 2015. | RELATED: | The visit announcement came shortly after the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) acknowledged that its country's sanctions on Venezuela have killed tens of thousands of people. | The results of the analysis of the U.S. unilateral coercive measures imposed on this…
(2021-02-10). Historic vote on Amazon union kicks off in Alabama. peoplesdispatch.org Over 5,800 ballots have been sent out to the employees of Amazon's Bessemer warehouse near Birmingham, Alabama. Workers will have seven weeks to mail-in their ballots, in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic…
(2021-02-10). Stop union busting! BAmazon Union now! workers.org 
Amazon Warehouse workers in Bessemer, Ala., are in a historic organizing drive for union representation by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. They received significant support at a Feb. 6 rally. Workers World Party comrades (pictured) joined participants ranging from nurses to miners, travelling from in-state and from Florida, . . . |
(2021-02-10). Headlines for February 10, 2021. democracynow.org Senate Votes to Proceed with Impeachment as Managers Present Harrowing Video of Jan. 6 Insurrection, Gov't to Send Vaccines to Community Health Centers as U.S. Continues Ramping Up Vaccinations, WHO Team Confirms COVID-19 of Animal Origin; Ghana Shuts Parliament After Outbreak Infects Lawmakers, Protesters in Burma Defy Bans, Escalating Crackdown by Police, Journalists Decry Raid on Progressive Indian News Site NewsClick, U.S. to Pursue Extradition of Julian Assange as Press Freedom Groups Warn of Dangerous Precedent, Fossil Fuel Pollution Causes One in Five Global Deaths, Calls Growing to Shut Down DAPL as Key H…
(2021-02-10). ICC's "Landmark Decision" Could Open Door to Prosecuting Israel for War Crimes. zcomm.org The International Criminal Court has ruled it has the authority to investigate alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories…
(2021-02-10). International Criminal Court ruling paves way for legal proceedings against Israel for war crimes. wsws.org This ruling has infuriated Israel and its patron in Washington, which rejects any constraints on its geostrategic interests and plans for a new imperialist carve-up of the world in which Israel plays a central role in carrying out this agenda and suppressing the working class in the region.
(2021-02-10). New US Military Base in Northeast Syria Latest of Biden's Warlike Moves. mintpressnews.com Many of Biden's first moves in the Middle East, including the building of a new base in Syria, suggest his term will be more of the same rather than a break with the old.
(2021-02-10). US Sanctions Obstructing Humanitarian Aid in Venezuela, New Report Finds. venezuelanalysis.com A US Government and Accountability Office report found that sanctions have pushed the Venezuelan economy into crisis.
(2021-02-10). Venezuela to Receive 100,000 Doses of Sputnik V Vaccine. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday announced that 100,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine will arrive in his country next week. | RELATED: | Once the first lot arrives in Caracas, the national vaccination campaign will kick off, prioritizing health workers who are on the front line against COVID-19 and the people most vulnerable to the disease. | The next to be vaccinated will be the country's t…
(2021-02-10). UK's Boris Johnson cautions against booking summer holidays, says it's too early to predict what Covid-19 rules will allow by then. rt.com 
Beleaguered Brits weary of Covid-19 lockdowns shouldn't pin their hopes on being able to venture out for summer vacations, even domestically, as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is warning that it's too soon to book such trips. | "I am afraid it is just too early for people to be certain about what we'll be able to do this summer," Johnson said on Wednesday in a Downing Street press briefing. "I understand why people want to make plans now, but we're just going to have to be a little bit more patient." | Johnson and the government's chief scientific officer, Patrick Vallance, emphasized the importance of eme…
(2021-02-10). The Heat: Yemen's war. america.cgtn.com 
U.S. President Joe Biden charts a new course in an effort to end the war Yemen.
(2021-02-10). China's 'Sea of Conflict'. peoplesworld.org 
President Joseph Biden Jr's. administration faces a host of difficult problems, but in foreign policy, its thorniest 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 U.S. into an …
(2021-02-10). UAE's Anwar Gargash removed as foreign affairs minister. middleeasteye.net 
UAE's Anwar Gargash removed as foreign affairs minister | Cabinet reshuffle sees Gargash, who has held the position since 2008, become a diplomatic advisor to the president | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 13: 24 | Sheikh Mohammed said Gargash, pictured, had been 'had been able to bring about major transformations in our foreign political work' (AFP) | Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) mini…
(2021-02-10). Ben Fletcher, militant labor leader. workers.org 
Ben Fletcher One of the greatest labor leaders of the tumultuous period of the early 20th century was a Black man from Philadelphia named Ben Fletcher. In the forward from the biography by Peter Cole, "Ben Fletcher: The Life and Times of a Black Wobbly," labor historian Robin D. G. . . . |
(2021-02-10). Asteroid bigger than Statue of Liberty set for Earth flyby, but BIG ONE of 2021 to come in March, NASA warns. rt.com 
NASA is warning of a slew of asteroids headed Earth's way in the coming days and weeks, some coming between us and the moon, with others measuring roughly the same size as the Golden Gate Bridge. | On February 10 alone, at least four Near Earth Objects (NEOs) are due to buzz the Earth. | The nine-meter asteroid 2021 CX has already passed the planet at a safe distance of 1.9 million kilometers. | Space rocks including the Statue of Liberty-sized, 119-meter long 2019 YP5 and the 5-meter 2008 DB will follow shortly after at a distance of 3.1 million km and 5 million km respectively. | Bringing up the rear on Wedn…
(2021-02-10). Anne Feeney (1951-2021): Wherever there's a fight, she'll be there. peoplesworld.org 
In the film, The Grapes of Wrath, there is a famous scene at the end of the film. With the rain pouring and his Dust Bowl family hiding under a bridge, Tom Joad tells his mother that he is taking up the torch dropped by Casy, the social justice preacher. As Mother Joad wonders whether …
(2021-02-10). Biden: "Boxed-In" by the Military Establishment? counterpunch.org 
President Barack Obama got excellent advice from his vice president, Joe Biden, regarding dealing with the Pentagon and the military establishment. Above all, Biden warned, you shouldn't get "boxed-in" by the military. We're only several weeks into the Biden administration, and the military is already lobbying for increased funding for questionable reasons. The civilian defense establishment and its collegial think tanks as well as the mainstream media can be counted to support increased spending.
(2021-02-10). Syrian youth illustrate peace in Afrin with graffiti. yenisafak.com Young people in Afrin turn the walls of their city, which was largely cleared of YPG/PKK terrorists in 2018 through Turkey's anti-terror offensive Operation Olive Branch, into works of art.The Afrin Local Council and some non-governmental organizations support these efforts of the volunteers, who come together under the name of "The Trail of Peace".Graffiti on the walls of the busiest streets of the city is also admired by the local residents."We decorate the streets with graffiti to show peace among the local people," Beyazit Beyazit, one of the volunteers, told Anadolu Agency."As Arabs and Kurds, we make no dis…
(2021-02-10). Mali: Around 20 UN peacekeepers injured in major attack on MINUSMA base. news.un.org Some 20 UN peacekeepers serving with the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, were injured on Wednesday, after their temporary base came under attack in the restive central region of the country.
(2021-02-10). COVID sparks resurgence of ISIL terrorists, threatening international peace and security, Security Council hears. news.un.org The threat to international peace and security posed by ISIL terrorist fighters is "on the rise again", the UN counter-terrorism chief told the Security Council on Wednesday.
(2021-02-10). UN urged to question Bangladesh over Israeli tech bought for peacekeeping. middleeasteye.net 
UN urged to question Bangladesh over Israeli tech bought for peacekeeping | The UN has denied claims that it required Bangladesh to buy Israeli surveillance equipment for its peacekeeping operations
| Wed, 02/10/2021 – 14: 37 | Bangladesh is the largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping missions in the world (AFP) | Several rights groups have called on the United Nations to quest…
(2021-02-10). Trump's trial and war powers. peaceaction.org Trump's Conviction, and Our Convictions of Democracy By Kevin Martin I don't know about you, by my Trump-induced Attention Deficit Disorder is dissipating, and wow does it feel good! As our country faces multiple crises and an overstuffed to-do list for the Biden Administration and new Congress, reasonable people might disagree on the necessity of …
(2021-02-10). Boris Johnson warned he risks leaving children 'languishing in poverty'. thecanary.co Ian Blackford MP urged the prime minister to tackle child poverty by making the £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit during the Covid-19 pandemic permanent. The Scottish National Party (SNP) Westminster leader told Boris Johnson he risks leaving "a generation of children languishing in poverty" if he proceeds with plans to cut Universal Credit. | Raising the issue at Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs), Blackford said that Johnson has the powers to address poverty in the country. | "Truly shocking": | He told the Commons: New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the baby bank charity, Littl…
(2021-02-10). GAO Report Shows Biden Should Scrap Trump's Economic Sanctions On Venezuela. popularresistance.org Washington, DC ‚Äï A new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that US economic sanctions on Venezuela are harming the Venezuelan economy, especially by depressing oil production and exports, and that they are also hindering US-backed humanitarian assistance to the country. The report, which looks at the impact of US sanctions on Venezuela's economic crisis, was requested by former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel (D-NY) and committee member Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI). | "This report from the GAO offers more evidence that these unilateral, illeg…
(2021-02-10). Director of Marvel's 'Avengers' and DC's 'Justice League' under fire over 'toxic work environments,' alleged misogyny & racism. rt.com 
A second actor has come forward accusing blockbuster filmmaker Joss Whedon of ill-treating his actors on set. Charisma Carpenter, who worked with Whedon in the 1990s, has voiced her support for Justice League's Ray Fisher. | Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on the hit TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, posted a lengthy Twitter denunciation on Wednesday, describing how Whedon "abused his power on numerous occasions" during the time she worked with him — fat-shaming her while she was pregnant, mocking her religious beliefs, playing actors off against one another, and even triggering a "chronic…
(2021-02-10). Director of Marvel's 'Avengers' and DC's 'Justice League' under fire over 'toxic work environments', alleged misogyny & racism. rt.com A second actor has come forward accusing blockbuster filmmaker Joss Whedon of ill-treating his actors on set. Charisma Carpenter, who worked with Whedon in the 1990s, has voiced her support for Justice League's Ray Fisher. | Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on the hit TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, posted a lengthy Twitter denunciation on Wednesday, describing how Whedon "abused his power on numerous occasions" during the time she worked with him – fat-shaming her while she was pregnant, mocking her religious beliefs, playing actors off against one another, and even triggering a "chronic phys…