2021-01-28: News Headlines

MBNJSD (2021-01-28). Will Biden End America's Global War on Children? dissidentvoice.org The first day of the 2020 school year in Tiaz, Yemen (Ahmad Al-Basha/AFP) Most people regard Trump's treatment of immigrant children as among his most shocking crimes as president. Images of hundreds of children stolen from their families and imprisoned in chain-link cages are an unforgettable disgrace that President Biden must move quickly to remedy …

MEE and agencies (2021-01-28). Saudi Arabia to sell more shares in oil giant Aramco, says crown prince. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia to sell more shares in oil giant Aramco, says crown prince | Mohammed bin Salman said the public offerings would be pumped into the kingdom's Public Investment Fund | Thu, 01/28/2021 – 14: 17 | An employee at the Saudi Aramco oil facility gestures while standing near a damaged silo, at the plant in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea city of Jeddah (AFP) | Saudi Arabia is set to sell more…

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2021-01-28). Blowback: Trump's Sanctions on Yemen Are Already Backfiring. mintpressnews.com Experts warned of the humanitarian toll that designating the Houthis would have and indeed the sanctions that followed are already harming civilians. What they didn't foresee was how the move seems to have galvanized even more support for the group.

Staff (2021-01-28). Ilhan Omar: Arms Sale Freeze Is "First Step" to End US Support for War on Yemen. truthout.org Peace-loving people around the world and anti-war Democrats in Congress hailed reports Wednesday that the Biden administration is imposing a temporary freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pending a review of billions of dollars worth of weapons deals with the repressive regimes approved during the presidency of Donald Trump. | The Wall Street Journal

MEE staff (2021-01-28). Saudi companies file Canadian lawsuit against Saad al-Jabri in embezzlement allegations. middleeasteye.net Saudi companies file Canadian lawsuit against Saad al-Jabri in embezzlement allegations | Campaign for Jabri's family says lawsuit is part of Saudi crown prince's 'desperate attempt' to distract world from Riyadh's human rights abuses | Thu, 01/28/2021 – 16: 15 | Mohammed bin Salman has centralised power and targeted any and all perceived foes since he outmanoeuvred more senior rivals in 2017 to become crown p…

MEE staff (2021-01-28). Saudi companies file lawsuit against Saad al-Jabri over embezzlement allegations. middleeasteye.net Saudi companies file lawsuit against Saad al-Jabri over embezzlement allegations | A campaign for Jabri's family said lawsuit was part of Saudi crown prince's 'desperate attempt' to distract world from Riyadh's human rights abuses | Thu, 01/28/2021 – 16: 15 | Mohammed bin Salman has centralised power and targeted any and all perceived foes and potential opponents since he outmanoeuvred more senior rivals in 20…

news.un (2021-01-28). Escalating hostilities in Yemen's Hudaydah put thousands of civilians at risk. news.un.org Civilians in Yemen's Hudaydah Governorate, face a growing threat from escalating clashes, with shelling of residential areas ongoing, endangering thousands.

Middle East Monitor (2021-01-28). Can President Biden end the Catastrophic Yemen War? Only if he Acts without Delay. juancole.com By Tasnim Nazeer | — ( Middle East Monitor) — US President Joe Biden could end the war in Yemen if he acts without delay. Democracy was at the core of his election campaign during which he pledged, inter alia, to end his predecessor's discriminatory policies, such as the "Muslim ban". Biden also pledged to …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-28). US suspends arms deals with Saudi Arabia and UAE pending review. peoplesdispatch.org The announcement by US secretary of state Antony Blinken of the suspension of the arms deals pending a review was welcomed by peace organizations which called for them to be scrapped…

Areeb Ullah (2021-01-27). Saudi Arabia begins repatriation of detained workers to Ethiopia. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia begins repatriation of detained workers to Ethiopia | Ethiopian migrants said they were chained and forced to relieve themselves on the floor of their cells | Wed, 01/27/2021 – 11: 39 | Ethiopian officials hope to repatriate at least 1,000 workers every week and aim to increase that number (Screengrab) | Saudi Arabia has begun repatriating thousands of Ethiopians who have been held in detent…

MEE staff (2021-01-27). 'Prying eyes': Fears over opening of Google Cloud region in Saudi Arabia. middleeasteye.net 'Prying eyes': Fears over opening of Google Cloud region in Saudi Arabia | Critics warn against placing millions of users' information under jurisdiction of government known for surveillance | Wed, 01/27/2021 – 13: 56 | Snapchat's parent company, Snap Inc, has been named as one of the anchor tenants for the new Saudi-based cloud services (Reuters) | Media monitoring groups have requested the immediate halting…

MEE correspondent (2021-01-27). Snipers, landmines, death: Life on Yemen's frontline. middleeasteye.net Snipers, landmines, death: Life on Yemen's frontline | Yemenis in Taiz tell MEE of the daily danger they face as conflict rages around their homes | Wed, 01/27/2021 – 14: 03 | "I lost happiness and a peaceful life," says Saleh al-Hajj, pictured with his son Rayan (MEE/Khalid al-Banna) | Almost every building is damaged. Dogs bark at anyone walking down the empty streets, and in the dist…

MEE staff (2021-01-27). Biden administration freezes US arms sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE. middleeasteye.net Biden administration freezes US arms sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE | The White House is reviewing recent weapons transactions approved by former President Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported | Wed, 01/27/2021 – 15: 43 | The arms sale to the UAE includes American-made F-35 jets and killer drones (AFP/File photo) | The Biden administration has issued a temporary freeze on pending arms sales to Saudi Arabia a…

MEE staff (2021-01-27). Biden administration freezes US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE. middleeasteye.net Biden administration freezes US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE | The White House is reviewing recent weapons transactions approved by former President Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported | Wed, 01/27/2021 – 15: 43 | The arms sale to the UAE includes American-made F-35 jets and killer drones (AFP/File photo) | The Biden administration has issued a temporary freeze on pending arms sales to Saudi Arabia and…

RT (2021-01-27). US freezes sales of missiles to Saudi Arabia and F-35s to UAE as it reviews Trump-era arms deals. rt.com The US has temporarily frozen some pending arms sales to allied states while the Biden administration reviews weapons deals agreed under President Donald Trump, according to officials at the State Department. | The move affects precision-guided missiles sold to Saudi Arabia and F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), among other deals not identified by the State Department. | American arms manufacturers Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin both have contracts with the two Arab nations. | "This is a routine administrative action typical to most any transition, and demonstrates the Administrati…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-01-27). 'Good': Anti-War Democrats Applaud Biden for Freeze on US Arms Sales to Saudis and UAE. commondreams.org "This is an important first step in ending our material support for war globally, and the genocide in Yemen in particular," said Rep. Ilhan Omar. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/saud_1.jpg

_____ (2021-01-27). Activists Block Trucks Of Company Transporting Weapons To Saudi Arabia. popularresistance.org Hamilton, Ontario – Members and allies of anti-war organizations World BEYOND War and Labour Against the Arms Trade are blocking trucks at Paddock Transport International, a Hamilton-area transportation company involved in shipping Canadian-made, light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. | The activists are calling on Paddock to end its complicity in the brutal Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has killed almost a quarter of a million people, and calling on the Canadian government to end arms exports to Saudi Arabia. | "The demonstration is part of a global day of action against the war on Yemen featuring more than 30…

_____ (2021-01-27). Renewed Appeal To Stop The War On Yemen. popularresistance.org Today, the choice between an end to the armed conflict with negotiations for a renewal of a Yemeni State on the basis of the con-federal system proposed and continued fighting in the hope that one faction become a "winner-take-all" is relatively clear. The Association of World Citizens is resolutely for an end to the armed conflict with serious negotiations on the structure of a future State. We do not underestimate the difficulties. Creating a national society of individuals willing to cooperate will not be easy. Regional divisions will not be easy to bridge. However a start on structuring a future society shoul…

teleSUR (2021-01-27). US Government Freezes Weapons Sales To Saudi Arabia and the UAE. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, the U.S. government announced that it is reviewing weapon sales to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorized by former President Donald Trump. | RELATED: | The review aims "to make sure that what is being considered as something that advances our strategic objectives and advances our foreign policy," the Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. | The United States is determined to strengthen the Transatlantic Alliance an…

Umar A Farooq (2021-01-26). US court issues summons for MBZ over hacking of Al Jazeera anchor via Twitter. middleeasteye.net US court issues summons for MBZ over hacking of Al Jazeera anchor via Twitter | Al Jazeera presenter Ghada Oueiss says she hopes lawsuit will reveal UAE and Saudi Arabia are leading 'campaign of terror against journalists and activists' | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 18: 49 | The summonses were previously issued to MBZ through mail last month (AFP) | The crown prince of Abu Dhabi and top Saudi officials have…

MEE and agencies (2021-01-26). Loud explosion shakes Riyadh days after Saudi Arabia intercepts projectile. middleeasteye.net Loud explosion shakes Riyadh days after Saudi Arabia intercepts projectile | Residents said the explosion rattled windows in the Saudi capital and saw air defences intercept a missile | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 14: 08 | It is rare for drones or missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels to reach the Saudi capital, which is 700 km away from the border (AFP) | A loud explosion rocked Riyadh on Tues…

Rayhan Uddin (2021-01-26). 'MBS, they killed my daughter': Outcry after missing woman found dead in Saudi desert. middleeasteye.net 'MBS, they killed my daughter': Outcry after missing woman found dead in Saudi desert | Arrests made after two brothers allegedly killed their sister after she opened a public Snapchat account | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 12: 37 | Manal (centre) posted a childhood photo on social media of her deceased sister Qamar (left), and her brother Ahmed (right), who she accused of murder (Screenshot/Twitter) | The disap…

Sarah Leah Whitson (2021-01-26). US Designation of Houthis as 'Terrorists' Is Wrong and Hurts the Most Vulnerable. commondreams.org Ending America's endless wars should mean not only withdrawing troops but also putting an end to the misuse of terrorist designations and the accompanying destructive economic sanctions. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump-loophole-arms-saudi-yemen.jpg

Abdel Bari Atwan (2021-01-26). Dangerous times in the Gulf. thealtworld.com The Saudi-Iranian proxy conflict, currently focused on Yemen, seems set to escalate and expand | It hasn't taken long for Donald Trump's departure and the advent of a new US administration led by Joe Biden to start impacting on the Middle East and raising tensions in the region. Saturday night's missile attack on the Saudi capital Riyadh, and the alarm it caused in many Western and Arab capitals, can be seen in this context. The US State Department was quick to condemn the raid and offer to help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks on its territory and hold the perpetrators to account. | When denunciations come ru…