Daily Archives: February 15, 2021

2021-02-15: News Headlines

MEE staff (2021-02-15). Feud between Congressman and UAE ambassador to US escalates online. middleeasteye.net Feud between Congressman and UAE ambassador to US escalates online | Congressman Ro Khanna calls for release of Yemeni journalist Adel al-Hasani after war of words with Yousef al-Otaiba | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 19: 25 | Congressman Ro Khanna first introduced a resolution to end US support for Saudi-led war in Yemen in September 2017 (AFP/File photo) | US Congressman Ro Khanna has called on the UAE to help secure th…

MEE staff (2021-02-15). Houthis claim fresh drone strikes on Saudi airports. middleeasteye.net Houthis claim fresh drone strikes on Saudi airports | The alleged attacks on Jeddah and Abha come amid a surge in violence as Yemeni movement pursues offensive in Marib | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 16: 33 | Smoke billows during clashes between forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Houthi rebel fighters in al-Jadaan area about 50 kilometres northwest of Marib in central Yemen (AFP) | Houthi drones struck t…

Areeb Ullah (2021-02-15). Saudi woman handed death penalty for murder of Bangladeshi maid. middleeasteye.net Saudi woman handed death penalty for murder of Bangladeshi maid | Abiron Begum Ansar was beaten to death by her employers in Riyadh | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 12: 29 | Ansar's family said her body was 'unrecognisable' when it was repatriated back to Bangladesh seven months after her murder (Supplied) | A criminal court in Riyadh on Sunday handed a Saudi national the death penalty for the murder of a Bangladeshi…

Areeb Ullah (2021-02-15). Saudi national handed death penalty for murder of Bangladeshi woman. middleeasteye.net Saudi national handed death penalty for murder of Bangladeshi woman | Abiron Begum Ansar was beaten to death by her employers in Riyadh | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 12: 29 | Ansar's family said her body was 'unrecognisable' when it was repatriated back to Bangladesh seven months after her murder (Supplied) | A criminal court in Riyadh on Sunday handed a Saudi national the death penalty for the murder of a Banglad…

yenisafak (2021-02-15). Yemen rebels claim drone attacks on 2 Saudi airports. yenisafak.com Rebel spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement that Houthi drones were fired towards the Abha International Airport and the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah province."The strike was accurate," he claimed, adding that flights at the airports were suspended for two hours following the attacks.There was no comment from the Saudi-led coalition on the claim.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 2014, when Houthi rebels captured…

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-15). Yemeni army launches drone attacks on 2 Saudi airports. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 15 (MNA) — The Yemeni army targeted Abha and Jeddah airports in Saudi Arabia in drone strikes on Monday.

Steven Sahiounie (2021-02-15). No Quick-fix to End the Yemen War. 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). | *** | US President Joe Biden wants to "End the Yemen War" by …

Dr. Leon Tressell (2021-02-15). US Changes Its Role in the Yemen War as It Seeks to Impose a 'Peace Deal' on Its Terms. 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). | *** | In his

Gregory Wilpert (2021-02-15). The Oil Interests Behind the War in Yemen. theanalysis.news Shireen Al-Adeimi, Yemen anti-war activist and professor at Michigan State University, discusses the many interests behind the war on Yemen, which have the potential of derailing Biden's announced ending of US support for the Saudi-led coalition in this war that has devastated one of the Middle East's poorest countries.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-15). Sporadic protests in Bahrain on tenth anniversary of Arab Spring. peoplesdispatch.org Scores of Bahrainis took to the streets on Sunday marking the tenth anniversary of the anti-government Arab Spring protests. The protests of 2011 were suppressed by the ruling al-Khalifa family with the aid of Saudi Arabia and other monarchies…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-14). Dozens of Houthis and pro-government troops killed in Yemen's Marib. middleeasteye.net Dozens of Houthis and pro-government troops killed in Yemen's Marib | Military officials say at least 16 pro-government forces were killed, 21 wounded, in past 24 hours in the strategic area | Sun, 02/14/2021 – 12: 42 | A Russian-built BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle belonging to forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government gets into position during clashes with Houthi fighters northwes…

RT (2021-02-14). Houthis step up drone attacks on Saudi Arabia after Washington says it will remove militant group from terrorist list. rt.com The Houthis have carried out a drone attack on an airport in Saudi Arabia, following similar attacks that have coincided with the Biden administration's decision to lift the group's terrorist designation. | A spokesman for the Iran-aligned Yemini group said that two drones launched on Sunday by its forces had hit Saudi Arabia's Abha airport. The Saudi-led coalition claims that both projectiles were intercepted as they were heading towards civilian areas near Abha. | The airport has been repeatedly targeted by Houthi drones over the past several days. On Saturday, the Houthis announced that they had carried out…

Ralph Nader, Bruce Fein (2021-02-14). Democrats' Shameful Cave. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-12923215461.jpg

yenisafak (2021-02-14). Saudi Arabia extends virus restrictions for 20 days. yenisafak.com Saudi Arabia on Sunday extended precautionary measures against the coronavirus pandemic for additional 20 days, in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.The extension of the restrictions will be effective as of Sunday 10: 00 pm (19: 00 GMT), the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement cited by the official SPA news agency.On Feb. 3, the kingdom ordered precautionary measures to stem the spread of the pandemic upon recommendations from health authorities.Under the measures, social gatherings should not exceed 20 people and the suspension of all events and parties, including weddings, and corporate meetings a…

yenisafak (2021-02-14). Yemen rebels offer to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia. yenisafak.com Yemen's Houthi rebels have offered to stop attacks against Saudi Arabia in return for halting airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition."We are the ones who call for peace and have offered many solutions for it, but the outcome so far is that the American, British and European bombing continues and the battles continue," Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the group's Supreme Political Council, said on Twitter.Al-Houthi said his group is ready to take the initiative of halting attacks on Saudi Arabia provided "there is seriousness" from the Saudi-led coalition to end its "aggression" on Yemen.There was no comment fro…

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-14). Yemeni army launch drone attack on Saudi airport. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 14 (MNA) — The Yemeni army has targeted Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia in a drone strike on Sunday.

sputniknews (2021-02-14). Saudi-Led Coalition Claims Armed Drone Launched by Yemen's Houthis Destroyed. sputniknews.com Yemen's armed Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, has repeatedly attacked civil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom organized a military coalition in 2015 to support Yemen's president-in-exile, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and his fight to retain power against the political opposition.

yenisafak (2021-02-13). Yemeni scientist in Turkish team developing COVID-19 vaccine. yenisafak.com Even as Yemen continues shocking the world, with its images of deaths, destruction, and starvation, one of its citizens Ali Azzawri is part of a Turkish scientific team rolling out a vaccine against the COVID-19.Azzawri, 39, was selected by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey known as TUBITAK in May 2020 to be part of a team of 13 scientists to indigenously develop Messenger RNA vaccines — also called mRNA vaccines to combat the pandemic.According to experts, these are new types of vaccines, who direct cells to make a particular protein to trigger an immune response. Other vaccines, inst…

yenisafak (2021-02-13). Saudi-led coalition thwarts rebel attack from Yemen. yenisafak.com The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Saturday it had intercepted a drone fired by Houthi rebels towards the Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia."Coalition forces managed to intercept and destroy an unmanned explosive-laden drone launched by Houthi militia that targeted Abha International airport," the coalition said in a statement cited by the Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel.The Houthi attacks were a "systematic and deliberate attempt to target civilians" in Saudi Arabia, the statement said.There was no comment from the Houthi group on the coalition's statement.Yemen has been wrecked by violence and instability…

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-13). White House to review policy towards Saudi Arabia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (MNA) — White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, "There's a review of our policy as it relates to Saudi Arabia."

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-13). Involving Iran's rivals in JCPOA talks to lead to failure. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (MNA) — Stating that involving Iran's rivals in JCPOA talks would mean the failure of any talks even before it starts, Shireen Hunter said that Macron wanted to curry favor with the Saudis in the hope of getting lucrative contracts.

Online News Editor (2021-02-13). US decisions on Yemen: insufficient steps toward peace. laprensalatina.com By Isaac J. Martín Cairo, Feb 13 (efe-epa).- The decision by US President Joe Biden's administration to remove Yemen's Houthi rebels from the terror list can be considered as a first step towards earning the confidence of the Shiite militia in the wider context of ending the conflict, but it does not go far enough, …

Brian Terrell (2021-02-12). Ending the Other War in Yemen. counterpunch.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," Biden declared "This war has to end."

MEE staff (2021-02-12). 'We want real justice': Loujain al-Hathloul's family slams conditions of release. middleeasteye.net 'We want real justice': Loujain al-Hathloul's family slams conditions of release | Since Loujain's sentence was only suspended, not pardoned, Saudi Arabia retains right to return her to prison for any perceived criminal activity | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 16: 27 | A woman viewing a tweet posted by sister of Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, Lina, in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on 10 February (AFP/File photo) | Af…

Ragip Soylu (2021-02-12). 'An anti-Turkey alliance': Ankara slams Greece for hosting 'hostile' meeting with regional countries. middleeasteye.net 'An anti-Turkey alliance': Ankara slams Greece for hosting 'hostile' meeting with regional countries | Turkey brands Athens meeting between Greece and six other nations an attempt to form an alliance against it | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 10: 28 | Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L), speaks with Emirati minister Reem Ebrahim Al-Hashimy (R) and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (C) on 21 F…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-12). Yemen: UN expects over two million children to go hungry or starve in 2021. middleeasteye.net Yemen: UN expects over two million children to go hungry or starve in 2021 | Over a million pregnant or breastfeeding women also expected to suffer from extreme malnutrition this year | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 10: 30 | millions of Yemenis are on the brink of famine with the economy destroyed, schools and hospitals barely functioning, and tens of thousands killed (AFP) | About 400,000 children un…

David Swanson (2021-02-12). 10 Key Points on Ending Wars. counterpunch.org 1. Victories that are only partial are not fictional. When a ruler, like Biden, finally announces the end of a war, like the war on Yemen, it is as important to recognize what it does mean as what it doesn't. It doesn't mean the U.S. military and U.S.-made weapons will vanish from the region or

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2021-02-12). This Is Yemen After Biden Declared an End To American Support for the War. mintpressnews.com The Biden administration sparked a sense of hope around the world that the war on Yemen could finally be over. For those on the ground though, the bombs keep falling, food is scarce and hope is in short supply.

Staff (2021-02-12). Ralph Nader: Biden Must Hold Boeing Accountable for Deaths Due to Faulty Planes. truthout.org Legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the U.S. is experiencing a "corporate crime wave," and that the Trump administration's $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the manufacturer's faulty 737 MAX jets amounts to a "slap on the wrist." Boeing's faulty planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, including Nader's 24-year-old grandniece Samya Stumo. Nader says the Biden Justice Department should reopen the previous administration's settlement and…

Staff (2021-02-12). Where Are the Witnesses? Ralph Nader Says Democrats' Impeachment Case Is "Prescription for Defeat" democracynow.org As the historic Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump continues, we speak with longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who says Democrats have set themselves up for defeat by rushing proceedings and failing to call witnesses — including Trump himself. "The narrow approach of the articles of impeachment keep the Democrats from having a full hand," says Nader. "They have like 10 arrows in their quiver and they're using one or two."

Staff (2021-02-12). Ralph Nader on Corporate Crime, Holding Boeing Accountable for 737 MAX Deaths & Biden's First Weeks. democracynow.org Legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the U.S. is experiencing a "corporate crime wave," and that the Trump administration's $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the manufacturer's faulty 737 MAX jets amounts to a "slap on the wrist." Boeing's faulty planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, including Nader's 24-year-old grandniece Samya Stumo. Nader says the Biden Justice Department should reopen the previous administration's settlement and hold Boeing fully accountable. "This is just another example of giant companies getting away with their corporate criminal…

Medea Benjamin, Ariel Gold (2021-02-12). Biden Should Stop Payment on U.S. Funds to Sisi's Egypt. counterpunch.org Under Donald Trump's presidency, Egypt, as well as Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE, and other repressive regimes, had virtually free reign to commit unchecked human rights abuses without worry that they might be chastised or lose U.S. diplomatic and financial support. But when Joe Biden won the 2020 election, President Sisi of Egypt started to

_____ (2021-02-12). Yemen: 'Mission Accomplished'… For Now? popularresistance.org Beneath a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished" President George W. Bush announced that "[m]ajor combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." | Bush's May 1, 2003 announcement on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln would turn out to be wildly overoptimistic. The US invaded Iraq in March 2003. US troops would remain in Iraq for the next eight years, until 2011. In 2014, US forces were back, this time to fight the Islamic State. In 2020, US troops left Iraq under pressure from the Iraqi government. | US forces were in Afghanistan…

yenisafak (2021-02-12). EU Parliament calls for ban on arms sale to Saudi, UAE. yenisafak.com The European Parliament on Thursday called on EU member states to ban arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the UAE over violations of human rights in Yemen.A joint motion adopted by the European Parliament recalled Germany's arms sale ban to Saudi Arabia and Italy's ban to UAE and Saudi Arabia. Lawmakers said some EU countries are also planning to join the ban while others continue arms sale to these countries and violate the common stance of the EU Council.The European Parliament also welcomed the US decision to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia and to suspend the transfer of F-35 jets to the UAE.Lawmakers also called on…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-02-12). 'Yet Another Cry for Help': UN Report Warns Millions of Yemeni Children Face Acute Malnutrition. commondreams.org "The increasing number of children going hungry in Yemen should shock us all into action. More children will die with every day that passes without action." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/yemen_famine_0.jpg

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-02-12). 'Ending US Complicity in the Yemen War Is NOT Ending the War,' Says Ro Khanna. commondreams.org "The bombing continues. The threat of famine for 16 million continues… We must call on all foreign parties to stop the bombing, funding, and intervention. Only then can we resolve the civil war." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1134856002_1_0.jpg

news.un (2021-02-12). Yemen: 'Toxic mix' imperils lives of under-fives with acute malnutrition. news.un.org Since the escalation of conflict in 2015, severe acute malnutrition is among its highest levels in Yemen, threating the lives of half of the country's children under the age of five, four UN agencies warned on Friday.

Human Rights Watch (2021-02-12). Saudi Arabia releases Women's Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul but Bans her Travel. juancole.com (Beirut) — Saudi authorities released from prison the prominent women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul on February 10, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. However, she is banned from travel and has a suspended sentence, which allows the authorities to return her to prison at any time for any perceived criminal activity. In late December 2020, …

Mary L Wentworth, Yoav Elinevsky (2021-02-12). Biden's Half Measures to End the War in Yemen are Not Enough. counterpunch.org The Saudis decided to enter an ongoing civil war in Yemen in 2015 for several reasons. The two countries share a long border at the southern end of their peninsula. This length of this border is matched by Yemen's coastline on the Arabian Sea, an access to ocean waters that Saudi Arabia does not have.

WSWS (2021-02-12). Air New Zealand admits to working for Saudi Arabian navy. wsws.org The Labour-Greens coalition government has feigned shock over revelations that the state-owned airline has assisted the Saudi Arabian military, which is engaged in a genocidal war against Yemen.