Daily Archives: February 26, 2021

2021-02-26: News Headlines

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2021-02-26). Futile: Saudi's Decade-Long Attempt to Bottle Up Yemeni Youth Revolution is Failing. mintpressnews.com "Saudi Arabia has crushed our revolution, turned our lives into hell because our uprising was interpreted by the ruling family as a threat to [their] influence and because of their fear of the revolution spreading to the Saudi interior." — Yemeni artist Aisha Ali Saeed…

news.un (2021-02-26). In Yemen's man-made catastrophe, women and girls pay the price. news.un.org Midwife Lena Al-Shurmani, remembers meeting Abia at Al Mawa Camp in Yemen's Ibb Governorate. Abia was 15 years old and eight months pregnant. "I was very worried," Ms. Al-Shurmani recalled. "She had a prolapsed uterus, and she was severely malnourished."

Kamal Iranidoost (2021-02-26). Yemeni official calls on US, UK to end arms supply to SA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 26 (MNA) — The chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of Yemen stressed the need to end British arms support to Saudi Arabia, adding "if Biden seeks peace, he must stop the activities of his military experts in Marib."

Human Rights Watch (2021-02-26). Saudi Arabia: Proposed Reforms Neglect Basic Rights: Ongoing Repression, Absence of Civil Society Impede Progress. juancole.com ( Human Rights Watch) — (Beirut) — Saudi Arabia recently announced a series of important and necessary reforms, but ongoing repression and a lack of respect for basic rights are major barriers to progress, Human Rights Watch said today. The repression of independent civil society and critical voices that can provide objective feedback decreases the …

Alex MacDonald (2021-02-26). Saudi Arabia: Father of political prisoner Ali al-Nimr detained. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia: Father of political prisoner Ali al-Nimr detained | Family lawyer tells MEE Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr is a 'prominent intellectual' who maintains a 'moderate' discourse regarding Saudi government | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 09: 45 | Ali al-Nimr was imprisoned as a minor in 2012 and had been sentenced to death before the penalty was commuted earlier in February (Reprieve) | Saudi Arabia has de…

Alex MacDonald (2021-02-26). Saudi Arabia: Father of political prisoner Ali al-Nimr briefly detained. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia: Father of political prisoner Ali al-Nimr briefly detained | Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr, described by his lawyer as 'moderate' and a 'prominent intellectual', was released on Friday | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 09: 45 | Ali al-Nimr was imprisoned as a minor in 2012 and had been sentenced to death before the penalty was commuted earlier in February (Reprieve) | Saudi Arabia on Wednesday detained…

South Front (2021-02-26). Video: Two Truths and a Lie: US Patriot Missiles Leave Saudi Arabia for Syria. 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). | *** | The United States has deployed a Patriot defense battery to Syria's …

Rayhan Uddin (2021-02-26). Lionel Messi urged by families of prisoners to reject Saudi tourism deal. middleeasteye.net Lionel Messi urged by families of prisoners to reject Saudi tourism deal | Barcelona legend told to 'say no to butcherers of Khashoggi', following Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to turn down $6m deal with Riyadh | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 12: 41 | Lionel Messi receives a trophy after Argentina defeat Brazil during a friendly match in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh (AFP/File photo) | The families of several Saud…

Ali Harb (2021-02-26). Khashoggi murder: Advocates decry US failure to impose sanctions on MBS. middleeasteye.net Khashoggi murder: Advocates decry US failure to impose sanctions on MBS | Activists and lawmakers say Saudi crown prince must face consequences after US intelligence report confirmed he was responsible for Khashoggi murder | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 23: 25 | US intelligence assessment revealed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorised the assassination (AFP/File photo) | The virtual ink on a US intelligence report bla…

MEE staff (2021-02-26). Read the US intelligence report on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. middleeasteye.net Read the US intelligence report on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi | Four-page executive summary says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of Middle East Eye and Washington Post columnist | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 18: 21 | Saudi journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi government agents in Istanbul in 2018 (Reuters/File photo) | The Biden administration released a l…

Staff (2021-02-26). Headlines for February 26, 2021. democracynow.org President Biden Orders Airstrikes on Syria, Killing 17 Iran-Backed Militia Members, Biden Calls Saudi King Salman, Doesn't Raise Crown Prince's Involvement in Khashoggi's Murder, Brazil's COVID-19 Death Toll Passes 250,000, "Long Covid": 1 in 10 COVID-19 Survivors Face Lingering and Debilitating Symptoms, WHO Warns, Biden Warns it's "Not a Time to Relax" as U.S. Records Another 2,400 COVID-19 Deaths, Senate Parliamentarian Advises Against Including Minimum Wage Hike in Coronavirus Relief Bill, Police Chief Warns Pro-Trump Militia Members Are Plotting to Blow up the Capitol, Hundreds of Nigerian School Girls Feare…

sputniknews (2021-02-26). US Announces New Visa Restriction Policy 'Khashoggi Ban' After Publication of ODNI Report. sputniknews.com Earlier in the day, US intelligence released a report on the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, accusing the kingdom's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, of being involved in the murder.

sputniknews (2021-02-26). Is Biden's Khashoggi Report an Attempt to 'Blackmail' Crown Prince Into Accepting Iran Nuclear Deal? sputniknews.com US President Joe Biden has been increasing the pressure on the Saudi kingdom and its royal family over human rights issues and the death of Jamal Khashoggi. On the 2020 campaign trail, Biden vowed to make Riyadh a "pariah" unless they changed their policies. Middle East experts discuss Washington's new strategy toward the kingdom.

Staff (2021-02-26). Battleground Baltimore: Maryland shows solidarity with unionizing Amazon workers. therealnews.com Amazon workers rally in Baltimore County, the LEOBR could survive attempts to weaken it, City Councilperson Ryan Dorsey feuds with the FOP, and more.

RT (2021-02-26). Amazon-owned Twitch removes anti-union ads pushed by parent company after media and users complain. rt.com Ads urging workers in Alabama not to unionize "shouldn't have been allowed," the streaming platform Twitch said, bucking its parent company Amazon after a pro-union outlet published a story complaining about the videos. | "Twitch does not allow political advertising, and these ads should never have been allowed to run on our service," the company said in a statement on Wednesday, thanking the "community" for bringing them to attention. | new: Twitch says they have removed these ads from the platform "Twitch does not allow political advertising, and these ads should never have been allowed to run on our service…

Eds. (2021-02-26). Hundreds of law students announce boycott of Chevron law firm Seward & Kissel for "unethical" private prosecution of human rights attorney Steven Donziger. mronline.org Students from over 50 leading U.S. law schools—including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and New York University—have announced a recruiting boycott of a prominent Chevron law firm to protest its "unethical" private prosecution of U.S. human rights lawyer Steven Donziger after he helped win a $9.5 billion pollution judgment against Chevron.

John Bachtell (2021-02-26). Haaland on track to make history as first Native American cabinet secretary. peoplesworld.org "This is all of our country, this is our mother. You've heard the Earth referred to as Mother Earth. It's difficult to not feel obligated to protect this land, and I feel that every Indigenous person in this country understands that," said Rep. Deb Haaland, President Joe Biden's nominee to be Secretary of Interior. "It's …

Staff (2021-02-26). Biden's team won't end the forever wars. therealnews.com From Afghanistan to Niger, the "new normal" of American warfare shows no signs of changing course under President Biden and his hawkish national security team. In this episode of "The Marc Steiner Show," combat veteran and writer Danny Sjursen issues a dire warning about American military policy. Tune in for new episodes of The Marc Steiner …

Jeffrey St. Clair (2021-02-26). How Real Nazis Came to the Americas: the Recruitment of Klaus Barbie. counterpunch.org By the time Klaus Barbie went on the payroll of an American intelligence organization in 1947, Klaus Barbie had lived several lifetimes of human vileness. Barbie sought out opponents of the Nazis in Holland, chasing them down with dogs. He had worked for the Nazi mobile death squads on the Eastern Front, massacring Slavs and Jews. He'd put in two years heading the Gestapo in Lyons, France, torturing to death Jews and French Resistance fighters (among them the head of the Resistance, Jean Moulin. ) After the liberation of France, Barbie participated in the final Nazi killing frenzy before Allies moved into Germany…

Roger Harris (2021-02-26). Joe Biden's US Foreign Policy: Return to the Old Normal? counterpunch.org US President Biden bellicosely proclaimed, "American is back," in his major foreign policy priorities speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 19. Repeated twice for effect, Biden signaled the end of the Trump interregnum. No more assuring words could have been uttered for George W. Bush's former Defense Secretary Colin Powell and the 70 odd Republican national security officials, who wrote an open letter endorsing Biden out of fear that Trump would upset the bipartisan foreign policy consensus of regime change, forever wars, and the NATO alliance. Republican neo-cons now shelter in the Democrat's big…

Eds. (2021-02-26). The Pandemic: Half a million lives lost in U.S., more than the two World Wars and Vietnam War combined. mronline.org Over half a million people have died of coronavirus in the U.S. Grasping the enormity—half a million people gone—is difficult to visualize.

Staff (2021-02-26). Big Tech Shouldn't Be the Arbiter of Our Free Speech Rights. truthout.org Business corporations don't need free speech rights. Nor should they have the power to deny free speech to others. But leading up to and following the 2020 election, we saw both undemocratic realities on display. | The 2020 election was largely "democratic." Due to the pandemic, more voters had more ways to cast their ballots than ever, and the elections were overall free and fair. H…

Mike Walter (2021-02-26). The Heat: One scientist's fight against disease & Racism against Asian-Americans. america.cgtn.com As the pandemic continues to take its toll, we'll talk to one of America's leading science pioneers. Plus — what's behind the alarming rise in violence against Asian Americans?>

Vijay Prashad (2021-02-26). Your privileges are not Universal. mronline.org Stencilled in red on the walls of Santiago, Chile is a statement of fact: 'your privileges are not universal' (tus privilegios no son universales).

Greg Kearney (2021-02-26). When it comes to COVID, why aren't Republicans 'pro-life' anymore? peoplesworld.org Read:

Marilyn Bechtel (2021-02-26). Calif. essential workers and supporters call for extended COVID-related sick leave. peoplesworld.org Essential workers, labor advocates, and legislators are joining together to urge the California legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom to act immediately to expand emergency paid sick days and paid family and medical leave protection for workers in the state's 2021-2022 early action budget. Both federal and California emergency paid sick leave mandates on employers expired …

Global Research News (2021-02-26). Selected Articles: Haiti Betrayed. globalresearch.ca By There's a big mystery that needs to be solved. It's how many people are getting sick and dying from the Covid vaccines. …

Staff (2021-02-26). Sanders Blasts Parliamentarian's Ruling Dropping Wage Hike From COVID Bill. truthout.org Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and several other Democratic lawmakers are lambasting a decision by the Senate parliamentarian, a nonpartisan referee in that legislative body, who determined on Thursday that a provision to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the COVID economic relief package does not align with the rules for the reconciliation process. | But while Democrats appear upset over the decision, the party may be disunited on what path they should take next to raise the minimum wag…

Lubna Masarwa (2021-02-26). Israel's closure of Covid clinic leaves 50,000 people at high risk. middleeasteye.net Israel's closure of Covid clinic leaves 50,000 people at high risk | Termination of vaccine programme for those living in Israel without legal status may be legally challenged by rights groups
| Fri, 02/26/2021 – 13: 50 | A paramedic with Israel's Magen David Adom medical services prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for a Palestinian man in a mobile clinic on 26 February 202…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-26). Iraq: Protesters killed in clashes with security forces in Nasiriyah. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Protesters killed in clashes with security forces in Nasiriyah | At least five demonstrators have been killed over the past week as activists defied a Covid-19 lockdown to take to the streets | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 16: 00 | Iraqi protesters are pictured next to burning tyres during clashes with police during anti-government demonstrations in the city of Nasiriyah in the Dhi Qar province…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-26). Covid-19: Israel freezes programme to send vaccines abroad amid legal scrutiny. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israel freezes programme to send vaccines abroad amid legal scrutiny | Bid to garner international goodwill suspended after attorney general said to be seeking clarification about its legality | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 10: 32 | Palestinians have accused Israel of ignoring its duties as an occupying power by not including the Palestinians in its inoculation programme (AFP) | Israel has…

Staff (2021-02-26). The Assassination of Malcolm X: Ex-Undercover Officer Admits Role in FBI & Police Conspiracy. democracynow.org The FBI and New York Police Department are facing renewed calls to open their records into the assassination of Malcolm X, after the release of a deathbed confession of a former undercover NYPD officer who admitted to being part of a conspiracy targeting Malcolm. In the confession, Raymond Wood, who died last year, admitted he entrapped two members of Malcolm's security team in another crime — a plot to blow up the Statue of Liberty — just days before the assassination. This left the Black civil rights leader vulnerable at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, where he was fatally shot on February 21, 1965.

Staff (2021-02-26). "The Whole System Needs to be Indicted": Attorney Benjamin Crump on Overhauling U.S. Policing. democracynow.org The Democratic-led House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on a sweeping police reform bill that would ban chokeholds, prohibit federal no-knock warrants, establish a National Police Misconduct Registry and other measures. The legislation, known as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021, is in response to a series of high-profile killings of Black people in 2020 and the nationwide racial justice uprising they sparked. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who has represented the families of Floyd, Daniel Prude, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many other victims of police and racial viol…

Staff (2021-02-26). "We Want the Truth Uncovered": Malcolm X's Daughter Ilyasah Shabazz Backs New Probe into Assassination. democracynow.org The family of Malcolm X is demanding a new investigation into his 1965 assassination in light of the deathbed confession of a former New York police officer who said police and the FBI conspired to kill the Black leader. Ilyasah Shabazz, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and one of Malcolm's six children, says the latest revelation is further evidence of how the authorities worked to infiltrate and undermine Black organizations during the Civil Rights Movement. "All he wanted was for America to live up to her promise of liberty and justice for all," she says of her father. "I'm happy…

Ramzy Baroud (2021-02-26). Imagining Palestine: On Barghouti, Darwish, Kanafani and the Language of Exile. counterpunch.org For Palestinians, exile is not simply the physical act of being removed from their homes and their inability to return. It is not a casual topic pertaining to politics and international law, either. Nor is it an ethereal notion, a sentiment, a poetic verse. It is all of this, combined. The death in Amman of

Areeb Ullah (2021-02-26). Shamima Begum not allowed to return to UK, Supreme Court rules. middleeasteye.net Shamima Begum not allowed to return to UK, Supreme Court rules | Londoner who travelled to Syria to join Islamic State as a teenager argued she should be able to appeal stripping of citizenship in UK | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 09: 45 | Shamima Begum, photographed in her tent at the al-Roj camp in northeastern Syria in February 2020 (Screenshot) | The UK's Supreme Court has ruled that Shamima Begum, a British wo…

Diego Sanchez (2021-02-26). El Monte taco vendors and community: 'LA County Department of Public Health, stop harassing us!'. liberationnews.org Community members gathered on Feb. 13 in front of the El Monte Police Department in solidarity with local street vendors. This action comes a week after a violent attack by an LA County health inspector and EMPD on the Los Palomos taco stand. Community members and organizations such as ACAB El Monte, Revolutionary Socialists for …

The Socialist Program (2021-02-26). Their Protest Forced Investigation on Elijah McClain Police Killing; Now They Face Decades in Prison. liberationnews.org A damning new independent investigation into the police murder of Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colorado has been released, but the only people facing charges so far in this case are the activists who led the movement for justice for Elijah McClain.

_____ (2021-02-26). U.S.-Backed Ecuador Government Tries Stopping Socialist Electoral Victory. strategic-culture.org If Arauz wins the presidency, he may appoint an important economist and ideologist of the "Citizens Revolution" to a government post, Ron Ridenour writes. | U.S.-backed Lenin Moreno government is trying to stop the new socialistic UNES political party candidate, Andres Arauz, from winning the national elections underway. | Andres Arauz, won first place, 32.7%, on the first round of national elections, February 7. Arauz is the first presidential candidate of UNES, Union of Hope. | Former president Rafael Correa led the formation of this party, Union of Hope (UNES) after he had backed Moreno for president in 2017.

Eds. (2021-02-26). Catastrophe and Utopia: Kim Stanley Robinson's 'Ministry for the Future'. mronline.org We need no longer speculate about whether we live in a climate emergency. The scientific verdict has been out for some time now, each year's report grimmer than the last.

Michael T. Klare (2021-02-26). A New Cold War on a Scalding Planet: Biden, Climate Change, and China. counterpunch.org Slowing the pace of climate change and getting "tough" on China, especially over its human-rights abuses and unfair trade practices, are among the top priorities President Biden has announced for his new administration. Evidently, he believes that he can tame a rising China with harsh pressure tactics, while still gaining its cooperation in areas of concern

Rob Urie (2021-02-26). Capitalism and Political Violence at Home and Abroad. counterpunch.org Question: why do both conservative and liberal governments in the U.S. install right-wing governments abroad if 'the U.S.' opposes right-wing political violence? While right and left politics may seem to have limited descriptive value in many current conflicts, the interests of capital, broadly considered, represent an unwavering motive for them. Why then would military conflict

Cameron Orr (2021-02-26). 'We're not going back': N.Y. Black History event featuring Gerald Horne, Feb. 28. peoplesworld.org NEW YORK—In celebration of African-American culture and struggle, People's World will be supporting an online event broadcast from New York by the We're Not Going Back Host Committee this Sunday, Feb. 28th at 6: 30pm. This years' installment of the annual event will feature historian Gerald Horne as its keynote speaker. Dr. Horne, a prolific author …

Rob Urie (2021-02-26). Capitalism and Political Violence at Home and Abroad. counterpunch.org Question: why do both conservative and liberal governments in the U.S. install right-wing governments abroad if 'the U.S.' opposes right-wing political violence? While right and left politics may seem to have limited descriptive value in many current conflicts, the interests of capital, broadly considered, represent an unwavering motive for them. Why then would military conflict

Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (2021-02-26). Mitch Jones on Texas Freeze-Outs, Joe Torres on News for All the People. fair.org New York Times ( This week on CounterSpin: As Texans continue to deal with impacts of a deadly combination of frigid weather and power outages, the New York Times

The Conversation (2021-02-26). Facebook's news blockade in Australia shows how tech giants are swallowing the web. juancole.com By Jennifer Grygiel | — When Facebook disabled Australians' access to news articles on its platform, and blocked sharing of articles from Australian news organizations, the company moved a step closer to killing the World Wide Web — the hyperlink-based system of freely connecting online sites created in 1989 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Though the …

Ted Kelly (2021-02-26). Biden sends B-1 bombers to Norway, threatens Russia. workers.org The U.S. Air Force announced during February that it is sending four B-1 bombers and at least 200 personnel to Orland Air Base on the central coast of Norway. Pentagon officials made no secret of the fact that the deployment is meant as a threat to Russia, which is well . . . |

Jeremy Levine (2021-02-26). Massive thousand-car caravan protests unsafe reopening of Montgomery County schools in Maryland. liberationnews.org Photo: Car that participated in the caravan On Feb. 23, the parking lot at the Montgomery County Public Schools central office in Maryland swarmed with car horns, brightly colored signs, and shouts as thousands rallied outside a closed session meeting of the Board of Education (BOE). Among the participants were residents, parents and teachers' union …

RT (2021-02-27). NYT columnist faces conflict of interest accusations after singing praise for Facebook 'Groups' feature in tech giant's blog post. rt.com New York Times writer David Brooks has come under fire for a potential conflict of interest after penning a blog post for Facebook's corporate site while a project he helped to found accepted money from the social media giant. | A

sputniknews (2021-02-26). Saudi-Led Coalition Says Destroyed Houthi Ballistic Missile Launched Against Kingdom. sputniknews.com The Yemen Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, doesn't cease its attacks on civil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia as active hostilities have continued in Yemen, suffering from civil conflict. Houthis refuse to be subject to the current government, led by president-in-exile Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is backed by Saudi-led military coalition.