Monthly Archives: March 2021

2021-03-25: News Headlines

Juan Cole (2021-03-25). A New History of the Prophet of IslamÔ∑∫ — Juan Cole interviewed by Hamza Yusuf. juancole.com Juan Cole interviewed by Hamza Yusuf at Renovatio about the book: Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires Available at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor And Hachette And Barnes and Noble And Amazon Renovatio writes: Can those working in the field of modern academic historical method contribute to new ways of viewing an …

Raul Diego (2021-03-25). US, Lobbyists and Arm Dealers Scramble to Reposition Amid Impending Saudi Defeat in Yemen. mintpressnews.com Recent developments in the Yemen war are increasingly pointing to the possibility that Biden's ostensible moves towards peace may simply be an attempt to control the narrative and save face around what is looking like yet another defeat in the long-running American-sponsored global war on terror.

Andy Kroll (2021-03-25). Moving on from the War on Terror? tomdispatch.com In the first two months of Joe Biden's presidency, you could feel the country holding its breath. Sheltered in place, hidden behind masks, unsure about whether to trust in a safe-from-pandemic future, we are nonetheless beginning to open our eyes collectively. As part of this reemergence, a wider array of issues — those beyond Covid-19 — are once again starting to enter public consciousness. Domestically, attempts to repress (or preserve) voting rights have been consuming activists and dominating headlines, along with this country's missing infrastructure and a need to raise the minimum wage. The fore…

Andreína Chávez Alava (2021-03-25). Venezuela Welcomes UN Resolution Calling to Eliminate Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com Calls for sanctions relief are also gaining steam in Washington DC.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-25). After years of blockade, Saudi-led coalition allows four ships to dock at Hodeidah in Yemen. peoplesdispatch.org Four ships carrying gas oil, LPG and fuel oil were allowed to dock at Hodeidah port. The Saudi-led Gulf military coalition's blockade of the city has led to one of the worst humanitarian crisis of the century…

_____ (2021-03-25). Venezuelan Women Endure The 'Sanctions' With Their Bodies. popularresistance.org On February 20, the New York Times published an article titled "Venezuelan Women Lose Access to Contraception, and Control of Their Lives." This article attempts to distort reality, as it completely ignores the siege and aggressions the Venezuelan people currently subjected to. | For greater context, we should note that in 2012, Venezuela granted completely free access to safe and quality contraceptives, reaching a coverage of 22.16% in the national public health system. Access was nearly universal both due to the purchasing power of Venezuelans at the time and because both private and public health networks were…

teleSUR (2021-03-25). Venezuela To Face Strongly Any Territorial Breach From Colombia. telesurenglish.net Venezuela ratified its commitment towards the protection of its territories in the border areas near Colombia where irregular armed groups have attempted violent actions against the population. | RELATED: | "It is a proven fact that the Colombian state has abandoned its borders and gives a tacit consent to criminal groups' actions in borders area," Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Ministry stated. | It also condemned that these…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-25). Argentina withdraws from Lima Group and condemns blockade of Venezuela. peoplesdispatch.org The Argentine government rejected the isolation policies promoted by the Lima Group against Venezuela and proposed to promote an inclusive dialog to help the country solve its internal conflicts…

MEE staff (2021-03-25). Saudi-led coalition has carried out at least 22,766 air raids in Yemen: Report. middleeasteye.net Saudi-led coalition has carried out at least 22,766 air raids in Yemen: Report | New data shows the number of air raids fell drastically following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi | Thu, 03/25/2021 – 20: 20 | Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has carried out a daily average of at least 10 air raids in Yemen, according to the Yemen Data Project (AFP) | Newly released data has found that the Saud…

MEE correspondent (2021-03-25). Yemen war: Six ways people have adapted their lives after six years of conflict. middleeasteye.net Yemen war: Six ways people have adapted their lives after six years of conflict | Amid a loss of basic services, Yemenis have had to swap houses for tents, gas for firewood and jobs for aid | Thu, 03/25/2021 – 10: 40 | Nujood Salem, a mother of four children, has been forced to use firewood instead of gas to cook her food (All photos by Khalid Al-Banna/MEE) | As Yemen marks the sixth an…

MEE staff (2021-03-25). Saudi official denies threat to harm UN Khashoggi investigator. middleeasteye.net Saudi official denies threat to harm UN Khashoggi investigator | President of Saudi human rights commission says allegations of threats to Agnes Callamard relate to him – but that he did not make them | Thu, 03/25/2021 – 10: 56 | Awwad Alawwad, pictured here in April 2018, strongly rejects Callamard's claims (AFP) | A senior Saudi official has denied claims that he threatened the expert leading the UN investig…

MEE staff (2021-03-25). 'A killer walks free': Anger erupts over new images of sanctioned Saudi official. middleeasteye.net 'A killer walks free': Anger erupts over new images of sanctioned Saudi official | Ahmed al-Asiri, former deputy chief of Saudi intelligence, seen for first time since being sanctioned by the US over Jamal Khashoggi's murder | Thu, 03/25/2021 – 17: 10 | The images of Ahmed al-Asiri shared online have raised a number of questions (Screengrab/Twitter) | New images of Ahmed al-Asiri, Saudi Arabia's deputy head of…

Pip Hinman (2021-03-25). Rodney Croome: 'Systemic anti-LGBTI prejudice must end'. greenleft.org.au LGBTI activists and supporters have vowing to continue the campaign for next-of-kin recognition for same-sex couples. Matt Haubrick and Rose Matthews report.

teleSUR (2021-03-25). Cuba Shares Vaccine Candidates Milestones with Sao Paulo Forum. telesurenglish.net Cuban health authorities and scientists presented the country's results in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and its goal of immunizing the entire population by 2021. | The Minister of Health, José Angel Portal, highlighted that the results obtained to date are favorable and praised both the health personnel's work and the management of science and innovation. | RELATED: | For his part, the president of the Busi…

Staff (2021-03-25). Yemen Enters 7th Year of U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led War That Caused the World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis. democracynow.org As the world's worst humanitarian crisis enters its seventh year in Yemen, we look at the toll of the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led air war. A new report by the Yemen Data Project summarizing the impact of air raids over the past six years finds the bombing campaign has killed almost 1,500 civilians every year on average, a quarter of them children. Journalist Iona Craig, who heads up the Yemen Data Project, says there have been almost 23,000 air raids since the war began in 2015. "We're still seeing mass civilian casualty events," says Craig. "We're still seeing a large number of airstrikes on residential areas and, of…

Jason Ditz (2021-03-25). Iran Warns IAEA Chief's Comments Damage Credibility of Process. news.antiwar.com While Iran and the IAEA seemed to be on good terms in recent months, a split is starting to emerge from weekend comments by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who is seeking "very technical discussions" on undeclared Iranian uranium, and sites that are not listed in the official documentation. | Israel, and subsequently the US, have long accused Iran of having secret sites, but so far have not come up with solid evidence any of this has happened, and have mostly sent the IAEA to repeatedly search through an old carpet factory, finding what appeared to be trivial amounts of unprocessed uranium, hardly definitive of anyt…

RT (2021-03-25). Media blame Iran as missile hits Israeli-owned ship in Arabian Sea. rt.com An Israeli-owned container ship was hit and damaged by an Iranian missile in the Arabian Sea on Thursday, unconfirmed reports by the Israeli media claim. | The ship was reportedly struck as it traveled from Tanzania to India, Israel's Channel 12 reported. The broadcaster said the ship was targeted by an Iranian missile, but did not give more information. | The vessel in question was the Lori, a container ship sailing under the Liberian flag, but owned by Haifa-based company XT Management, other reports said.It was heading from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to India's Port of Mundra. | The route taken by the Israel…

Andrea Guzman (2021-03-25). Activists Decry a Different Border Surge in Texas: Cops and Troops. zcomm.org Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lonestar is the latest move in a long tradition of border militarization…

2021-03-24: News Headlines

Raul Diego (2021-03-24). US Gins Up a "Credible" Iranian Nuclear Menace Befitting Its Own Stockpile. mintpressnews.com With Western intelligence sources once again stoking the flames of a nuclear Iran and the secret movement of America's nuclear warheads across Europe, the war economy is up to its old tricks.

Earchiel Johnson (2021-03-24). Chicago activists back a new ordinance for serious police reform. peoplesworld.org CHICAGO — With the high-profile police murders of Laquan McDonald and Rekia Boyd in their past, the citizens of Chicago may be getting closer to establishing an elected police accountability council. The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability have united around a compromise ordinance they want the …

Project Censored (2021-03-24). The Biden Administration's Foreign Policy and the Complete Picture Project with Medea Benjamin, Rebecca Grace, John Gray. projectcensored.org In the first half of the program, peace organizer Medea Benjamin looks at the Biden Administration's foreign policy, and finds it mainly a disappointment. Then Rebecca Grace and John Gray…

Amanda Abrams (2021-03-24). A new home for activists, and a new way of building in communities. nationofchange.org "If you're really interested in changing things—if you want to say you're being proactively anti-racist—you'll have to go out of your comfort zones and the confines of the project."

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-24). Nine years after family members were killed in US drone strikes, Yemeni men seek justice in Germany. peoplesdispatch.org Ahmed and Khalid bin Ali Jaber filed an appeal in the Federal Constitutional Court in Germany in a case dealing with the death of two of their family members in a US drone strike in August 2012 that was launched from a base in Germany…

William Boardman (2021-03-24). Yemen's Blood Is on US Hands, and Still the US Lies About the War. dissidentvoice.org Six years ago, on March 26, 2015, the US green-lighted and provided logistical support for the Saudi bombing of Yemen that continues on a daily basis. The US/Saudi war, which includes as allies the several members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, is an undeclared war, illegal under international law, and an endless crime against humanity. …

Timothy Alexander Guzman (2021-03-24). Will Israel Use 'Bunker-Buster' Bombs Against Iran's Nuclear Program? globalresearch.ca Israel is extremely worried that Iran would develop a nuclear bomb …

Jim Miles (2021-03-24). "The Lion and the Eagle": The Interaction of the British and American Empires (1783-1972). globalresearch.ca The 200 year historical span of Kathleen Burk's "The Lion and …

MEE staff (2021-03-24). Saudi-led coalition allows fuel ships to dock at Yemen's Hodeidah port. middleeasteye.net Saudi-led coalition allows fuel ships to dock at Yemen's Hodeidah port | Move comes after renewed calls from US lawmakers for Saudi Arabia to lift its air and sea blockade | Wed, 03/24/2021 – 15: 07 | UN data shows food imports through ports of Hodeidah and Saleef dropped by 200,000 tonnes a month in February (AFP) | The Saudi-led coalition has cleared four fuel ships to dock at Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeida…

Brett Wilkins (2021-03-24). Activists Welcome Cancellation of Texas LNG Terminal. zcomm.org "There's more work to do to ensure other proposed fracked gas export terminals… are never built, but today we celebrate this important victory for our people and our environment."