(2021-02-21). Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat Participated in Covert UK Foreign Office-funded Programs to "Weaken Russia," leaked docs reveal. strategic-culture.org 
New leaked documents show Reuters' and the BBC's involvement in covert UK FCO programs to effect "attitudinal change" and "weaken the Russian state's influence," alongside intel contractors and Bellingcat. | By Max BLUMENTHAL | The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have sponsored Reuters and the BBC to conduct a series of covert programs aimed at promoting regime change inside Russia and undermining its government across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to a series of The leak…
(2021-02-20). Why Didn't Speaker Pelosi Want Witnesses? commondreams.org As Republican strategist Kevin Philips noted years ago, the Republicans go for the jugular while the Democrats go for the capillaries. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pelosi_schumer_2_1.jpg …
(2021-02-20). Ten Years Ago: "Operation Libya" and the Battle for Oil: Redrawing the Map of Africa. globalresearch.ca Libya is among the World's largest oil economies with approximately 3.5% of global oil reserves, more than twice those of the US.
(2021-02-21). India's forever wars and forever warriors. mronline.org 
Looking ahead, pre-conditions now exist for a positive turn to the India-China bilateral relationship.
(2021-02-20). Libya: When Historical Memory is Erased. globalresearch.ca It happened ten years ago: US-NATO's "humanitarian war" against Libya in support of so-called pro-democracy rebels. The On February 15, 2011, according to the official story "anti-government rallies were held in Benghazi calling upon Qadaffi to step down. US-NATO cam …
(2021-02-21). Lawfare threatens to derail the presidential election in Ecuador. mronline.org 
On February 7, the progressive presidential candidate for the Union of Hope Alliance (UNES) party, Andrés Arauz, won first place in Ecuador's presidential election; this is uncontested.
(2021-02-21). Angola inmates on hunger strike against unlawful extension of solitary confinement. liberationnews.org 
"The reason [for the strike is]…EVERYONE over here is between one month to six months past their initial disciplinary detention," according to communications from the inmates carrying out the hunger strike.
(2021-02-21). Neoliberalism and Imperialism: Interview with Intan Suwandi. mronline.org 
Recent cases of U.S. imperialism in Latin America, such as what happened in Bolivia, can serve as a striking example. International trade and financial institutions such as the Unholy Trinity (largely controlled by the North) also still play a major role in perpetuating imperialist relations between the South and the North.
(2021-02-21). Prisons prime testing ground for dehumanizing hi-tech "advances" mronline.org 
A new form of exploitation, known as "stakeholder capitalism," is already being tested in many places around the world and prisons are among the main targets for its implementation, as they provide an ideal and literally captive market for its proof of concept.
(2021-02-21). Cold truth: The Texas freeze is a catastrophe of the Free Market. mronline.org 
Texas's electricity market "reforms" made the current crisis inevitable.
(2021-02-21). How the Texas electricity system produced low-cost power but left residents out in the cold. juancole.com 
By Theodore J. Kury | — Americans often take electricity for granted — until the lights go out. The recent cold wave and storm in Texas have placed considerable focus on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the nonprofit corporation that manages the flow of electricity to more than 26 million Texans. Together, …
(2021-02-21). Truth Telling or True Confessions? counterpunch.org 
Relating your own personal trauma to strengthen or expand existing laws dealing with sexual violence achieves little towards systemic change. As only individual perpetrators are targeted in these subjective and moralizing first person narratives of good vs evil, more pertinent factors addressing the material conditions underlying these situations are overlooked, while the causes of collectively
(2021-02-21). Murdoch's Australia Censors Google, Facebook, Science and Freedom of Speech. dissidentvoice.org 
The mendacious Australian Mainstream media, Coalition Government and Labor Opposition demand via a news media Bargaining Code that Google and Facebook pay Murdoch and Nine media huge sums for quoting Links to their "information" for free. Google seems to have surrendered to this Australian blackmail and negotiated a private deal to avoid damaging its core …
(2021-02-21). Better News on the Climate. counterpunch.org 
The good news is the president takes the climate crisis seriously. The bad news is it's worse than ever. The climate catastrophe didn't stop because Trump ignored it. Forests didn't stop burning because he said it was a raking problem. The polar ice caps didn't stop melting because the U.S. acted as if that didn't
(2021-02-21). How Malcolm Little became Malcolm X. therealnews.com 
On the 56th anniversary of Malcolm X's assassination, we talk with Tamara Payne, co-author of "The Dead Are Arising," an award-winning biography—thirty years in the making—that offers a never-before-seen look into what molded Malcolm Little into Malcolm X.
(2021-02-21). 'The U.S. has been obstructionist in chief in Global climate talks'. mronline.org 
CounterSpin interview with Basav Sen on rejoining the Paris accords.
(2021-02-20). Urgent Solidarity with Haiti is Needed. dissidentvoice.org 
A long-brewing crisis in Haiti, created through intervention by the United States, United Nations and allied western imperialist countries, has now come to a head. The Biden administration is openly backing a violent, corrupt and fraudulent leader, Jovenel MoàØse, and maintaining the policies of previous presidents, including Donald Trump, in Haiti. Activists in Haiti have …
(2021-02-20). Madagascar: A Nation of Hunger. dissidentvoice.org 
Madagascar is in great pain. Theodore Mbainaissem, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) sub-office in Ambovombe, southern Madagascar, says: "Seeing the physical condition of people extremely affected by hunger who can no longer stand…children who are completely emaciated, the elderly who are skin and bone…these images are unbearable… People are eating white clay …
(2021-02-20). Israeli Troops Attack Non-Violent Palestinian Rallies in Kufur Qaddoum, Beit Dajan. imemc.org 
Israeli forces attacked the weekly non-violent protest marches and rallies in several parts of the West Bank Friday, injuring three Palestinians with rubber-coated steel bullets and causing dozens to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation. In Kufur Qaddoum, in the northern West Bank, two Palestinian protesters were taken to the hospital with severe injuries …
(2021-02-20). Pensacola State College faculty demand protection. workers.org 
Occupied Muscogee Creek land On Feb. 16, over 30 drivers circled the Pensacola State College-Warrington Campus buildings for half an hour, laying on their horns. Signs saying "High Risk" and "Betrayal" were taped to their vehicles. This action was led by the Pensacola State College Faculty Association, a chapter of . . . |
(2021-02-21). Prominent Trump Ally Illegally Supplied Libyan Warlord With Armed Mercenaries. truthout.org 
Erik Prince, the founder and former CEO of the mercenary firm Blackwater and a close ally of former President Donald Trump, sent weapons to a Libyan warlord in violation of a United Nations arms embargo, according to a confidential U.N. document The U.N. report, which investigators sent to the Security Council on Thursday, reportedly details how Prince sen…
(2021-02-21). US Workers Cried Out for More Masks. The Government Allowed N95 Exports Anyway. truthout.org 
In the midst of a national shortage of N95 masks, the U.S. government quietly granted an exception to its export ban on protective gear, allowing as many as 5 million of the masks per month to be shipped overseas. | The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the waiver in the final moments of Donald Trump's presidency last month, allowing a Texas company to export its products after it failed to secure U.S. customers, according to the FEMA letter obtained by KHN. | National Nurses United…
(2021-02-21). Power Plays: the Bipartisan Origins of Energy Deregulation. counterpunch.org 
Shortly after Sen. John Kerry sewed up the delegates needed to seize the Democratic nomination for president in the spring of 2004, he huddled for two hours with James Hoffa, Jr., the boss of the Teamsters union. The topic was oil. The Teamsters wanted more of it at cheaper prices. They had suspicions about Kerry.
(2021-02-21). 'It won't simply be sanctions': Biden adviser threatens to punish Russia with 'tools seen & unseen' for SolarWinds hack. rt.com 
The Biden administration will soon deliver a sweeping response to SolarWinds breach, so that the usual suspect, Russia, understands where Washington draws the line on cyberattacks, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. | During his The adv…
(2021-02-21). 'Are you here to apologize?' Gina Carano convicted of crimes against wokeness on SNL — where she can't fight back. rt.com 
Fresh from watching Gina Carano beat the cancel mob by landing a movie deal after being fired from 'The Mandalorian' TV series, leftists took solace in condemning a make-believe version of the actress on 'Saturday Night Live'. | The straw-man version of Carano was featured in a skit in which guests of a fictional talk show were brought on to apologize for wrongdoing. In this case, the alleged sin was one of the politically incorrect social media posts that got Carano fired from her Disney+ series — a warning likening the current demonization of Americans with conservative political views to the way German…
(2021-02-21). Biden AG nominee Merrick Garland vows to use terror-fighting skills to prosecute Capitol rioters, ahead of confirmation hearing. rt.com 
Merrick Garland, Joe Biden's Attorney General nominee, wants to aggressively prosecute the pro-Trump crowd who stormed the Capitol, and the media is amplifying his description of the MAGA mob as "white supremacist" extremists. | Garland's hearing kicks off on Monday, and according to the opening statement he plans to deliver to the Senate, Garland will gladly help President Biden crack down on "domestic terrorism" and "white supremacy." | "From 1995 to 1997, I supervised the prosecution of the perpetrators of the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, who sought to spark a revolution that would topple…
(2021-02-21). 'I'll die of dehydration before I drink Dasani': Americans mock Coca-Cola for sending unpopular bottled water to Texas amid crisis. rt.com 
The Coca-Cola company donated several trucks worth of Dasani-branded water to Texans in need last week. Americans were quick to mock the move, however, as the water is often named one of the worst-tasting brands in the country. | According to
(2021-02-21). Harry Potter video game designer outed as 'far right YouTuber,' but cancel culture calls met with pushback. rt.com 
A lead designer for the Harry Potter video game 'Hogwarts Legacy' has found himself embroiled in controversy as past right-leaning videos have been uncovered by social justice warriors. | The designer, Troy Leavitt, is currently working with development studio Avalanche Software on the high anticipated video game, but many on social media appear to want him nowhere near the project now that his past has been put under the spotlight. | Leavitt's YouTube videos have included titles like "The Injustice of Social Justice," "In Praise of Cultural Appropriation," and "Are Thoughtcrimes Becoming Real?" First highligh…
(2021-02-21). FIGHT TRAINING clip of kids sees journo lament Russians are being trained as 'YOUNG HOCKEY BEASTS' as Americans play video games. rt.com 
A controversial video of Russian youth hockey players being instructed in how to brawl was seemingly held up by a US outlet as an example of children learning toughness and competitiveness while American kids play video games. | Daily Caller writer David Hookstead posted an article about the viral video on Saturday, showing children in protective hockey gear trading heavy-gloved punches to the helmet as a coach yells instructions. At one point, the coach holds a student by the shirt and throws a slow-motion punch to the facemask to demonstrate the proper technique to the team. | – –æ—&A…
(2021-02-21). Deer developed HAIRY EYEBALLS due to rare, baffling condition. rt.com 
Residents in Farragut, Tennessee were utterly bemused when they witnessed a whitetail deer nonchalantly strutting through their town. Upon closer inspection, they discovered the animal had hair growing out of its eyeballs. | As confused townsfolk tried to capture the bold buck, they couldn't help but notice it had thick hair protruding from discs of flesh which had grown and covered over the buck's eyeballs. | As it turns out, the condition is known as corneal dermoids and has only been documented in one other whitetail deer, also in Tennessee. | www.facebook.com/deerassociation/posts/3959178984095071…
(2021-02-21). Biden's press secretary ripped for sidestepping questions on Cuomo nursing home scandal — says WH to 'continue' working with him. rt.com 
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has been accused by critics of blatantly dodging questions about NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's controversies, including a probe into whether nursing home deaths from Covid-19 were underreported. | On top of the accusations the New York governor underreported nursing home deaths for political purposes, he has also been accused by a state lawmaker of threatening to "destroy" him if he did not release a public statement supporting the governor. Recent months have also seen a sexual harassment allegation come forth. Cuomo has denied wrongdoing in all of these cases. | Before nume…
(2021-02-21). Keir Starmer just rallied to protect snivelling Matt Hancock. thecanary.co 
Matt Hancock needn't have worried about the Labour leader savaging him on Sunday 21 February's political TV programmes. Because Keir Starmer completely let the embattled health secretary off the hook. | Hancock: flouting his 'legal obligations': | The Canary
(2021-02-21). Keep that mask on: Fauci says face coverings could be needed even in 2022, as he defines new 'normality'. rt.com 
White House health adviser Anthony Fauci has triggered a fresh round of rage online by saying people in the US may be required to wear face masks to protect themselves and others from Covid-19 even in 2022. | Appearing on CNN, Fauci was asked on Sunday to define the "normality" he and President Joe Biden have promised towards the end of this year as more and more people are vaccinated. Pressed specifically as to whether masks would be an everyday part of life next year, Fauci declared himself open to the possibility. | "It is possible that that's the case," he said, "and it depends on what you mean by normalit…
(2021-02-21). Covid-19: Palestinian vaccine plan faces large funding gap, says World Bank. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Palestinian vaccine plan faces large funding gap, says World Bank | Israel could consider donating surplus doses to the Palestinians to help accelerate a vaccine roll-out in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, a new World Bank report says | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 23: 02 | Palestinian health workers unload the first shipment of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine at the Kerem Shalom borde…
(2021-02-21). Turkey-backed Libyan interior minister survives assassination attempt in Tripoli. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey-backed Libyan interior minister survives assassination attempt in Tripoli | Fathi Bashagha, one of Libya's most influential politicians, escaped unhurt after his motorcade was attacked by gunmen | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 15: 07 | Fathi Bashagha is credited with playing a key role as the capital came under attack from eastern Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar's forces in 2019 (AFP) | On…
(2021-02-21). Israel's beaches blackened by tar after offshore oil spill. middleeasteye.net 
Israel's beaches blackened by tar after offshore oil spill | Cleanup effort could take months or years, officials say, as slick hits Israel's 160km-long Mediterranean coast from Gaza to Lebanon | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 21: 20 | A sea turtle gets clean up at a rescue centre in Mikhmoret, north of Tel Aviv, after being discovered in tar washed ashore on an Israeli beach earlier this week (AFP)…
(2021-02-21). Sudan risks high prices and angry backlash with radical currency change. middleeasteye.net 
Sudan risks high prices and angry backlash with radical currency change | Government to abandon longstanding fixed exchange rate in favour of a managed float as part of IMF reform programme | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 12: 17 | The prospect of higher prices comes as citizens are already grappling with an inflation rate that topped 300 percent last month (AFP) | Sudan announced radical changes to it…
(2021-02-21). White House says US in talks with Iran over detained Americans. middleeasteye.net 
White House says US in talks with Iran over detained Americans | Biden's security adviser calls Iran's detention of US citizens a 'complete outrage'. Meanwhile, IAEA says deal struck to continue 'necessary' atomic monitoring activities in Iran | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 20: 36 | Biden's security adviser Jake Sullivan: 'We will not accept a long-term proposition where they continue to hold America…
(2021-02-21). Iran says plans to end snap UN nuclear inspections reversible if US lifts sanctions. middleeasteye.net 
Iran says plans to end snap UN nuclear inspections reversible if US lifts sanctions | Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says ending inspections will not mean it has abandoned 2015 nuclear deal | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 09: 36 | Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inspects nuclear technology (AFP) | Iran's plans to end snap nuclear inspections by UN inspectors next week are reversible if the Uni…
(2021-02-21). Iran: Plan to end UN nuclear inspections reversible if US lifts sanctions. middleeasteye.net Iran: Plan to end UN nuclear inspections reversible if US lifts sanctions | Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says ending inspections will not mean it has abandoned 2015 nuclear deal | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 09: 36 | Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inspects nuclear technology (AFP) | Iran's plans to end snap nuclear inspections by UN inspectors next week are reversible if the United States…
(2021-02-21). Turkish authorities launch probe against pro-Kurdish MP over militant links. middleeasteye.net 
Turkish authorities launch probe against pro-Kurdish MP over militant links | Peoples' Democratic Party's Dirayet Dilan Tasdemir says she will prove accusations against her are a 'giant lie and slander' | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 12: 46 | The move comes after a minister said Tasdemir had visited an area in northern Iraq where 13 Turks were killed earlier this month (Facebook) | Turkish authoritie…
(2021-02-21). WHO urges Tanzania to release data on COVID-19. yenisafak.com The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on Tanzanian authorities to release COVID-19 data and implement public health measures to break the chain of transmission of the deadly virus.A statement by WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus late Saturday said Tanzania has not yet released information on measures it is taking to respond to the pandemic."The situation remains very concerning. I renew my call for Tanzania to start reporting Covid-19 cases and share data," the statement said.The East African country, which last released data on COVID-19 cases and deaths back in May 2020, when President John Magufuli…
(2021-02-21). Algeria denies joining French-led coalition in Sahel. yenisafak.com A ministry statement described the reports as "false", saying this news "aims to promote chaos and destabilize the country".Earlier reports suggested that Algeria had signed an agreement with France to contribute troops to a French-led coalition that includes other G-5 Sahel members.The G5 Sahel — or G5S — is an institutional framework for regional cooperation in development policies and security matters in West Africa. It was formed on Feb. 16, 2014, in Nouakchott, Mauritania at a summit of five Sahel countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.France and several of its European allies have troo…
(2021-02-21). Ancient critters threaten food supply in Kenya. yenisafak.com Isabel Mberia points to maize plants on her farm in Tigania in eastern Kenya's Meru county.The early morning air is filled with a muffled, buzzing cracking sound.Instead of the usual green that one expects to see, her plants are filled with the yellow-brownish color of locusts that are munching on leaves and cobs of the growing maize."When Kenya was hit by locusts last year, we were spared. They didn't reach here, but this year-round we woke up one morning and one could barely see the sun," Mberia, 61, told Anadolu Agency. "There were millions of locusts everywhere. Some people in the market said they were just…
(2021-02-21). Somalia accuses UAE of encouraging unrest. yenisafak.com A Saturday UAE statement on recent clashes in the country also violates bilateral fellowship, Osman Dubbe, Somalia's information minister, told a press conference in the capital Mogadishu."The UAE statement is inconsistent with international diplomacy, brotherly relations between the two countries, and Arab culture," said Dubbe."The United Arab Emirates wants Somalia to be like Yemen and Libya and wants to create in Somalia displacement, violence, and backwardness, and that is something the Somali people are wary of," he added.Commenting on recent clashes between Somali government forces and opposition groups, th…
(2021-02-21). Rival parties to approve unified budget of Libya. yenisafak.com Ahmed Maiteeq, deputy chairman of Libya's Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord (GNA), and Finance Minister Faraj Boumtari arrived in the eastern city of Al-Bayda on Saturday to participate in ceremony for approval of a unified budget for Libya, Maiteeq posted on his Facebook account.Maiteeq said that he will also meet with Aguila Saleh, speaker of the Tobruk-based parliament, without providing further details.This is the first visit by a delegation representing the Tripoli-based government to the east, which is controlled by warlord Khalifa Haftar.On Feb. 8, the United Nations Support Mission i…
(2021-02-21). Feminism powers Algeria's Hirak for democracy, equality. laprensalatina.com By Nacera Ouabou Algiers, Feb 21 (efe-epa).- Women, protagonists of the "Hirak" popular opposition movement, are still one of its main spearheads two years on and remain convinced that equality is key for true transformation and full democracy in Algeria. The movement broke out on 22 February 2019 against plans of the entourage of the …
(2021-02-21). Egypt petroleum minister visits Israel for energy talks. yenisafak.com Egypt's Petroleum Minister Tariq al-Mulla arrived in Israel on Sunday for talks on bolstering bilateral cooperation in the field of energy, the Yedioth Aharonoth newspaper reported.Al-Mulla's visit is the first by an Egyptian minister to Israel in the last five years.The Egyptian minister will discuss with Israeli energy officials and representatives of energy companies ways of enhancing cooperation, especially in the field of natural gas excavation.Al-Mulla is expected to meet with top Israeli officials during his visit, including President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Ga…
(2021-02-21). UAE seeking to create instability in Somalia: Minister. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 21 (MNA) — Somalian Minister of information slammed UAE's stance against the country, underlining that UAE intends to create insecurity in Somalia.
(2021-02-21). Covid-19: Israel begins reopening economy after vaccinating nearly half its population. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Israel begins reopening economy after vaccinating nearly half its population | Move comes as criticism of government continues over its failure to vaccinate Palestinians living under its control | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 10: 53 | Israel has administered at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine to more than 46 percent of its nine million population, the health ministry says (Reuters) | I…