Daily Archives: February 28, 2021

2021-02-28: News Headlines

WSWS (2021-02-27). Rapper's arrest triggers mass protests over social conditions in Spain. wsws.org Young protesters are denouncing the PSOE-Podemos incarceration of Pablo Hasél, which is part of the bourgeoisie's broader offensive against working and living conditions.

Online News Editor (2021-02-27). Baràßa climb to 2nd with win over Sevilla. laprensalatina.com Seville, Spain, Feb 27 (efe-epa).- Barcelona had a surprisingly easy time of it here Saturday against Sevilla, winning 0-2 to go to second place in LaLiga. The Blaugrana improve to 53 points, 2 behind leaders Atletico Madrid, though the Colchoneros have two games in hand. Real Madrid, now third with 52 points, can vault ahead …

Online News Editor (2021-02-28). 14 arrested during night of violent protest in Spain's Barcelona. laprensalatina.com Barcelona, Spain, Feb 28 (efe-epa).- Catalan police arrested 14 people during another night of violent protests in Barcelona following the jailing of a Spanish rapper for charges of glorifying terrorism and slandering the monarchy and state institutions. At least six officers from the regional police force in Catalonia, in Spain's northeast, were lightly injured during …

_____ (2021-02-28). EU in Disarray Over Russia as Brussels Begs to Be Taken Seriously. strategic-culture.org It's time the EU got its act together on Russia and accepted that Germany runs the EU and it will have its Russian gas pipeline at any cost. But don't let that stop whining MEPs throwing stones at Putin. | As a body, the EU itself doesn't fear much. It doesn't fear the bloc falling apart as already France, Spain and Italy unite in their own 'brexit' plans; it doesn't fear the extreme right gaining a majority in the European parliament in 2024 (a distinct possibility as EU citizens use the populist vote as an anti-immigration signal to the EU); it also doesn't fear that the chaos of its own making with a vaccine c…

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2021-02-27). Biden's Reckless Syria Bombing Is Not the Diplomacy He Promised. dissidentvoice.org Photo: CODEPINK The February 25 U.S. bombing of Syria immediately puts the policies of the newly-formed Biden administration into sharp relief. Why is this administration bombing the sovereign nation of Syria? Why is it bombing "Iranian-backed militias" who pose absolutely no threat to the United States and are actually involved in fighting ISIS? If this …

sputniknews (2021-02-27). US Regulator Set to Approve J&J COVID-19 Jab Despite Severe Reactions in Patients. sputniknews.com South Africa, where two severe allergic reactions to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine came to light on Friday, received a second batch of 80,000 doses from Belgium on Saturday morning for use in a mass clinical trial of up to half-a-million healthcare workers.

MEE, agencies (2021-02-28). Biden faces growing pressure to lift Trump's sanctions on ICC prosecutors. middleeasteye.net Biden faces growing pressure to lift Trump's sanctions on ICC prosecutors | International Criminal Court officials sanctioned starting probes on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, Palestine | Sun, 02/28/2021 – 13: 46 | An Israeli soldier stands on a Merkava main battle tank stationed near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on 30 March 2019 (AFP) | US President Joe Biden face…

MEE, agencies (2021-02-28). Yemen: Five civilians killed, including a child, in Hodeidah. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Five civilians killed, including a child, in Hodeidah | Warring parties accuse each other of the attack, with the Houthis threatening new attacks on Saudi Arabia | Sun, 02/28/2021 – 11: 01 | Yemen's civil war has cost the lives of thousands and displaced millions, which the UN says has led to the world's worst humanitarian crisis (AFP) | Five civilians, including a child, were kille…

Walter Smolarek (2021-02-27). Deciphering Biden's excuse to abandon the fight for $15. liberationnews.org President Biden received a major political gift from an obscure, unelected official called the Senate parliamentarian Feb. 25 when she ruled that the provision in the administration's stimulus plan that raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour must be removed from the bill. Unless this maneuver is defeated, millions of workers who could have …

Brasil de Fato (2021-02-28). One year of COVID-19 in Brazil: from a little flu to a foreseen tragedy. peoplesdispatch.org Friday, February 26th, Brazil marked one year since the first registered infection by the coronavirus in its territory. In this period, the country became one of the three nations with the worst pandemic related numbers, with more than 10 million cases and 250 thousand dead. | The first confirmed case was in Sà£o Paulo, on February 26th of last year: A 61-year-old man, infected in Italy, developed symptoms after returning to Brazil. | About 10 days later, with 13 registered cases, the Ministry of Health announced measures to reinforce hospital care. A month after the first infection, the country already had…

Eds. (2021-02-27). We have to change our suicidal ways and reconcile with nature to tackle climate crises and pandemics. mronline.org Every day, entrepreneurs in Brazil cut down more of the Amazon to produce cheap soybeans for animals in Europe and America. Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia tear up their forests to produce cheap coffee and palm oil for the world.

MEE, agencies (2021-02-28). Covid-19: Israel to administer vaccines to Palestinian workers. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israel to administer vaccines to Palestinian workers | Vaccination campaign could include around 130,000 Palestinians working inside Israel | Sun, 02/28/2021 – 15: 18 | Palestinian workers line up for a security check at the entrance to Israel's Mishor Adumim industrial zone near the Maale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank on 1 July 2020 (AFP) | Israel will vaccinate Pa…

Online News Editor (2021-02-28). Brussels says Covid-19 vaccine strategy to be accelerated in upcoming weeks. laprensalatina.com Brussels, Feb 28 (efe-epa).- The Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the European Union is expected to pick up speed within the coming weeks, the bloc's Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira told Efe in an interview Sunday. "We estimate that in two, three weeks everything will work normally, with production and distribution levels stronger than …

sputniknews (2021-02-28). CDC Panel Recommends Use of J&J Coronavirus Vaccine. sputniknews.com Earlier, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization for a third COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Johnson & Johnson-owned Belgium-based pharmaceutical company Janssen. The drug was proved to be effective to approximately 77 percent. At the same time, the jab was said to cause a number of severe side effects.

Paul Antonopoulos (2021-02-28). Is Russia Losing Patience with the EU's Constant Provocations. globalresearch.ca Another meeting of European Union foreign minister's took place this week, …

sputniknews (2021-02-28). Shamima Begum May Mount Legal Bid to Conduct Appeal Hearing From Syria, Report Says. sputniknews.com The development comes two days after Britain's Supreme Court ruled that the government is entitled to prevent Ms Begum, who in 2015 travelled to Syria to join Daesh*, from returning to the United Kingdom.

Jake Lindahl (2021-02-28). Amazon union struggle takes hold in Southern state with radical labor history. liberationnews.org It should be no surprise that a place like Bessemer, Alabama is exactly where Amazon's first union in the United States is likely to form–given its radical labor history.

Niko Sims (2021-02-28). Housing crisis: Pittsburgh politicians' patchwork solutions fall short. liberationnews.org In spite of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium "pausing" evictions, Pennsylvania landlords are abusing loopholes to kick people out of their homes.

The Conversation (2021-02-28). How Miracle Workers made 60% of S. Australia's Electricity Green in only 20 Years. juancole.com By Michael McGreevy and Fran Baum | — Less than two decades ago, South Australia generated all its electricity from fossil fuels. Last year, renewables provided a whopping 60% of the state's electricity supply. The remarkable progress came as national climate policy was gripped by paralysis — so how did it happen? Our research set …

John McDevitt (2021-02-28). Andre Cailloux and the Siege of Port Hudson. liberationnews.org Not widely known, and certainly not celebrated enough, Andre Cailloux was the first Black military hero functioning as an officer in the Union Army.

T.J. Coles (2021-02-28). How the CIA Helped to Crush Turkey's Post-War Left. counterpunch.org After the Second World War (1939-45), the U.S. became the dominant global power and fought its rival, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) for international supremacy. Many countries became proxy battlegrounds between U.S. and Soviet influence. In addition to beating the Reds, U.S. war planners used secret militias, many of them allied with fascists

MEE, agencies (2021-02-28). Israel blames Iran for explosion on Israeli-owned ship after 'initial assessment'. middleeasteye.net Israel blames Iran for explosion on Israeli-owned ship after 'initial assessment' | The MV Helios Ray has arrived at a port in Dubai, where an Israeli delegation is to investigate the event | Sun, 02/28/2021 – 09: 37 | Tensions have risen in the Gulf of Oman after Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and other major powers (AFP) | Israel has blamed Iran as being behind an…

MEE, agencies (2021-02-28). Syria intercepts Israeli missiles over Damascus: state media. middleeasteye.net Syria intercepts Israeli missiles over Damascus: state media | A war monitor said the strikes hit an area where Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Lebanese Hezbollah are present | Sun, 02/28/2021 – 22: 11 | Israel is thought to have carried out hundreds of air and missile strikes on Syria since civil war broke out in 2011 (AFP/File photo) | Syrian air defences intercepted Israeli missiles ov…

MEE, agencies (2021-02-28). Turkey and Iran summon envoys, escalating Iraq row. middleeasteye.net Turkey and Iran summon envoys, escalating Iraq row | Moves follow Iran's representative to Baghdad criticising Ankara's involvement in Iraq after Kurdish attack on Turkish forces there | Sun, 02/28/2021 – 13: 59 | The coffin and image of Turkish Lt Ertug Guler are carried during the funeral of three Turkish military personnel killed in action in northern Iraq's Gara region, on 12 February…

MEE, agencies (2021-02-28). Nuclear deal on brink of collapse as Iran rules out meeting with US. middleeasteye.net Nuclear deal on brink of collapse as Iran rules out meeting with US | Tehran has demanded Washington take the first step to revive the nuclear deal by scrapping sanctions
| Sun, 02/28/2021 – 21: 37 | Iran has suspended commitments to the 2015 deal in response to the US failure to lift its sanction (AFP) | Iran on Sunday dismissed Europe's offer for an informal meeting involving the Uni…

Shir Hever (2021-02-28). Israeli private arms export is too terrible even for Tel Aviv. middleeasteye.net Israeli private arms export is too terrible even for Tel Aviv | Israel cracks down on sales of suicide drones to China to avoid heavy diplomatic cost in relationship with US | Sun, 02/28/2021 – 11: 17 | An Israeli UCAV IAI Harop drone displayed at Bourget airport during the International Paris Air Show on 21 June 2011 (AFP) | At least 20 Israeli arms dealers have been arrested by Israel's secret police over…

MEE, agencies (2021-02-28). Khashoggi murder: Qatar joins other Gulf states in showing support for Saudi Arabia. middleeasteye.net Khashoggi murder: Qatar joins other Gulf states in showing support for Saudi Arabia | Doha, Bahrain, UAE have stood by Riyadh after CIA report blames Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for journalist's killing | Sun, 02/28/2021 – 16: 44 | Qatar's ruler Sheikh Tamim Al Thani (L) has confirmed his support for Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the CIA's damning report naming Crown Prince Mohamme…

RT (2021-02-28). WATCH: Wild scenes in Dagestan as junior judo event descends into mass brawl. rt.com A junior judo event in Dagestan erupted into a mass melee as competitors and dozens of fans traded blows. | The tournament at the Ali Aliyev Sport Complex in Kaspiysk witnessed ugly scenes as the brawl was captured on camera and quickly shared across social media on Saturday. | Footage of the carnage starts with one of the competitors seen leaning over the barriers, throwing punches. | By that point a broader punch-up is already underway as dozens of spectators trade blows. | –î–µ—Å—è—Ç–∫–∏ –∑—Ä–&prod…

RT (2021-02-28). Widow of NBA icon Kobe Bryant rages at Hollywood actress Evan Rachel Wood over 'rapist' comment. rt.com Vanessa Bryant, the widow of late NBA icon Kobe Bryant, has hit out at actress Evan Rachel Wood over a tweet she posted in the aftermath of the basketball star's death in which Wood labeled Bryant "a rapist." | "What has happened is tragic. I am heartbroken for Kobe's family," Wood had tweeted last year in the aftermath of the helicopter crash in California which killed Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others. | "He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously." | Despite the tweet being in existence for more than a year, it has only just been seen…

_____ (2021-02-28). Is the American Dream Still Alive? strategic-culture.org &nbsp…

Paul Street (2021-02-28). The Anatomy of Fascism Denial. counterpunch.org When I am being interviewed by a member of the old guard and point to the concrete and steel, the tiny electronic listening device concealed in the vent, the phalanx of goons peeping in at us, his barely functional plastic tape-recorder that cost him a week's labor, and point out that these are all manifestations

RT (2021-02-28). Epstein jokes touched a nerve? After Trump, Golden Globes host Tina Fey says 'don't expect much politics' in this year's ceremony. rt.com With Donald Trump out of office and after Ricky Gervais' take-no-prisoners performance last year, the Golden Globes won't get political this year, host Tina Fey said. "I wonder why?" commenters replied. | Tina Fey and Amy Poelher were announced last January as this year's hosts, after comedian Ricky Gervais used his hosting gig to roast the elitism of the virtue-signalling celebrities in attendance. | Also on rt.com | | Gervais' Jeffrey Epst…

RT (2021-02-28). 'United and strong like never before': Trump won't break with Republican party at CPAC speech, will back GOP. rt.com In an upcoming speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, former president Donald Trump will reportedly not announce a break from the Republican Party, and will walk "right up to the line" of announcing a 2024 run. | Trump has kept a relatively low profile since leaving the White House last month, and his public statements have been few and far between, likely owing to his deplatforming from every major social media outlet. As such, his headline appearance on Sunday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has been hotly anticipated. | According to an excerpt from the speech obtained…

RT (2021-02-28). WATCH: Portland protest turns chaotic with businesses trashed, fist fights on the street and bike cops slamming into 'press'. rt.com At least two arrests were made after a mostly peaceful protest in Portland turned violent. Banks and other businesses were trashed as beleaguered residents pleaded with protesters to "go home!" and leave them in peace. | A group of dozens of people were reportedly demonstrating against immigration policy under the Biden administration in the Pearl District in downtown Portland, but quickly began vandalizing the area. | Businesses had their windows smashed, vehicles were vandalised and graffiti was sprayed over a number of walls in the area, as video uploaded to social media purports to show. | A security vehic…

RT (2021-02-28). After backlash over 'outside review' of sexual-harassment claims, Cuomo asks AG & chief judge to pick counsel to investigate. rt.com New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, seeking to allay concerns that an investigation of sexual-harassment claims against him would be politically influenced, has called for state officials to choose a lawyer to handle the case. | The governor's office wants the review of allegations by two former staffers to be

RT (2021-02-28). Multitasking 101: California doctor appears at court hearing via Zoom DURING surgery. rt.com A plastic surgeon in California attended a virtual court hearing in relation to a traffic violation from an operating theater while a patient was on the table. The court was not exactly pleased with his multitasking, however. | The usually mundane traffic violation hearing at Sacramento Superior Court was spiced up this week when the defendant, Dr. Scott Green attended via Zoom from his surgery room, baffling other participants. The bizarre in-court surgery, which was livestreamed online, was first

RT (2021-02-28). GOP NY Rep. calls on 'criminal sexual predator' Cuomo to resign after 2nd former staffer alleges sexual harassment. rt.com Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) doubled down on her call for embattled New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to step down "immediately" after another of his former staffers, the second one since December, accused him of sexual harassment. | "Governor Cuomo is a criminal sexual predator and he must immediately resign," Stefanik said in a statement issued shortly after the New York Times published a detailed account of Cuomo's former aide Charlotte Bennett, accusing the governor of unwanted sexual advances, on Saturday. | Stefanik noted that she "was one of the first and one of the only elected officials to call on the Gove…

RT (2021-02-28). 'I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me:' 2nd former aide to NY Gov. Cuomo accuses him of sexual harassment. rt.com Another ex-aide has accused New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, already facing allegations of sexual harassment, of improper advances. Charlotte Bennett, 25, said he asked about her sex life and whether she ever dated an 'older man.' | Bennett joined Cuomo's administration in early 2019 and was promoted from her entry-level position to that of a senior briefer and executive assistant to the governor within several months. She told the New York Times that she was constantly grilled about her sex life by her former boss. | The former aide said that she reported Cuomo's alleged sexual overtures to his chief of staff,…

RT (2021-02-28). GOP NY representative calls on 'criminal sexual predator' Cuomo to resign after 2nd former staffer alleges sexual harassment. rt.com Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) doubled down on her call for embattled New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to step down "immediately" after another of his former staffers, the second one since December, accused him of sexual harassment. | "Governor Cuomo is a criminal sexual predator and he must immediately resign," Stefanik said in a statement issued shortly after the New York Times published a detailed account of allegations by former aide Charlotte Bennett on Saturday, accusing the governor of unwanted sexual advances. | Stefanik noted that she "was one of the first and one of the only elected officials to call on th…

RT (2021-02-28). California gov. Newsom accused of breaking own lockdown rules for 2nd time amid growing cries for him to be recalled. rt.com Embattled California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom has been accused of once again breaching his own coronavirus restrictions after he was allegedly caught dining indoors. | Newsom himself posted a video with comedian George Lopez to his TikTok aimed at promoting how citizens can check their coronavirus vaccine eligibility. The video was taken inside the Los Amigos restaurant in Fresno, which is under the state's strictest lockdown restrictions, complete with a ban on indoor dining. | California Governor

RT (2021-03-01). Trump calls for breaking up Big Tech, says failure to restore freedom of speech would doom Republican Party. rt.com Former President Donald Trump has called for breaking up giant technology companies and taking away their Section 230 liability protections. He argued that the Big Tech mutes conservative voices like his own. | "The time has come to break up Big Tech monopolies and restore fair competition," Trump said Sunday at the CPAC conference in Orlando. "Republicans, conservatives must open our platforms and repeal section 230 liability protections," he added. | While in the past the public had a chance to hear both sides of the argument before making an informed decision, the big tech censorship disproportionately targ…

Tom Coburg (2021-02-28). Unsurprisingly, leaked files confirm the Foreign Office coordinates multi-agency propaganda programmes. thecanary.co A tranche of leaked files shows that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is coordinating multi-agency propaganda programmes. These files show that the programmes mainly target the authoritarian regimes in Russia and Syria. This is not unexpected. More significantly, perhaps, documents also show that these programmes are not confined to just foreign targets. | Leaked files: | The leaked files, were released to The Canary by 'Anonymous': | OP. HMG Trojan Horse. Part 4:

Sophia Purdy-Moore (2021-02-28). Police forces are still unable to explain why they're so racist. thecanary.co According to a The report highlights that: Over 35 years on from the introduction of stop and search legislation, no…

Aaliyah Harris (2021-02-28). Politicians and religious groups are fuelling homophobic attacks on Ghana's LGBTQI+ community. thecanary.co On 24 February, National Security raided the offices of Sharing the incident in a At this moment, we no longer have access to o…

CP Editor (2021-02-28). The Final Inch. counterpunch.org

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-28). Belgian working class fights for fairer contracts and increase in wages. peoplesdispatch.org In the attempt to negotiate a new interprofessional agreement (IPA), major trade unions in Belgium organized a national day of action on February 25 demanding a significant increase in wages and an hourly minimum wage of 14 euros (16.91 USD)…

_____ (2021-02-28). Thomas Sankara: A United Front Against Debt. popularresistance.org At the 1987 summit of the Organization of African Unity, Thomas Sankara warned that he would not live to attend another meeting if Burkina Faso were alone in resisting its debt obligations. A few months later, he was murdered in a coup backed by France for calling out the neocolonialist and imperial character of the debt imposed on African countries and calling for African unity and freedom. | Mister President, Heads of Delegations, | At this moment I would like for us to speak about another pressing issue: the issue of debt, the question of the economic situation in Africa. It is an important condition of our su…

Peter Wahl (2021-02-28). Remembrance culture and the Cold War. indybay.org "No to racism, anti-Semitism, the production of images of the enemy, and the slandering of history!" | Russia is once again declared the enemy, but at a rapid pace now so is China. The new Cold War seems unstoppable. Enemy images are marked by a simple binary world view. The enemy is portrayed as completely evil, and we are the good guys."

Steve Watson (2021-02-28). Merkel: EU Leaders 'Have All Agreed that We Need Vaccine Passports'. globalresearch.ca After the European Commission convened to discuss the potential of so …

_____ (2021-02-28). As Leaks Expose UK Op to 'Weaken' Russia, Suppression of Grayzone Reporting Backfires. strategic-culture.org Twitter added an unprecedented "warning" to Max Blumenthal's Grayzone article about explosive leaks revealing a massive UK government anti-Russia propaganda operation involving Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat. Instead of suppressing the article, it went viral. | By Max BLUMENTHAL, Aaron MATÉ | After The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal