(2022-02-08). Biden, Germany's Scholz Try to Show United Front Amid Ukraine Tensions. news.antiwar.com President Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Monday as the two leaders tried to show a united front amid heightened tensions with Russia over Ukraine. | Germany has not been as eager to stoke conflict between Ukraine and Russia as some of its NATO allies and is not sending weapons to Kyiv, Berlin has cited historical reasons as to why they don't want to send weapons that could be used in a war in Eastern Europe. Another…
(2022-02-08). Despite US Warnings, Ukraine Says Diplomatic Solution More Likely Than Russian Invasion. news.antiwar.com Ukraine continues to send a much different message than what US officials are saying concerning a potential Russian invasion. On Sunday, an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a diplomatic solution to the current tensions with Russia "An honest assessment of the situation suggests that the chance of finding a diplomatic solution for de-escalation is still substantially higher than the threat of further escalation," said preside…
(2022-02-08). China's Gu Ailing takes historic women's freeski big air gold at Beijing 2022. ecns.cn China's prodigy Gu Ailing claimed the historic gold with a 1620 performance she had never done before in the women's freeski big air of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Big Air Shougang here on Tuesday, while Tess Ledeux of France and Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland took silver and bronze, respectively.
(2022-02-08). Ukraine and Russia: History Matters. strategic-culture.org By Karsten RIISE | What is Ukraine? This is a difficult question. Russia was born in Kiev. The first historic Russian empire was Kievan-Rus, which was founded by the Vikings and the King Rurik, who sailed from the Baltic Sea through the rivers Daugava and Dnepr down to the Black Sea and Constantinople. In 882 CE they made Kyiv the capital of the first Russian kingdom. The Mongols put a final end to Kievan-Rus in the 13th century, but the Rurik dynasty then ruled from further north, in what was in the 15th century still just a small principality around another river city called Moscow. Only in 1598 did the ruling…
(2022-02-08). CIA veteran hosting anti-China 'Uyghur diaspora' podcast funded by US government. multipolarista.com 
The "WEghur Stories" podcast claims to speak on behalf of "the Uyghur diaspora," and uses intersectional feminist rhetoric to demonize China. But it's co-created and hosted by an ex CIA agent, with funding from the US embassy in France.
(2022-02-08). Refugees in the Cluster of Humanitarian Disasters. journal-neo.org 
Recent years have been increasingly marked by numerous migration crises. Fleeing from wars, armed conflicts and various militant activities, migrants from Africa and Asia continue to make dangerous attempts to enter Europe by various, often risky and dangerous, means. As a result, many of them die at sea, and the coastguards of various countries have …
(2022-02-08). France's Macron claims he averted Russian invasion of Ukraine. rt.com 
According to the French leader, he managed to get a pledge from Putin that there will be no escalation in the conflict | French President Emmanuel Macron has claimed a breakthrough in the tense standoff between Russia and Ukraine, taking credit after supposedly obtaining guarantees from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the situation will not escalate further, following a crunch summit between the two heads of state. | Speaking to journalists in Kiev ahead of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, Macron claimed that he has secured what he sees as a pledge from Moscow on the ma…
(2022-02-08). Woody Allen's Rifkin's Festival: A portion of life's complications makes its way through. wsws.org American film critic Mort Rifkin (Wallace Shawn) is in northern Spain in the company of his younger wife Sue (Gina Gershon), a film publicist, while she attends the San Sebastián Film Festival.
(2022-02-08). Turkish health workers strike as COVID-19 pandemic, living costs surge. wsws.org As COVID-19 cases explode and real annual inflation exceeds 110 percent in Turkey, many layers of the working class are increasingly taking strike action.
(2022-02-08). President JFK's Murder Is Graphic Proof of Entrenched Cold War Ideology and Why Peace Eludes U.S.-Russia Relations. dissidentvoice.org 
The Cold War is back with a vengeance. The current impasse between the United States and Russia over the Ukraine crisis is running the risk of an all-out war in Europe, a war that could escalate into nuclear Armageddon. The crisis is wholly manufactured by Washington's geopolitical power calculations — claims made against Russia about …
(2022-02-08). Washington pushes UK Conservatives to impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs. wsws.org Washington is intent on using the war threats against Russia as a stick to beat its European allies, forcing them to fall in line with its broader economic and financial demands.
(2022-02-08). Putin voices concerns over discrimination of Russian-speaking population in Ukraine. tass.com Russian President expressed hope that following the talks Macron would also discuss the issues of security in Europe and the Ukrainian settlement with the Kiev authorities during his visit to Ukraine…
(2022-02-08). Germany promises 'very tough sanctions' on Russia. rt.com 
If Moscow launches an invasion of Ukraine, it will be hit with "far-reaching" measures, Chancellor Scholz says | Russia will face serious consequences if it decides to launch a military incursion into Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned on Sunday, ahead of a trip to the US to meet President Joe Biden at the White House. | Speaking to German channel ARD, Scholz said that current Western efforts are aimed at ensuring there is no need to impose economic measures against Russia, but that a range of ideas had been discussed. | "We have very concrete preparations with our allies in the EU and the US. We ar…
(2022-02-08). Vladimir Putin's Meeting With Xi Jinping Marks an Important Step in Eurasian Future. journal-neo.org 
The past week saw what was arguably the most important encounter for a considerable period of time. The Russian president Vladimir Putin travelled to Beijing as the honoured guest of Chinese president Xi Jinping . It was their first face to face meeting for more than two years. The two leaders did not waste the opportunity …
(2022-02-08). Antiwar Groups Rally To Stop Us From Being Lied Into War With Russia. popularresistance.org Clearing the FOG provides excerpts from the speakers at the National Online Rally to stop war with Russia over Ukraine that was held on Feb. 5 as part of the national actions that took place in about 70 cities in Hawaii and coast to coast. The rally and actions were organized based on a unified call to action issued by 12 national and international antiwar organizations, which was endorsed by more than 200 more organizations. The demands include stopping the war with Russia, stopping the supply of weapons to Nazis in Ukraine, ending NATO, de-escalating the threat of nuclear war and resolving the current conflict…
(2022-02-08). Times Square action says:'Fight racism, not Russia!'. liberationnews.org 
It wasn't Russia that was forcing us to go back to work during a global pandemic so our bosses could grind out a little extra profit … It was Wall Street.
(2022-02-08). Tomgram: Rajan Menon, War with Russia? warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Progress? Let's see. We've gone from unending wars in distant lands against enemies capable of little more than wielding firearms and roadside bombs — and those conflicts were disasters — to the possibility of a war in the …
(2022-02-08). Peace with Russia Day of Action: February 5, 2022, Santa Cruz, California. indybay.org Santa Cruz takes part in a day of action for Peace with Russia!
(2022-02-08). War tensions mount as EU powers hold talks in Moscow, Washington. wsws.org After four hours of one-on-one talks in the Kremlin, the French and Russian presidents gave a press conference at which the latter baldly warned of the danger of world war.
(2022-02-08). Protest in Oakland Says No to War with Russia. indybay.org Rally part of a day of international action to protest US/NATO war plans against Russia…
(2022-02-08). New Yorkers say 'No war with Russia'. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Dozens upon dozens of organizers and anti-war activists gathered at two different rallies to protest the U.S. military threats against Russia. | | The first event began at 2 p.m. in Columbus Circle and was organized by Struggle-La Lucha. Organizers gathered near the USS Maine National Monument — the Maine warship exploded due to an accident and became a pretext for the 1898 Spanish-American War. Bill Doares of Struggle-La Lucha explained the important symbolism of the moment and likened it to a false flag operation, similarly to what's happening in Ukraine now. | Speakers denounced spendi…
(2022-02-08). Macron Says Talks With Putin Helped Avoid Further Escalation on Ukraine Issue. sputniknews.com The French president arrived in Moscow on Monday to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in order to discuss Russia-EU and Russia-NATO relations amid the crisis in Ukraine.
(2022-02-08). No War With Russia; Yes to Diplomacy and Peace. indybay.org Protest at Berkeley Civic Center…
(2022-02-08). Putin says doesn't rule out Ukraine will try to resolve Donbass problem by force again. tass.com Ukrainian authorities have made two attempts to resolve the Donbass problem by force, Russian President noted…
(2022-02-08). Ukraine to hold military exercise with involvement of Bayraktar, Javelin, NLAW. tass.com Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov noted that Ukraine is receiving weapons "that she could only dream about before"
(2022-02-07). NATO moves to the Caspian: Turkey, Azerbaijan complete "one nation, two states" military integration. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com
(2022-02-07). The Exit from the Ukraine Crisis That's Hiding in Plain Sight. transcend.org 1 Feb 2022 – Is there any way out of this exceedingly dangerous crisis? Perhaps the only hope is the Minsk II agreement, forged in February 2015 between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by Germany and France, and endorsed by the European Union and the United Nations. The agreement essentially called for a recognition of reality in law.
(2022-02-07). Election year in France: Some background notes. mronline.org 
The French presidential election looks to once more see a run-off between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. Can the Left break through? And what is the threat of Eric Zemmour?>
(2022-02-07). Algeria to Central Europe: NATO plans gas pipeline from Spain to Germany — report. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com La Vanguardia: Un gasoducto España-Alemania está entrando en los planes de la OTAN 112 UkraineFebruary 7, 2022 NATO plans to build a gas pipeline from Spain to Germany, — media NATO is considering building a pipeline from Spain to France and Germany that will "reduce Central Europe's dependence on Russian gas." This was reported by …
(2022-02-07). Moscow and Paris Share Security Concerns on Europe's Situation. telesurenglish.net After Monday's talks between the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, aimed at the current situation in Europe and the continent's security, Putin noted that both countries share the same concerns. | RELATED: | "I would like to stress it again. We share the concern about what is going on in the sphere of security in Europe," Putin said during the talks. "I would like to thank you for the fact that France…
(2022-02-07). Portugal's Socialist Party wins legislative election as Left Bloc collapses. wsws.org The Left Bloc and the Portuguese Communist Party are deeply discredited after years of openly supporting the right-wing policies of the Socialist Party (PS) government.
(2022-02-07). NATO's Stoltenberg thanks Turkey's Erdogan for support on Ukraine. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Daily SabahFebruary 7, 2022 NATO chief thanks Erdogan for efforts to solve Ukraine-Russia crisis NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his contribution to finding a political solution for the Russia-Ukraine crisis and his personal efforts. In a message he posted on Twitter, Stoltenberg said they discussed Russia's buildup in …
(2022-02-07). Lithuania Goes From Bad To Worse As Belarus Closes Vital Economic Railway Artery. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size imageEconomic situation in Lithuania is being strongly affected by tensions with China and Belarus. | Written by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst | Belarus since Monday, in response to the blocking of the transit of potash fertiliser through the Baltic port of Klaipƒóda, lowered the barrier against trains with Lithuanian petroleum products and fertilizers, especially those going to Ukraine. For several days now, economists and policymakers in the Lithuanian ca…
(2022-02-07). Progressive sections in Belgium slam government plan to increase military spending. peoplesdispatch.org On Saturday, February 5, peace groups and anti-imperialist sections in Belgium organized a demonstration in capital Brussels to protest the government's plans to increase its defense budget amid the simmering Russia-Ukraine conflict. The demonstration was attended by members of left parties and progressive organizations such as Intal Globalize Solidarity, Vrede vzw, Cnapd Asbl, the Workers Party of Belgium (PTB/PVDA), the Comac youth movement, among others. They urged Russia and Ukraine to engage in dialogue to peacefully resolve the conflict. | The coalition government in Belgium has agreed to allocate EUR 10.2…
(2022-02-07). Description of NATO war games in Estonia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com From the NATO Multinational Corps Northeast Public Affairs Office. NATO battlegroup wraps up largest winter exercise in Estonia From 29 January to 6 February, close to 1,400 soldiers take part in the annual Winter Camp exercise on the Central Training Area near Tapa testing their infantry and armour capabilities against the harsh winter conditions in …
(2022-02-07). Peace Groups Say No To War Between U.S. And Russia Over Ukraine. popularresistance.org Groups opposed to war rallied outside the White House to condemn the Administration's role in a military buildup in Europe and warned war between superpowers would come at great cost. Speakers questioned why the U.S. is involved in yet another conflict less than a year after the end of the Afghanistan War — its most recent and the longest war it ever fought — while many families can not afford adequate housing, food and healthcare, and communities buckle under crumbling infrastructure.
(2022-02-07). Peace Groups Say No To War Between US And Russia Over Ukraine. popularresistance.org Washington DC – Groups opposed to war rallied outside the White House to condemn the Administration's role in a military buildup in Europe and warned war between superpowers would come at great cost. Speakers questioned why the U.S. is involved in yet another conflict less than a year after the end of the Afghanistan War — its most recent and the longest war it ever fought — while many families can not afford adequate housing, food and healthcare, and communities buckle under crumbling infrastructure. | Speakers from anti-war groups Answer Coalition, CODEPINK Women Against War, Caudia Jones School for…
(2022-02-07). The Untold History Of NATO And Case For Its Abolition. popularresistance.org NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is moving ever closer to Russia's border. Russia views this as an existential threat — and a historic betrayal of key guarantees it was given by the west as the Soviet Union disintegrated. As Biden sends thousands of additional troops to Eastern Europe, the threat of war is growing by the day.
(2022-02-07). The Blackwater Is in Ukraine with the Azov Battalion. transcend.org 1 Feb 2022 – In the Donbass front line is the Azov battalion, trained and armed by the US and NATO. The Azov recruits neo-Nazis from all over Europe under its flag from SS Das Reich. It is not only a military unit, but an ideological and political movement. In addition, there is the $10 billion plan being implemented by Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, now renamed Academy, which has been supplying mercenaries to the CIA, Pentagon and State Department for covert operations (including torture and assassinations).
(2022-02-07). U.S.-EU hide their role in Afghan hunger crisis. workers.org 
On Jan. 24, U.S. and European Union representatives met with representatives of the Taliban in Oslo to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. The meeting's purpose, according to the U.S. State Department, was the "urgency in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan" and the need to "help alleviate the suffering of . . . |
(2022-02-07). US combat troops arrive in Eastern Europe as Washington steps up war hysteria. wsws.org Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made several television appearances Sunday to warn, without evidence, that Russia could invade Ukraine "at any moment."
(2022-02-07). "No ifs or buts": German FM says Russia threatens peace in Europe. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Deutsche WelleFebruary 7, 2022 German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock heads to Ukraine "This is about nothing less than peace in Europe. Fighting for this with all our strength and determination must be worth every effort," Baerbock said before her departure, adding that: "together, we will respond with tough, very concrete measures to any further Russian …
(2022-02-07). Turmoil Will Continue Until a Modified Global Order Emerges. strategic-culture.org Ukraine has morphed — unexpectedly — from the Washington perspective from an 'useful distraction' to becoming Biden's dilemma. | "What will we do if the West does not listen to reason?", noted Sergei Lavrov. "Well, the President of Russia has already said 'what' [it will do]". "If our attempts to come to terms on mutually acceptable principles of ensuring security in Europe fail to produce the desired result, we will take response measures. Asked directly what these measures might be, he [Putin] said: they could come in all shapes and sizes". Russia had previously announced that absent a satisfactory…
(2022-02-07). What the Cuban Missile Crisis Can Teach Us About the Ukraine Crisis. warisacrime.org Commentators on the current Ukraine crisis have sometimes compared it to the Cuban missile crisis. This is a good comparison‚Äïand not only because they both involve a dangerous U.S.-Russian confrontation capable of leading to a nuclear war. During the 1962 Cuban crisis, the situation was remarkably similar to that in today's Eastern Europe, although the …
(2022-02-07). Military And Political Situation In Europe On February 7, 2022 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Two US military cargo aircraft Pentagon is going to deploy a total of 1,700 U.S. troops in south-eastern Poland; | According to the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the growing number of publications about the alleged Russian offensive…
(2022-02-07). Mapping Faultlines: Understanding NATO and US responses to Russia. peoplesdispatch.org In this episode of Mapping Faultines, NewsClick's Prabir Purkayastha talks about the responses by NATO and the US to demands raised by Russia on the security situation in Europe…
(2022-02-07). RT Censored: Germany Prohibits Russian TV Channel to Broadcast. orinocotribune.com 
This Wednesday, February 2, German media licensing and supervision commission (ZAK) has banned the Russian TV channel, Russia Today (RT), from broadcasting. | ZAK indicated, that RT does not have a media license. According to the media regulator, German law indicates that the Russian channel requires a broadcast license. It also states that RT did not receive or request permission to broadcast its programming. For this reason, it ordered the medium to stop broadcasting in German territory on all its platforms. | With this guideline RT will not be able to transmit its programming on the air, internet, through the…
(2022-02-07). Scholz: Germany to take "all steps necessary" to back NATO-EU actions against Russia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com For the 1,001 Internet analysts, clairvoyant commentators, intelligence insiders, inside information pedlars, esoteric experts and all-purpose gnostic/gnomic/noetic omniscients who have been assuring us of the contrary — and will continue doing so no doubt. From the February 7 edition of TASS. ==== Germany is ready to take 'all necessary steps' if Russia 'invades' Ukraine — …
(2022-02-07). DW: New German government more Atlanticist than its predecessor. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Deutsche WelleFebruary 7, 2022 Germany's Olaf Scholz is in Washington amid Ukraine crisis The chancellor himself appeared on public broadcaster ZDF on Wednesday night to flatly deny that he was being too passive and that NATO partners considered Germany unreliable: Not only was he working intensively with all NATO partners, he said, but he was …
(2022-02-07). Explore NATO's military intervention in the Yugoslav-Kosovo conflict in 'Diplomacy at Gunpoint'. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Reposted from Benzinga. Explore NATO's military intervention in the Yugoslav-Kosovo conflict in 'Diplomacy at Gunpoint' James Rothrock, Retired Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Air Force, aims to raise thought-provoking questions about the authority, justification and consequences of NATO's decision to intervene militarily in Kosovo with his new book "Diplomacy at Gunpoint: Kosovo: The Illegal and Unnecessary War" …