2021-02-02: News Headlines

MEE staff (2021-02-02). Palestinian political activist and analyst Abdel Sattar Qassem dies of Covid-19. middleeasteye.net Palestinian political activist and analyst Abdel Sattar Qassem dies of Covid-19 | Qassem, 72, had announced in January that he would be running as an independent candidate for the presidency in the upcoming Palestinian election | Tue, 02/02/2021 – 11: 33 | Qassem was born in the village of Deir al-Ghusun in 1948, in the present-day occupied West Bank (social media) | Prominent Palestinian academic and politica…

RT (2021-02-02). Marjorie Greene Taylor hits back after Mitch McConnell dubs her 'GOP cancer,' says 'weak Republicans' will doom party & country. rt.com Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has responded to a scathing attack by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — who dubbed her a "cancer" for the GOP — insisting that "weak" Republicans would be the country's downfall. | "The real cancer for the Republican Party is weak Republicans who only know how to lose gracefully," the freshman GOP congresswoman wrote in a tweet on Monday night. | This is why we are losing our country. | The real cancer for the Republican Party is weak Republicans who only know how to lose gracefully. | This is why we are losing our country.— Marjorie Taylor Greene &#…

RT (2021-02-02). Acronyms are 'symptoms of white supremacy', says San Francisco public schools' art dept, after dropping its abbreviation. rt.com The San Francisco Unified School District Arts Department has decided to abandon its acronym, apparently in a bid to end racism — but many Twitter users have failed to appreciate this historic step forward for equality. | Formerly known as 'VAPA', short for 'Visual and Performing Arts', the department announced that going forward it would be referred to as the SFUSD Arts Department because "acronyms are a symptom of white supremacy culture," a local ABC affiliate

RT (2021-02-02). Elon Musk takes Twitter hiatus after publicly backing bitcoin & acknowledging his comments could affect markets. rt.com Elon Musk has announced that he is staying off Twitter for the time being, after a headline-grabbing week in which he made market-shaking comments about cryptocurrencies and the ongoing GameStop stock drama. | "Off Twitter for a while," the world's richest man tweeted, without elaborating on the reason for his social media sabbatical. | Off Twitter for a while— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Although no stranger to the media limelight, Musk has had an unusually chaotic week, in which he voiced support for…

ParkNonymous (2021-02-02). California YIMBY Comms Director Lies About Berkeley Parks. indybay.org Matthew Lewis, the Communications Director for the lobby group California YIMBY, has been spreading disinformation about available park space in Berkeley. The CAYIMBY Communications Director is messaging on social media for the purpose of riling public open against People's Park.

Chris Dickerson (2021-02-02). West Virginia Newspaper Company Accuses Google, Facebook of Digital Advertising Antitrust Violations. 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 state's largest newspaper company has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit …

WSWS (2021-02-01). Emmy Butlin and Maxine Walker of the UK Committee to Defend Julian Assange oppose Facebook censorship of the Socialist Equality Party/IYSSE. wsws.org The WSWS has been sent letters from Emmy Butlin and Maxine Walker, of the Committee to Defend Julian Assange (JADC) in opposition to the censorship of the World Socialist Web Site and Socialist Equality Parties by Facebook.

Alan MacLeod (2021-02-01). "At First I Thought it Was a Joke": Academic Media Censorship Conference Censored by YouTube. thealtworld.com The entire video record of the conference — estimated at around 24 hours of material — was mysteriously disappeared from YouTube say conference organizers. | MPN- An academic critical media literacy conference warning of the dangers of media censorship has, ironically, been censored by YouTube. The Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas 2020

Alan Macleod (2021-02-01). "At First I Thought it Was a Joke": Academic Media Censorship Conference Censored by YouTube. mintpressnews.com The entire video record of the conference — estimated at around 24 hours of material — was mysteriously disappeared from YouTube say conference organizers.

teleSUR (2021-02-01). Guaido Prevents the Use of Frozen Funds for Vaccines. anti-empire.com Jan 21 (teleSUR) — The former lawmaker rejected a proposal of the legitimate government to allocate gold blocked in the United Kingdom to anti-COVID-19 vaccines. | Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced Wednesday that former opposition deputy Juan Guaidó rejected a proposal by the legitimate government of the South American nation to allocate 120 million dollars, illegally withheld in the United Kingdom, to the purchase of anti-Covid-19 vaccines. | In a message disseminated through the social network Twitter, Arreaza detailed that this maneuver constitutes "another proof of the cruelty of Guaid…

RT (2021-02-01). Former head of Twitter Europe warns anonymity ban won't stop racism on social media. rt.com Twitter's former Europe boss, Bruce Daisley, has warned social media sites that simply removing the anonymity of users will not solve the problem of racism on their platforms, calling on companies to do more to address the issue. | Speaking to the BBC on Monday, Daisley addressed some of the proposals that have been presented to tackle the growing issue of racism and other abusive behavior on social media, with culprits often accused of hiding behind fake or anonymous profiles. | Calling on social media firms, including Twitter, to do more to address toxic content on their platforms, Daisley warned that a "sim…

Nadda Osman (2021-02-01). Murder of Lebanese model Zeina Kanjo causes uproar online. middleeasteye.net Murder of Lebanese model Zeina Kanjo causes uproar online | Many have called for greater protection of women and improved domestic violence laws | Mon, 02/01/2021 – 13: 58 | Kanjo's death has been condemned online, with many calling for accountability (Screengrab/Twitter) | The murder of a Lebanese model, Zeina Kanjo, on Sunday evening has been condemned online, and reignited conversations about the prot…

Raul Diego (2021-02-01). UK Labour Party's Hiring of Former Israeli Spy Completes the Post-Corbyn Transformation. mintpressnews.com UK Labour is in the throes of a makeover as the new leader of the opposition taps a notorious Israeli Unit 8200 alumnus to lead its social media in the push for a 2024 victory.

RT (2021-02-01). 13 GOP House members demand AOC apologize to Ted Cruz for accusing him of 'attempted murder'. rt.com Republican members of Congress have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California), demanding Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) apologize to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for claiming he tried to have her killed. | "It has come to our attention that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent out a tweet in which she accused Senator Cruz, in essence, of attempted murder," the letter, which was obtained and revealed by Washington Examiner on Monday, reads. | The lawmakers are referring to a recent tweet from Ocasio-Cortez in which she said Cruz was among the Republicans who "almost had me murder…

RT (2021-02-01). 13 GOP House members demand AOC apologize to Ted Cruz for accusing him of 'attempted murder'. rt.com Republican members of Congress have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California), demanding Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) apologize to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for claiming he tried to have her killed. | "It has come to our attention that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent out a tweet in which she accused Senator Cruz, in essence, of attempted murder," the letter, which was obtained and revealed by Washington Examiner on Monday, reads. | The lawmakers are referring to a recent tweet from Ocasio-Cortez in which she said Cruz was among the Republicans who "almost had me murder…

yenisafak (2021-02-01). EU to get 75M extra Pfizer/BioNTech virus vaccine doses. yenisafak.com US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will deliver an additional 75 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the EU until summer, the head of the European Commission said on Monday."BioNTech/ Pfizer will deliver 75 million of additional doses in the second quarter of the year – and up to 600 millions in total in 2021″, Ursula von der Leyen said in a Twitter post.‚Ä®On Sunday, the UK-based AstraZeneca also agreed to deliver 9 million more jabs to the bloc during the first three months of the year, making it 40 million doses for the period.‚Ä®This came as a sign…

RT (2021-02-01). Facebook leak: Zuckerberg admits having TOO MUCH POWER but cheers new administration, seeks to WORK WITH BIDEN on key issues. rt.com Project Veritas has posted leaked videos exposing internal talks at Facebook lamenting the company's admittedly excessive power but at the same time seeking to use its influence to "work with" President Joe Biden's administration. | "These were all important and positive steps," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said of the executive orders on immigration, Covid-19 and other issues that Biden signed right after being inaugurated on January 20. "And I am looking forward to opportunities where Facebook is going to be able to work together with this new administration on some of their top priorities, starting with Cov…

Staff (2021-02-01). 50 House Democrats Back Resolution to Remove Marjorie Taylor Greene From Office. truthout.org Image Credit: Facebook: Marjorie Taylor Greene | Republicans face increasing pressure to strip Georgia Congressmember Marjorie Taylor Greene of her post on the House Education Committee. Greene was elected in November 2020 and is a far-right conspiracy theorist who has promoted QAnon, supported the execution of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and claimed the school shootings in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and Parkland, Florida, were staged — as was the September 11 attack on the Pentagon. She al…

_____ (2021-02-01). Chris Hedges: Papering Over The Rot. popularresistance.org The death spiral of the American Empire will not be halted with civility. It will not be halted with the 42 executive orders signed by Joe Biden, however welcome many are, especially since they can, with a new chief executive, be immediately revoked. It will not be halted by removing Donald Trump, and the crackpot conspiracy theorists, Christian fascists and racists who support him, from social media. It will not be halted by locking up the Proud Boys and the clueless protestors who stormed the Congress on January 6 and took selfies in Mike Pence's Senate chair. It will not be halted by restoring the frayed allia…

RT (2021-02-01). 'For what?' Alan Dershowitz's nomination of Jared Kushner for Nobel Peace Prize leaves critics bemused. rt.com News that Jared Kushner — former President Donald Trump's son-in-law and ex-senior adviser — has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize provoked outrage and bemusement on social media. | Kushner was nominated for the prize on Sunday by Alan Dershowitz, who worked as a lawyer for Trump, as well as the late serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was put forward for his work setting up the controversial Some on social media compare…

RT (2021-02-01). White House press secretary Psaki finally CIRCLES BACK after trolling from 'conservative Twitter' over repetitive promise. rt.com White House Press Secretary Jen Paski has claimed she doesn't spend "a lot of time" thinking about Donald Trump's absence on social media, but she did turn heads by acknowledging criticism of her from "conservative Twitter." | Psaki addressed a number of issues with the press during a Monday gathering at the White House, but the comment that appeared to stick out most was one directed at what she deemed "conservative Twitter." | "I often note I'm going to circle back, I hate to disappoint conservative Twitter, but I am going to circle back on a number of things," she said before answering a few questions that…

RT (2021-02-01). Former Russian President Medvedev calls Twitter 'politicized' platform, slams ban of Trump & claims site is biased towards Navalny. rt.com Twitter is a "politicized" website, involved with interference in foreign states. That's according to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who also attacked the platform for blocking former US President Donald Trump's account | Medvedev's comments come after Twitter, along with other social media networks, received blame for allowing Russian opposition figures to advertise protests. | According to the former leader, who now sits on the Russian Security Council, his acquaintance signed up to the popular social network and was immediately recommended to subscribe to Alexey Navalny. When joining Twitter, the…

Mustafa Dahnon (2021-02-01). Syria: Activist's arrest by Turkish-backed forces raises concerns over freedoms. middleeasteye.net Syria: Activist's arrest by Turkish-backed forces raises concerns over freedoms | Hayyan Ibrahim Hababa was detained for nearly two weeks before his release, with relatives fearing for his safety in detention | Mon, 02/01/2021 – 14: 16 | A social media picture of Hayyan Ibrahim Hababa (Facebook) | The arrest of a prominent media activist by Turkish-backed rebel forces has raised concerns about f…

sputniknews (2021-02-01). 'A True Legend': Tony Bennett Reveals His Struggle With Alzheimer's. sputniknews.com In response to the singer's revelation, numerous social media users rushed to wish him well and to praise him for being a gentleman.

sputniknews (2021-02-01). Video: Chinese Kid Employs 'Drunken' Style Kung Fu. sputniknews.com He protects, he attacks but, most importantly, he does Kung Fu just like in most badass martial arts movies.

Colin Todhunter (2021-02-01). Viral Inequality and the Farmers' Struggle in India. 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). | *** | According to a new report by Oxfam, '

ProPublica (2021-02-01). "This Is War": Inside the Secret Chat Where Far-Right Extremists Devised Their Post-Capitol Plans. juancole.com by Logan Jaffe and Jack Gillum | — ( ProPublica ) — When the FBI arrested Edward "Jake" Lang on Jan. 16 for his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol attack, court documents show agents had followed a seemingly straightforward trail from his public social media to collect evidence. "THIS IS ME," Lang wrote over …

Colin Todhunter (2021-02-01). Viral Inequality and the Farmers' Struggle in India. dissidentvoice.org According to a new report by Oxfam, 'The Inequality Virus', the wealth of the world's billionaires increased by $3.9tn (trillion) between 18 March and 31 December 2020. Their total wealth now stands at $11.95tn. The world's 10 richest billionaires have collectively seen their wealth increase by $540bn over this period. In September 2020, Jeff Bezos …

sputniknews (2021-01-31). #BidenLied: Netizens Blame POTUS for Deception Over $2,000 Stimulus Checks. sputniknews.com Despite continued debate over the coronavirus relief package in the US, the only thing that the former Republican president, Donald Trump, and the incumbent Democrat, Joe Biden, appear to agree on was that the $600 one-time stimulus payments are not enough.

RT (2021-01-31). 'He doesn't care': 10 Republicans praise Biden's call for 'unity', want to work 'in good faith' on new Covid-19 relief bill. rt.com Republican senators, including Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, sent a letter to Joe Biden on Sunday, requesting a meeting to discuss Covid-19 economic relief — but the attempt at bipartisanship is being eviscerated on social media. | The Republicans' specific plan will be unveiled on Monday, but they say it aligns with the president's "stated priorities" and could win "bipartisan support." | Biden's Covid-19 relief package is worth $1.9 trillion, a cost some critics have argued is too high. The plan also includes $1,400 stimulus checks for individuals. | Specifics for the Republican plan were not given in…

RT (2021-01-31). #BidenLied tops Twitter trends as president's loyalists try to hijack hashtag to switch conversation from disappointment to Trump. rt.com Joe Biden has been slammed from both left and right for not fulfilling at least one campaign promise, getting #BidenLied trending, triggering his supporters to try and hijack the hashtag to distract from the criticism. | After decades in politics, Biden being accused of lying to the public by critics is nothing new, but his first days as president have even some supporters questioning his honesty. | As numerous liberals called out Biden for his $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus plan offering $1400 direct payments to Americans when he actually promised $2000 "immediately" after taking office (though he's attempte…

RT (2021-01-31). Nation's 'largest vaccination site' in LA briefly shut down amid protest against Covid-19 immunization campaign (VIDEOS). rt.com Access to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, called the nation's largest mass vaccination site, was halted for an hour after a small group of protesters showed up to decry the immunization drive. | The entrance to the stadium, which has been serving as a mass vaccination site since mid-January, was sealed at around 2pm local time after a sparse crowd of protesters staged a rally near the gate. | Footage on social media

sputniknews (2021-01-31). India's Ruling Party Called Out for Sharing 'Doctored' Video on Benefits of New Farm Laws. sputniknews.com The "doctored" video shared by Sambit Patra, a spokesperson of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gives the impression that an opposition leader backs Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new farm laws, which have triggered massive protests across the country. Twitter has flagged the video as a result.

sputniknews (2021-01-31). Political Persecution? How US Dems Are Cracking Down on Trump & His Conservative Supporters. sputniknews.com Having taken control over the White House, the House of Representatives and even the Senate in the aftermath of the 2020 election, Democratic politicians appear to still be after private citizen Donald Trump and conservative social media users. A US lawyer known by his nom de plume Techno Fog on Twitter has shed light on Dems' apparent strategy.

WSWS (2021-01-30). Facebook CEO Zuckerberg says company will "depoliticize" its News Feed. wsws.org Facebook is working on plans to permanently reduce "the amount of political content in News Feed" as part of an ongoing effort to purge socialist and left-wing organizations from its platform.

RT (2021-01-30). Pentagon halts plan to give Covid-19 vaccination to Gitmo detainees after wave of outrage from conservatives. rt.com Following a recent report that the Biden administration planned on vaccinating detainees at Guantanamo Bay before millions of Americans caused outrage, the Pentagon has announced the plan has been "paused." | "No Guantanamo detainees have been vaccinated," Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby tweeted on Saturday. "We're pausing the plan to move forward, as we review force protection protocols. We remain committed to our obligations to keep our troops safe." | No Guantanamo detainees have been vaccinated. We're pausing the plan to move forward, as we review force protection protocols. We remain committ…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). US stocks down 2% with new COVID-19 variant risks. yenisafak.com US stocks closed lower Friday to end the last trading day of January as new variants of the novel coronavirus increased perceived risks of investors for global economic recovery.The Dow Jones fell 620 points, or 2%, to 29,982, while the SP 500 declined 73, or 1.9%, to end at 3,714.The indexes posted their worst weekly plummet since October as they closed below their 50-day moving average for the first time since November.The Nasdaq fell 266 points, or 2%, to end at 13,070 with Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft sliding by 2% each. The tech-heavy index finished the week down 3.5% but was up 1.4% in January.The VIX v…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). 'About half' of virus cases in Lisbon due to UK variant. yenisafak.com Hospitals in Portugal's capital Lisbon continued overflowing with patients on Friday, with nearly half of the COVID-19 infections in the worst-hit region thought to be caused by the coronavirus variant first detected in the UK.The highly contagious variant is responsible for more than 32% of cases nationwide and almost 50% of all cases confirmed in Lisbon, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Twitter late Thursday.Citing the same figures, Health Minister Marta Temido said the data may not paint a full picture as it is coming from just one laboratory.Portugal has been under lockdown for two weeks and ha…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Rebels invite UN envoys to assess famine in Yemen. yenisafak.com Yemen's Houthi group on Saturday invited envoys of the UN Security Council members to visit the war-torn country to assess the exacerbating humanitarian situation."We call on representatives of the Security Council member-states to visit Yemen to see the catastrophic situation, which has been termed as the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe," Mohammed al-Houthi, a member of the group's Supreme Political Council, said on Twitter.He called on the Council members to "play their humanitarian role to address the famine and the blockade imposed on Yemen".The Houthis blame the Saudi-led coalition for the humanitaria…

_____ (2021-01-30). Big Tech's Gravest Sin? Working With the Security State. strategic-culture.org Though they claim to champion privacy, companies like Google and Amazon are making a fortune contracting with the government. | By Ivan ELAND | The "de-platforming" of Donald Trump by Twitter, Facebook, and Google-owned YouTube—that is, Big Tech—recently garnered big headlines. Trump's change in status has raised cries among some conservatives of "censorship." Yet a more libertarian view holds that these are private companies that have a right to control their own content, just as private broadcast and print media do. The word "censorship" has been traditionally and more appropriately applied to go…

RT (2021-01-30). Billionaire & Mets owner Steve Cohen off Twitter after he helped GameStop-ravaged protege, branded Redditor investors 'jockeys'. rt.com Businessman Steve Cohen appears to have deleted his Twitter account amid uproar over the GameStop short squeeze debacle. The Mets owner's hedge fund drew suspicion after bailing out fellow financiers hit hard by small investors. | Steven Cohen's Point72 Asset Management helped his former protege, Gabriel Plotkin, after the latter's hedge fund Melvin Capital lost billions by betting against video game retailer GameStop. The rug was pulled from under Plotkin by a bunch of small dollar investors coming from a Reddit community called WallStreetBets. | This placed Cohen on the radar of people angry in the aftermath…

RT (2021-01-30). 'Loud & unmasked': Democratic rep moves office citing 'safety' concerns after accusing GOP upstart Taylor Greene of 'berating' her. rt.com Democratic Rep. Cori Bush said she was forced to move her office for her own safety after Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene allegedly "berated" her on Capitol Hill, a charge the GOP upstart has emphatically denied. | Bush (Missouri) said in a Friday Twitter post that Taylor Greene and her staff "berated" her "in a hallway" in the Capitol earlier this month, adding "I'm moving my office away from hers for my team's safety." | A maskless Marjorie Taylor Greene & her staff berated me in a hallway. She targeted me & others on social media. | I'm moving my office away from hers for my team's safety. | I've…

RT (2021-01-30). Fan revolt: Marseille football supporters STORM training ground before French club's match with Stade Rennais (VIDEO). rt.com Disgruntled Marseille fans have stormed the club's training ground to protest at the club's directors, French outlet RMC reported on Saturday, with social media clips appearing to show pyrotechnics being let off at the scene. | Between 150 and 200 supporters tried to break into the club's training ground, the Robert Louis Dreyfus center, with RMC Sport's Twitter account showing fans forcing their way into the facility. | Other footage shared on social media also showed some of the group throwing flares and lighting firecrackers. | Training centre vandalised by Marseille fans who penetrated it earlier this afte…

RT (2021-01-30). 'I need it to make money': Golf babe Spiranac hits back at critics telling her to cover up and admits her 'job is on social media'. rt.com Social media sensation Paige Spiranac has admitted that being online "crushes her confidence" at times, replying to messages that have accused her of being a cynical show-off with her routinely racy selfies across her platforms. | Self-described "Insta golf girl" Spiranac told her audience on Instagram, where she has almost three million followers, to "raise your hand if social media gets you down sometimes." | The 27-year-old contends with a torrent of responses online, many of which are from admirers of her glamorous photos and videos in tight and scantily-clad outfits. | "It's hard seeing people being more…

RT (2021-01-30). 'You must do more': Chelsea captain pleads with social media giants for protection after English FA condemns yet more racist abuse. rt.com Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has urged Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to "do more" against trolls who have sent racist abuse to youngster Reece James, adding that he cannot fathom how bullies "have such hate in their heart". | The worsening crisis of online abuse against footballers took another grim turn on Saturday when Chelsea defender James revealed messages calling him a "monkey", "trash" and telling the England prospect he had "dirty black skin". | Shortly afterwards, West Midlands Police announced that they had arrested a 49-year-old man near Birmingham on suspicion of sending racial abuse to Roma…

RT (2021-01-30). Hitting the ceiling: Logan Paul's flopped fight with Floyd Mayweather could demonstrate finite fan tolerance for boxing mismatches. rt.com Despite Logan Paul's protestations, rumors abound that his much-trumpeted mismatch with boxing great Floyd Mayweather has fallen foul of a lack of interest. Could that herald more quality control when novelty fights are scheduled? | Logan Paul came out swinging when reports widely suggested that his meeting with Floyd Mayweather had been scrapped at three weeks' notice because of low take-up from fans. | If you believe the YouTube maverick – and his contention that the fight has attracted ample interest and will go ahead at some unspecified point is clearly feasible, given his proven ability to shift tickets -…

RT (2021-01-30). 'It really blows': Female UFC star Pennington backed by Amanda Nunes's wife Nina Ansaroff after doping ban for 'thyroid treatment'. rt.com Two-weight UFC champion Amanda Nunes's wife, Nina Ansaroff, has offered support to Raquel Pennington after Nunes's former victim copped a six-month ban from bosses for confessing to taking two prohibited substances from a doctor. | In a lengthy social media explanation to her hundreds of thousands of followers earlier this week, American bantamweight Pennington claimed she did not realize that she should have checked with the UFC's testing program after being given "several medications" by her physician. | The 32-year-old emphasized there had been "nothing that forced me" to declare the potential breach to the…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Amnesty slams Houthi ban on Yemeni women. yenisafak.com Amnesty International has condemned a Houthi decision banning Yemeni women from working in restaurants, calling it "shameful and discriminatory".In a thread on its Twitter account, the human rights organization said it stands with all Yemeni women "in their fight for their rights"."Institutionalizing discrimination increases oppression on women and impedes the foundation for sustainable and gender-equitable recovery and reconstruction in Yemen," it said.Amnesty stressed that UN efforts to achieve a "peaceful reconciliation" in Yemen are impossible "without safeguarding and protecting women's rights".There was no…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Houthis hail Italy's block of arms sales to Saudi, UAE. yenisafak.com Yemen's Houthi rebels have welcomed an Italian decision to suspend the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)."Italy's announcement of halting arms sales to the countries that are engaged in an aggression on Yemen is a positive move," rebel spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam said on Twitter.He said the move would "contribute to protecting [Yemeni] civilians and support the peace process".On Friday, Italy's Foreign Ministry announced blocking exports of arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, following warnings by activists and lawmakers about the use of weapons in violation of human rights in Yemen…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Turkey 'neutralizes' three YPG/PKK terrorists in N.Syria. yenisafak.com Turkish security forces "neutralized" three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, in a protected area near Turkey's southern border, the National Defense Ministry announced Saturday.The terrorists were trying to infiltrate the area of Turkey's cross-border anti-terror operations — Peace Spring and Euphrates Shield — to disrupt peace and security in the region, the ministry said on Twitter.Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations in northern Syria to prevent…